I’ve been wanting to hike out to a favorite spot up in the
National Forest just across the street from our house. This past weekend was a perfect opportunity
to do that. The sun was shining, the
snow was glistening, and the air was crisp and perfect for hiking, about 20
degrees or so. When it is about 20
degrees, with no wind, and the sun is shining, this makes for a glorious day of
being outside. Then to top it all off,
the frozen rime on all the trees only added to the beauty of the day.
So we suited up in all the warm appropriate clothing, called
the dogs, and away we went. As we walked
into the forest, we began to see some very large tracks that were pretty
fresh. These tracks could mean only one
thing… the bull moose we had seen several weeks ago was still hanging around.
And, he was apparently quite hungry. He
had dug around deep into the snow searching for plants that were still
green.
He left lots of this everywhere too. I think he must have found plenty to eat, because
he sure enough left lots of leftovers behind!
The dogs followed every trail they could of the deer, and
the moose. I wondered if he was watching
us somewhere keeping a close eye on us.
The tracks were quite fresh, and he couldn’t have been far away. But we never did see him.
We walked on the trail that the snowmobilers had been kind
enough to make for us. It made for a lot
easier walking when you could walk on the snow that had already been packed
down, instead of sinking to your knees with every step!
I was snapping pictures of everything I could see. The magnificence of the day cannot even come
close to finding itself in any of my pictures.
The sparkling crystals in the snow beckoned to us. It seemed as if the
ground was alive and waltzing around with us as we walked. The sparkles of light bouncing off the snow
created a beauty that caused my throat to constrict as we walked. Is there another word for “magnificent”? I don’t know if there are any words in our
English vocabulary that could possibly describe the decadent beauty that this
day was offering to us.
At one point in the hike, the trail spikes upward
sharply. It was at this point that I
began to wonder if my legs were going to hold up for the rest of the
journey. The snowmobilers had deserted
the trail at this point, turning and going a different direction than we wanted
to go. They had sped off through the
open field. We were headed uphill. So each step we took was in deep snow, not to
mention the steepness of the trail.
Finally, we made it to the top of the ridge, and oh…. The
beauty that was spread out before us like a feast. To look in every direction was the beautiful
frozen rime covering every single leaf of every single tree in feathery white
magnificence. The mountains off to the horizon were also covered in snow with
purplish shadows as the sun sparkled in a million different places.
We stopped to catch our breath here after reaching the top of the ridge… but it was hard to catch our breath… because it seemed I could hardly breathe with the beauty of it all. We stood there in frozen silence for what seemed like a very long time. It was too beautiful to try to add words to the moment. We just stood there silently in awe of the masterpiece spread before us.
We traveled over the ridge to another ridge where you could
look out over a whole different direction.
You could see all the way to the closest town. You could even see the cars traveling over
the bridge, yet the stillness, and peace of the forest was not broken by any
distant noise. It was completely silent
up there, as if all the world were just immersed in the beauty of the moment
too. There wasn’t a sound at all, except
the heavy breathing of the dogs.
As we began our trek back down the hill, I hated to leave
this place. I wished we could stay much
longer… but alas, I knew that I couldn’t mess with teenagers and their hungry
bellies… and so because… dinner needed to find its way to the table... it was time to go.
Our weary legs began to make their way back down the mountain,
one step at a time in the deep snow. The
dogs raced off as we began our trek back down the hill, but they came back soon
enough with their tongues hanging out, licking the snow and panting
heavily. They were tired too!
It took all the energy we possessed to maneuver our way back
down the mountain. I felt like hanging
my tongue out with the dogs, but I didn’t think it would do me any good! So
instead, we called our daughter to meet us where the trail forked at the road,
instead of walking the remaining quarter of a mile to our house.
When I plopped down in the seat of our vehicle, the dogs
splayed out beside me. I didn’t feel so
bad. They were pooped too! I hadn’t seen
them that wore out in a long time! Trekking
through knee-deep snow is a workout that your body doesn’t soon recover
from!
But the exhilaration of seeing such beauty overrode any
complaints my muscles were making. My
heart was refreshed, and my soul renewed even if my muscles were in agony!
