Tiny House Homestead Podcast 35

To goat or not to goat, that was the question, a shift in thinking as well as  Adventures and updates on Podcast 35. Join me on my journey! 

Check out this episode!

Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies Davis, OK

If you are traveling I35 and pass by Davis, OK (exit 51), you have got to stop and get yourself an Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pie.  Located right by the exit (look for the dinosaur on the roof), fried pies are a tradition in this area of Oklahoma. Each pie is made to order with from scratch crust and fillings fried to a golden brown in peanut oil. I suggest going when you are nice and hungry because these delicious pies will fill you up and leave you bursting at the seams.

The history of the Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies started back in 1893 when Nancy Fulton's grandmother fried pies as a way to supplement the diet of ranch hands during a particularly harsh winter. Nancy now owns the Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pie Company and maintains the homemade quality of her grandmother's pies. The traditional dough and fillings are still made from scratch on site. Standing in line you can watch as balls of freshly made dough are run through a machine to roll them out to just the right thickness. Then each circle of dough is slathered or filled with your choice of goodies. Pinched closed and fried in hot peanut oil for 4 minutes. Each pie is a delicious taste of Oklahoma history.

Don't be surprised to find a nice long line when you get there. They really keep the line moving, so the wait was not too bad. While standing on line you can choose what you want in your pie. You can have a breakfast pie filled with sausage, cheese, and egg or a portable pot pie style pie of chicken and vegetables. There are many more options to choose from.

I chose to have blackberry and cherry filling and I was not let down. The pie crust was delicious and the filling was piping hot. My friends chose to have a mini pizza style pie with pepperoni with cheese followed with their sweet treat of a peach filled pie. We were busting at the seams when we were finished.

The Arbuckle Moutain Fried Pie location in Davis offers gasoline, ice, soda, and ice cream too. The restrooms were also most welcome for our group since we had been on the road for a couple of hours by that point.  If you are in a hurry or really hungry you can even call ahead to 580-369-7830 and order your pie so it will be ready when they get there.

So remember, if you are close to Davis, Oklahoma, you are close enough to enjoy an Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pie treat!

The Magic of Magnetic Hill, Springer, OK

A couple of cohorts in crime and I took a "girl trip" to southern Oklahoma this weekend. Driving along, Kelly said, "Hey, we should check out Magnetic Hill!" Not being from Oklahoma, I had never heard of Magnetic Hill. Kelly went on to explain that you drive to the bottom of the hill, put your car in neutral or turn off the engine, and some magical magnetic force will pull the car back up the hill. Heck yes, this is just the kind of adventure I am game to try out.

Magnetic Hill is actually Pioneer (Pitt) Road, near Springer, OK. Located just off Interstate 35 at exit 42 (Hwy 53). Head west on highway 53 and turn right (head north) on Pitt Road. South of the highway Pitt Road is labeled Pioneer Road. Drive north until just past the cattle gate on your right. You will be at the bottom of the hill. Check for traffic around you, put the car in neutral or kill the engine, and the car should begin being pulled back up the hill. Kristina clocked the car going in reverse on its own at greater than 5 miles per hour.



Of course we had to do it three times, just for entertainment. Then we turned the car around and tried it in the other direction, just for giggles. Sure enough, it worked that way too. I noticed the heard of cattle eating in the fields on either side of this stretch of road looked at us like they were quite used to these types of antics, which was also very entertaining.

Evidently there is all kinds of conjecture about what makes Magnetic Hill "magnetic" from aliens, to ghosts, to curses, to an optical illusion (being the well grounded sort, I vote optical illusion), however it was sure an odd feeling. Anyway, if you make it to southern Oklahoma and are looking for something diverting, check out Magnetic Hill. We sure had a fun time.

Cookie Jar House Vacation

I recently planned a vacation to go see my granddaughter for her 6th birthday, however she got to go to New York to visit her maternal grandfather instead, so I regrouped and chose to go to Philadelphia, my original home town. Being of a limited budget, I dialed up a relative and asked if I could couch surf. My cousin and his wife live in the Cookie Jar house , a unique house located in Glendora, New Jersey. Now if you are not from the east coast, you may not know that parts of south Jersey are like suburbs for Philadelphian's. The Cookie Jar house is a unique landmark and it is not uncommon to see folks driving by to snap a picture or two.

The house is deceiving from the outside, but is actually quite roomy. There are three levels and a spiral staircase runs up the inside. It was really cute. Out of respect for my cousins I did not take pictures of the inside, but I can tell you it is really cute inside too. However it would hardly would qualify as a "tiny house." I invited two friends, Sharon and Destiny, to go along on this adventure too. Neither friend had been to Philadelphia or New Jersey, so we really had a great time.

