New Year and a New Me?

I have started this post several times then deleted every word every time. I've started off each time from a different angle but the whole post was going to say the same thing. I guess you could say it's about New Years resolutions but I didn't want it to be classified as such... but it is what it is.  

This coming year, 2014, I hope to change the way I eat.  There. I've said it.

I have done a lot of reading lately that suggests (and I had already read this years ago so it wasn't really "news") that gluten and leaky gut are causes of RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) which I have been living with for almost 8 years now and other autoimmune diseases. The Dude and I  were practically vegetarian (lacto) recently but somehow meat has pried it's way back into our diets.  I have a hard time digesting meats but sometimes I really enjoy eating it which of course makes it a little hard to give up.  During Summertime there's nothing quite like a burger hot off the grill is there? And when The Dude takes me out to dinner I often get a nice steak or chicken in pasta.  There's another weakness of mine: pasta.  In fact, I have a love-hate relationship with all breads and pastas. I love them and they love my stomach and thighs which in turn makes me hate them. They're also loaded with gluten. The eating plan I am going to try and follow is high in protein and has NO gluten which translates into me eating lots of meats and no breads, crackers, cookies, or pastas. 

Rats.  I really REALLY like pasta. But I hate pain more than I love pasta. The trick will be to keep reminding myself that when I want to cave and eat some. Will power is key. Self-discipline. 

 

Can I do it?

Will I do it?

I say yes to the first but "I'm not sure" to the second.  I've never been one to follow through with anything but if I can just stay disciplined enough to make it until I can FEEL RESULTS... then that will be proof enough and I would THINK motivation enough to keep going and make it a lifelong change.

I'm not out to lose weight (I weigh somewhere around 127 or 128 lbs and I am 5' 5.5" tall.): I'm out to get healthy and to lose PAIN. 

Now... pain.  I'm not sure how much of the pain I'm feeling these days is due to inflammation or active RA. I know that some of it is caused from the deterioration of cartilage in my joints (wrists and elbows especially) but I would like new xrays just to SEE and hopefully one day compare to later xrays taken after I'm eating better and feeling better.

Rheumy doc appt is set for New Years Eve. I've asked him before of his opinion on the gluten causing or affecting RA. His opinion was that he's seen studies that suggest it could and others that say it could not. Wouldn't it be awesome to have him (he's at Vanderbilt University Hospital by the way...so I think he must be pretty good) document my diet change and xrays and have record of my history of meds andd other treatment.  This is the plan.

New Years day is just a day that happens to be coming up soon (and I'm anxious to get started) and (this is the MAIN reason) it's a SUPER easy day for me to remember!  If I were to begin the changes on, say, January 13th for example... it's just another day and has no special meaning to me so I would therefore never remember it.  I could start on one of our family's birthdays but THIS IS COMING UP SOON (and I'm anxious to get started). ;-)

So, there we go.  Not really homestead related except that soon I hope to once again be eating eggs from my own chickens again as well as my dairy coming from a new goat or two. ;o)

Guess I'd better get to planning!  Happy Homesteading!

Fall is coming! Am I ready?

Nope. Well, maybe.  :)

It's that time of year again... kids going back to school, hunting for warmer clothes in the attic... anticipating the warmth from the gas logs in the early morning hours.... and the view of the river from my windows (which is hidden when the trees are all in full leaf). But it's also time to check the stockpile of home-canned goods to see what else I need and what I can get from the farmer's markets or produce to put up for the colder months when local produce dwindles.

What do you put up in your pantry? I really try to take into consideration what we eat a lot of and try to stockpile that stuff but to be honest usually the jelly and sauerkraut are the only things we will all eat. No one in our house is overly crazy about pickles yet I always make them, every year. I actually started fermenting them so I won't be making the "regular" kind anymore.  I really LOVE fermenting stuff!  I've been making sauerkraut, ginger carrots, ketchup, kimchi, kombucha and fruity kombucha for a while now and LOVE.IT.
So, what type of things are kept in your pantry at any given time? We always have rice, canned and dried beans, potatoes, onions, flours, sugar, sweet pickles, dill pickles, multiple flavors of jams and jellies, relishes I've made and bread.

