A Hike to No Where: Some Forest near Sipsey River Wilderness

Planning to take a couple of days to hike a 13 mile circuit circuit and ‘rough it’ with the crew turned into a hike that lead us to a campsite literally about 300 feet from the car. Yeah…intrepid hikers we are. How in the heck did this happen? Well, when the blind lead the blind, typically this is the outcome.

Our crew: Benjamin “My Ax is My Best Friend” Lambert, Elizabeth “Benjamin…I really don’t think this is the way” Holcombe, Matthew “I just got back from Alaska and I have a roll-y suitcase on my back” Fitz and Stephanie “Wait…look at these snail shells and mushrooms, ya’ll” Holcombe, all started down the wrong trail, not seeing the obvious signs pointing us the right way. Plus, somehow we trusted Benjamin when he put a week’s worth of sexual favors on the table as the bet that he knew where he was going. “Whatcha want to bet this is the _____ Creek?” (I would argue Elizabeth won that bet!)

Sipsey River National Forest encompasses about 25,000 acres – all of which were at our disposal; however none of which we saw. Driving most of the day to get there only heightened the hilariousness of it all when we realized that after 5 minutes on the trail we managed to miss the entire NF. Old wagon trails and “the arc of the sun in the Northern Hemisphere” being our only guides, Benjamin lead our group through some amazing scenery….sort of. Well, for the first hour it was pretty nice, but once we started beating down thick weeds and having to resort to “Look…trees this size would not be in the wagon trail”, we should have listened to our guts and searched for an alternative trail. However, what did we know? Lost in the woods, turned around without any compass, straining to hear the ‘water’ that did not exist we traipsed and tramped our way in the ‘right’ direction.

With the sun quickly setting and no creek in site, we managed to resort to hiking to a road where we were picked up by a nice gentleman that realized we were lost. Piling us into the back of his pick up truck, he took us to his remote cabin in the woods. It was lonely out there and Elizabeth was already planning our escape route. When his wife pointed out our location on a map, we were dumbfounded at how we got there. Benjamin, our fearless leader, took it kind of rough, until we were able to make so many jokes about it that eventually he realized none of us cared. It was hilarious at that point.

After we were despondently dropped off at our car by this nice stranger and realizing it was already dusk, we compromised on a small waterfall area that had been inhabited before. Hennessy Hammocks were quickly hung, a slow fire starting (Thanks to the petroleum jelly cotton balls!) and dinner on the way. The boys made sure there was meat to cook, so as both of the dogs drooled, we polished off a dinner of smoked sausages, macaroni and cheese and about a pound of cream cheese & pepper jelly. The cold was creeping in and my eyelids were growing heavy, so Buster & I crawled into our hammock for the night. We left the boys upe beer themselves, just thankful that the waterfall was there to drown out their chatter all night. to finish off the rest of th

After hot chocolate and fake eggs the next morning, we rolled back to the car to drop off our gear. No need being further fools and carrying it on our backs when we didn’t need to. Benjamin was determined to get us on a specific trail that “was the most popular one” in the forest apparently. After wading a small stream to make it to this trail, we spent the day practicing Ninja moves and talking about Fitz’s adventures at the fishing lodge he worked at in Alaska, as well as ideas of the perfect Halloween costume. It was a lot of fun and such a memorable hike – despite it being nothing that any of us had planned for. ‘Tis life.

After a stuff-your-face lunch of wheat berry salad, sandwiches and a few beers, we got back on the road. Leaving the navigating up to the boys was a lesson learned in keeping my mouth shut. Not only did the map look upside down at one point, but we ended up in small back-woods towns with bridges out and no road signs. I figured it best to chomp on the boiled peanuts as my road snack and go to sleep … except that was impossible b/c at the most inopportune time Elizabeth’s window decided to break and remain stuck in the down position. Buster, Monty, Elizabeth and I meshed and molded ourselves around each other to keep warm, ending up resembling a pile of human play-doh.

The hike was so fun and I'd totally do it again. I learned that planning is important, but not near as important as going with the flow and enjoying the memories. Thanks guys for such a funny experience!

Big, Huh?

I made it. Finally here. Trying to sort out work as a remote nurse and fortunately things are falling nicely into place.

I was strolling down the street yesterday and came across this office. Went in to have a chat on positions and walked out highly impressed with their work, focus on cultural education and flexibility in work/assignments. This is not the agency I thought I'd work for, but I felt really good about them, better than any of the others. So far, they're my top choice for employers. Fingers crossed to be out on assignment in T-1 week!

ummm...Mom?

"May I ask you a personal question?" he says.
"You can ask."
"You've never been married?"
"That's right. Does that shock you?"
"It surprises me. Not many heterosexual women who look like you make it to forty without getting married at least once."
"Is that a nice way of asking what's wrong with me?"
Kaiser laughs. "It's a nice way of being nosy."
"You'd think I'd be a prize catch, wouldn't you?"
"Yes, I would."
"A lot of guys think that. From a distance."
"What's wrong with up close?"
"I'm not like most women."
"How so?"
"Well, it goes like this. I meet a guy. Good-looking, successful, independent. Doctor, journalist, investment banker, A-list actor. Whatever. He can't wait to go out with me. I'm a not-so-ugly woman in what a lot of people see as a glamour job. The first few dates, he shows me off to his friends. We like each other. We get intimate. Then, in a week or a month, I get a new assignment. Afghanistan. Brazil. Bosnia. Egypt. And not a fly-in-and-out Dan Rather junket. A month on the ground schlepping cameras. Maybe this particular guys is making international partner the next week and wants me at his celebration party. Maybe the Oscars are the next week. But I take the assignment, I won't even discuss turning it down. And by the time I get back, he's decided maybe the relationship isn't working out after all."
"Why do you think that is?"
"Because most guys have the one-up gene."
"The what?"
"The one-up gene. The have to be in the superior position. They love the idea of being with me. But the reality is far from what they envision. Some don't like that I make more money than they do. The ones who make more money than I do don't like it when their friends act like my job is more important than theirs. Some can't take the fact that I have a higher priority than them in my life. I don't mean to complain about it. I just want you to understand." ....

