Got Mice? Bitter about it? Good.

We live in the country and so do a lot of mice. It's a constant battle, especially in the fall when mice like to come in to get warm. We use Agri-Pest commercial grade sonic deterrents to help keep the population down, but the sonic waves won't penetrate cabinets and drawers.

I loathe mice. And I really loathe cleaning up their scat and nests that they build in my kitchen. We are an organic ranch; we don't use poisons. One spray I like is Repels-All-Animals which is sold by Arbico Organics, where we also purchase our Agri-Pests. If you purchase through one of our links here, Arbico will donate a small amount back to out nonprofit. We'd be thankful for the help. But we don't like that spray for where we keep our utensils, it repels us as well.

So last fall, on a whim, I tried one of our staple dog deterrents, Bitter Apple. Our Labradors lap the stuff up, but other breeds like our heeler/border collie mix are horrified by it. Unlike the Fooey, which we use with our Labs, Bitter Apple has no foul taste to people. So after running all the flatware through the weekly wash and cleaning out the drawer & dividers I sprayed Bitter Apple into the drawer, and I mean I soaked it, and allowed the stuff to air dry. In when the dividers and the flatware. And I mentally lit a candle - a mouse shaped one.

Every day I opened that drawer and scanned for tell tale scat. Nope, none. A week passed. So I cleaned and treated another drawer that held utensils. Checked the flatware drawer. Still clean. Added another utensil drawer. Flatware drawer? Still clear of scat after a month! Pretty awesome, huh? But I hear my late mother's voice, dump the drawer, wash it all, clean the drawer - it's a monthly chore! But now I add the soaking of Bitter Apple to the  pattern. Mice have been conquered!


So here's the deal. I'm using Bitter Apple for Dogs. I've since googled and they have a product for hot spots on rodent pets. Took some sleuthing, but I finally have a contact number for the company and I'll be contacting them with my experiments. But until I learn more about the different blends they make, go to your local pet store and pick up a any big bottle of Gannick's Bitter Apple and mouse proof your kitchen.


Get Good & Bitter and mouse free!

Support NPPG's Sliding Scale with the Promo Code: LLWA

In early March I received an email from Dan Engel of the Non-Profit Purchasing Group (NPPG). I was intrigued by the idea, but as With Alacrity is a very small nonprofit, the membership price of almost $100 per year was staggering and just not in our budget. Most nonprofits are small, really small, and every penny is thoughtfully spent. I just couldn't see how our organization could access the possibilities offered by this group. So I picked up the phone and called Dan Engel.

Dan called me back within a half hour. And I pleaded our situation. Our annual budget is about $5,000 annually. With our new litter of pups, we need to double our donations and find more ways to save money. I argued for a sliding scale. Dan's experience is mostly with large well funded nonprofits, and he didn't realize how hard or simply how many of us small groups are out here struggling to make a difference. Emails flew, calls exchanged and Dan offered us a discount code while he contemplated a breakdown of how a sliding scale should break out. And then Dan agreed to offer a generous sliding scale and swiftly implemented it. And it's a very good sliding scale, one I can't even ask him to improve. Our potential savings with Office Depot alone are going to make a drastic difference in our financial outlook!

So now is the time to show NPPG the power that small nonprofits have, to spread the word, to share the wealth. Dan has created a tracking code: LLWA  - which is short for Live Life With Alacrity™  for all of us to put in the promo box to show our support of his implementation of a sliding scale. I ask all of you that spread the word to link back to this post. By entering the code in the Promo code box - you will be telling Dan that you appreciate the negotiations that we have made so that small nonprofits can participate in the buying power of a larger group. 


We are very pleased to be a part of NPPG and look forward to a long relationship. We hope that if you join, you will be as happy as we are. But when and if you join, please use the LLWA code to show your appreciation of the sliding scale. We get the same discounts as you receive, nothing else. But by using the LLWA code, you’ll show Dan that small nonprofits appreciate his adjustment of pricing to accommodate our tight budgets.  Thank you Dan! And thank you to all that have read this and are sharing this.


