“For Life”, an original watercolor by Erin Burton, depicts two sandhill cranes dancing. The story within is one of love, life, and dancing.
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Traveling the Southwest: Salina, Kansas
Driving to the Southwestern U.S., we stopped in Salina, Kansas for a night and were delighted to find the Central Kansas Flywheels Yesteryear Museum.
Sweet Little Peas: Snow Peas
Gardening got off to a late start here in Minnesota due to late frost, and for us specifically, because we restructured our vegetable garden area. Even though our corn is knee high, our tomato plants are a little more stringy than usual, and our pepper plants are waiting to put on their first surge of growth, our sweet little peas have been very fruitful for weeks. Not Sweet Peas Now, when I write “sweet little peas”, I’m not writing about the sweet pea plant that boasts fragrant blooms that perfume the air with a mix of jasmine flower, orange blossoms, and honey. Sweet pea plants do not have pea pods you can eat. In fact, the sweet pea pods are mildly poisonous and contain a toxin containing lathyrogens. Lathyrogens, if consumed in large quantities, can cause a disorder of the nervous system which leads to limb paralysis, and a disorder of connective tissue, causing either bone deformity and/or aortic aneurisms. I think it’s safe to assume that eating sweet pea pods isn’t a great idea. The peas I am talking about are the sweet little peas that have edible pods, and the thinnest pods of all peas – snow peas. Snow Peas This season we’ve been growing three types of snow peas: Carouby De Maussane, Golden Sweet, and Green Beauty. All three varieties have produced a bumper crop of peas, and have the sweetest little flowers, but the Carouby De Maussane and Green Beauty are equally tasty fresh or cooked, where as Golden Sweet is best sautéed or cooked. All three varieties have climbed our trellis just beautifully, and have created one of my favorite places to harvest vegetables. The Trellis In the throes of summer, when the sun has dipped below the horizon, and the cool of the evening has set in, one of my favorite places to be is harvesting fruits and vegetables in the trellis area. At this point in the growing season, pea plants surround me as I pick the sweet, snappy pods, and both of my pups wait patiently just outside the trellis while I carefully snap the peas of the vine, and string them before placing them in the bowl. From Garden to Table After rinsing the snow peas inside the house, I diced some onions, took half of the peas from the bowl (reserving the rest for dinner tomorrow night), and placed the onions and peas in a pan. Drizzling a little bit of olive oil over the peas and onions, and dusting them with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt is all that is required for this simple dish. Sautéing the peas over medium heat for just a few minutes is all it takes to cook the snow peas to perfection. Tonight I sautéed all three pea varieties (Carouby De Maussane, Golden Sweet, and Green Beauty) together, and served them with jasmine rice and grilled shrimp. Everything was topped with just a little bit of Parmesan cheese. The sweet, delicate flavor of the snow peas was a delight alongside the rice and shrimp, and I am very much looking forward to eating the sweet little peas again tomorrow! Grow Your Own Snow Peas For those of you in the Upper Midwest, snow peas can be planted again in August, so if you’d like to try growing these easy-to-grow vegetables that are almost guaranteed to give you an abundance of sweet little peas – I ask you to give them a chance. The peas are planted 1″ deep and 2″ apart, and the vines need something to grow up on whether it’s a trellis or corn stalk. If you’re planting in rows, space rows 18-24″ apart. Snow peas can withstand light frosts, so you can harvest them late into the fall, and kids love to pick them too! Do you have a favorite way to prepare snow peas? Maybe you like to eat them straight off the vine. Either way, I’d love to read about it in the comments below. Thanks so much for stopping by Unbound Roots today! ~Erin .
