Ohio-Free Stuff Abounds!

I've never been to Ohio before and truthfully, was not sure what Dayton has to offer. It turns out it has A LOT to offer and most of it is free.

My BIL is an officer in the United States Air Force stationed at Wright-Patterson Airbase. In addition to being the home of Aliens from area 51, it is also home to The National Museum of The United Stated Air Force. This is an enormous museum that is open daily and is FREE TO THE PUBLIC! People come from all over the country to see this place. It was awesome. We saw stuff from the Wright brothers to the space program and all points in-between. It was impressive, and sad and thought provoking and fun. There was a wonderful Bob Hope exhibit and a somber Holocaust display. I could go on and on but you get the point. There were A LOT of planes!!!

Another wonderful thing about Dayton are the Five Rivers Metro-Parks. This is a group of 25 publicly funded parks around town that are ABSOLUTELY free. These are not just your run of the mill swing set parks. We are talking arboretums, kids sensory gardens, fishing, biking. This is some impressive public infrastructure. Most notably (to me!) was Carriage Hill Metro Park, which is a working 1880's farmhouse.

There were gardens and a house tour, an old fashioned play house for kids, animals, a penny candy store and a really really well done learning center. ALL FREE! They also have seasonal programs throughout about life on the farm. How jealous am I that our family lives so close to this little gem!


Also on our summer tour was a really huge Flea Market for the eBayer in me and a trip to what I think must be the biggest grocery store in the world, Jungle Jims. 6 Acres of food from around the world. They even have a section JUST FOR BUTTER. That tells you how big this place is! Very fun!

Tomorrow ends this leg of the tour. Onward home with a few little stops along the way!

Relatively Cheap Travel

We are currently on the "I think we're going to Michigan" family tour" (At least that is what my daughter called it when we asked her what we should call our newest family adventure.) Then we are on to Ohio in a few days. In both places we are staying with family.

For people on one income and with the cost of gas, family visits are the way to go to see new things, visit with people you like (hopefully) and get the heck out of Dodge! Even visiting other people's grocery stores can be an interesting adventure if you look at it as one! I like just getting the opportunity to be in a new place seeing new things. It doesn't hurt that the Brother-in-law we are visiting is into food and wine and the family is really wonderful to visit with!

Today we went to one of my favorite food meccas if there ever was one! ever Zingerman's in Ann Arbor MI is an AMAZING deli and gourmet food store. Lunch was a $12.50 corned beef ruben (Zingerman's says it's a life changing sandwich and I tend to agree with them! Hell-take a look at the people in this line we stood in for a SANDWICH) We shared though because it was huge! (and really, that isn't even the most expensive sandwich I've ever had-Ask me about grilled cheese at the Waldorf!) That with a side, grilled cheese for my daughter and 2 water's set us back $29! Oh well it's the only thing we've bought since we got here! Tonight we bought a selection of beer, cheese and susage for dinner. I threw in Zingerman's Black Magic Brownies for dessert.

On the way to Michigan we stopped at Dundrun castle in Canada to stretch our legs and have a picnic (of food that we packed for ride-No Micky D's here!) It was a beautiful historic site complete with gardens and house tour (we didn't get to tour though) It seems like a place I would plan to go on the way but it was really just a happy coincidence that we happened upon it!

I LOVE that.

We are keeping costs low, having a good time and enjoying our vacation so far. More awaits in Ohio!

White Tail Deer-Public Enemy #1

I HATE the White Tail Deer.

Seriously, I can't think of another animal I dislike so much. Even scary ones like piranha and lions-At least I can stay away from them.

Try as I might, I CANNOT stay away from the white tail deer. They walk past my windows when I'm eating. They eat from the urns on my front porch. Their babies frolic in the backyard while we are sitting on chairs in full view. I don't live in the woods. I live on a residential street that backs up to a one block wooded area that houses a small herd. I'm completely over their cuteness. Now they look like giant rats.

I've thrown shoes at them. I yell like a crazy woman when I see them in the yard. It's INSANE. They keep coming back.

THEY ARE EATING MY GARDEN.

True, I don't have it fenced in. That is what really needs to happen and that isn't happening any time soon. I've tried these garlic clips. COMPLETELY USELESS. One day I saw a deer eating a tomato plant that had a garlic clip attached to the tomato cage!!!

One thing that has been helping is deer fencing-Not installed the typical way. Laid down on the ground. Apparently the deer don't like the feel of this on their feet. (It's the green stuff in the photo) It doesn't look great but we take it off when people are coming over. It has been working. But once we left it off for about 20 minutes to mow the lawn and the deer ate the strawberries. Last night some of the fence was not put back in place properly and the damage was devastating (to me anyway)

I think I need some real fencing. I really don't want to install a 6 foot wire or mesh fence around this garden (This is a somewhat early photo and it's really filling in nicely.) but I'm getting desperate.

I'm thinking that as a frugal measure for my food bill I may start to supplement our meals with venison. (Ah, if only I could discharge a weapon in my neighborhood!)

People keep asking "Have you tried this?" and "Have you done that" and it's all anecdotal. No one has provided something that they have done that has actually kept the deer away. I have a spray for flowers but it is not for food. I need some good solid advice people. I need something proven to take care of the toughest deer. I'm getting desperate.

In the mean time we have been telling my girl that they are Santa's reindeer checking up on her and reporting back. For some reason we always see Dasher.

