I've been whining incessantly, it seems, that I desperately want (and need) to make some changes in my priorities in order to have more time for doing the things for which I feel a real need. At my leisure.
Winter arrived in our neck o' the woods a little early this year, and I'm taking it as a signal for me to jump into this time of hibernation with both feet while clutching knitting needles, a stack of good books and a lot of fabric with which to create.
I keep telling my husband (the man who never stops thinking, reading, researching, planning, gaining knowledge) that he doesn't have enough time in one life to pursue all of his personal interests let alone accomplish all the projects we'd like on our little homestead here. It's time I took my own advice.
To this end, one of the changes I have to make is to step away from the blogging world for the indefinite future. I will miss it. Terribly. (Oh, the withdrawal . . . I can feel the symptoms starting already.)
Having stated this need for a hiatus, you may get a good laugh when you see a new post from me in a week. Or less. Could well be. Or it may be possible for me to stay true to my intensions.
I don't know, but the only way for me to actually make some changes toward a more balanced life is to try.
Friday, November 30, 2018
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
I've Said It Before . . .
And I have to say it again: The hurrier I go, the behinder I get!
I had eight items to accomplish on my list today. I crossed off two of them. Yeah, just call me a Lazy Lump.
Of course, as so often happens, one little project that wasn't even on the list did take a bit of time. But it's all part of what goes on around here.
We were able to get two of those monster bales of hay (or I should say good swamp grass in this case) to use as bedding for our livestock this winter, plus it should provide me with enough for mulching needs in the garden, under fruit trees, etc. next year.
Both bales were loaded onto our flatbed trailer where we got them, but then we had to figure out how to unload them here. The flatbed does tilt, but we assumed they might tip and roll who-knew-in-what direction and end up who-knew-where.
Papa Pea figured we could put a chain around one and pull it off the trailer with the help of our tractor. (Sounded much better than the thought of the two of us trying to push them off.)
My dear husband knew better than I, because I even wondered if pulling with the chain would work considering they each weighed between 1200 and 1500 pounds.
First the one on the end came off with no trouble at all. Once it was on the ground Tractor Man pushed it into place with the bucket on the tractor, and the second one followed suit quickly. Whew, no problem!
I really shouldn't whine (but I am so feel free to cue the violins) about what I didn't get done this day. For as my husband always says, "It will be there tomorrow," which most of the time makes me want to smack him because I find tomorrow The List not only contains the old undone items from today but also several new items that seem to magically appear the second I look the other way.
I guess all this rambling is to say I apologize to those of you to whom I owe correspondence. I care about you so each morning I vow to make my latte and plunk myself down here at the computer and not leave until I'm. all. caught. up. To heck with the ankle deep litter on the kitchen floor and the coffee table and end table in the living room that are bending under the weight of piles of detritus waiting to be sorted through and put away. Let's not even think about the state of my quilt room as it's the one room in the house that seems to function as a haven for all kinds of stuff that I'm going to deal with . . . ummm, later.
Some time (heck, a LOT of time) has been put into decorating for the holidays during the last couple/few days.
So considering it's not even December 1st, I'm way ahead on that count, right? Right! I shall now quit the grumbling and remember that tomorrow is another day. (Okay, if you say so, Scarlett.)
I had eight items to accomplish on my list today. I crossed off two of them. Yeah, just call me a Lazy Lump.
Of course, as so often happens, one little project that wasn't even on the list did take a bit of time. But it's all part of what goes on around here.
We were able to get two of those monster bales of hay (or I should say good swamp grass in this case) to use as bedding for our livestock this winter, plus it should provide me with enough for mulching needs in the garden, under fruit trees, etc. next year.
Both bales were loaded onto our flatbed trailer where we got them, but then we had to figure out how to unload them here. The flatbed does tilt, but we assumed they might tip and roll who-knew-in-what direction and end up who-knew-where.
Papa Pea figured we could put a chain around one and pull it off the trailer with the help of our tractor. (Sounded much better than the thought of the two of us trying to push them off.)
My dear husband knew better than I, because I even wondered if pulling with the chain would work considering they each weighed between 1200 and 1500 pounds.
First the one on the end came off with no trouble at all. Once it was on the ground Tractor Man pushed it into place with the bucket on the tractor, and the second one followed suit quickly. Whew, no problem!
I really shouldn't whine (but I am so feel free to cue the violins) about what I didn't get done this day. For as my husband always says, "It will be there tomorrow," which most of the time makes me want to smack him because I find tomorrow The List not only contains the old undone items from today but also several new items that seem to magically appear the second I look the other way.
I guess all this rambling is to say I apologize to those of you to whom I owe correspondence. I care about you so each morning I vow to make my latte and plunk myself down here at the computer and not leave until I'm. all. caught. up. To heck with the ankle deep litter on the kitchen floor and the coffee table and end table in the living room that are bending under the weight of piles of detritus waiting to be sorted through and put away. Let's not even think about the state of my quilt room as it's the one room in the house that seems to function as a haven for all kinds of stuff that I'm going to deal with . . . ummm, later.
So considering it's not even December 1st, I'm way ahead on that count, right? Right! I shall now quit the grumbling and remember that tomorrow is another day. (Okay, if you say so, Scarlett.)
Friday, November 23, 2018
The Holiday Past
Our dear daughter made such a nice Thanksgiving Day for me by preparing much of the meal. It was so good to eat cooking other than my own. I never even asked just how she prepared each delicious dish, I just ate it with gusto and total enjoyment.
She even provided adult beverages for each of us. I got my favorite Bailey's Irish Cream on which I could easily get hooked if I let myself. We never touched the pumpkin pie I had made, but plan to do so tonight when she joins us for leftovers.
Still and all, the day after a major holiday always is kind of a let-down, isn't it? A little bit emotionally, sometimes physically, too
It's the physical tiredness that's affecting our small household today. Even though we had a low-key, relaxing, very enjoyable Thanksgiving Day yesterday, neither Papa Pea nor I could fall asleep last night.
We both tossed and turned, got up, came back to bed, got up again and, I think, finally laid down for the last time somewhere after 1:30 a.m. Then I woke at 4:25 and had a hard time falling back asleep. Was it the full moon? It wasn't from over-eating . . . or drinking, I know that.
The night before, for me anyway, wasn't much better. I woke after midnight (you know, when you feel like there is a switch that makes you go from sleeping to wide awake in an instant) and decided to go out to the couch to read because I didn't want to wake my soundly sleeping husband.
I was there reading for an hour or so when I was startled by a loud bang and crash. I couldn't tell exactly from where in the house it came, but it sure was enough to get my heart pumping. After a few minutes lying there with all senses on red-alert (and deciding that no, I wasn't going to go investigating at that hour, by myself, in the dark house), I got up and scurried back to the bedroom where I woke Papa Pea. I told him what had happened and he said he had heard the noise, too. Then he mumbled there must be some simple, logical explanation which we would discover in the morning. At least I was able to get back to sleep by snuggling close to him and assuring myself he was right.
What was the thing that went bump in the night?