So, what's been going on in our neck of the woods?  Well, we are slowly getting things finished around the house, bit by bit. Hanging up tp holders, working in the yard (still cleaning up from construction and destruction<--my kiddos), working to try and fix the leak in the basement so we can start building down there, mourning the loss of our Great Pyrenees and all of my chickens, target practice with raccoons and The Dude's new rifle... just to name a few things.

Life is definitely different with just myself and the Cupie Doll at home every day.  I still can't believe we have 5 kids in school this year! I will say, though, that it's allowed me to get back into my cleaning groove.  For those of you that know me IRL (as my son would say) and have known me for a few years know about my OCDish behavior with cleaning.  I used to clean my entire house, top to bottom (yes, including baseboards but not windows) every Friday. However, we lived with my MIL for a year and a half and then moved into a brand-new home that I'm not quite used to. I've been trying to get back on-board with Flylady but most days I've already done what the daily chore is and so I end up getting bored with it.  I have been trying to keep the kitchen and living room/dining room area clean and shining my sink before bed every night although I'll be the first to tell you that I'm not perfect (Flylady preaches against using that word!) and maybe 1/3-1/2 the time it doesn't get done before bed.  I've been making beds daily and trying to keep one step ahead of the laundry and it seems to be working.  Or it was until Cupie Doll's diapers started repelling and leaking everywhere.  Listen, if you're going to be sleeping with me in my bed you canNOT have leaky diapers! So I've tried stripping them (unsuccessfully so far) and today I'm trying some other method.  Hopefully it works.

I'm trying to be more frugal and also make healthier meals/snacks for my kids.  I can't afford to pay for 5 kids school lunches every day and also send snack money for the 2 youngest! I'm pretty sure I'd come out a lot cheaper by making my own.  Today my oldset daughter took the remaining pumkin bread/cake as her snack.  She LOVES that stuff! I just finished making some basic granola bars with what I had on-hand but I've yet to cut them or try one.  I also made the No-Bake Energy Bites that everyone has seen floating around on Pinterest, but I put a few extras in them to make them into a type of no-bake lactation/energy bites!  WOOOO!

I'd like to know some of your favorite fall/winter meals. I'm thinking of starting some OAMC again for some of the more common meals we eat.

Are you a meal-planner? What kinds of meals do you prepare for your family?  Do you go more towards easy and simple or healthy and hearty?  I'd really like to know. Share or link to the recipes in the comments!

I've also created a small crafty-biz called Green Fern Goods.  Find me on Facebook!  It's just for the random things I feel like making. I've made some small taggie blankies and listed them but will be adding more things soon. I have a quilt project in mind along with some other fibery goodness.  Stay tuned!

Comment and let me know you're alive and paying attention.

xoxoxo

Wow. You all deserve an update!

So, I'm not sure when my last post was but I knew I had to update because so many things have happened.

For one, we finally moved into our new homestead house!  YAY!  We moved in officially on March 23, 2013.  THEN.....

Exactly one week later we welcomed our newest little squish into the family.  She was born in water and into her Daddy's hands in our home.  Isn't that wonderful?  It was a very long, very hard labor for me but she's here and very healthy and that's all that matters, right?

In other news, we have 2 new puppies.  Both of our GPs moved over to the new house with us but then walked back home and eventually disappeared.  I have no hopes of them returning and I'm very sad about that.  They're two very beautiful dogs and someone probably took them or picked them up.  I hope they're happy. :( The two new ones we have are half boxer and half Labrador. And I have to admit they are so much more fun than the GPs were.

We also had about 7 or 8 chickens when we moved here but they all quickly became someone's dinner and it wasn't ours.  I later saw a raccoon in the front yard one evening and it was then discovered after some reading that they LOVE chickens and will do anything to pull them out of their pen.  Even if it's one leg at a time.  Well, then my folks came over and brought 5 more chickens and a rooster.  Man, he was a beautiful one too.  Notice I said "was"?  Yep.  Well, we tried to move the pen to a safer location on the property and they got loose.  They were mostly game hens too and not used to being loose so they were impossible to corral and catch so it was pretty inevitable that the raccoons got them.  But not before The Dude got one of theirs!  So, now we have NO chickens OR roosters but we have the 2 puppies (who aren't looking like puppies too much anymore lately!) and the cats (which I wish would find a new home).

