Kid

JWise Photo of the Day

Baby goat in bathtub avoiding the scorching summer heat in Tonopah, Arizona

This week I will be tending to the milking of some goats at Chile Acres while Jimmie and Celia are on vacation in Florida. After a short milking lesson, Celia trusts I will do fine taking udder in hand, giving a squeeze, and making sure the milk keeps flowing. No….today’s photo is not of one of the goats I’ll be milking, this is one of the new kids – Caroline and I named him Jaanu (Hindu for sweetheart or soulmate). As the temperatures outside have soared during the last days, new kids spend the better part of the day in the air-conditioned comfort of the farmhouse bathtub.

Dosakai

JWise Food, Photo of the Day

Dosakai also known as Indian cucumber

At my friend Sonal’s Indo-Euro grocery store today, she had this exotic-looking veggie that one of her customers told her was used in south Indian cooking. The name is supposed to be Dosakai but I have also found it described as Dosakaya, Kani Vellarikka, and Nakka Dosakai. According to the internet, it is widely grown in South Canara and is used in Konkani cooking, while another post told that it is widely available in Kerala. Dosakai is an Indian cucumber but is said to be more apple-like with a tart taste. I have not cut mine open yet as I’m still looking for the right recipe to use for such a beautiful veggie. I am looking for where to buy seeds for this cucumber, does anyone know of a good seed supplier for South Asian vegetables?

Oinky Oinky

JWise Photo of the Day

Priscilla the pig from Chile Acres farm in Tonopah, Arizona

Meet Priscilla the pig, she is Jimmie Petersen’s porcine birthday gift. This cute little swine is the newest member to the ungulate menagerie over at Chile Acres. Priscilla’s introduction to the farm cannot be better told than by Bubbles the Goat who described the hoggy shenanigans on Chile Acres own website, read all about it here. Priscilla currently resides in the barn next to the horses, who find her rather interesting. She likes cooling off in her private pool and munching on apples.

Out On The Farm

JWise Photo of the Day

Sunflowers from Tonopah Rob's Vegetable Farm in Tonopah, Arizona

I’ve been out on the farm quite a lot of late. I volunteer at Tonopah Rob’s Vegetable Farm in Tonopah, Arizona. Back in January, I wrote of visiting and shopping for veggies on his farm, now I spend two or three days a week and the occasional Saturday helping with farm chores. Besides the absolute fun and toil of learning how our food is grown and the extraordinary efforts that go into bringing veggies to market, I thoroughly enjoy the photographic opportunities. Some of my photos can be seen over at my Flickr account by clicking here.

My other efforts for Rob’s farm can be seen at his website http://www.tonopahrob.com where I have spent the better part of my blogging time posting there. Caroline recently added an image gallery module and I uploaded 120 of my favorite photos I have taken on the farm since last November. Our next web effort we are donating our time to is for a Monument Valley tour company. I’ll keep you posted.

My Navajo Rug

JWise Photo of the Day

A loom with a Navajo rug in progress as being made by John Wise in Arizona

After watching Caroline and her mother learn to make Navajo rugs, it is now my turn. I signed up for the class at Fiber Factory and Caroline decided to sign up a second time. Sharie Monsam teaches the class and is a great teacher  – she has a lot of patience. Learning this traditional art is not as easy as it looks. Just building the warp is a task and a half. The warp is the structure where the twine is tied and looped around the top and bottom pieces of wood and through which the weft yarn is going to be woven to create the rug. After the warp is created it is attached to the loom. So you are looking at my warp hung on the loom Fiber Factory lent me. The next step was to learn the pull shed and stick shed. If you want to know more and live in the Phoenix, Arizona area, visit Fiber Factory and sign up for the class. I would be remiss if I did not mention that Sharie is often joined by her good friend Mary Walker of Weaving in Beauty fame and soon-to-be-author of a book about Navajo weaving

Taming The West

JWise Photo of the Day

Caroline Wise posing with a .22 caliber and a .38 caliber hand gun near Saddle Mountain in Tonopah, Arizona

Turn 40, graduate from college, learn to spin, what’s next for Caroline? Shooting of course. Jimmie and Celia took Caroline and me out to Saddle Mountain in Tonopah, Arizona. with two handguns, a rifle, and two shotguns. We then proceeded to shoot stuff. Firing the .22 was OK, but the loudness of the .38 shocked her. Taking up the 12 gauge was almost too much, after firing once she was ready to quit, but gave it a couple more tries before her arms were too tired to lift her hat off her head.