Highland Games

 




Have you ever been to any Highland Games?

Nana, Auntie TracyAnn, Brodick and Tayla went to Athena, Oregon to their games on Saturday.

This is one of the few that still have sheep dog trials.  Auntie and Nana love to watch the sheep dogs work.  Reeces even watched them and enjoyed it.


Brodick thought it was really great. He said he
couldn't imagine the patience it took to train a dog to move the sheep around like that. The dogs have to move 4 sheep through a course and into a pen at the end. They get very little help. Whistles or staff movements are their only directions, when they get really good.
The novice dogs get a lot of voice commands.  It's funny to watch their trainers try to stay "cool".

Tayla liked the dancers, bagpipes, and harps best.  She had worn an Irish dance dress and looked very cute.


Nana really enjoys the Bagpipe players and bands the most.

But, what really caught Brodicks attention were the guys doing the Weight Games, especially the Caber Toss.

He plans to be in shape by next year.  He has spent the last 2 days looking for a log to use for a caber. He wants to start practicing now.  The rest of us finally started helping him look.  We haven't found exactly what he wants yet.

He also loved the kilts.  There were a lot of athletes on the field and every one had on a kilt.

He told Nana he needs a kilt.  Of course, I've asked for one before.  All four of us want kilts.

Nana had to peel him off the fence to get him away from the athletic field, when it was time to leave.

It must be pretty awesome.  They all got so interested in what was going on they forgot to take very many photos.

Maybe next year we can all go and I can find a reliable photographer.

 

SETTING UP CAMP

 

 
Hi, Kyle again

Summer is here and Nana decided some of us didn't have enough to keep us busy.  So, she signed Kityee, Katyee and all the boys up for summer camp.

Personally, I think the girls wanted Logan, Brodick, Ian and myself around for help.

Oh, that's right, you haven't met Ian yet and don't know much about Brodick.


Ian is our newest brother.  He came to live with us from a friend in Redmond, OR.  She is downsizing before college in a couple of years. He's a great kid; but has always been around all girls, so having brothers is a new experience for him.
Our first summer camp job was putting up tents.  Isn't that supposed to be part of the camping experience?  Shouldn't everyone know how to put up a tent?

Brodick and Ian volunteered all four of us to put up the girls tents plus our own.  Brodick thinks it's his responsibility to take care of girls.  Ian didn't know any better.

Oh, lets admit it, Logan and I would have probably done the same thing if we'd been there.  I know Kityee, Katyee and Taryn know how to put up tents.  And it doesn't hurt to be nice.

But, their camp leaders should make sure they all know how to set up a camp.

These tents were very easy and we all had fun working together to put them up.

The girls are going to be very crowded in two tents.  I hope Nana and Aunt Tracyann get them at least one more.

While we were putting the tents together Brodick found a large feather. 

When the girls met to make their next plans after the tents were up they wanted to see it.  So, Brodick took it over to show them.

Their camp leader ended up talking him into going in front of the girls and telling them about the feather.  He did pretty well.  After the talk he gave them the feather.

Then, we went off to play and got as far from the girls as we could.  Too far to be called back for more chores.

All in all it was a very good day.

I'M BACK

Hello Again,

Nana got a new computer that all the keys work on.  It will make it a lot easier for me to write my blog.  So, my hope is to get it going and keep it going this time.

Since I wrote last, we have added a brother and sister to our family.  If you were reading The Bolton Girls Journal you already know some of the background of their lives.  I will fill in more in future posts.

They are great kids and are learning to relax and be part of the family very quickly.  It's great to have a brother.  Logan thinks it's great having another boy around too.

I don't have photos yet.  Brodick doesn't want his photo taken until the hair that was bleached grows out to his normal brown.

It's nice to be part of a family that can accept kids needing help.  Nana loves them as if they had always been hers.

Thanks for forgiving me for being gone so long.  I hope you will return as a reader or follower to my blog.

Edible Plants - Thistle

Novya got behind on her reports for her edible plants class.  Her goal was a lesson every other week.  So, until she catches up we'll have a few closer together than that.



Logan and I are interested in this subject, too.  So, she tries out her information on Logan and I before handing it in to her instructor.  Once in a while our questions help her think of something else to add into her reports.

Today's lesson is on the Thistle.  Most of a thistle is good for food.

The most popular thistle for eating is the Milk Thistle (or Holy Thistle).  It is easy to recognize and is found in most states in the US. 

Some other edible thistles are the Canada Thistle (or Creeping Thistle)

 
The Bull Thistle which has a large hollow stem with a sugar cane like taste.



 
The Indian Thistle which grows abundantly in the state of Washington.




The Leafy Thistle (Dwarf or Picnic Thistle).

Thistles are best in the spring when they are tender.  However young plants can sometimes be found later in the season. 

The roots are best boiled or roasted. They contain the starch inulun and break down into sugar when cooked.  Once they are cooked they can also be dried and ground into flour.

Collecting thistle roots and grinding into flour sounds a lot quicker and easier than getting enough dandelion seeds or cattail seeds to make flour.