When we got back to the house, the dogs and my husband all
crashed. I wanted to. I really did.
But… I knew that hungry bellies would soon be showing up expecting to be
fed… and so I reined in all the remaining ounces of energy I had left to get
dinner ready.
Sometimes… I wish for the life of men and dogs… sometimes….
Ever heard the saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure?"
We’ve begun to apply that principle to our own lives, and
once you begin to realize how true this statement is, it follows then, that we
need to take an interest in own health.
For if you don’t, who will? This
does involve investigation and research on the food and the medications that
you take for granted as “safe.” It
involves learning about how many of the foods and drugs that we put into our
bodies contain chemicals and substances that our bodies have no way of knowing
how to process.
There are chemicals that are found in our foods,
medications, beauty products, and water.
Of course, there is no way to completely eradicate these things because
they are even in the air we breathe.
But, if we begin to understand how little nutrition our body gains from
highly processed foods such as frozen pizza, hot dogs, boxed macaroni and
cheese, and so on, this is a great place to begin to change your eating habits,
which may not be as healthy as you think.
Have you ever eaten at one of the popular fast-food restaurants and then an hour later felt like you ingested rocks or something? You might want to do some investigating as to which fast-food restaurants actually serve real food, and which ones serve such highly processed foods that the nutritional value is virtually nonexistent. I'm not going to mention any names, but you might want to look into how highly processed the foods are at your favorite fast food joint, and whether you are actually eating food or.... ????
I won't mention any names but....
So... to get started with being aware of what you are actually eating on an every day basis, here’s a good rule of thumb to begin with…. if a boxed or
frozen product has more than three to four ingredients in it, or has
ingredients in it that you can’t even pronounce, you are more than likely
ingesting a chemically processed food.
Many products are now boasting that they are organic, natural, and include no preservatives or high-fructose corn syrup. This is something you should keep your eyes peeled for, and even if you have to pay a little more for these products... your body will thank you!
For example - you can buy cheaper ketchup with high fructose corn syrup ... or you can buy the variety that advertises no high fructose corn syrup, pay a little more, but you won't be ingesting a chemical that is like a poison.
Here's just one article on the subject... feel free to educate yourself further, and make your own decisions though...
So, in essence, these highly processed foods contain very little nutrition
in them, and what is left for your body to process is a strange chemical that
it doesn’t know what to do with, and most of the time, the body cannot expel
these chemicals, and so they remain in our body, and perhaps later turn into
cancer-causing cells. When you think of
how many chemicals your body possibly ingests during one day, the thought is
almost overwhelming!
Have you looked at the food labels of the food you eat on a
daily basis? What about the medications
you are taking? Ever look on the back of
your face cream solution or your hairspray bottle to see if there are any phthalates
in them? What about your deodorant? Have
you ever considered that the chemical that keeps your body from smelling may
actually also be a cancer-causing agent?
It gets pretty scary when you begin to realize that every
day events that you never even stopped twice to consider may actually be doing
great harm to your body.
I began wondering these things myself, and began to do some
deeper research into the effects of all these chemicals that I have for years
put into my body.
Simply put... The
less chemicals we ask our bodies to process, the healthier we will be.
Here are some links to some articles on this subject that
give more information from researchers and doctors who have begun to put two
and two together about the dangers of all the chemicals that we put into our
bodies through food, and medications, and even beauty products. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but something to simply stimulate you
to do your own research, and make your own decisions about these things.
Foods to eat that actually work to protect your body against
bad chemicals and cancer forming cells:
Chemicals in your cosmetics:
I am thankful to say that since I began to be aware of the
danger of highly processed chemicals in our food and drug supply, and have
begun to be very careful of these things, that we have noted a marked
improvement in our overall health, for which we are very thankful for.
Which brings us back to my original statement, and the title of this post... An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.... If we can cut off the diseases in our bodies with a few preventative measures.... it will save us so much more in the future, both in $$ and with healthier bodies.