We drove from Oklahoma the first day and stopped in Tennessee for the night. We planned to spend the night at Destiny's sister's house on her couch. Destiny hadn't seen her sister in a long time, so they were super excited to catch up. We stopped in Memphis to visit Graceland. It was closed by the time we arrived, but in true fan style we stood outside the gate and took some pictures. I stared in wonder at the private airplane that is now parked across the street. How the heck did they move that monstrosity into place in the middle of congested Memphis? While we were in Memphis we also took a tour of the giant pyramid that is actually a Bass Pro Shop. It was really cool inside with live fish in ponds and a restaurant on the top floor with an observation deck. We didn't have the time to go eat as there was quite a line, so we loaded back in the car and continued on our adventure.

We arrived at the Cookie Jar house around 3 am on Monday, February 20th. We immediately went to sleep and slept in until after 11 am! After finally getting up and about, our first day in Philadelphia we drove into the city and walked around. It was President's Day and a bunch of whiny ass bitches Trump protesters had the center city on lock down due to police presence. Police were everywhere. That meant we couldn't drive in to park close to City Hall, so we chose to park up by Elfreth's Alley and walk down to Market Street.

Side note, in case you did not know. Elfreth's Alley is the oldest continually owned block of houses in the United States. They were tiny row homes and every once in a while one or two will come up for sale. I used to dream of owning one someday. I just don't know if I could handle all the tourists trying to peak in my windows every day.

On Market Street we made a b-line for Campo's. Oh my goodness, Campo's makes the best hoagies!! A real Philadelphia Hoagie. And, just let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS! Located at 2nd and Market, you should definitely try them. Be sure to get cherry peppers on your hoagie too.

In addition to the hoagies, we ate delicious soft Philly Pretzels with dark, spicy mustard. There is no place in the world that makes a pretzel as good as Philadelphia. After some more site seeing the sun was setting so we headed back to the Cookie Jar.

Day two of our adventure,Tuesday the 21st, we discovered upon waking all the walking and the travel from the days prior had us quite bushed, so we hung around in New Jersey and hit a couple of Goodwill stores with my cousins. It is always fun to go to thrift stores in other states because the donated goods are often quite different. For example, I scored a whole set of Lenox spice jars ($20!!) and a diffuser shade needed for the vintage tole lamps I mentioned in a prior post. We also drove around and down to Riverton, NJ. There we saw the Riverton Yacht Club (first yacht club in the US ) and the century old mansions that line the Riverton River.

Day three, the 22nd, we drove out to Gettysburg National Military Park. This was another full day of walking, but you could not beat the weather. It was a beautiful clear day with a gentle breeze and warm temperatures in the 60's. We walked the battlefield and read the displays. It was sobering to read how many fell during this battle and understandable why President Lincoln felt it so important to visit. Destiny and my cousin chose to go to the top of one of the memorials which was accessible by a tall staircase. That's her at the top with her arms out. Yes, she is kinda nuts. That was way too high up for my comfort and my knee told me climbing those stairs was not going to happen.

When we got back to town from Gettysburg we went to Joe's Crab Shack to eat dinner. I had never been to one before. The food was good, but the drinks were divine. It was a fun evening, but my feet and knees hurt from all that walking and I was ready to go back to the Cookie Jar to hit the sack.

Thursday, the 23rd, we made our way back into the city via the train instead of driving. Sharon and Destiny had both taken public transportation in Germany, however they were interested to see what a Philly subway ride was like. I think both really enjoyed the ride. I was shocked at how little parking was available at the train station. We had to go all the way to the Lindenwald station to find parking. I guess most who work in the city are smart enough not to try to find parking or it is just too cost prohibitive. I know I wouldn't want that hassle.

Of course any time you are in Philadelphia you must visit the Liberty Bell. We had a great time taking pictures with this symbol of freedom. It is a shame you cannot touch it like you could when I was a kid, but you can still get up close and that is nice. We went and saw the first post office started by none other than Benjamin Franklin. We mailed postcards and letters home there because they still hand cancel at that Post Office. It is odd to consider it has been continuously operating since before our country became independent. You will notice no flag flies outside that office. It is the only Post Office in our country without a US flag flying in front.

We ate lunch across the street at the Common Wealth Restaurant. It was so good. I had a Smoked Turkey and Brie sandwich as well as Seared Scallops. I also had a really good local brew, but I cannot remember the name of it. All I can say is it was delicious.

After walking around seeing the sites, we headed to the Reading Terminal to get Canoli and a Tiramisu for desert after dinner on Friday. My cousin had been planning to cook a dinner of Braciole and Pasta for us and of course we had to get the desert from my family bakery. We made our way back to the train and headed home. We were bushed, so along the way we picked up Cheese Steaks for dinner. Are you following the food theme? Ooh ya. This is what vacations are made of, lol.