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Rescuing Gooseberry… Twice
My family was in the throws of craziness about a month ago. The free soccer league that I founded last fall was beginning their spring practices, both kids had started soccer, my husband and I were coaching both of their teams, and my parents had opened their barn doors to the Unique Boutique and Antiques Tour of which I was fully involved with. Every day and evening was filled with something. It was during that busy time that I got a text from my sister-in-law who lives two hours south of us that read: “Know anyone who might be interested in a goose? She showed up [at the park my sister-in-law works at] last week like someone dumped her here…” My sister-in-law attached this picture: This is a story about rescuing our goose, Gooseberry… twice. The First Rescue Anyone who knows me, knows that I can’t resist or turn down an animal. Especially an animal that needs a home. Unfortunately, my schedule didn’t allow for the time to go and pick up the goose, but my sister-in-law was determined to get the goose to us, which I loved. The day after I got my sister-in-law’s text, she drove the goose up to our house. When my brother and sister-in-law pulled into our driveway and took the goose out of the car, the goose sat quietly in the cardboard box she was in (which was far removed from what the ride up entailed). The kids and I peeked into the hole at the top of the box, and we saw one big, shiny, black eye staring right back at us. We carried the box gently back to our chicken run, and opened the flap for the goose to come out. The goose walked out of her box quietly, assessed her surroundings, and proceeded to give us short, quiet honks as her neck quivered. She seemed nervous, but not too scared of us as she would come within a few feet of where we were standing. My sister-in-law had thought of a name for the goose on her ride up, and took into account that all of our chickens were named after wildflowers. Gooseberry seemed to fit our new goose perfectly. My family was happy to adopt Gooseberry, and we were excited to give her a new home. Well, for a few days anyway. The Second Rescue Gooseberry stayed in the run for three days. She had fresh food and water, half of a hay bale to lay on, and my son invented a grass-feeding station, which Gooseberry took to immediately. We enjoyed watching her bury her head in the grass as she ripped off bits and pieces of the bright green treat. By the second day, Gooseberry started coming close enough to us that we could pet her side gently if we didn’t move too fast. Since Gooseberry seemed to settle in nicely, we decided we would let her loose in our fenced-in backyard on the third day. Gooseberry needed to be as free as possible and have unlimited access to grass, a gooses main diet. It was time to introduce her to the chickens who wander the yard. Well, that lasted but a few minutes. Gooseberry took off through the back woods moments after finding her freedom. The kids were sad, and I was worried, but I hoped that she would find a local goose family to join as our home is surrounded by lakes, ponds, and creeks, so waterfowl abound. But, as it turned out, Gooseberry wasn’t interested in the lakes, streams, or creeks, she was interested in being around people. Days later, I saw a post online that read “Anyone Lose a Goose?” The person who posted the information had a picture of Gooseberry lounging in the grass of someone’s front lawn. We immediately jumped in the car to pick her up but, she had already wandered off. There were many more sightings in the following week, but we never did cross paths with her… until the day the kids went fishing down at the lake. On a warm, sunny day, both of the kids were plopped down on the bank by the water’s edge when they heard honk, honk. But, it wasn’t the typical honk they hear from the wild Canadian geese, it was higher pitched. They recognized it! The kids followed the sound up the road a bit and down a driveway where they found Gooseberry drinking out of a puddle. They tried to carry Gooseberry home, but little arms were no match for large wings, so the kids rode their bikes home as fast as they could to come and get me. I immediately packed our large dog kennel in the car and we rushed off again. This time Gooseberry stayed put. My kids jumped out of the car and slowly approached Gooseberry while I opened the back of the car and the door to the kennel. When the moment was right, my daughter dove onto the goose, giving her a great big bear hug. That little girl wasn’t about to lose Gooseberry again, so she held Gooseberry tight until we were able to get her into the kennel. Finally Home Early the next day, my daughter and I went out to clip Gooseberry’s wings. Clipping wings is just like clipping finger nails – no pain involved. The primary feathers are the only feathers that need cutting, so when the wings fold back, you can’t tell that there has been any alteration. Clipping the primary wings halfway down the feather shaft makes it so the birds are not able to get adequate lift, thus keeping them grounded. Gooseberry did try to take off again, but only once. Since then she has been getting used to her new home, and we’ve been surprised by what we have learned about Gooseberry. The most exciting and welcome discovery was finding out how much Gooseberry loves people. She waits for us to wake up in the morning, and
“Aurora” – King of the Boreal Forest
