tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50161587723239883132024-03-15T19:00:31.985-05:00Dunrovin Station~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Home to DunRovinStation Tweed and Tartans.
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Where we are GnomeMade, GnomeGrown, GnomeWoven and Sewn. Follow our adventures in Homesteading: Chickens, Alpacas, Gardening, Woodworking, Small Builds, Ranching, Weaving/Sewing, Cooking, and Design/PhotographyCarylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.comBlogger151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-7505914396057975812024-03-07T12:02:00.001-06:002024-03-07T12:02:26.632-06:00We're still here.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSeMZBC81k3lqwUZyY0KIhkjbDeH-6J0VRpEFZVi3X8uIdxBefQZUTC6Z7PYjCtSXMR18QZXmy5-sNdp8hVbwNkADZXQ4bNcnF0CHfsyg3QB6ekoNsBX67hqJwoHenBysYjcCp0829o_j-PZG059Z1gVidYRpsPMUSHU7aqB3dgXkjsK22DwBwBzErRs/s2102/20231128_165217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2102" data-original-width="1909" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSeMZBC81k3lqwUZyY0KIhkjbDeH-6J0VRpEFZVi3X8uIdxBefQZUTC6Z7PYjCtSXMR18QZXmy5-sNdp8hVbwNkADZXQ4bNcnF0CHfsyg3QB6ekoNsBX67hqJwoHenBysYjcCp0829o_j-PZG059Z1gVidYRpsPMUSHU7aqB3dgXkjsK22DwBwBzErRs/s320/20231128_165217.jpg" width="291" /></a></div> And going strong! We are officially empty nesters, with 18 months experience. It's so strange to have a grown up for a child. So weird.<p></p><p>His room has become my weaving studio and I've gone wild with it.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSVcpEgFYBD_oLp_h2FKYl6WOGGSEu__k5OvETprC2o1vAGGJvsgfXxt6WqBmoLOrzmx7F7fHraBkZnqjMIZCHS3ZMjPLYIY_4bu20gUUX4H0jNIR1k3Niac0vnYwX2PZHcCa2NqY6Q__c2t41722DH1d8UlewdxbNV7WcZKj-xkMPfvZPvt-T69P0JRg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="1876" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSVcpEgFYBD_oLp_h2FKYl6WOGGSEu__k5OvETprC2o1vAGGJvsgfXxt6WqBmoLOrzmx7F7fHraBkZnqjMIZCHS3ZMjPLYIY_4bu20gUUX4H0jNIR1k3Niac0vnYwX2PZHcCa2NqY6Q__c2t41722DH1d8UlewdxbNV7WcZKj-xkMPfvZPvt-T69P0JRg=w640-h186" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been able to decorate, spread out, and stock to my heart's content. It's a very calming room to be in and I have a great dual aspect view, one from each loom. Tartans and Rugs abound in the room, not to mention oodles of cones of yarn.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3dNrK3U_q7yruP_qse6CSuyM2BhwuojkQN8YH5jYnR4Xz6p6WJzsOdovThiCjypwrzUSGO4-Nl2HB4obAICS9-YWoAiM40ii1QJWT_ZKqvIJTCTWmEY42WKnlelJLqicl0EbN7MFut2DQq9zYnO_srYS7FAF_5FQfHK03tM3ptOhL1-NvtWUT6oFF_js/s1285/Screenshot%202024-03-02%2018.07.00.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="1285" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3dNrK3U_q7yruP_qse6CSuyM2BhwuojkQN8YH5jYnR4Xz6p6WJzsOdovThiCjypwrzUSGO4-Nl2HB4obAICS9-YWoAiM40ii1QJWT_ZKqvIJTCTWmEY42WKnlelJLqicl0EbN7MFut2DQq9zYnO_srYS7FAF_5FQfHK03tM3ptOhL1-NvtWUT6oFF_js/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-02%2018.07.00.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbBS1W_-BeP0tuUPv9SU98BrPSw1jMsKtnM1Z1V0gn4YO9eS2cKmIC4keqAdfJgEjAbI8qRqkkBr-ATnkxpGZd5oUyA1GM4Rlj9Wm76qSVkCHZHPxLrlp5NGcOvkAfLFf0gH3NX1paECpqFCoSguS9FnM4xHZ-_7lgR0YR5r7XHV_qDaaP3QKMbpFOvA/s4000/20230318_134818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbBS1W_-BeP0tuUPv9SU98BrPSw1jMsKtnM1Z1V0gn4YO9eS2cKmIC4keqAdfJgEjAbI8qRqkkBr-ATnkxpGZd5oUyA1GM4Rlj9Wm76qSVkCHZHPxLrlp5NGcOvkAfLFf0gH3NX1paECpqFCoSguS9FnM4xHZ-_7lgR0YR5r7XHV_qDaaP3QKMbpFOvA/s320/20230318_134818.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAG7XEPXWqyqeXHhC5TtxaRl4lR6USHZfkobCn5NK1aa3YRXT4uzioVv3uiThh7vdj3VFzVcSyqsbba5zcfwXiSZem5Nc3kTiQWuxSCawGeWfcvyHBn8txotaPFHcg0rUm1vpUFEJjD02bNzjdVerMuSW5rgg9JSrU6k7aM5IvO2ihkmM5yHeH0ILLzCk/s3376/20230910_111810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1761" data-original-width="3376" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAG7XEPXWqyqeXHhC5TtxaRl4lR6USHZfkobCn5NK1aa3YRXT4uzioVv3uiThh7vdj3VFzVcSyqsbba5zcfwXiSZem5Nc3kTiQWuxSCawGeWfcvyHBn8txotaPFHcg0rUm1vpUFEJjD02bNzjdVerMuSW5rgg9JSrU6k7aM5IvO2ihkmM5yHeH0ILLzCk/s320/20230910_111810.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwzUqM3yyN_FrVg65XJZc0ZeawFZZEsG4wsKAELiyRtXb-VPJBEhNZnd3PbEH0ZbKLIb28Sb4URJBEiuWuYrKPNPUzSaBlEUldJSVf7rbDvukz-Gb7GhAI__-p6fUjLZY9gXXp_9QPbJnokssXhBIH-uPFQz4o0tqSpzFy8Nn3VQFs9CV2WINn41y-fw/s779/Screenshot%202023-11-26%2016.53.26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="776" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwzUqM3yyN_FrVg65XJZc0ZeawFZZEsG4wsKAELiyRtXb-VPJBEhNZnd3PbEH0ZbKLIb28Sb4URJBEiuWuYrKPNPUzSaBlEUldJSVf7rbDvukz-Gb7GhAI__-p6fUjLZY9gXXp_9QPbJnokssXhBIH-uPFQz4o0tqSpzFy8Nn3VQFs9CV2WINn41y-fw/w399-h400/Screenshot%202023-11-26%2016.53.26.png" width="399" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With no one working from home (except me) I decided in November that this was the year to tear out the Master bathroom and FINALLY remodel it. The supplies were sitting in the garage and basement waiting since January of 2020. I was able to make all the noise I wanted without disturbing anyone. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The dangerous, giant, unused tub, had to go.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The before and after, from opposite sides of the room.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's now a much nicer place to be in. The 50 square feet of unusable tub space and the storage tower that was useless had always driven me around the bend.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGDmvUjp-Nu_AnEgSE8zOWorBOy3wFkxMSvm5sbetOTfiE5hGB47J7ztO-Ymsn_fMkVBHrziuv9K8im5dYLhbhH4vzseU_INBTonzRI4crRM35Rh0wjh0lXYRyObPm6WzT4qrltxfXOlT2l-smioB2udaUyrNfMmS9Ww-byic5pOsC0JJxZ2x3Ae3UrCY" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="1857" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGDmvUjp-Nu_AnEgSE8zOWorBOy3wFkxMSvm5sbetOTfiE5hGB47J7ztO-Ymsn_fMkVBHrziuv9K8im5dYLhbhH4vzseU_INBTonzRI4crRM35Rh0wjh0lXYRyObPm6WzT4qrltxfXOlT2l-smioB2udaUyrNfMmS9Ww-byic5pOsC0JJxZ2x3Ae3UrCY=w640-h288" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsZWeY8LIQHqTJZC6Q7a4Lud1YwWmsvUmZtTUrFzrwsoiQpYbesDi1kY6Pdxv-meyK_DVESduRX2ZbBctVw2RPzM2-IChVhhhr5GopDj-Dk7VcdXH4TbUvVH67iICSsLISeBFqNSr4zDSnJBgm7IDMnpmRHsFWZvOduUCv4aKkDLCHdZEPplw-R2HRD8/s7920/20240103_151701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3584" data-original-width="7920" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsZWeY8LIQHqTJZC6Q7a4Lud1YwWmsvUmZtTUrFzrwsoiQpYbesDi1kY6Pdxv-meyK_DVESduRX2ZbBctVw2RPzM2-IChVhhhr5GopDj-Dk7VcdXH4TbUvVH67iICSsLISeBFqNSr4zDSnJBgm7IDMnpmRHsFWZvOduUCv4aKkDLCHdZEPplw-R2HRD8/w640-h290/20240103_151701.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><p></p><p>The alpacas are older and still just as sassy. Two full years of extreme drought conditions has taken its toll on our pasture and hay field, but we still managed to harvest hay last year, even if it was only half of our normal harvest. We still had hay from the previous year banked, but we can't keep up that low yield for too long. So wish for rain for us, in normal amounts, over time, please.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiraGF8pe97PxkYXaNNixhMoYvJSHKXlF_6aZJg_0ZIjFSkozsxfejjLDsLx6rL_6Ho_6gsAs6ndYqIXlO9Ldv01OrwEfQtUeI6PGycUBeOV4wpW4NblSTWH_dHUj6usNScuaDCyXO3Qn17XRTfGY9oMnyCjfOWuSiBA195PIvJ94hXITuuIhyphenhyphenQNIIOpg/s459/Screenshot%202023-02-20%2016.44.40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="459" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiraGF8pe97PxkYXaNNixhMoYvJSHKXlF_6aZJg_0ZIjFSkozsxfejjLDsLx6rL_6Ho_6gsAs6ndYqIXlO9Ldv01OrwEfQtUeI6PGycUBeOV4wpW4NblSTWH_dHUj6usNScuaDCyXO3Qn17XRTfGY9oMnyCjfOWuSiBA195PIvJ94hXITuuIhyphenhyphenQNIIOpg/w640-h378/Screenshot%202023-02-20%2016.44.40.png" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>There have been projects.</p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">A new barn square was installed by the road - a Scottish Thistle, or at least my take on it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifehIge8zAhSXT-30AiM5Xxv9xRffLYFVF2KJ-BRIWni0DR58mdHiH8_h8UFsoK2560C954BD9m6b3CgQXvQeJwOBqV3Kta0hy7vsUDQQhGUxJLe-zj48BoxfxSJVtfooItAaRMgdW3KykIevRNn0Smb77dqsjDC1BPCPOTyVDtXsrxK2CjnQAkrMhhKg/s1073/Screenshot%202023-09-15%2019.27.23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="1073" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifehIge8zAhSXT-30AiM5Xxv9xRffLYFVF2KJ-BRIWni0DR58mdHiH8_h8UFsoK2560C954BD9m6b3CgQXvQeJwOBqV3Kta0hy7vsUDQQhGUxJLe-zj48BoxfxSJVtfooItAaRMgdW3KykIevRNn0Smb77dqsjDC1BPCPOTyVDtXsrxK2CjnQAkrMhhKg/s320/Screenshot%202023-09-15%2019.27.23.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I built, what felt like, a million birdhouses to be sold with the giant tomato plant sale. Leftovers were donated to the state park below us.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6M8PhnDV1Uf2GdLDt8xLAUVePijrFqCHjRWEJf0NDnj3MD5CUgxlrES81RYdfl21oVv9rZHicKiVEwYE3Pr9F_noU4tNFaUF6WqpyA7ARMmKLb_DCqzGOC4kZbX5QBCLVYNJbRh_nw6-mrc3gQmk0mEiLUqMYHA-orMZxx0GHyQRIqBdmMn2SwuKsJI4/s2651/20230423_154321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2426" data-original-width="2651" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6M8PhnDV1Uf2GdLDt8xLAUVePijrFqCHjRWEJf0NDnj3MD5CUgxlrES81RYdfl21oVv9rZHicKiVEwYE3Pr9F_noU4tNFaUF6WqpyA7ARMmKLb_DCqzGOC4kZbX5QBCLVYNJbRh_nw6-mrc3gQmk0mEiLUqMYHA-orMZxx0GHyQRIqBdmMn2SwuKsJI4/s320/20230423_154321.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The garden greenhouse suffered UV damage to its cover and I converted it to a herb and flower garden for the bees, bugs, and hummingbirds.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEit9NtLAuW2TE7uyDLkAK7WySot66Owsi1P7hKQA4LlfYZcFnCp8GJIQyeKfzxbBMs7issMfbO2B7gfIawttu725bUar_9s2-SFdHbCftdHevXda4Vr9M861nhhV8HCjt7LMIF5zmmFNVLWCdVFanwL0IneGh96tT0c1SC_lOQHlue0kURCAzOc3rR2hzI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="289" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEit9NtLAuW2TE7uyDLkAK7WySot66Owsi1P7hKQA4LlfYZcFnCp8GJIQyeKfzxbBMs7issMfbO2B7gfIawttu725bUar_9s2-SFdHbCftdHevXda4Vr9M861nhhV8HCjt7LMIF5zmmFNVLWCdVFanwL0IneGh96tT0c1SC_lOQHlue0kURCAzOc3rR2hzI" width="312" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBAmylRO48QWmKcEmJJrwf3p_tE7hNtvtTSx4kFUzcLvXo-VYGJqXKuzziArah-51VQMFbYSqov7zQftgKKcf0ugnczhCJXETerYyyaCNUkG524J_Xd-Ey7gPUMO89v-6rTj-2hflOH8_fNzqjGhs02u4Da_qIJz9gontWPQ4NYruUIa5BvaOPVJfzT8/s269/Screenshot%202024-03-07%2011.41.06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="269" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBAmylRO48QWmKcEmJJrwf3p_tE7hNtvtTSx4kFUzcLvXo-VYGJqXKuzziArah-51VQMFbYSqov7zQftgKKcf0ugnczhCJXETerYyyaCNUkG524J_Xd-Ey7gPUMO89v-6rTj-2hflOH8_fNzqjGhs02u4Da_qIJz9gontWPQ4NYruUIa5BvaOPVJfzT8/s1600/Screenshot%202024-03-07%2011.41.06.png" width="269" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><br /></div><br /><p></p>Tomato sale, of course!<br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtg4cqC5Gc2N-9OpOPQhFmfkBx7_JAZCQkw2tu6JlaaFFUnyQsNhVGFfso78pUewJ2IMHE1vbSnahtz3IJ9IwwLsGE2J5Wh8ZSfbQkI0GdWp9iczX2gcWuitaPRI2zzhxCSgdNtdcZAxu1aF5X8VBj0rc3rnSNyXy-lJxQaK9SzwFabngdHfIN18B9wWU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="347" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtg4cqC5Gc2N-9OpOPQhFmfkBx7_JAZCQkw2tu6JlaaFFUnyQsNhVGFfso78pUewJ2IMHE1vbSnahtz3IJ9IwwLsGE2J5Wh8ZSfbQkI0GdWp9iczX2gcWuitaPRI2zzhxCSgdNtdcZAxu1aF5X8VBj0rc3rnSNyXy-lJxQaK9SzwFabngdHfIN18B9wWU" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The front door was painted. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Owl houses were built. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We lost half the orchard to extreme drought, despite in ground to root irrigation, and therefore removed dead trees. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I finally finished drafting a farmhouse shirtd-ress pattern that is "quick" and easy to sew. So when I can, I make myself a new dress for daily wear. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We've done battle with and excessive number of outdoor rodents and a Badger.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And electric utility vehicle was added to the team to speed up my work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We've spent long nights watching the Northern Lights light up the sky.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Storms have been weathered.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A new steel postbox has been installed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">MOUNTAINS of snow have been plowed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hay was tended, cut, baled, and stored.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Manure gathered and spread with a new mini manure spreader.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Entries were made to the State Fair and brought home ribbons.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hens were chased and eggs gathered.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The chicken run was updated to make it easier to deal with our wild weather swings-80'one day, snowing the next.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I refurbished an antique washing machine to use on the Tartans. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGVr7j7f4EZnGY87klpxgP9DFayEsJjFqY0drX0jMA-SVwGOUxO6mF9Ra-7o7HrCuVwbHb-rDb8yKAEPcxyQl_QNTuK4A1gdefAZLH1tcXPd9mbAV1baQ4iZ1l1uGqucV8Ch3m6DsIRBqfg_Aw8joSSbasM6ZBh-91JLYHr0jAktijqeib60S4t0m1Its" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="489" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGVr7j7f4EZnGY87klpxgP9DFayEsJjFqY0drX0jMA-SVwGOUxO6mF9Ra-7o7HrCuVwbHb-rDb8yKAEPcxyQl_QNTuK4A1gdefAZLH1tcXPd9mbAV1baQ4iZ1l1uGqucV8Ch3m6DsIRBqfg_Aw8joSSbasM6ZBh-91JLYHr0jAktijqeib60S4t0m1Its" width="168" /></a></div>All that plus regular insanity, projects, and things that we all get into on a daily basis. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Always, gratefully, busy here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I hope you all are well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Frequent updates and photos can be found on our 'X' account @WthrLdy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Contact can be made there or here via email/contact.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In Memory:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Merriweather 4 July 2013- 12 January 2024</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">She was a good girl.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ2PNGX-_PkLL1-izB1eG_HnRj4PftRIR8x9q5vJfgb2EjUEcBiZWmmWDhqlAPwfM-PjH_J2rsWt9m0eW3rLjc-PKTV2dUIop_ZSo3dJsb7mcJ79MPJTnqpG6zaX38Rsoxd1Hq2z9LMS9TkPPYs8NIL6G2h9UpsYj4GfF5E4CL1GhvOF1fTg2IgYbHZg0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="1214" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQ2PNGX-_PkLL1-izB1eG_HnRj4PftRIR8x9q5vJfgb2EjUEcBiZWmmWDhqlAPwfM-PjH_J2rsWt9m0eW3rLjc-PKTV2dUIop_ZSo3dJsb7mcJ79MPJTnqpG6zaX38Rsoxd1Hq2z9LMS9TkPPYs8NIL6G2h9UpsYj4GfF5E4CL1GhvOF1fTg2IgYbHZg0=w640-h380" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p>Caryl http://www.blogger.com/profile/01909790086455266299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-21854670580025827212022-08-21T09:08:00.001-05:002022-08-21T09:08:31.623-05:00Updates<p> If you are interested in having me update the blog, please let me know in the comments below.</p><p>We're still here and going like mad, but no one seems to be reading online anymore.</p><p>Although I had one email that was bordering on mean about me NOT updating and one that was checking up on us, which was lovely in the crazy world we live in.</p><p>The blog just takes time, which needs to be carved out of already full days. I'm happy to do it if I know people are out there.</p><p>All of my other blogger buddies have given up altogether, with some actually deleting their old blog entries, which I won't do. Some have moved on to YouTube, which I am not brave enough to do, nor do I have time for filming AND editing. But kudos to them.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, what say you???</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGjyuFiylgkwyOz2IfDq1h4FWznEbfj-f6-KMo1We2SOzKfmEKe4d3WNMT3wq8M_tmsw5_ZZ2TGN8ms1mh2lePzgJCbLrvQu6nGg5__DBW9rp4JGBmOPM9H5jEVvlDlMbsveQEiNdpm25e28bMn9lUS0CLFfKuqqpNWTFgQ49OL77MEnBYJRk1wrNQA/s437/Screenshot%202022-07-04%2012.33.17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="437" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGjyuFiylgkwyOz2IfDq1h4FWznEbfj-f6-KMo1We2SOzKfmEKe4d3WNMT3wq8M_tmsw5_ZZ2TGN8ms1mh2lePzgJCbLrvQu6nGg5__DBW9rp4JGBmOPM9H5jEVvlDlMbsveQEiNdpm25e28bMn9lUS0CLFfKuqqpNWTFgQ49OL77MEnBYJRk1wrNQA/s320/Screenshot%202022-07-04%2012.33.17.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-56910070315440853392022-02-28T20:11:00.001-06:002022-02-28T20:29:56.959-06:00February - A short month and a short entry.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNFWCpFX3fSN7ABuWX3WB1H1A2SdPibGyK0LubwFBR6iCThiP2y9cjsHeExREWw7Y1WxlKXUAFuQbgERwJ7YtzRSdI1HF1OlkLhYhdaiKasR6EOxaFkYCcJU3LXviXUoplC3HCQyG3t2bwyE5sIxQhUDVVxbg4k0uqPUBCPF2VZB3Gp-I3biK7_IAUnw=s1143" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1143" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNFWCpFX3fSN7ABuWX3WB1H1A2SdPibGyK0LubwFBR6iCThiP2y9cjsHeExREWw7Y1WxlKXUAFuQbgERwJ7YtzRSdI1HF1OlkLhYhdaiKasR6EOxaFkYCcJU3LXviXUoplC3HCQyG3t2bwyE5sIxQhUDVVxbg4k0uqPUBCPF2VZB3Gp-I3biK7_IAUnw=w640-h250" width="640" /></a></div><br /> The weather continues to be ridiculously dry. A much anticipated snow storm passed to our South, robbing us of any snow. The next week promised another snow storm, which passed to our South. Again, we stayed dry. The next storm was less promising, but still heading our way, but passed to our North. The last storm promised a track that would gift us with snow, ice, or rain, we had none of it. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, eh?<p></p><p>We did however get cold with that storm. Previously we had spent February in the mild 40s and 50s, and even a couple 60s during the day, and below freezing at night. But the last storm brought arctic air with it and we spent a week of not even making it to the freezing mark during the day, all the while, the winds HOWLED. The windchills were brutal, sometimes down to -20F.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcPJQHk_0M6aRVtgQg6ZUivBcRxzUJ9E4OimfZwv0PmOdxqiQyfK4_XFmEtBVJg_bBijOPLaqejgtWq4psh5EZHgvA3JfuZ0gGVUVNsRdkkYinjzIFWLJNfxAi4jetgA7G3yFq675d6NGRBAcjMsA-yE-0vfGNFBnHg7sWELKTKOnqmeBs2JEVJHWfGQ=s853" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="853" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcPJQHk_0M6aRVtgQg6ZUivBcRxzUJ9E4OimfZwv0PmOdxqiQyfK4_XFmEtBVJg_bBijOPLaqejgtWq4psh5EZHgvA3JfuZ0gGVUVNsRdkkYinjzIFWLJNfxAi4jetgA7G3yFq675d6NGRBAcjMsA-yE-0vfGNFBnHg7sWELKTKOnqmeBs2JEVJHWfGQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>But the pendulum has swung the other way, and we're back in the 60s and low 70s for the end of February and beginning of March.</p><p><br /></p><p>As always nice weather means working outside. This month's project - a HOOP HOUSE for things earlier and later in the growing season. It will also allow me to put plants too tall for the Greenhouse into the ground and get growing before the soil in the full garden is ready.</p><p>As always, after the first swing of the hammer, I wonder what on earth possessed me to start another project. But once it's started, it has to be finished. I ripped out the lower production end of the garden, taking out cattle panels and pulling up the irrigation lines and putting them aside. The T-posts that went 2 feet into the ground, which was still quite cold, were another challenge. I found a T-post lever at the tractor store, which helped greatly with that end of the project.</p><p>I plotted out the location of the main supports and got to work pounding in new T-posts. The plan was to use electrical conduit arches with painted PVC post slides and angles. The problems were many and frequent and frustrating, requiring trips into town for replacements. My PVC didn't fit over all my T-posts, which caused me to replace some. I got a batch of a poorly molded PVC reducers, some were from one box, they were fine;the ones from another case, were not. The PVC glue and primer I had on hand was not working between the 45' PVC and the electrical conduit (PVC), but it should have, so a new set was purchased. Conduit that had failed at the fittings and needed new ones, had to be outright replaced. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfFEoqfP1R7Y-Xfivb890H0ADfTynxWJjs3z72J4OebkuWTjtmIzKLzKtNmIqV8eaFs9RQLxJBDVKXp5-5_3fv8KGwpqAAn7MnjKWlxvQaZP161hgbxOSuc-E_qbKTY3SjUK6PkDUimqgj5qVbK2o1u3GVf3Y2F5dNHpjdI2xDs4M5y6jNsSB3Jwhc6w=s7200" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5400" data-original-width="7200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfFEoqfP1R7Y-Xfivb890H0ADfTynxWJjs3z72J4OebkuWTjtmIzKLzKtNmIqV8eaFs9RQLxJBDVKXp5-5_3fv8KGwpqAAn7MnjKWlxvQaZP161hgbxOSuc-E_qbKTY3SjUK6PkDUimqgj5qVbK2o1u3GVf3Y2F5dNHpjdI2xDs4M5y6jNsSB3Jwhc6w=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p> I finally got all the arched made and up. Now for the connecting pole that runs down the ridge to keep the spacing between all the ribs. I followed the directions and pre-drilled the holes for the bolt that would connect the ridge pole to to the arch. Arch one went fine. Arch two, in the middle of drilling, SNAP. right in two. Arch three, SNAP. Arch four, SNAP. That was NOT supposed to happen.</p><p>Annoyed beyond belief, I ripped all the arches off the posts and tossed them over the garden wall. Obviously I was going to have to manage a complete redesign, which of course, would require yet ANOTHER trip to the hardware store. Which, if you haven't been recently, is a voyage to Sticker Shock Land.</p><p>Luckily the next few days were cold enough to be forced to stay inside and come up with a new plan and a shopping list. I came across a plan using cattle panels and various frame setups. The whole thing was kind of a build to suit, wing-it as you go, situation. It's been an adventure that's for sure. Sixteen foot cattle panels are an adventure to haul and even more to carry and install alone. Trips to Habitat are always hit or miss. Lumber quality at the moment is HORRIBLE. Material shortages mean getting creative as you're standing in the isles at Home Depot, a now defunct hoop house plan on a napkin, fluttering to the floor.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I still have some work to complete this week before the weather swings the other way. I should be able to mange at least painting the lumber before the rain/snow/cold arrives. The plastic requires a windless day to put up, and I'm not sure when that's going to happen.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrSz9C8SBXVTTj1jq8Fk4rB8wCOPX0MiTa38J-XxE8ejZnAhOhmWpI_bwgMercU6PEShhOsXXD3B_JEMA6vamILcEJ23n-gixBaM0tTTeQqwt-CLevPTTosGe6MMVx771-lpIqanQeF5mvsGYh1z_dWhCrPyJyvoMr94MQPvevohEFDVpj9VxWX2dngw=s2400" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="2400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrSz9C8SBXVTTj1jq8Fk4rB8wCOPX0MiTa38J-XxE8ejZnAhOhmWpI_bwgMercU6PEShhOsXXD3B_JEMA6vamILcEJ23n-gixBaM0tTTeQqwt-CLevPTTosGe6MMVx771-lpIqanQeF5mvsGYh1z_dWhCrPyJyvoMr94MQPvevohEFDVpj9VxWX2dngw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>So there's the outdoor project.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For the cold, chilly, frigid days I turned to the looms, and briefly the sewing machine.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEyS9v5X-8Vfu8kM0IjemVHCxKg17Y9BVVC2gI5vT7GrD46LJ-5ak8PVly2o33DeH8oO7xpk60p7ZX7KdwdggEUrMtP9jQyxaSPo4H1uViQux3lCLX-dIqnyTZW4dan0cP6PrXLGOBKr3GZVOTV1_KgA3S3nlhNg5nvjc-8AXDD1r8XsviXiMQKuk3ww=s1037" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="1037" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEyS9v5X-8Vfu8kM0IjemVHCxKg17Y9BVVC2gI5vT7GrD46LJ-5ak8PVly2o33DeH8oO7xpk60p7ZX7KdwdggEUrMtP9jQyxaSPo4H1uViQux3lCLX-dIqnyTZW4dan0cP6PrXLGOBKr3GZVOTV1_KgA3S3nlhNg5nvjc-8AXDD1r8XsviXiMQKuk3ww=w200-h171" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>A quick, necessary project was to complete some new, re-usable shopping bags from old T-shirts. These are a crazy quick project. The shirts are heavier quality shirts, in children's large, and adult small and medium, that I picked up at the local charity shop for a dime each. I washed and sanitized them, as well as sun drying, and now I have two dozen new beefy bags.