So take some time today to begin to investigate the foods and drugs YOU are putting into your body ... find out if they are really nutritious, healthy, and life giving. It may cost you some time, effort, and more $$, but really.... an ounce of prevention is WORTH a pound of cure!
Frozen rime you ask?
Is that some new kind of Italian frozen dessert?
Indeed, frozen rime sounds like a recipe hidden on the pages of my grandmother's cookbook, or perhaps the recipe name out of one of the new fad diets going around, you know .... one of the new recipes out of the ... "7 Days to a Healthy You Cookbook" .... all you gotta do is just try our secret "frozen rime" recipe and you'll lose 5 pounds today.... (oh if only that were true!)
But alas, my dear friends, frozen rime is not something you eat..
Although it is so beautiful you might just think it should be edible!
Frozen rime is a fancy term for Frozen Fog. Yes! Really!
I had never heard of frozen rime before, but we've had a lot of it here in northern Idaho the past few days! Lots of fog at night, and then in the mornings.... voila... an absolutely magnificent sight on every tree, post, fence... anything that a droplet of water can freeze on.... frozen rime.
It is absolutely magnificent to see! It is a crystal white sparkling winter wonderland to see the delicate beauty left on every leaf, branch and twig of every tree.
The amazing beauty that God designed for us never ceases to amaze me!
I had never heard of frozen rime before living here in Idaho. After seeing its lacy beauty left in the wake of a misty fog, it is a sight that I don't think I'll ever tire of!
A dear friend of mine, Gloria T., sent me these pictures below of the frozen rime as they were out driving last weekend. Magnificent!
And just to make her day extra special, as she was snapping pictures of the beauty all around, Gloria shared with me how the excitement of the day was capped by seeing this beauty flying high!
She also snapped these pictures....
Is that some new kind of Italian frozen dessert?
Indeed, frozen rime sounds like a recipe hidden on the pages of my grandmother's cookbook, or perhaps the recipe name out of one of the new fad diets going around, you know .... one of the new recipes out of the ... "7 Days to a Healthy You Cookbook" .... all you gotta do is just try our secret "frozen rime" recipe and you'll lose 5 pounds today.... (oh if only that were true!)
But alas, my dear friends, frozen rime is not something you eat..
Although it is so beautiful you might just think it should be edible!
Frozen rime is a fancy term for Frozen Fog. Yes! Really!
I had never heard of frozen rime before, but we've had a lot of it here in northern Idaho the past few days! Lots of fog at night, and then in the mornings.... voila... an absolutely magnificent sight on every tree, post, fence... anything that a droplet of water can freeze on.... frozen rime.
It is absolutely magnificent to see! It is a crystal white sparkling winter wonderland to see the delicate beauty left on every leaf, branch and twig of every tree.
The amazing beauty that God designed for us never ceases to amaze me!
I had never heard of frozen rime before living here in Idaho. After seeing its lacy beauty left in the wake of a misty fog, it is a sight that I don't think I'll ever tire of!
A dear friend of mine, Gloria T., sent me these pictures below of the frozen rime as they were out driving last weekend. Magnificent!
 |
 |
And just to make her day extra special, as she was snapping pictures of the beauty all around, Gloria shared with me how the excitement of the day was capped by seeing this beauty flying high!
She also snapped these pictures....
Thanks for sharing your pictures with me Gloria!
And....
So there you have it... Frozen rime .... Deliciously sublime... (does that rhyme or rime)?
Go wow your friends with this new word in your vocabulary today....
I'm sure you've sat on pins and needles all weekend worried about The Beast, wondering if he was going to get fed or not this weekend.
I appreciate your concern.
Mr. Beast wanted me to hurry up and write this update so that all of you worried readers could go back to sleep and get some much needed rest. He's in good shape now.
Oh yes.... we got him taken care of... somewhat unwillingly... by three teenage boys who had nothing better to do a fine Saturday afternoon, than help us haul in wood to the basement....