To share post: http://ranchalacrity.blogspot.com/2010/04/support-nppgs-sliding-scale-with-promo.html


With alacrity,
D. Titus Blackwood

Lost my shoe in the mud. I need some Sweet Tea.

I lost my shoe twice in the mud.
It's officially springlike enough to qualify for some sweet tea and porch sitting in the sun.
Vitamin D Here We Come!

Today's sun was happily shared with Chef Rick Kangas & his lovely friend Miss Lucy. I can't express how nice it was to just "be" in the sun with lovely company, snoozing puppies, no phones or electronics, and nature enveloping us.

"Louisiana Sweet" Ranch AlacriTea™

• Luzianne Tea bags - 16 regular or 4 family size
• Mint, fresh - handful pinched in clothespin, preferably Kentucky Colonel
• Evaporated Cane Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Liquid Stevia - 1/4 teaspoon
• Lemons - stain juice of 2, Meyer preferred

Add boiling kettle of water to teabags & mint and steep exactly 5 minutes. Remove bags & mint. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add more hot water if required. Add stevia & lemon juice. Stir well. (see note below) Add ice & cold water to make 1 gallon and refrigerate. Serve in Mason Jars over ice. Garnish or not. Find a patch of sun and a rocking chair.

Note: I prepare this in a 2 quart Pyrex measuring cup. If planning ahead for a party I will make multiple batches and freeze in quantity and add water later to save space. Likewise, I may freeze half and prepare half to drink if I'm alone. Another short cut when you find yourself with a wealth of cut mint is to steep the mint 5 minutes, add the sugar and freeze the simple syrup to preserve the bounty to add later. Same with Meyer lemons - zest well, spread thinly on parchment to freeze dry and then bag or jar and freeze juice in an ice cube tray and crack frozen cubes into a bag. Return both zest and cubes to freezer until needed. ;)

Freya in the Cabin

Fall is insanely busy at the Ranch but we've been very photo conscious because we are applying to Big Dogs, Huge Paws to be a Foster Family. We are finally down to our home inspection which will be done initially by photographs. We all are very camera shy, each preferring to be the photographer, so we have made an effort to combat this situation, and also to sift through existing pictures to show just how animal friendly the Ranch is.

So this is Spring '08, Evening chores are finished, and I hear the strangest noise upon the inside stairs - sounds that any child would expect upon the roof on a any given Christmas Eve...and up pops Freya, my favorite of the yearlings.

Freya used more caution with her antlers investigating then the young dawgs do when managing their wagging tails. She checked herself out in the mirrors of the armoire - Yes, I am very pretty! She warmed herself by the fire. She declined a glass of wine, she wasn't of age yet, she well knew.

Freya sniffed everything with glee. She considered joining the pups on the couch, it looked pretty comfortable. But oh, she had so many stories to tell the rest of the herd now. Only she of all the reindeer had been in the big people barn! She'd dine on this for weeks, getting a larger share of beet pulp until the other reindeer grew bored with her stories of what was in the log cabin people place. Maybe they should lobby for a couch of their own? Freya took it all in again, observing well and stepping out on the the wrap around porch, she surveyed her home from up high. It was dark, but maybe the herd could hear her hooves on the porch boards. Maybe. And then she gingerly walked down the outside stairs and headed home to the South paddock to tell of the wondrous things she'd seen.

White Dove Release

Vail Valley photo: Dove released | VailDaily.com

VAIL VALLEY, Colorado — Jack Dunlevie, left, releases white doves in the Vail Valley to help open the Edwards Farmers' Market on Saturday at The Corner in Edwards. The market runs every Saturday through Sept. 19.
Kristin Anderson/Vail Daily

Posted using ShareThis

My Rainbow's Plot O' Gold

Is Ranch Alacrity.

Waxing Moon but Waning Phase

This evening I learned a website – no…The Web Site- that I've been a fan of for some nine years, and more if you count its conception on Salon.com, has ended.

I mourn Readerville.com.

