Let the training begin

January 2004Go back to who picked whom, part 2.

L was two and a half when I brought her home. She was halter broke and that was about it. I had spent the afternoon with her at Ferme Litjens and she wouldn't let me close enough to touch her and she had no idea what an apple or a carrot was, so treats weren't going to help build our friendship. I figured we'd just sort that all out later.

After giving her a few days to settle in and get acquainted (it didn't take her long to learn about carrots!), we did some leading and decided to see if she'd cross tie.

Nope. That wasn't a good idea. Oh she cross tied just fine but as I was going to learn - trust was going to be a huge issue. At the slightest provocation she just broke the cross ties. Nothing to it. Next day I decided I'd just tie her lead rope off to a post and groom her.  Nope. Broke the snap right off the lead rope.

Truth is L was quite the handful and I was going to learn a lot. It's the main reason I decided to blog. To share training stories. I have tons of training stories. Being with L is the most comfortable, secure and satisfying place in my world. People see us now and they have no idea how much work it took to get here.

You know how you might drop a brush while you're grooming your horse? Well. I'd drop a brush and she break the cross ties and go out the other end of the barn backwards. I was going to spend a lot of money on cross ties.

This was winter 2003/2004 and just about every single night for *months* I threw brushes around the barn. I dropped halters. I made obstacle courses with feed bags and bedding bags. I dropped jackets and blankets. I kicked milk crates over. No you can't desensitize your horse to everything. But hopefully somewhere in this organized chaos she'd get the message.

L is very smart and attentive. Part of the challenge is the simple fact she does not miss a thing. That's part of the alpha thing. And she is extreme alpha. Hey that's a good name for a blog! There was a time she'd get all woofy over just a bucket in the wrong place. It's very funny now. But it wasn't very funny then.

There was a time when I was so scared of L I could barely put on her bridle because of the way my hands would shake. I'd break out in a sweat just thinking about saddling up. She was a scary horse when she was younger. She was bold and dominant and she can still throw quite unforgettable tantrums. For a long time I thought I'd just never get it.

Edit 8 January 2011: Tying troubles

Wheat Thins

Really. This time it's homemade Wheat Thins!

---

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  
• A pinch of salt. A teaspoon maybe.
  
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 4 tablespoons of butter. I used 4 tablespoons of canola oil. I freely mix butter and canola oil anywhere from all butter to no butter depending on how I'm feeling about saturated fat. Of course it affects the flavor but not a lot.
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
  
• 1 teaspoon of turbinado sugar
  
• 1/4 cup water. As much more as you think you need. The air was really dry, I probably used 1/3 of a cup or so.
  

Heat your oven at 400. Mix all the dry ingredients and add the butter or oil, honey and vanilla. Then work the water in with a fork slowly until it looks, well, "doughy". This is exactly like the rye crackers.

Then divide the dough into 4 balls. Put a ball between some wax or parchment paper and roll it out to about 1/8 inch think. Put them on a baking sheet and bake them for about 5 minutes.

I'm amazed at how easy it is to make crackers and everybody seems to love them.

I'm celebrating

With lamb chops!

Fairmount Fruit Farm has pasture raised lamb free from any added hormones. This is just delicious lamb! These are loin chops. I fixed creamy polenta and steamed green beans to go with them.

I got some shanks too for lamb stew.

Now, I realize this is every day stuff for some people but this is a big treat for me. It went really well with my lamb chops.

Oh I hate this

I really do.
10 December 2010 7:19 am
It's a little early in the season for the pond to be frozen this solid. I just hate the cold!

11 December 2010 8:15 am
Here's the same shot a little less than 2 months ago. Not so bad:

17 October 2010 8:56 am
This might help. It's a favorite!

Lentil soup

---

This is so easy!

• mirepoix, about 1/3 cup each celery, carrot and onion, finely chopped, I like to make sure some celery leaf gets chopped in there
  
• 2 cloves garlic
  
• Pinch of salt
  
• Generous pinch of Italian Seasoning
  
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
  
• 2 cups chicken broth
  
• 14 1/2 oz. can chopped tomatoes
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1/3 cup lentils
  

Sweat the mirepoix with the garlic, Italian Seasoning and red pepper flakes in the olive oil for about 10 minutes with the pinch of salt.

