4 cups regular oats (not quick oats)
1 cup rolled wheat
1 cup instant dry milk
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup peanuts
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup wheat germ

½ cup oil
½ cup applesauce
1 cup honey
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla

2 cups raisins,  craisins, or dried blueberries
1 cup sweetened carob chips (optional)

Mix first seven dry ingredients in large roasting pan.  In a saucepan mix oil, honey, brown sugar, applesauce, and vanilla; heat until mixture is warmed and runny, then pour over first mixture in roasting pan, and stir until well mixed.  Bake at 250 degrees for 60 - 90 minutes, until desired brownness, stirring every 15 minutes.  (60 minutes will be light brown and softer, 90 minutes will be dark brown and crispier.)  Let cool, stirring every 10 minutes three times.  When completely cool add dried fruit and/or carob chips.

Use with milk for a cereal, or use as a topping on yogurt or ice cream.

Yesterday I went to the county courthouse to file some papers.  They have a new security system set up as you come in the door, and I was required to set my purse into a basket before stepping through a metal detector.  After passing through the metal detector, I grabbed my purse back out of the basket, which was when I noticed a clump of mud in the basket.  I looked over my purse, and sure enough, there was a big clump of mud on my purse.  I started to apologize to the fellow who checked me through, but he had already turned away and had started the inspection process with another person.

I went to drop off my papers, and then decided I should find a restroom to wipe the mud off my purse.  So I grab some paper towel and start scrubbing my purse, which is when I realize that the mud on my purse is NOT MUD !!!  It is some kind of farm animal _ _ _ _, and I have no idea what kind, or how it got there.  And if it’s not mud on my purse, it is NOT MUD back there in the basket!  I start laughing uncontrollably, and know I will look like a crazy woman if someone comes into the restroom.  Then I realize that I have to walk by the fellow and the basket again to leave the building, and I laugh until I cry.  Luckily, no one comes into the restroom to question my sanity.  As I am leaving the building, I am extremely relieved to see that a different person is at the security check point now, and he doesn’t even glance at me as I leave; he is too busy scrubbing out the basket………….

I think I will refer to  this caper as the Courthouse Pooper Blooper.

Shari had woken up about 2 a.m. from the sound of an angry voice shouting profanities in her front yard.  Kelley, her husband, was working out of town that week, so Shari was alone with the children that night, and immediately she called the police to report the disturbance.  As she listened from her upstairs bedroom to the angry voice getting louder and closer, she knew that the person had moved onto the front porch attached to the house.  A moment later she heard shattering glass from the picture window breaking, and could hear the screaming voice downstairs inside her house.

Terrified for the safety of her children and herself, she instinctively grabbed a sheet and sleeping bag, her cell phone, and a child under each arm, ran to a window that opened onto the back porch roof, and scooted out the window and onto the roof.  She dialed the police again, was told they were on the way, and to stay put on the roof until help arrived.  The temperature was below freezing, and Shari wrapped the sheet around all of them, dropped the sleeping bag onto the ground to break their fall in case they would have to jump, and held onto her children for dear life, wondering if the angry voice would come upstairs and onto the roof after them.

Those long, terrifying minutes until help arrived felt like hours on that cold rooftop to Shari.  She remembers praying for God to protect her babies, and the kind dispatcher who kept talking on the phone with her.  And being amazed at little Lance, who was 13 months old and spent every waking moment on the move, sitting perfectly still in her lap like a little angel, and not moving a single muscle.  When the police arrived, they first helped Shari and the children off the roof and into a warm squad car, and then went into the house to find the intruder.  Inside, the police found a young male, in his underwear, in the kitchen - sleeping on top of the refrigerator!

In the police reports, it was noted that the intruder was highly intoxicated, and thought he had come home to his own house; found the door locked so broke the window to get into his house, then proceeded to climb onto a stool to climb onto the refrigerator to go to bed in his bed.  He removed his shoes on the porch outside before climbing through the broken window!  Strangely, because he was intoxicated and thought it was his own house, he could not be charged with breaking and entering, only trespassing and damage to property.  It doesn’t seem right that an assault so traumatizing to the victims is lessened for the perpetrator by his state of inebriation, does it?

