Pathogens

We speak of disease; if a parasite is causing the disease, it is called a pathogen, from the Greek pathos and gens--a bearer of suffering.

Spring Time, Wildlflower Time!!!

Found these beauties in the Buffalo Hills area north of Pyramid Lake and west of Gerlach, NV.

Sagebrush Buttercup (Ranunculus glaberrimus)

Great Basin Violet (Viola beckwithii)

Yellow Bell (Fritillaria pudica)

Happy Spring!!!

It's official and even since we have had spring-like weather for most of winter, spring is here!  It's my favorite! I can't wait to get out and see more wildflowers and other springy things.  Enjoy!

Bloomin'

Happy Saint Patricks Day!!!!

Keep it Green!!!

Yum, Yum Mushroom Soup!!!

Mushroom Soup!

Dan was feeling ill yesterday (Monday), so I thought I would make some soup for dinner, however, I didn't want to make the same old potato leek, or celery root soup that I normally make, so I decided to try mushroom soup.

Although I've heated it out of a can before, I've never actually made mushroom soup before, so I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. Well, luckily, I am proud to say that my first attempt at mushroom soup turned out delicious.  It had a nice flavor and was warm and soothing for Dan's throat and my soul--cheesy, I know--mmmmmmmmm cheese, this recipe does include cheese, YAY!

Anyway, I highly recommend this recipe!

Oh, and it's super easy and quick to make too!

What you need:
olive oil
1 yellow onion
8 oz white mushrooms
4 oz brown mushrooms 
thyme--I did some fresh some dried since I didn't have much fresh
3 cups chicken broth
Parmesan Cheese--to taste
salt and pepper--to taste

What to do:
In a sauce pan saute onions over medium heat. Once the onions are translucent and soft add the mushrooms and thyme, salt and pepper to taste.  Cook the mushrooms until they are soft and brown.  Add the broth, bring to a boil then turn down heat and simmer for roughly 5 minutes.  Add parmesan cheese and let it melt into soup while stirring.  Let the soup cool a bit then, with an immersion blender (thank you for the Christmas present Dan!), blend soup to the desired smoothness.  Optional, use thinly sliced chives and Greek yogurt to garnish. Oh and since I love cheese I added more Parmesan as garnish too!

Enjoy!!!!!

Sweetwater Mountains

Up in Sweetwater Canyon

A couple of weeks ago I went down past Wellington Nevada for work. We went to both the sweetwater mountains and the Pine Nut Mountains to look at some possible projects.  I have not spent much time in this area, but it is beautiful.  The road there 338, is gorgeous, it goes right between the two mountain ranges, with the sweetwaters to the west and the pine nuts to the east.  You get a gorgeous view of Bald Mountain the 4th highest mountain in the Pine Nuts. 

Since neither Dan or I have spent much time in that area, we decided to head down and checkout the sweetwaters.  The sweetwaters run north-south with the northwest end in Nevada and the southeast end in California.  We decided to hike up sweetwater canyon, which actually has a road in it, but not a road that our Subaru could handle, although a high clearance 4x4 could easily drive on it.  We were lucky we didn't see anyone out on the road or in the area.

We hiked a ways up the canyon and came to a nice, little use cabin--Nugent Cabin, is its name.  I was very impressed, people really take care of the place.  It has been kept up very well with a lot of love, so if you head up there please, please, please be sure to leave nicer than you find it--it is a great resource that we would hate to see get thrashed and/or closed.

View during the hike

Nugent Cabin

Nugent Cabin

Critter, does anyone know who it is?

Dan and Coco on the hike

Another view during the hike

First Wildflower 2014

I found my first wildflower of 2014 on 2/16/2014, in the Virginia/Flowery Range.  It is a lomatium which is not unusual for our area, in years past it is typically one of the first bloomers I see.

Nevada Biscuitroot (Lomatium nevadense)

National Invasive Species Week!

From: http://www.nisaw.org/

National Invasive Species Awareness Week is scheduled for February 23-28. And according to experts with the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA), it's a topic that deserves our attention. Non-native plants, animals and pathogens can harm humans and the environment and impact our nation's economy. The damage done by invasive plants alone costs the U.S. an estimated $34.7 billion a year.

Invasive weeds can produce skin irritation, trigger allergies and poison pets and livestock. They can clog waterways, kill native trees, and shade out crops, ornamentals and prized native flora. They are found in every imaginable habitat, including oceans, lakes, streams, wetlands, croplands, rangelands, natural areas, parks, forests, urban environments, yards and gardens.

"Though the impact of invasive species is profound, there are important steps we can take to manage infestations and prevent their spread," says Lee Van Wychen, Ph.D., director of science policy for the WSSA. "It all begins with awareness."