Well, I did it – I added a little contemporary (and A LOT of color) to my realism painting. I have to admit, I had a hard time starting “Aurora” – King of the Boreal Forest, but the process turned out to be a lot of fun. I’ve been wanting to paint a Moose for quite awhile now, as I have always been fascinated by these elusive giants. The Moose Moose hold a mysterious beauty in my mind. Beauty because these often sedentary animals have beautiful, thick coats that protect them from the extreme cold, and the males grow impressive palmated antlers that can span six-feet in size. Did you know that the male moose grows a new set of antlers each year? Mysterious because my family and I take multiple trips each year to the boreal forest here in Minnesota, and we have yet to spot a moose. Moose have poor eye sight, but a keen sense of smell and hearing, which can send them running at more than 35mph before humans (or predators) have a chance to spot them. Pretty good for an animals that can weigh up to 1,500 lbs. – moose are the largest and heaviest species in the deer family I think I need to find a moose guide. The Painting Back to the painting. Adding bright colors to the bull moose was a lot of fun. Initially deciding on which colors to use was difficult, but after I put the first brush strokes down the colors just came naturally. I started with two of my favorite colors to paint with – quinacridone rose (a bright, but deep pink), and ultramarine blue (a deep blue) – and the colors just started to flow. As my painting neared completion, the bull moose started to look imposing with his dramatic color and piercing yellow eyes. The first title that came to mind was “King of the Northwoods”, but I saw another painting of a moose online with the exact title. Instead, I consulted with my mom – my go-to for, well, anything – thanks, Mom! She came up with the the name “King of the Boreal Forest” – and right then I knew that it was perfect. Boreal forests not only house many of the moose in our world, they are also a place where the aurora borealis can be observed – the colorful, dramatic, and entrancing display of lights that appear as a result of collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter Earth’s atmosphere. The bull’s name had to be “Aurora”, as his colors match the night sky in the boreal forest. I present to you “Aurora” – King of the Boreal Forest
Snowy Egret: Watercolor
Introducing my first painting of the new year – “Snowy Egret”. I’ve been wanting to paint a snowy egret for a few months now, as I view them as one of the most regal-looking birds. My son actually spotted one of these birds in a nearby neighborhood fishing for a delicious pond snack. He noticed that this egret had a black bill and yellow feet – opposite of our common great egret. Snowy egrets are rare here in Minnesota, so spotting this beauty was a treat! I went into this painting intending to change up my painting style a little by attempting a looser watercolor style. I’ve always been drawn to detail, but I’ve recently been inspired by some local watercolorists to try loose watercolor (see demonstration below), and I thought the snowy egret would be a good subject to test this style out. Here is one demonstration by fellow Minnesotan, Andy Evansen: I love the freedom of the brush and paint when I watch artists perform loose watercolor painting. I was sure I could let loose and finish one of these paintings. I was wrong. Halfway through my painting of the snowy egret, I stopped. I wasn’t happy with the colors, wasn’t happy with the tones, and wasn’t quite sure how I could make the painting work. So, the painting sat on my painting table day-after-day, for about a week. I’d walk into the room, stare at the painting from a distance, study the tones and colors, and try to work out exactly how I’d save the painting. Then, I’d walk back out. Finally, I decided that I would trying painting the eyes and the beak, and then see how I felt about the painting. After all, the eyes tend to make a portrait painting. Well, it worked. But, my loose watercolor painting went out the window. After I saw the realistic eye, and finely faded beak, I regressed into my realism comfort mode once again. Within 24 hours, I had finished “Snowy Egret”. I stepped back once again, stared at the painting from across the room, and was finally happy with the colors, details, and tones. In fact, “Snowy Egret” has turned into one of my favorite bird paintings. I’ll have to give loose watercolor painting another go in the near future. Prints of “Snowy Egret” are now available in the Unbound Roots Shop! For information on original paintings, please contact me here.
Pond Hockey: Yesterday and Today
Pond hockey. It was a way of life during the winter for my family when I was young. We lived on a pond that froze somewhere between November and December. I also had a brother that played hockey through high school, so naturally we had hockey sticks, pucks, and skates that my brother had grown out of laying around the house. My parents purchased the heavy, metal rink shovels, and my dad crafted regulation-size hockey nets using 2×4’s – we were set. Yesterday The scritch, scratch of skate blades on the ice, along with the long pshhhhh of the shovels pushing snow could be heard on most days throughout the winter as multiple people donned their skates while shoveling the rink. The street we lived on was home to quite a few kids that were close to the ages of my two brothers and me. All of the neighbors were boys – most were hockey players. My mom and I were the only girls , and we never played on official teams, but I have to say that we held our own quite nicely. Our hockey games would go on for hours. We’d play before school, on weekends, and any other time we could get a group together. I remember playing hockey on the pond when temperatures plummeted to -25F. It was so cold one day that one of the neighbor boys said, “Hey, watch this!” as he flicked the hockey puck about eight feet into the air. When the puck landed on the ice, it shattered into pieces that went