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieR1wihN8W8Gfwm1KJlAPXWE7QhGHqCdKWey1tc3nRvxv4S20duTY9y4K8fKaUeMhxvqkb1KaT37awpbAt5eCugdYZf-jc1LPwyeM38Bh9WY4GVDblFsTRlzSmU5mJlBtpJNx347iaSp7rH96ZnWODtedJ_vmPRglRWrR6GbHTa5hs3GZgqRGcW493gg=s1066" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="1066" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieR1wihN8W8Gfwm1KJlAPXWE7QhGHqCdKWey1tc3nRvxv4S20duTY9y4K8fKaUeMhxvqkb1KaT37awpbAt5eCugdYZf-jc1LPwyeM38Bh9WY4GVDblFsTRlzSmU5mJlBtpJNx347iaSp7rH96ZnWODtedJ_vmPRglRWrR6GbHTa5hs3GZgqRGcW493gg=s320" width="320" /></a></div>Fergus and I managed 14 rugs before the warp run came to an end. Those were all measured and labeled, rolled and tied, and displayed in a wicker market basket. Four have already sold at a local B&B/Antique Store.<br /><p></p><p>Fergus is now loaded with a blue and white striped warp, which when woven with white or cream rag, will give the illusion of a striped ticking type of rug.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFoYwZnztHmWFRsOmDpBFEIgYP_33VZWppyqHOcBnZJ6PtBp3GyqBl90HIOQFROHnSv517E5APulFStpwfz9_6WAbzctvlYbJBO4fREF8nrfmyV6wr1LHKXeXdudqa4ywpZwO9agKGtOVZ-4yDQ3hCwBTXPwEQBwWqtpdVZIQtxKa21qWmhCBfv-F4qg=s1133" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1133" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFoYwZnztHmWFRsOmDpBFEIgYP_33VZWppyqHOcBnZJ6PtBp3GyqBl90HIOQFROHnSv517E5APulFStpwfz9_6WAbzctvlYbJBO4fREF8nrfmyV6wr1LHKXeXdudqa4ywpZwO9agKGtOVZ-4yDQ3hCwBTXPwEQBwWqtpdVZIQtxKa21qWmhCBfv-F4qg=s320" width="320" /></a></div>I then turned my attention to the long ignored Nessie, my four harness Tweed and Tartan loom. Her warp was measured and cut in 2020 right before attention was turned to emergency sewing. Her warp was finally wrapped in Spring of 2021, when I got busy with just about everything else. Now that she was in her new home, the very fact that the light was amazing, and it was in the heart of the house, I was ready to jump at the chance and finally finishing her thread-up.<br /><p></p><p>She is now fully loaded, and I am almost done with the DunRovin Station Tartan, which will be turned into a dress sash for me, and then the sample for the Scotland Registry. I have 6 more tartans lined up behind this one already.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgajjmZq7PJM4K25ouv2P-Yr2jHYb0VL0MVbUGLNfk2xwaZ3Kiov2hwvGkoTVJY6c-6U7-rUeUhWkBcV3gPPcdce5AOxZHkFfpahele4Xe49scNGwG3bFSBTqPymYxlb-s6BeEXvf2ZNh1AA6aDD7P-VM6n45mu9EBUNA3E_Fd-hSoiUq5wl3XXX_dBPQ=s1180" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1180" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgajjmZq7PJM4K25ouv2P-Yr2jHYb0VL0MVbUGLNfk2xwaZ3Kiov2hwvGkoTVJY6c-6U7-rUeUhWkBcV3gPPcdce5AOxZHkFfpahele4Xe49scNGwG3bFSBTqPymYxlb-s6BeEXvf2ZNh1AA6aDD7P-VM6n45mu9EBUNA3E_Fd-hSoiUq5wl3XXX_dBPQ=w577-h333" width="577" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>So here's to the short month, as we look forward to March-more weaving, and the opening of the Seeding Shed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3o-tU6YPukX5Pk7T1DSFhP4d4nJFoB2ZyyTajUbvFHQtOcwo965KkteXKnvQQSxE1rOQBOXmApxog-Yk452d0pmU1tPclBr93RbFlAexxEieNEdEpJVVMNi-hAO5ZN9oaKitomZuimBlXIztVWb9J758xvC392h3i0C-hnzH31kkvZMCZOcMxEob-6g=s522" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="522" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3o-tU6YPukX5Pk7T1DSFhP4d4nJFoB2ZyyTajUbvFHQtOcwo965KkteXKnvQQSxE1rOQBOXmApxog-Yk452d0pmU1tPclBr93RbFlAexxEieNEdEpJVVMNi-hAO5ZN9oaKitomZuimBlXIztVWb9J758xvC392h3i0C-hnzH31kkvZMCZOcMxEob-6g=w640-h594" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-23855885482190413222022-02-05T18:33:00.006-06:002022-02-05T18:33:00.207-06:00What I use for seed starting mix.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi64CWh6-GoVNKBfCZgQCtpOwmW6Dpud5rWT_gQcQeBoaQCoiqDR8TF0rJ9oOi4IwhHSyTz6hD269mooSWxJnklzkxrWLYMgmSWaz5dtnjbmBNALosDlWZwoCyj52ptAlNqKHSVzbGFER6OKHs9go4OaWOvq8L7BLqpDRkP9yZVhQSWG6YWhFjugW29nQ=s2594" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1604" data-original-width="2594" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi64CWh6-GoVNKBfCZgQCtpOwmW6Dpud5rWT_gQcQeBoaQCoiqDR8TF0rJ9oOi4IwhHSyTz6hD269mooSWxJnklzkxrWLYMgmSWaz5dtnjbmBNALosDlWZwoCyj52ptAlNqKHSVzbGFER6OKHs9go4OaWOvq8L7BLqpDRkP9yZVhQSWG6YWhFjugW29nQ=w400-h248" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I save a lot of money by mixing my own seed starting mix. Not only is the pre-packaged stuff hard to find this year, like last, when you do find it, it's expensive. This is what I use and get great results from it. </p><p><br /></p><p>I mix this in a wheelbarrow and it can be scaled down.</p><p>11 pounds of Coconut Coir in compressed brick form. (amazon and I have found it at Homedepot and Menards)</p><p>9-ish gallons of water (you may need a little more or a little less)</p><p>1 T of plant based dish soap - like Eco or Dawn plant based (optional)</p><p>4 cups of Vermiculite </p><p>4 cups of Perlite</p><p>(I know both Perlite and Vermiculite are hard to find this year. You can do away with one, but not both)</p><p>If you want to, you can add 2-3 cups of worm castings.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mix the soap into the water, you aren't looking to make it foamy.</p><p>I place the coir in the wheel barrow and add about half the water and let the coir start to expand. As it does, you can start to break the bricks apart and add a little more water. It's better to add too little and need to add more, than to end up with a Scottish peat bog in your barrow. Let it sit a bit and come back to it and see if you need to add more water.</p><p>Place your Vermiculite and/or Perlite and Worm Castings (optional) on the top and use whatever method you like to get it all mixed together.</p><p>So what's up with the SOAP?! That tiny bit of soap in all of that helps break down the surface tension of the water you add to the 'soil'. So when you water later, you don't get as much floating bits of coir in your starter cells, supposedly. I really can't see the difference, but it doesn't seem to hurt either.</p><p>Coconut Coir has NO nutritional value whatsoever. So as soon as you see those first sets of TRUE leaves on your seedlings, you will want to start fertilizing your starts with half strength liquid fertilizer. The worm castings have a little value, but don't let those seedlings starve! You should continue your half strength feedings once a week until you get the seedlings into the ground and then go full strength at the manufacturer's recommendations. I've personally had better luck with Schultz over MiracleGrow. For that I have NO idea why. MG always seems to burn out my plants. You're results may very.</p><p>Regardless, I steer clear of the pre-fertilized all season soils at the stores. You have NO control over what your plants need if you get too much or too little rain, or have a season of wacky soil conditions. You'll constantly be trying to figure out what your plants need and what's wrong with them.</p><p>Good luck with your gardening this year!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-24998504070108522392022-01-31T01:00:00.007-06:002022-01-31T01:00:00.203-06:00January, The Quietest Month of the Year (NOT)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgh1bO2Dc76MmwvEzKkyPk_bSrShP4q_gJc95s8aaVbW86BVdQOdUdHjNRAnYBVLnFPKVxA8neYWb1AM0IpUufWwmx_O0J8ghRRZsVknLXervJmPwGkkRM5pvnCkFUTrZOGtD-4vGkl6Wz16eE-XbUfHIPHP7tECLQQ7l4BxWmHj8n62eIX7bSH4NQYRQ=s12000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9000" data-original-width="12000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgh1bO2Dc76MmwvEzKkyPk_bSrShP4q_gJc95s8aaVbW86BVdQOdUdHjNRAnYBVLnFPKVxA8neYWb1AM0IpUufWwmx_O0J8ghRRZsVknLXervJmPwGkkRM5pvnCkFUTrZOGtD-4vGkl6Wz16eE-XbUfHIPHP7tECLQQ7l4BxWmHj8n62eIX7bSH4NQYRQ=w600-h240" width="600" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The month of January, the darkest, coldest, snowiest month of the year. It's a month were snuggling up on the sofa with a soft blanket, a pair of woolly socks, a warm drink, and a good book is expected, nay, required. By the end of January, a firm and familiar bond has been formed with your snow shovel. Each time you use it you wonder if this will be it's last season, or if you should treat yourself to a new one at the hardware store. After all, they're on clearance now next to the flower seeds. Your woolen mittens are stiff and now perfectly formed and felted to the shape of your hand. You've completely given up on not having hat hair, and your chore coat, and your very pores perpetually smell of ode to diesel from tractor exhaust. You've developed milk maid's shoulders from hauling warm water to the livestock, and have mastered the art of 'going to your happy place' while preforming them 3 times a day, while being serenaded by the howling, biting winds.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But not this year, not this year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We have been utterly blessed with fantastic weather this year. We are drastically low on precipitation, which is going to be a problem come Spring if we don't make it up soon. But the temperatures have been very, very nice. We've been frigid, but then we bounce up into the 50s. We drop again to have one or two days that never break freezing, but then we pop back into the 40s, or even 60s for a couple of days. It's made it impossible to fall into the annual Winter funk. How can you possibly waste a sunny 55 degree day INSIDE? You can't. You spend the little cold days inside planning and plotting projects for the nice days. On the nice days, you work yourself silly before the cold sets in again.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsmjGydyaLuuAcZ1goia2ztoFysuNE0g-BWHmZD8wWLui9F4-I2ttGiUp8ofwuBY1facc-czD6EHg6EINs7AGHCZdWXcz368OoyjdbsBEI4L7kPfpeg_OG-KtDnk8NLteYhcRpI5Ms6womaq9dXX8RxA8_KqM_mChqh1oYsJ2pjC4cMm8FENA9QvhUPw=s12000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsmjGydyaLuuAcZ1goia2ztoFysuNE0g-BWHmZD8wWLui9F4-I2ttGiUp8ofwuBY1facc-czD6EHg6EINs7AGHCZdWXcz368OoyjdbsBEI4L7kPfpeg_OG-KtDnk8NLteYhcRpI5Ms6womaq9dXX8RxA8_KqM_mChqh1oYsJ2pjC4cMm8FENA9QvhUPw=s320" width="240" /></a></div>The first couple of days of January were ridiculously cold. Our high temperatures were 9'F(-13'C) and 16'F(-9'C), respectively. Add the wind to that and it was a classic inside pair of days. I used to to work in the sewing room. A lot of odds and ends in the repair basket were tackled, but most importantly, I finished the Sewing double! I have put this off for months. The original pique knit, which was recommended, was far too stretchy. As you stuffed it, it overstuffed to beyond your measurements and was still too soft for its intended purpose. To counter that, I changed to a heavy duty cotton duck and added a little to the seam allowances to make up for the total lack of stretch. Once that was complete, I glued heavy cardboard disks to the neck and arms ends to give it structure, slipped it over the base and stuffed it as tightly as I could while still matching the form and measurements. It came out spot on! Then I adjusted it to the correct standing height. It is now ready to help drape bodices, and hem skirts. I'm glad I tackled this project, but I'm VERY glad it's DONE.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I knew I then had two days in the upper 40s and mid 50s. Laundry was hung outside on the line, one day of clothing and the second 100 ft of sheets to be stripped for rugs on Fergus. It was during one of these hanging sessions that I got a bee in my bonnet. Fergus was currently, temporarily, inhabiting the space under the window in the upstairs (main floor/ground floor) library due to the weather when we moved him from the garage and into the house, and due to his hulking size and considerable weight. Where on earth was I going to put him on the lower level where his sister, Nessie was residing. I wasn't happy with her location to start with, I couldn't shove Fergus down there too and be happy. So now where am I going to put the two of them where I would be happy?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There was room on the lower level, large windows, but it always feels apart from the house to me and oppressive, even with the brightest daylight lamps blazing. I live and work on the main floor. But where to put them both where they could both be used AND out of the way? As I stood and worked on a rug on Fergus, it came to me. I would relocate the library and make the library the weaving studio, or as Doc calls it, The Loomy Bin. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I dropped what I was doing on Fergus, and grabbed my tape measure and ran it across the top of one of the bookcases, and then down the stairs I went to measure the wall behind Nessie and under the windows. THEY'D FIT! Then I measured Nessie and went back upstairs to measure under the window. Nessie was lower and would go under the window, while Fergus would go into a corner. SHE WOULD FIT TOO!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEge8IHIDp9SRpnNw8aAkKTIiCwXoKKL3Z-67Ja7WFq3PlvSW8YI2Qq7aTKVsctWJs-tq25fyjRCphqo2MhR22KRY0ybh6u0zdeN-Ob4uoEsCfsK5Ayqk1wUbvBbZN3YWAN5DXKEAPl7SLwzarbEjRyW0Ar7KntXURHqgDtvR5JfZVsRVSNE296C0BGlyg=s11013" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="8499" data-original-width="11013" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEge8IHIDp9SRpnNw8aAkKTIiCwXoKKL3Z-67Ja7WFq3PlvSW8YI2Qq7aTKVsctWJs-tq25fyjRCphqo2MhR22KRY0ybh6u0zdeN-Ob4uoEsCfsK5Ayqk1wUbvBbZN3YWAN5DXKEAPl7SLwzarbEjRyW0Ar7KntXURHqgDtvR5JfZVsRVSNE296C0BGlyg=s320" width="320" /></a></div>I put the rug supplies to the side and immediately started taking things off the walls and carrying them downstairs. The walls would need painting. I was shocked at how faded the paint was after only 7 years and protected by UV windows. I cleaned and moved stack after stack of books, then slid the heavy wood shelves to the basement and set the whole library up downstairs. There were only hours before a cold front was coming through and there was no way I could move Nessie alone, she was far too heavy and bulky. I folded her up, and made her as skinny as possible and I built an extension for a dolly to hold her. Doc helped me load her up and get her to the trailer where we drove her up and around the house to the main level, then wheeled her to the front door where she had to be lifted up the stairs and into the house. She was officially in the Loomy Bin. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It could get cold and miserable now. And it did.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I actually had a spare gallon of paint I loved from another project and spent a whole day painting the studio. The second day I put the room back together and decorated. Yes, it was that fast. It's set up exactly right. It's comfortable. It's soothing. It's functional, and lets me be accessible to the whole level of the house I use. And all of my weaving items are in the same room, not spread all over the house, hither and yon. I can close the door and turn up my podcasts or youtube videos and the dog can still see me (glass door), but I don't disturb the rest of the house with 'slide, klunk, swish, klunk'.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpb2DhIj2AiKQrj693sGG7HOzwUQG-pTEyCBI4KWP7WBAMgrLDagAJIOmjgXcNf5QRwad3bjyv0tLbMwF78cNAJKeeIb-4XoHlLg2Luzkfp0b2YJIX9VV0YH9OySV9ujc6-A23-0M2TP9wTqVSBZXj-fDRRp9X186RhKCpsuI4xkfeRbDjIcRh07WI4Q=s12000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9000" data-original-width="12000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpb2DhIj2AiKQrj693sGG7HOzwUQG-pTEyCBI4KWP7WBAMgrLDagAJIOmjgXcNf5QRwad3bjyv0tLbMwF78cNAJKeeIb-4XoHlLg2Luzkfp0b2YJIX9VV0YH9OySV9ujc6-A23-0M2TP9wTqVSBZXj-fDRRp9X186RhKCpsuI4xkfeRbDjIcRh07WI4Q=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br />I can now keep an eye on dinner (or cookies) and work on a few rows. I can work and the dog doesn't feel abandoned. It's lovely. (There are still a couple of empty spots on the walls for certificates still in the mail. I am making a rail to hold my shuttles within reach, and an adjustable work lamp would be a great idea.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLSb1tA9NbKzLsrABCoPPWj-EFyLj0frbLjXqsx40hnBhwcDA__YYERkvEZkG2-WyDHhvl7BtdoDzBFjQeYGhHCH2Lno7kEmmjoWXwwq2f3nFYGdM2avB3nIwa9uQDZfq9GbGedKiR8QfHWtOZCXb2N-OjL2ZMx7Fhjj-CRRoCyVfAWFveHbZ7iuNNCw=s3629" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3496" data-original-width="3629" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLSb1tA9NbKzLsrABCoPPWj-EFyLj0frbLjXqsx40hnBhwcDA__YYERkvEZkG2-WyDHhvl7BtdoDzBFjQeYGhHCH2Lno7kEmmjoWXwwq2f3nFYGdM2avB3nIwa9uQDZfq9GbGedKiR8QfHWtOZCXb2N-OjL2ZMx7Fhjj-CRRoCyVfAWFveHbZ7iuNNCw=w640-h403" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPp4G9kxF0uziSxqPLvXBbE4YJDyFtFUswMG4Vsi4uNjvTejovGWC_dZU7uT2HwKqem502ZVA9KK8e9U_sSJT5cdlOA7XiudWnmGsPTwbQE6bE13LNPw9685r76oMcORHB5XBcIyM0gWJhnLGT3yzVpR5O6xhqWh6_pSE2wMb_-XRmj8lmHhIaz4D9lg=s7975" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="7975" data-original-width="5861" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPp4G9kxF0uziSxqPLvXBbE4YJDyFtFUswMG4Vsi4uNjvTejovGWC_dZU7uT2HwKqem502ZVA9KK8e9U_sSJT5cdlOA7XiudWnmGsPTwbQE6bE13LNPw9685r76oMcORHB5XBcIyM0gWJhnLGT3yzVpR5O6xhqWh6_pSE2wMb_-XRmj8lmHhIaz4D9lg=s320" width="235" /></a></div>As long as I had the roller, pan, and ladder out, I decided I may as well paint the dinged wall in the kitchen, which turned out to also be horribly faded despite having NO direct sunlight on it EVER. Sad testimony for this brand of paint. (Suzie helped me paint the kitchen. Yes, my brilliant beagle turned headfirst into a wall.)<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The weather warmed again and I put into motion the next outdoor project, as long as the laundry was flapping away on the line again. I wanted a hoop house for the garden. I had it slated for later in the Spring, but why waste those warm days, eh? This would be a place to keep plants earlier and later in the growing season, once they out grew the proper greenhouse. Irrigation lines needed pulled and cattle panels and T-posts needed removed to make room for the new structure. I knew what I wanted, but only a little about HOW I wanted to do it. There were some bumps in the road over a two week span, including some snow, some misfitting pipes, a dead can of paint, poorly manufactured parts, PVC cement failure and not being able to find the right size T-posts. But so far I have a bare frame. She won't be DONE in January, but she's on her way.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjR4j_nDENR2iGmFvDhvM6e7JJGQC4tW-18l1hWhC6t-Tisv3eByQWzCRoAUgLtOU5sXJT515hJprlhs0UfBT80pWzai8Tk-wI1BjMXvv7NVlLx7JruYSyDXuVU5wjmrR0CbU0ApHeAEUsGf8uO1Ja45rb_PUCCRITCHcaj2kY_5j5iEbN_LfowvuiOeQ=s7200" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5400" data-original-width="7200" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjR4j_nDENR2iGmFvDhvM6e7JJGQC4tW-18l1hWhC6t-Tisv3eByQWzCRoAUgLtOU5sXJT515hJprlhs0UfBT80pWzai8Tk-wI1BjMXvv7NVlLx7JruYSyDXuVU5wjmrR0CbU0ApHeAEUsGf8uO1Ja45rb_PUCCRITCHcaj2kY_5j5iEbN_LfowvuiOeQ=w541-h277" width="541" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Of course some things had to give way for the hoop house. The up-cycled bean arch I just put up this fall felt in the way, so down it came. And with those two rows gone, I could expand the blackberry row another 20 feet, deal. As long as I was building longer rows in that direction I could add 10 feet to the hyperactive grape vine row, deal. Oh, and as long as I was out there, the horseradish was not only too close to the hoop house now, but would also be too shaded. It needed moved. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGkTbUuPRag7dFgozpl7gnxMRv1RMNfp3uxRf1-hX0fBy0MsoQ40TqPCBrQHZaqwrjo7KzAhoql3IFyBY-hdo2jNqTO2rAfKJm67989xDt34vkSZF-RTuSKfNSxfiiZNmreS4Cu5fOUHwuEQGBTNiwB-RdgC_1ZKsP1NQVdvD3V7qgZj7KeQMjE3vLiw=s12000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGkTbUuPRag7dFgozpl7gnxMRv1RMNfp3uxRf1-hX0fBy0MsoQ40TqPCBrQHZaqwrjo7KzAhoql3IFyBY-hdo2jNqTO2rAfKJm67989xDt34vkSZF-RTuSKfNSxfiiZNmreS4Cu5fOUHwuEQGBTNiwB-RdgC_1ZKsP1NQVdvD3V7qgZj7KeQMjE3vLiw=s320" width="240" /></a></div>Have you ever had to move a 5 year old mother horseradish plant? She was HUGE, 24 inches across and I dug down another 15 inches before I started cutting off the rhizomes, which were almost 2 inches across in some instances. I broke off some larger ones and tossed them aside and moved mother to a new spot, then dug up two of her daughters and put them in the same row. I know full well that each broken rhizome left in the ground is a potential new plant this spring. I will be overwhelmed with the spicy condiment, but it is welcome.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I brought in the pungent stick 2 inches across and 20 inches long. I diced it into manageable pieces, and slipped them into a quart jar along with 1/4t of salt, 6 T water, and 3T of white vinegar and then carried it and my immersion blender to the front porch. This is NOT a job for INSIDE the house. Holding the jar away from my face and pointed away from me I let the stick blender do its job. I shook off the blender and capped the jar for 15 minutes before transferring it to a pint jar. Not a bad haul. Nothing like a fresh batch of the good stuff for February.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUBp3nq8sjUcgzfOzO9ejRFIxzQ98In20H4sSfg5FfHLOgYaZaf5NC1v540SK8kBeGSPfpucAiRUwur0JmgiRrTeDV_vkOfqNA8ThYugjWo2ynwsd1mKDm1byaRzG2dvEssdfqW2Y0Oq8pRxEcOMXDG2VS6nGfR9OVaSJAYN5ingtNVn1icPLJPdyQoA=s9948" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9948" data-original-width="6030" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUBp3nq8sjUcgzfOzO9ejRFIxzQ98In20H4sSfg5FfHLOgYaZaf5NC1v540SK8kBeGSPfpucAiRUwur0JmgiRrTeDV_vkOfqNA8ThYugjWo2ynwsd1mKDm1byaRzG2dvEssdfqW2Y0Oq8pRxEcOMXDG2VS6nGfR9OVaSJAYN5ingtNVn1icPLJPdyQoA=s320" width="194" /></a></div>I installed a set of shelves in the sewing room to hold materials for the rug loom, since that's where they'll be cut . I just took the first warp winding worth of rugs of Fergus. I actually ran out of room on the take-up beam before I ran out of warm. I manage 12 rugs, with probably two left on the loom. When this warp runs out I'll order new heddles for Fergus, install them, and thread him up again. It's nice to have a project that doesn't require a great deal of brain power for break times. (Unlike the projects on Nessie, which require so much attention, the radio can't even be on.)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The hens and alpaca are happy and very much enjoying the warmer winter. Days are spent lounging in the warm sunshine and searching the poo piles for bugs and wayward seeds in the straw and dropped hay.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5pB_geu94m2FfcFQk_t8hq9jzUAfx_nnxodPI4oXXSBl_Ay8mjEPS4rw9SUnTRMx9fxfKP1TD0LE41-ghg27xt8vrjtoJmoLJLj7kd4z3t5Q_2uPVbWA65f6LLv0Hy2NRdwshW-xKBQXhmryVfs_TeUOE1duqPW0wcDAoiHtjV9Tnkig0nPFLNmu7uQ=s1322" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="1322" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5pB_geu94m2FfcFQk_t8hq9jzUAfx_nnxodPI4oXXSBl_Ay8mjEPS4rw9SUnTRMx9fxfKP1TD0LE41-ghg27xt8vrjtoJmoLJLj7kd4z3t5Q_2uPVbWA65f6LLv0Hy2NRdwshW-xKBQXhmryVfs_TeUOE1duqPW0wcDAoiHtjV9Tnkig0nPFLNmu7uQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In closing, the only thing special that came out of the kitchen during this month long work-a-thon was a triple twisted cinnamon flake roll from scratch, 100% whole wheat. I think it made up for the couple of night's that dinner was soup and cold sandwiches.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhy7dtLt5b5fsucg8hOhkYXu8UbPvC6r7UG3axkvt4pCIZES3HE2VpUR80Xz7NRTbrDITNhH-jqtnDtbMf5I3Hm7goMNEz58K3DjJRAPUNzH-5Z2y2jzummv0ikRGbyrufgDAIb0QtUv5VGi30727rT99vgSAQIxuN2pKpGVR1hyZCCoArT-7vlSNQKzQ=s11382" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6403" data-original-width="11382" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhy7dtLt5b5fsucg8hOhkYXu8UbPvC6r7UG3axkvt4pCIZES3HE2VpUR80Xz7NRTbrDITNhH-jqtnDtbMf5I3Hm7goMNEz58K3DjJRAPUNzH-5Z2y2jzummv0ikRGbyrufgDAIb0QtUv5VGi30727rT99vgSAQIxuN2pKpGVR1hyZCCoArT-7vlSNQKzQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com1West Oak, NE, USA41.016855 -96.85654269999999112.706621163821154 -132.01279269999998 69.327088836178845 -61.700292699999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-37568485472856400342022-01-04T20:11:00.001-06:002022-01-04T20:11:37.185-06:00December, It Just FLEW By.