Michael and Jaspenelle

Oregon Grapeholly (Mahonia aquifolium)

Oregon Grapeholly (Mahonia aquifolium) is a plant native to the Pacific Northwest and are the state flower of Oregon. They are commonly found in this areas Douglas-fir forests. We spotted this one on Memorial Day while we were hiking around Michael’s parents’ property.

Oregon Grapeholly is an evergreen shrub and not related in any way to the grape. It gets its name from the clusters of purple berries which can be harvested in August and September (they are edible.) Michael says when he was a kid they tried to make a pie of out them and it was not very good because the berries were so tart. The berries an bark can be used to make dye. the berries create a purplish-red dye and the inner bark of the larger stems, as well as the roots can be used to make yellow dye.

Oregon Grapeholly is used in herbal medicine, often as an alternative to the threatened Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis.) It has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties used to treat a wide range of condition (giardia, candida, viral diarrhea, cholera, eczema and psoriasis.) It also has exhibited anticancer properties which are currently being researched. (Oregon Grapeholly is not recommended for pregnant of breastfeeding women.)

Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia)

Ultrasound and Flooding

(My super sexy husband! I took this photo of him yesterday when we went up to make sure the trail we are probably cleaning up next weekend wasn’t under water.)

I had an appointment with my midwife yesterday ans she asked me to get an ultrasound as soon as possible so that we can figure out the baby’s position. Normally Linda can tell how he is positioned by feeling around my belly but the baby is being very mobile and uncooperative lately (wow, didn’t expect him to manifest some of my more “endearing” personality traits so early… hehe!) She thinks he is breach again.

I’m a little concerned, I know Linda would not ask me to get an ultrasound unless she found it absolutely necessary. I am glad she is erring on the side of caution though. If he is breach there are still things we can do to get him back into the head down position, it will just get more difficult to do it as time passes (he is almost out of room in there!) She will deliver breach babies, but naturally there are more risks associated with that kind of delivery which we will have to be carefully considered. She has been very upfront about all that. So anyhow, I am shooting for being able to get an ultrasound early next week, before my next appointment.

I have the most horrendous heartburn today but otherwise I feel okay, still a little moody, but okay. I received a nursing bra via my Amazon Baby Registry today. It didn’t say from who but it is comfortable and really cute too, I love it. Thank you!

After my midwife appointment yesterday, Michael and I drove around to look at the local flooding, the Spokane River is above flood stage right now.

This is the Spokane River downtown near the falls. The river bed normally completely dries up in some places come summer time. No one has seen it this high since 1997 though (which is the last time we had widespread flooding.) The are saying the river will crest sometime this weekend.

I took some footage of the river yesterday as well since photos don’t even begin to capture how fast the river is moving (here are some of the still photos though.) Michael needs to teach me how to get the video from the video camera, to the computer, to the blog, so no video today, hopefully I have one up tomorrow.

Wild Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum)

The moment of truth…

I feel like I have been either cleaning or in the kitchen all day, and you know what? It feels really good (I think I need a foot rub though…) I feel like I haven’t had time to keep my house in order for weeks. I got a chance to try out the baking soda and vinegar cleaners some of you recommended to me awhile back and wow, they work really well.

Tomorrow Michael and I are going to a Beltane gathering in Medical Lake. It is a potluck so I made my potato salad and a whole wheat applesauce cake. The cake started life as a slightly more elaborate recipe which I have been simplifying over time, today I made the final jump from changing the brown sugar to honey. Now it only contains whole wheat flour, applesauce, honey, baking soda and cinnamon. Except for the cinnamon and probably the baking soda, it is a completely local cake. I canned the applesauce last Autumn (this was my last jar too!). I grind the wheat myself and it comes from this area. The honey I used is from a local apiary (I picked it up in Yokes though.)

I don’t know how many of you modify recipes but if you do, you know that moment of apprehension you have before trying a heavily modified recipe? I just experienced that before typing this entry with that cake. I was pleasantly surprised, the local honey has a really wonderful flavor. I love it, though I must admit I have an urge to cover it in cream cheese frosting. I’d post a picture for you but I seem to have misplaced my upload cable. (They should make wireless cameras for people like me…)

I love the challenge of cooking as locally as possible. I like supporting the local growers and in general I find the local crops to be much more flavorful. We have two farmers’ markets within a 20 minute bus ride of our home and I am really looking forward to them opening (one opens May 10th and the other June 5th.)