sprawling across the rink. On those days, I went inside after playing in the frigid cold to find my fingers and toes white – partially frozen themselves. I didn’t care – all I wanted to do was play. My parents also held skating parties often. Neighbor families would congregate in our backyard, share snacks, drink hot cocoa, and chat by a hot, crackling fire, but the best was always the hockey games. Our winters were full of hockey, fun, and friends – wonderful memories. Today The kids and I invited my mom to come over yesterday to skate with us on the nearby lake. The lakes around us are unusually glassy due to the absent snow this year, and the roller coaster of temperatures we’ve been having. The daily highs almost hit 50F two weeks ago, so the ice was soft and very wet. Two days later, our temperatures plummeted to the single digits – this made for hard, smooth ice. As Mom walked in the door yesterday, she said “Guess what I brought today?” I knew it was something good as she had a big smile on her face. Sure enough, Mom brought the old stack of hockey sticks and pucks that we played with when I was growing up. I think the kids were almost as excited as we were to try them out. Mom put on her old Riedells, I helped the kids into their skates, and we all set out for a warm-up skate across the lake. When we returned, we grabbed the equipment, made two quick goals out of the two extra sticks we had, and played a heated 2 v. 2 game. While we played, warm memories kept flowing through my head of the old, frigid pond hockey days. I hope our new neighbors around join us for games soon. Did you grow up playing neighborhood games? I’d love for you to share your stories in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
New Year’s Eve Skating: A Little Magic on the Lake
New Year’s Eve, 2018 The kids and I went out early today to get chores done around the homestead because brutal winds were due to arrive this afternoon bringing in light snow and frigid temps. When we walked out of the house the wind was light, and the temperatures were hovering around 30 degrees Fahrenheit – nice winter weather. We cleaned the chicken coop, filled up food feeders, checked the water bucket, collected eggs, and cleaned up dog (well, you know). As we completed our chores in record time, the dogs roughhoused around the yard – running, jumping, tackling each other, and doing it all over again. I looked at the kids and said, “We should probably bring the dogs on a walk, because once the cold air moves in, we won’t be able to bring them out.” Our indoor dogs’ feet can’t handle sub-zero temperatures, and tomorrow night our temperature will dip to -10 degrees. After minutes of walking, they would start picking up one foot, and then the other – trying to lick away the sting of the cold on their foot pads. “Mom, can we go ice skating on the lake while the dogs run?” my daughter pleaded. “Can we?” my son added. “You two can go skating, and Dad and I will walk with the dogs by the cattails and look for lures and bobbers.” So, that settled it. The whole family (dogs included) piled into the car and drove down the street to the lake. Just as we stepped onto the lake, the wind picked up. The boys headed off on their walk with the dogs, and my daughter and I slipped into our hockey skates and began skating down the lake. The first thing that we noticed was that the ice was no longer black. Forty eight hours of snow and rain had made the ice opaque, so we could no longer see into the inky depths of the lake. The next thing we noticed was how strong the wind had become. Light snow started streaming across the glossy ice, and the wind started to push us across the lake. “Mom, the wind wants us to go somewhere, and we need to listen to it!” my daughter yelled in front of me. I saw her gliding down the ice, arms spread wide, not having to exert any effort to move. “Come on, Mom, skate faster, we need to follow the wind.” she continued. We both took off skating as fast as we could. With the wind pushing angrily at our back, we skated across the lake at what I’m sure was our record speed. My daughter and I started laughing with the thrill of it all. “It’s magical – it’s all magical” she yelled amidst our laughter. It felt that way. What a way to usher out the old year and bring in the new year. For those of you that are wondering about our return skate back up the lake, yes, it was brutal. But, my daughter gave me an imaginary magic disc that gave us the power to withstand the worst winter weather – polar bear power. So, our skate against the wind wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I love the magic that children bring to our lives. I hope that 2019 brings you peace, love, joy, and happiness, I hope that you get a chance to slow down and enjoy the simple things, I hope that you get outside and get into nature every chance you get, and I hope that you get to experience a little bit of your own magic here and there. Happy New Year to you, and thank YOU so very much for taking the time to sit and read this little story! I hope it brought a smile to your face. Warmly, Erin
Black Ice – Beauty, Surprises, and Adventure
