Thanksgiving Lessons

1. I am not super woman
2. Next year, I will remember to butcher our turkeys before they reach 45lbs dressed out. Even halved, it's still a damn 22lb bird!
3. Starting cooking at 1pm is a bad idea.
4. There are always more dishes.
5. Even at 10pm, Thanksgiving dinner, with all the fixings, is delicious*

 * No one was waiting on dinner - I was making extra for leftovers.

On to better pastures

Last night we said good-bye to Shotgun, the old man of the barn.  Farewell my old friend, may you find greener pastures, ease and comfort wherever you are. 

The Great Pop-Up Camper Adventure

Alright, this story is from last fall, but it's a good 'un!

Ok, so after one camping trip, my theory of pop-up campers is that they're Murphy's Law magnets created by engineers who hate the great outdoors in general and campers in specific. 

Last fall my dearest husband and I set out on a cross country drive that, at final tally, took us through 12 states.  We thought it would be a savings to buy a pop-up camper instead of staying at hotels along the way (can't reuse hotels on other vacations).  So an older Scamper comes home with us and we proceed to spend copious amounts of time cleaning, repairing and organizing it.  It was cute and everything worked but we made some braces for the risers, ya know, just in case!

The trip starts out well, 2 nights in a hotel while attending the Ren Faire in Minnesota.  We agreed trying to find camping, etc near the Faire was more bother than we were interested in.  Fun was had by all and the camper still followed faithfully behind the truck.

Night 3 - drove until we got to the outskirts of the Bad Lands ... pitch black, cold and windy.  Motel 3 Camper 0

Night 4 - Got to Sheridan, WY ... freak snow storm!  Motel 4 Camper 0  (why are we towing this thing again?)

Fast forward a little bit, we're coming into Cody, WY outside of Yellowstone.  *POP* there goes a camper tire (but we haven't even *used* it yet!).  Heath successfully changed the tire on the side of the road but we still stop in Cody to get another spare.  Ended up replacing both tires and keeping 1 old for a spare.  Cute town, really loved staying there... in their newest hotel (off season, great rates!) Motel 5 Camper 0

Night 6 - spent somewhere south of the Tetons in a hotel.  See snow, bitter cold and dark, utter.  Motel 6 Camper... you get the idea!

Spent some time in Utah and were driving to Arches National Park to, you know... camp!  Suddenly, *CLUNK* *Watch as the new camper tire (& rim!) sail off over the majestic mountain side*.  Had we been able to pack everything in the camper into the truck, the cursed thing would still be sitting on that hilltop.  2 hours of screwing around later, Heath managed to jack up the camper, clean out all the mud (moving to the side of the road turned wheel-less axle into a plow) and put the spare on with 2 lug nuts from the other tire.  Another 2 hours got us back to where we were 20 minutes before the tire made its break for freedom.  Thank God for GPS - we found a local tire shop that took pity on us and repacked the bearings and put on another new tire. 

We got to Moab, UT at o'dark thirty and got one of the last hotel rooms in town (big bike race weekend apparently) and had one of the best dinners I've ever had at The Sunset Grill.

The next day we headed out to Arches and actually set up camp!!!  Only to find that when the tire committed suicide it took the raising mechanism with it.  Crank = useless.  But wait!  We have the braces for the risers so this could still work.  Ever manually lift a pop-up camper?  Amazingly, we both still have ten fingers.  Had a beautiful, if cool, night for camping.  Cooked steaks, looked at the stars and slept in the camper. 

After bumming around Arches we decided we had enough fun and were ready to be home.  We stayed one night in Colorado and drove straight home from about Glenwood Springs on to Ohio (yep, 23 hrs - we were ready to be home). 

Once we got home we hefted the camper up again, emptied the contents and gave it away to some older gentleman who completely refurbished it and loves it.  From this point on, I'm either camping in a tent or in a full bodied camper.  Pop-up?  Never again.