Day 5, Friday the 24th, we were sad to find out Sharon's brother-in-law had passed away and we needed to wrap up our trip sooner than planned. We spent our final day running errands, doing wash, and preparing to go home. We made final stops at places Sharon and Destiny may never have a chance to see again. We ate at a diner so Sharon and Destiny could try Scrapple. There is nothing as good as breakfast at the Penn Queen Diner on Route 130. We purchased foods we planned to bring home and foods we promised to bring back in order to get them in the freezer overnight. I bought Scrapple and Sharon and Destiny bought wonderful homemade chocolates from Bayards Chocolate House. By the time we got back to the Cookie Jar, Ed and Nancy had cooked us dinner of Baked Rigatoni and Braciole and we gorged ourselves. It was sad to have to leave, but by 9pm we were packed, showered, and in bed to get enough rest to leave early in the morning.

We were up by 5am and putting all our things in the car. At 7 am we headed across the Walt Whitman Bridge one last time and drove through the quiet Saturday streets of south Philly. We had one last stop to make before heading back, the Termini Bakery original location. Fresh Canoli and a cup of coffee were purchased and we were back on the road. We took a different route home so we could avoid tolls. We discovered tolls on the way to our trip had cost nearly $30. This time we knew we could skirt the toll booths and get to see West Virginia as well.

We passed through Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and on into West Virginia. We decided to detour, get out and stretch our legs at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Harper's Ferry is a neat little town for a couple of reasons. First off, you can see Three states from there: Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. Secondly, John Brown, a famous abolitionist, led a raid there. Thirdly, it is the home of the halfway point of the Appalachian Trail. I had dreamed of hiking the Appalachian Trail for many years prior to having broken my back in a car accident. It doesn't stop me from being green with envy for those that have completed the journey. We stopped in to see if Destiny could find some of her college pals who had made the journey and been photographed in the many volumes of hikers the Conservancy document each year. We explored Harper's Ferry a little bit, refueled, and were back on the road within an hour. I plan to go back at some point and really enjoy learning the history of the area more in depth.

Driving through some rain storms as we crossed Virginia, we made our way back to Tennessee and stayed the night once again with Destiny's sister. Reheating left overs of Braciole and Rigatoni, we ate and hit the sack. By 7 am the next morning we were back on the road. Tennessee, Arkansas, and finally Oklahoma zipped by quickly. We arrived back in Oklahoma before the sun set.

I was bummed for Sharon for the loss of her brother-in-law, and bummed our trip had to end, but I did manage to make some great memories and a couple of new charms for my bracelet.

Hmm, where to next?

My Chicken Laid The Strangest Eggs

Check out this very odd egg I found in my coop. Strange eh? Kinda looks like it is a little old man egg. My chickens recently began laying again after a sporadic December and January. It was both fascinating and alarming to find such an odd egg, so I immediately started researching what could possibly be going on with my hen.  I had no idea, but turns out wrinkly eggs are a semi-common thing.

Wrinkly eggs have a couple of causes. The first can just be the age of the chicken. It is not uncommon to see an egg or two that is wrinkly. Most of the time the eggs that follow are normal. If your chicken is young, it is as though the chicken is working out the kinks in the reproductive machinery. On the other hand, as a chicken ages, the albumen will become more watery. When the albumen is watery, it is more difficult for the chicken to wrap the shell around it and the yolk. Wrinkled shells can be a result.

Another frequent cause of wrinkly eggs is Infectious Bronchitis. Highly contagious, Coronavirus also called  IB, is spread within the flock quickly. Chickens will cough, sneeze, rattle, and makes sounds like a baby with a bad cold. Chickens may even get watery eyes and seem droopy. IB damages respiratory, urinary, and gastrointestinal organs. The chickens will most likely recover from the virus, but will remain carriers of IB for the life. Wrinkled eggs may be all she lays from that point on.

Poor water quality can also contribute to wrinkled eggs. If you are feeding your chickens a healthy diet, including calcium and grit, are sure there was no IB in your flock, and still continue to get wrinkled eggs, look into water quality. Make sure to have plenty of fresh clean water available to your flock and plenty of shade during hot weather.

Oh, and no worries, while the wrinkled eggs may look odd, they remain safe to eat as long as there are no cracks in the shell. I wonder what they would look like dyed?

There are lots of causes of odd eggs.

BONUS FREEBIE PRINTABLE: Alltech (specialists in animal nutrition and health) created a very informative poster showing common eggshell issues and lists possible causes. You can download a copy to print for future reference here.