We just returned from a camping trip which was cut short due to raining off and on for 2 days.  All of us went.  Even the baby (who is now 3.5 mths old by the way.) I was ready to come home anyway.

I saw something neat on Facebook around the beginning of Summer and wanted to try it out with our family.  It was a "100 Things to Do This Summer"  chart.  We made one and have it hanging up and check things off as we do them, but we don't even have all the 100 spots filled yet!  It really is a challenge to think those type of things up!  I mean, you could put anything on there at all but I wanted to be realistic and put things that we could probably actually accomplish.  Like "going to Grandma's" or "camping trip" or "picking blueberries" <-- we just checked this one off yesterday! Other things on the list that we've accomplished are picking strawberries, making homemade jam, VBS, make homemade pizza, family movie night and some others that I can't remember.  This weekend we will be going to Grandma and Grandpa's house and taking them a present (which counts as "Making a Craft") to them for a late anniversary present.  Grandma's been wanting one and maybe we will take a picture and post it after we've finished it. :o)

Let's see, what else?  Well, the basement floods every time we get a hard rain so that's a huge pain... and we have no garden this year but I think The Dude has decided he wants to build a big greenhouse and grown things year round.  I think this is an excellent idea.  No weeds to pull, no hoeing to do, etc.  Hey, I can't help it that I'm more on the lazy side. ;o) We would also like to try out the Aquaponics/Hydraponics.  Some day!

I've also made some ginger carrots and more sauerkraut (this batch had roasted jalapenos in it and is SO tasty!) lately as far as fermented stuff goes. I was gifted quite a bit of corn recently too and have put a lot up. We LOVE corn!

Totally off any of the above topics: I am trying to lose that 10 lbs after having the baby (I call her Sweetie-Pea) and am eating a lot of junk lately combined with my new addiction to A & W Rootbeer.  erg.  So tomorrow I am going low-carb again because I know it works for me.  After I lose those 10 lbs I will change over to a more plant-based diet.  I can't wait to be smaller.  I hate when parts of me jiggle when I walk!

Signing off!  Just thought I'd get back into blogging because SOON I will have 5 kids in school and it will be just me and the Sweetie-Pea home!  Won't that be exciting?

More on the Fermentation Front

Have I talked about fermentation before?  I don't remember and honestly, I don't feel like looking back in what few archives I have here so I'll just give you a brief rundown on what it is and why you should think about trying it.

Nourished Kitchen is a treasure trove of info and recipes for foods that are GOOD for you.  Do you ever wonder how people in the "way back" days preserved their foods?  Veggies, meats? How did they make whatever condiments they might have used?  What are they health benefits to eating fermented foods? This website and THIS page, specifically, will tell you all the answers to those questions and more. They have an email list you can sign up for and receive helpful tips and probably recipes too although they have TONS on their site.  They also have a blog and even meal plans! Go check them out and tell them I sent you. ;o)

So, here is the recipe for a basic fermented ketchup from their website.

homemade ketchup, an old-world recipe

• Yield: about 1 pint
• 
  
• Prep: 5 minutes (active) mins
• Cook: 3 to 5 days (fermentation) mins
• Ready In: 8 mins

Deeply robust with the rich-sweet flavor of concentrated tomato, this ketchup differs from the cloying sweet varieties you find in the grocery store. Allspice and cloves, traditional inclusions often omitted in most store-bought varieties, bring a level of depth that would be otherwise absent. Not a particularly quick food, this homemade ketchup is slowly ripened and aged over a period of three to five days as beneficial bacteria metabolize the food’s natural sugars, creating a condiment that is potently rich in food enzymes and probiotics. It’s a traditional process, lactofermentation, that increases the nutritional value of the foods we eat and love. This recipe and over 100 others are included in the latest of Nourished Kitchen’s online cooking class: Get Cultured! How to Ferment Anything.

