Culebra Sharing

Sometimes I see sights around here about which I don't really understand enough to explain. At core level, though, I get it. I know I like it and I know it is Culebra, a hand in hand feeling like the proverbial favorite old pair of jeans fitting comfortably, in mind if not in body.

(I miss those jeans, finally worn out with use, not fashion intent - intricately sewn on leather patches, one a handmade birthday gift of smiling lips, my own terrible embroidery, symbolism of the worst sort - astrological signs of myself and a man I thought I was in love with, inside a sun. Yes, that bad and that good)

This has been around throughout most of the holidays, on the main street of town. It's like a...well, you decide what you think. It's always tidy, keeping to its space, not impeding traffic (unless you have a giant trolley to get to the ferry, I suppose).

The building it rests against was once a bar. Fancy that. It is just one of those Culebra things. It will be gone in its time.

What isn't gone and surprised me last night around 8:30 was a parranda truck, complete with police car in the lead, blaring some good music. They passed by too soon for me to gather my wits and my camera; at first I thought it was just a musically loud car until twinkles of many colored lights flashed off my retinas. 

Excuse the awful photo...I gathered my wits and camera but not quite the proper attire to be standing in the street, so I missed the best part and blurred the rest. Drat!

They hung out at Susie's restaurant for quite a while before heading up and around the hill and back to the main road. I thought I was ready, from my shadowed spot, but I wasn't. Parranda post Christmas day? At 8:30 in the evening? I don't remember parrandas going on after Christmas but, there are gaps in that net. If I rightly remember, it's more like, yes, ok Culebra, that was interesting. 

Today there was a post with a link on Lloyd Kahn's blog about a subject I love, wooden spoons, but had only some idea the history and depth and passion so well expressed by Robin Wood. I'm re-hooked, if not on actually carving them, yet, then at least delving into more background and examples. Lloyd has shared his newly found pleasure in carving spoons (if you don't know who Lloyd Kahn is, you're in for a treat. If you liked the Whole Earth Catalog, you like him already; he was one of the editors. If you like building with wood, domes, books on practical, close to the earth living; if you like skateboarding, surfing, fishing, gardening, he's your guy. And if you like someone who can help inspire you to all of those things, he's that too. In his past the middle of 70's, he hasn't stopped living every day in anticipation of 'what's out there and how should I get there? Walk, run, skateboard, zip line, swim?' Ok, I'm totally infatuated impressed and I'm not ashamed.

All of that to say if you have a love of wooden spoons, check out the link!

Another spoon maker, John McAbery (also a brilliant wood sculptor of art pieces). 

I might have posted these before, but they are worth seeing again. 
photo credit - johnmcaberywoodsculptures.com

Have a sensation of surety Saturday. Do something with singularity.

Culebra Tiny Home Tuesday

At the end of a dirt road in the northwest woods and mountains of North Carolina is a path. Down a slight hill, and a turn to the left brings you to a small clearing. Sitting like a small jewel is this cabin.

Inside is a bare canvas, one room, waiting for finishing. I've imagined it a few dozen times and talked to LC, the owner/builder  - he's The Man Who Can Do Anything - about heating and plumbing and all the ways it would take to make it home, starting with a covered porch on three sides (that's my imagining, having all my priorities in a wobbly row; LC is a lot more practical). Imagine a chimney, with fragrant smoke, with wood from fallen trees, wafting. Imagine a wrought iron bed with feather pillows, covered in locally made quilts (lots of them, it gets cold up there). A propane stove with soup cooking. A small wooden table, two chairs, mismatched plates and glasses on an open shelf, waiting to be placed. Deer in the yard, a cat in the bed. Maybe one day.

The edge of the front yard. On a clear day, mountain ranges stretch away into the sky. On a foggy, wet day, it is still beautiful, so quiet you can hear raindrops falling.

Have a top 'o the world Tuesday. Do something tiny.

p.s. If you want a good cabin story, go here. John McAbery, a part of the story, is the woodcarver I met at his beach home on the Lost Coast in California and wrote about in a post last year. 

Free Range Friday ~ Culebra

I'm running a bit late this morning, although I was up with the chickens, so to speak, but went back for a few more zzzz's. I wanted those extra moments because my daughter Sarah, on Oregon time - four hours behind us - called with a slew of incredible information she's been digging up on our family. They've always been a bit of a mystery; well, more than a bit, and some of the rocks turned over are starting to explain a lot of things. It is truly amazing, the information that is out there, with the click of a keystroke and passion. Sarah has the passion and we get to benefit!

This is not my relative, I'm pretty sure. Rather, I read that she is Duchess of Devonshire. 

 I like her style and want to be doing exactly this when I get to her age.

After getting off of the phone, I was wide awake with questions that will never be answered and the bit of wow when lives spoken of all of one's life suddenly become quite real, in black and white, documented history and some with photos. I had no idea that Sarah looked so much like my grandmother!