A window in hubby's upstairs office shattered. You can see (I think) the shards still clinging to the frame in the above picture. Most all of the glass in the lower portion of the frame landed on the floor. This is the third of these particular windows we put in the house when we remodeled/built some twenty years ago that has shattered. Inferior glass? The previous two broke while bright sunlight was on them, but this one happened in the dark of the middle of the night. Did the full moon have anything to do with our nocturnal wakefulness and the window breaking? Who knows.
I do know that if I don't manage to get a good night's sleep tonight, I'm going to turn into a creaky, cranky, grumpy-dump old hag by tomorrow. And that's fair warning to all in the near vicinity!
She even provided adult beverages for each of us. I got my favorite Bailey's Irish Cream on which I could easily get hooked if I let myself. We never touched the pumpkin pie I had made, but plan to do so tonight when she joins us for leftovers.
Still and all, the day after a major holiday always is kind of a let-down, isn't it? A little bit emotionally, sometimes physically, too
It's the physical tiredness that's affecting our small household today. Even though we had a low-key, relaxing, very enjoyable Thanksgiving Day yesterday, neither Papa Pea nor I could fall asleep last night.
We both tossed and turned, got up, came back to bed, got up again and, I think, finally laid down for the last time somewhere after 1:30 a.m. Then I woke at 4:25 and had a hard time falling back asleep. Was it the full moon? It wasn't from over-eating . . . or drinking, I know that.
The night before, for me anyway, wasn't much better. I woke after midnight (you know, when you feel like there is a switch that makes you go from sleeping to wide awake in an instant) and decided to go out to the couch to read because I didn't want to wake my soundly sleeping husband.
I was there reading for an hour or so when I was startled by a loud bang and crash. I couldn't tell exactly from where in the house it came, but it sure was enough to get my heart pumping. After a few minutes lying there with all senses on red-alert (and deciding that no, I wasn't going to go investigating at that hour, by myself, in the dark house), I got up and scurried back to the bedroom where I woke Papa Pea. I told him what had happened and he said he had heard the noise, too. Then he mumbled there must be some simple, logical explanation which we would discover in the morning. At least I was able to get back to sleep by snuggling close to him and assuring myself he was right.
What was the thing that went bump in the night?
A window in hubby's upstairs office shattered. You can see (I think) the shards still clinging to the frame in the above picture. Most all of the glass in the lower portion of the frame landed on the floor. This is the third of these particular windows we put in the house when we remodeled/built some twenty years ago that has shattered. Inferior glass? The previous two broke while bright sunlight was on them, but this one happened in the dark of the middle of the night. Did the full moon have anything to do with our nocturnal wakefulness and the window breaking? Who knows.
I do know that if I don't manage to get a good night's sleep tonight, I'm going to turn into a creaky, cranky, grumpy-dump old hag by tomorrow. And that's fair warning to all in the near vicinity!
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
It's Thanksgiving Week!
We had a beautiful snowfall this morning.
It didn't last very long and only gave us a few inches but, none the less, it was so pretty to watch the big flakes coming down.
The last several winters we haven't gotten the amount of snow Papa Pea and I would like to see. I sure would be happy to have heavy amounts of snow return to our area. In the meantime, we'll enjoy what we do get.
A few days ago I wrapped all the Christmas presents we've already accumulated. Yep, being a smidge bit ahead this year (both in obtaining gifts to give AND wrapping them) feels great. How do you feel about the task of wrapping presents? I used to love it, took the time and was very creative in doing so. Then a couple few years ago, all of a sudden, I found I wasn't enjoying it . . . was actually dreading the chore. I have no idea what happened but my wrapping mojo done left the building. (And shows no sign of returning.)
Something else feels different this year. As much as I like winter time for the slower, more leisurely lifestyle it gives us, fall is my favorite time of year. And I love decorating the house, inside and out, for the colorful autumnal season. I think it may be because we got a bit of snow (and cold weather) early this year, but for the last few weeks, I've been itching to take down and pack away all the fall decorations and replace them with Christmas/winter ones whereas most years I actually mourn saying good-bye to all the fall colors. I have a feeling this coming Friday, right after Turkey Day, I'll be switching the decorations and being mighty happy doing it.
Starting last weekend, I've felt I'm finally beginning to wind down and relax. (Or I may be just unraveling and falling apart.) At any rate, it feels good. I've even started to put in time on making handwork items for Christmas . . . some sewn, some quilted, some embroidered or cross-stitched thingies that can be used as ornaments on a tree. Going through books and finding new holiday-ish recipes is appealing. (Although this morning I tried one that took way too much time and fussing, tasted nothing but ordinary, and made more pots and pans and dishes than I wanted to clean up. No matter. I'll never come across a new fantastic, delicious dish if I don't try new ones, right?)
I'm cooking our fourteen pound turkey tomorrow. In the past couple of years, I've started roasting it one day ahead because I have only the one oven and with the turkey in it, there's no room for any of the other hot dishes being prepared. The big bird gets carved up, then I warm up all the slices and parts of the turkey needed on a rack in a pan with a little water in the bottom and covered with foil on Thanksgiving. Works great and also enables me to make the gravy the day before with the turkey drippings which is then so easy to heat up before serving on Thursday. Not the Norman Rockwell way of presenting the beautifully baked turkey on the table for all to see, but it works much, much better for me.
I probably won't post again before Thanksgiving so I want to send Thanksgiving wishes from across the miles (and through the Internet!) from our home to yours.
Our driveway going out to the left,
the drive back to our
wood working area to the right.
It didn't last very long and only gave us a few inches but, none the less, it was so pretty to watch the big flakes coming down.
Standing at our back door
looking across the
driveway.
The last several winters we haven't gotten the amount of snow Papa Pea and I would like to see. I sure would be happy to have heavy amounts of snow return to our area. In the meantime, we'll enjoy what we do get.
A few days ago I wrapped all the Christmas presents we've already accumulated. Yep, being a smidge bit ahead this year (both in obtaining gifts to give AND wrapping them) feels great. How do you feel about the task of wrapping presents? I used to love it, took the time and was very creative in doing so. Then a couple few years ago, all of a sudden, I found I wasn't enjoying it . . . was actually dreading the chore. I have no idea what happened but my wrapping mojo done left the building. (And shows no sign of returning.)
Something else feels different this year. As much as I like winter time for the slower, more leisurely lifestyle it gives us, fall is my favorite time of year. And I love decorating the house, inside and out, for the colorful autumnal season. I think it may be because we got a bit of snow (and cold weather) early this year, but for the last few weeks, I've been itching to take down and pack away all the fall decorations and replace them with Christmas/winter ones whereas most years I actually mourn saying good-bye to all the fall colors. I have a feeling this coming Friday, right after Turkey Day, I'll be switching the decorations and being mighty happy doing it.
Starting last weekend, I've felt I'm finally beginning to wind down and relax. (Or I may be just unraveling and falling apart.) At any rate, it feels good. I've even started to put in time on making handwork items for Christmas . . . some sewn, some quilted, some embroidered or cross-stitched thingies that can be used as ornaments on a tree. Going through books and finding new holiday-ish recipes is appealing. (Although this morning I tried one that took way too much time and fussing, tasted nothing but ordinary, and made more pots and pans and dishes than I wanted to clean up. No matter. I'll never come across a new fantastic, delicious dish if I don't try new ones, right?)