Ingredients

• 2 cups tomato paste (preferably homemade)
• 1/4 cup raw honey (maple syrup or whole unrefined cane sugar)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp fresh whey* (divided)
• 2 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar (plus extra for thinning the ketchup, if desired)
• 1 tsp unrefined sea salt
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves

Instructions

1. Spoon tomato paste into a large mixing bowl and fold in raw honey or other natural sweetener of choice.
2. Whisk in one-quarter cup fresh whey or vegetable starter culture into the sweetened tomato paste along with apple cider vinegar, sea salt, allspice and cloves. Continue whisking these ingredients together until the paste is smooth and uniform.
3. Spoon the homemade ketchup into a mason jar, top with remaining two tablespoons fresh whey or vegetable starter culture, cover loosely with a cloth or lid and allow the ketchup to sit at room temperature, undisturbed, for three to five days.
4. After three to five days, uncover the homemade ketchup and give it a thorough stir before transferring to the refrigerator. Naturally fermented homemade ketchup will keep for several months in the refrigerator.

One thing about this recipe that might make it difficult for just ANYONE wanting to make this RIGHT NOW would be the fact they MIGHT not have whey sitting around in their house.  Where do you get whey?  Well, I'll tell you where I got mine: I bought raw milk, made cheese out of it and saved the whey which separated from the cheese, put it in glass jars and froze it.  Hopefully this won't hurt the whey's duties in this recipe... it was chilled in the fridge but not frozen, although the recipe calls for "fresh whey".

Now I just sit back and let it ferment for a few days and then I get to try it... (on the kids... I mean... with dinner...for EVERYONE). I will report back and let you all know how it turned out.

p.s.  I got a pint jar full as well as a tall, skinny jelly jar full. :o)

In other fermentation news, Saturday I made 5 pints of sauerkraut, another fermented food, and my husband and I LOVE it!  He ate more of it than I did so hence the reason I had to make more. ;o)  Another thing I make that is fermented is Kombucha.  I had forgotten I'd made a batch and now it still sits there in it's glass, gallong jar and it's "Mother" is about 2 inches thick or more... with another one growing on the bottom.  Guess I will make a fresh batch and try a new twist I recently learned about.... home-made fermented grape kombucha soda!  I'll make it and test it and get back with you to let you know how it tastes.  I can't rightly post something that's nasty can I???  ;o)

Stay tuned !

Shake Your Can-Can

Okay, I don't know where that title came from, but at any rate, I've been busy lately canning all the wonderful goodies my mom has brought to me from their farm.  Here is the latest I've made:

Here is the recipe for the candied jalapenos, in case any of you were interested.

Candied Jalapeno Rounds

There aren't words that exist to describe how addictive these little savoury, sweet, spicy, crunchy, garlicky pickled jalapeno rounds are. Put them on sandwiches, tacos, rice or bake them into cornbread.  You'll need more and more!

Ingredients:

•  3 lbs fresh, firm jalapeno peppers, washed
• 2 C cider vinegar
• 6 C white granulated sugar (I don't see why you couldn't substitute any other type of sugar, i.e. turbinado)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 3 tsp granulated garlic or 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Instructions:

1. Wearing gloves, remove the stems from all jalapenos. The easiest way to do this is to slice a small disc off the stem-end along with the stem.  Discard the stems.
2. Slice the peppers into uniform 1/8-1/4 inch rounds.  Set aside.
3. In a large pot, bring vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed, garlic and cayenne to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 min.  Add the pepper slices and simmer for exactly 4 min.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the upper rim of the jar.  Turn heat up under the pot of syrup and bring to a full rolling boil.  Boil hard for 6 minutes.
4. Use a ladle to pour the syrup into the jars over the jalapenos.  Insert a knife into the bottom of the jar two or three times to release any trapped air pockets.  Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on new, two-piece lids to finger-ti tightness.
5. If you have left-over syrup, and it is likely that you will, you may can it in half-pint or pint jars too.  It's wonderful brushed on chicken or added to potato salad.
6. Place jars in canner, cover with water by 2 inches.  Bring the water to a full rolling boil and then set timer for 10 minutes for half-pints and 15 min for pints.  When timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack.  Leave them to cool for 24 hrs.  When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth and then label.
7. Allow to mellow for at least 2 weeks, but preferably a month before eating.

I haven't tried these yet but I'm still in that 2 week wait time.  You can bet yer britches I'll be partaking as soon as they're ready though!  I'm thinking of a Ritz cracker with a piece of Colby-Jack topped with one of these would be YUMMO!