Eight Ways You Can Help

1. Learn about invasive species, especially those found in your region. Your county extension office (http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html) and the National Invasive Species Information Center (http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/index.shtml) are both trusted resources.
2. Clean hiking boots, waders, boats and trailers, off-road vehicles and other gear to stop invasive species from hitching a ride to a new location.
3. Avoid dumping aquariums or live bait into waterways.
4. Use forage, hay, mulch and soil that are certified as "weed free."
5. Plant only non-invasive plants in your garden, and remove any known invaders.
6. Report new or expanded invasive species outbreaks to authorities. (See http://www.invasive.org/report.cfm for a state-by-state list of contacts.)
7. Volunteer to help remove invasive species from public lands and natural areas.
8. Ask your political representatives at the state, local and national level to support invasive species control efforts.

Lagomarsino Petroglyphs

Last weekend, the weekend of February 16, 2014 Dan, Coco and I hiked 13 miles round trip to the Lagomarsino petroglyphs. Now, we didn't necessarily need to hike 13 miles, but we were in the Subaru and we weren't sure how good the roads were.  We could have probably driven in quite a bit more than we actually did, but we were up for a big hike and some great exercise. 

Because of the sensitivity of Petroglyphs and archeological sites in general, I'm not going to posts directions to this site, however I'm sure folks who are truly interested in going can be resourceful enough to find out where they are located.  I will tell you that they are east of Reno, you know, not much of Nevada is east of Reno, right?!

Below is info I got from the Nevada Rock Art Foundation--visit them here:http://www.nvrockart.org/

The Lagomarsino Canyon Petroglyph Site is one of only eight rock art sites in Nevada to be honored on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the largest identified rock art site in the state, containing 2,229 rock art panels distributed along a quarter of a mile stretch of a fine-grained basalt cliff and associated talus. From 2003-2008 NRAF worked with Storey County, the Nevada SHPO, NRCS, the Nevada State Museum and other agencies to complete a full archaeological inventory of the site.

Here are some photos we took:

Lagomarsino Petroglyphs

Dan and coco at Lagomarsino Petroglyphs

During our hike

Dan and Coco on the edge of the world

I also so my first wildflower of the season, Lomatium nevadense

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

And this is what I woke up to!!! Thank you sweetie, I love you!

Valentine's Day 2014

Happy Birthday Charles Darwin!!!

Cat Spanish

 
I've been playing with the Cat Academy--Cat Spanish App, Accelerated Conversational Spanish for Humans of All Ages.  It uses pictures of cute cats, humor and repetition to teach you Spanish.  At first I thought it was going to be cheesy--and trust me it is, but in a good way--waste of time.  It is actually quite fun and I believe it is working.  I say I believe, because I haven't been that consistent at practicing, so I may be wrong.  I'm going to try and up my practice time and see what happens.  I'll let you know how it goes.  In the meantime you should check it out and play too! Enjoy!

An Afternoon at Washoe Lake

Washoe Lake-and if you look closely there are two big helicopters flying overhead

We started the day very slowly on Saturday.  It was a nice relaxing start to the weekend.  Dan made us some bacon and eggs, tea and coffee.  We wanted to get out and explore, but we wanted an adventure that Dusty could join us on--meaning nothing too long or too rough.  We decided Washoe Lake, would be a good option as we could hike around, but also hang out by the lake if dusty was tired or we just wanted to sit and read or take pictures.

Washoe Lake is south of Reno, north of Carson City.  It was a beautiful sunny day, but it was brisk.  Brisker than it had been in Reno lately.  I was unprepared for how cold it was.  Luckily, Dan had an extra jacket in the car and I was smart enough to at least bring gloves and a hat--thank goodness.  My fingers turned to ice every time I took my gloves off to take i-phone photos-silly touch screens, I can't wait till they figure that one out.

The last couple of winters have been pretty bad, not a lot of precipitation and our area needs as much as it can get.  I must say though, that I am happy to see there is still water in Washoe.  When I was a kid Washoe dried up quite often, it's been several years since it has and hopefully it will be a long time before it does again.  We got some more precip yesterday and hopefully there is more to come, keep keeping your fingers crossed!

Dusty enjoying the lake

My sweet family

Light on Washoe Lake

Dan and Coco Enjoying the Lake

Finally, Much Needed Precipitation

It is finally snowing again here in Reno.  We had some snow around Thanksgiving, but it' been very dry since then.  It has been very dry in the Sierras too, which is bad news bears for fires and drought.  Hopefully we'll get a bunch now and hopefully some more in February, March, and April.  We need all the precip we can get.  Keep your fingers crossed this is just the beginning. 

And a cute picture to make you smile!!!

Centered

One of the big lessons from the past week was centering.  Be centered.  Feel your feet on the ground and get centered.  Check your posture, get centered. Unclench, get centered. Relax, get centered. Breath, get centered. Just take a moment and get centered.

Centering will help keep you from make rash decisions and responding in ways you may regret. It allows you to stop and check yourself--that is, before you wreck yourself. 

Centered, both of my feet on the ground.  Good to remember when I feel like I'm spinning out of control or in the spiral of self defeat.  Centered, both my feet on the ground.

Montana Bound!!!

I'm going to be at the B-Bar Ranch in Montana all week for a wonderful training in leadership.  We won't have much internet access there so I won't be posting.  Lots of pics to come next week though.  Have a great one!!!

Copied

Dan is always playing with cool apps on his ipad.  One of those apps allows you to draw over your pictures, this is what he got. 