Add the chicken broth and the bay leaf. When the chicken broth comes to a boil add the tomatoes. When it comes to a boil again let the tomatoes go at a ripping boil for a few minutes.

Rinse and add the lentils, reduce it to a simmer and cover for 35 minutes.

Pick out the bay leaf and tweak the salt before serving.

Just the thing when the season starts getting ugly cold.

Crackers?

The thought just never occurred to me to make crackers before!

Homemade rye crackers

---

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dark rye flour
  
• 1 cup all purpose flour
  
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds. You can use caraway seeds if you want.
  
• A liberal pinch of salt. A teaspoon maybe.
  
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
  
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  
• 1/3 cup of canola oil. I'm trying to use peanut oil more often but I used canola oil.
  
• 1 (generous) teaspoon honey. Maybe I'll try some maple syrup next time.
  
• 1 teaspoon of turbinado sugar, to boost the sweetness a little.
  
• 1/4 cup water. As much more as you think you need. The air was really dry, I probably used 1/3 of a cup or so.
  

Heat your oven at 375. Mix all the dry ingredients and add the oil and honey. Then work the water in with a fork slowly until it looks, well, "doughy". Cover it for 10 minutes. Then divide the dough into 4 balls. Put a ball between some wax or parchment paper and roll it out to about 1/8 inch think. I don't bake. So I don't have a rolling pin. I used a wine bottle. Wine bottles make good rolling pins. I have plenty of wine bottles. I cut my crackers out with a pizza wheel and I dotted them with a fork. I put them on a baking sheet and I baked them for about 10 minutes.

They're really very good!

---

The reason I just happened to have rye flour around the house is because this time of year I just love homemade Boston Brown Bread!

I know I know the brown bread recipe uses whole rye flour. Not dark rye flour. I bought the wrong stuff last time. And it is a suitable substitute. Sift together, 3 times:

• 1 cup stone ground corn meal
  
• 1 cup whole rye flour
  
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon double acting baking powder
  

Some whole wheat will be left in the sifter, just mix it back in. Beat together:

• 3/4 cup dark molasses
  
• 2 cups buttermilk. I use the powdered buttermilk.
  
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
  

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mix. Add in a cup of currants or raisins.

Brown bread is steamed. Spray the inside of a coffee can with cooking spray, wipe it and fill it about 2/3 full with the brown bread batter. You'll probably have enough for 2. I get a stock pot going with a couple of inches of water and I use a ring or a tuna can with bottom cut out on the bottom. That's for the coffee can to sit on. You want the water to just reach the bottom of the can.

Put some aluminum foil over the top of the coffee can and secure with it an elastic band, put it in the stock pot, cover it tightly and steam it for an hour and a half.

Replenish the water as it boils away. I keep a kettle going for that.

I really don't know where I got that recipe I've had it since I was a teenager. It's really good! Don't forget the currants. I didn't have any - but they do make a difference.

It's very easy to make and this bread freezes beautifully.

Hold it, hold it

I have a little extra time on my hands..

Does anyone think this is a good thing: Americans work longer hours than workers in most other developed countries.

Anyone? Anyone at all?

This isn't the way we thought it was going to be. As bad as the 60s were, and they were, even with Vietnam, and civil rights unrest, and the assassinations, there was a sense of hope for the future. We gathered around our black and white TVs and watched the NASA launches with a real sense of wonder. And we thought for sure peaceful use of "atomic energy" would make electricity free by now.

Our heroes were Engineers and of course cars would fly.

In the 70s we thought the bathroom would be the biggest room in the house by now. Because advances in technology would make us so efficient we'd have oodles of free time to say, sit around in our whirlpool bathtubs.

No, we really did think those things.

Admittedly that's rather naive. But still, I think if pretty much everyone agrees we work too hard then why do we do it? Somebody must think it's a good thing. And they must be important.

A very special bottle of Guinness

4 December 2010
Really. This is the best beer I've ever had.