I'm cooking our fourteen pound turkey tomorrow. In the past couple of years, I've started roasting it one day ahead because I have only the one oven and with the turkey in it, there's no room for any of the other hot dishes being prepared. The big bird gets carved up, then I warm up all the slices and parts of the turkey needed on a rack in a pan with a little water in the bottom and covered with foil on Thanksgiving. Works great and also enables me to make the gravy the day before with the turkey drippings which is then so easy to heat up before serving on Thursday. Not the Norman Rockwell way of presenting the beautifully baked turkey on the table for all to see, but it works much, much better for me.
I probably won't post again before Thanksgiving so I want to send Thanksgiving wishes from across the miles (and through the Internet!) from our home to yours.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
November Is A Good Month
But going by so very quickly that I'm almost panicking.
Today is Wednesday, mid-week already. Zoom, half another week gone. Right along with half of the month, too.
I don't know how it can be possible, but this time of year goes by faster for me than busy summer time. With our earlier than usual cold weather and a snow cover on the ground, I feel farther into the winter season than perhaps we actually are. But then again, Thanksgiving is next week. Yikes.
With the onset of temperatures hovering near the zero mark and our blanket of snow, the poultry isn't interested in leaving the confines of their shelters.
"Snow? You expect us to walk on bare feet in the snow??"
The chickens are showing their displeasure by refusing to lay eggs. Well, they're still laying but two or three a day from a dozen birds?! Come on, girls, I've got Christmas baking coming up shortly, and I'm gonna need a plentiful supply of eggs.
The mundane, but important, everyday tasks can keep me busy throughout the whole day, and I have to make a conscious effort to take/make the time to do the things my creativity and imagination yearn for.
Between a couple of hours last night and a short time this morning weaving in yarn ends, I've finished the latest pair of socks for my daughter. Now on to another pair for my husband to add to the two pair I've already knit for him. No doubt about it, knitting socks has become an addiction for me, especially when those near and dear are so appreciative of having them.
I'm thinking of making up the doughs for various Christmas cookies and stashing it in the freezer in anticipation of baking the cookies closer to holiday time. Can't say I thoroughly enjoy that part (the mixing of the dough) of making cookies, but forming the already mixed dough and baking and the wonderful aroma the house gets filled with while seeing the different colorful varieties pile up on the kitchen table and counters . . . that's the fun part for me.
I realize many people don't like, even dread, the gray, cold, monochromatic, dark month of November, but I've always been fond of it. It gives me a warm, fuzzy, hibernation-is-coming feeling and signals the true end of our busiest outdoor season. It brings the anticipation of the holidays, and the (yearned for) approach of the slower winter months ahead.
November is a good month.
Today is Wednesday, mid-week already. Zoom, half another week gone. Right along with half of the month, too.
I don't know how it can be possible, but this time of year goes by faster for me than busy summer time. With our earlier than usual cold weather and a snow cover on the ground, I feel farther into the winter season than perhaps we actually are. But then again, Thanksgiving is next week. Yikes.
With the onset of temperatures hovering near the zero mark and our blanket of snow, the poultry isn't interested in leaving the confines of their shelters.
"Snow? You expect us to walk on bare feet in the snow??"
The chickens are showing their displeasure by refusing to lay eggs. Well, they're still laying but two or three a day from a dozen birds?! Come on, girls, I've got Christmas baking coming up shortly, and I'm gonna need a plentiful supply of eggs.
The mundane, but important, everyday tasks can keep me busy throughout the whole day, and I have to make a conscious effort to take/make the time to do the things my creativity and imagination yearn for.
Between a couple of hours last night and a short time this morning weaving in yarn ends, I've finished the latest pair of socks for my daughter. Now on to another pair for my husband to add to the two pair I've already knit for him. No doubt about it, knitting socks has become an addiction for me, especially when those near and dear are so appreciative of having them.
I'm thinking of making up the doughs for various Christmas cookies and stashing it in the freezer in anticipation of baking the cookies closer to holiday time. Can't say I thoroughly enjoy that part (the mixing of the dough) of making cookies, but forming the already mixed dough and baking and the wonderful aroma the house gets filled with while seeing the different colorful varieties pile up on the kitchen table and counters . . . that's the fun part for me.
I realize many people don't like, even dread, the gray, cold, monochromatic, dark month of November, but I've always been fond of it. It gives me a warm, fuzzy, hibernation-is-coming feeling and signals the true end of our busiest outdoor season. It brings the anticipation of the holidays, and the (yearned for) approach of the slower winter months ahead.
November is a good month.
Saturday, November 10, 2018
A Winner . . . and Winter!
So nice of so many of you to be interested in receiving the pair of Thanksgiving-themed potholders I offered as a giveaway early this past week.
I numbered and wrote the names down on a tablet as your comments came in.
You filled every line plus one more at the bottom off to the side of the list.
This morning I put the numbers 1 - 24 in ahat bowl (recognize the bowl, Susan?) and drew one out.
I numbered and wrote the names down on a tablet as your comments came in.
You filled every line plus one more at the bottom off to the side of the list.
This morning I put the numbers 1 - 24 in a
(Ugh, blurry picture. Sorry.)
The number drawn was #10 which corresponds to:
wyomingheart
So, wyomingheart, if you will send me an e-mail with your mailing address, I'll get the potholders off to you asap!
Thanks to all who entered. Wish I had a set to send to each and every one of you. (I think I'll do another giveaway in a couple/few weeks for a set of Christmas-y potholders.)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Old Man Winter certainly arrived in a hurry in our neck o' the woods! We had light snow and heavy winds all day yesterday which rearranged the 3-plus inches of snow we had upon arising. Grid power went off for about two hours last night when (reportedly) a tree fell on a power line.
This morning the sun is shining . . . at least we think it's the sun. I mean, it's been so long! Our temp is only at a lowly 8 degrees above zero as we speak. Good thing we've got that sun!
I'm off now to bundle up, go outside and do some shoveling where the wind made drifts. In walkways, up against doors, gates, etc. Why is that always the way?
Wishing all of you a wonderful weekend!
Friday, November 9, 2018
I Am Excited!
It feels as though this wonderful winter season has begun! We woke to 3" or so of snow completely covering the ground this morning, and it's still snowing. Yippee!
It's been hard for us to "knock it off" for the winter when not only wasn't the ground frozen, but it was still sporting a lush coat of green grass everywhere one looked. (It could even have been mowed for a final time. But wasn't.)
It's been hard for us to "knock it off" for the winter when not only wasn't the ground frozen, but it was still sporting a lush coat of green grass everywhere one looked. (It could even have been mowed for a final time. But wasn't.)
View of our pond this morning
taken by me hanging out of Papa Pea's
second story office window.
I'm thinking the deer hunters will be happy to see the tracking snow, too, as last weekend when the season opened the ground in the woods was littered with crunchy leaves and dry weeds.