Nine years and I've been absent the last few, and I regret those. I've met in real life so many of my invisible friends from there: had them as house guests; had lunch; attended the symphony together; been a brides’ maid & the yenta , too; acquired some of my dearest friends; gotten great business advice; and of course as it was a site about books! I found incredible reads, became friends with some authors and many readers. Discovered ideas to put before my eyes I would have never found. Oddly enough, my online nickname became a character in a book, and a tough bitch she was! 

I wondered what would get me back to blogging.  

I never imagined Readerville would go away. That's Speedy up there, the lion running, I have all kinds of schwag with that logo. I drink my morning cawfee in a mug with Speedy. And I still will. 

Readerville has been in my life for a decade as have been its people. In this time frame I can only say that assistance dogs & the death of my mother have had as great of an impact. Karen Templer's website might vanish, but the community she built is strong and we are together and that's what really counts in the end: Community. 

Community & reading & writing. Who cares about arithmetic? 

Yet, we can add it up. Readerville is, was, and is still a plus. 

Thank you Karen. 

Brava, Karen. Brava. 

Billy Ray's Got Wood!

Billy Ray isn't the name we write on his checks, but it's been his nickname since his early Vail bar-tending years at The Club. It has something to do with that bit of wall art bearing the title "Billy Ray's Pool Hall" - you've seen it. Or maybe you'd had too much to drink to remember; that happens at The Club.

Billy Ray used to do our snowplowing, and he still provides our wood. He always brings a smile with him. I always have a beer for him & his crew.

Billy Ray & his gorgeous girl are moving over one valley this winter so he's trying to get all his wood out there so there will be no need to do deliveries in February. He also just bought a fancy lil' dump trailer than hauls two cords at a time. So dump he did, and then he stacked before I got a chance to take a picture of all that wonderful wood in a dog-tempting climb-me-now kind of pile. Maurepas, on the right, felt there was enough challenge remaining and fought off all contenders.

Ted had to check out the stacking. I think he was really looking for another place to lift his leg.

We've definitely lost a lot of porch room on the wrap around, but Maurepas & his litter mate Manchac got right to the point: too much shade. All those stacks blocked some of their favorite sunning locations.

I heartily sympathize because the lounging spot in front of the glass-paned door is where one of my favorite chairs gets a great winter midday beam.

That will definitely be the first wood to burn.

Teeka, our baby Reindeer

Teeka has been very elusive since she was born this May.

Today was her first day to be separated from her mother for the late afternoon and evening. The calf & mother honk to each other, and Teeka ran about the pasture honking for Mom after the ladies had left for an evening display and round of reindeer rides at "A Grand Holiday" in Glenwood Springs CO.

Teeka calmed down after a bit and soon was up to her mischievous ways, sneaking out through the pasture gate to visit all the other Ranch creatures. She can't get back in the same method of egress, so she circles the pasture and ducks back in through a drainage, which oddly enough, she cannot escape through. So in & out she played, driving her dad, Magnus, nuts, because he was totally distraught that his bevy of beauties had all left him behind. And then there goes Teeka, off to start some reindeer games with the other animals!

To see how she has grown, here's Teeka when she was just a day old, un-named, nose to nose with young Ruby, about 7-8 weeks at the time. Check out that "Hello World!!!" kiss.

Holiday Trees

This will be the third holiday season at the Ranch and at last we have trees that sparkle with light and color. I have been shopping yard sales, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore & every deep clearance I've seen to stock up on options.

I did however forget to keep an eye out for grounded extension cords.

You can never ever have enough extension cords at a ranch.

As the storage shelves in the pump room overflowed with supplies, Kristin became infected the holiday spirit bug. We planned which trees, and lamenting our lack of solid color strings, we decided to do the tree trunks in a single color and the branches in white.

Kristin has been wrapping for weeks! What wonders she has created! Thank you!

The Largest Egg Subscription...Yet.

Last week Kristin & I were packaging up our newest order and we were amazed by the amount of counter space this single order covered. This is a weekly subscription! Never before have carton returns seemed so crucial financially to our new endeavor.

