1-9-10

AARON GRINDS CORN INTO CORN MEAL






LARA'S BOOK





Despite being Saturday, we set our alarm (our cell phones that don't get service miraculously still work as alarm clocks) and trekked down to the main house at 9. We helped feed the animals before heading into Paul and Lara's for breakfast. Once a week they make a special waffle breakfast for us WWOOFers. We had coffee for the first time since we've been here--we don't have a percolator, let alone a mr. coffee--and enjoyed it with our waffles. Waffles are made just the same down here, however when eating them, it is recommended not to use any silverware. The suggested technique is to fold them in half, stuff with butter, smash back together, and dip into maple and homemade blackberry syrup using only hands. Quite delicious. The record of most waffles consumed by any WWOOFer is 5 and a half...Jen gave up at 1.5 and Aaron turned in an equally pathetic showing of 2 waffles. Because we didn't eat as many as the record, the dogs were thrilled to consume the leftovers.

After breakfast, the four of us warmed ourselves by the fire and got to talking. It was nice to talk to Paul and Lara about organic food. Lara is excited she just got her new catalog of seeds to order from, and we spoke not only about what she will plant this upcoming spring, but delved further in depth on issues such as GMO seeds and the devil that is Monsanto. Up until now, our only experience with Monsanto was through reading and watching movies. What we understand thus far leads us to a very negative opinion about the company and their practices. Paul and Lara, who rely on seeds for their livelihood, share our feelings and strong beliefs of staying away from genetically modified seeds and foods. Paul mentioned just because something says "all natural" doesn't mean it's free from GMOs. He suggested that chickens can be raised free range, but if their feed contains any genetically modified corn, their eggs and meat are no longer truly natural. He suggests labels can be deceiving, and we agree. We hope by the end of this journey we will have more concrete information which we can turn into beliefs, but for now we are just wetting our feet.

We have off on the weekends at Coweeta Heritage Center, so today was relaxing. We split wood for over an hour and have been sitting by the fire ever since. Lara has published three children's books in the past year and we enjoyed reading them this afternoon. The longest, "Over the Mountain to Borrow a Coal of Fire", is a tale based on her grandmother. It tells the story of Ellie, a young girl who must brave the mountain pass in order to get coal, as her family's fire burnt out. It took place right after the American Indians were herded West on the Trail of Tears. We both enjoyed the touching story. You can purchase your own copy on amazon.com.

After a long struggle and much static, we were able to place the radio in just the right spot in order to listen to the Jets playoff game this afternoon on the AM dial. This made Aaron VERY happy, especially since they defeated the Bungles of CIncinnati. While listening to the broadcast, Aaron used the hand mill to grind corn into cornmeal which Jen use to bake scrumptious corn muffins. Tomorrow promises to be another lazy day. We both look forward to sleeping as late as our bodies allow, but somehow are also eager for Monday to come and to get back to learning skills of self sustainability.