Meatloaf

 I'm not sure what previous generations have done to make meatloaf instill fear and loathing in the general populous, but it's a damn shame.  If you want something filling, easy and delicious, meatloaf fits the bill.  It is something that has to be cooked by feel / taste so the first turn out might not be perfect but I've yet to have a bad turn out with these basics.

Basic ingredients:
ground beef
eggs
Italian bread crumbs
oatmeal
onion
salt, pepper, garlic, tarragon & marjoram.

Start with 2lbs ground beef (substitute 1/4 lb with ground sausage for a spicier turnout), 2 - 3 med eggs, 1 med onion, ~ 1 1/2 c bread crumbs, ~ 1 c oatmeal (uncooked) & then add spices to taste.  When combined, it should be tacky without being soupy and hold its shape.

Shape it however you want but I'd recommend keeping it relatively short / squat.  I have no idea why folks like to used bread pans for meatloaf, it just doesn't end well.  I use a standard oval corningware dish and bake it covered until the thermometer reads med-well for beef then uncover and let the top brown until it reads well done.  You can cook it at 350F or 375F seems to come out well either way.

If you've ended up with more than 4 tbsp of fat / grease try adding more oatmeal or bread crumbs next time.  If there's no grease, well geez just how much oatmeal did you add?!

For the top sauce you can use my husband's method - random bbq sauce & done - or my method:

Ingredients:  
Ketchup
Mustard (any kind will do, but I'm spoiled with Grandpa's Cheese Barn's Roasted Garlic)
Brown Sugar
Lemon Juice
Worcestershire

This is strictly to taste!  Just mix the above together until you've got something nice & tangy (yeah, I know, that's not helpful).  For 2 lbs of meat you'll need to start with over a cup of Ketchup to get the volume.  So ~1 c Ketchup, ~3 tbsp Mustard, < 1/4 c Brown Sugar, ~ 2 tsp Lemon Juice and go easy with the Worcestershire since there's no good way to 'undo'.  Don't cook it with the sauce on - put it on after it's done.

Normally, I'd include pictures but it's gone so it'll have to wait for next time :-D

Gear Bleg

My last trail ride gave me a pointed reminded that I need a new carry belt, my old one just isn't up to snuff.  I made a brief sortie onto Google for said item and backed away slowly, lest the avalanche of options bury me alive.  So, any thoughts, guidelines, or recommendations for a solid, every-day gun belt?  I usually carry OWB (pistol pouch or holster) as I've yet to find IWB comfortable; maybe I need new ccw-friendly pants, too.  I'm sure somewhere there's a forum thread dedicated to carry belts, but posing the question here might actually garner some comments! 

Solo Trail Ride

This seems like a silly milestone for someone who's been riding for 16 years, but today I managed my first completely solo trail ride.  I've ridden alone on the farm dozens of times, been on more trails that I can recall and even ridden alone off our property, but I've never hitched up, drove out, rode, and come back without someone else along for at least one part of the journey.  The Beast has finally fulfilled its purpose; I'm no longer dependent on anyone to go out for a ride.  Damn does that make me happy! 

Now, I just have to work on timing.  The first beautiful day at the end of October at a Metropark is a bad time to try and log miles.  They have a tendency to put on Halloween-themed carnivals with all sorts of horse-eating monsters.  This lead to several impromptu desensitizing lessons, yay for learning experiences!  Even with all the spooky things, it was a really good ride.  Freedom's gaiting was dead on today, there was no jarring trot and he had good, ground-covering strides with a wonderful head bob; I think he really enjoyed himself, I know I did.  Thank you, Weather Gods, for at least one nice day this Fall; I will sacrifice a pumpkin in your honor!    

The Great Saddle Search of 2011

This year, I've felt a little like Goldilocks when it comes to saddles.  My dressage saddle was a tight fit in college (read: it was cheap and I made it work) & not suited for a gaited horse, my all purpose was under-padded for long trails and the western I had was heavy, bulky & made my knees ache.  So this spring I had a rack full of saddles and none that really fit me & Freedom... bugger.  So I went to the trusty internet to find something that met the following criteria:

1. Light - under 25lbs
2. Under $2,000 (preferably under $1,500)
3. Built for a gaited horse
4. Deep seated, no horn, English stirrup placement & no extemporaneous leather 
5. Somewhat customizable
6. Reputable Company

I looked at: treeless saddles (all different varieties), Trail Masters, Tuckers, Crest Ridge Saddles, Sycamore Creek Saddlery, and many more.  I put hours into comparing, reading reviews and investigating the options available with each company.  