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4BZNdwstSY9thoRHtiykmON5z8KtVOwapun1ua-t6f5_zSkWO_aJwqSY9uME0gGy1bBE0A6W3X_XTNkvb4SJUhvd9qvo4FHAXMW8t0obqeS25cohr6KrtZaSv61XTF6mGU_93SgN1Ic_ot0CealfAFTFpsswW7WV063Ttn1y8nkANb1TPMP07cieN0Q=s12000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9000" data-original-width="12000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4BZNdwstSY9thoRHtiykmON5z8KtVOwapun1ua-t6f5_zSkWO_aJwqSY9uME0gGy1bBE0A6W3X_XTNkvb4SJUhvd9qvo4FHAXMW8t0obqeS25cohr6KrtZaSv61XTF6mGU_93SgN1Ic_ot0CealfAFTFpsswW7WV063Ttn1y8nkANb1TPMP07cieN0Q=w638-h240" width="638" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Most of the reason it sped by so quickly was due to the great loom project. Fergus was all consuming for 10 days. It was wonderful. Now Fergus is safely in the house and set up, and working. Being on the main floor affords me the same opportunity as my studio desk in the kitchen. I can work for a bit and then continue on with chores or cooking. It's easy to just work for a few minutes as the mood strikes.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOLwknINLSBaEYIkwrq184QQybFnirT4QHioPYut2Wg-AQHeeUkcfe_3EpRuSXVJonEbrDB3KaYYe8uK48iqdG9Irp7y-0G3MVnJZn-w2Y0l6BSKnNl1D16Rfk4WcAp_bpoVl7eu-s6SLPhbl90q7WZm8Kyu-fK3R8YA6NycXI92KGQddFISWqxObuQw=s10010" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9000" data-original-width="10010" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOLwknINLSBaEYIkwrq184QQybFnirT4QHioPYut2Wg-AQHeeUkcfe_3EpRuSXVJonEbrDB3KaYYe8uK48iqdG9Irp7y-0G3MVnJZn-w2Y0l6BSKnNl1D16Rfk4WcAp_bpoVl7eu-s6SLPhbl90q7WZm8Kyu-fK3R8YA6NycXI92KGQddFISWqxObuQw=s320" width="320" /></a></div>Fergus is well on his way, and has rag rug #4 on it now. I should have that done by tomorrow. I've been managing a rug a day just by doing several rows every so often throughout the day. I have a great deal of scraps saved up and ready to be stripped as needed.<br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I love the process and the result. One of my main goals for January is to finish the custom sewing double dummy and to get the next Tartan threaded up on the downstairs Loom, Nessie. That is a HUGE project. I dread it, but to start weaving, it must be done. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGNqVueH75X9cm8iZHYYK6VlHkqOhGoKrAZHwhKivKY65qELWCQc0oMp53DhDu0um-8TeL5cW_bFwjk6xFw87oaCnliuO9PjMqHfpRuyRUCMJhxRbBgz182ciu98uha3sUCIIXi5UQ5lIs5Fu86pSQBhJAHlRZS0SOyGXcszhR6yaWtuD5fwXJgoqEKg=s2992" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGNqVueH75X9cm8iZHYYK6VlHkqOhGoKrAZHwhKivKY65qELWCQc0oMp53DhDu0um-8TeL5cW_bFwjk6xFw87oaCnliuO9PjMqHfpRuyRUCMJhxRbBgz182ciu98uha3sUCIIXi5UQ5lIs5Fu86pSQBhJAHlRZS0SOyGXcszhR6yaWtuD5fwXJgoqEKg=s320" width="320" /></a></div>December 15th rolled in with temperatures in the mid 70s, which is unheard of for here. The air felt odd all day, it was still and a little humid. The storms began to develop to our west and then picked up speed, barreling across the state like a freight train. Tropical storm and hurricane force winds chewed up everything in front of it and torrential rains raced horizontally along the hills, and tornadoes formed unpredictably along the leading edge of the storm. As I sat on the front porch working and passing information to surrounding broadcasting agencies, the unmistakable roar came from the next valley. As the winds picked up, the roar wasn't muffed by the approaching rain on the tin rooves nor the wind twisting the giant tree limbs. In fact, it grew louder. There was a flash across the valley and the power was gone, the air was green, and still the sound of a jet engine grew closer. I sent one more report and went inside and told Doc, that I didn't know where the tornado was, I couldn't see it, but it was out there and it was close. I returned to my observation post but could see nothing. The air pressure dropped to 29.03, before the station shut down. The beast was out there, but invisible. The whole thing was over in 15 minutes. The line passed, the sun was golden, and the air behind the storm was fresh and clear. We were still here, the only damage was a missing vent panel on the greenhouse. (I forgot to close the lower vents during storm prep.) (The tornado was headed our way, but lifted just 5 miles south of the house. For a storm that was moving at us at 80 mph, that's a big deal- 4 minutes is all that stood between us and that twister.)<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifWtuZnbr_ZDhtUDcnxC3yumbQqJNrfbRVpAQeTBsODlhejwxdFSp7oFeRviAK4y-EyImGeCii6r5JQ6vn9MQe2QUmQ3rRWyOQSSoT_hUjPNsMEkjGaa2ns6XtcF8XRwD-UH3oyxsoFHBbJXxTQMFNPtYZhEeLzC1cpfEH-cUBZcLJt8nCxivGb6jUyA=s12000" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifWtuZnbr_ZDhtUDcnxC3yumbQqJNrfbRVpAQeTBsODlhejwxdFSp7oFeRviAK4y-EyImGeCii6r5JQ6vn9MQe2QUmQ3rRWyOQSSoT_hUjPNsMEkjGaa2ns6XtcF8XRwD-UH3oyxsoFHBbJXxTQMFNPtYZhEeLzC1cpfEH-cUBZcLJt8nCxivGb6jUyA=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>For us, the power was out. Long before the storm had hit, I had filled the extra water buckets for both animals and people. I used the clear glass jugs and a candle to blow the light from one candle into a full lantern in the kitchen, and with the help of food put up in the pantry, managed a full Thai dinner from scratch for supper. A reward for an insane evening.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After that, we still had wild swings of cool and warm days. It was warm enough to bring the ladybugs back out and warm and breezy enough to still hang laundry on the line. Odd for sure, but no one was complaining. Although we all know Mr. Freeze Meister's shoe will drop on us eventually.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBCATplmZSHFcDnYT4qoJXBJobxlA3LFdsj7WNWCa1m080ZUD4kiTxckRPRdaw4Lgu145q_krsdv-NePwZletJzf_0IHc5Xof852-JcoP1uW1ai1VJRsGNIHe9xB1-b4Uos91UY3csl59JTDpQy9lzB3AYDsDMwOURDbaZWSEYBY2MpVhMNoxhxFre5g=s12000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9000" data-original-width="12000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBCATplmZSHFcDnYT4qoJXBJobxlA3LFdsj7WNWCa1m080ZUD4kiTxckRPRdaw4Lgu145q_krsdv-NePwZletJzf_0IHc5Xof852-JcoP1uW1ai1VJRsGNIHe9xB1-b4Uos91UY3csl59JTDpQy9lzB3AYDsDMwOURDbaZWSEYBY2MpVhMNoxhxFre5g=w573-h240" width="573" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhF_xuky1lU7yPwoOp63xm2t44un0xsykog3AbjfaJXFbN-qTgCPnqpzZtyomO8mNa8nUlc_dkZ3gmNDLtKhkMwpjcmdIPE31AH1HKjuO_2DlRtQAMsKkppVALalpvU8a7ut3ejIAKS-FKLZCGbW9EiBiAeknOrQCS34BnXojBcf1FX7ygLgoDQQgcCwQ=s2400" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhF_xuky1lU7yPwoOp63xm2t44un0xsykog3AbjfaJXFbN-qTgCPnqpzZtyomO8mNa8nUlc_dkZ3gmNDLtKhkMwpjcmdIPE31AH1HKjuO_2DlRtQAMsKkppVALalpvU8a7ut3ejIAKS-FKLZCGbW9EiBiAeknOrQCS34BnXojBcf1FX7ygLgoDQQgcCwQ=s320" width="240" /></a></div>The warm weather even distracted us from the fact that the holidays were sneaking up on us. But we found enough spirit to make and eat a Yule Log and get the tree up, albeit, two days before Christmas. The ornaments never did make it out of storage, and the whole tree was put away by Christmas afternoon. Then, in the blink of an eye, it was New Year Day, and Winter arrived.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">From DunRovinStation Ranch to you and yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnR1XdlkHjMgl23MQ7FdEgoJqjBdz0zTWcxN2_1XQrWHkBfeAUWC7om8iUdUQGJ3mwnVt8xO6DNJrXCxaes0PoZRxINGsYGKEozcuAV-fYSxJHbnMevhJ2cAL4AvADONt-Vha5WxXshKsNBd2tqW2QD_eEUSNJ8p3gFFzjaA5CrfrN2lzPbeZJC_gHqw=s995" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="995" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnR1XdlkHjMgl23MQ7FdEgoJqjBdz0zTWcxN2_1XQrWHkBfeAUWC7om8iUdUQGJ3mwnVt8xO6DNJrXCxaes0PoZRxINGsYGKEozcuAV-fYSxJHbnMevhJ2cAL4AvADONt-Vha5WxXshKsNBd2tqW2QD_eEUSNJ8p3gFFzjaA5CrfrN2lzPbeZJC_gHqw=w400-h368" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-65222262614741967672021-12-24T20:24:00.012-06:002022-02-05T19:19:50.072-06:00My 'New' Union 36 Loom - Get your coffee. It's a long one.<p> It came to be on a sweltering early June day. The kind of day where the sun sits high in the sky, wavy lines of heat rise from the asphalt road. The cicadas slowly come to life, working hard to muster the energy in the heavy air to bolt out a few clicks to a potential mate before settling back down under a shady leaf. And the laundry on the line, hangs lazily, barely making an effort to dance in the breeze that refuses to lead. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgO9y3Q2sn6kRAF01O8l2Rjz-aPf4y-3Tw0J2imOxiACRrKVQw5OUYLAgnS-iut3NQ1EDjq-yt8HGYWKUP7ssyypDxKHNxuNxJ-MBkfLGp3ZKoLxM8Vb4IJK58Yzb0Ufo4RW-L81YguCEIlIbPnvC4NkTLFuyOvg1PzM7_0_NPmdLcfk9d59lLDRqg7KA=s4618" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3464" data-original-width="4618" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgO9y3Q2sn6kRAF01O8l2Rjz-aPf4y-3Tw0J2imOxiACRrKVQw5OUYLAgnS-iut3NQ1EDjq-yt8HGYWKUP7ssyypDxKHNxuNxJ-MBkfLGp3ZKoLxM8Vb4IJK58Yzb0Ufo4RW-L81YguCEIlIbPnvC4NkTLFuyOvg1PzM7_0_NPmdLcfk9d59lLDRqg7KA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>It was just this day, that I found myself in the truck, about to make the same weekly trip to the feed store, the market, and the hardware store. The same truck, the same road, the same destination, a mind numbing routine. The weather making me indifferent to the whole prospect. As the truck hummed along I spied a small white sign on the corner of the gravel road, poking out of the already tall prairie grass. A siren's song on poster board with a red arrow and the simple words 'Barn Sale'.</p><p><br /></p><p>Roused from my repetitive dusty trail, I turned the truck down the gravel road less traveled, a rooster tail of dust lazily rising behind me. I tried to temper my excitement, knowing that it could either be a marvelous adventure filled with treasure, or a bust, a barn filled with rusty junk that should have been sent to the dump decades ago. Farmers and ranchers rarely throw things away. You never know when you'll need that thing-a-ma-jig again, and why buy new later when you can simply save what you already have? Any you know what they say, 'one man's rubbish, is another man's treasure.' There was no harm in looking, and the road was in the general direction of errand anyway. If nothing else, it was a diversion and a chance to meet someone new, see a homestead close-up instead of from afar as you fly past.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhl3HkMwCNjpDflAn-SYqTm1cLV8Y1dt39ZFaVeEsdkf-OpSvDhbz0t_LO1AXSWZt7puz8X2JggoW3G4RzVpi7bQAT1PrMxgjJTKO3tyVVrtSqSdtyARwbVE5Gy1If2hpmMfj_x1x7qhl7-kg5ufSiOJIdbT4PPhXc2SVxWyA4k17boSW5QH-s05MbMiA=s4608" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhl3HkMwCNjpDflAn-SYqTm1cLV8Y1dt39ZFaVeEsdkf-OpSvDhbz0t_LO1AXSWZt7puz8X2JggoW3G4RzVpi7bQAT1PrMxgjJTKO3tyVVrtSqSdtyARwbVE5Gy1If2hpmMfj_x1x7qhl7-kg5ufSiOJIdbT4PPhXc2SVxWyA4k17boSW5QH-s05MbMiA=s320" width="240" /></a></div>Each passing crossroad brought be closer to the city, but another red arrow pointed me onward. My excitement peaked when I reached where X marked the spot. A lovely homestead I have always admired from afar as I would cut across country for a change of scenery. A ranch style home near the road, encircled by a protective copse of evergreen trees, strong, tall, sentinels guarding against the winter winds on the open prairie, off duty in the summer heat. A small wood clad outbuilding stands just off the driveway loaded with potted plants and the rusty detritus of farm life and discarded implements that have become yard ornaments. The main attraction was a large red gambrel barn, trimmed in white. I turned into the sale hoping for the best, but already happy that I was going to see this gem close up and not at 55 mph.<br /><p></p><p>The sale was a driveway full of typical odds and ends and didn't go near the barn or sheds. On the property was a never before noticed large greenhouse, and its bounty was spread on large pieces of plywood on sawhorses, makeshift tables displaying hundreds of tomato plants seeking a new home, sleepy in the heat. The owners were kind, and seeing nothing I wanted, but not wanting to just show up and leave immediately, I wandered into the large three car garage. This was filled with bits and bobs, dusty boxes, outgrown children's toys and clothing. As I turned to make a final pass, my eyes quickly scanned a dark corner, piled high with baskets and rubbermaid containers, all partially covered with old blankets, and yet still part of the sale. Recognizing a familiar shape peeking out, I peeled back the blanket to an old Union 36. I could almost hear her weeping for joy for having been found, maybe I would rescue her? I looked her over quickly as my heart beat like a hummingbird. The more I looked, the <br />more my excitement was tempered.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGQvYyOsnvriDV1OS0glD_13g_z4qnrCB06DOqLnx_Xnw_XkYy0MClLB1OvqA2z4xU_jkF6R_LMvyJ1mBH4dIM91KZkh_s9-XJfkrA8wQp1xtATpnxpXgP0X4MdYxEvHEHfF_u_bh3ZFISKDB-4BLzX0HgFIZPA2LXbvtN9pw9nykJ5dYIXD2FEAk7DQ=s12000" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGQvYyOsnvriDV1OS0glD_13g_z4qnrCB06DOqLnx_Xnw_XkYy0MClLB1OvqA2z4xU_jkF6R_LMvyJ1mBH4dIM91KZkh_s9-XJfkrA8wQp1xtATpnxpXgP0X4MdYxEvHEHfF_u_bh3ZFISKDB-4BLzX0HgFIZPA2LXbvtN9pw9nykJ5dYIXD2FEAk7DQ=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missing pieces replaced<br />with bailing wire and <br />electrical tape.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Years of sitting in the garage, dust and mice visiting, wild swings of temperature and humidity taking its toll. Every piece of metal was rusted. The beam was loaded with rotting and filthy warp. A started and abandoned rug lay crumpled on the breast beam. The once glistening maple, the pride of some 1930s housewife, now sat dull and lifeless, a shadow of its former glory. I looked at the price, inquired to the owner, and made a difficult decision. She would not be coming home. I had a loom. A beautiful cherry Norwood loom was at that very moment sitting in the studio waiting for me to finishing slaying a new tartan warp. As I turned to walk towards the truck, I swear I heard a faint weeping, the loom resigned to it's lonely fate.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9NKScxR1OIdcObNmS-JBvnhU_o8K1FICfAP5tTyhDLjb97ZEaW4AIVklusfA0-hpy2VD_6KfhArrjoDfbuqONfA58uC_K2oTZU58na30xSvqRThRbNHcb11_u4DN2fKcUuxXMwGlXNoS92K071pfPmTA9g7jjbSYRheEad9wGb0uV6wslUPOjdsZ3ig=s12000" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9NKScxR1OIdcObNmS-JBvnhU_o8K1FICfAP5tTyhDLjb97ZEaW4AIVklusfA0-hpy2VD_6KfhArrjoDfbuqONfA58uC_K2oTZU58na30xSvqRThRbNHcb11_u4DN2fKcUuxXMwGlXNoS92K071pfPmTA9g7jjbSYRheEad9wGb0uV6wslUPOjdsZ3ig=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rusty, covered in<br />droppings and grease<br />pencil notes.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I'd be lying if I said I didn't give it a second thought that day, that week, or even that month. Could I save her? Would she even be there? I could do it. I refurbished antique sewing machines a long while ago, and a loom wasn't even that complicated. Nah, I had a loom already. Besides, where would I put it. Back and forth I would silently debate with myself. Slowly the thoughts faded completely.</p><p>At the beginning of December, I found myself at the first meeting of a newly formed fiber artists group. As I sat there in the shop, which was our meeting place, surrounded by restored looms, and spinning wheels, the old loom crept into my thoughts again. Like the Tell Tale Heart, it would not let me go. On the long drive home I decided to go the long way and stop by the farm and see if the loom was still there? The early winter sun, kissed the horizon as I turned unannounced into the driveway. I knocked at the door, but no one answered. Dismayed I turned toward the truck and was greeted by someone coming out of the shed. I asked if she had managed to sell the loom at sale, and if she hadn't did she still have it. She did!</p><p>She opened the garage door, and I swear I hear the little loom squeal with glee, 'you came back!"</p><p>We settled on a price, and I told her I would be back in the morning with the trailer and the check. The woman told me the story of how she bought it when they purchased the house 20 years ago, with good intentions of using it, but she never learned to use it, or even tackled cleaning it up or off in 20 years. The fabric was ancient, at least the mid 70s judging by the colors, so 45 years of sitting collection dust in one location or another.</p><p>I carefully wrapped her in a tarp for the drive home. If anything broke off, or rattled off on the way home, I wanted it to be contained for retrieval. When I got home, Doc helped me offload the loom into the main garage on the house. The thought being that it would be going in the house eventually, and being winter I wanted to avoid having to carry it all the way up the hill in a blizzard. I'd rather haul tools from the shop up to the garage to work. As we sat it on the floor, I looked at it and silently said to myself"what have I gotten myself into"?</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqY4XvH2envFKYqy-gzeCKlDhaOXr2hsf6OdX2DsESlDkuN8tkDs1Ml0_db_29c-PMJ6K4_mTxAAx_QoUf2yRfbVMvdFQnmktoMTfEDv2qOBwBzpOLXKHObsMStPbeTRPKekiofjjMPW4tXCpTvvpW9UdBbvl0sZuZavu6dkVXC4IFcD2nMeSSPdmNKg=s8916" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="8916" data-original-width="7979" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqY4XvH2envFKYqy-gzeCKlDhaOXr2hsf6OdX2DsESlDkuN8tkDs1Ml0_db_29c-PMJ6K4_mTxAAx_QoUf2yRfbVMvdFQnmktoMTfEDv2qOBwBzpOLXKHObsMStPbeTRPKekiofjjMPW4tXCpTvvpW9UdBbvl0sZuZavu6dkVXC4IFcD2nMeSSPdmNKg=s320" width="286" /></a></div>But not only was I determined to tackle this project, I was determined to do it right, do it quickly, and do it on a budget. I would be thrilled with a week, but 10 days seemed more realistic. There was so much to do. All the metal needed either replaced or the rust dealt with. All the wood needed sanded down, fed, and then resealed. Missing pieces needed replaced. It all seemed like so much. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.<br /><p></p><p>I took photos like mad, after all, pixels are free. I looked at other looms online to see what I was missing.</p><p>I started taking it apart and carefully placed each item on paper I had taped to the floor. I labeled everything knowing I would forget what went where, but hoping I wouldn't.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1dQKIlcgy3TGWfQuk3MH2TAG54W47EGQ9I9sXTBSghQVRJxFcpUPSfmtuYKe8BNezqABG9sGBJ-0HUeqWFSIc99q-QLO6WmTbVN-Z583YwytWO4gDV5FfP9wfrjVmu0WwI-_aZZhDPgi4RrT5yZYgwa6Q8gsoYv7c3rjQ_w3c4E8qZnbfoSkcVDWV3w=s12000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1dQKIlcgy3TGWfQuk3MH2TAG54W47EGQ9I9sXTBSghQVRJxFcpUPSfmtuYKe8BNezqABG9sGBJ-0HUeqWFSIc99q-QLO6WmTbVN-Z583YwytWO4gDV5FfP9wfrjVmu0WwI-_aZZhDPgi4RrT5yZYgwa6Q8gsoYv7c3rjQ_w3c4E8qZnbfoSkcVDWV3w=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The first task was taking off over 400 rotting warp threads and the old partial rug covered in dust, mouse droppings, dead bugs, and dead spiders. I went through the box after box of stripped fabrics, nothing newer than the mid-70s, some I actually recognized (remember yellow sheets with orange mums, daisies and mushrooms and butterflies on them?)These covered in mouse droppings and dust. (In retrospect, I should have masked and gloved for this, but hindsight, eh?) One box, better sealed than the rest contained musty books from the 70s, and 11 rug shuttles, and one boat shuttle and the two slaying tools. This was a treasure trove.</p><p>I sanded metal. I sanded wood. I visited the hardware store more times than I care to admit. Tiny achievements brought so much pleasure that I couldn't sleep for planning the next day.</p><p>I wanted to clean it up and fix it, but not to the point of erasing its past.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPFItkjArsOK8BUxVQFWwSVGuqOanCGpfYwH8F1VdsWUchaqqW7pNro2Nz2kOtZYu4kCZTpI03ZxKJnppNAWmLiF_471KmdRZpdBnJW3pvrl5yqdIwF2xZ0sKLEosVJSQp7f_gqHxH4zsYEP1YJDsFVDUmBjgH2xNkBDZ2EdLGNRzLccgSR1mBwtn_Ew=s6552" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6552" data-original-width="1916" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPFItkjArsOK8BUxVQFWwSVGuqOanCGpfYwH8F1VdsWUchaqqW7pNro2Nz2kOtZYu4kCZTpI03ZxKJnppNAWmLiF_471KmdRZpdBnJW3pvrl5yqdIwF2xZ0sKLEosVJSQp7f_gqHxH4zsYEP1YJDsFVDUmBjgH2xNkBDZ2EdLGNRzLccgSR1mBwtn_Ew=s320" width="94" /></a></div>I left some of the decals that someone in the 60s proudly put on. I left the gnaw marks of a barn rat, and the scratches on one leg of a barn cat. The handmade replacement crank handle for the sectional beam, so lovingly crafted, was just as carefully repaired and re-installed. <p></p><p>The sanded maple wood was cleaned and stained a rich, warm chestnut.<br /></p><p>The metal was sealed with a rust neutralizing black.</p><p>Missing pegs were re-crafted with the help of a 1940s steel pencil sharpener I have.</p><p>The rusted heddles were the last on my list. Their condition and sheer number made the project daunting. Do I simply purchase new and break my budget? Or do I soldier on and try to save them? I decided to try to save them. If I failed, then I would purchase new. I already saved the heddle bars with sanding and a light oiling. Now what to to with the heddles. I tackle my rusty cast iron before seasoning with vinegar, why not try it? 50 heddles at a time, my patience limit at the sink, went into a vinegar soak while I tackled other chores. I then rinsed and wiped the rust off each and every one, and set them out to dry. When I was finally done with them, I lightly sprayed the lot with a mist of oil, and again wiped each one down, leaving only enough to slow the rust. Although it would now be stored in a controlled environment, so I hoped the iron would be kept at bay for a long while.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivM7fLDExZnjXhJVY8246VwN95jcejPgPsEtqlt5VfPwQk7TCHwbVPWRI7FdHEgXfbWl0zmURxzfhFYtLFjMY0NanhGxvmXYxceA2i6TXlpylGcX3-1lGUWG0CAlhtU4I_MpceExjrsxt44RV6_hnA5D43KFlB0FOnpt5eT9nV1msDIDS3wNvlX_U3dA=s7200" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="7200" data-original-width="5400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivM7fLDExZnjXhJVY8246VwN95jcejPgPsEtqlt5VfPwQk7TCHwbVPWRI7FdHEgXfbWl0zmURxzfhFYtLFjMY0NanhGxvmXYxceA2i6TXlpylGcX3-1lGUWG0CAlhtU4I_MpceExjrsxt44RV6_hnA5D43KFlB0FOnpt5eT9nV1msDIDS3wNvlX_U3dA=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I carefully reassembled the whole thing. At a critical juncture, just before I replaced the castle, the tallest piece, I decided to move it into the house. I decided on the library, by the window, where I would have plenty of daylight and could watch the world go by. I wrestled it onto a padded dolly, wheeled it out of the garage and down the sidewalk. I padded all the front steps and porch with garden blankets and slowly worked it towards the door. Even as wide as this modern door is, the loom still need to be on end, and then one side through the frame and then the whole thing rotated around and the other side to follow around. Once it was in the house, furniture sliders ruled the roost, and the process was repeated to get through the library door.</p><p>Once it was settled in, I began to reassemble in full. It was really nice to work in the warmth of the house with the radio for company.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVSB6uIGH_mpMalSIRLgYzycX8m1MExyvXXpKMElIJMM9PwyL89zNgstMzBXQOuA7Rp3TA_mKt42ej01NxjdhEaJyUT0_fuPhdbSiFkx2pt6SGtpBvwQboVvd8yRH3CqJPzAgFSR831bTte1jAlYc9fZ6FZAjk3dRW5KlOzA1NhZMUidI47CAoU3KWUw=s12000" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9000" data-original-width="12000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVSB6uIGH_mpMalSIRLgYzycX8m1MExyvXXpKMElIJMM9PwyL89zNgstMzBXQOuA7Rp3TA_mKt42ej01NxjdhEaJyUT0_fuPhdbSiFkx2pt6SGtpBvwQboVvd8yRH3CqJPzAgFSR831bTte1jAlYc9fZ6FZAjk3dRW5KlOzA1NhZMUidI47CAoU3KWUw=s320" width="320" /></a></div>I measured it for a new beam apron. Before she only had one bent piece of iron to draw up the warp. I stuck to my budget, and my refusal to drive into the city again, and raided my fabric studio for some cotton duck cloth. I opted for brass grommets for the warp ends to pass through, and left pockets for new, heavier steel rods (from the tractor store).