First we had to get the slide in position. We have a green playground slide that we use to bring in the wood. The wood room does not have a window in it, so we have to set up the wood system through the bedroom next door. It takes a whole crew to get this accomplished. Two people on the outside bringing the wood to the window, one person to catch the wood as it comes down the slide, and one person to stack the wood in the wood room. It's a regular party I'll tell ya! The joy in the room is absolutely contagious! A playground slide in the house, in the guest bedroom no less... I can't imagine why we didn't have more guests sign up to come to the party????
First we get the slide positioned to receive the sliding wood pieces. Although it looks like it "wood" be a blast, sliding down the slide meant for children on a playground.... I've never actually tried it. I'm afraid my landing might be a little like Humpty Dumpty....
Then we get two people positioned outside to get the wood from the wood pile, and bring it to the window where we have the slide set up.
After the wood has been outside in the snow and ice for several months, even though we have it covered with a tarp... the wood is still covered in snow and ice, and literally each piece has to be pried apart.
Cosmo, my sweet dog, knows he has to help, and we're so excited to have him on board. He knows his job is to ferret out every last mouse, rat or rabbit from the pile. I'm very grateful for his help. He worked diligently alongside us making sure the rats, mice and rabbit population were taken care of in order to ensure a more orderly and peaceable evacuation of the wood pile. Thanks Cosmo! Your help was greatly appreciated! It takes all team members on board to get this job done properly!
Um yeah... do you see THAT! UGH! Now this is the main reason why I HATE bringing wood into the house that is wet from being out in the snow and ice. Yes indeed. Every piece of wood that comes down the slide, picks up speed and by the time it reaches the floor, mud is slinging everywhere.
Oh what a mess. I shudder every time I think of having to do this wood business... there you have it... the reason I hate doing wood is really because... I hate mud. Hate it with a passion! All that good exercise is really not the problem. No not at all. I could do wood all day, if it didn't involve MUD on my floors!
Oh, and in case I forgot to mention... I hate bugs too! This piece of wood came in with a zillion bugs in it. Well, being the bug killer that I am, I insisted that this piece of wood go straight into Mr. Beast's belly. Instant execution for all those nasty black bugs!
So yes... mud and bugs... they are NOT my friends! But Mr. Beast is sitting over there in the corner demanding to be fed... and in the middle of winter, you do what you have to do....
And when we are done, there are three huge piles of wood stockpiled in our basement, at least 12 feet long by 7 feet tall.
Should be enough to keep us warm for ... a month!
And then.... the cycle shall repeat itself.... again....
I'll be SO glad when spring gets here! Oh wait... did I say I hate mud... I forgot...
I mean I'll be so glad when summer gets here. Spring means mud too.... Sigh.
THE END
I appreciate your concern.
Mr. Beast wanted me to hurry up and write this update so that all of you worried readers could go back to sleep and get some much needed rest. He's in good shape now.
Oh yes.... we got him taken care of... somewhat unwillingly... by three teenage boys who had nothing better to do a fine Saturday afternoon, than help us haul in wood to the basement....
First we had to get the slide in position. We have a green playground slide that we use to bring in the wood. The wood room does not have a window in it, so we have to set up the wood system through the bedroom next door. It takes a whole crew to get this accomplished. Two people on the outside bringing the wood to the window, one person to catch the wood as it comes down the slide, and one person to stack the wood in the wood room. It's a regular party I'll tell ya! The joy in the room is absolutely contagious! A playground slide in the house, in the guest bedroom no less... I can't imagine why we didn't have more guests sign up to come to the party????
First we get the slide positioned to receive the sliding wood pieces. Although it looks like it "wood" be a blast, sliding down the slide meant for children on a playground.... I've never actually tried it. I'm afraid my landing might be a little like Humpty Dumpty....
Then we get two people positioned outside to get the wood from the wood pile, and bring it to the window where we have the slide set up.
After the wood has been outside in the snow and ice for several months, even though we have it covered with a tarp... the wood is still covered in snow and ice, and literally each piece has to be pried apart.
Cosmo, my sweet dog, knows he has to help, and we're so excited to have him on board. He knows his job is to ferret out every last mouse, rat or rabbit from the pile. I'm very grateful for his help. He worked diligently alongside us making sure the rats, mice and rabbit population were taken care of in order to ensure a more orderly and peaceable evacuation of the wood pile. Thanks Cosmo! Your help was greatly appreciated! It takes all team members on board to get this job done properly!