Mom is reading Dead Sleep by Greg Iles right now. She left me a note on the counter this morning that said "Read page 160. Remind you of anyone?" Umm...no. I mean, Yes. I mean..I don't know.

Helpless Hummingbird

This is probably the most random occurrence for me...ever. One of those "this will never happen again moments".

A few weeks ago we had a beautiful, sunny spell in MS -- 75 every day, blue bird skies. I got way too excited and immediately opened all the windows and doors of the camphouse and left them open all day. The breeze was amazing (I have a thing for wind...) and the ambiance was totally memorable. HOWEVER, I did not consider that the poor little hummingbirds would be totally confused. I learned my lesson.

2 hummingbirds got caught in the cabin with me for 2 days. The loft ceilings prevented me from ever having a chance to catch them, so literally they flew for 2 days straight, continually ramming into the large glass paned window. I felt terrible. Buster loved it. (you can imagine him running back and forth trying to 'catch' them)

Eventually I found one of them dead and the other became so weakened that he sort of drifted down and I caught her in a baseball hat. Now, this might seem a bit surreal b/c who is ever able to catch a hummingbird?? Current article proves how impossible this might sound. Well: "this guy" did. (imagine me w/ 2 thumbs pointing to my chest.)

I was always the kooky child that wanted/had every pet possible, but even in my attempts to get my very own monkey, I never thought a hummingbird was possible! (I would have wanted one of those too.)



I caught this hummingbird and was determined to rehab it back to life. I fed it sugar water until it gained enough energy to fly. Taking it outside to be in the sunshine, I thought, might encourage it to fly away, but instead it just rested in my hand for about 10 minutes (Buster was going crazy!) before it eventually took the first flap and made it up into a tree. Who knows if it survived past there or not...

I, however, now know what it feels like to feed a hummingbird out of my hand. weird.

Latest Painting

Fruity Bread

A little birdie dropped the seed into my head this weekend of breakfast bread. I quite literally am in love with toasted bread with a good coffee in the mornings. Yesterday, I was on a roll (and quite obsessive) with baking two different types to see which I liked the best. The following is the winner. I totally recommend a strong cup 'o joe to bring out the "flavors".

I mainly love that this recipe allows me to use my bread machine (to make the dough) but required me to get my hands dirty and complete the bread with kneading, rising and cooking in the oven. Basically, I had to put some of 'me' in the process instead of relying totally on the machine. Sometimes I find that it is all too easy to rely on the ease of the bread maker. Isn't that considered cheating to hard-core bread aficionados? And for the people that will enjoy some of my bread, does it mean they will be eating a piece of me? I'm beginning to think like Tita in Like Water for Chocolate.

(thanks to www.whatscookingamerica.net)

Breakfast Fruit Bread

1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F.)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon oil (olive oil, canola oil or vegetable oil)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon diastatic barley malt (optional)* - I use.
4 cups bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
2 to 2 1/2 cups of mixed chopped nuts and chopped dried fruit (such as raisins, dates, apricots, apples, cherries, etc.)** - I mix mine with flour.

* Also called gluten flour, instant gluten flour, pure gluten flour, and vital wheat gluten depending on vendor and manufacturer. This is flour with the starch and bran removed. Gluten is the natural protein in the wheat endosperm which, when combined with water, forms a taffy-like dough. This retains the gas and steam from baking.

** To keep dried fruit and nuts from sticking together, put them in a small bowl with approximately 2 teaspoons flour; stir to thoroughly combine.

Place all ingredients except nuts and dried fruit in bread pan of your bread machine. Select dough setting and press start. Check the dough (don't be afraid to open the lid). It should form a nice elastic ball. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same is true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water (a tablespoon at a time)

After approximately 15 minutes of the dough cycle, add nuts and dried fruit, and continue dough cycle. NOTE: If the addition of dried fruits causes your dough to get too sticky, don't worry. Add additional flour now or add it when you do the kneading process. When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Form dough into an oval, cover with a cotton towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.






After resting, turn dough bottom side up and press to flatten. Shape dough into a loaf and place on a baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray or on a silpad. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise for approximately 20 to 30 minutes or until doubled (time can vary depending on room temperature). After rising, slash the bread with a very sharp knife making three 1/2-inch deep diagonal slashes.

Oven Rising: Sometimes I use my oven for the rising. Turn the oven on for a minute or so, then turn it off again. This will warm the oven and make it a great environment for rising bread. If you can't comfortably press your hand against the inside of the oven door, the oven is too hot. Let it stand open to cool a bit. Sourdough rises more slowly than yeast bread; Always remember, the longer the rise time, the more sourdough flavor.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Remove from oven and cool on a bread rack. Let baked loaf cool for 30 minutes before cutting (this is because the bread is still cooking while it is cooling).

What I'm Learning/Thinking About Today.

Are Your Friends Making You Fat?/Is Happiness Catching?

A compelling look at yet another set of reasons of why it is imperative for each of us to surround ourselves with people that we want to emulate.