While Papa Pea was outside yesterday moving a compost bin to a more convenient winter location, taking down the spring/summer/fall configuration of electric fencing, etc., etc., I was inside doing a thorough house cleaning, making a big batch of Salmon Chowder and baking a Lemon Pound Cake.
A friend of ours is arriving from the Twin Cities today to spend the next week or so based at another friend's house for some serious deer hunting. He'll stop here for lunch and a visit on his way. The chowder with a tossed salad and warmed biscuits I pulled from the freezer will make an easy lunch. Oh, and a slice of the pound cake with a small plop of vanilla ice cream and some haskap berry syrup drizzled over the top for dessert.
The rest of the day you'll find me with my knitting (I'm on a tear to finish this pair of socks for our daughter) on the couch in front of an open fire. A glorious way to start the official (in my book, anyway) start of a lovely winter season.
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Let's Have A Giveaway!
I made a couple of autumnal/Thanksgiving themed potholders that I'm offering as a giveaway here on my blog.
Are your present potholders so dilapidated you'll be embarrassed to let your guests see them at Thanksgiving time?
Or have you been invited out for Thanksgiving Dinner and would like to take these as a small hostess gift?
Are your present potholders so dilapidated you'll be embarrassed to let your guests see them at Thanksgiving time?
Or have you been invited out for Thanksgiving Dinner and would like to take these as a small hostess gift?
The front of the potholders.
And the back.
They are machine pieced and machine quilted. There's a layer of heat resistant fabric, along with a layer of batting, inside so you shouldn't worry about burning your little fingers while using them. (Although, I did once try to take something out of the oven with one of my potholders that was wet. Baaaad idea!)
The potholders are washable and dryable when needed.
This is Tuesday, the 6th of the month. If you wish to have your name put in the hat for a chance to win these, please let me know in the comments section before Friday, the 9th, at 9 p.m. when my computer will be shut down for the night.
I'll draw a winner Saturday morning and post your name.
Even if you've never commented on my blog before (or comment regularly -- thank you!), feel free to enter your name for the drawing. Anybody interested??
Friday, November 2, 2018
Two Projects For Show And Tell
No time in the quilt room for the past three days. Just didn't work out with other things going on.
But early this week I did finish a winter-themed table runner for our coffee table.
It's a pattern, fabric included, I ordered from Connecting Threads. I altered it a bit as the size was too big for my space and also substituted one fabric I had in my stash for one they included which I didn't like.
I machine quilted the runner (thought the quilting would show up more on this close-up, but it doesn't) and the three snowflakes were machine appliqued. Ha, the most time consuming part of the whole project was cutting out the snowflakes!
This small wall hanging I did to decorate the side of a storage cabinet in our entry room. You see this area when you come into the house proper from our enclosed porch.
This close-up shows the true colors of it more than the first picture which makes the background look gray. It's machine pieced and hand quilted. I got the idea for it from a piece in one of Kim Diehl's books, and chose the Sawtooth Star block for each of the six 4" blocks. I used all reproduction prints from my stash.
Two small projects done and completed! Now I'm determined to finish a full-sized quilt I started quite a while ago. The blocks are fairly complicated to construct, then they're sewn into strips, and lastly the strips are sewn together to complete the top.
When I first started this quilt (just how long ago was that?), I had the first half done and hanging on my design wall when I noticed (eeeek!) I had put one 16" block, made up of four 8" blocks (each of the 8" blocks made up of a multitude of smaller pieces) in upside down. Was it near the end of a row? Was it in the first row on the top? Was it on the last row I had joined? Nope. It was right in the middle which entailed lots of careful ripping out and then the patience of Job stitching it back in right side up. How could I have not noticed that? Arrrgh.
I did make myself do the work of fixing it, but then was so disgruntled with it that I packed it away and didn't look at it until a couple of days ago.
Fortunately, I've kinda sorta forgotten how much work it was to rectify mystoopid mistake and now am enthused about finishing the whole quilt top.
Believe me, I'm carefully scrutinizing my work (more than once) with each and every step now. Don't want to have two really bad oopsies in the same quilt!
But early this week I did finish a winter-themed table runner for our coffee table.
It's a pattern, fabric included, I ordered from Connecting Threads. I altered it a bit as the size was too big for my space and also substituted one fabric I had in my stash for one they included which I didn't like.
I machine quilted the runner (thought the quilting would show up more on this close-up, but it doesn't) and the three snowflakes were machine appliqued. Ha, the most time consuming part of the whole project was cutting out the snowflakes!
This close-up shows the true colors of it more than the first picture which makes the background look gray. It's machine pieced and hand quilted. I got the idea for it from a piece in one of Kim Diehl's books, and chose the Sawtooth Star block for each of the six 4" blocks. I used all reproduction prints from my stash.
Two small projects done and completed! Now I'm determined to finish a full-sized quilt I started quite a while ago. The blocks are fairly complicated to construct, then they're sewn into strips, and lastly the strips are sewn together to complete the top.
When I first started this quilt (just how long ago was that?), I had the first half done and hanging on my design wall when I noticed (eeeek!) I had put one 16" block, made up of four 8" blocks (each of the 8" blocks made up of a multitude of smaller pieces) in upside down. Was it near the end of a row? Was it in the first row on the top? Was it on the last row I had joined? Nope. It was right in the middle which entailed lots of careful ripping out and then the patience of Job stitching it back in right side up. How could I have not noticed that? Arrrgh.
I did make myself do the work of fixing it, but then was so disgruntled with it that I packed it away and didn't look at it until a couple of days ago.
Fortunately, I've kinda sorta forgotten how much work it was to rectify my
Believe me, I'm carefully scrutinizing my work (more than once) with each and every step now. Don't want to have two really bad oopsies in the same quilt!
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Ruminations
A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a small book at our second hand resale shop called The Little Book of Christmas Joys - 432 things to do for yourself and others that just might make this the best Christmas ever. Written and compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr., it's another in the series of "little books" by this same author of Life's Little Instruction Book, Live and Learn and Pass It On and several others.
Anyway. I decided to save the Christmas Joys book to read closer to the holiday season, maybe right after Thanksgiving. But seeing this new-to-me book of his caused me to pull my copy of Life's Little Instruction Book off the shelf and page through it as I've done many times before.
Here are a couple/few of the gems he puts forth:
Anyway. I decided to save the Christmas Joys book to read closer to the holiday season, maybe right after Thanksgiving. But seeing this new-to-me book of his caused me to pull my copy of Life's Little Instruction Book off the shelf and page through it as I've done many times before.
Here are a couple/few of the gems he puts forth:
Give to charity all the clothes you
haven't worn during the past three years.
Good gosh. I have clothes in my closet I haven't worn in the last twenty years.
Why is that? It makes no sense to keep them when they obviously either don't fit into my current lifestyle or they aren't comfortable enough to wear or I don't like them enough to wear them.
Do you follow this rather sensible seeming rule of thumb when it comes to your clothes?
Don't take good health for granted.
I've had a serious illness, I'm fully recovered and don't think I'll ever, ever, EVER take my good health for granted. I feel grrreat (said in Tony the Tiger's voice) 99% of the time for which I shall always be grateful.