The intruder who fell asleep on the refrigerator was news on the local radio stations.  The story was told as “news of the weird”, not hardly the violating, traumatizing event that Shari and her children experienced.  Shari, Kelley and the children moved in with us for the following six months, as Shari was too scared to sleep in their own home after the break in.  As often happens to the victims, Shari has suffered from post traumatic stress and anxiety following the incident, but is now healing with the help of cognitive behavior therapy.

When I look for the silver lining in this cloud, I can see some affirming changes that have come from it.  I am so proud of Shari for doing what she had to do to keep her children safe, and the realization for her that she did it instinctively, without thinking, has encouraged and strengthened her as a parent.  She feels certain today that any mom would do the same as what she had to do that night.

Shari and Kelley have relocated and live much closer to us now.  We have watched with amazement at the wondrous hand of God taking care of all the details involved in the relocation; details that had the real estate agents marveling, and stating that it just doesn’t happen this way.  They have a warmer house, a quieter neighborhood, friendlier neighbors, a pretty countryside view, and a big yard for Elise and Lance to play in.  A year after the break in they are closer as a family, and counting their blessings in their new home.

2 cups tomato juice or sauce
1 - 6 oz can tomato paste
5 Tablespoons grated parmesan or romano cheese
3 or 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon oregano leaves
1 ½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper
¾ teaspoon marjoram
¼ teaspoon chili powder

Mix all together.  Make 3 cups.

Me and Deb learning to make layered wreaths

“Take what you need.  Pay your respects.  Leave the rest.”  Harvesting advice from the First Nation Tribal Elders

The past two Monday evenings my sister Deb and I were fortunate to spend learning about wreath making in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in a class taught by Julie Miedtke, an Itasca County Extension Educator, and Janet Christensen, a professional wreath maker.

The gathering of balsam boughs and their manufacture into evergreen holiday products is a long-standing heritage of Minnesota’s northwoods.  The Minnesota wreath industry produces about $23 million dollars of wreaths and holiday greens in a short two month period each year.  In class we learned the guidelines of harvesting; how to obtain permits, how to harvest the boughs in a sustainable manner, which species are desirable such as balsam, white pine, northern white cedar, and princess pine, and how to store them once they are harvested.  Did you know that fresh boughs retain their needles best if harvested after the second hard frost?  Nature is so amazing!

During the second class we learned a method of wreath making, called layering, which produces a very full, high end wreath.  In this technique, small bunches of about 6-8 stems varying in length from 5″ to 10″ are wired around a hoop in a layering method; each wreath takes about 10 pounds of balsam or greens, and more than a couple of hours to complete.  The smell of Christmas and the Northwoods filled our class room, and then enveloped us during our 3 1/2 hour drive home.

The ideas we have are flowing, growing, and bursting at the seams; our husbands will shake their heads and wonder again why we love to make more work for ourselves.  But it’s not really work if you love it, is it?

Make your own Halloween make up from simple ingredients you have in your kitchen.

1 Tablespoon corn starch
2 Tablespoons shortening
Food coloring

Cream cornstarch and shortening well.  Divide into 4 different bowls; add food coloring sparingly and stir well.  Using too much food coloring will stain skin.

Small area of Little Red Hen during September sale

The Little Red Hen Home Comforts shop brings a twist to the saying, ‘Reduce, reuse, and recycle’; at the Little Red Hen it could be rephrased as, ‘Redecorate, refresh, and revive’.   Owners Kent and Brenda Rydberg have brought the occasional sale concept to Dassel, Minnesota, where their shop is open the last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of each month.

Kent and Brenda, both professional painters, spend weeks before each sale repairing, repainting and refinishing used, and often very unique pieces of furniture.  Each month the store is stocked with wonderful and unique pieces of furniture, vintage collectibles, hand-crafted items, and both new and gently used home accessories.  About fifteen gals, who all happen to be ‘collectors, decorators and thrifters’, bring items for consignment and help the Rydbergs’ keep the inventory replenished and interesting.

Each month a theme is chosen, lending additional fun and intrigue to each sale.  For example, in June there was a bridal theme, showcasing vintage wedding dresses, and wedding punch along with wedding cake was served as a treat to customers.  In July a patriotic theme was present, and August was back to school, with a school room set up so charmingly nostalgic that it made you want to stand up and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag in the corner.