I tossed treeless out after a few weeks of reading - they're Murphy's Law magnets. Being moderately to completely adjustable, there are too many integral components to fiddle with to get the saddle to fit.  IMHO that's the saddle maker's job, not mine & I'm not about to make a muck of it!  Also, if the saddle was reasonably priced, it had lukewarm reviews and warnings regarding poor distribution of weight - or - if the price was sky-high, it had rave reviews but similar warnings regarding back protection.  If I have to buy a +$200 pad to ensure my saddle will stay on and not harm my horse, then the technology just doesn't support the theory yet. (YMMV)  

Trail Masters... I yearn for one of their saddles but the >$2,000 price tag is simply unobtainable.  I like their rigging style with the cord running the perimeter of the tree creating equal tension on the entire saddle.  The styles are appealing and the thought of a saddle made with a woman's structure in mind was extremely tempting.  I couldn't find any egregious reviews and most folks were thrilled with their saddles.  So, I've filed them away amongst my "WANT!" bookmarks for better days. 



Tuckers... pass.  I just couldn't get into the hype about Tucker saddles.  They're moderately customizable, pricey - for a mass produced product - and just didn't do anything for me when I tried them at tack stores.

Crest Ridge Saddlery... almost had me, but just didn't pan out.  They offer a nice variety of saddles within the $900 - $2,000+ range that are customizable.  They have consistently good feedback and are American made.  What's not to like, right?  Well, I had the opportunity to check out the saddles at Equine Affaire this spring and my original top pick fell a little flat.  The saddles were as nice as advertised & the staff was courteous.  However, I wasn't 100% comfortable in the saddle I could afford and I didn't relish settling on the 1/2 cordura version.  So, I spent a bit of time talking with them about options and such.  Then they asked me who else I was looking at... the owner wasn't overly couth regarding her opinion of her competition.  She was dismissive and fairly condescending when I asked her to explain how her saddles' were better.  It was truly disappointing.  I firmly believe that if you say your product is superior to a competitor's then you should be able to defend your position.  The rest of her staff did a nice job of damage control but it just put me off, so I tabled them to second choice.

Sycamore Creek Saddlery ... I cannot say enough good things about this company.  Their saddles are light, comfortable, utterly customizable (i.e. I sketched the saddle I wanted & now I've got it) and affordable.  Tony was wonderful to work with and made sure I got what I wanted.  Heck, the hardest part was the waiting - which you'll have with any custom saddle, so that really isn't a complaint.  The saddles are made in Columbia but the quality and workmanship are excellent; I've already put 40ish miles on the saddle and I can't find any faults.  It fits Freedom extremely well and I no longer have the grinding knee pain I had when riding in my western.  I've even used it on Gambler and it fits well - so custom doesn't mean "one horse only".  Final price?  ~$700.00  for the saddle, breast collar, girth, crupper & shipping.  Yes, I was skeptical regarding the quality with that price tag, but it really is a nice saddle.  Regarding the comparison to Crest Ridge: I could buy 2 complete rigs from Sycamore for the price of 1 saddle (no accessories) of similar style by Crest Ridge - I just couldn't ignore that side of the equation.*  Plus, Tony's attitude & return policy / satisfaction principles made the choice easy.  So, I'm tickled pink with my saddle but pissed as hell that the weather won't cooperate so I can get on trail! 

Just right!

  
  *For the gunnies reading this that may equate this to buying a really cheap holster vs one of Dennis' really nice custom ones ... it's more like having Dennis' twin set up shop outside the US and making holsters with the advantage of cheaper overhead.  

** Again for any .gov out there - I paid for my gorram saddle - so bugger off!