Three-day beef ambrosia

We'll be getting our bull/steer Romeo back from the butcher in a few days' time, so we've been reorganizing the freezer to make room for him. During this process, we came across several cuts of meat from a previous butchering that have just been ... sitting there. For years.

This cut is a chuck roast. I've put chuck roasts in a slow cooker in the past with excellent results, but it still remains, for whatever reason, my least-favorite part of the animal. It's generally the last thing I reach for when it comes to making something for dinner.

But this time, needing to make room, I fished out three chuck roasts as well as two packages of soup bones, another item I seldom use. My plan was to can up the meat in a bone broth.

I threw these all into a large stock pot, added powdered garlic, dried onion, pepper, and a splash of vinegar (to help draw the nutrients out of the bones), topped everything with water, and let it simmer overnight.

The next day, I scooped out all the meat and bones. I carefully went through each piece of meat and de-fatted it as best I could. I think this is one of the reasons I'm not so fond of chuck roast – it's just too fatty. (I put the fatty bits aside to feed to Mr. Darcy in small increments.)

Then I put the meat in the refrigerator overnight. More importantly, I put the pot of beef broth in the fridge too, so the fat could cool, rise to the surface, and harden.

The next day, I scooped the fat off the surface of the broth.

The bone broth is incredible – rich, meaty, full of nutrients. I filled canning jars with meat and topped them with the broth.

Then, not wanting to waste anything, I filled the rest of the jars with leftover broth.

After canning, the result is six pints of beef ambrosia – tender and delicious – and eight pints of beef bone broth for the pantry.

Not a bad haul for some cuts of meat otherwise taking up space in the freezer.

Happy birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's 95th birthday.

Clearly I couldn't wish her felicitations over the phone, so I called my dad to pass them on to her. My brothers and sisters-in-law (bless every one of them) are making things festive. My older brother and sister-in-law brought homemade cheesecake (which Mom loves), and my youngest brother and sister-in-law will come in over the weekend with a birthday cake.

Dad says Mom is doing quite well in the nursing home. After her rough New Year's brush with illness, it took her a long time to recuperate and now she's much improved. As Dad says, if it wasn't for the effects of the stroke, she would be exceptionally healthy.

Altogether, Dad and I agreed, we have much to be thankful for with our family. Despite the challenges, everyone is in good spirits. We're beyond grateful for that.

Happy birthday, Mom!

Rain relief

As I post this, it's raining. What a delightful sound to hear the raindrops on the roof and water running in the gutters.

I checked my weather diary and confirmed that, with the exception of a few light (and I mean light) showers, we haven't had any appreciable or measurable rain since June 29. This is not atypical for the west, which is why fire danger is always on our radar during the dry months. It's also why the rain is such a welcome relief.

Today's rain is coming in a single dramatic spike.

But we have the promise of more rain and unsettled weather for the foreseeable future (i.e. the 10-day forecast).

The oak leaves are dripping water.

The porch rails are wet.

Some turkeys are taking refuge under an apple tree.

The road is running with rivulets of water.

And by evening, the blackberries will plump up.

Everything is looking fresher and cleaner since all the vegetation is having a bath and the dust is washing off. Yes, this rain is a relief.

Medicinal garlic

Don has always had marginally high blood pressure readings. A few years ago, a doctor was concerned enough to put him on a very low dose of blood pressure medication.

The interesting thing is, he very likely never had high blood pressure to begin with. What he has, literally, is "white-coat syndrome."  The Cleveland Clinic says about this condition, "White coat syndrome, or white coat hypertension, is the term for when you get a high blood pressure reading in a doctor’s office and a normal reading at home. The anxiety of being around doctors in white coats can make your blood pressure rise. Most people don’t need treatment if their blood pressure is normal at home."

Don monitors his blood pressure very closely at home, and after realizing his blood pressure just naturally spikes at a doctor's office, he decided to slowly and gradually wean himself off the already-low dosage of medication he was on. His blood pressure has remained at a healthy level. (He also walks, lifts moderate weights, and watches his weight.)

Anyway, this is a long-winded way of stating why he prefers to address any lingering concerns about blood pressure by turning to garlic.