Um yeah... do you see THAT! UGH! Now this is the main reason why I HATE bringing wood into the house that is wet from being out in the snow and ice. Yes indeed. Every piece of wood that comes down the slide, picks up speed and by the time it reaches the floor, mud is slinging everywhere.
Oh what a mess. I shudder every time I think of having to do this wood business... there you have it... the reason I hate doing wood is really because... I hate mud. Hate it with a passion! All that good exercise is really not the problem. No not at all. I could do wood all day, if it didn't involve MUD on my floors!
Oh, and in case I forgot to mention... I hate bugs too! This piece of wood came in with a zillion bugs in it. Well, being the bug killer that I am, I insisted that this piece of wood go straight into Mr. Beast's belly. Instant execution for all those nasty black bugs!
So yes... mud and bugs... they are NOT my friends! But Mr. Beast is sitting over there in the corner demanding to be fed... and in the middle of winter, you do what you have to do....
And when we are done, there are three huge piles of wood stockpiled in our basement, at least 12 feet long by 7 feet tall.
Should be enough to keep us warm for ... a month!
And then.... the cycle shall repeat itself.... again....
I'll be SO glad when spring gets here! Oh wait... did I say I hate mud... I forgot...
I mean I'll be so glad when summer gets here. Spring means mud too.... Sigh.
THE END
That’s our term for the hungry thing downstairs that gobbles
up wood like it is candy. And really, we
are glad to keep him fed because that is how we stay warm. That’s because he is our beloved wood
stove. Without him, winter would be very
long and cold indeed. It’s just that it
takes so much work to keep him happy. I
have to tend to him just about as carefully as I do my children! At least once
an hour, I make a trip down there just to check on him, and see how his day is
going. I affectionately call him The
Beast because he is a big guy, and has a huge stomach. And he demands to be fed hourly. Not only that, it takes a lot of work just to
get the food ready to be shoved into his stomach!
First, we have to go out into the forest and find a dead
tree. Now here in Idaho, that is not an easy task. Why you ask? Well, I’ll be glad to tell you
why.
First of all, all the trees here in Idaho are tall. Reaaaalllllyyy tall! Seriously much taller than me! But that doesn’t help you much in knowing how
tall these trees are, because even my kids are taller than me…
Well yes. Back to the
subject at hand. Trees in Idaho
grow to be very, very, very tall. And
they have lots of limbs that stick out, and look dead. In fact the closer to the ground, the more
dead limbs you tend to see. So, in order
to find a truly dead tree… you have to crane your neck waaaay back and look
waaay up to the very, very top to see if there is any green at all showing on the
tree. It takes skill, I tell you! I can only do it for a few minutes before I
become dizzy and pass out, and they have to carry me home… it’s a great excuse
to get out of wood gathering you know….
So yes, it takes a lot of head craning, neck bending, and
eyes narrowing in order to see waaay to the top of the tree and make sure it is
all the way dead, even to the very top.
Because if the national forest police come and find you cutting a tree
that’s not dead… well…. Than soon you’ll be the owner of a big fat hefty
fine! No cutting down trees that are
alive in the national forest (which is where we go to get our wood).
And because we had so much fun enjoying all the gorgeous summer
weather, and all the other smarter Idahoan residents made it out to the
National Forest before we did, they got all the easy dead wood before we came
along in the fall looking for dead wood. It’s not an easy task, let me tell
ya…. If you don’t believe me, you’re invited to our next wood-cutting party
just to see for yourself!
So, first you have to find a dead tree… which, if you
haven’t passed out from craning your neck to find it…. then once you do find a dead tree…. you really
do feel like you’re going to pass out after you find it, because it is most
likely on the side of a mountain. A very
steep mountain with drop-offs and big rocks, and lots of brush.
If you’re smart, like my husband and I like to think we are….
you gather a group of teenage kids who have never cut wood in the mountains
before, and promise them a free meal at McDonald’s for a day of cutting
wood. It worked… at least for the first
day. We tried it the second day, and all
of a sudden, everyone of them had “chores” that had to be attended to… yeah, really!