Have you ever experienced a serious illness or breakdown of your health in your own life? Did it make you appreciate good health? (Is that a silly question?)
Don't smoke.
Easy enough to say, but a really tough one for anyone addicted to smoking.
I smoked for somewhere around a year starting with my first year in college (about 75 years ago). Criminy, the dorm I lived in even had a large, comfortably furnished room on each floor called "The Smoker."
I was fortunate I didn't continue the habit and was never really hooked. It was more of a way to fit in socially at the time.
Have you ever smoked? Do you currently smoke? Have you tried to quit or are you contemplating doing so?
Never give a loved one a gift that
suggests they need improvement.
I don't think I've ever done this. (Hoping this is true.)
However, I have received such a gift. Even now, several years after the fact, I still do a slow burn when I think about it. Especially since the person gifting me could have benefited from the particular subject of the book more than I!
I know the "gift" was given to me in good faith; I know the giver did not intend to be hurtful or mean. But still.
Have you ever been guilty of doing such a thing, thinking you were being helpful? Or have you ever been on the receiving end of such a gift?
End of my ruminations. I'd love to hear your reactions to these bits of wisdom as put forth by Mr. Brown.
Friday, October 26, 2018
Settling In For A Do-Nothing-I-Can-Avoid Weekend
Just checked the weather forecast for the weekend and am actually glad to see more rain in the offing.
It's been drizzling on and off all of today, and even though the outside temp has reached the 40s, I've been a wee bit chilly inside. I'm just too stubborn to push the thermostat on the L.P. furnace up a notch, but did put on a zip-up sweatshirt over my turtleneck and crewneck sweatshirt. It's not too cool in here; it's me. I know I'm a bit run down.
Haven't been sleeping well the last of this week and when I am zonked out, my dreams have been wild and exhausting.
As soon as I get the dishes in the sink taken care of, myself in and out of the shower, and my flannel jammies and robe on, I'm parking on the couch until bedtime. I'm not even going to try to knit, but rather just grab the book I'm reading.
I took this apple coffee cake (for the weekend) out of the oven a while ago.
We had an easy meal of cream of cauliflower soup with some wild rice added for our second meal of the day.
I've already caved and made a small fire in the living room wood stove. This will be my view from the couch in a short time.
I'm going to try to do nuthin' but relax most of the weekend. (Wish me luck, please.)
Tell me, dear readers, what do you do to recharge your batteries when your body tells you loud and clear that you're running on empty?
It's been drizzling on and off all of today, and even though the outside temp has reached the 40s, I've been a wee bit chilly inside. I'm just too stubborn to push the thermostat on the L.P. furnace up a notch, but did put on a zip-up sweatshirt over my turtleneck and crewneck sweatshirt. It's not too cool in here; it's me. I know I'm a bit run down.
Haven't been sleeping well the last of this week and when I am zonked out, my dreams have been wild and exhausting.
As soon as I get the dishes in the sink taken care of, myself in and out of the shower, and my flannel jammies and robe on, I'm parking on the couch until bedtime. I'm not even going to try to knit, but rather just grab the book I'm reading.
I took this apple coffee cake (for the weekend) out of the oven a while ago.
We had an easy meal of cream of cauliflower soup with some wild rice added for our second meal of the day.
I've already caved and made a small fire in the living room wood stove. This will be my view from the couch in a short time.
I'm going to try to do nuthin' but relax most of the weekend. (Wish me luck, please.)
Tell me, dear readers, what do you do to recharge your batteries when your body tells you loud and clear that you're running on empty?
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Why I'm Not In My Quilt Room Yet
After an especially busy weekend ending with our little butchering project on Sunday, yesterday didn't seem to slow down one bit.
I know I'm a stickler for it, but Monday is my laundry and ironing day so I was up and going at 6 a.m. getting that started.
It was my turn to have my handwork group here at 10 a.m. There are seven of us gals but, of course, not everyone can make it each time. Yesterday six of us crowded into my quilt room (hey, I did spend a couple of hours in my quilt room!) and, per usual, the chatter (and the handwork, honest) was non-stop along with a lot of laughter and very good natured giving-of-a-hard time to one another. (What else are good friends for?)
In honor of the upcoming Halloween holiday, I made a (Tootsie Pop and kleenex) ghost for each of the gals and had the bunch of them in a jar as a centerpiece on the table. (The ghosts, not the ladies.)
In the afternoon, Papa Pea asked if I would do a couple of errands in town so after changing yet another load in the washer, off I went.
Since I was there, I couldn't resist stopping in at the library (I love our library) to pick up a couple of novels. No real need to do so as I'm not even 1/3 of the way through the one I'm currently reading. The only time I read is if I manage to get into bed at night before my better half, and then I usually can read maybe 10 minutes before I conk out. I'll bet I've brought about 100 books home from the library in the past year, but have managed to actually read through probably only four. Sigh. (That's gonna change this winter though.)
When leaving the library, I remembered our local resale shop has already gone to their winter hours and is open only three days a week, Monday being one of those days. And, boy howdy, am I glad I took the time to go there!
We've been looking for some long-handled tongs for a while now for grabbing birds out of the scalding pot prior to plucking the feathers. This set was just what I've been looking for.
I also found a brand new insulated coffee carafe exactly like the one I already have. (New one on the left, old one on the right.) Yesterday morning for my handwork group, I first served from a pot of coffee, then they drained the one carafe filled with more coffee, and I definitely could have used more. Well, now I'll have a second back-up carafe next time they're here!
Okay, that just about took care of yesterday. Did I mention I was in bed asleep before 9 p.m.?
This morning we dug our potatoes. Not the best crop we've ever had but we guesstimate we got between 125 and 130 pounds. The number of Yukon Golds were a bit of a disappointment (the light colored ones in the picture), but the ones that did grow were quite big.
All of the potatoes that were very small or had holes in them where slugs had munched will be cooked up on Papa Pea's garage wood stove and fed to the poultry.
This afternoon we harvested apples. No, not from the paltry number on our trees this year. Those same few apples that Blue Jays have nearly decimated. Is that sad or what?
These apples are from a tree in the yard of good friends of our daughter. It's a very big, old tree that was planted by the husband's grandfather. No one remembers the variety, but it is a beautiful, healthy tree that had about a gazillion apples on it this year. It isn't sprayed with poisons or insecticides, yet the tasty apples are unblemished. What beauties! Countless people had already come to pick as many apples as they wanted from it and only the ones on the very tip-top were left, but we were offered them if we wanted to take the time and trouble to pick them. Did we ever!
With the combination of an apple picker on a long pole and an extension ladder, we got about 3 bushels of them. Considering we thought we were going to be darn near apple-less this year, we're so very appreciative of this couples' generosity.
Now I'm trying to do my weekly ironing (okay, I'm fluffing off getting this post written) and heating up leftover soup and making some garlic bread for our second meal of the day.
And that's why I'm not in my quilt room yet! (As said by Lily Tomlin in her "Edith Ann" voice from Laugh In. Anybody but me old enough to remember that?)
I know I'm a stickler for it, but Monday is my laundry and ironing day so I was up and going at 6 a.m. getting that started.