Raw garlic has a centuries-long tradition of regulating blood pressure. Modern medical research has confirmed it may lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. Essentially garlic works to soften blood vessels and make them more elastic, which is precisely what the prescription medication did. In short ... can't hurt, might help for him to have raw garlic.

So Don takes a clove or two of raw garlic on a daily basis, usually sliced or chopped up in a sandwich or whatever else he has for lunch. Since last year I canned the entire garlic harvest, this meant he was buying garlic in the store to fill his raw garlic needs.

So this year I held all the harvested garlic in raw form, storing it in a cool dark place. Remember, much of this is now the jumbo garlic I'll be growing from now on.

The recommended daily dosage of garlic is about two grams (higher amounts apparently don't make a difference in health benefits). A single clove of our jumbo garlic weights 20 grams, ten times the recommended minimum dosage. He loves garlic (as do I), so it's no hardship to eat this much every day.

These large cloves slice easily.

He can then further chop the garlic as needed, or keep it sliced. He also likes the taste of this garlic much more than the store-bought stuff. He says it's less bitter.

Don's been off his blood-pressure medication for quite some time now, and his blood pressure is fine. As I mentioned, it may never have been high to begin with.

But keeping garlic in his diet is, we agree, a good thing.

The blessing of local fruit

I walked into the grocery store recently and turned to go into the produce section. There I was confronted by crates of peaches, 22 lbs. for $39.88, or $1.81/lb.

And not just peaches. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, apples, plums ... the selection was impressive ... AND expensive.

Various types of apples were on sale, $2.99 for 3 lbs. ($1/lb.).

Plums were $1.99/lb.

Six ounces of blackberries were $3.49, equivalent to $9.31/lb.

Same price for blueberries.

Regrettably, I did not get a photo of their strawberries, so I checked on the store's website and saw they were selling strawberries for $4.59/lb.

Meanwhile, back at the farm...

Peaches.

Apples.

Plums.

Blackberries.

Blueberries.

And of course, strawberries.

The blessing of local fruit.

Did you see the lunar eclipse?

There was a lunar eclipse last night. Did you see it?

Articles kept saying it would happen just after midnight. Since I'm an early-to-bed kinda gal, I figured I'd miss it. However when the moon rose at our place around 9 pm, the eclipse was already in progress (that "midnight" timeline was apparently Eastern Time).

So I stood in our side yard, balancing the camera as best I could on the top wire of the pasture fence, and photographed the progress.

Comically what I didn't realize was there were some deer in the pasture who were becoming more and more alarmed at my quiet presence. I was just about to press the camera shutter when one of them snorted nearby (an alarm signal), and I was so startled that this was the result.

At any rate, I followed the progress until at last the moon showed the merest sliver.

And there it stayed. And stayed. And stayed. I don't know if we weren't predicted to have a total eclipse or I just ran out of patience (it was my bedtime), but I never did see the total eclipse.

Early this morning, the moon was full and bright, setting on the western horizon.

I watched it until it set.

Did anyone else see the eclipse?

What it takes to live "comfortably"

A staggeringly unrealistic article recently came out entitled "This Is The Income A Family Needs To Live Comfortably In Every U.S. State."

As expected, certain high cost-of-living states dominated the list, such as California, Massachusetts, Hawaii, etc. In these states, the income necessary for a "comfortable" lifestyle can top $300,000. 

So of course, the first thing I looked up is the income necessary for a comfortable lifestyle in Idaho. And do you know what income allegedly is? $226,000!!!!!

My outraged comment to Don was, "On what planet?" 

Seriously, I know no one – literally no one – whose income even remotely approaches that ballpark, yet the vast majority of us are able to live "comfortably" (though unquestionably a little more income for most people would be welcome).

These stats are based on two working adults with two children. According to the article, the numbers are "based on the familiar 50/30/20 budget: 50% for necessities, 30% for discretionary spending, and 20% for savings or other goals. These aren’t bare-minimum survival numbers – they’re what it takes to live pretty well while still putting money aside."

That's fine and dandy, but I guess what isn't clear is how they define "comfortable." Perhaps it's the economic point where people don't have to think about or worry about money? The trouble with this definition is it doesn't account for lifestyle creep: Those whose earnings approach the "comfortable" level often opt for more expensive cars, homes, goods, services, etc., and then complain they can't "afford" everything they want.