My Thrift Store Challenge

Before I made my big move to live tiny in the country, I was a city/suburb person. I lived in big houses, bought the latest trendy crap, and dreamed of the "simple life." When I finally made the choice to jump in feet first and make my move, I started making lists. Lists of everything I thought I would ever need in a house. My lists were formed room by room. I mentally checked off everything at first, then I actually made paper lists. For example, a bedroom would need a bed, two dressers (long and tall), two night tables, two lamps, two changes of sheets, etc. You get the idea. I poured over catalogs, wandered in stores, visualized my particular style, and slowly began ticking things off the list as I purchased them. By the time I made my big move I had collected almost everything on the list.

Two Lamps for $10.95. Score!

Over the years I had discovered I got great joy of finding an expensive item at a fraction of the cost on places like Craigslist, Goodwill, and thrift stores. I made a game out of it - a type of adult scavenger hunt, if you will. I got a rush and sense of personal victory never paying full cost for the things on my list. I made a commitment to buy the best, but never pay full price. I also like the idea of buying things secondhand because I feel it is more environmentally friendly.

I went with a good friend thrift shopping on Saturday and scored two terrific vintage tole lamps for my new recording studio at just $10.95 for both. I also found some fantastic vintage oven pads someone's grandmother crocheted for just a dollar. But other than those two purchases, I didn't find anything I didn't already have or simply did not need.

So here I am surrounded by the things I researched, coveted, and collected. But here's the weird thing: Now that I have all these things and the challenge has been met, I find myself kind of bored and miss "the thrill of the hunt." Shopping no longer seems fun. There are no pressing needs or personal missions with which to focus my nervous energies. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed those personal challenges. This got me thinking about setting up a new challenge for myself.

I am setting up a "Self Sufficiency" or "Prepper" challenge for myself. I am going to scour Craigslist, Goodwill, thrift stores, etc. for items for the homestead that will allow more independence. Here are some of the items on my list:

Old School Meat Grinder

• Sausage/Meat Grinder
• Grain Mill
• Kitchen Aid Mixer Add On's
• Cider Press
• Cheese Press
• Large Crocks 
• Dehydrator 2/4/17 ($5 at thrift store)
• Pasta Machine
• Berkey Big Water Filter
• Solar Cooker
• Manual Crank Ice Cream Maker
• Vintage Storage Baskets

I love an adult scavenger hunt. How about you? What are some of the things on your "want" list that you think you could find at substantial savings second-hand?

Considering a Straw Bale Garden

It's that time of year again. The time when I pour over seed catalogs and dream of boundless harvests after an idyllic summer of warm sunshine and soft rainfall. I dream of a fantastic harvest of a wide variety of vegetables with visions of endless fresh veggies and plenty left over to preserve. If you are a homesteader or dream of being a homesteader, I bet you are doing this too.

This year will be my 3rd summer in Oklahoma. On my homestead plan this is the year of the garden. I have a vision of how my garden will ultimately look, however my budget prevents me from buying the galvanized stock tanks ($70 each x 15) the plan calls for. I am not willing to give up my vision, so I decided to explore some other, less costly options until I then.

1. I could grow my garden in bags. Yes, bags. This is a form of container gardening I have considered in the past, but dismiss because I don't like the look very much. 
2. I could just slap together some wood and form some beds, but then I still have to fill them with soil (costly) and then when I am finished with them I will have to find a way to move all that soil. Not the way I want to spend my energy. Too much labor with too little reward.
3. Thirdly, I can use what I have on hand. I have lots of straw bales on hand. Bingo. 

Straw Bale Gardens by Joel Karsten

Straw bale gardening is a form of container gardening. You basically prepare your bales by fertilizing and watering, then when ready, just poke a hole into the straw, put some soil in the hole, plant your seed, and keep the bale watered and fertilized. The bale will decompose over time and the plants will flourish. Use good straw bales and you won't even have to weed! Mind you this is a very simplified explanation, but have no worries, I will explain the entire process with pictures when I begin. You, dear reader, can follow along on my adventure and we can see if it will work.

Interested? Intrigued? Interested in trying straw bale gardening at your place?

You can read a great article about straw bale gardening written by Mary Yee here that gives a good overview of the process and has anecdotal information from the American Horticultural Society's attempt at a straw bale garden in Virginia.

You should also get a copy of  Joel Karsten's book (he is the guy who wrote the book on this process literally) Straw Bale Gardens Complete: Breakthrough Vegetable Gardening Method. This book is the straw bale garden bible!

Currently I use my straw bales to insulate my tiny house against wicked cold winter winds, but soon winter will be over and I will drag the bales out to the open sunny spot where the garden is planned. I have 10 bales at this time and will pick up another 10. I figure 20 bales is a decent sized garden. By the way, 20 bales of straw is just $140. Fertilizer and a couple good size bags of garden soil is all I will need. How budget friendly is that?!!

Bring on Spring cause this gal is ready to grow stuff!