Anyhow, now to go chop the potatoes for the salad. Getting local potatoes in never a problem here as Idaho is virtually next door…

Spring Fever

I have a buttermilk cinnamon raisin loaf in the oven right now and I can hardly wait for it to be done cooking. Oh my gosh it smells sooo incredibly good! T-25 minutes…

It is a glorious day outside, 45F! I have the windows cracked to let some of the fresh air goodness in. My patio windchime caught my eye this morning, the central glass piece was positively glowing in the midmorning sun. Spring fever has hit strongly and I feel the overwhelming urge to to indulge my nesting instincts, the equinox is only 22 days away! However, I promised to take it easy until this sciatic thing eases up, so sitting down I am.

Still, it is nearly impossible to stay put with all this gorgeous sunny day energy filtering into my home. I really want to get outside and garden (though it is wayyy to early in the season for that, this warm up cycle is just a tease) so I have tried to content myself with planning what I am going to do with our patio, (which is 3/4 concrete, 1/4 dirt.)

The dirt portion looks especially dejected right now, the snow has mostly melted off it revealing the few miscellaneous and mostly useless plastic pots I have out there. I see this area of our home as the biggest challenge, the soil is horrid - I can hardly call it soil. It is compact and full of gravel. It also receives very little sunlight during the day because our proximity to the next row of townhouse. Maybe 2/3 hours of morning sun and then 1.5 hours of partial shade on either side of that, so 5 hours of workable light, maybe 6… So it will most certainly be shade garden as well as very simple this year with the main focus on improving the soil. Can we say compost? Perhaps I will seed it will some prairie legumes (like Purple Prairie Clover) which fix nitrogen in the soil (improve soil quality.) I would love to grow some kind of shade loving vine on the wooden fence, not sure how much my neighbors would love me though if it turned out to be a prolific grower… I am not very well versed in shade plants (I have always been more of a vegetable gardener) so this is all a unique challenge.

As for the rest of the patio, 3 feet of the other side is taken up my Michael and my bicycles and a storage shelf, leaving about 7 square feet of concrete in the middle. Long and short term plans here remain very simple, a kettle grill, a small patio set (probably from a thrift store, I will know it when I see it!) and a few container plants.

Garden space has always been very important to me. I hate the hard edges of the city and even though Spokane is pretty green, I still feel that I am a million miles away from Mother Earth sometimes. Even the smallest gardens help me reconnect and as I nurture them, in return they nurture my soul.

Twelfth Night and Stagnation

Michael and I are going to our duchy’s Twelfth Night celebration today, the duke and duchess specifically requested that we attend… Which is a little weird to me, as we have pretty much been inactive for most of 2007. Still it will be fun, I need to make a dessert to bring and I am really not in the mood for that this morning. Unfortunately they did not have Haagen-Daa Reserve Amazon Valley Chocolate ice cream in the Middle Ages. Unfortunately we do not have any in the freezer at the moment either… *sniff*

This is my hearth altar at the moment. I want to change it up, maybe put some Spring flowers there, I just need to find the energy…

The second Temple Free Spirit newsletter will becoming out Monday. We didn’t get as many submission this time and I wonder if this season affects people other than me. Mid-January to February I feel like all my energy is draining away, maybe filling up those persistent clouds outside, or getting lost in the fog. Then in rains down on me and washes what it left into the soil. Maybe the Earth needs it more then me though.

My doctor wants me to talk to the clinic councilor at the end of the month, which I will, though I really don’t think it will help any. I truly believe it is just the weather getting me down. As soon as the sun returns, so will my energy. It has always been this way. I admit this year it is worse then usual and I am sure pregnancy in amplifying it but I am certain I am not going to go antepartum psychotic though. Just give me back the sun. Maybe that is why the snake has been visiting me so often in my dreams lately, he always comes with the sun.

I don’t really know why I am talking about this particular mood right now. I am not sad or happy, I am just kind of… void. Easier to sit by my daylight (a really bright light that emulates sunlight) then do much of anything else, until I am recharged at least. But if anyone else feels like this, you aren’t alone you know? It isn’t your fault the your energy level currently does not match the height of pots and pans in the sink.

Speaking of which, I ought to make some apple pie… and do this dishes.