Within reason – I'm not talking about those living in poverty or mired in medical debt – it seems to me it's far better to be grateful that we can afford the daily comforts we take for granted.

By that definition, the vast majority of people are already "comfortable."

Rest in peace, Dolly Parton

I was saddened today to learn that Dolly Parton has passed away.

I've always admired Dolly for her humor, her wit, and her generous heart. She never forgot her roots, and strove to improve the lives and economic opportunities of her home region by opening Dollywood, among much else.

Since her husband of sixty years passed away less than 18 months ago, I suspect Dolly just lost the heart to go on.

Rest in peace, Ms. Parton.

Getting into freelance writing

In response to my recent post "What a Way to Make a Living," a reader left a comment as follows: "Maybe you've done this already, but how does one go about getting into freelance writing? I'm more of a non-fiction type of guy but I guess I could fictionalize some of my old police cases that might be interesting to some people."

This is a complex subject to tackle, but I'll give it my best shot. The following advice and information is solely based on Don's and my experience over the years.

Nonfiction (Short) Writing

• Build a platform. Whether it's fiction or nonfiction, both agents and editors like it when you already have a following of sorts. That's why this blog has become more and more valuable over the years; it acts not just as a sounding board for our lifestyle, but as a marketing tool for our writing. (Along those lines, I can't tell you how much we appreciate you all!)

• If you're new to the nonfiction industry, start by writing what you know rather than tackling subjects that require investigation. Whether it's an opinion piece, or an experience, or a project you've completed, it's best to come from a position of authority.

• Make sure you know the subject. Writing from ignorance, even an opinion piece, can harm your writing career.

• Meet deadlines. This cannot be emphasized strongly enough. Meet deadlines.

• The editor is always right. If s/he suggests changes, don't argue. Make the changes. If you can't or won't make those changes, it's better to withdraw the piece.

• Submit clean content, meaning syntax, punctuation, spelling, and grammar are all as correct as you can make them. If accepted, your piece will go through additional copy-editing by various editors, but you're far more likely to get rejected if your original piece is poorly written. Believe me, I've been on the editorial side of things a fair bit, and it's astounding how much bad content gets submitted. I remember having to edit one woman's weekly submissions (she was, let's just say, extremely high up in the journalism world) and her pieces were virtually illiterate. I am not exaggerating or using that term lightly. It was some of the worst writing, bar none, I have ever seen. Many times, I had to email her to get clarity on what she meant by this or that point. Often I had to rewrite her entire submission to make it readable. I am genuinely bewildered how she achieved the professional credentials she did. Don't be that person.

• Never ever ever EVER ever ever ever EVER submit something written by AI. There's no faster way to get both round-filed and blacklisted by editors.

• If submitting to magazines, know in advance the publication's focus (it won't do any good to send instructions for knitting lace doilies to a backpacking magazine), writing style (first person POV? third person?), and word count. Word count is especially important. Fortunately, most magazines print writing guidelines for the type and length of content they accept.

• Some magazines are far more open to submissions from unknown writers than others, such as our beloved Backwoods Home Magazine (and its sister publication, Self-Reliance). Other publications are way too massive to pay attention to the Little Guy and your submissions are likely to end up in the slush pile unless the subject matter is especially unique. (In other words, you're unlikely to be accepted to "Better Homes & Gardens" or "National Geographic" until you're far more established.)

• Sometimes – and it pains me to say this – you might have to give some of your writing away for free to begin developing credentials. It took a while for me to build up enough writing credits that I could expect decent compensation for my work.

Nonfiction Books

• Whether you're submitting through an agent or directly to a publisher, a nonfiction book requires a proposal. This consists of a Hook, a Summary, the Theme, the Audience, a Marketing Plan, Manuscript Status (hopefully completed!), a list of Other Books you've written, and then of course the Synopsis and first Three Chapters for the work you're submitting. A proposal is a hassle to write, but usually it's only required once per publisher. Keep in mind the agent or publisher doesn't know you from Adam, so your job is to convince them you're worth the risk and a suitable long-term investment (as opposed to a one-hit wonder).

• Again, having a built-in platform is invaluable to get yourself noticed.