Stay tuned for my review!

Also on the canning front, I've put up apple jelly, blackberry jam, strawberry-fig preserves, salsa, dill pickles and "come and get it".  Y'all just let me know if you'd be interested in any of those recipes.  Simple simple simple!

Farm / Homestead update:

House planning is going well. Waiting to hear from the bank! :o)
We've added 9 more chickens to our animals (8 hens and a rooster). The first group of hens we got have just started laying.  I went outside the other day and found 3 or 4 eggs but only 1 the days since then, if any at all. 
We've also been gifted a black lab puppy.  I call her Tootie... for a good reason.  ;o)

The garden is still giving us a few cherry tomatoes and peppers here and there but it's almost time to mow it down.  I'm thinking of trying some cabbage for a fall crop.  I need to make another big batch of sauerkraut!

OH!  We discovered we're in a good spot to attract feral honey bees so I'm hoping The Dude or Paw can help me by building a bee hive so I can try to get some.  I'd LOVE to be able to make our own honey for our family... and to sell some too if there's an abundance.

Sorry for the gap in posts.  Things have been so crazy busy here lately that I've not really had the time, although I have plenty to post about.

Is it May Already?

Well, I came back here to find my post where I'd mentioned buying our first chicks only to realize it's been over a month already AND I haven't posted since then! Wow. Those chicks are now probably about 6 weeks old or maybe a bit more depending on how old they were when we first bought them. I'm not sure if it was the next week or the week after that Autumn and I went back and bought 4 more. These will be surprises! We know they're pullets but we just don't know what kind. They must be the same age as our original ones because they've grown at the exact same rate. Their only difference really is their color. If you remember, I'd bought 2 Amberlinks and 2 Red Sexlinks the first time and they are evolving into exactly what their name suggest... amber and red-colored birds. These new 4, however, are white. There's no color on their wings or heads or anything. I need to surf the web some more to see what kind they might turn out to be. It's rather exciting... sort of like not having an ultrasound during your pregnancy! The baby kittens are doing well. We lost one, Melvin, as The Dude named him, to Copernicus. He didn't kill it, he was just playing with it. After all, Cop IS a puppy and they like to play with things and especially things that smell different and move. So, after 2 or 3 days of The Dude taking extra special care of him, Melvin finally let go. He was buried under the tree in the backyard. :o( The other 4-named Tiger (I call it Tigger), Janet, Shadow and Guinea are all getting so big and they're adorable to watch when they start playing together. Sometimes I find Janet playing with her mama's tail as it swishes back and forth across the grass or concrete patio. The pups have been on lock-down for a while. Copernicus was first, after the incident with Melvin he tried it again with Shadow and I tied him up. One day a few of the chicks got loose and Zeta took off after one into the dry creek bed. The chick was saved only by diving head-first into a nook created by tree roots. Then I tied Zeta up. I am finding that longer, plastic-covered wire leads are not a good idea for them. They like to chew and so they've chewed them to the wire and that causes it to kink somehow. They're also constantly getting wrapped around trees, roots, the dog house and anything else they can find to tangle themselves into. We are debating now whether to use the tie-downs that go into the ground instead of one that runs from tree to tree. Today is Mother's Day! I'm thankful for my family and that I was given the opportunity to be a mother. Some aren't. I also feel like I'm the mother to all these animals because they rely on me to feed, shelter and clo...oh wait...feed and shelter them. They're teaching me a lot as far as what life is like with a bunch of animals... Many days I don't feel like getting out in the cold or the rain to feed them or let them out of their coop or take them for a walk or pet them, but then I realize... they depend on me and if I don't take care of them they would die. It really is a huge responsibility to take on but I'm glad we did. I love having them all. I just can't wait to get our own home so we can move ALL of us out there and get settled. Speaking of the house: A lot has been going on there too. We've still been contacting builders and such but recently we found one and he seems to be a good one. He gave us references and an address for a house he build recently. We never got that from the other builders. :o) So we drove by to look at the house and since they were home we decided to try and talk to them and ask them about it. I think it's safe to say that this guy is probably going to be the one we pick. Next step: The fun part-talking to the banks. Weeeee. Needless to say we have been very busy lately but the end of the school year is near (only 2 weeks away) and that means Mama gets to sleep in a bit. ;o) I hope to be busy with gardening and house building stuff over the summer... and canning! I've been doing nothing but baking lately...cakes, and cookies galore and the scale is witness to that! I need to work harder on feeding us all better. Man can't live on cookies alone, after all! So, that's all from the Homestead-in-the-works. Maybe I will remember to blog a little more often than once a month. ;o)

Is it really Spring?