<br /><p></p><p>I added a beater brake to hold the beater for slaying.</p><p>I added a hook to hold tools.</p><p>I installed new pegs and risers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiO78PY4ux1amqmRJo8kJo89seojbCezl7rZLXpfroq9CY_wX18DZeEyj1Ds0HUx8kIEGKSHpXGUeVsmOMKvTF36mGNTNoOXLBRt2kN6e8gEm8Vrn5q_tgOaFvenRSmrcHjXwRm0EZcIdq53wCE6rsXrlXXlOmBVxE20o7FoECrukDZ55503mhUuE_RRw=s12000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiO78PY4ux1amqmRJo8kJo89seojbCezl7rZLXpfroq9CY_wX18DZeEyj1Ds0HUx8kIEGKSHpXGUeVsmOMKvTF36mGNTNoOXLBRt2kN6e8gEm8Vrn5q_tgOaFvenRSmrcHjXwRm0EZcIdq53wCE6rsXrlXXlOmBVxE20o7FoECrukDZ55503mhUuE_RRw=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The last challenge? Re-threading the heddles. They needed sorted, counted, divided in two groups for the two braces. They needed turned the same and correct direction and slid back onto the rails and then mounted back into their frames and the frames hung and balanced. I dreaded it, but it needed done.</p><p>The very last thing I did was add a plaque, my name and Refubrished in 2021.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtWiLYJGGCMfhRnTqGSG3fMdv5vRmUsJfZSHDrWc6jXF4BJvTN2y6hDk7S1OHv78DZ_Yg99Y8tDjCtSIX3QSYvoR3l5vaiypXVavdkDRnxvxCv_-XYQLy1-2GFyPjd_IajbWJVn61Bb5isy0tMDiDoRIK7UMAhqLFNHRNT-Gi5auB3tsT-UNzsn0_YEQ=s4000" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p>Everyone, I'd like you to meet Fergus.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbBBqZHI47saXxm-iI_4toaXEuJwpqjN76FMqHNwJD713XcI62eKwGZa3VNGi0CiE1Wm3U-32xFutEayESpGR9aRhwv_60wLSoQJp-gttYwiTECUhyM9l9ZkDnQJrpJsOOy1k6E-iQO3-r5G3PMiiDfukUrbQJzSyNywwqkYFY5l-42ME9QISr6qNINg=s2653" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1798" data-original-width="2653" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbBBqZHI47saXxm-iI_4toaXEuJwpqjN76FMqHNwJD713XcI62eKwGZa3VNGi0CiE1Wm3U-32xFutEayESpGR9aRhwv_60wLSoQJp-gttYwiTECUhyM9l9ZkDnQJrpJsOOy1k6E-iQO3-r5G3PMiiDfukUrbQJzSyNywwqkYFY5l-42ME9QISr6qNINg=w640-h434" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3PHsTXEu7dWAPrTFZSf83EsyaH17wnU3Z5v73W-Ft7OOi7_YEhCs873fWi5Xl7qWb_ObBI3bvwJTt5e15jve-06HHQAJWihQHm13cjqOAjmmHcdVngl2ADk2JXsAddXATle5xTSZt-MHP8OjrWmVj-giU-HartsX4cHm5gE02wVZn980Ar2fiWrFLag=s1936" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1731" data-original-width="1936" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3PHsTXEu7dWAPrTFZSf83EsyaH17wnU3Z5v73W-Ft7OOi7_YEhCs873fWi5Xl7qWb_ObBI3bvwJTt5e15jve-06HHQAJWihQHm13cjqOAjmmHcdVngl2ADk2JXsAddXATle5xTSZt-MHP8OjrWmVj-giU-HartsX4cHm5gE02wVZn980Ar2fiWrFLag=w640-h572" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The Union 36 Loom was the premier rug loom of the time and was marketed to homeowners who wanted to make a little money on the side, or as a full time business. It even explained in the manual how to acquire rags, and how to set prices based on competition in the area and materials costs. They were manufactured from 1920-1940 and originally sold for $60 delivered. They came fully assembled and ready to use with a short amount of warp on the beam to help you get started. Now they can be found here and there, usually in poor condition and missing pieces, or heavily painted and in poor condition for around $200-450$ depending on condition. New, modern models (different company) start at over $1000, and the wood isn't a hardwood and is always done in natural light tones.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsX0Ok1lmMfWvdjIl3d3d0-zBA6jJn6hFDpSIQPgxcYzX-W7LWH6GazomI51V1sE4NPL9qc_4dXkHG7FIjF94mLWWDVbr3m3beZfKrIy9DqHOPp9lDlwpJdnEZLAj8FM39gVUh32svft1mv5dmsKvpamGO9Z-1Nq4VckEFTiB_DH46KJaJvp8RQTk4dw=s4000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsX0Ok1lmMfWvdjIl3d3d0-zBA6jJn6hFDpSIQPgxcYzX-W7LWH6GazomI51V1sE4NPL9qc_4dXkHG7FIjF94mLWWDVbr3m3beZfKrIy9DqHOPp9lDlwpJdnEZLAj8FM39gVUh32svft1mv5dmsKvpamGO9Z-1Nq4VckEFTiB_DH46KJaJvp8RQTk4dw=s320" width="144" /></a></div>Side story. A chance trip to the local thrift shop graced me with a bent wood seat for piano. It adjusts height wise by twirling the seat one way or the other on a large iron screw. I refinished this at the same time a flat dark brown and repadded and covered the seat in a plaid wool scrap. Cost $20<p></p><p>Loom $150</p><p>Parts/supplies $58 (budget was $50), but I have bolts to return that will get me $15 back.</p><p>Odds and ends $60</p><p>Stool $20</p><p>Total - $273.00 and 42 hours (including clean up and putting tools away, but not shopping and drive time)</p><br /></div>Caryl http://www.blogger.com/profile/01909790086455266299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-56270379580658155382021-12-13T21:20:00.004-06:002021-12-14T19:30:03.625-06:00November - Time to Hunker Down for the Winter<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYy7HpY1UQV5e8tOb1RCdzlrFt7jPTyQzZ4fhbsOc-CrWXwAAGK4MC_1PcIGEzLrqAAapuLBxUypPto7hV5WOUpxcbX8tk7I2mb-OW7HQWxEztPrVNF1MJx9niWrEtHvJ7BqC7-TU-sKDrSrjba5nSy8XBH3mYGpJvBHQWLS3HMKGkik9jAI2l6x-e=s2048" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYy7HpY1UQV5e8tOb1RCdzlrFt7jPTyQzZ4fhbsOc-CrWXwAAGK4MC_1PcIGEzLrqAAapuLBxUypPto7hV5WOUpxcbX8tk7I2mb-OW7HQWxEztPrVNF1MJx9niWrEtHvJ7BqC7-TU-sKDrSrjba5nSy8XBH3mYGpJvBHQWLS3HMKGkik9jAI2l6x-e=w613-h178" width="613" /></a><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">With Halloween in the rear view mirror, the last piece of miniature candy devoured, the floor littered with their tiny exoskeletons, it's time to settle in, pack on the winter weight and prepare to hibernate for a couple of months. Time to drag out all those little indoor projects that can be accomplished during the shorter days, days when energy is lagging, motivation and attention span is absent altogether. Or better yet, finally settle down to a marathon of movies you couldn't get to during the busy warmer months, snuggle on the sofa with a cup of coffee, a warm fluffy blanket, and a pile of books.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">November and its darker days always mean sewing and odds and ends projects for the holidays. The bright studio lights make the short, darker days, less so. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwudlf2KYSTf2U5MXl2dPTWNPbQ4jMprYGRG7Y69-Efiueb2lDVebT2aeX_XW5_8vLTCdvRJyHnWrp5YvZmzdyx2O6KaZ5FcYxEbbj7beUfoi_5dBfZwjck-2IQk-IaZnXGAHdmnn8OIaMV9yl036brjCGSb6Ez22QbzANFrTT-CnlHZiM-ztOjQ96=s12000" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9000" data-original-width="12000" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwudlf2KYSTf2U5MXl2dPTWNPbQ4jMprYGRG7Y69-Efiueb2lDVebT2aeX_XW5_8vLTCdvRJyHnWrp5YvZmzdyx2O6KaZ5FcYxEbbj7beUfoi_5dBfZwjck-2IQk-IaZnXGAHdmnn8OIaMV9yl036brjCGSb6Ez22QbzANFrTT-CnlHZiM-ztOjQ96=w253-h190" width="253" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">But not this year! The weather has been INCREDIBLE. No rain or snow, and temperatures much above normal, into the 70s for many days. It took well into November for us to even see our first frost/freeze and we haven't seen many nights below zero at all. So plans changed to take advantage of the extended outdoor season.<br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhm25b6a5ZcXhZzEM19Me2E7LTgXbcjovFrCx1uMy6EZ7AJm_O5YhxrcJbljzk-Aiy63ZHronudsQK_bDT2jkOnB-cafBGQBYBCRAbh8wHLTfU7pbFUvR5NdBQ6dqfAQgSp79gIdRnFPtLYd_kzx9b2aHlkMQmpiFCIc1bDaldF6wfC7uZf62Qd6uY=s11356" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="7671" data-original-width="11356" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhm25b6a5ZcXhZzEM19Me2E7LTgXbcjovFrCx1uMy6EZ7AJm_O5YhxrcJbljzk-Aiy63ZHronudsQK_bDT2jkOnB-cafBGQBYBCRAbh8wHLTfU7pbFUvR5NdBQ6dqfAQgSp79gIdRnFPtLYd_kzx9b2aHlkMQmpiFCIc1bDaldF6wfC7uZf62Qd6uY=s320" width="320" /></a></div>November 1st I was able to purchase two 7.5 pound cushaw squash for Halloween clearance price, as here they are used as decorations and not as food. They are one of THE premier pie and eating squash on the market. I snapped these two up for $2 each and took them home, seat belted into the front passenger seat of the truck like two orphans. In years past, I have cut them in half, seeded, roasted, scooped the meat out, and simply froze the puree in bags. Last year, my Ziploc brand freezer bags leaked all over the freezer. What a sticky mess. It was time to change tactics and experiment. This year I made the puree and then loaded the silicone sheets of the dehydrator and let it do its thing for a ridiculous number of hours. I then powdered the sheets and vacuum sealed the powder in jars. From 15 pounds of squash I managed 1 qt of powder. To re-hydrate, I simply add hot water to Tablespoons of powder until I get the consistency I want.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhimB4jLdgXRKcVPMyrrEXkzcpd4Gkg8UoO6C6tUrElUr1eLozgQmAj7XgLqZ0xkmAl-6GH7p8ekPuRu2a667Y4oMLPyVYdhM0YJcwz9bmpQOZ1hIGR1B01p_TSEO9--r2MapSdbLbtUP18KyS1zyc19yn282ubPiAN4caCXurufKjfs5IkZhUqNKsj=s12000" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhimB4jLdgXRKcVPMyrrEXkzcpd4Gkg8UoO6C6tUrElUr1eLozgQmAj7XgLqZ0xkmAl-6GH7p8ekPuRu2a667Y4oMLPyVYdhM0YJcwz9bmpQOZ1hIGR1B01p_TSEO9--r2MapSdbLbtUP18KyS1zyc19yn282ubPiAN4caCXurufKjfs5IkZhUqNKsj=s320" width="240" /></a></div>Another unexpected clearance find was at the hardware store. The heat apparently didn't put many in the decorating mood near the end of the month, and the plethora of mums left on display were showing signs of the one freezing night we had had, as well as just being tired, past peak bloom. I had stopped at the hardware store for a new bolt, and saw one of those 4 foot square palette boxes in the parking lot greenhouse overflowing with pots of mums. I asked the manager if they were headed for the distributor for credit, or if they were headed for the dumpster. He said they were dumpster bound if I wanted them, it would save them room. DEAL! I loaded up all my truck could carry. These were huge, in 10 inch pots and were about 18 inches across and mounded, every color imaginable. I placed them on the brick wall at home and let them go to seed, harvested seed and trimmed them down to 3 inches. The dormant plants I placed in the workshop to keep cool and watered through the winter for regrowth next spring, and the trimmings went to the front ditch where, HOPEFULLY, they'll self seed me some plants. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwQWe9IIbyaxlkaO8Vxvo_NNrYply6d0UX07vrYB5G2u8XnSUxJ26UnPIdX_hNqiRwkL6z_fN9IZrumouyqN7Ck3oRr9B9Ys3JmD1EElmkCQLA1u4BhE9OGnR1Sa7CDpS8ox_F28t5G9pRKR7CdtH98_gp9q4NJEUQJVJ5RLgDBuIKWi1RLjfZQqGp=s12000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwQWe9IIbyaxlkaO8Vxvo_NNrYply6d0UX07vrYB5G2u8XnSUxJ26UnPIdX_hNqiRwkL6z_fN9IZrumouyqN7Ck3oRr9B9Ys3JmD1EElmkCQLA1u4BhE9OGnR1Sa7CDpS8ox_F28t5G9pRKR7CdtH98_gp9q4NJEUQJVJ5RLgDBuIKWi1RLjfZQqGp=s320" width="240" /></a>Lots and lots of baking goes on this time of year, but as we are trying to behave a little more, I've cut back on that. I did manage to finally perfect my soft, fluffy, bakery style, 100% whole wheat cinnamon rolls. Yes, I know, cinnamon rolls aren't healthy, but 100% whole wheat makes them a <i>little</i> better, plus after we all had one, I individually wrapped the rest and froze them for later. That way we didn't eat the whole pan over two days.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUncUQXGNv9OgkDsixkpme6VE1j_pSN7PgXJLpYTWmcWA4zM9JIO87xfSkjaHu8JRMyDGwZU1ulrOjyLHzunO6HFwOG0WvH_ytXd6Xlg15NxS3x8Op2u_CuLqkE0oEpSJW4sExqgluFqI991kHjBHASgNBfLEL7C0vXcNwOaSXCRAQTqzkjbE8-1Wy=s12000" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9000" data-original-width="12000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUncUQXGNv9OgkDsixkpme6VE1j_pSN7PgXJLpYTWmcWA4zM9JIO87xfSkjaHu8JRMyDGwZU1ulrOjyLHzunO6HFwOG0WvH_ytXd6Xlg15NxS3x8Op2u_CuLqkE0oEpSJW4sExqgluFqI991kHjBHASgNBfLEL7C0vXcNwOaSXCRAQTqzkjbE8-1Wy=s320" width="320" /></a></div>More time outside meant more photography and painting this month too. I cleaned my studio desk out and found some missing inks, and a second gorgeous paintbox from <a href="http://www.littlebrassbox.com/index.html" target="_blank">The Little Brass Box Company</a> This one is filled with more earth tones for landscapes. Miss MoneyPenny , bos #007,is my first box and is filled with primary brights, and is suited for all around painting. The newest box is #1007 and has been dubbed <i>My Precious</i>. Just look at those color samples. ::Drool:: These boxes are individually, handmade in true croft style, by one man, out of brass in the UK. They are the ultimate gift for the serious hobbyist or professional artist. They are a lifetime purchase and are heirloom quality. I can't say enough about these amazing paintboxes or the workmanship that goes into each and every one of them. (not paid to say this.)<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Along the lines of art, kind of, I'll move onto the sewing room. The new giant cutting table has been a God send. (remember she's from a church LOL) Having a huge table that if fully covered in cutting mat, that is the right height and I can move all around to work has been amazing. I'm still working on the body double sewing dummy from bootstrap, kind of. I finished the first one, made from pique knit, and the measurements are correct, but even as low stretch as the knit is, it is too soft. I don't feel like the padding is solid enough to dress the dummy and get any quality support out of it. The bustline also didn't look right and the shoulder height certainly wasn't. SO back to the drawing board. I redrafted the pattern and sewed it all over again with cotton duck cloth. The zero stretch of duckcloth will allow me to stuff the dummy and achieve the correct measurements for draping garments. (no photos yet)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I also completed several holiday gifts which, I'll show in December, after they're opened. No spoilers. haha.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdwp6Q9NAjVtwqDhSREPOscJR_mY-GL6ELH3rUpxrI4riDlkUK4u5JzqAgcJQQCELZ5fkZIZnlE1EaQ9tLnJUBBuZRiaxmD_Ow4GOhGO5J2YovKiqGMvJ80bX4_jdQXOmmMjmcxrN3Yh6HxoXKykjXLR55DjzKIFGEjH0-VTOlqv5yiqflczYhPlkl=s12000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdwp6Q9NAjVtwqDhSREPOscJR_mY-GL6ELH3rUpxrI4riDlkUK4u5JzqAgcJQQCELZ5fkZIZnlE1EaQ9tLnJUBBuZRiaxmD_Ow4GOhGO5J2YovKiqGMvJ80bX4_jdQXOmmMjmcxrN3Yh6HxoXKykjXLR55DjzKIFGEjH0-VTOlqv5yiqflczYhPlkl=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></div>On a trip to the little thrift store I purchased two wool coats for $4 each. Yes, that says FOUR dollars. They were on clearance as no one wanted them for the month they had been on display. They were both from the 50s, Edinburgh. Both were pristine, inside and out, but the thread holding them together had dry rotted. I brought them home and deconstructed them for their wool, which I have been making mittens from. I couldn't let that vintage Scottish wool go to the dump!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiq9VqHRKIpRz_BANmQYk9zuf_H-hKvixparVvwIdZwZCCUkIt-FQqGRPxBu9S6HMGnZpj4AgOVnPmTGB50FrqSCxlRtSFDSgUzGeVoXKwvst5awOLm_AQ5N5SZw6Vwvq-lPju_gEZWTGNax2iyTKHZzKVwKpKPVqVw20Ul89MSBpgFPKefELo6IR23=s7262" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="7020" data-original-width="7262" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiq9VqHRKIpRz_BANmQYk9zuf_H-hKvixparVvwIdZwZCCUkIt-FQqGRPxBu9S6HMGnZpj4AgOVnPmTGB50FrqSCxlRtSFDSgUzGeVoXKwvst5awOLm_AQ5N5SZw6Vwvq-lPju_gEZWTGNax2iyTKHZzKVwKpKPVqVw20Ul89MSBpgFPKefELo6IR23=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">With glorious weather I also took the opportunity to finally install a clothesline. I've wanted one since we moved here. I just didn't know where to put it. I finally remembered that my great-grandmother had hers right out the backdoor, running along the sidewalk to her garage. Deal. Good enough for her, good enough for me. Two 4x4x4s, 4 bags of concrete, two deep holes, and some paint later and, tada!, it's a clothesline. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi59Qhvv3wyWBJLx6V0jmYuK8kP7yRVXag4DiEnLf30YO9tCq1_XcPWwLcYn2Lv5KEc8Yw545ybFJ_4-w1c5aJmqQlguWnuYA_RPv7ZNKVdgKnmioRkpAx_54m7OunmzMwMk6ysJtxdqoWWClNPGjsgZzzQu3kL6u3qJndDfqynQql6TiTtqfHQSOSn=s1304" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="982" data-original-width="1304" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi59Qhvv3wyWBJLx6V0jmYuK8kP7yRVXag4DiEnLf30YO9tCq1_XcPWwLcYn2Lv5KEc8Yw545ybFJ_4-w1c5aJmqQlguWnuYA_RPv7ZNKVdgKnmioRkpAx_54m7OunmzMwMk6ysJtxdqoWWClNPGjsgZzzQu3kL6u3qJndDfqynQql6TiTtqfHQSOSn=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaiBerzxg8B55HEGDwHtUd1vQhvltc-MPJBNBRVI4gvmkuuGjowWKGBkvIEeQh0ghk9jAkLG8O1LcK5SU9qok8b54rdxTusQ4MfarXEOAj71b-psZc6h3OUz_Sf6i2w5KxAZ6HZ-kvQiulfIiM3MIm_xjjnUxZpyRUteDSTCk5zY7pUJ2p0-Z9XpnS=s8583" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="8583" data-original-width="6291" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaiBerzxg8B55HEGDwHtUd1vQhvltc-MPJBNBRVI4gvmkuuGjowWKGBkvIEeQh0ghk9jAkLG8O1LcK5SU9qok8b54rdxTusQ4MfarXEOAj71b-psZc6h3OUz_Sf6i2w5KxAZ6HZ-kvQiulfIiM3MIm_xjjnUxZpyRUteDSTCk5zY7pUJ2p0-Z9XpnS=w147-h200" width="147" /></a></div>Of course with a new clothesline, I needed a pin holder. My mom had one that was made from a small hanger and a baby dress of mine that was stitched across the bottom, it still hangs in her laundry room, unused. For lack of usable baby clothing, I made my own. BACK to the sewing studio. I traced the hanger for the top part of the bag, and drew straight down and made box corners at the bottom. I also lined the bottom with a piece of stiff cardboard. The hole was traced with a saucer, and simply sandwiched between some thin bias tape, top stitched. A fast and easy project. <br /></div></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>November critter report<p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjagAwcQmbGYNZ6ug7sSEGlhdRksKzGxWUhybaoAZZwDS29Cwa3pAUSxI--Gpy-O_X4VgYzDRj7EVgbdQehgfZX4t5Jq1dnPBwurFshewE0aio-dPtBupqjq3J2sVI5Kb-YKyKEcRy6kLEbs1UjD93rx4UdsHhphd7JCOu1ft73mKmJAYZH6d4RBPVu=s7700" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="7700" data-original-width="6080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjagAwcQmbGYNZ6ug7sSEGlhdRksKzGxWUhybaoAZZwDS29Cwa3pAUSxI--Gpy-O_X4VgYzDRj7EVgbdQehgfZX4t5Jq1dnPBwurFshewE0aio-dPtBupqjq3J2sVI5Kb-YKyKEcRy6kLEbs1UjD93rx4UdsHhphd7JCOu1ft73mKmJAYZH6d4RBPVu=w158-h200" width="158" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhESbdhip2j5-pdcaWbvsifCf7nHVVN8xQhPhy4TPM6MS9i9iA84KSM0LCaHswWpsuC5P4w30k8TprnAcfV-Gjlb4Rg7Bw_GYZwah4POqG1et7DEUDXGOXJlgNojH-nafQouIRxn6xe6ShVTrlnGVQYtL0rDean-piLsRm8jOtSAdTg1s0wFbwzrb3d=s12000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhESbdhip2j5-pdcaWbvsifCf7nHVVN8xQhPhy4TPM6MS9i9iA84KSM0LCaHswWpsuC5P4w30k8TprnAcfV-Gjlb4Rg7Bw_GYZwah4POqG1et7DEUDXGOXJlgNojH-nafQouIRxn6xe6ShVTrlnGVQYtL0rDean-piLsRm8jOtSAdTg1s0wFbwzrb3d=s320" width="240" /></a></div></div><br />Suzie is finally as up to speed as she'll ever be. Her back knees will always be weak, when she pulls on a leash or slips, she just sits down. The downside is that her months of lower, recovery activity put the pounds back on, even with being on prescription fat dog, dog food. So now she's on the same food with no treats, and even tinier rations. A beagle on a diet is such a joy, but she's getting the hang of it. And with the lovely weather, she and I have been able to take ridiculously long walks to both the state park to check to make the sure squirrels are still up all the trees, and to snort down every ground squirrel hole in our own pasture.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The hens are finally in full molt, but the weather is warm. Usually they are naked and pin cushions and braving freezing temperatures. Here is Delmar, sporting a partially grown in, partially falling out hairdo.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_Q6dh7YI_gpYFtMZHd41rC_kKlmlQh5tTG9BOHQiJVnXDVxvCOVtqrpFcdSwKkiVV8bcgTZff8r7Tk0Agd49OSyk-q53jZbFB87gZlFT_UqfqZDoORHzXbEgLsp0WKlPZmQDeW-AGS-2ycGphs8U9OvMaqjIqQDnruCkiw1QWiO3e2F6k-k0frfhy=s12000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_Q6dh7YI_gpYFtMZHd41rC_kKlmlQh5tTG9BOHQiJVnXDVxvCOVtqrpFcdSwKkiVV8bcgTZff8r7Tk0Agd49OSyk-q53jZbFB87gZlFT_UqfqZDoORHzXbEgLsp0WKlPZmQDeW-AGS-2ycGphs8U9OvMaqjIqQDnruCkiw1QWiO3e2F6k-k0frfhy=s320" width="240" /></a></div>With the lake still in liquid form, the bald eagles are still here fishing. Here is a lovely one above the house, looking down at the laundry, fresh on the line.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZ99HqJQMkwKmMotbJ1DllYR9db0eYB1-2nXKZSrx578Avnvrloh8YS705iR-xmtg8P0j7U3aSwL1FLst3aY1uNtnaG1VOCmW93mRgcCVq_35AtjM1QA1A43Sq2S6ywFpNjP6An6C364vlVVZG7Sqls44bDvFUMmzFmH669Auyi1NrlA4RNL_STKmw=s438" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZ99HqJQMkwKmMotbJ1DllYR9db0eYB1-2nXKZSrx578Avnvrloh8YS705iR-xmtg8P0j7U3aSwL1FLst3aY1uNtnaG1VOCmW93mRgcCVq_35AtjM1QA1A43Sq2S6ywFpNjP6An6C364vlVVZG7Sqls44bDvFUMmzFmH669Auyi1NrlA4RNL_STKmw=s320" width="307" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">The cattle are due to leave at the end of the month, or maybe in December with this weather. This years calves look great, even Butterscotch. This was a great herd, no escapes, and they only knocked the electric fence down once, at the end of the month, when the urge for sweet green grass (mine) was stronger than the voltage from the fence.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWlKOLSq3myQWW8Uzup86kYkg5SXs1LCNnJeDZyH2VQecD76_S3sBa1q_jm12w0fchyXWGOx3V-ogtKT3ZfskPDYYr2FInrg8SxaOOhEI0gFvFFhLHeWylK8ZMBxQvsS0RxHUuR_4_uFRA7LLwxqLdtJWbHimdSTi_A70XDXZtQ4TIeeMWw9LpKm4E=s2992" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2992" data-original-width="2992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWlKOLSq3myQWW8Uzup86kYkg5SXs1LCNnJeDZyH2VQecD76_S3sBa1q_jm12w0fchyXWGOx3V-ogtKT3ZfskPDYYr2FInrg8SxaOOhEI0gFvFFhLHeWylK8ZMBxQvsS0RxHUuR_4_uFRA7LLwxqLdtJWbHimdSTi_A70XDXZtQ4TIeeMWw9LpKm4E=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As for the noodle necks, they're doing their thing. They eat, sleep, dust bathe, fight, sleep, and keep us constantly entertained. Their fleece is now at the mill and should be back by February. I love this unfiltered shot. The red maple was fully in its late Autumn colors when we finally froze. It lost all its crimson coat in one morning. We hope you are all well. Thank you for visiting again. Until December (Just WAIT until you see what follows me home in December.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZFldzapU6oXGtFDzeI7kLidBTtIV-3VizxaB3yeLwWa4r_ePqICOWzvxoAUMUWKm9qR0ABctU5Ep0P49h5WvQ9lUwSWhwdwK5DX1k_G1iQ-DsPMej1eVjXos7U48KcOfLAjZIeSyIJvWgt_F4Dc5WsQmZszodyoDtTuDCzQL4wMCo8VhxNeVibzuA=s12000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9000" data-original-width="12000" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZFldzapU6oXGtFDzeI7kLidBTtIV-3VizxaB3yeLwWa4r_ePqICOWzvxoAUMUWKm9qR0ABctU5Ep0P49h5WvQ9lUwSWhwdwK5DX1k_G1iQ-DsPMej1eVjXos7U48KcOfLAjZIeSyIJvWgt_F4Dc5WsQmZszodyoDtTuDCzQL4wMCo8VhxNeVibzuA=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p></p></div>Caryl http://www.blogger.com/profile/01909790086455266299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-83368190100726566812021-11-01T22:13:00.002-05:002021-11-01T22:13:38.181-05:00Is Anyone Still Out There? October 2021<p> Hmmmm?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6xGOQDJTQc5s2CpDkYgeYUUwQZEZVR3YGszJI3zdMdMR3r1Iq0wJNsKUUWblGPX5x-1O_zQkRystDapdKV7bJPNRN_lDH_B3BYN_s0TeunHafMh1-Hlr-zXrUSfR2VaEfW_oLuCTtDWx/s2048/20211014_142223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6xGOQDJTQc5s2CpDkYgeYUUwQZEZVR3YGszJI3zdMdMR3r1Iq0wJNsKUUWblGPX5x-1O_zQkRystDapdKV7bJPNRN_lDH_B3BYN_s0TeunHafMh1-Hlr-zXrUSfR2VaEfW_oLuCTtDWx/w502-h295/20211014_142223.jpg" width="502" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've noticed that the number of readers across the blog-o-sphere, across everyone's blogs, have been dropping over the past several months, 18 months to be in the approximate neighborhood. It seems that something increased the number of views of the Tube of You and numbers there shot up with the influx of stay-at-home-ers, the kids on tablets, and generally bored human beings. I guess it was simply easier and more entertaining to sit and watch than it was to sit in read. The explosion of video makers covered everything from trends, opinion pieces, animations, the useless, and the ridiculous videos of watching people watch and react to other videos. But I'm still here. We're still here. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I like to write too much. I like to read too much, even though my eyesight is jumping the shark. A nice pair of prescription reading glasses takes care of that. Now I just need to find the time to sit and write, to paint a mental image of the world around our little hill, So welcome to my MeTube.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyLVDZ5LY7cp_qqU9nXZgKkgNqO2OWeuTzrvy4jdqSasiHVXn_Ft49u5TayJWhHxxQ2ffnwDaIA-plSo4G_PR6OhgqUGB8cqnOHsp98SMjkiPlL2qOx3YFhAo9Wng-L-2V5HKSxbTFhFU/s2048/20211005_080933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyLVDZ5LY7cp_qqU9nXZgKkgNqO2OWeuTzrvy4jdqSasiHVXn_Ft49u5TayJWhHxxQ2ffnwDaIA-plSo4G_PR6OhgqUGB8cqnOHsp98SMjkiPlL2qOx3YFhAo9Wng-L-2V5HKSxbTFhFU/s320/20211005_080933.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>October was positively brilliant. It was a true Fall month. It was never soul crushingly hot, nor frigid. In fact, here we are, November 1st, and we still haven't hit 32 degrees. Rains came infrequently, but when they did, they came in bucket loads, inches at a time. The lawns and hay fields are still emerald green and growing. The trees did their majestic fashion show over weeks instead of days, culminating just two days ago when all the aged dull yellow leaves, fell and blew off in a 3 inch rainstorm. Now even the fiery crimsons and oranges have dulled to rusts and burnt sienna. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The extra days of warmth for the entire month allowed me to stretch out all my normal winterizing chores over 30 days instead of the normal 15. I don't know if that's a good thing, or a bad thing. On the one hand, it makes Winter seem 2 weeks shorter. Or is Mr Freeze going to seek revenge for having a late Fall?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Doc has been adding 8 gallons of alpaca manure around each of the orchard trees. This not only fertilizes the trees with nitrogen safe fertilizer and smothers the weeds, which have been getting out of control around the trees.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ePZ-GXyg7FdYu3-oMPDSEO52iTb-BgsJhWH-AO2JfvyLXe4bGsrPNB91R5JEojXoveu0EYgAlpH9dZiLJRdqSNjAUw0nKpDblZRDM_D7UsGHiCqU5bQe6L0pH8JGkuwYcoPrkmvbwh-s/s2048/20211012_101034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1999" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ePZ-GXyg7FdYu3-oMPDSEO52iTb-BgsJhWH-AO2JfvyLXe4bGsrPNB91R5JEojXoveu0EYgAlpH9dZiLJRdqSNjAUw0nKpDblZRDM_D7UsGHiCqU5bQe6L0pH8JGkuwYcoPrkmvbwh-s/s320/20211012_101034.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A downy feather from a molting hen. A sure sign<br />it's about to get COLD. </td></tr></tbody></table>I planted 150 daffodil bulbs in the right-of-way ditch we are responsible for maintaining. I had great and quick plans for that, until I took a good look at the ditch. It's been three years since we mowed it to the ground and let it go wild, and I planted 300 native plants at each end. I needed those to get established before I could trim them down. Well, standing there, shovel in hand, I decided this was the year it needed a haircut. The grass didn't look high from a distance, but up close, it was over 18 inches high. I topped off the giant mower and got to it. It's steep, and it's creepy. To safely mow it you can only go downhill, then pop up the roadside (less steep) side of the ditch, drive the length of the ditch to where it's level, drive along the top ridge and down you go again, rinse and repeat. It should have been a quick before I break for lunch job. Hahahaaaa, you've been a reader long enough to know that's not how this works. <br />The ditch needed triple cut it was so thick. Then there was the bit that is so steep that I bottomed out the engine. The front tires were on the upside hill, the engine was wedged on the downside hill, and the back drive tires were mid-air. Adding boards for traction didn't work. So Doc acted as spotter as I hooked up the tractor and dragged the mower out of the ditch and up onto the road. Two hours after toting my bulbs to the ditch, I was finally able to plant. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A quick plunge of the transplant spade opened a crescent, an added twist opened up a hole that I simply tossed a bulb into. I then removed the spade and stomped on the cut - times 150. It really didn't take too long, and daffodils look so great as the ditches green up in the Spring. They also spread so well on their own. They're supposed to be deer proof. We'll see. Our deer don't seem to be able to read packaging.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKHiwXUXxcWiBDBUgu8x9czumjZ-Ho7d_5Qd1mlrsdiBaL3yp6l6dBVIeItcR_C7rjV6ZSYWyqYjYmZRYXM8XGQFxCmK2K7IqiBPLlF4HxY6JMZnpC6JWm3XbjC_H0YHO5yiRF8gXqPp3B/s2048/20211007_131303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKHiwXUXxcWiBDBUgu8x9czumjZ-Ho7d_5Qd1mlrsdiBaL3yp6l6dBVIeItcR_C7rjV6ZSYWyqYjYmZRYXM8XGQFxCmK2K7IqiBPLlF4HxY6JMZnpC6JWm3XbjC_H0YHO5yiRF8gXqPp3B/s320/20211007_131303.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>The old 1960s, wooden screen frames I zipped tied together and used as a giant, long baby (chicken) gate across the workshop high bay door, finally started falling apart. The wood was fine, a testament to the craftsman of yore. It was the metal screening that was finally falling out. Oh, but I had plans to use these elsewhere on the ranch. I first replaced them with short metal panels that had a previous life as walls to our first chicken run 8 years ago. <br />Of course the most insane of our birds fly up and over the panels, but it keeps the whole flock from playing follow-the-leader into the shop for a pooping party. But what about those 4 foot long wood frames? Off to the garden with them! I zip tied them to the top of the cattle panel rows that hold beans. Hinged at the top, they look like a white frame roof from the road. In the Spring, I'll add some wire for the beans to climb on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRI24OA5LdBqJImcT3UEEejYOHOknGxfpnx9CJv1VcRH6wZkKy9SwIJckMwZ1-ZfhJYb3et5pyDRHHd-4wiu_q0zd_uX-sHThnOPWtVcElr5vN6EI4tSwLKE_24o7QB3gpGFPIN3LTPb7v/s2048/20211010_145519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRI24OA5LdBqJImcT3UEEejYOHOknGxfpnx9CJv1VcRH6wZkKy9SwIJckMwZ1-ZfhJYb3et5pyDRHHd-4wiu_q0zd_uX-sHThnOPWtVcElr5vN6EI4tSwLKE_24o7QB3gpGFPIN3LTPb7v/s320/20211010_145519.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hole rotted clean through the roof from one<br />bad shingle.</td></tr></tbody></table>On to the big project of the month, the chicken run roof. This was something I could easily do myself. I simply needed a nice day or two to work. October obliged. Of course there was wind to take into consideration, but that's always an issue here. I didn't expect my steel until the very end of October, three or four weeks is what the website estimated when I ordered it. Nope, 5 days. Well ok then! A quick trip to town with the trailer, and I was home in two hours and ripping off the old, rotting asphalt shingles. This was one of those projects that once started, only had two stopping points-midway and DONE.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I dragged our giant trash bin down to the coop and started, carefully removing the old shingles. They were rotten and being held down with roofing tacks. They came up easily, but the trick was not to fling tacks into the lawn. Once they were off, I pounded any remaining tacks down and assessed the hole in the roof from water damage. Luckily, the damage section came off easily and I had replacement lumber in the shop. The repair made, I was able to take a break for the day. While the run had no official roof, it was closed to predators for the night.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliLTGcygi19tEs1-f19aX2kXzx9PRWpC4OL6kfMPlkKRafLvrL19dEZQKA06xzSSeNPcyEYwYAKx4NrMgZccJp-yr_1icDRJTCLQYd4vkcQaMEQXGLDCL4yHuxv9MkVGD_pbn2JAgvwFv/s2048/20211010_142013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliLTGcygi19tEs1-f19aX2kXzx9PRWpC4OL6kfMPlkKRafLvrL19dEZQKA06xzSSeNPcyEYwYAKx4NrMgZccJp-yr_1icDRJTCLQYd4vkcQaMEQXGLDCL4yHuxv9MkVGD_pbn2JAgvwFv/s320/20211010_142013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Day 2 was dedicated to putting on the full steel roof. It went on slowly, but easy and when it was done looked fantastic! Over the top for a hen house? Yup. But it's sturdy, and long lasting, and I won't have to chase pieces of it across the lawn anymore. Plus it makes a nice sound in the rain, which no longer comes through a hole in the roof.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOlr2XFyKNKxR7WhuCyEO1WZC8Blz6zUWAa2-SWau8tsLDNGUaiaI0RaSx5OwkIF2xKt6-ZThE341UlLtWoQXeo4Kr-Pc4VN0BqeJf_MRBjTE4jMpNRlFw2DNzVYZOmbaOyYpaRjEUIxG/s2048/20211010_181408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOlr2XFyKNKxR7WhuCyEO1WZC8Blz6zUWAa2-SWau8tsLDNGUaiaI0RaSx5OwkIF2xKt6-ZThE341UlLtWoQXeo4Kr-Pc4VN0BqeJf_MRBjTE4jMpNRlFw2DNzVYZOmbaOyYpaRjEUIxG/w640-h480/20211010_181408.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That was the BIG project, but October is full of winterizing chores. A whole bunch of little things that eat up hours, which turn into days, that turn into weeks, and POOF the month is gone. Patio furniture needs cleaned and stacked. Garden tools need cleaned and put away, snow shovels dug out. The alpacas need their nails trimmed. I loathe it and they loathe it, so at least it's a mutual dislike. Water buckets need removed and cleaned and replaced with heated water buckets. The chicken run needs the winter panels added and lighting hooked up for the dark months. (They don't get extra light laying hours, but I need the lights to see.) In the midst of all this the siding guys showed up for the house. So I spent those days cleaning and sorting all the odd nooks and crannies in the house. (I STILL can't find the blender, which started the great sort and clean.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of cleaning, the manure needed moved. I almost forgot it altogether. The manure bins need emptied and 100 cubic feet of manure needed spread. I've been using it to make soil in areas that are down to bare clay and don't even grow weeds any more. Those areas are very prone to erosion. I figured I could spare a morning on the tractor hauling poo down the hill and back up the other side. I gassed up the tractor, and off I went radio headset on. Easy, right? Again that's not how this works. The hens were out playing in the late October sunshine. The alpacas were tormenting the chickens. I was halfway through the dirty deed when, THUD. I stopped the tractor. WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?! My back blade dropped.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hmmm. I turned off the tractor to figure out what was putting a crimp in my day. Did I blow a hydraulic line? Crack and break a brace? Snap the arm on the three point? Nope, I lost a 50 cent ring pin that holds the lift onto the tractor. I reached into the trunk for a spare. Nope, none left. UGH. I had a straight pin and a piece of nine wire. "Quick" and temporary fix managed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the household front - canning and dehydrating still rule the roost. I'm still working on several writing projects. The sewing dummy from bootstrap was a train wreck of a pattern. I had to redraft it and cut it out all over again. It is on my 'to do' list for this week. Then I'll move on to a few historic recreation pieces.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And with that I'll leave you with some amazing weather photos. October is great for sunsets, clouds, and for a special treat, the AURORA visited us on October 11th!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWqplKCkezhKmKYEzaBqlCgz2_2iA0TSRzCMdCyYEuH5fGPBgFS9Vwzuq5JW_3_PT5FWSRjbYRfo492nCtArtk0bZg-Ju_X3AQQJkMG04c4cdAzDbJdyiWZsaTSSjE20pp_k_nDEfraOjk/s2048/20211009_190310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWqplKCkezhKmKYEzaBqlCgz2_2iA0TSRzCMdCyYEuH5fGPBgFS9Vwzuq5JW_3_PT5FWSRjbYRfo492nCtArtk0bZg-Ju_X3AQQJkMG04c4cdAzDbJdyiWZsaTSSjE20pp_k_nDEfraOjk/s320/20211009_190310.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHxpBFlqoWdR4st6oizYfFHDdFaeb65pSLNGa493HBFiIF0DwPUbAkmQ7bhywj-hLZ1E-BqO3AiiZmrGLWZbJ53jkyZUtLgfi9HwYFdUPtcOqfD3mVj7z_ZUP1zZqDZjE8G18-tdUDypS/s2048/20211013_083706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHxpBFlqoWdR4st6oizYfFHDdFaeb65pSLNGa493HBFiIF0DwPUbAkmQ7bhywj-hLZ1E-BqO3AiiZmrGLWZbJ53jkyZUtLgfi9HwYFdUPtcOqfD3mVj7z_ZUP1zZqDZjE8G18-tdUDypS/w640-h480/20211013_083706.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An exiting cold front had me admiring the mountain range when I glanced up this morning. (We don't<br />have a mountain range in Nebraska.) Wild illusion, right?!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnNrAPy8n7qRAPiAxIoLFWUDp-XnGUXmaZEIxeFBT2UZGQxy5GaSH7CpWK1c4jP8z0_sOlcTA17pKgxbQncQoEzW9ufraE4xHNFijBYSoSDGsaxNLkSGUa4WFjOl1YL9eD4R44OOWIE9Z/s2048/20211011_231553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1109" data-original-width="2048" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnNrAPy8n7qRAPiAxIoLFWUDp-XnGUXmaZEIxeFBT2UZGQxy5GaSH7CpWK1c4jP8z0_sOlcTA17pKgxbQncQoEzW9ufraE4xHNFijBYSoSDGsaxNLkSGUa4WFjOl1YL9eD4R44OOWIE9Z/w640-h346/20211011_231553.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's incredible to see them this far south this time of year, but we sure didn't mind one bit!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-22330383001569054072021-10-02T19:23:00.000-05:002021-10-02T19:23:03.493-05:00September snuck in and slipped out.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbxrmuA6wyTBc9elcQR0KestnUK2DTg0TyXXV7r0fKpaMggtZbFNlD4tvbm1mH4hFqY-0j40dAAwIB69pnLQnYJq5-K1_2pg1H7oPcJ8H3wLpz3o-yz5syFC5vBB2c1165iMeLG0_GZpA/s2048/20210921_170801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbxrmuA6wyTBc9elcQR0KestnUK2DTg0TyXXV7r0fKpaMggtZbFNlD4tvbm1mH4hFqY-0j40dAAwIB69pnLQnYJq5-K1_2pg1H7oPcJ8H3wLpz3o-yz5syFC5vBB2c1165iMeLG0_GZpA/w645-h240/20210921_170801.jpg" width="645" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span> It is astonishing how quickly the months and days fly by upon reflection, but each day, at the moment, seems to drag. Days were filled to overflowing with canning, preserving, drying, and projects. It was a hodgepodge month to say the least. Many tiny things that felt like they added up to nothing, but all contributed to the greater need to finalize summer. As always, for everyone thing that was managed, two or more things seemed to get added to the 'to do' list.</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-tzMJmOjj16yNgvEH7CZcb52yY-6d9kJZgdHku2KC_q7Ebp9jDcm0UqYdNzsFNOM9dObfTf0a704vUgeyh3gSyD_XS7LFjdTeRoZhejqyB-3kJxKvmj0gngCt4SeBix5UH23JjuEEbsP/s2048/20210901_090547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-tzMJmOjj16yNgvEH7CZcb52yY-6d9kJZgdHku2KC_q7Ebp9jDcm0UqYdNzsFNOM9dObfTf0a704vUgeyh3gSyD_XS7LFjdTeRoZhejqyB-3kJxKvmj0gngCt4SeBix5UH23JjuEEbsP/w424-h240/20210901_090547.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br />The garden was still full of tomatoes at the beginning of the month, but it was quickly showing signs of disease, stress, and of just being plain tired. The beans had long since given up, and were trimmed at the ground to let the remaining pods dry on the vine for next year's seed. The tomatoes were also cut off at the ground to allow all remaining energy to go to finishing any ripening on the vine. Any fruit that showed signs of redness, were sent to the ripening counter and placed under towels to finish before being processed into marinara sauce and canned. I left the zinnias alone, even though they were being overrun with prairie weeds, as the migrating hummingbirds were using them as an evening resting place and refueling station. I couldn't bare to take that away from them.</span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKVJlsLQPlFjTjFRhpEOqsYZqZce0yJTQBKxRCHDo52Hm4-rJ3YtGHEbUTrGQuQlNS0XoqOtpM30apf0yXej-Qs66tpPnmRKG73bwB8vcAEdO7ErDzIXLUU_DwJcTxMyNG0e2ba1Jv13U/s2048/20210908_115603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKVJlsLQPlFjTjFRhpEOqsYZqZce0yJTQBKxRCHDo52Hm4-rJ3YtGHEbUTrGQuQlNS0XoqOtpM30apf0yXej-Qs66tpPnmRKG73bwB8vcAEdO7ErDzIXLUU_DwJcTxMyNG0e2ba1Jv13U/s320/20210908_115603.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The dirty dozen pullets are now going strong, and it is not uncommon for us to collect 14-18 eggs a day from the hen house. It's an incredible number for only 20 laying hens this time of year. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqi8csipm3BpVs8qjVqTlaeangIXIsmTIwlcvSskhBFDs_LsglAdlhXSK2IB4YfG-_Pg_Hd6HV_ROsS1pNvafAnPKKBtyL2NgusGDCK9g_CGicPOP2YcMLn4JL1qG0G62nfR2f5P9LO8Lo/s2048/20210904_085513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqi8csipm3BpVs8qjVqTlaeangIXIsmTIwlcvSskhBFDs_LsglAdlhXSK2IB4YfG-_Pg_Hd6HV_ROsS1pNvafAnPKKBtyL2NgusGDCK9g_CGicPOP2YcMLn4JL1qG0G62nfR2f5P9LO8Lo/s320/20210904_085513.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />We've had so many eggs that I have decided to scramble and dehydrate them for the freezer, when light levels drop too low this winter for them to lay. I've heard they aren't great for re-hydrating and eating, but perfect as a 1:2 ratio for baking (egg water). So we shall see.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Bjbf6qNHX8qS0bsjgV7j1QsERYuVYSFFhMl6Q3NVgUJEMECLSO4SErmwUfloE8gLPf0_itgFtrUzZa30Jy5QGcVnR6Tv_SmIUo2rhQ7HiDYEvfgeP2ZuRP55MIwgYg-gLi3a4YJkLTG4/s2048/20210926_124622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1165" data-original-width="2048" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Bjbf6qNHX8qS0bsjgV7j1QsERYuVYSFFhMl6Q3NVgUJEMECLSO4SErmwUfloE8gLPf0_itgFtrUzZa30Jy5QGcVnR6Tv_SmIUo2rhQ7HiDYEvfgeP2ZuRP55MIwgYg-gLi3a4YJkLTG4/s320/20210926_124622.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Speaking of hen house, a long awaited project was finally completed, which added another to the list, but allows me to move on with yet another needed project that had to be done in order. The northeast window wing on the chicken run, which was previously like its mate on the southwest wall-a wood frame with a plastic roofing panel as the window covering, was long overdue for replacement. There was nothing structurally wrong with it. However, during the winter it allowed far too much air exchange at the roof line and both the bottom and the ends had to be insulated to prevent snow and wind ingress. The insulation was permanent for the winter, and didn't do a banner job of keeping out the wind or the snow. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroqTnkv3pcaUPMj7vAFyYEGfG7fUOemQ6J-3sqgso5N_kO5plBnGdYY4cRT0RD1k1Nyb6jJN1AegeQ3ZK7pHfjG9obBk1A_eOFiJzyiITciBaT7SYkADIHsOLoiZa8w0P1HHL1G327rl_/s2048/20210926_124010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroqTnkv3pcaUPMj7vAFyYEGfG7fUOemQ6J-3sqgso5N_kO5plBnGdYY4cRT0RD1k1Nyb6jJN1AegeQ3ZK7pHfjG9obBk1A_eOFiJzyiITciBaT7SYkADIHsOLoiZa8w0P1HHL1G327rl_/s320/20210926_124010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I came up with a better, permanent solution. A plywood wall with inserted windows. The windows can be opened when the day is nice, and closed when it's not. They are covered in tiny hardware cloth to protect the birds from predators. The center window does not open. I may decide later to build small over hangs for rainy days, and the blaze of the summer sun. We shall see.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span>That project had to be finished before the main event could even be measured for. The lower run needs a new roof. The underlayment on one corner, which was a scrap of common board, has rotten and needs replaced. The shingles, which were purchased for $1 a bundle at Habitat, have dry rotted, and routinely blow off in a good storm. I'm tired of chasing them. So a new steel roof will go on as soon as I measure and place the order. Then we wait for a nice day to install it. But that window wall needed done first so I could custom order the proper length for overhang at the end. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAvfbWJeda5w5xn7WjFAnkOe-37IzB8Mn4mcWf1_DeMGCUDHilTcxSbia_bcnZhuNqoNijcrwn9n-y3MKl8pOObNcQ42WswH1BKIO54Q1Tf7_Z46hWvp5WQfKo9Ol_uQpZSEKiMZaGFq3/s2048/20210917_071840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAvfbWJeda5w5xn7WjFAnkOe-37IzB8Mn4mcWf1_DeMGCUDHilTcxSbia_bcnZhuNqoNijcrwn9n-y3MKl8pOObNcQ42WswH1BKIO54Q1Tf7_Z46hWvp5WQfKo9Ol_uQpZSEKiMZaGFq3/s320/20210917_071840.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Wet cool days crept in on occasion as well. It was a dry month, and warm, but at least it felt like Fall. The clouds came, but not much ever came from them. Thunder chased the dog into her hiding spots a few mornings, but very little moisture accompanied all the flash and bang. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqavEyZ1p8rztidBHIpuEdhzcZJCfFECXOt588TqLjFoegIt9a9ZBIKyD2GO498lQrDwxR5JaAZmuCNNntvJowXrj8BuTMMHBj54ASOyi2lgkbg2BoEC2yagYNE9VyHWioNbM4s8jhg4R0/s2048/20210903_142014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1355" data-original-width="2048" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqavEyZ1p8rztidBHIpuEdhzcZJCfFECXOt588TqLjFoegIt9a9ZBIKyD2GO498lQrDwxR5JaAZmuCNNntvJowXrj8BuTMMHBj54ASOyi2lgkbg2BoEC2yagYNE9VyHWioNbM4s8jhg4R0/s320/20210903_142014.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Speaking of the dog. She is healing well. She has her achy days, but who doesn't? She has her final post-op check-up in early October, so here's hoping they clear her for long walks in the squirrel park. She naps so well after those.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6A4gIyIypnJ_CoHPILWJBKXgyvo8v5zEsHXbyJa4r7kYFC_8ILW4WhXaZhicuS0QDwHtz60Ot6vedzgQHryPMoQ4_vnFmTzqCI5fWIkb1uKi9v-JLuo7-0yWDGkVVPcR6htH3OWoPIvK/s2048/20210911_064527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1178" data-original-width="2048" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6A4gIyIypnJ_CoHPILWJBKXgyvo8v5zEsHXbyJa4r7kYFC_8ILW4WhXaZhicuS0QDwHtz60Ot6vedzgQHryPMoQ4_vnFmTzqCI5fWIkb1uKi9v-JLuo7-0yWDGkVVPcR6htH3OWoPIvK/s320/20210911_064527.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Chilly mornings of late September, mean the beginning of field harvest season is upon us. The wildlife starts to move from field to field as the turkey hunters lurk about and the combines gobble up row after row. The heavy fog this time of year sits just below us in the morning, hiding all but the tops of the tallest trees in the valley. As the sun slowly rises, the air warms and slowly begins to move, causing the fog to look like a giant blanket being fluffed across a giant bed by an invisible hand, it's top rolling and undulating in the dawn. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_SNk5v-EkUFyYw1sp9EHemi6vefPftzaCXlZqyxwl7dbNeJD6_0prXejwL3jFcPzBW619vI_KsnHEO2TWTsJm9UlIUSkpauuxVXmJe_m5LRwOsHYeTsPshm0cUxUTqLVO_uAo9ZknV47/s2048/20210905_224335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_SNk5v-EkUFyYw1sp9EHemi6vefPftzaCXlZqyxwl7dbNeJD6_0prXejwL3jFcPzBW619vI_KsnHEO2TWTsJm9UlIUSkpauuxVXmJe_m5LRwOsHYeTsPshm0cUxUTqLVO_uAo9ZknV47/s320/20210905_224335.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />The nights are clear, crisp and still allowing for amazing views of the Milky Way.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6Q3-zzDr5Ksnjn8AnUBxCFB2y7Z7CAOnVgVP8QNW4THqSLqUhw-8goh2U2HdClPoixcF7_9u4Qd-OTjGcip8Solmdopw3PfC4nd71DCKCVDGPG92HDKrNEapsnIbfHHdFuxdt29R7Fvs/s2048/20210914_104428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6Q3-zzDr5Ksnjn8AnUBxCFB2y7Z7CAOnVgVP8QNW4THqSLqUhw-8goh2U2HdClPoixcF7_9u4Qd-OTjGcip8Solmdopw3PfC4nd71DCKCVDGPG92HDKrNEapsnIbfHHdFuxdt29R7Fvs/s320/20210914_104428.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />All of this signals apple season. As our own trees let us down, yet again, I went up to Martin's as I do every fall, a jar of fresh jelly and a dozen eggs in tow in exchange for tree help and information. I spend several minutes filling my apple basket with a couple of choice varieties, and head home to process them into apple butter. The best apples go into the bottom of the climate controlled (moisture controlled) drawer of the refrigerator for snacking. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMRcEXVfNjyuNe-vBMTAe4_lLFuBRpDzHrx0FL7XqfyNGDYo5apM5SFJO00ZatfSlb7Sd3KIhG4UDgajSEMrDFjBLMTVLGHcCA17XR83iOj-1CK9a5psGOocNLxjAdfCtSbvTyrVTF5-3/s2048/20210918_164413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1613" data-original-width="2048" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMRcEXVfNjyuNe-vBMTAe4_lLFuBRpDzHrx0FL7XqfyNGDYo5apM5SFJO00ZatfSlb7Sd3KIhG4UDgajSEMrDFjBLMTVLGHcCA17XR83iOj-1CK9a5psGOocNLxjAdfCtSbvTyrVTF5-3/w200-h158/20210918_164413.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />My favorite variety from this orchard is the Rosalee. A tart, and sweet, apple that is great for fresh eating, does not do long term storage well, nor is it a good baking apple. So fresh it is, with all of its glorious juice dripping down your arm.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_3CR7KcXSN6LMqLv24QPUmH3q67bfHKTaaJq5gJuLFCa9buNCc9G2pJ-rrZFMJIh3Jl2oNvtAv-399eiPGEEY_NAeaJmXtyF0FkgpY7lFsRSZxqrxC3FmwzwGHuuoYui2VCiN0sK3NA2/s2048/20210927_080133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_3CR7KcXSN6LMqLv24QPUmH3q67bfHKTaaJq5gJuLFCa9buNCc9G2pJ-rrZFMJIh3Jl2oNvtAv-399eiPGEEY_NAeaJmXtyF0FkgpY7lFsRSZxqrxC3FmwzwGHuuoYui2VCiN0sK3NA2/s320/20210927_080133.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />By the end of the month the garden has had it, and quite frankly, so had I. I'm tired of tending, weeding, plucking, canning, begging and pleading. It's tired and I'm tired. I trimmed the grape back as far as I dared and gave the bits to the grateful noodle necks. Any tomatoes that showed any sign of whiting, were picked, wrapped, and placed in a ripening box in order or current ripeness. These are checked weekly and when enough are red, are processed and canned. I should be doing tomatoes until the end of October. The dehydrator has been running most days. Did you know you can put 10 pounds of diced onions into a quart jar?! So far we have dried mixed veg, yellow onions, white onions, spring onions, jalapeno peppers, apples, and celery.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpmru5OpMaoup4yNgBh7boYEXQ1iD7fpyP7qc-pJuZ96D9o2yOJIpZTVM2kn07aKq0djfHR-an8f3HTH7Ip6evZz49GO7ppnhT3fvvoiyt01mJPEaOI-WBobVYKgNcGRZDXFiXjTPWD6z/s2048/20210905_123211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpmru5OpMaoup4yNgBh7boYEXQ1iD7fpyP7qc-pJuZ96D9o2yOJIpZTVM2kn07aKq0djfHR-an8f3HTH7Ip6evZz49GO7ppnhT3fvvoiyt01mJPEaOI-WBobVYKgNcGRZDXFiXjTPWD6z/s320/20210905_123211.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The cattle next door are doing nicely and greet us when they come up the hill on their daily circuit of their grazing grounds. We still cannot figure out how one had a butterscotch colored calf. She's a white face and daddy is a black Angus, or is supposed to be. Nope, he's not an albino, or pigment challenged. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BTrSy6SAlCdFoJE_7akKVFDQPgeurcgw-3tMXFTEd2JNuOwOGE9b6_E-nk10HoMSjLyoYoHxCtblBQ-Bq2hDa31juhCV8Iyy6Rl5LOUWybQwnsloqz_o4vY2vpxrCyuanq6setY6epZZ/s2048/20210908_153629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1801" data-original-width="2048" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BTrSy6SAlCdFoJE_7akKVFDQPgeurcgw-3tMXFTEd2JNuOwOGE9b6_E-nk10HoMSjLyoYoHxCtblBQ-Bq2hDa31juhCV8Iyy6Rl5LOUWybQwnsloqz_o4vY2vpxrCyuanq6setY6epZZ/w200-h176/20210908_153629.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />He's butterscotch and lemon marked like a Holstein. We figure a neighbor's bull must have jumped the fence at some point. He's a pretty little thing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGrDuv7QynYCWKaeEvxp25ZPs9X_I3SS_kGxG3QzE9HONkkW_AwTFNQmvOlfaiWAgKcCQF8lskaty6mFbPLjaF9jvDCFysCpRZKhm63ggiPSO3hyphenhyphenOz-3f7kUyuIfGPDp0QEoopmrCzxDp/s2048/20210912_180345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1304" data-original-width="2048" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilGrDuv7QynYCWKaeEvxp25ZPs9X_I3SS_kGxG3QzE9HONkkW_AwTFNQmvOlfaiWAgKcCQF8lskaty6mFbPLjaF9jvDCFysCpRZKhm63ggiPSO3hyphenhyphenOz-3f7kUyuIfGPDp0QEoopmrCzxDp/w320-h203/20210912_180345.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Nothing left to do but finish out the month by spreading alpaca manure, gypsum, and chicken manure on all the garden rows and locking the gate behind me. Next year's garden has been planned and the seeds ordered and delivered.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">See you in October!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRqkHOFnYgE-u2rJXqW4tcJra9M7i87QElu7bDN_M7v4KoPVgdlQwtgEkVFFn9wFnRl303jzpqztZ8vw6B0o5Y9tcEGVq1h9irz24YVc0gH9KRtV4tdzL1xUl1_WI4CVzvSpAJEBaR8Dz/s2715/20210925_140030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1158" data-original-width="2715" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRqkHOFnYgE-u2rJXqW4tcJra9M7i87QElu7bDN_M7v4KoPVgdlQwtgEkVFFn9wFnRl303jzpqztZ8vw6B0o5Y9tcEGVq1h9irz24YVc0gH9KRtV4tdzL1xUl1_WI4CVzvSpAJEBaR8Dz/w640-h272/20210925_140030.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-84308279126464008662021-09-10T20:09:00.001-05:002021-09-10T20:09:00.196-05:00August was a slow journey, but flew by.<p> I still don't know how that happens. While we were experiencing August, every day slogged as slow as molasses in January, but upon reflection, was as busy as a hive before the first chill and flew by like that final weekend before school starts.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVsWawyKojIINQWKRatqT2a3szCOs-ScTEBavxiNf65rHlXVHiq7tk4_jRQ4x5lmTtDtv50eRYGdvKlKSPADKZdEe_wnQD06HVEkd7m8MTG_0B-zl40PFWwdx9vpNICQ9Mj8Ie6h51U4/s3014/20210825_180933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="3014" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVsWawyKojIINQWKRatqT2a3szCOs-ScTEBavxiNf65rHlXVHiq7tk4_jRQ4x5lmTtDtv50eRYGdvKlKSPADKZdEe_wnQD06HVEkd7m8MTG_0B-zl40PFWwdx9vpNICQ9Mj8Ie6h51U4/w640-h222/20210825_180933.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The storms were large, but coming at a much slower pace, requiring the irrigation system to aid in the watering. We were loosing more water through evaporation than was falling from the sky. Only on one evening, did a lovely cold front come through to give us a break from the dreadful humidity, and the dry air provided us a rare, clear view of the Milky Way in July.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oO-azDOcSsQvdxmy990y50RLaVkMHdLvjlx0_T2a8gfdDpVrZZNT-5wyzsFvNr8NOtOXc12-I2uRkBAIzpO-H_qy6Xp_1CWzseQ7jLXEYGa5VCWFB1F80ls4RkZsMHyvxdcZDqTuZq0/s2048/20210826_223352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oO-azDOcSsQvdxmy990y50RLaVkMHdLvjlx0_T2a8gfdDpVrZZNT-5wyzsFvNr8NOtOXc12-I2uRkBAIzpO-H_qy6Xp_1CWzseQ7jLXEYGa5VCWFB1F80ls4RkZsMHyvxdcZDqTuZq0/s320/20210826_223352.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>August means the start of the fair season. Country fairs come first, but the thought of going in the heat and humidity was off-putting. I certainly had no plans to enter anything this year. I had already entered in our country and all adjoining counties (which is allowed in the rules) and won blue and red ribbons. Between the challenge being old, the drive, and the weather, I was simply not in the mood this year.</p><p>Canning season was underway with a fury. The jar cabinet in the basement was bare, and there was always something in the pressure canner; beans, peas, beef, chicken, stew meats, corn, jellies, sauces, tomato sauce and purees.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4Z5g2HhMX7e-nDsQpx_XYuffBfEk5NEJnhVdFwECgKwlvZSaRWiJdgUObJGJRO9z4pJUiOijcT6Rn1rDVYXtMql8VoHiAFtyI5dLw24OUVrXLLyBYWAnZX76f-hovE_85UxxcfS8tvU/s2048/20210809_101052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4Z5g2HhMX7e-nDsQpx_XYuffBfEk5NEJnhVdFwECgKwlvZSaRWiJdgUObJGJRO9z4pJUiOijcT6Rn1rDVYXtMql8VoHiAFtyI5dLw24OUVrXLLyBYWAnZX76f-hovE_85UxxcfS8tvU/s320/20210809_101052.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWS-BIyq89uKWU0GpGybghPUfKXnoXvPoRJ4WP-cRdENdIw4TVmkeNBrMFGubp2ZFx2q7A4GeOYRrkD7rpNDrf6y2LAZe6q2FhiBBfXFNElecRsuI4MrsemQDpQ3_3QEt1uJ2AA1feCvw/s2048/20210822_190608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1831" data-original-width="2048" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWS-BIyq89uKWU0GpGybghPUfKXnoXvPoRJ4WP-cRdENdIw4TVmkeNBrMFGubp2ZFx2q7A4GeOYRrkD7rpNDrf6y2LAZe6q2FhiBBfXFNElecRsuI4MrsemQDpQ3_3QEt1uJ2AA1feCvw/s320/20210822_190608.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange Jelly</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwl1QMZlMzdG2ShE3v08lgsO1NihMk981E40D2KeWAvbXNNAWa5ZJa-QwJM407nFkeMOnJKu7vYlIj-PZcPXAR4-uoayX7NcnY6cWAozFYWoK22jh-_HZZ7s78WCqEISAUg0Dc3KcojCU/s2048/20210809_101052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwl1QMZlMzdG2ShE3v08lgsO1NihMk981E40D2KeWAvbXNNAWa5ZJa-QwJM407nFkeMOnJKu7vYlIj-PZcPXAR4-uoayX7NcnY6cWAozFYWoK22jh-_HZZ7s78WCqEISAUg0Dc3KcojCU/s320/20210809_101052.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />The grapes came in finally towards the middle of the month and cooked up to the most lovely shade of rose jelly. It was then I had the brilliant idea to enter the State Fair, a four hour round trip. I dreaded that idea until I found out that I could mail my entry. Done. I entrusted both a jar of the jelly and a jar of my plum duck sauce to the USPost. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-SZzgH9SG-1kwTfVI5M_9_NMCYxA5ZMY7D3VRhC6l6s5SPB52PefUd-23hdBQ4aLF1CCYO6LA3BK989bCp56r5bjBv5RunQRLgprVv95CsAZhGca-AOwcr4eZjA-1ilWv7JD6mlcDYPQ/s2048/20210810_171354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-SZzgH9SG-1kwTfVI5M_9_NMCYxA5ZMY7D3VRhC6l6s5SPB52PefUd-23hdBQ4aLF1CCYO6LA3BK989bCp56r5bjBv5RunQRLgprVv95CsAZhGca-AOwcr4eZjA-1ilWv7JD6mlcDYPQ/w300-h400/20210810_171354.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />More canning and Suzie filled my days of waiting.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSylnNfRr8SsiDFmtDl-bjmMmK4ZPovGfldtQOKudiW0Xusc3YGKBx0tEv4-KU25B1aoN_G9L4QN5iHVfkZ3tpABwAylIaei4tHuLNgpuOHreh9JHKmqj0WHM2S9CtDp22eWRqfQ1SDwI/s2048/20210811_123220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSylnNfRr8SsiDFmtDl-bjmMmK4ZPovGfldtQOKudiW0Xusc3YGKBx0tEv4-KU25B1aoN_G9L4QN5iHVfkZ3tpABwAylIaei4tHuLNgpuOHreh9JHKmqj0WHM2S9CtDp22eWRqfQ1SDwI/s320/20210811_123220.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Sometime in the month of July, Suzie managed to pull the tendon in her good back knee. In reality it wasn't good. The knee that she came to use with freshly repaired had been neglected so long by her previous owners that she weakened and wore out her other knee. We still don't know how she did it, but she had surgery and was home on the same day, walking around and being pampered and drugged to the moon for three days, but wanting to play. She was a little slower for a few days after that, but honestly almost back to her normal self within a week. Although we DO throttle her back and won't let her go on long walks or horse around like a crazy dog, yet. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In the midst of the canning frenzy, there was, of course, a needed comedic moment. So again, enjoy at my expense.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I had spent the past week canning and have barely come up for air. I was getting 20 pounds of tomatoes every 2-3 days. The peas were done. The greenbeans were done. Plum sauce was done. And I was in in the middle of jelly. Chicken soup was done. Ground beef and stew meat was done. Chunk and shredded chicken was done. I still needed to do sweet corn (it's not quite ripe yet.) Beyond that it's just keeping up with the tomatoes until the frost kills them off. Then I'll just preserve up left overs as they come, spaghetti sauce and such.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Last night I did 10 quarts of chicken soup and this morning I noticed one didn't seal. So I wasn't thinking and dumped it down the drain. It was like that slow motion moment when you lock your keys in the car at the same time you are slamming the door shut. Ya. Shredded chicken down the drain. Of course it clogged the T-joint. I have to unclog it sooner than later, I have 40 pounds of tomatoes on the counter. I can't can without water. I have a cake to bake and dinner to do. SO.....<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />So here I am with 15 pounds of simmering grapes on the stove (it's a timed thing) and a sink about two inches deep in water, and I have to take the underside apart and clear it. grrrrr.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Then I take it apart only to find the 6qt bowl I've put under the plumbing isn't enough. SO NOW I'm sitting on the floor, with grapes simmering on the stove, a bowl filled to the brim dripping black chicken water onto the old towel I DID have the brains to put under the bowl, and using the flat of my hand to block the pipe from the garbage disposal. OK, NOW WHAT?! (Can you picture this?? It's funny as hell.)<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />My brain briefly pondered dumping the bowl in the sink. DUH, I can't lift it with one hand while my finger is in the dyke. and oh ya, that water would be going into the broken sink. OK NOW WHAT??? OK need another bowl, pot, anything. Hmmm... So now I'm holding back sludge with the flat of my right hand and turning my body around like some kind of sadistic version of Welcome to Adulting Twister, so that I can reach the pot cabinet opposite the sink on my left, you know the cabinet that holds all my CAST IRON POTS.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />I can reach the knob to open the cabinet no problem, but I cannot reach the top of the slide out drawer to pull the 30 pound drawer of iron pots towards me to grab a 6 qt pot. So keeping my hand on the drain hole, I twist more and send my left foot around and up to the lip of the drawer. (God, I'm glad I'm still bendy.)The whole time the timer on the microwave is counting down to turn off the gas for the jelly juice. I snag the drawer, grab the big dutch oven and twist myself and it towards the sink again. Now where to put the damn thing? The other bowl is taking up the room I need and the garbage disposal is in the way. I have to hold the bowl with one hand long enough to get the other away from the hole, then I can two hand it. Geesh, what a smelly <span class="skimlinks-unlinked" style="box-sizing: border-box;">mess.get</span> the whole thing drained, and the grey water (literally) dumped down the utility sink in the laundry, and clean the pipes, the cabinet and put the whole thing back together and sanitized. The timer on the jelly juice had 40 seconds to spare. I swept and mopped the floors and dealt with the juice.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What an adventure that was.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEJhDxIs-c7lOsQTArCDMBg1hGYUEdK5uyb1um_01fJ2ZXBNs90L9aF0GB4Cwy_BdGkrZ310GxB1Vci5MxJJiv4XisDe2UY2EVVcVQHUZebpQbSgc-PSxuwEzdZWat4cOOA8oB-2Th84/s2535/20210823_073230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2535" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEJhDxIs-c7lOsQTArCDMBg1hGYUEdK5uyb1um_01fJ2ZXBNs90L9aF0GB4Cwy_BdGkrZ310GxB1Vci5MxJJiv4XisDe2UY2EVVcVQHUZebpQbSgc-PSxuwEzdZWat4cOOA8oB-2Th84/s320/20210823_073230.jpg" width="157" /></a></div>They boys took the month of July in stride. What else are they supposed to do?</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">They spent a lot of time lounging in the long cool grass in the evenings, their afternoons napping in front of the giant barn fans, and their mornings in their favorite shady spots chewing their cud. What a life,eh?</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">The garden was still plugging along although the tomatoes were struggling. The large hauls of the early weeks of August came to a screeching halt, and became a trickle. I would harvest anything orange or red before each storm to avoid splitting on the day after the rains. My counter top was covered in smaller and smaller piles of tomatoes ripening, awaiting the mill and the simmering pot. Although, I'm sure the men were happy to not come home every day to the house smelling of oregano.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">A couple of the beefsteak tomatoes threw me a few giants, which Chris was more than happy to eat atop hamburgers, on salad, broiled with cheese,or simply sliced and salted on a plate.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8n4aUsk-3X7FtBLy03Zt8xoS-zMlUCbkhxqBGACMU3T0bvsgVTAvgt7QIX5eOeoJGXHE3LTebh8oxvnxgxNmQM-Hx5ZZAGkoGrUaKS4YRWXRLDVpqCGSxRUbjYDintKkq3DINzc7xX8M/s2048/20210806_174927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8n4aUsk-3X7FtBLy03Zt8xoS-zMlUCbkhxqBGACMU3T0bvsgVTAvgt7QIX5eOeoJGXHE3LTebh8oxvnxgxNmQM-Hx5ZZAGkoGrUaKS4YRWXRLDVpqCGSxRUbjYDintKkq3DINzc7xX8M/s320/20210806_174927.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJs0oR707eqEgIGJ_QzHN8mtiGb4-WJbxz6PSNNWXaZ88PmLLHr8iuMgkYtAF7KSweTPxL2W3UErNXUz_FidBH0lyRChHUA5yGMFTpHhMaIAJMQ1SWqS-4bQkmtogS3uVIJZ8tC-fxWoU/s2048/20210804_102344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJs0oR707eqEgIGJ_QzHN8mtiGb4-WJbxz6PSNNWXaZ88PmLLHr8iuMgkYtAF7KSweTPxL2W3UErNXUz_FidBH0lyRChHUA5yGMFTpHhMaIAJMQ1SWqS-4bQkmtogS3uVIJZ8tC-fxWoU/s320/20210804_102344.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKW2YuMmmSTpvxkRfmhqIDd7EiLORUPr11F2Zbw4j-1PCLT6bOAd6U14FM7jV5YSBckYxjbEwgOPIlV5VGcEu9uVzKho9CP328aNmhXPGiKUhL_2P8JcTsIahMxEvCr5XB8iP_0x-Mdr4/s2048/20210818_163113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKW2YuMmmSTpvxkRfmhqIDd7EiLORUPr11F2Zbw4j-1PCLT6bOAd6U14FM7jV5YSBckYxjbEwgOPIlV5VGcEu9uVzKho9CP328aNmhXPGiKUhL_2P8JcTsIahMxEvCr5XB8iP_0x-Mdr4/s320/20210818_163113.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the gorgeous Prairie Grasshoppers. These<br />are the same species that are known for the great<br />black plague of hoppers of the prairie lore. In great numbers<br />they were known to eat anything organic, including tanned<br />leathers on their march through the countryside. Luckily here, the <br />hens keep their numbers in check. <br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oOcO3uQ8q4MSfs8Mm6ZXxaIp8csQF5pwZnZ0d6Ml4D709QmwWwpXF3x6vH8zb4XR8tmqfej5hs2pnMw7S4gMQGlxi4THP2PRu8vhJ0YYzcnBKXAiS99ks8_jlwFcZfRo0bG6kxx2m-o/s2048/20210822_183347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1694" data-original-width="2048" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oOcO3uQ8q4MSfs8Mm6ZXxaIp8csQF5pwZnZ0d6Ml4D709QmwWwpXF3x6vH8zb4XR8tmqfej5hs2pnMw7S4gMQGlxi4THP2PRu8vhJ0YYzcnBKXAiS99ks8_jlwFcZfRo0bG6kxx2m-o/s320/20210822_183347.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The literal heart of one of the giant tomatoes.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7mVhspStY8_qakoMzT1ID99nJKT6JkUV0qtMtTQNnzAzYncFV7m-QeXAe01f-NbkTH3lw9z-5jyp_WZ7cPA-jSJXE0Fmn8dS2oP_E22_7lEnrzzgtXD07DFjwXlEN4j1mrpnk1Xc8x8/s2048/20210828_102349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7mVhspStY8_qakoMzT1ID99nJKT6JkUV0qtMtTQNnzAzYncFV7m-QeXAe01f-NbkTH3lw9z-5jyp_WZ7cPA-jSJXE0Fmn8dS2oP_E22_7lEnrzzgtXD07DFjwXlEN4j1mrpnk1Xc8x8/s320/20210828_102349.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />As the end of the month approached, so did the opening of the State Fair. A weekday visit was out of the question, as the dog couldn't go too long without company or a trip outside. Doc would be home one the weekend, and while opening day Saturday would be in the humid 90s, and Sunday would be only in the<br /> low 80s and dry, I chose Saturday as other shops I wanted to visit would be open. So off I went to enjoy a couple hours at the fair. It was a quick trip and a blur but it was a nice outing. Imagine my surprise when I went to the Open Class exhibit hall and came across this!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3d7UAlEoALqeoBFaxvUPqsMp7Eocodu6BhcEXwQrFXCdhr2YrNNPssClvJgpcxkxra5h9qMgQ6AHsu2FtmdgQC0HIOiUQvA1b9kbIpQt7Vv6jdFJeMe8qqnA4FC4Npx7ZOQA6kOhyphenhyphenv0/s2048/20210828_104931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3d7UAlEoALqeoBFaxvUPqsMp7Eocodu6BhcEXwQrFXCdhr2YrNNPssClvJgpcxkxra5h9qMgQ6AHsu2FtmdgQC0HIOiUQvA1b9kbIpQt7Vv6jdFJeMe8qqnA4FC4Npx7ZOQA6kOhyphenhyphenv0/s320/20210828_104931.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Catawba grape jelly from our<br />vines came in first place, and the plum<br />sauce came in fourth. I'm happy<br />with that!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndNuPA3QaNwkYPlKA7P_uSrW7B-yT0crptgfUY09Lpj6_NDBwDH2WrHemCN_4fwtEEqMQS6x6fgf1lUZyPltQ81Cyi4x2MxydpXfLa5U_2Kz0LLSCmuwhf5g1SSfSb2gjAo9_R9Tq3Zc/s2048/20210801_122832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndNuPA3QaNwkYPlKA7P_uSrW7B-yT0crptgfUY09Lpj6_NDBwDH2WrHemCN_4fwtEEqMQS6x6fgf1lUZyPltQ81Cyi4x2MxydpXfLa5U_2Kz0LLSCmuwhf5g1SSfSb2gjAo9_R9Tq3Zc/s320/20210801_122832.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRrFMJoOxAF3Jj_x8u5V1JodAqzvQM0mxFdQeRZmMiYGWRaA7qawxgwCi_3kNDgtBGCz5VKOx6JAC0DnxSIQSWoPgnvWcsPZgYZ0t4tvANDx0iWwkUca4ejCrejKuEBayiR1xDMowOeY/s2048/20210801_082646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="2048" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRrFMJoOxAF3Jj_x8u5V1JodAqzvQM0mxFdQeRZmMiYGWRaA7qawxgwCi_3kNDgtBGCz5VKOx6JAC0DnxSIQSWoPgnvWcsPZgYZ0t4tvANDx0iWwkUca4ejCrejKuEBayiR1xDMowOeY/s320/20210801_082646.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dewy, hot mornings are August's trademark.</td></tr></tbody></table>The month of August decided to not end on a quiet note. The thermostat decided to die on the final Sunday morning of the month and no one could come to replace it's digital goodness until sometime on Tuesday. No thermostat, no AC. Mother Nature having the sense of humour that she does, cranked up the heat and humidity on Monday to feeling like 105'F. There was no wind at all, and I couldn't get the house cool. That night, with lightning in the distance, we slept outside on the deck, which was only a few degrees cooler than inside the house. We abandoned the deck about 1am when the lightning became too bright and the mosquitoes found us. Joker that she is, the day the thermostat arrived, was breezy, gorgeous, and only 74 degrees. </div><br /><div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div>Caryl http://www.blogger.com/profile/01909790086455266299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-60933860721226550702021-09-06T19:25:00.001-05:002021-09-06T19:25:00.211-05:00The MidPoint of Summer<p> July feels like it's smack in the middle of Summer. When in reality it is the downward slope. Our minds fight with the calendar perception of summer being June, July, and August, while the garden and crops are just getting truly in July, and while the sunlight hours of the day start to plummet. While it does manage to get quite warm in June, July is the barometer for the impending heat in August. In which case, July was already telling us that August would be brutal. The rains and storms were still coming on a regular basis, but were slowing down. The storms were violent, beautiful, and came mostly at night.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiA0W-On-UAbAJkV67zmvZ_h9_2ukA9sxHlo5dncEdFTDAC8JObLrQMbdwRkwaNqholFozRUzZ2n7uuqTM_2EIdTac9jCZht-Lr_0fmrkxKfLy29309rS7s0NR2IBeDTW1mOuT8p06Glk/s1575/20210709_225944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1376" data-original-width="1575" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiA0W-On-UAbAJkV67zmvZ_h9_2ukA9sxHlo5dncEdFTDAC8JObLrQMbdwRkwaNqholFozRUzZ2n7uuqTM_2EIdTac9jCZht-Lr_0fmrkxKfLy29309rS7s0NR2IBeDTW1mOuT8p06Glk/s320/20210709_225944.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSZkCQ2jsDcAFdoVTKCyRYy-8pP9_DulHwH3KpiP13Va6pfXW-PgS03VwjEpxeXyBoRNuAjGPz2WPBZPfdCSsguDRoUZOYAYvK4hegcwuWFxYLdmwdmNIvKlYQHlaGHF0uKE4Gc387cg/s2048/20210724_224133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1287" data-original-width="2048" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSZkCQ2jsDcAFdoVTKCyRYy-8pP9_DulHwH3KpiP13Va6pfXW-PgS03VwjEpxeXyBoRNuAjGPz2WPBZPfdCSsguDRoUZOYAYvK4hegcwuWFxYLdmwdmNIvKlYQHlaGHF0uKE4Gc387cg/s320/20210724_224133.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The heat index would routinely hit over 100 and reached 117'F on a regular basis. Smoke from Western wildfires hung in the air like a dirty yellow blanket. Day and night the skies offered only filtered light, and little clean oxygen to breathe.