Black ice – no, not the type that forms on the roads from car exhaust on frigid winter days. It’s the kind that forms on lakes with very few impurities. So few that the ice is clear and appears black because the water below absorbs almost all of the light. Black ice is a treat to walk on and explore. Even though I dread the onset of our long winters here in the Upper Midwest (read my mournful post and poem here), there are things my family and I look forward to every year. We enjoy sledding, cross-country skiing (read about one of our favorite trips here), snowboarding, playing board games on cold winter nights, and taking our daily walks on a frozen lake down the road. One week ago, our family cautiously stepped out on that very lake as we had seen other footprints appear on the lightly snow-covered ice the week before. We walked out about ten feet, brushed off what little snow had blown down the lake, and peered into the ice. We were thrilled to see that the ice was clear. We could see little air bubbles trapped in the ice more than 8″ down – it was safe to walk on. My husband and I gave the kids the okay to run and play, and we had the dogs sit so we could let them off their leashes. The dogs’ tails revealed their excitement as they sat waiting to hear the click of the leash that would tell them that they were free to run too. In an instant, two black fluff balls took off after the kids – running, bounding, and knocking into one another as they played along the way. Not more than a minute later, Brook, our almost 13-year old pup, came to a screeching halt. Ayla, our 1-year old, was too late. I had to laugh when I saw her hit a glossy, black sheet of ice. She tried to dig her nails in, but that didn’t work. She tried to brace herself by getting low, but that didn’t work. She also tried to run off of the evil slick stuff, but she lost her footing. Ayla went for a sprawling slip ‘n slide across the inky, smooth lake ice. Once Ayla found the reprieve of snow again, she stood up, looked at what had taken her for a ride, and proceeded to run after the kids again – this time avoiding each and every black ice spot on the lake. The kids spent the next half hour slipping and sliding on the ice while the dogs played and tracked animal scents they found throughout the cattails. After the kids had depleted their energy, the whole family began doing what we love most – exploring. My family and I went from black ice to black ice to see what we could see. The ice held many beautiful treasures, and wonderful surprises. Intricate fern-like patterns graced the surface of the ice. Bubbles of all sizes sat suspended in the ice giving the ice depth and character. Large cracks had powerfully ripped across the lake, and we could see all the beautiful ripples, fissures, and lines in these breaks that spanned the full depth of the ice. I wish my camera had been able to adequately capture all that our eyes had seen. Aside from the beauty that the ice held in itself, it revealed other surprises too, such as fish, snail shells, and weeds that expelled their oxygen in thousands of little bubbles. My daughter also found a little honey bee curled up on the snow as we walked. She told me that she found the warmest spot to lay it on – a black rock. Several holes in the ice that were tucked into the cattails were found by my son. We can only imagine that the local muskrats are keeping exit and entrance holes into the water open. They must stay busy! My family has spent hours on the lake each day for the past week. We walk, talk, explore, throw tennis balls for the dogs, slide on the ice, take pictures, and take in as much fresh, cold air as we can. As much as I dread our long winter spell before the cold hits, I love our cold-weather adventures once winter does finally set in. What are your favorite winter activities? If you don’t have cold winters where you are, what would you like to experience most if you could visit our cold winter wonderland?
Greeting Card Giveaway
Yes, you read it correctly! I’m hosting a greeting card giveaway right here on Unbound Roots. Last winter, my friend Angela, from You Are Awesome, suggested that I give away a pack of watercolor greeting cards. Angela has many great ideas (you need to check them out on her blog link above), so I thought I better follow her suggestion. Aside from Angela’s awesome suggestion, the timing is right. Let me explain: Unbound Roots is getting a make-over in the next month. I am still going to be writing stories about topics that inspire me – hiking, animals, thoughts that grab my attention, gardening, the family farm, and painting (to name a few) – but my blog will be just one portion of the website. I will also be adding a gallery to showcase my watercolor paintings, and an online shop where people can purchase watercolor originals, limited prints of paintings, and packs of greeting cards. Shoppers will also have the option to request original paintings – personal paintings that can be treasured for centuries. As many of you know, I have been doing a lot of painting throughout the past month. My kids and I came up with a list of animals that are common here in the Upper Midwest, and then I painted them into snow scenes. Five paintings have been completed, and will now be printed onto greeting cards. Silent Night Winter Treasure First Snow Christmas Spirit Late for my Winter Slumber I had so much fun painting these wild cuties! Okay, okay, I’m sure you’re waiting for the details, so… Here are the greeting card giveaway details: On Friday, December 21st, I will be randomly drawing the names of two recipients. Each recipient will receive one pack of five greeting cards – one card of each of the paintings above. How Do I Enter the Free Giveaway? It’s simple! All you have to do is enter a comment below. Any winter-related comment will do. You can tell me about your favorite winter activity, favorite tradition, favorite winter recipes, or you can suggest a painting you’d like to see me complete – it’s up to you! I will write down the names of all the people who comment, and randomly draw the names on December 21st. The winners will be announced right here on Unbound Roots, so be sure to check back! If a recipient fails to respond within 48 hours, a new recipient will be chosen. I am excited to send off my very first greeting cards! Good luck to everyone, and enjoy the holiday season! Warmly, Erin