The roots of unbolted (not yet flowered) young plants can be good in the fall.  However, they may cause gas.

The stems and the veins in the leaves are edible raw after peeling to remove the stickers.  Usually, the bottom half of the stems are too stringy to be good.  You might want to throw them away.

Raw the peeled stems can be used in salads like rhubarb or asparagus.  Or they can be eaten like celery.

The leaf itself can be eaten once the barbs are removed.  Raw it is good in salads as another green.  Cooked it is a good spinach replacement.

Immature flower heads are edible raw.  But, most people prefer them steamed.


And thistle seeds can be roasted for use as a coffee substitute.


It would be good to check out the thistles in your area to find out what kinds you have and to make sure they are edible.

And before eating any wild plant make sure it's not growing where it has been sprayed with insecticide or weed killer.

Thanks to my Cousin Taryn

My cousin Taryn gave me what I consider good advice a few days ago.

She said I need to try for a blog every other day instead of every day.  Especially if I want photos in them.

So starting November 1st that's what I'm going to try for.  

And I'm going to try some without as many photos or no photos in between the every other day stuff.

Thanks Taryn for the help.

Edible Plants - Cattail

Cattails, would you believe it?

Novya gave Logan and I our second edible plant lesson.

She tried to put this lesson off until she could get a field trip to a place where cattails grow.  However, the weather got to cold and wet.  Nana didn't want her tramping through the mud to get to the plants.


I had no idea that the cattail is edible.  Except for the rhizome, it seems to be most useful as food during the late spring.  Some writers say it was a staple of the American Indians because of its abundance.

The pollen has only a short time in the spring in which it can be gathered.  It is very popular and expensive at health food stores, in capsule form. It is a source of minerals, enzymes, protein and energy.  It can also be used as a flour substitute and/or thickener.

The sticky jelly you find as you gather stalks should be scraped off and saved for thickening soups in an okra-like fashion.

The rhizome is usually harvested from late fall to early spring.  The starch from it can be made into flour. The rhizome can also be cooked or eaten raw. 

The leaf bases can be eaten, cooked or raw in late spring.  They can be eaten in the early spring, but there isn't much to them and they have a terrible bitter flavor then.  However, they would serve as food if you were starving.
  The green flower spike can be boiled or steamed and eaten like corn on the cob in late spring.  Unlike corn it is very dry and should be served with a sauce of some kind.


In spring the shoots have a tender sweet inside that is edible raw or cooked.  

Seeds once they are separated from the fluff can be eaten as seeds or ground into flour like the dandelion seeds.

There are sites on-line with recipes using cattail if you are interested in trying them.

Cattail plants have many uses other than for eating. But, at this time we are only looking at them as a source of food.

Winter in October

We got up this morning to a big surprise.  We had snow.

We didn't get to go out and play in it because Nana and Auntie were going to Walla Walla.

Ashlee. Sarafina, Taryn, and Mara all went with them.  Reeces went too. She loves to play in the snow.  Of course, she goes everywhere Nana and Auntie go.  

They stopped at Andes Sno-park on the way over.  Reeces got to play, Taryn had her picture taken in the snow and Sarafina got out to play in the snow.  Sarafina had worn her new winter jacket, pants and snow boots, so, she could have some fun and stay warm.  But, she said it wasn't fun for very long because she was alone.


On the other side of the mountain they stopped near Milton-Freewater and took fall pictures.  It wasn't winter yet on that side of Tollgate.

Sarafina didn't get her picture taken here.  She said her winter clothing would have looked out of place.

Their first shopping stop was the Dollar Store.  Mara and Ashlee went in shopping.  Ashlee loves to decorate for all the holidays and anything else she can think of.  She spent a lot of time looking at Fall, Winter and Christmas decorations.

Mara and Ashlee shopped together for part of the craft supplies they wanted.  They want to make some of their own decorations for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  They said it was fun filling Aunties basket with their finds.

None of the girls went in at Walgreen and St. Vincent DePaul.  Those were to be quick stops.  So, they stayed in the car and went through the bags from the Dollar store.


At JoAnn's only Sarafina went in.  She was looking for baking accessories for the holidays.  She found a treat mold she loved, but, didn't have a sale coupon.  She hopes to get back to buy one before Christmas.

The girls stayed in the car at Wal-Mart because Nana and Auntie wanted to do some Christmas shopping.  None of the them wanted to have to keep what they saw a secret that long.  

On the way home Auntie and Nana stopped at another Sno-park so Reeces could get out and play.  She is one spoiled cocker spaniel.  She bounced through the snow chasing Nana and got Nana to throw  snowballs for her to catch.  They were both still wet when they arrived home.

They said it was a very fun, relaxing day.  It must have been good, as the girls were all still talking about it and sharing craft ideas as they went to bed.

Logan and I want equal time.  We want a trip to Home Depot and a sporting goods store or maybe Costco.  Yeah! Tools and food all in one place.  I like that.