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cXcy5JBBQsvQXspIdEJYHCmTmthLmS4vgi7Vb0Gqg_ECQ78PAzHu8bdY_Ceuq4ccLvHzWHDU84wE6Pj2hMk9f4I_MZiyGcI29Vu8cgk_fOnBYSt7JK_MQ-ZLrPLXsd59P9GXWdLOGiA/s2048/20210709_201421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cXcy5JBBQsvQXspIdEJYHCmTmthLmS4vgi7Vb0Gqg_ECQ78PAzHu8bdY_Ceuq4ccLvHzWHDU84wE6Pj2hMk9f4I_MZiyGcI29Vu8cgk_fOnBYSt7JK_MQ-ZLrPLXsd59P9GXWdLOGiA/w150-h200/20210709_201421.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>After the 4th of July, we seemed to skip July altogether and go into the drought and oppressive heat normally reserved for August. Tomatoes and plants enjoy the warm nights but brutally hot days and ridiculously hot nights stunted them I was looking towards a lower than average harvest season in a year that had seemed perfect for them. The grapevine was still going gangbusters and I was enjoying documenting their quick progression. <p></p><p>The zinnias, cut flowers, and sunflowers took off and were enjoyed by not only the pollinators but also the local small songbirds.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXooIIzbFticWmPp6_0Rx0prnU8i6JlC3CTV9oJgUL3djhXgd4_mwaKId2OtyRzvSluxl9n84i4z3jtl6tDlZ3YAETOgTG1NAcBmmH81eh1SGHTz5gKO0NLFVYT8qSHS85qC7YMg9Kmmo/s1171/20210708_121715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="1171" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXooIIzbFticWmPp6_0Rx0prnU8i6JlC3CTV9oJgUL3djhXgd4_mwaKId2OtyRzvSluxl9n84i4z3jtl6tDlZ3YAETOgTG1NAcBmmH81eh1SGHTz5gKO0NLFVYT8qSHS85qC7YMg9Kmmo/w200-h162/20210708_121715.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VDEVs7pOCwKuZfXKVmOk3lI4IRHBul8FKCVblyhaY8NMa5AIKLcYqVKCq9KVyLgx0g-EpESSSsiisjeD15F7ODEUo1u32KhcAkYgrNFNB598pe3nD7s50mrBoGeVFvNQF3iGNpjNpoY/s2048/20210727_084845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VDEVs7pOCwKuZfXKVmOk3lI4IRHBul8FKCVblyhaY8NMa5AIKLcYqVKCq9KVyLgx0g-EpESSSsiisjeD15F7ODEUo1u32KhcAkYgrNFNB598pe3nD7s50mrBoGeVFvNQF3iGNpjNpoY/s320/20210727_084845.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />By the 3rd week in July we brought in our first basket of tomatoes and the grapes were turning deep rose. Canning season had started! <p></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyue4Y24bxKEr4TrEPedyG6asNIu8FhR5DBz9qBzh5InlQeyWuxPQGrsETsB4PHwuGdEF6fC9VmTp9-bfDPpIQU3GKnfJEpKiwdx44MLF-MxfqGMRiqbd1J65BejGzSefFIz1Nm4j_Jw/s2048/20210721_141901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1893" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyue4Y24bxKEr4TrEPedyG6asNIu8FhR5DBz9qBzh5InlQeyWuxPQGrsETsB4PHwuGdEF6fC9VmTp9-bfDPpIQU3GKnfJEpKiwdx44MLF-MxfqGMRiqbd1J65BejGzSefFIz1Nm4j_Jw/s320/20210721_141901.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last year I crossed a black corn with an orange corn and came up with the center corn. FUN!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGFwx_Ek2y561ACCwhTZl_EjkJ8GQtdSC50oS3aYQ5PA_eAQjRL3l8L3k0umOMm7Zna_N0-L3jVKTvxnBNxyeznCcuC3zXOI2YLVhbEgJXuq-s6F8d7ts1SxT325OB6-feurkewSoQu8/s2048/20210709_203138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGFwx_Ek2y561ACCwhTZl_EjkJ8GQtdSC50oS3aYQ5PA_eAQjRL3l8L3k0umOMm7Zna_N0-L3jVKTvxnBNxyeznCcuC3zXOI2YLVhbEgJXuq-s6F8d7ts1SxT325OB6-feurkewSoQu8/s320/20210709_203138.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomatoes and Blackberries</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIBLj-et4y5IwR70bCfITYRP7mP0tLYbDlGMJH9zZk4UJbvuGdBE5yeE1z0xdfO_vLGQKmVjuE6AOhIakmCGSp87pEquEGRVni0H9BAKuG9S1ywjvNKATRe2BDqglSL7C-6K9IunokLY/s2048/20210716_142214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIBLj-et4y5IwR70bCfITYRP7mP0tLYbDlGMJH9zZk4UJbvuGdBE5yeE1z0xdfO_vLGQKmVjuE6AOhIakmCGSp87pEquEGRVni0H9BAKuG9S1ywjvNKATRe2BDqglSL7C-6K9IunokLY/s320/20210716_142214.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are giant green June Bugs, and we<br />were up to our eyeballs in them in the <br />chicken garden. They especially love to lay <br />their eggs in poo, which the chicken garden is<br />planted in. The chickens LOVE to eat the tomatoes<br />AND the beetles.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULFX6M5LD2253dY2ft5-UDnM3EPW2Xo67Zk67zNU3sHZhFHmu4HE3X8n1j7aO1GRekqmtlRBrSu9PRO1MhOAxUTUYuda0WdgJLIaKwhyphenhyphenCMln85de0S9aX_PR73EF_rWnOOa8iHLcomc4/s2400/Screenshot_20210711-220509_Wyze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2400" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULFX6M5LD2253dY2ft5-UDnM3EPW2Xo67Zk67zNU3sHZhFHmu4HE3X8n1j7aO1GRekqmtlRBrSu9PRO1MhOAxUTUYuda0WdgJLIaKwhyphenhyphenCMln85de0S9aX_PR73EF_rWnOOa8iHLcomc4/w400-h180/Screenshot_20210711-220509_Wyze.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The littles started sleeping inside, but didn't quite understand<br />they were to use the perches. Instead they slept on the nest box <br />edges and the fan mount, which resulted in a few clipped feathers<br />and toenails.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7Xh9wDizHQqpDF58OV27fKc6phzvmgodgd1fuug3dzK6-A8sckocCbFl18qDG6a7_YQEY5Qn5ISh1X28XPsE2AQN8fOV_tNW6e6u57MEYlUIVuRYs2QBK3d0MU6f-LMJ3PRrEdOtBRs/s2048/20210702_094707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7Xh9wDizHQqpDF58OV27fKc6phzvmgodgd1fuug3dzK6-A8sckocCbFl18qDG6a7_YQEY5Qn5ISh1X28XPsE2AQN8fOV_tNW6e6u57MEYlUIVuRYs2QBK3d0MU6f-LMJ3PRrEdOtBRs/w480-h640/20210702_094707.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;">The cutflowers including alfalfa, Queen Anne's lace, and </div><br />Caryl http://www.blogger.com/profile/01909790086455266299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-19910060932779816362021-09-05T18:34:00.001-05:002021-09-05T18:34:00.166-05:00Let the Monsoon Begin<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aEug7SwMKcfn4KzYdx_ayH6JAyZ-su7fG46Irhm-cQ8ZMsmakGVV8tkS3X1V4ebvACriTXf41y4SSeLt_QS3djL4tiSsdVNmPTrW1bKo7jrY5Qwmql2lmb4BvFpgguB1j-8dzfEz6Now/s3106/20210625_210843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1013" data-original-width="3106" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9aEug7SwMKcfn4KzYdx_ayH6JAyZ-su7fG46Irhm-cQ8ZMsmakGVV8tkS3X1V4ebvACriTXf41y4SSeLt_QS3djL4tiSsdVNmPTrW1bKo7jrY5Qwmql2lmb4BvFpgguB1j-8dzfEz6Now/w640-h208/20210625_210843.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> The rainy month of May continued into June. It was a LOT of rain. More than once it came fast enough, and hard enough to cause a river to run through the pasture. The storms came night and day, but luckily we missed all the hail, and the most severe winds, but the lightning was close and beautiful.<br /><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqO0DI3_WnWUt0b64xRSe9A3zyZV7tGiPMOI43HOL0xMVNd2deZsOEFBKeoHNNMFrCGQe3RtlZNay26eArf0hyphenhyphenN9zRiadvvxR-ZdVTHR_dlTHlHkmJfh0R3VpfxjaWyljx0yBRftk5tMph/s2048/20210618_051528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1456" data-original-width="2048" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqO0DI3_WnWUt0b64xRSe9A3zyZV7tGiPMOI43HOL0xMVNd2deZsOEFBKeoHNNMFrCGQe3RtlZNay26eArf0hyphenhyphenN9zRiadvvxR-ZdVTHR_dlTHlHkmJfh0R3VpfxjaWyljx0yBRftk5tMph/s320/20210618_051528.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I was beginning to wonder if it would ever stop raining on an almost every other day basis. The heat was creeping up and it wasn't leaving, not even at night. I started to wonder if we were in for a wet summer. I was eyeballing haying season and trying to figure out how to cut and dry hay with rain perpetually falling from the sky. Of course all the rain made for a banner hay crop. In all the years we've been here I'd never seen it so high and thick. I wasn't sure it would make it to a mid to late July cutting. If I cut it early enough, I could get a second cut out of it if I wanted to. As I pondered over the passing days, the temperatures continued to rise. We went from comfortable to just plain miserable. Our temperatures were in the 90s and the heat index with the humidity was well over 100 every day.<div><br /><div>Tomatoes loves the warmth at night, but what they don't like is the endless hard heat all day, and they do prefer their roots to not be soggy all the time. I started watching for blight, fungus, mineral deprivation, fruit setting issues, and end rot. I had pre-treated not only the seedlings but the garden for end rot, but with all the rain, the treatments became moot. Vigilance was the name of the game. The garden as a whole went from seedlings to jungle in a flash. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fSzYL92Gb6Z4t_9xNqnGRweTHVTr6RrxvcZCRE-PBY4gO77jSx0cdbdJcORmrJeROOgqK0Ifna9BV59BIIcQ9ZcANmyWUIqLwI9ucLvCzsrMtkHu3lcJRnmlDAO3fVHGG6WGcv0pfc5P/s2048/20210605_085102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1523" data-original-width="2048" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fSzYL92Gb6Z4t_9xNqnGRweTHVTr6RrxvcZCRE-PBY4gO77jSx0cdbdJcORmrJeROOgqK0Ifna9BV59BIIcQ9ZcANmyWUIqLwI9ucLvCzsrMtkHu3lcJRnmlDAO3fVHGG6WGcv0pfc5P/s320/20210605_085102.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early May</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNPuAqHsobHjkGCKDb7zo9iscDjmMuIVL9fvVew0IPta_aVkFc_Qeq_Vy_HH4tFUHTNB0Y2r_QEh12Vd561-cRKI8Ru-NQ1QHaVMuJd7GTO9dUaphl-YEFmsguFKZ0t-taMBIaAUzDYZJ/s1960/20210615_085223+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1397" data-original-width="1960" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNPuAqHsobHjkGCKDb7zo9iscDjmMuIVL9fvVew0IPta_aVkFc_Qeq_Vy_HH4tFUHTNB0Y2r_QEh12Vd561-cRKI8Ru-NQ1QHaVMuJd7GTO9dUaphl-YEFmsguFKZ0t-taMBIaAUzDYZJ/s320/20210615_085223+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mid May</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWe4XfRWraO2uDQL1xOGKyGHov61mD_9vK2udzrWWGEBWG3Zdz4J8VUPnlBaZSSL_yPUJOVQE3Jy5CQ3HwlgOeLHb3B_VJNKBcH3vj1LOAg-ACbIGkYG4lHOVPn2rLRVDjZxjz80pS2Vp/s2048/20210701_114426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWe4XfRWraO2uDQL1xOGKyGHov61mD_9vK2udzrWWGEBWG3Zdz4J8VUPnlBaZSSL_yPUJOVQE3Jy5CQ3HwlgOeLHb3B_VJNKBcH3vj1LOAg-ACbIGkYG4lHOVPn2rLRVDjZxjz80pS2Vp/s320/20210701_114426.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Late May</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAeNb7hB07vkOkCvAFJnfCd1IqPx_5yf9IneSl_R1tJmaC648CDwDVkiQ62JlRQuNE8ZI6Y02V5qUtXZk4VfpnCr3pwoK7z-J0nRCFJoBOVRTykZ1-8M_ecrqIh4dzEMWcpc8BlJbNMZME/s2048/20210626_102241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAeNb7hB07vkOkCvAFJnfCd1IqPx_5yf9IneSl_R1tJmaC648CDwDVkiQ62JlRQuNE8ZI6Y02V5qUtXZk4VfpnCr3pwoK7z-J0nRCFJoBOVRTykZ1-8M_ecrqIh4dzEMWcpc8BlJbNMZME/w150-h200/20210626_102241.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catawba Grapes</td></tr></tbody></table>In fact, everything around us seemed to be really enjoying all the extra moisture. The new cottonwood tree and the river birch grew almost 6 feet this spring, which is incredible. The willow trees went crazy, although they are kept in check by the alpacas. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUM5IqddZ5-mH8sgnyIXVYOhhpOrdxPfwqql7pMwnJwm1Z8SwVzkmnlfDC7Y1C2UincuH5LwJgGwimtunncGC9RpQLsDS8__LF5u4UudvkhieI3JHBMR4g8QKgc8QGf3yuVe-1727NNHXp/s2048/20210624_104439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUM5IqddZ5-mH8sgnyIXVYOhhpOrdxPfwqql7pMwnJwm1Z8SwVzkmnlfDC7Y1C2UincuH5LwJgGwimtunncGC9RpQLsDS8__LF5u4UudvkhieI3JHBMR4g8QKgc8QGf3yuVe-1727NNHXp/s320/20210624_104439.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arapahoe Blackberries</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7V5gdyJaUnCwswBCIS2uev_gCs-jV1ovr5Z5pRfQ09Dl57qkvFCpQIM5k48R9_xrbUXEBp7EDAo7R7R-A7M5Im8s2ttOlBSuUop2I08KO4a_WuZb6Gr23ekYR94_NDab6FXUisC3z_Y8/s2048/20210607_100748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7V5gdyJaUnCwswBCIS2uev_gCs-jV1ovr5Z5pRfQ09Dl57qkvFCpQIM5k48R9_xrbUXEBp7EDAo7R7R-A7M5Im8s2ttOlBSuUop2I08KO4a_WuZb6Gr23ekYR94_NDab6FXUisC3z_Y8/s320/20210607_100748.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Oodles and oodles of Mulberries. I didn't make any into jam this year. I left them all for the wildlife and the hens. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqVK6yShFAiDLpLcqQmTrlOiYOmfZQMoSBOR8aMxD4jmM7v50BFqzooYGUk3axlMTS3qrFm3yH_88cs2XFibdJ_Y-jHGZA0IpGcqN7EdDnwOBJoaaPRkzZ7oWgzphd85nE43Lyw06EOJS/s2048/20210622_123923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1927" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqVK6yShFAiDLpLcqQmTrlOiYOmfZQMoSBOR8aMxD4jmM7v50BFqzooYGUk3axlMTS3qrFm3yH_88cs2XFibdJ_Y-jHGZA0IpGcqN7EdDnwOBJoaaPRkzZ7oWgzphd85nE43Lyw06EOJS/s320/20210622_123923.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first of the gorgeous sunflowers. Dwarf Scarlet</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gcw38418YlbJy1-WFcDjFQ5Hz1NUNw9GklqPkbF_5PPlqm1Ckbc7up2Nac4qR8q2d5nXuSvkTWpCAJ-Xc8aoW3xk1CsIrWUGI9r4c2ZwB8YqBsq0psQmvfeLRGv9RWijqj_lo5OlMvrK/s320/20210602_142451.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bulging hay field.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4gcw38418YlbJy1-WFcDjFQ5Hz1NUNw9GklqPkbF_5PPlqm1Ckbc7up2Nac4qR8q2d5nXuSvkTWpCAJ-Xc8aoW3xk1CsIrWUGI9r4c2ZwB8YqBsq0psQmvfeLRGv9RWijqj_lo5OlMvrK/s2048/20210602_142451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AjlLu9BDiXNoKboIshkaUb3mHOqGCPaoQ9yPFJTdW27SHpoXDt1udq0UKl4L0K08iY_4HHk6nxvua2DhDLf72OqGSwhqZmqHNP9yCM5cTHz0YhwRujXU553MJBteRzeRNuaLCnBwF8iR/s2048/20210602_123827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AjlLu9BDiXNoKboIshkaUb3mHOqGCPaoQ9yPFJTdW27SHpoXDt1udq0UKl4L0K08iY_4HHk6nxvua2DhDLf72OqGSwhqZmqHNP9yCM5cTHz0YhwRujXU553MJBteRzeRNuaLCnBwF8iR/s320/20210602_123827.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wisteria</td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div> About the third week of June I started watching the weather patterns very carefully. I needed a full 3, preferably 4, days of wind, sun, heat, no morning dew or rain to make hay. I had already watched the local farmers take in the first round of alfalfa, but it was still too early at that point for me. At the very end of the month I could see it coming, a TINY window. Doc and I moved all of last year's hay to the barn and I cleaned the hay shed in preparation for making hay. I could do everything alone, but the loading and stacking so I had to time it so the men could help me there. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIR7R2YhvsGJ3mBy-S9ieiKdEAdU51R5LY8Uy4oLrZxDHEGZK3DjTWvv07TErHHvvdTbN_ii8FhSn7sNBSotqgjjVyAeuH7gDznnnIBrdGPqO1RZFVoiMrFGCp0InonW4ZyTrijuEhQO4/s2048/20210630_064650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1849" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIR7R2YhvsGJ3mBy-S9ieiKdEAdU51R5LY8Uy4oLrZxDHEGZK3DjTWvv07TErHHvvdTbN_ii8FhSn7sNBSotqgjjVyAeuH7gDznnnIBrdGPqO1RZFVoiMrFGCp0InonW4ZyTrijuEhQO4/s320/20210630_064650.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain at night, an high dew points, meant foggy and <br />dewy mornings. Terrible for drying hay.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3z_qW6i3QvNLMbEfHw3YSP9OV1Kd2maGwWmPY8kCQkXSHazcEBAu0Nk4aUN6TBfwyuNN4Ual2FnDNDSWJxBmLuDNEkr4pVhr1G6a0j3MYMD02aJjr6LFiBRwHqIKK_f4IDbEVJSlG0F1/s2048/20210622_082327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1092" data-original-width="2048" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3z_qW6i3QvNLMbEfHw3YSP9OV1Kd2maGwWmPY8kCQkXSHazcEBAu0Nk4aUN6TBfwyuNN4Ual2FnDNDSWJxBmLuDNEkr4pVhr1G6a0j3MYMD02aJjr6LFiBRwHqIKK_f4IDbEVJSlG0F1/s320/20210622_082327.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>With the hay shed clean, all I could do was wait. Then I saw it a small window of nice weather. It would put the final day of drying and baling on a weekday, and as always, up against impending rain, but it would have to do. I cut, tedded, turned, waited, turned it again, raked it, and baled it and we all loaded it in the shed. Last year was a good year, and this year's yield beat it by 30%! We filled the shed to the brim on the same day we STARTED using our first bale from last year. I decided not to do a second cutting of hay and just allow the whole field to rest while the rains were coming and supporting seed development and reseeding the field.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwicD3vDD6pu1AQ-TR-bx9Bm70YU_pt3oJ1HOfNnGdW3DZulxNBAEaJEiFQfcq6zEHu1qM-0QjJnq6IxNUKxe8dQOz4mSpHf14rTrLquZgoIx97ZEoPySAWeDZGUks4FCIdp4yEy78NqbM/s2048/20210629_192351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="2048" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwicD3vDD6pu1AQ-TR-bx9Bm70YU_pt3oJ1HOfNnGdW3DZulxNBAEaJEiFQfcq6zEHu1qM-0QjJnq6IxNUKxe8dQOz4mSpHf14rTrLquZgoIx97ZEoPySAWeDZGUks4FCIdp4yEy78NqbM/s320/20210629_192351.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>With the garden plugging along and the animals all taken care of and the hay in for the year, I took the opportunity to hide inside. Since the Grad was home and needed the space I had my sewing equipment in, I decided to give the whole room to him for his home office. I collected everything and scrounged craigslist for a large table to use as a cutting table and set up shop in the partially finished basement.I hung a couple of inexpensive curtains from the ceiling to block the view of things in storage. Of course after I set everything up for maximum ease and efficiency, I closed my etsy shop. It was driving me insane. The customers were amazing and I do miss it, but the policies that were constantly changing had me loosing money on each transaction, and I had no identity of my own. Think about it, when you get something on etsy, and someone asks you where you got it, what do you say? Do you remember the shop name or the creator without looking? Nope, you say, "I got it one etsy." I decided to stick to a small local shop that supports local sellers and craftsmen. </div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKcK0nHmJNUfURpmaWnMXrgt5rG0_j8LeLTkXD9pF0r7wZm6edZsBa32JsOYbEsS5-qoauRlYkx8DYlB8m_RtsPns-cUbAMO95_mWuP6ymFpVDXzoJOGKfInGVag9OX7mCvqFKyfmTvCQ/s2048/20210617_102449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1948" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKcK0nHmJNUfURpmaWnMXrgt5rG0_j8LeLTkXD9pF0r7wZm6edZsBa32JsOYbEsS5-qoauRlYkx8DYlB8m_RtsPns-cUbAMO95_mWuP6ymFpVDXzoJOGKfInGVag9OX7mCvqFKyfmTvCQ/s320/20210617_102449.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June being her adorable country self.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQPRKnqp1VtpC65Yy4V_GUNL6c_MvTraofQTZCeI3GOjP92E7mIZHMZ0FZhi6qOkkOZY0Ghq9AwXBE5BP38_fgsMhuqLGCv0DHzrrMiIW7rPtvvCL6vcglRGPInFg4KUESJopz17QgWIk/s2048/20210608_124841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQPRKnqp1VtpC65Yy4V_GUNL6c_MvTraofQTZCeI3GOjP92E7mIZHMZ0FZhi6qOkkOZY0Ghq9AwXBE5BP38_fgsMhuqLGCv0DHzrrMiIW7rPtvvCL6vcglRGPInFg4KUESJopz17QgWIk/s320/20210608_124841.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys waiting for me to hold the hose and cool <br />them down.<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-19410547338340995302021-09-03T15:45:00.079-05:002021-09-03T15:45:00.178-05:00May- The Lovely Month Of May<p> The glorious, mad, merry month of May. I love it. The still cool evening, the moisture in the air, and the warm days before the bugs get going. The atmosphere gives way to towering thunderstorms the fully saturate the waiting soil.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKK6K60FBwlf7E0bCcYh6b3IrLrvPkb2oq5u0M5kJjj0snuZ-Is81v6q-Kg89bRdpwTXKiJd3s82Z1LjuHiXJ6poKIRF5VFp2WcYcgcCWF1LqpEDxVOA_Z9fsRxfFzeIXEfPEk1hjd4lIW/s2562/20210505_173732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1227" data-original-width="2562" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKK6K60FBwlf7E0bCcYh6b3IrLrvPkb2oq5u0M5kJjj0snuZ-Is81v6q-Kg89bRdpwTXKiJd3s82Z1LjuHiXJ6poKIRF5VFp2WcYcgcCWF1LqpEDxVOA_Z9fsRxfFzeIXEfPEk1hjd4lIW/w640-h306/20210505_173732.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47YjembSJqFwlU-pwZH4O5557h1dNOLnrWRq00IXY4tinDDjAQzBkVJdiDUiv3MHkxqXf3R4jszLm2EpErzer44JwylvFP4ngfZ71x7zS-FuQkcdnXrmFndD2z0Y_KhmdTVnBTNkiH6ps/s2048/20210505_161653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1266" data-original-width="2048" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47YjembSJqFwlU-pwZH4O5557h1dNOLnrWRq00IXY4tinDDjAQzBkVJdiDUiv3MHkxqXf3R4jszLm2EpErzer44JwylvFP4ngfZ71x7zS-FuQkcdnXrmFndD2z0Y_KhmdTVnBTNkiH6ps/s320/20210505_161653.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The focus of the early portion of the month was taken up with weekly baking for a local shop, and moving the items in the overflowing seeding shed to the greenhouse. The increase in warmth and direct, real sunshine was heaven for the plants.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSafSJ6TOODhWkNJjWLPZmZ9Tydjw2GFB_o_Ii5kIQf9dpiB9vWEqDikZws_H-BVvIuQV34zVz188ahlGBTm83vG0cxnUD_gX9hcAyhxDlJYRtKwCrnMTSR059CxD0rIv82NVx4z4CDTB/s2048/20210506_210944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSafSJ6TOODhWkNJjWLPZmZ9Tydjw2GFB_o_Ii5kIQf9dpiB9vWEqDikZws_H-BVvIuQV34zVz188ahlGBTm83vG0cxnUD_gX9hcAyhxDlJYRtKwCrnMTSR059CxD0rIv82NVx4z4CDTB/s320/20210506_210944.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whole Wheat Challah and Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2m8i32h8072E4Z4KJT_pNgI8ax4IpxQfrzbAVY0V0wsHglxw2GIbO4qFBXyJ5yaC_pwoq8wfg8uxWydfBLfkkH9ejCZZGs6oXyiiG2iG95wRfn8_PFP6-CxvvkHhYLZUwKBoH1zNdW5vQ/s2048/20210507_115452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2m8i32h8072E4Z4KJT_pNgI8ax4IpxQfrzbAVY0V0wsHglxw2GIbO4qFBXyJ5yaC_pwoq8wfg8uxWydfBLfkkH9ejCZZGs6oXyiiG2iG95wRfn8_PFP6-CxvvkHhYLZUwKBoH1zNdW5vQ/s320/20210507_115452.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mother's Day Plant Sale<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The warming month was welcome to everything on the ranch. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7c7Fg4Wu6Aa6QndBeMADUmQRQavUA87co5vsdub88W7GKAfrYOS4VuGqFosUzBGYk1VCSMHTgHD6uKf_AbhO9QIDd261ITHdRsDiKprz_tIqnvTVycVmJAFEw7ecoqjMIb8nmvfyPzhd/s594/Screenshot_20210511-111434_Twitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="594" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7c7Fg4Wu6Aa6QndBeMADUmQRQavUA87co5vsdub88W7GKAfrYOS4VuGqFosUzBGYk1VCSMHTgHD6uKf_AbhO9QIDd261ITHdRsDiKprz_tIqnvTVycVmJAFEw7ecoqjMIb8nmvfyPzhd/s320/Screenshot_20210511-111434_Twitter.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunbathing Suzie</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFgeN35DqN4D_n5Bb3akVpwxfVNT-hu-8A1l5fCjgeJrmKlFQl573KsNOMp1rtzYRIE65ozN3WS_Kzi5-D1aqes8kxOTEdh51KbwZsBigbbV_g_i-51VMEt74lwjxXqMsAh3PbvSUQHwm/s2048/20210510_133815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1354" data-original-width="2048" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFgeN35DqN4D_n5Bb3akVpwxfVNT-hu-8A1l5fCjgeJrmKlFQl573KsNOMp1rtzYRIE65ozN3WS_Kzi5-D1aqes8kxOTEdh51KbwZsBigbbV_g_i-51VMEt74lwjxXqMsAh3PbvSUQHwm/s320/20210510_133815.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunbathing Chickens</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2g9PI59tQxvtITj5YhxYMpW_la5k-FdDfU2RebbGzXe8EKZI9GNpv2hR9Owt1vYB-Ukav1tO8CNtw5JikINtD0R9IY80r7TGTUpteV2_U8IqYUsGzvYCsWXU6q7oJgDBfHpRfIXD8dhV/s2048/20210602_204556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1105" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2g9PI59tQxvtITj5YhxYMpW_la5k-FdDfU2RebbGzXe8EKZI9GNpv2hR9Owt1vYB-Ukav1tO8CNtw5JikINtD0R9IY80r7TGTUpteV2_U8IqYUsGzvYCsWXU6q7oJgDBfHpRfIXD8dhV/s320/20210602_204556.jpg" width="173" /></a></div><br />We did find time to have a new college graduate. </div><div>Surprisingly enough, graduation day was only 40 degrees, howling winds, and threatened rain, but picture day was glorious!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnwbwv4nRppnvZ8yxM0YujyQiPbNUBkbbWlLIAPz8IQbHDho2XgaKrMfk5lcMXSXnxiYmanbIPgErc_hlszJabyeg0M24QKt_s1YJBlt53InNlMYCy-w4V_rgKM9qhQSGRJTYVmXEe1q6/s2048/20210525_140744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1510" data-original-width="2048" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFnwbwv4nRppnvZ8yxM0YujyQiPbNUBkbbWlLIAPz8IQbHDho2XgaKrMfk5lcMXSXnxiYmanbIPgErc_hlszJabyeg0M24QKt_s1YJBlt53InNlMYCy-w4V_rgKM9qhQSGRJTYVmXEe1q6/s320/20210525_140744.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The lilacs and the iris' bloomed right on schedule.</div><div>The weather was simply glorious this May. We had plenty of rain and after the first weekend of the month, it warmed up considerably, but not to the point of having to try to keep the alpacas cool before the sheering team to get to them.