Highway Temptations

I love it! The name of the app he used is called procreate--which I think is hilarious.

It is actually a fairly funny story.  Dan was sketching using the procreate app when I asked "what app are you using?"  He answered "procreate" and I LOLed and he looked at me out of the corner of his eye.  Later in the evening I told him that the name of the app makes me giggle.  He asked why and when I said because it's called "PROCREATE" he laughed and said that he hadn't thought of it that way.  He also said that he thought I was laughing at him earlier, not the name--it made him feel warm and fuzzy when he found out I was laughing at the name, not him. 

2014's Micro Moon Tonight!

Keep an eye out for the moon tonight.  It will be full tonight, but that's not the only thing.  The moon will also reach its apogee, the farthest point it reaches in its orbit around Earth, some 252,607 miles (406,532 kilometers) away from Earth. This apogee will make the moon appear to be the smallest full moon of 2014—about four percent smaller than average—as it rises this evening in the east after sunset. The last time we had such a “micro-moon” was back in November 2012.

Lei-Out 2014

I spent the weekend playing one of my favorite sports--ultimate frisbee!  It was Lei-out, a beach tournament in Santa Monica, CA.  It was nice and warm aaaaaand will hopefully help me get my butt back into some sort of shape.  Since I injured my foot over a year ago, I haven't been running as much and hence feel a bit sluggish.

Spending two days running around in deep sand is a lot of work and I was toast afterward, but it felt great, especially after the holiday season.  We played 4 games on Saturday went 2-2, but the games we lost were very close.  Sunday you're guaranteed two games.  We lost our first one but won our second and third ones so we ended up playing a fourth game for a total of 8 games over the weekend.  That's a lot of ultimate frisbee--and it was awesome!  What a great weekend!

Unfortunately I did not take any pictures.  If any of my teammates post pictures I'll share.

Sweet Potato, Zucchini, and Bell Pepper Frittata

The picture from pinterest and paleo leap

 I have never made a frittata before, but I recently saw a yummy looking recipe on pinterest and decided to give it a whirl.  What, wait, go back for a second...did I say pinterest??? Yep, I'm on pinterest, at first it seemed like a super time suck and a very silly hobby, but with my ever growing bookmark menu with recipes and other interest links, I decided I would start a pinterest account to store my online recipes.  Well one thing lead to another and now I have several boards with crafts and style ideas.  At times pinterest makes me feel very materialistic, but overall it is a fun idea source--as long as you keep it in moderation.

Anyway back to the recipe.  Pinterest lead me to the site Paleo Leap, which I don't know anything about, other than it's dedicated to the paleo diet and lifestyle.

I was a bit nervous to make my first frittata since I've never made one before and it seems like it could be easy to mess up.  To me it sounded like a quiche which I've never made before either.  According to cookingclarified.com, "Quiche is made by adding ingredients to a custard base, a combination of eggs and heavy cream, which gives it a deliciously creamy consistency when baked. Replace the cream with half and half or milk to cut the fat. Quiche usually has a crust, but it doesn’t have to.  Eggs get top-billing in a frittata. Frittatas have no crust and little, if any, milk or cream. Frittatas are cooked first on the stove-top, then finished in the oven or under the broiler."

Zucchini and sweet potato recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter or coconut oil;
• 8 eggs;
• 1 large sweet potato, cut in slices;
• 2 sliced zucchinis;
• 1 sliced red bell pepper;
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Technique

1. Heat a pan over a medium-low heat;
2. Add the oil and sweet potato slices and cook until soft, about 8 minutes;
3. Add the zucchini and red bell pepper slices and cook for another 4 minutes;
4. While it cooks, whisk the eggs in a bowl, making sure to incorporate a lot of air in the mixture;
5. Season the egg mixture with salt and pepper and add to the cooking veggies;
6. Cook on low heat until just set, about 10 minutes;
7. Finish the frittata until golden under a heated broiler.
8. Cut the finished frittata into wedges

What I Learned:

I had to cook the sweet potatoes longer than 8 minutes, in the future I'll try to cut the potatoes more evenly and into smaller slices.  I think I used a fairly large sweet potato too, which may have added to cooking time.  The bell peppers and zucchini took a bit longer than 4 minutes, but with everything I just cooked them until they were a texture that I liked.  I added the eggs and didn't know what to expect with step 6 "cook on low heat until just set" so I watched it until the sides started to firm up a bit, most of the top was very much raw.  At first I put it in the oven with the oven heated to the broiler setting, I had it for about 6 minutes and the top was nice and brown, but when I cut into the middle, it was still fairly raw.  I was afraid to keep it under the broiler setting for too long, so I turned the oven to 350 and put it in for about 4 more minutes, I pulled it out, checked the middle and it was perfect.

If it's your first time making a frittata, I would recommend keeping a close eye on it during all steps of the process, especially when it's  in the oven--with ovens being different and all.

My frittata--mostly eaten

What do you thing? I know it's kind of hard to tell since there's not much of it left, but it more or less looks like the pretty one above. And end result was great!  I thought it looked beautiful and it definitely tasted scrumptious!