It was my turn to have my handwork group here at 10 a.m. There are seven of us gals but, of course, not everyone can make it each time. Yesterday six of us crowded into my quilt room (hey, I did spend a couple of hours in my quilt room!) and, per usual, the chatter (and the handwork, honest) was non-stop along with a lot of laughter and very good natured giving-of-a-hard time to one another. (What else are good friends for?)
In honor of the upcoming Halloween holiday, I made a (Tootsie Pop and kleenex) ghost for each of the gals and had the bunch of them in a jar as a centerpiece on the table. (The ghosts, not the ladies.)
In the afternoon, Papa Pea asked if I would do a couple of errands in town so after changing yet another load in the washer, off I went.
Since I was there, I couldn't resist stopping in at the library (I love our library) to pick up a couple of novels. No real need to do so as I'm not even 1/3 of the way through the one I'm currently reading. The only time I read is if I manage to get into bed at night before my better half, and then I usually can read maybe 10 minutes before I conk out. I'll bet I've brought about 100 books home from the library in the past year, but have managed to actually read through probably only four. Sigh. (That's gonna change this winter though.)
When leaving the library, I remembered our local resale shop has already gone to their winter hours and is open only three days a week, Monday being one of those days. And, boy howdy, am I glad I took the time to go there!
We've been looking for some long-handled tongs for a while now for grabbing birds out of the scalding pot prior to plucking the feathers. This set was just what I've been looking for.
I also found a brand new insulated coffee carafe exactly like the one I already have. (New one on the left, old one on the right.) Yesterday morning for my handwork group, I first served from a pot of coffee, then they drained the one carafe filled with more coffee, and I definitely could have used more. Well, now I'll have a second back-up carafe next time they're here!
Okay, that just about took care of yesterday. Did I mention I was in bed asleep before 9 p.m.?
This morning we dug our potatoes. Not the best crop we've ever had but we guesstimate we got between 125 and 130 pounds. The number of Yukon Golds were a bit of a disappointment (the light colored ones in the picture), but the ones that did grow were quite big.
All of the potatoes that were very small or had holes in them where slugs had munched will be cooked up on Papa Pea's garage wood stove and fed to the poultry.
This afternoon we harvested apples. No, not from the paltry number on our trees this year. Those same few apples that Blue Jays have nearly decimated. Is that sad or what?
These apples are from a tree in the yard of good friends of our daughter. It's a very big, old tree that was planted by the husband's grandfather. No one remembers the variety, but it is a beautiful, healthy tree that had about a gazillion apples on it this year. It isn't sprayed with poisons or insecticides, yet the tasty apples are unblemished. What beauties! Countless people had already come to pick as many apples as they wanted from it and only the ones on the very tip-top were left, but we were offered them if we wanted to take the time and trouble to pick them. Did we ever!
With the combination of an apple picker on a long pole and an extension ladder, we got about 3 bushels of them. Considering we thought we were going to be darn near apple-less this year, we're so very appreciative of this couples' generosity.
Now I'm trying to do my weekly ironing (okay, I'm fluffing off getting this post written) and heating up leftover soup and making some garlic bread for our second meal of the day.
And that's why I'm not in my quilt room yet! (As said by Lily Tomlin in her "Edith Ann" voice from Laugh In. Anybody but me old enough to remember that?)
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Good, Satisfying Day
We've been having night time temps that are slightly below freezing, but we haven't had any rain (or snow!) in the last few days. So 'twas time to get out into the garden this morning and see if we could get some more compost added to the soil.
Papa Pea spread it on the raised beds that hadn't gotten their dose late this summer . . . the beds I'd first cleared of vegetation. Before noon I was able to get the compost on four of the beds tilled in. I know I could just leave it on the surface over winter, but I do believe the little bit of oozing into the soil it does before spring helps if it's incorporated now.
He was surprised to find corners of the compost bins slightly frozen. I also noticed the very tip-top of the soil in the beds to be kinda crunchy. Jack Frost is starting to get a grip.
Yesterday I finally got my garlic planted and covered with mulch which is held down with a cattle panel. We're still living in The Land of the Big Winds so I didn't want to chance all that mulch blowing into the next county.
This coming week promises a warm-up with no more frost for several days, and that's a good thing because . . .
. . . we still have to dig our potatoes, and which we will definitely do this week. The above picture shows a part of one row of them I planted in the "new" patch. Looks as though we still have more rocks to pick up in that area. I cannot believe how many times we've filled buckets and buckets from there already.
This week, I'll also dig and store the gladioli corms which are 6" under the soil and won't have been harmed by this light freezing.
The foliage of the glads still shows a lot of green, but I'm thinking they have to come out now. (Would you agree, Karen?)
Oh, yes, I almost forgot that we still have to cover the strawberries with a good blanket of mulch. (Does the gardening season sometimes seem to go on forever, or is it just me this year?)
We also did some fence mending this morning and got the inside of the garage all set for butchering this afternoon. Blech, a necessary chore nobody looks forward to.
We have only six geese to do and we're going to skin rather than pluck them so we're hoping we'll be done before midnight. (That was a joke. I hope.) Our good neighbors are coming over to help as we offered the meat to them. D loves to make jerky (and is good at it), and says he wants to experiment with making it from the ground goose meat.
Time for me to get going on this afternoon's activities. Toodles.
Papa Pea spread it on the raised beds that hadn't gotten their dose late this summer . . . the beds I'd first cleared of vegetation. Before noon I was able to get the compost on four of the beds tilled in. I know I could just leave it on the surface over winter, but I do believe the little bit of oozing into the soil it does before spring helps if it's incorporated now.
He was surprised to find corners of the compost bins slightly frozen. I also noticed the very tip-top of the soil in the beds to be kinda crunchy. Jack Frost is starting to get a grip.
Yesterday I finally got my garlic planted and covered with mulch which is held down with a cattle panel. We're still living in The Land of the Big Winds so I didn't want to chance all that mulch blowing into the next county.
This coming week promises a warm-up with no more frost for several days, and that's a good thing because . . .
. . . we still have to dig our potatoes, and which we will definitely do this week. The above picture shows a part of one row of them I planted in the "new" patch. Looks as though we still have more rocks to pick up in that area. I cannot believe how many times we've filled buckets and buckets from there already.
This week, I'll also dig and store the gladioli corms which are 6" under the soil and won't have been harmed by this light freezing.
The foliage of the glads still shows a lot of green, but I'm thinking they have to come out now. (Would you agree, Karen?)
Oh, yes, I almost forgot that we still have to cover the strawberries with a good blanket of mulch. (Does the gardening season sometimes seem to go on forever, or is it just me this year?)
We also did some fence mending this morning and got the inside of the garage all set for butchering this afternoon. Blech, a necessary chore nobody looks forward to.
We have only six geese to do and we're going to skin rather than pluck them so we're hoping we'll be done before midnight. (That was a joke. I hope.) Our good neighbors are coming over to help as we offered the meat to them. D loves to make jerky (and is good at it), and says he wants to experiment with making it from the ground goose meat.
Time for me to get going on this afternoon's activities. Toodles.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Words of Wisdom (Not Mine!)