• Write about your passion(s). Years ago, I remember the moment I decided to write "The Simplicity Primer." I was deeply into the subject of simplicity and wasn't able to find any books that reflected my personal angle on the matter. I was taking a walk when it suddenly came over me like a thunderclap that I was just as qualified to write about simple living as anyone else. The rest is history.

Fiction Novels

• Hone your craft. Fiction is a different animal than nonfiction. You need to be able to write convincing dialog in a way that doesn't jerk the reader out of the story. You need to understand points of view and the balance between dialog and narration. You need to understand how to show, not tell. You need to understand goals, motivation, and conflict. I have many writing reference books in our library, and two of the best are "The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes" by Jack M. Bickham, and the appropriately named "Goal, Motivation & Conflict" by Debra Dixon.

 • Build a platform. I'm sounding like a broken record, right? Yep, once again anyone (agents and/or publishers) who is taking a chance on your fiction novel wants to see that you already have a connection with readers through some sort of social media presence. Welcome to the modern world. I explained some of my platform travails from the beginning of my fiction career in this blog post. Trust me when I say an agent is far, far more likely to accept you as a client if you have a pre-built social media platform to bring to the table. An excellent reference on this subject is the appropriately named book "Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World" by Michael Hyatt, keeping in mind it's a bit out of date with regards to social media.

• Be patient. It took an entire year for my first Harlequin submission (sent through my agent) to filter up through the various slush piles and catch an editor's eye. (I remember the moment: I was standing at my computer desk when I saw the email my agent sent. I remember saying out loud to Don, in a voice of wonder and disbelief, "I sold a book.") During that period of waiting, (a) don't nag, though a polite inquiry every few months is fine; and (b) write some other stuff. During that year of waiting, I kept writing and had two more rough manuscripts ready to polish and submit by the time the first one was accepted. Editors far prefer steady, dependable writers over one-hit wonders.

• Beware of anyone, whether agent or editor or publisher, who requests money to get your work in print. Remember this mantra: Money should flow to the writer. There are TONS of scam artists out there who are clever at parting writers from their cash in exchange for grandiose promises to get your work published and marketed. You might as well send your money to that Nigerian prince. That said, there are self-publishing options (discussed below) that may require an initial outlay of funds to get the work in print; and of course, there are legitimate marketing services which can vastly increase your exposure, though they're way too expensive for our budget.

• The editor is always right. If s/he suggests changes, don't argue. Make the changes. This applies just as much in the fiction realm as the nonfiction. That's why I had to re-do my latest Harlequin proposal. And you know what? The result is inevitably a better story. 

• Along those lines, get your ego out of the way. Ego-driven writers refuse to alter what they see as the Perfect Novel. Editors hate working with writers like that. While some novice writers explode onto the scene and make history with their international best-seller, those are few and far between. Don't be hard to work with. If you feel strongly that your work is Perfect as it is and your editor disagrees, it might be better to publish it yourself.

• Get used to rejection. And I mean, really used to it. Don't let it get you down or discourage you from continuing the pursuit. I've wanted to be a writer for literally decades, and it's only in the last ten years or so that things have really come to fruition. Don't give up. (This applies to both fiction and nonfiction writing.)

Self Publishing

Most of you know we dipped our toes into the self-publishing world last year when we published "Rachel's Folly." Despite the success of the book, our experience in this realm is limited.

• Self publishing (or indie publishing) has advantages for newbies in that it allows some enormously talented but unknown writers to get their works available to the public. The downside is, despite all efforts, very few readers – much less agents or publishers – are likely to notice the book without a vast amount of marketing efforts on your part. Those who are clever and skilled in this area can do quite well, and sometimes are even picked up by traditional publishers, thus launching a writing career. The talented James Wesley Rawles, founder of SurvivalBlog, falls into this category with his book "Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse."

• The mantra "Money should flow to the writer" still applies to indie publishing, within reason. Sometimes you have to outlay some funds for certain marketing opportunities, but less than you might think. Generally if someone contacts you out of the blue to offer their services, it's usually (but not always) an elaborate scam. Be discerning.

This only scratches the surface of the vast world of freelance writing, but I hope it's helpful to the reader quoted above.