Things that Make Me Smile #1

I love finding cool things through a friend of a friend.

Doggie in a Truck

O'Meallie Egg Nog

12 large eggs separated
2 cups sugar
1 pint milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 fifth rum
1/2 fifth brandy

Mix egg yolks and sugar until creamy in large bowl. Add milk, blending slowly. Slowly stir in spirits. On one side whip cream to stiff peaks and fold into mixture. On other side, whip egg whites to stiff peaks and then gently fold into mixture. Grate fresh nutmeg over all.

Enjoy with true abandon.

This halves well.

Behave.

A Day to be Thankful

Thanksgiving was beyond lovely at the Ranch.

Kristin & I cooked and baked at a steady but not demanding pace for days before so on the big day all we had to do was the Turkey, the Egg Nog, and the green beans.

Before that we had oodles of turkeys to process for others. We had a crisis of how to clean the gizzards, not usually our job but we found a wonderful web site, not for the queasy. But let's not think of that..back to easy & peaceful.

Our Menu:

Beginnings: O'Meallie Egg Nog - made with our eggs, various cheeses, fruits, and crackers & nuts.

The Meal: our turkey from the Ranch, moist as could be; apple stuffing; stuffed mirlitons, sweet potatoes on pineapple slices; cranberry chutney & green beans buca lapi.

Dessert: Creole cream cheesecake - creole cream cheese made from scratch & chocolate truffle torte. All also made with great quantities of our farm eggs.

Around the Table: Kristin. Jared, Jim, Keith, & myself, and all the animals that were allowed inside.

Perfect.

Funniest moment: seeing all the men try to keep the fluffy clouds of joy from the eggnog off their facial hair.

The Great Hen Escape

Devilish gals, they learned how to open their door and go a wandering. I arrived home to dozens & dozens of hens everywhere. Poor bugs & worms, they stood no chance.

It took two people, two dawgs & one llama to corral the wenches. Good thing it was coming dusk. Or we would have stood no chance.

Ranch Views

I'm amazed at what we see without leaving the porch. I've been sorting photos and these are keepers.

Full moon rising in September over the Gore Range, and swiftly, too.

And we get rainbows. These arrived five days later.

And a Double!

The Wind Turbine Base #1

You don't have to be a little boy to enjoy Big Dirt Moving Equipment. Keith brought his toys out and just happened to be on hand when the permits came through for the Wind Turbine. When you have Machines of Unusual Size, digging a hole for a 14' x14' x 4' base with working space and a walk-in & drain-outs in a mere hour or two.

Keith has his two trusty assistants with him at all times. Look closely in that cab. Who do you think is really operating that Cat?

Look closely. Click on that pic on the left.

So after missing a week of beautiful weather the concrete crew arrive to set forms in a snow flurry. Layers of #7 rebar are woven into the form. Number 7! You don't want to be tapped by #7, much less thwapped.

Positioning the bolts for tower base takes precison and finally a template assured accuracy and the concrete trucks are called. Unfortunately it's Jared's birthday and he's not here as he has to renew his CDL. Three trucks loaded with 28 yards off some very high tech blend come rolling in.

Live Life With Alacrity™ Pom-Toons

AKA Pomegranate Martoonies.

Recipe by popular request.

• 500 ml or 2 cups excellent vodka
• 500ml or 2 cups 100% pomegranate juice
• The juice of one thin skinned lemon strained, preferably a Meyer's
  

Stir. Store extra in freezer.

Shake in ice, and serve in chilled martini glasses.

Notes:

If you serve this as a featured cocktail at a party, pre-mix large batches. Anyone sipping one of these will never conceive that it's not 90% alcohol. Don't let amateurs mix these. Immoderate behavior will result. (Even at the recommended dosage, odd behavoir may result.)

Leftovers freeze well. In the summer you can scoop this out as a frozen drink.

Forget the Cointreau, or any other filler. Stick with the good stuff. Don't mess with perfection.