Spending odd moments lately, trying to go through and clean out, sort and organize my desk, I came across a slip of paper smooshed at the back of one drawer. On it I had copied down the following wise words. My sincere apologies for not listing the author as I failed to note the same on the scrap of paper. Perhaps they were listed as anonymous. I know not, but at any rate, they struck a chord within me, and I wanted to share them with you.
Strive to live more slowly.
Keep watch for the first snowdrops,
walk outside in the rain,
and listen for the return of the swallows.
Share stories and seasonal feasts around campfires.
Scribble ideas and illustrations
on an adventure in the woods,
on a mountain hike,
or on an early morning
stroll around your garden.
Choose local, handmade and sustainable.
Try your hand at
weaving, whittling, foraging
and bottling.
And every day, venture out and
CELEBRATE THE SEASONS!
Monday, October 15, 2018
Speaking of Handknit Socks . . .
Below is the first pair of socks I knit for my husband.
These are the gargantuan holes in the heel of one sock.
This was after last week when I meticulously darned a hole in the toe of the same pair of socks and accused him of not cutting his toenails short enough.
The yarn was (what I thought) a good quality, but you can see it's already started to pill more than one would like.
It seems that this pair of socks held up for about two months, being worn once a week, but is now rapidly falling apart.
The other two pair I've knit him he wears regularly (different yarns) and seem just fine.
I don't know how you tell, but beware of sock yarn that doesn't hold up. Or perhaps I should say beware of sock yarn that does hole up. (Haha.)
Drat and darn. (Pun not intended as I'm not going to waste my time darning these socks anymore. For all I know, the way things are going, next the cuff may fall off.)
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Attempting Change
For the past couple of weeks, we've been trying a new meal schedule.
We've always been a three, nutritious meals a day kinda family, but Papa Pea has been doing more and more research that seems to point out the fact that the body actually has to work to digest food. Also, one of the best ways for your body to utilize and optimize the food you put into it is to create a little bit of a rest or "fast" for your digestion system. How to do this?
Go to a two meal a day schedule. We all normally get that fasting period over night, but rarely during the daylight hours when perhaps our bodies would operate more efficiently if they weren't using the energy to digest more frequently eaten food.
This may seem like a simple thing to do, but it does present a couple of little glitches. Funny thing, most of the rest of the people we associate with are not programmed to eating their first meal at 9:30 a.m. and their last meal of the day at 4:30 p.m.
So even though we've been trying to stick with this new schedule, it's been inevitable that there are days when it just doesn't work out.
We have an extra body or two around at noon time? Well, a lunch needs to served. I want to meet a girlfriend for lunch? That date naturally falls around 12 noon. I want to invite folks for dinner? For some reason, asking them to arrive and be ready to eat at 4:30 won't go over well.
Those days are the exceptions, and we're certainly being flexible about it. But when it's just the two of us doin' our thing around ye ol' homestead, we've been sticking to the two meals a day . . . and find we like it!
Yes, the hours from 4:30 p.m. of one day until 9:30 a.m. the next day are quite a few, no doubt about that. Many evenings we'll have a glass of wine or kombucha while winding down last thing before bed. But other than that we are surviving the 16-17 hours between very well. It's our bodies' true fasting period and surprisingly enough, we haven't been suffering bad hunger pains that make us uncomfortable either during the day or night.
Hmmm, could there actually be something to this? Do our bodies need and appreciate the break from the work of digestion of food?
I do know it's saving me time in not having to stop whatever else I may be involved in to make that third meal each day. (Let alone both of us sitting down to eat it.) Plus, we've got to be ingesting fewer calories which should eventually lead to slight (at least) weight loss for each of us. It's been proven thinner people live longer than heavier ones so that's a good thing. (Lean and mean, that's our goal.) And our food supplies will last longer, and we'll save money!
Oh, balderdash! I see now I grew way too much in the garden this year. (Hee-hee.)
Bottom line, change can be good. I'll keep you posted as to how this one continues to pan out.
We've always been a three, nutritious meals a day kinda family, but Papa Pea has been doing more and more research that seems to point out the fact that the body actually has to work to digest food. Also, one of the best ways for your body to utilize and optimize the food you put into it is to create a little bit of a rest or "fast" for your digestion system. How to do this?
Go to a two meal a day schedule. We all normally get that fasting period over night, but rarely during the daylight hours when perhaps our bodies would operate more efficiently if they weren't using the energy to digest more frequently eaten food.
This may seem like a simple thing to do, but it does present a couple of little glitches. Funny thing, most of the rest of the people we associate with are not programmed to eating their first meal at 9:30 a.m. and their last meal of the day at 4:30 p.m.
So even though we've been trying to stick with this new schedule, it's been inevitable that there are days when it just doesn't work out.
We have an extra body or two around at noon time? Well, a lunch needs to served. I want to meet a girlfriend for lunch? That date naturally falls around 12 noon. I want to invite folks for dinner? For some reason, asking them to arrive and be ready to eat at 4:30 won't go over well.
Those days are the exceptions, and we're certainly being flexible about it. But when it's just the two of us doin' our thing around ye ol' homestead, we've been sticking to the two meals a day . . . and find we like it!
Yes, the hours from 4:30 p.m. of one day until 9:30 a.m. the next day are quite a few, no doubt about that. Many evenings we'll have a glass of wine or kombucha while winding down last thing before bed. But other than that we are surviving the 16-17 hours between very well. It's our bodies' true fasting period and surprisingly enough, we haven't been suffering bad hunger pains that make us uncomfortable either during the day or night.
Hmmm, could there actually be something to this? Do our bodies need and appreciate the break from the work of digestion of food?
I do know it's saving me time in not having to stop whatever else I may be involved in to make that third meal each day. (Let alone both of us sitting down to eat it.) Plus, we've got to be ingesting fewer calories which should eventually lead to slight (at least) weight loss for each of us. It's been proven thinner people live longer than heavier ones so that's a good thing. (Lean and mean, that's our goal.) And our food supplies will last longer, and we'll save money!
Oh, balderdash! I see now I grew way too much in the garden this year. (Hee-hee.)
Bottom line, change can be good. I'll keep you posted as to how this one continues to pan out.
Monday, October 8, 2018
Ty-RED! (Tired.)
This past Saturday I got the Brussels sprouts harvested with the much appreciated help of Papa Pea, cleaned, blanched and frozen. It was a job!
The big wind storm knocked nearly every one of the heavily laden plants over where they lay in the mud produced by our continuing rains. What a mess that created. At the moment, I'm so bummed out at any and all mention of Brussels sprouts, I've vowed not to grow them next year.
Today we had rain all day long. Again. The same is forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday. And oh, by the way, we're to expect high winds for tomorrow night with the rain.
There's no doubt in my mind that even if the rain stops by the time we're ready to harvest our potatoes, they will be one huge muddy mess with which to deal. The carrots won't be that much of a problem as the wet, soft earth will make pulling them easy. A quick spray off with the hose and they'll be ready to be stored.
I just ran across a quote from John Greenleaf Whittier in his poem, "The Pumpkin":
The big wind storm knocked nearly every one of the heavily laden plants over where they lay in the mud produced by our continuing rains. What a mess that created. At the moment, I'm so bummed out at any and all mention of Brussels sprouts, I've vowed not to grow them next year.