On a somewhat unrelated, related note, we saw deer from the largest white deer herd in the world last weekend on a wine tour around Seneca Lake. They look almost magical against a natural setting It was rather cool. Especially because they were fenced in on the Depot property and not in my backyard!

Lightning Doesn't Strike Twice. Right????

I hope not.

Because friends, when we were out all day on Saturday drinking local wines in the Finger Lakes, my house was struck by lightning!

When we got home there was no phone service, no cable, no Internet. A shelf had been knocked off the wall and stuff on it shattered. A vase and sign were overturned. The refrigerator was off. The alarm system was wonky. When Jeannine plugged in the coffee pot, there was a small explosion which left scorch marks!!! The outlets would randomly work and then not! Very Bizarre.

My neighbors told us that around 3pm there was a loud thunder/ lightning clap over my house that sounded like a gunshot. The wife screamed! I'm glad we missed it.

Cable, phones and Internet are back up and running as is the alarm system. The modem and the cables in the basement were fried. Michael helped with the outlet but I have an electrician coming tomorrow to look things over and install a new breaker. We were lucky that all of our appliances seem to be ok.

At this point I need someone to look at the roof to see if there is any damage. Who does that??? We have a 3 story house and family with a history of falling off the roof and seriously injuring themselves. So NO ONE I know is allowed to peek at the roof-We don't even have a ladder that tall.

No frugal tip today folks, I just thought it was really interesting that my house was struck by lightning. As I tend to be a worrier, I guess I can cross that one off my list. Perhaps I should play the lottery this week.

I'm Going To Be A Pioneer!!!!

In the most exciting news I've received in a while, I got a call today from The Genesee Country Museum , a local living history museum, and one of the largest in the country, letting me know that my husband and I have been chosen to participate in their Pioneer House Experience!!! My daughter is too young to participate at this time.

For those of you who watched the PBS series, Frontier House, the experience will be much the same. We will go and live for a weekend at the museum as true pioneers (AND I EVEN GET TO DRESS UP!!!!) Open Hearth Cooking, Animal husbandry, Butter making, Food Preservation, etc...... We were chosen to participate in October so we will be having a harvest celebration. The dates are October 15th and 16th. We need to report the weekend before to learn all we need to know about pioneer living in a one day workshop (hopefully this does not include slaughtering your own hog because I don't think my husband is up to that!)

We get to sleep at the museum which I think is very neat and everyone who comes will be able to see us in all of our pioneer glory.

Unfortunately, I think they will make me leave the clothes when I go back home.

My Coach Handbag

I bought a Coach handbag yesterday.

It's embarrasing actually.

It's not even a knockoff. It's the real thing. Nice size very roomy. All caramel color with that signature coach tag hanging from it. Very classic.

Oh no, don't for a minute think I actually bought a new bag at full price! Surely you jest!

My mom has this spendy friend who was having a garage sale. I bought this number for $30!!! Can you believe it! And it's in NEW CONDITION. She had about 30 bags for sale (Um yes, this woman CAN SHOP, believe me!) She actually changes her bags with her outfits and won't even carry a purse with gold accent if she's wearing silver accessories (completely out of my comprehension.)

Anyway, for the same price I normally pay for a handbag I am now carrying a Coach bag.

Now the embarrasing part.

It's not that it's from a garage sale, heck no, that is the best part of it.

It's that I WANTED that purse. It is nice leather but really that is not why I wanted it. I wanted an expensive purse THAT IS WHY I WANTED IT. I don't think I've ever paid over $45 for a purse in my lifetime. And I'm SO NOT about labels. (Usually) I'm the anti-consumer. I thumb my nose at people who buy things because of the brand. I laugh at people who put their babies in $100 cashmere sweaters. I scoff at people who buy overpriced tees at Abercrombie.

And now I'm carrying a Coach bag (although Jen tells me that her VERY spendy friend in LI now tells her that Coach is no longer a big deal because EVERYONE has one)

Maybe I'm a fraud.

Get out your rotten eggs and tomatoes. I'm ready....

Garlic Scapes!

I planted about 56 cloves of garlic last fall.

Finally, this week, I have garlic scapes! What are garlic scapes you ask? (Don't feel bad if you don't know I didn't know until I bought them one night last summer at the farmers market!)

Anyway, a garlic scape is the tender curling young stalks of hardneck garlic. Harvested in the spring, they are crunchy and garlicky, and, like garlic cloves, their flavor is mellowed by cooking. (I actually find their flavor mellow anyway, but I like garlic) They will flower if you let them and then the garlic plant is working on producing the flower rather than the bulb below. You need to cut them off!

And so I did! I cut 3 yesterday and both evenings we had a simple vinegarette of lemon, olive oil and garlic scapes over my homegrown lettuce! (I only used 1/2 scape per evening) I am going to make some garlic scape pesto later this week.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Ingredients:
1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup walnuts
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Method:
Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper. Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

For ½ pound short pasta such as penne, add about 2 tablespoons of pesto to cooked pasta and stir until pasta is well coated.

And I'm at least going to dream about this naughty dish.

I will have about 45 (that is all that came up) of these babies between this week and next (you have to get them off the plants NOW) and they do keep for a while in the fridge. If you are in my neighborhood please stop by because I would love to share this with you, especially if you've never had it! (Although you have to promise to eat it because I get really grouchy when people waste my homegrown goodies!)