one local breakfast

most of the ingredients were zero miles from home. i sauteed several onions until they were caramelized. they filled our large cast iron skillet and reduced to not able to cover the bottom. our skillet is the original non stick surface and teflon is evil. i added two perfect tomatoes from the garden. we have been able to get two or three tomatoes per day from our garden. the ninety or so plants would usually produce wheelbarrow loads by this point. i sliced the tomatoes and simmered them down adding garlic, salt and ground chipolte peppers. it made a heavenly ranchero sauce.

i cooked several eggs, scrambled softly. then i melted cheese on tortillas wrapped them around the sauce and eggs. i grated asiago cheese on top before closing the burrito. i have made some mean breakfasts in my day but this one took the cake. the fresh tomatoes and home grown onions and garlic were instrumental to this dish.

tristan and tabitha loved it. most of the food i make comes assembled just prior to serving so i usually eat last and standing at the sink. kassi and toly had already eaten peebeejays. there was much praise and yummy noises.

tabitha tried to slack off the painkillers last night with catastrophic results. sleep was lost and general unhappiness was pungent. then the new dose of drugs kicked in. sweet sleep and quite were had by all.

i have been milking the cow she had gradually slacked off the amount given. she is due to calf in a few months so we are considering drying her off. this lactation has been exceptionally long and she'll need time to recover. her show calf should also be afforded the opportunity to grow without the daily nutritional drain milking causes. besides we need to change her diet to be calcium poor. this is done to prevent milk fever--a deadly side effect of a heavy producing cow and not mobilizing her own calcium stores before birth. it seems counter intuitive but decreasing the calcium intake is the prevention.

we'll have to buy milk for a month or so until nimue calves. we have a few sources for raw milk so things won't be to rough.

the bees have been crazy i am resigned to getting what we'll get from them and use our lessons learned for next year. the big walnut tree in our back yard was truck by lightning branches have fallen from it all summer. three of the bee hives are directly under it and have been narrowly missed. it makes me sad that we'll have to cut that tree down but it will open our yard to more light for more fruit trees. the proposed location of the solar collectors will be in much better light. i guess things are as they are supposed to be.

monday i'm going to call around and find someone to buy the tree. we sure could use the cash. we have also decided to move the hives to completely separate locations. the loner hive on the upper side of the garden is easily monitored. we plan one on the lower side of the garden or on the far side of the pasture. one hive should go in the front yard under the peach tree and one will likely remain where the walnut stump will be. when the hives are all together it is difficult to tell what hive is doing what. we had a tiny swarm leave the most robust hive--less honey. i think we will have plenty of honey for ourselves. we plan to keep every drop since it doesn't go bad and there will be a whole year of cooking, canning and sandwich making. if there is any left over next season i'll make mead. or figure out how to make kombucha with it.

i have been making kombucha in six gallon containers for most of the summer. i bottle it in grolsch bottles and share it with toly--he loves it. i am sure that it helps his stomach health. it is funny the different tastes i get from each bottle. sometimes it is tart and almost like vinegar and others it is sweet. most of the time it tastes like hard cider. toly and i share a pint most days.

rome is doing great. he is already showing signs of wanting into the fray. that poor boy doesn't know what he's in for. he is alert and very engaging. he resembles kassi the most. he even has a little dimple on his cheek like kassi--the opposite cheek. his hair is dark reddish brown. i wonder how it'll grow out?

toly is taking things fairly well. a few setbacks but mostly just loves his little brother. kassi and tristan have been doing remarkably well. kassi fauns over rome and would dress and re-dress him hundreds of times per day. tristan has been deep into his new nintendo.