Carla Burke

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since Oct 29, 2013
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Biography
A Christian & devoted Patriot, wife, soap maker, herbalist, formerly a homeschooler, baker, truck driver, and more. I was born in the South, but actually grew up around the Great Lakes. Both of my childhood families had big, lush gardens,& preserved everything they could for the winter. I carried that into my own life. But, change happens and for over a decade, it just wasn't an option. Now, retired in the Ozarks, on 29 heavily wooded acres of mostly ravines, our best crops are nearly inaccessible wild blackberries, rocks, wild herbs, and ticks. We're utilizing our burgeoning small-livestock collection, straw bales, raised beds, and containers to build soil, and a better, healthier life for ourselves and our beloved critters, who provide us with eggs, meat, milk, fiber, honey, beeswax, fertilizer, tick control, brush control, 'lawn' mowing, loads of entertainment, and even help turn the compost.
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Recent posts by Carla Burke

They do compete for the same foods, but squirrels often get too close to their nests. Jay's are extremely protective of their babies. Most birds are.
19 hours ago
We used to do alternating weekends as spaghetti & pizza. But, that's because we had his son, and that's all he would eat. I got so sick of both, it took me about 5 years to be OK with spaghetti, and about 2, for pizza. I can't do the same few things every week. I would lose my mind. What I *can* do, is eliminate something on a specific day. So, for other reasons, we do meatless Fridays, and I have no trouble with that.
1 day ago
Just finding this thread. I would have guessed squirrels or chipmunks. They ravage my strawberries, peaches, and so many other things.
4 days ago
From my dad, "Aww, BUNK!!" Usually blurted out in frustration at something someone else said, that he thought was a bald-faced lie.

Some I've used: Horse feathers!! Dag-nab-it!! Sonuvabiscuiteater!! Oh, well that's just CRAPTASTIC!! Dadgummit!!  Vell, CHIT!!   Ritzenfritzenratzenmahbletsit!!!  GLARB!!!  BLARG!!
4 days ago
These stairs are all very interesting - but I couldn't count on being able to use any of them, on any given day, because of an old (as in when I was 11) injury to my knees. We have fairly decent, wide stairs that aren't very steep - but, even with the risers open, they're probably the easiest full stairs I've had to climb on a regular basis. That said, there are days when I can't manage them, at all. Some days, I have to 'two-step' my way up and down then. So, my question about the alternative step concept - particularly the type with no common back half of the tread, is how do you manage them, if you have an injury or as you age? Is there a feasible 'plan b' that doesn't require just staying put?
1 week ago
We all accumulate and deal with stress differently. Garden work is a good destressor for me, but elevates my husband's stress, exponentially. Heavy metal/thrash music reduces his, but more than one or two songs, and I would need a medical intervention.

Like Anne, I try hard to eliminate my exposure to stressors, as much as possible - so, bare minimum of news, I walk away from arguments - mine and other people's. With the exception of riding my motorcycle, I like quiet, calm, or playful creative things - hubby releases his via volume and physical motion. Needless to say, we BOTH adore our noise canceling headphones, and our infrequent times apart. Thankfully, we don't often *have* to use the headphones.
1 week ago
We both do, though John does, more often than I. Beer, wine, sherry, marsala, sake, stout, brandy, vodka, whiskey, rum... All depending on what effect we're looking for.

Apple syrup - the first time I made that was an accident. I started with apple juice, intending to make apple jelly, but over cooked it. It was still delicious, but, I decided to take some of the batch and add cinnamon, nutmeg and a squeeze of lemon, to brighten it - that fast became a favorite with the kids, for pancakes and waffles, because it tasted like apple pie. It canned up beautifully, too.
1 week ago