After having attended occasional sales of this kind for years such as Second Hand Rose, Three Sisters, Barn Chix, and This ‘N That, in Buffalo, Minnesota, the Little Red Hen in Dassel has become my favorite.  It is evident that many hours are spent each month prior to a sale rearranging and decorating the entire shop, down to the smallest details.  The top-notch decorating expertise of the gals involved in this venture inspires customers to return each month for ideas, bargains, and of course, for socializing.  There is always free coffee, punch, and treats, door prizes, and even a baby corner where mothers can set sleeping infants in their car seats while they browse.

If you want to redecorate, refresh, and revive your home without breaking the bank, visit the Little Red Hen Home Comforts shop, or sign up for a decorating class held at the Little Red Hen.  ‘Decorating on a Dime’ is a fun and popular decorating class offered by consignee and gifted decorator, Deb Halonen.  Call D-C Community Education to sign up for this popular class at (320)286-4120.

Little Red Hen Home Comforts  ~  261 Atlantic Ave W, Dassel, MN  ~ 320-275-9725

October Sales ~ October 23, 24, 25   9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

November Sales ~
Holiday Open House - November 7 - 8       9 a.m - 6 p.m.
Regular Sales - November 20, 21, 22      9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

December Sales ~ December 11, 12, 13 (held earlier than usual)     9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Map to Little Red Hen:  http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Dassel&state=MN&address=261+Atlantic+Ave+W&zipcode=55325

12 cups tomatoes, blended
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 Tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
¾ cup sugar (less if desired)
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 large can tomato paste

Bring all ingredients EXCEPT sugar and tomato paste to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are well cooked and sauce is starting to thicken.  Remove bay leaves, then add sugar and tomato paste, combine well.  Place in clean jars or containers, leaving head space for sauce to expand when frozen.

For canning this recipe instead of freezing, pour spaghetti sauce into clean quart or pint jars, and seal with canning lids.  Put filled jars in a hot water bath canner, covering jars by at least one inch of water.  Bring water to a rolling boil, and keep water at a rolling boil for 30 minutes if canning pints, and 35 minutes if canning quarts.

Makes 7 pints or 3 1/2 quarts.

This easy to grow variety of Arrowwood Viburnum is a compact, rounded shrub that is ideal for foundation planting or hedging use.  The dark blue seed pod clusters are a stunning addition as cut flowers for fall bouquets.  The fruit of this woody ornamental also provides food for the birds.

Growing information:

Height - 4′ to 6′ feet tall

Hardy zones 4 - 8

Spring bloom of white flowers, followed by blue clusters of berries in the fall.

I’m sure the pigs were just waiting until my husband, Mike, went out of town for a few days; then they implemented their break out plan.

Day one of the break out plan, our 20 pigs were successful in the initial break out phase and the kids spent four hours chasing them, trying to keep them out of my gardens and the corn fields while our son, Scott, worked on fixing the fence.

Day two of the break out plan got an early start, a new more daring escape plan was discovered at 7:45 a.m.  Luckily, Jenny and Megan had not left for school yet, so instead of exercising their brains for the next four hours, they exercised their legs chasing piggies instead.

When we finally figured out that the fencer wasn’t working properly and needed to be replaced, I sent Jenny and Megan to town to buy a new one.  When they came home from town with the new fencer, they informed me that they had just experienced the most embarrassing moment of their ENTIRE LIVES upon going to buy the fencer!  It seems a male worker came up to them, sniffed, and said loudly, “Have you girls been chasing pigs?”  They were absolutely mortified to think that they smelled like pigs, and I absolutely loved it; it was the best laugh I had all week!  Somehow the girls didn’t make the connection that I had called the store to ask about pricing and sizes of fencers before I sent them to pick one up; the fellow who helped me on the phone knew our predicament and was teasing the girls.  I don’t think I’ll tell them for a while that they probably didn’t smell ……………….. it makes the whole pig escapade a little more flavorful!

Then, when I went to write Jenny and Megan’s absence notes for school, I was given strict instructions, “DO NOT WRITE THAT WE WERE CHASING PIGS!!”  Oh my, so embarrassing……………..  hee hee.