So back to the tree cutting business… first you have to cut
the tree down, and this is pretty dangerous, because with all the other trees
around in the forest, you don’t know which one might have a top that is dead
and dry, and might get knocked over by the falling tree, and land on your
head. So…. When everyone hears ….
Tiiimmmmbbbeeerrrrr …. You run for it, and hope the direction you’re running
isn’t the direction the tree decides to fall!
So, after you get the tree on the ground, then you have to
start cutting it up. That is my
husband’s job. Lucky him. He just gets to stand there and saw
away. Easy peasy. The rest of us have to bend down, pick up
each cut piece, shoulder it, and heave-ho down the mountain to the waiting
pickup, where it is handed to someone waiting on the tailgate of the truck, who
then stacks it onto the bed of the pickup, and then you turn around and trudge
back up the mountain to do it all over again.
Sounds easy doesn’t it?
This is like the best exercise in the world! You can hear your heart pumping a mile
away! Groans, grunts, sweat pouring…
it’s a lot of excitement indeed. The
kids can’t hardly stand it.
Then we come up with a grand idea. We are going to roll the logs down the
hill. So we clear the brush out of the
way, and give the logs a good push, and off they go… only…. we forgot to make
sure that they stopped at the tailgate of the pickup. Sadly, we watched several continue rolling…
right off the road, and down into the ravine below. No one wants to volunteer to go and round up
those logs. I think they’re still
there….
So once we get all the wood we can fit onto the truck and
trailer, we are all beat. We look like
we’ve been in a fight with a rabid dog.
Scratches, black filthy pine-gum crusted hands and legs. Dirty sweaty flushed red faces.
Everyone is so tired that on the ride home, no one hardly
makes a sound. I’ve never heard a bunch
of teenage kids be this quiet.
Never.
But that’s not all.
So, we get home, and the crew tries to scramble. They know the drill, what’s next… but
everyone has an excuse…. My legs hurt… I think my back is broke.. I gotta go to
the bathroom…. I need a Band-Aid my arm is bleeding… oh yeah. They’re some great excuses… but we tell them
… you gotta toughen up! Whadya think
your great great great grandparents had to do when they were out doing wood? It
had to be done…. Ya know….
So, with more grunts, groans, and loud complaints…. We form
a line from the pickup bed to where we are going to pile the wood outside for
it to sit and dry out. Finally we get
the wood off the pickup, and all piled up outside the house. When the last piece of wood is stacked, all
becomes silent. The kids are gone,
instantly.
Wearily, I turn towards the house, because I know my job is
not yet done either. For now, I’ve got
to figure out what to feed all these hungry tired kids…. Whatever made me think
that feeding them at McDonald’s before we left would keep me from having to
cook dinner tonight?
…. Well… that is just one side of the lovely wood
story. The next side to the story, is
actually bringing it into the house.
That is another whole story in itself.
I’m tired just thinking about it.
Especially because Mr. Beast downstairs has eaten up our indoor supply
of wood, and its just about time for us to do this all over again.
Do I have any volunteers?
Ha. My kids conveniently try to
find ways to not be home when the sore subject of wood comes up now. They are pretty creative with ways to get out
of it actually. But my husband and I are
pretty creative at finding ways to let them know that they can’t. For example…. Alright, no wood, then no
heat. No heat, then you freeze. Like that one? Nope.
No one wants to freeze this winter.
We all like staying toasty warm… so heigh ho.. heigh ho… it’s off to the
wood pile we go!
Mr. Beast is hungry, and needs to be fed, and we like
staying warm, so it’s a great tradeoff.
I’m taking names now for any volunteers who want to help
feed The Beast….. just sign up below.
I’ll contact you with the pertinent information and we might even be
able to squeeze in a meal at McDonald’s just to make it worth your while.
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
…. Off to feed The Beast….
Oh! If you don’t hear from me this weekend, I just want you
to know... that we will be packing wood in so we can feed.... The Beast....
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