We Interupt This...

...season of politics for another season and some autumnal posts.


Yesterday, one heck of a bright day, all my girls and my two grandboys and I went for a walk out to the back woods for a visit to the beaver dams.

Steph and Kai were being Thomas Jefferson and Meriwether Lewis. Thomas Jefferson was teaching Lewis (Kai) about science and collection of specimens. When Stephanie explained to this to Kai, Michelle broke out in song:

The Scientific Method to the tune of "Dixie"

Oh, what do you think a scientist does

To solve a problem found because

Many scientists are scientists

'Cause they're great problem solvers

There is a systematic way

They go about 'most every day

It's methodical and it's logical

The scientific method

A way to solve a problem, a way, a way

The scientific method is a way to solve a problem

A way, a way, a way to solve a problem

A way, a way, a way to solve a problem

It may not seem important to you

But the first thing that they always do

Is state the problem or ask a question

So, they know just what they're after

Then they review everything involved

that might help get the problem solved

By reading, researching

And gathering information...

Author: Doug Eldon

Crazy homeschooled girl. But on we march into the deep woods 'till we get here to the beaver dams. Boy the water is sure low this year, but positively it will be flowing strong again soon.

In January and February of most years the grass covered log you see here is mostly submerged until all we see is a thin line of grass tops.

What a view. These old snags in the beaver pond are full of birds. In the spring when nesting season starts, we paddle the canoe around in the pond and watch the birds clean out the nest holes in the trees. Beavers aren't the only ones that are industrious.

But beavers sure are one of the most amazingly industrious of animals. It cracks me up how fast they patch up the holes I break in their dam in late winter, they get way too carried away and our entire pasture is threatened to be under water. I try not to make too big of holes, just big enough to let out some excess water and over night they will have the gap filled back in and a note tacked to the tree,

So there!

p.s. we do not have to fill an environmental impact statement thank you very much. Check it out, we are the environment, you are just human.

Darn, another college indoctrinated little pip squeak!

We got back home safely but not unscathed, Kai found what he thought was a trail and brave Lanny said, "Go for it Kai, let's see where it will take us."

I'll have you know I came out with the biggest owie.

On the way back home Steph and Kai picked up their plaster casts of some raccoon foot prints in the mud.

Bye girls! Bye Kai and Aksel!

Today however was all about the apple. And relaxing, kinda.

This old cider press is our landlord's. It was his father's and so of course it is hand cranked.

Bet tosses apples down to her dad as one of Dale's little workers comes over to get in the fun. the fun of work. Dale is taking a nap so where else do you go when you're a little boy, but the fun house next door.

A partially filled wheelbarrow fills one of the drums with chopped apples and then the drum is slid forward to the press. And the juice begins to flow.

And the bees are first in line, before the squeeze really gets the flow going.

But then the flow increases and the bees find it hard to hang on. What delicious tawny juice.

Foamy luscious autumnal nectar.

Every last drop is squeezed out. And then it heads over to the containers and the straining funnel.

The funnel screens out little chunks that go through and the bees that got washed into the collection bucket.

Need some yummy mind broadening cider?

Bring your empty containers and stiff constitution because we drink this, freeze this and put some up as wine, but we don't pasteurize. We like our all enzymes and yeasts intact, so we even take in a few bugs along the way.