Today we had rain all day long. Again. The same is forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday. And oh, by the way, we're to expect high winds for tomorrow night with the rain.
There's no doubt in my mind that even if the rain stops by the time we're ready to harvest our potatoes, they will be one huge muddy mess with which to deal. The carrots won't be that much of a problem as the wet, soft earth will make pulling them easy. A quick spray off with the hose and they'll be ready to be stored.
I just ran across a quote from John Greenleaf Whittier in his poem, "The Pumpkin":
What moistens the lip,
and what brightens the eye,
What calls back the past,
like the rich pumpkin pie!
(Of course, then there's Garrison Keillor who has said the best pumpkin pie you've ever tasted is not that much different than the worst.)
I'm bummed that I didn't grow either Jack O' Lantern pumpkins or pie pumpkins this year. Just couldn't find room for them. I have one package of pureed pumpkin left from last year, but after that I will have no more. Next year, somehow, some way, I'm finding room to grow pie pumpkins for sure.
Ask me if my legs are sore. Cowabunga, Chief, are my legs ever sore! Even though the moisture so frequently falling from the sky has made it nearly impossible, whenever there has been a break in the miserable weather and the surfaces are dry enough, I've been working on painting the trim on the house.
I've done my share of painting on ladders in my life but never have I had such sore muscles from doing so. With the paint can in one hand, the brush in the other, I must be trying to hang onto the ladder with my leg muscles, primarily the long ones (quadriceps?) in the front because those are the ones that are causing me to have to drop out of any and all hurdle races. (Ha-ha.)
I suspect my body is just tired at this point after a busy, busy summer of physical exertion.
A book I'm currently reading is "Swimming in the Sink" by Lynne Cox, the elite athlete and open-water swimmer. She talks about a medical problem she experienced and the severe exhaustion (both physical and emotional) she suffered at one point in her life. At that time, she realized she had to listen to her body and would sleep 12 hours, get up, drink a couple glasses of water, eat an apple, go back to bed and sleep another 24 hours straight, etc.
That's what I want to do right now. Shed all responsibilities, crawl into bed with a stack of good books (for those waking moments) and sleep, read, sleep, read, sleep. (With my bladder, there would be slight interruptions for trips to the little room a few steps from the bedroom, of course. And maybe to the kitchen for that apple or two.)
No, I'm not anywhere near severe exhaustion in any way, shape or form, but I wouldn't mind some serious relaxation for a day. Or six.
And isn't this dreary, dark, rain-filled weather just perfect for that?
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Bad Wind Storm
We had a whopper-doo of a wind storm last night. It started about 10 p.m. and roared on until the wee hours this morning.
Grid power went out almost immediately and the winds were clocked as high as 56 mph.
We were up several times during the night really concerned about things that were going bump in the night, but couldn't see much because of the darkness.
This morning our solar energy system provided us with lights, water and power to our freezers and refrigerators so we weren't inconvenienced to any great deal.
We had some damage but, we're happy to report, nothing very serious.
The little house where the three new chicks and their two mamas have been ensconced was topped over by the wind. Thankfully, all five inhabitants were alive and well, happily pecking in the poultry pasture first thing this morning. (Talk about being resilient after what must have been a really rough night for them!)
The two cold frames I had on those raised beds I recently harvested were relocated.
This one hung on to its moorings (sort of) but the top was ripped off backwards.
See that cold frame over there in the distance? It was on the bed in the forefront of the picture.
Given the distance it traveled (and I'm guessing it must have rolled over a couple of times), it still looks to be in good shape. But we haven't located the top cover for it. Yet.
The biggest tree that went down was in our back wood working area (convenient, eh?) and missed hitting anything it would have smashed to smithereens.
It doesn't look too big in the first picture, but this one above gives more of an idea of its 18" diameter. We spent a good part of the day limbing it, hauling the branches away and getting most of it cut into pieces, some of which will, needless to say, have to be split.
There were several trees down that blocked our driveway. You can see a couple in this picture.
There's a main power line through the woods and crossing our driveway about two-thirds of the way down it. Before we could get to that area, men from the power company arrived and started the job of removing one huge tree that had fallen on the lines.
They said they had cleared two spots where trees had fallen across our driveway to get in to the power line. That saved us a lot of work we would have had to do.
One has to give the power company employees a whole lot of credit. They had been on the job since ten o'clock last night working in difficult conditions. And they do this regularly at all times of the year.
The grid power has now been restored, thanks to those hard-working people (even earlier than we had been told to expect), and I'm exhausted (I think Papa Pea's a little tired, too) and hope there's nothing to interrupt my sleep tonight 'cause I'm gonna need it.
We're very, very thankful we suffered no real damage from the crazy, high winds that blew through with this storm.
The forecast for us for tonight? Rain and snow mix, 1"-3" possible. Here we go!
Grid power went out almost immediately and the winds were clocked as high as 56 mph.
We were up several times during the night really concerned about things that were going bump in the night, but couldn't see much because of the darkness.
This morning our solar energy system provided us with lights, water and power to our freezers and refrigerators so we weren't inconvenienced to any great deal.
We had some damage but, we're happy to report, nothing very serious.
The little house where the three new chicks and their two mamas have been ensconced was topped over by the wind. Thankfully, all five inhabitants were alive and well, happily pecking in the poultry pasture first thing this morning. (Talk about being resilient after what must have been a really rough night for them!)
The two cold frames I had on those raised beds I recently harvested were relocated.
This one hung on to its moorings (sort of) but the top was ripped off backwards.
See that cold frame over there in the distance? It was on the bed in the forefront of the picture.
Given the distance it traveled (and I'm guessing it must have rolled over a couple of times), it still looks to be in good shape. But we haven't located the top cover for it. Yet.
The biggest tree that went down was in our back wood working area (convenient, eh?) and missed hitting anything it would have smashed to smithereens.
It doesn't look too big in the first picture, but this one above gives more of an idea of its 18" diameter. We spent a good part of the day limbing it, hauling the branches away and getting most of it cut into pieces, some of which will, needless to say, have to be split.
There were several trees down that blocked our driveway. You can see a couple in this picture.
There is a driveway under there somewhere.
There's a main power line through the woods and crossing our driveway about two-thirds of the way down it. Before we could get to that area, men from the power company arrived and started the job of removing one huge tree that had fallen on the lines.
They said they had cleared two spots where trees had fallen across our driveway to get in to the power line. That saved us a lot of work we would have had to do.
One has to give the power company employees a whole lot of credit. They had been on the job since ten o'clock last night working in difficult conditions. And they do this regularly at all times of the year.
The grid power has now been restored, thanks to those hard-working people (even earlier than we had been told to expect), and I'm exhausted (I think Papa Pea's a little tired, too) and hope there's nothing to interrupt my sleep tonight 'cause I'm gonna need it.
We're very, very thankful we suffered no real damage from the crazy, high winds that blew through with this storm.
The forecast for us for tonight? Rain and snow mix, 1"-3" possible. Here we go!
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