El CWC

My sister, who you can read about here, is attending a small art school in Redmond, WA. She has a lot of legitimate complaints about her school, which makes me question my choice to attend a school that I know hardly anything about, and to pay them a lot of money to take their classes. Will it be worth it?

Megan and I both attended and graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. We both started school there immediately after high school, earned BAs and upon graduating thought we would get jobs, work, etc. But things didn't go so smoothly for either of us. Megan works hard but hates her job, and now she works part time and attends school. I work less hard, I've finally found a job I like, and I'm about to start attending school.


The only photo I could find from College.

It makes me think maybe I would have benefited from more guidance while I was in school the first time. But then again, I was very sure of myself and about the path I wanted to be on (read: stubborn). But that path ended the day I graduated from UW. No one wanted to give me a job that had anything to do with what I studied. And the reason I studied what I studied, was because I loved it. That doesn't easily translate into a real job.

It doesn't really matter, though. I grew as a person in college, and learned plenty. Now I get to do it again, on my own terms, and on my own dime. At least Jackson will soon have a Starbucks.

El colegio central

Central Wyoming College is based in Riverton, Wyoming. I have never been to Riverton, and I don't plan on going any time soon. I am, however, starting classes through the school in September. Lucky for me there is a satellite campus in Jackson. Since I live in Idaho, I have to pay out-of-state tuition, which stinks. I am hoping for some kind of tax break at the end of the year. Does anyone know about tax breaks for school?



The Central Wyoming College mascot is the Rustler. "What is a Rustler?", you might ask.

I learned from Jon that a Rustler is someone who steals cattle. And a Wikipedia search confirmed this: Rustler redirects to Cattle Raiding.

Wyoming is full of guns and Republicans, so I guess this makes sense.

Galletas cookie

Just made up chocolate chip cookie recipe: 1/2 cup almond flour 1/3 cup whole wheat flour 1/3 cup regular flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 t vanilla 1/2 t baking soda 1/4 t salt 2 T coconut oil, melted 3 T soy or almond milk 1/2 cup chocolate chips 1/2 cup chopped nuts. I chose macadamia nuts, the most expensive nut in the world! Combine everything. Form into balls and moosh down flat. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. I also added 1 t maca powder. Since they are kind of healthier than normal cookies, does that mean it's okay to eat a bunch of them at 10:30PM? I hope so.

Estudios de enfermera

I have begun the jumping through of many hoops on the path to entering nursing school.

The only school near where I live is Central Wyoming College. They have a campus in Jackson. At first I thought I didn't want to go to a school in Wyoming... But then I thought, sure I do! It's cheap, close to where I live (and where I want to continue living), and I'll be a genius compared to the other people going to school there!

That last point might prove to be false.

But anyway, I haven't even told my parents about this decision of mine. Jon thinks it's a great idea. And so do I! Especially the part about RNs making tons of money. And by tons of money I mean more than $30k a year. To me, that is tons of money.

I start classes in September, just some basic stuff, pre-reqs, science courses. Then if I get accepted to their nursing program (they only take 8 people a year...), I would start real nursing classes in Fall 2014. It's a long way off, but I'm very excited about it.

Los champiñones

I guess this post could be called instead, "La seta". In Spanish champiñón means mushroom, while seta means something like a wild mushroom. I used to think it meant mushrooms with a wider, flatter top. But I think in reality it refers to where the mushroom came from. Also perhaps any mushroom that isn't of the typical, store bought variety.

In any case, this year we've gone mushrooming a few times already. Jon is much more successful at finding mushrooms than I am. It didn't help that on the first outing of the season, Coal ran away and got quilled in the face by a porcupine. I don't have any photos of that to share, sorry.

The mushrooms we forage for around here are called morels. See Wikipedia's page on morels for some photos and information.

They are kind of creepy looking, right? After you get over the creepiness and actually eat some, you will likely change your tune very quickly. They sauté up so nicely. We've been eating them on pizzas mostly. Around Jackson, if you find a few pounds of the mushrooms, you can sell them to restaurants for around fifteen dollars a pound.

When I studied Russian in my last year at the University of Washington, I was intrigued by how the Russian language has a bunch of terms for mushroom gathering, gatherer, etc. I hadn't realized people were able to go into the forest to gather these delicious little things. But now, thanks to Jon, I am learning to gather mushrooms and enjoying the extra time I get to spend in the forest.


photo by Jonathan Cohen
Delicious vegan pizza doesn't hurt, either. The morels are the light brown things on the left pizza.

Un día especial

I live in a beautiful place. I have mountains all around me, creeks and rivers abound, rocks to climb on, single track begging for the feel of my grippy tires... And when a day off comes around, we make every second count.


Big Holes Hiking, photo by Jonathan Cohen
Don't you love family photos? I do, when the family is half dogs. We hiked in the morning in the Big Holes, a five minute drive from our house. We identified wild flowers along the way. Jon is teaching me a lot. We have a wonderful book on the flora and fauna of the Rockies.


Teton River canoeing, photo by Jonathan Cohen

In the afternoon we decided to put the canoe in the Teton River and float for a bit. We paddled along for about an hour and a half during which we saw a beaver, a mama moose and two tiny baby moose, and a blue heron. We also saw some other birds, two that looked like a heron but were more golden. Maybe some sort of crane. I'm not a very good birder, but I'm getting better.


Baby moose, photo by Jonathan Cohen

In the evening we made homemade vegan pizzas with fresh arugula from the garden and morels that Jon foraged from the woods.

Helado

Last summer I bought an ice cream maker. It is a really great machine: fast, easy, clean. Much faster and quieter than the machine I grew up with. Every Fourth of July my family would head to my grandparents' house and set up the ice cream maker. Rock salt, ice, loud motor and all. It would sit outside on the deck for hours and churn. It was a special treat that I remember very fondly.

But this machine kicks that one's butt. (And you can note that I did indeed buy it in the pretty green color.)

Today I made vanilla. I know, I know. Boring, old vanilla... But it is oh, so creamy! And you can't go wrong with vanilla, right? I mean, just think about all of the toppings...

Anyway, I am going to share my recipe!

Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream
1 can full fat Coconut Milk
1/4 cup Cashew Cream
1 Tablespoon Coconut Flour
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
2-3 Tablespoons Agave Nectar
Pinch Salt

Combine all ingredients in blender. You can chill this mixture for a while before throwing it in the ice cream maker, or not. It doesn't seem to matter much. When you're ready, throw it in the ice cream maker per the manufacturer's instructions.

Yield is about two to three cups of delicious, creamy ice cream.