So...long time no post. :o)

(This first part was a draft I had saved and never finished, therefore it never got published.)

We have begun the garden! YAY! We took the tiller over one afternoon and set to work...or The Dude did anyway. We have 2 garden plots, one smaller than the other. The smaller one has been planted with Spanish onions, potatoes and Ginger so far. I still have some bunching onions and garlic to plant in that bed and it will be full.

The second bed only has carrots so far AND I planted them going the wrong direction (oops). When we chose the garden spots we decided to take advantage of the natural clearings since we don't want to take down any trees unless it's just unavoidable. Still, we have to keep in mind the direction the sun moves across the sky and plant accordingly. You don't want taller crops casting shade over the other, shorter crops. Most plants need full sun, or probably 6-8 hrs of sunlight daily and it's hard enough getting that in the woods-even with somewhat of a clearing.

We also have seeds started indoors. They include cucumbers, lettuce, turnips, a hot pepper mix and bell peppers. I have plenty more seeds to start and have all the ingredients to get that done... except time. :o)

My parents have gifted us 2 blueberry baby bushes in pots that they started from their own HUGE/high producing bushes and I think we've determined where we will be planting those. The garlic and bunching onions I mentioned earlier are in pots and came from them also. Those need to be planted in the potato bed with the other onions. I also have a terracotta strawberry pot loaded with green plants with blooms. :o)

(New post begins here.)

Yesterday we went and purchased our first baby chicks. They are "supposed to be" Amberlinks and Red Sex Links. In other words... they are reddish-yellow and BETTER put out some big brown eggs! I said "supposed to be" because apparently the people we got them from thought they were one thing and the sign said the other. In fact, they said that about EVERY trough of chicks... yet all the signs said something different. Go figure.

Anyway... they are in the custom-made coop complete with wood shavings, water and food dispenser and heat lamp. Locked in, safe from the rain and cold (and dogs and cats). :o)

Speaking of cats... if you follow me around on Facebook you will have knowledge about these cats that just showed up at our house one day (did I blog about it too?). Well, anyway, one of them got herself knocked-up. Not really a big deal to us. Well, I went out to feed the cats/dogs one day and she walks over to me meowing and I'm like, "Whoa, you got skinny. Did you have your babies?" After coming to my senses and realizing this animal was NOT about to respond to my question... I set off to find them. No luck. Few days later... no luck. I thought they must have died because she was always around but I never saw or heard any kittens. Well, recently The Dude said someone had come by looking for their cat (the mama) who then told him that she'd been feeding them because you know what happens as a mama if you don't nurse your baby? Yeah, well, she was NOT suffering and that milk was going somewhere so we set off to find them. So we went into the building behind the house and as soon as we walk in Sambo says... "I hear them! Listen!"

Sure enough....

Five widdle baby kitties! Which is a good thing, because the owner of the mama wants her back. She will be taken home after she's finished nursing these guys. Speaking of "guys" I have no idea if they're males or females or both! WOW.

So, the latest about the garden is that the onions and potatoes are up and going well. No sign of the carrots yet, but I topped the ground with mulch too so it might take a little longer. The seeds we started came up in some pots but then died off. I guess we can dump the dirt back into the bag and start over. WITH A SHARPIE MARKER THIS TIME (who had the bright idea to write the types of seeds on the pots in Washable Marker? Durrrrrr. I'm not naming names. ;o)

I think I will go over there and check on things shortly and see how the strawberries are coming. Maybe I will get some new picture to post.

Also, my parents are coming for Punkin's Birthday next week and bringing lots of garden stuffidges to share: herbs, veggies, daffodil bulbs for the girls to plant, etc.

The excitement continues....