Today I turned 40 years old with a bottle of champagne and my family on a summit overlooking the North Cascades. We kicked off the weekend on the Pacific Crest Trail at Harts Pass near Canada. The PCT was the first “big girl” trail I hiked after moving to Seattle in 2013. Spending time in complete silence (for hours) was a first for me. It truly changed my life. When I finally grew comfortable paying attention without immediately reacting, I was really able to listen and see life around me in a way I never had before. If someone asks what really led to the end of my career, it was an internal shift I have a hard time describing but ultimately resembles self-awareness, and it probably began on the PCT. I met several through hikers this weekend who started at the Mexico border and were almost done. I asked what they planned to do after such an accomplishment. “Go home and get back to work,” most said. At first it seems anticlimactic but I remember Trent Peterson, a young man whose story I told years ago, as he rode wild mustangs along the PCT. He used to say that the PCT is just a trail, what matters is that we slow down, pay attention and see clearly whatever path we’re on. I looked up a quote from that report to share with you all.
“This isn't to advocate for the PCT. The PCT is just a trail. Get out of the rat race and slow down. Pay attention to the little things, not just the big things, because it's the whole picture we need to be aware of," he said.
We made chèvre with our goat milk for the first time and it was so incredibly easy, I cannot believe I have been buying soft goat cheese for so long. You may remember that our mini Nubian, Sundae, had kids who would not drink off her left teat, so we had to milk it out ourselves. She produced way more milk than they needed even with bottle feeding one of them. We had a surplus of milk that just did not taste right because the first couple weeks, there is still colostrum in it, and it is somewhat bitter. We tried making pancakes with it and pudding, but really needed to use up quite a bit. Our friend suggested making cheese. We went to her house to learn how. We got so much cheese from what was probably a couple gallons of milk, it likely would have cost us over $100 at least to buy it. And it is delicious!
One of the reasons we love fresh goat milk from our goats who are out on pasture all day is the amount of vitamin K2 in it. It is such an important nutrient to help calcium into your...
Hei Hei is the strong willed child of the chicken coop. He’s bullied by our barred rock rooster (who is actually quite nice to us) so he avoids going back in the coop at night. He also takes out his repressed anger on us so he may be stew someday in the new future.
I keep my bones healthy for chasing Hei Hei by taking the fermented cod liver/concentrated butter oil from Green Pasture which is my go-to source of food-based vitamins A, D & K. The cod liver oil is fermented - not high heat processed - which protects the nutritional value. It saved my teeth from chronic cavities 15 years ago. Make sure to use promo code “ALISON” at check out for 10% off. https://greenpasture.org
We are preparing for hurricane season by making sure everyone has solid weather gear. Who needs canned goods, clean water, batteries and a generator when they have ducks dressed in rain coats?
I avoid emergency dental visits during hurricane season by making sure my teeth are strong with the fermented cod liver/concentrated butter oil from Green Pasture which saved me from chronic cavities 15 years ago. It’s good-based nutrition that’s packed with vitamins A, D and K plus anti-inflammatory omega 3s. Use “ALISON” as your promo code at check out for 10% off. https://greenpasture.org/
Lynn turns 45 today so I gave him the day off farm repairs. 😂People ask me all the time, “How do you do it all?” The answer is: Lynn! There is literally nothing he can’t fix. And he pays the bills which also helps. I’m forever grateful for his hard work. I’ll read him all the birthday well-wishes in the comments if you feel like leaving one. 🥳
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