My Grandmother

And now, on to the food part.

Yesterday I brought home a yogurt maker from a moving sale. I had one about 30+ years ago and used to use it a lot. Before that, when we raised goats and had lots of really delicious creamy milk (yes, you can have delicious milk from goats, it's all in the feed), I would make yogurt without any fancy contraption, as it really is easy to make. But contraptions can sometimes be good reminders and I really like yogurt, so why not. I figure I'll return to myself the money spent on just the first batch!

Salton yogurt maker, recipes online, thankfully!

So, there is the yogurt maker. I like plain yogurt, a lot apparently, as my mother used to tell me that I'd beg for it when I was knee-high. Back then, I think plain yogurt was the only kind to be had, and unless she told me that story a few dozen times, I'd probably not have thought about yogurt being sold at all, in New Hope, Pennsylvania. But I like flavors too, if I can find a decent yogurt, meaning one that isn't full of things I don't want to eat. This way, I control the input and am only limited by trial and error and imagination.

The direction my imagination has gone involves another thing I have around here; eggs. Add up eggs, the holidays, a yogurt maker and of course, there is only one direction to go. Eggnog yogurt, of course!

Have any extra cartons? Recycle! Send them my way. One day I'll go with the cardboard ones, but not yet.

Because I don't have time to experiment with this idea yet, I was looking up recipes for eggnog yogurt and they are few on the ground. Eggnog yogurt with granola (love eggnog, love yogurt, love granola but not together, thank you) and a couple of others, none of which triggered my 'gotta share it' button. So I think the thing to do is just make the yogurt, make the eggnog and mix it together. There should be a better way, but I have to work on that.

A modified  by me Yogurt in a Salton Yogurt Maker  recipe (if you don't have a yogurt maker, check out this page for 3 simple ways to do the same thing and still end up with great yogurt!)


(A thermometer is really helpful but if you don't have one, you want to heat the milk just until tiny bubbles are forming on the edge of the milk; you do NOT want a full boil! At the end of that, you'll know it has cooled down enough to put in your starter if you can comfortably stick your finger in it, lukewarm)

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 12 hours
Ingredients needed:
One quart whole milk (you can use other than whole milk but why? It's yogurt!!)
One heaping tablespoon of plain yogurt with live, active cultures. (we buy a half pint of organic yogurt to use as a "starter" )

1. Pour the milk in a saucepan. Bring to just boiling, remove and let cool to 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. When the milk has cooled to the proper temperature, stir in one heaping spoonful of the store-bought yogurt until thoroughly blended.
3. Decant approximately 6 ounces of warm milk into each jar. Snap on the lids.
4. Plug in the incubator. Place the individual yogurt containers in the opening provided. Cover, and set the dial to a time 12 hours from now.
5. Twelve hours later (some say seven hours, you just have to experiment), the yogurt can be removed from the incubator and placed in the refrigerator.


At this point you can add fruit or vanilla or whatever strikes your fancy. I'm going to add eggnog. And after seeing an advert for wine ice cream, you can be sure the eggnog will include rum, brandy or bourbon, depending on my wallet contents (brandy would be my choice). Unless you don't want it spiked, but unless you have a good reason for not drinking alcoholic beverages, eggnog should definitely have the nog in it!

This recipe, taken from (and only slightly adapted by me) here, is about as close as it gets to what one of the best eggnog makers I ever met used.

Prep Time: 5 minutes / Cook Time: 30 minutes / Yield: 12 to 16 servings

• 6 large eggs, plus 2 yolks
• 1/2 cup, plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup brandy, bourbon, or dark rum
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla (NOT fake vanilla, a criminal offense)
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
• Additional grated nutmeg for garnish

Combine eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3- or 4-quart pan, whisking until well-combined. Continue whisking while pouring milk in a slow, steady stream until completely incorporated. Turn on burner to lowest possible heat setting. Place pan on burner and stir mixture continuously until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Be patient. This should take about 25 to 30 minutes. 

If you want to be really sexy, you can use one of these spoons carved by John McAbrey. Yes, this is sexy. Photos are used without permission but I'm hoping John and Gretchen won't mind!

For buying information, go here

Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a large bowl to remove any accidental small cooked bits of egg. Add brandy, bourbon or dark rum plus vanilla extract and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Pour into a glass pitcher, decanter, or container and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate this egg custard mixture to chill at least 4 hours or up to 3 days before finishing.

When ready to serve, pour heavy cream into a bowl and whip until it forms soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into cold custard mixture until combined.

Because mixing the eggnog and the yogurt could make it a bit soupy, I'd go with the Greek yogurt style, which is only one more step on the yogurt, putting it in a sieve and letting it get really dry. Cheesecloth is best. After dripping, give it some good squeezing (see how sexy cooking can be?). It will end up a lot thicker and creamier and hold up to the eggnog.

So there you have it! Except for one more thing.

Have a fully flowering Friday! Do something that puts the fun back in fundamental.