Isn't it iChronic?

It must be the coming holidays. The phone's been popping with messages, email is full. People are reaching out to find me. I've even received, hold the presses, snail mail, hand written, no less.

What I feel, is, well, missed and beloved. Which is a very wonderful way to feel.

I'm a poor correspondent. I don't call folks. I email when I have a random thought. Okay, I'll even admit I abhor buying gifts at appropriate times; I'd rather give when something or someone moves me. But I wasn't always like this, except for the gift thing.

I've turned into a bit of a hermit since I broke my back, and it's because of pain. Living with chronic pain is an undeclared war as no one wants to talk about it or recognize it. Only the people living closest to you can stage an anti-war rally, and that might just be moving the laundry from the washer to the dryer. Pain is an embarrassment, a weakness. No one wants to sit next to the old man that goes on about his lumbago, his prostate cancer, and his arthritis. Boring! It's not a conversation, it's a death sentence. Argh!

"How ya' doing?" is a loaded question because no wants to really know. "Medium" is usually my lowest answer because if I was worse, you wouldn't have any contact with me. And so I disappear.

And so I'm living a mostly invisible life.

I've got a few hours a day and I use them. If I over-do I pay for it by losing days. My mind is rich with scheming. reading, physical therapy, icing, a little piano, training dawgs, heat packs, dreaming of ways to be finacially safe, dove releases, napping, zoning, more ice packs, couch surfing on the internet, and always, pain medications.

And as my mama taught me, when there is nothing nice to say, don't.

So mostly invisible.

But here online I am very visable, in my best togs. And here is where the best parts of me & my world are on display. But you should see behind the curtain. You should know that this Oz is an illusion made real by hope, and more so by my fellows at the nonprofit & the Ranch. They are my limbs, my friends & family, my support system. Without them I'd be lost. And certainly without clean laundry.

I thank you all.

The WTF

Between the Ranch and Town, we have a mess of refrigerators - 4.5. And we are actively seeking deep freezers. Several, in fact.

The Town fridge is serious, pretentious, spacious stainless so only the sides have magnets, cartoons & such frippery that tell you a bit about the occupants. Strangely enough, it has more attached personality than any other form of cooling about...until lately.

But only one Refrigerator has a name, the WTF - the White Trash Fridge. He adorns the wrap around veranda of the log cabin on the Ranch. But of course, he holds strong beverages, weaker beverages, mixers, and as an oddity to him, but regular occupant, homemade stock.

The WTF longs for but two things.

Most importantly he seeks a mate, an old open-hearted tub wringer-washer to host a wealth of ice and long-necks. If the union is fruitful, a few ginger-ales and Coca-Colas would be a welcome addition. But the Ranch life doesn't make for many introductions, and the Fence Post or other agricultural publications haven't sported many personal advertisements that have led to a successful match.

Secondly, the WTF wants art. Bonifide fridge art, the kind attached with sassy and even utilitarian magnets.

The WTF began life in a fancy condominium in Beaver Creek Resort and became accustomed to the finer things in life. After a remodel, he was downgraded to a barely above a mobile home park condo development called Sunridge II. He languished there for some years, though he lived with a sexy ebony Jenn-Aire range and an avid home chef before they all three upgraded to much superior townhome development. You see the WTF was an Energy Star and he traveled with the home chef just as did the Jenny range. But the WTF was upgraded, and it was a racist decision. He was the wrong color, beige - a near almond. He didn't match the new place. And he landed on the porch of a Ranch because he was an inch to wide to fit inside in the primitive kitchen there. So high, then low, raised again, and then brought lower than a trailer park - a porch! And he lost Jenny in the bargain. "Jeeeeeeennnnny!!!!"

And for two years he has languished. A few deer jokes have been taped on his doors. Something about gas costing more than per gallon than beer, nothing of class. The snowblower has been a mean and fickle in her rounds, so no hint of romance.

Woe.

Without the logs stacked against his side he'd be alone. At least the view is lovely.

Photo by Keith F. Galloway.