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMi60Q7l5ZvzGuVeEzb_wOJFMXtKV_R6WBDUaB0hO6hMMkkFSC3bXTPxbpKEVq-HW404fay054QsXVgSa-C0kCWoB6R6dN6LcyQVe9Tu2uRnVdno5-2IdMW-8PueJDS-CAqPpKkXsz1sx/s2048/20210517_163428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMi60Q7l5ZvzGuVeEzb_wOJFMXtKV_R6WBDUaB0hO6hMMkkFSC3bXTPxbpKEVq-HW404fay054QsXVgSa-C0kCWoB6R6dN6LcyQVe9Tu2uRnVdno5-2IdMW-8PueJDS-CAqPpKkXsz1sx/s320/20210517_163428.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></div><br /><div>This year the team was coming at the end of May instead of June. It's a good thing, because they were thick, and woolly, and crazy.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnU4e1xKqMxHXO4EfWSs-uOz0wjmClu4VX2TtJh_fQ_nRcnvxSGsCXzypjYNNT7WdV5nuzZugNE8DlpklMKhwRuUXfylwZpIFdZSQTPpaP78ba1RKpM79qrQTEvoSNIMdR5EOROU_gupP/s2048/20210602_091820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnU4e1xKqMxHXO4EfWSs-uOz0wjmClu4VX2TtJh_fQ_nRcnvxSGsCXzypjYNNT7WdV5nuzZugNE8DlpklMKhwRuUXfylwZpIFdZSQTPpaP78ba1RKpM79qrQTEvoSNIMdR5EOROU_gupP/s320/20210602_091820.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup, that's the same critter.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />By the 25th the soil was warm enough and wet enough to get the garden in the ground. Row after row of tomatoes with zinnias (for the hummingbirds) and marigolds in between. Green beans and decorative corn with a patch of dill especially planted for the Swallowtail butterflies filled out the rest. I made room for sunflower giants for the song birds in the fall. (Blackberries and Horseradish are permanent residents.)<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1Ah0OQnY0tSMpa9tkjT7hX7W4pk7pTJmDXZMUeulkVbGOtH5-V7iH9ClmRMFreWTGeLbJfokoQFTXmIlcUSTrkZzuMKam9ArVfXx9JLjDgwcXxN5X4IO6lQXru9qHDwepQW2ad6f33h7/s2048/20210522_184102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1523" data-original-width="2048" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1Ah0OQnY0tSMpa9tkjT7hX7W4pk7pTJmDXZMUeulkVbGOtH5-V7iH9ClmRMFreWTGeLbJfokoQFTXmIlcUSTrkZzuMKam9ArVfXx9JLjDgwcXxN5X4IO6lQXru9qHDwepQW2ad6f33h7/w640-h475/20210522_184102.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It always looks so clean and happy before the weeds try to invade.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgohcDUK2Xq0j_Ayyei98kWT4Uwv4YXnhh-NJ2hjS8FA8ayOTtsP-Wth-v1beTbcVIt7LxWGRcOp-rXueQqynMSgOxvfsC8Y7Yd6iR7Q0F87MN7IkbEmKVQHlRrJseQpb8M2F6F0lF6nn/s2048/20210531_210043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgohcDUK2Xq0j_Ayyei98kWT4Uwv4YXnhh-NJ2hjS8FA8ayOTtsP-Wth-v1beTbcVIt7LxWGRcOp-rXueQqynMSgOxvfsC8Y7Yd6iR7Q0F87MN7IkbEmKVQHlRrJseQpb8M2F6F0lF6nn/s320/20210531_210043.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>By now the babies are 8 weeks old and actually look like chickens. The big girls would invade the grow out pen during the day and visit. By the time I was sick and tired of cleaning up after them and the mess they made of the shop, they were just fine when I decided to chuck them into the main coop for good. No fuss, no muss, no fights.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>As we slide into June, the maintenance month, I leave you with a real live, red, 6-spotted Ladybug.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEncTWsO1pKvsry7vv0yKhn75vWN7RWLRDcS23zPv-gk-YGlwbj2rExBho8r_ozR1uB35V0WvQKjbwOFKmJ6XF-KOxm9YDcp21AXd6jfWwKPKgpzd4J2Qj5UfxWJqyixfyjD0-DZbjdf7k/s1039/20210527_141234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="848" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEncTWsO1pKvsry7vv0yKhn75vWN7RWLRDcS23zPv-gk-YGlwbj2rExBho8r_ozR1uB35V0WvQKjbwOFKmJ6XF-KOxm9YDcp21AXd6jfWwKPKgpzd4J2Qj5UfxWJqyixfyjD0-DZbjdf7k/s320/20210527_141234.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><br /></div>Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-81058890933759901922021-09-02T22:03:00.099-05:002021-09-03T22:04:31.007-05:00April - A cold snap, destruction in the orchard, and renewal.<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgO6CTqQkld90Ca8kRTmcoLGFAmZ6fYipxJKOvMfPzGc206_0Da2EpW578FudUjiPkN2d8wMe3yWbQWfaRgkSvxDTjtHohMueoGS6PhSnRiMI5r2LVx0QmnBHw7PsATcStiictwXB7AGc/s2960/20210406_074459.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="2960" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgO6CTqQkld90Ca8kRTmcoLGFAmZ6fYipxJKOvMfPzGc206_0Da2EpW578FudUjiPkN2d8wMe3yWbQWfaRgkSvxDTjtHohMueoGS6PhSnRiMI5r2LVx0QmnBHw7PsATcStiictwXB7AGc/w640-h160/20210406_074459.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />April is a polar month. Not in the sense that the weather is arctic, but rather in the sense that it is well known for its inability to make up its mind as to which season it belongs. It is neither hot nor cold. It is known not for its endless sunny days or its clouds. Shall it rain today, or snow? Many times you’ll find yourself dressing as for a sleigh ride in the morning and be in a tank top and shorts by afternoon. The one thing that is certain is that everyone, aside from the most warped among us, is dreaming of seeing Winter in the rear view mirror.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiisJeKLQZzNo6e5rcVUsOx0os2lMD_VTCEjHFpygoJaHwFfVLSztKm9Cn0VlZnJcxlCh8eowUIf0ZV_sGHYcPtJqfBKyfF_xMDqn0JDA1xGWfRmz0dv5tpDDQOGhEauupr0fohxkQok/s2048/20210501_091755.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1252" data-original-width="2048" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiisJeKLQZzNo6e5rcVUsOx0os2lMD_VTCEjHFpygoJaHwFfVLSztKm9Cn0VlZnJcxlCh8eowUIf0ZV_sGHYcPtJqfBKyfF_xMDqn0JDA1xGWfRmz0dv5tpDDQOGhEauupr0fohxkQok/s320/20210501_091755.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-56dad394-7fff-cc70-5e6f-2c77626e3cce" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">We have spent our Winter planning gardens, searching catalogs for patio cushions, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and looking forward to the day we can once again expose ourselves to the warmth of the sun without </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">running the risk of frostbite.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-2ad8ab73-7fff-fb04-1812-33c10277c61f" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hJSfhA2TvwWDz7DtsUrBttvz4TbBt4PjkoiLCFiBD-FwoquwEwPshRgza10DPL123fqDuOIYormTIPaSfS9M85Qw0vxslqGPMLWhN4vSwIWgvCDLIS-qE6vkiLEm1houz9lxMCYk_A3k/s2048/20210419_163917.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1732" data-original-width="2048" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hJSfhA2TvwWDz7DtsUrBttvz4TbBt4PjkoiLCFiBD-FwoquwEwPshRgza10DPL123fqDuOIYormTIPaSfS9M85Qw0vxslqGPMLWhN4vSwIWgvCDLIS-qE6vkiLEm1houz9lxMCYk_A3k/w200-h169/20210419_163917.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The beginning of April is, as always, a battle. It teases us with a little rain and a little sunshine. </span><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">We, in anticipatory haste, swap our chunky sweaters for our knit tops, and our floor length skirts are </span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">packed away in favor of the knee length variety. This activity, while mentally uplifting, is only dashed to </span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">deeper depths when Mother Nature decides to run afoul and change her mind again. <br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8IfNih3VRPFUfGkdA7U4TmvWEnZDWuVJxS6jNPtLBF0sDdrrMJtSYMmRaUW3ItFGkmQ8G33-0x-lYeSbS5thctP5w5ov8ekWQ2PnyH4gRLvG7KgY6vWwTj_cRLEG-hbp_XPdzzt-p1N18/s2048/20210423_140415.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8IfNih3VRPFUfGkdA7U4TmvWEnZDWuVJxS6jNPtLBF0sDdrrMJtSYMmRaUW3ItFGkmQ8G33-0x-lYeSbS5thctP5w5ov8ekWQ2PnyH4gRLvG7KgY6vWwTj_cRLEG-hbp_XPdzzt-p1N18/w150-h200/20210423_140415.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">This year we had ample moisture and for the first time the orchard looked like an orchard. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The branches were full of blossoms and heavy with thick leaves. I was thrilled that for the first time ever, </span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">our orchard looked like a field of trees from the road instead of a twig farm. </span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Even the bees came out in time to take advantage of the abundance instead of taking a look outside </span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and rolling over and going back to bed. </span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5icPu1GTIbQwxktM4CaJG8gMUm4_hvK3Ln0oN6ZgVNTkbibS5iJP3tY0sti3OlR_eHatbzX2ezPCCeJ5Fp3LK3J8HFqWXNgCD6CslfSOks95C9b-Nd3KS2TrJPtueAn1GsqcfI2Sovrw7/s2048/20210501_084626.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5icPu1GTIbQwxktM4CaJG8gMUm4_hvK3Ln0oN6ZgVNTkbibS5iJP3tY0sti3OlR_eHatbzX2ezPCCeJ5Fp3LK3J8HFqWXNgCD6CslfSOks95C9b-Nd3KS2TrJPtueAn1GsqcfI2Sovrw7/w200-h150/20210501_084626.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Fertilizer was going down monthly, and the spraying schedule was firmly in place. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> It was all going so well, until our local deer herd, heavily pregnant, got a craving for apple trees.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Nothing stopped them this year;bait, repellents, sprays, electric fencing, noise, dog urine/scent, soaps, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">perfumes. They killed 16 of our 40 trees.Many were killed outright. Several were damaged beyond </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">saving, and others had to be pruned to the point of questionable </span><span face="Roboto,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">salvageability</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">With a great deal of green plants and grass around, I still have no idea why they targeted the trees. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It was not for lack of available food and it makes me furious. I removed the dead and dying and am not </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">replacing dead trees from here on out. The cost involved as well as the time, when there is no way to </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">mitigate this herd or the damage it causes, has become insane.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8FRtG61UUWnyUMpQ-1Abg7rrVfnG6jYgxNU7X5Bqg-55AtrNHB3N4mR54Hr71zMN5Cs8ocky8_d7nh2471mflfdsidKnwaqdEcj4eXnDqXdzo6OXoBfZxnP_p5_FoipVnacvmp8W72P7/s2048/20210418_081347.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8FRtG61UUWnyUMpQ-1Abg7rrVfnG6jYgxNU7X5Bqg-55AtrNHB3N4mR54Hr71zMN5Cs8ocky8_d7nh2471mflfdsidKnwaqdEcj4eXnDqXdzo6OXoBfZxnP_p5_FoipVnacvmp8W72P7/w200-h200/20210418_081347.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The garden was beyond the planning stage as was in full growing mode in the seeding shed as were </span></div><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">about a million other seedlings and planters that were part of a Mother's Day Sale. <br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The greenhouse wasn't quite ready to use. Through remote thermometers and a web camera, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I was able to keep an eye on conditions day and night. While we could reach over 100 degrees on a </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">sunny 40 degree day, nights below freezing, meant the greenhouse temps would come crashing down </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">too. As evening temperatures rose towards the end of the month, night temperatures in the greenhouse </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">would stabilize to equal that temperature and thereby temper the young plants and get them ready for life</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> in the real world. That is a GOOD thing. Roasting them in a sauna all day, was not. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFg5YPaZxN8hED35SDt5AbnaEyb2KGrKNGKL0vAQQUt-FHRZM1_VfAop1Fb8txf2IRqGIx0nta_iEUQ8J-1Efui3_KzTcO2ZePNIVxPq-CkBr-fOTYcK9cNBSGX-Qd0spW6Y-NAt_8Dq3i/s2048/20210418_162624.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFg5YPaZxN8hED35SDt5AbnaEyb2KGrKNGKL0vAQQUt-FHRZM1_VfAop1Fb8txf2IRqGIx0nta_iEUQ8J-1Efui3_KzTcO2ZePNIVxPq-CkBr-fOTYcK9cNBSGX-Qd0spW6Y-NAt_8Dq3i/s320/20210418_162624.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>While the roof did have two vents, the way they were built were NOT stable enough to be open in prairie winds. I made a stacking blocks for each corner of the window from 2x4s and a tie down system that is attached to the shelves below. This worked ok if the door was open, but when the door was shut to keep our marauding hens, warm air could rise, but with no openings to let in fresh air, this was limited movement. I needed a way to let in fresh air, but not rain. I had to wander the hardware store for a while, but I came up with a solution finally, dryer duct covers! I cut holes for the plastic covers using a razor knife and used silicone to seal around the hole, the screws, and the vent. To make a caps for the hole, to keep out colder air in the Spring and fall, I found test caps in the plumbing department that simply needed a tiny edge removed with the Dremel to fit easily. I added 6 of these vents. On a warm, sunny day, the greenhouse can still go well over 100 with all vents and door open. Next year I will be ready with an external shade to knock down solar radiation.<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was also not going to raise chicks again, ever. I don’t like it. It’s not my job. That job belongs to a big fat hen. However, due to last month’s disaster, and a very old rooster, I didn’t see any way around having to go out and find chicks and raise them myself. I found myself, again, at the farm store, staring into large stock tanks glowing red with heat lamps, and full of fluffy, peeping cuteness. I lost 14 hens, some of which were on the cull list for the summer due to perpetual illness or lack of productivity, but that’s loss on my terms, not some stupid Mink’s decision. Hmmm, how many should I get? Four hardly seemed a worthwhile number for the cost, effort, and mess involved. A dozen? Sure, why not? In for a penny, in for a pound. </span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkVzhNsqXDxg_9DFfI3Q-EpjE9YvIeEkGKXGhCcQAgY2cVKVXxY2mpWa5i813rI2pCLXicFuTGtJgtD5Zoo0-HObwZVwsNMFzwpUoA8ctbF0yr-pK6i6svx3YMr4X6mIlp8Nd53OBoPK5/s2048/20210408_081623.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1870" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkVzhNsqXDxg_9DFfI3Q-EpjE9YvIeEkGKXGhCcQAgY2cVKVXxY2mpWa5i813rI2pCLXicFuTGtJgtD5Zoo0-HObwZVwsNMFzwpUoA8ctbF0yr-pK6i6svx3YMr4X6mIlp8Nd53OBoPK5/s320/20210408_081623.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I came home with a chirpy box, set up the grow out pen, and kicked back and watched what we dubbed </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">‘the dirty dozen’. There are three breeds; Barred Rock, Cinnamon (one of which turned out to be a </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">legbar mix), and Buff Brahmas. It’s wasn’t until they were older, and I could tell them apart that they </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">were given their names; November, December, January, February (Barred Rocks as they are black and </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">sprinkled with snow);March, April, May (cinnamons as they are red with decreasing amounts of white on</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> them), June is the legbar and has a funny hairdo; July, August, September, and October are the Buffs </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and have increasing amounts of black on their tails, but are ridiculously hard to tell apart. Doc just calls</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> them the Yellow Daisies as they look like our previous girl Daisy who was a white sussex. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The alpacas were just happy to not have mud squishing between their toes. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzM3URGzWsJfA6OEXtzTBAmiUUdP2EqEW3dEBs3nFiCfKeu2HG7ZV1ESzat3jMbrjRHYYABeLxhsl5o_0pRprl9DDNubsPic_BgFHfdOAuIIYQvGnN8eHZesXwcY_LI3XDTaDIP7hIH148/s2048/20210430_172445.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1798" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzM3URGzWsJfA6OEXtzTBAmiUUdP2EqEW3dEBs3nFiCfKeu2HG7ZV1ESzat3jMbrjRHYYABeLxhsl5o_0pRprl9DDNubsPic_BgFHfdOAuIIYQvGnN8eHZesXwcY_LI3XDTaDIP7hIH148/w176-h200/20210430_172445.jpg" width="176" /></a></div><br />Mud squishing everywhere else however, must have a different criteria. They know I don’t care, as long as they hold off on the mud packs the week before the shearing team comes. To them, a warm,breezy April day is heaven. They know it won’t be too long before April gives way to May and their year old fleece gets hot when the weather teases with 80 degree days and the humidity rises. Sun’s out, guts out. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqqHRJc0PmRGCuKtE8q5NjTGQYlAqaftF5ZORcfZhho_7FMYBgQ5-WTvi5ncPEOWpksLvp98yQ5tjeu_DszYdg98wgOPAmFLjqY20X7htqXuqWwQpWNLBjD1qw3ral-qXy2ARSyc0s-yR/s2048/20210424_143254.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqqHRJc0PmRGCuKtE8q5NjTGQYlAqaftF5ZORcfZhho_7FMYBgQ5-WTvi5ncPEOWpksLvp98yQ5tjeu_DszYdg98wgOPAmFLjqY20X7htqXuqWwQpWNLBjD1qw3ral-qXy2ARSyc0s-yR/s320/20210424_143254.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></div>Caryl http://www.blogger.com/profile/01909790086455266299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-10541300377078738192021-08-31T20:57:00.001-05:002021-08-31T20:57:00.181-05:00The Greenhouse - The One Week Project <p> I have wanted a greenhouse for years. With last years difficulty with finding plant starts after a late freeze, and pandemic spending adding more first time gardeners to the shops, this seemed like the perfect year to actually put one up. I'd been mulling it in earnest for over a month, do I build one from scratch or purchase a kit?</p><p>I started looking at sourcing materials to build one. The price of lumber this Spring was insane. The cost of that alone was prohibitive. Then I'd have to source all the old windows, which for once, were completely missing on craigslist. I'd have to go with a kit.</p><p>The number and type of kits to choose from is ridiculous. I was loosing time quickly as it was the end of March and our date for planting is May 15th to June 1st, depending on the crop. Tick, tick, tick.</p><p>Once I settled on the size, and type, I needed to FIND one. It seemed the whole world was trying to go self-sustainable. Everything I found was back-ordered.</p><p>I finally found one locally at Harbor Freight. It didn't have the best reviews, but reading across the internet and what the problems were, I could easily mitigate them, I hoped.</p><p>I ordered <a href="https://www.harborfreight.com/6-ft-x-8-ft-greenhouse-47712.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=13876251824&campaignid=13876251824&utm_content=128591208870&adsetid=128591208870&product=47712&store=263&gclid=Cj0KCQjwg7KJBhDyARIsAHrAXaG09tJFkQ3egVV7YJumuDnwtR8mo1tVpk5Wmp_etAKr4V9qNgUU8roaAl2DEALw_wcB">this one</a> and picked it up the next day.</p><p>I decided to build a real deck flooring for it, as no where on this property was level, it needed a strong base to attach to, and if it DID fail, I could use the good base as an investment to build a wood frame hot house.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFhv7ZTMng4_5rqJ3bCucMV9uGDqVIXhG6TqmLlqddKRoMNsWGR6PiGN6CgtgGfdnSHPAnH6hA68HdsXIlBqFSdjg39ZuYIqerB4l3jWsAfiVNQPzV4YZI8z5GiZlK-VNCExqiGZCNxk/s2048/20210326_142720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFhv7ZTMng4_5rqJ3bCucMV9uGDqVIXhG6TqmLlqddKRoMNsWGR6PiGN6CgtgGfdnSHPAnH6hA68HdsXIlBqFSdjg39ZuYIqerB4l3jWsAfiVNQPzV4YZI8z5GiZlK-VNCExqiGZCNxk/s320/20210326_142720.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I stopped by the lumber yard on the way home and got to work immediately. This was the day after the great hen house massacre, so the work and activity gave me an outlet for my guilt and frustration. The holes were dug and awaiting concrete, which had been picked up with the lumber. Under supervision of the remaining hens, I set the posts in concrete and called it a day. <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The next day was framing it out, trimming the posts, and building the decking. In true me form, it measured square, but sure wasn't. It's a trapezoid. But I did center all the deck boards and had Doc rip a couple of my boards to finish the two ends.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1CuOPdklbRkRFasTWxkQtH0MqFudGa4oFOzzl9DI_snnF_l-Fe6QM8Ozpi86183kM5pm2-QdOTtLC3RuOJCACwgBZGz_LVi1TqiXcyL78b-kFAQpx4ZxYhovZ7zT4kcQvO_84c4EdU2I/s2048/20210327_092501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1CuOPdklbRkRFasTWxkQtH0MqFudGa4oFOzzl9DI_snnF_l-Fe6QM8Ozpi86183kM5pm2-QdOTtLC3RuOJCACwgBZGz_LVi1TqiXcyL78b-kFAQpx4ZxYhovZ7zT4kcQvO_84c4EdU2I/s320/20210327_092501.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1dk9yZSRbxSiyNbYmC99wKKStcM6NCvd6vnQB47RsBJNHfdQ-4HK4ze5XX4NPn1NC03inlwEWXLXvbuXO5m2ptkCw1lcaxh2ni0jZtmwv-hYI0t-bJSA7cihKnnVJkIitfuc00t6OtA/s2048/20210327_114350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1dk9yZSRbxSiyNbYmC99wKKStcM6NCvd6vnQB47RsBJNHfdQ-4HK4ze5XX4NPn1NC03inlwEWXLXvbuXO5m2ptkCw1lcaxh2ni0jZtmwv-hYI0t-bJSA7cihKnnVJkIitfuc00t6OtA/s320/20210327_114350.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Day 4 found me sealing the gaps in the decking to stop airflow up through the floor, and then painting the whole thing 'go-away green'.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQrfoX0R5VB_Na-GoFxar5ag4mngErmzFmU_jSMrh7__7dUr6zXDwGCpOC5vhSZzpzbwGqFCYiMwUAarvpx5HPWNqvWlxYIq-JiTWC_QYhkR7JegN5GUctQqxo7VaiqwIryhHIdZO23I/s2048/20210402_162027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQrfoX0R5VB_Na-GoFxar5ag4mngErmzFmU_jSMrh7__7dUr6zXDwGCpOC5vhSZzpzbwGqFCYiMwUAarvpx5HPWNqvWlxYIq-JiTWC_QYhkR7JegN5GUctQqxo7VaiqwIryhHIdZO23I/s320/20210402_162027.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Day 5 was a second coat of paint.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNs8S5DUZQ8_9SPY-uITh-0UsOM4ka5061FCdQu6GIGF78TxpL3RDhrckjpV32lORrLwED-4FKBtMjE4xl9W1tFCZB3iCl6xd6-a2aHoyl64MFaZo-ppNKP8mWYekZ0MV2RYL04_tRO8/s2048/20210403_110131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNs8S5DUZQ8_9SPY-uITh-0UsOM4ka5061FCdQu6GIGF78TxpL3RDhrckjpV32lORrLwED-4FKBtMjE4xl9W1tFCZB3iCl6xd6-a2aHoyl64MFaZo-ppNKP8mWYekZ0MV2RYL04_tRO8/s320/20210403_110131.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Day 6 was a Saturday and the weather was going to be dry, rain free, and gorgeous. Doc agreed to help me put the whole thing up, which was a good thing, as I didn't think I had the brains left to do it alone. We sorted the parts out on the lawn and set to work. It wasn't too horrible but did take the entire day. The instructions were not the best, but at least the parts were well marked. Had I followed the instructions from the start I would have found out an important thing, we were missing a critical piece. I had the panels up and clipped in place, but we were missing the upper frame of the door slide. Strong storms were coming in that night, and without that door assembled and shut tightly the open end of the greenhouse would blow out the whole building.<br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64XoytAk7Zq6htmNEIuK3JTGQ0inzgUWRAEr2HOSN8ffFyBJYgeeP-kqtLwc6q5hpHalBM-GZWJMs89mM_ZuLUvtEwOiAIUvnJyulH6dZOOoOPbWtgqg_LKj2qf7VXKEEOCfQYjaTons/s2048/20210403_192018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64XoytAk7Zq6htmNEIuK3JTGQ0inzgUWRAEr2HOSN8ffFyBJYgeeP-kqtLwc6q5hpHalBM-GZWJMs89mM_ZuLUvtEwOiAIUvnJyulH6dZOOoOPbWtgqg_LKj2qf7VXKEEOCfQYjaTons/s320/20210403_192018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I called Harbor Freight to see if they would pop open another box to get my missing piece for me. They said they would gladly, if they HAD another one. NO! I called three other HF stores, the third one, an hour and 20 minutes away did and would open a box for me. I dropped everything, and left Doc on his own for lunch, and to assemble all the windows and the door while I was gone. </p><p>I was there and back in 3 hours. </p><p>Doc finished assembling the door frame and installed the door and upper vents, while I secured panels further with steel paneling screws. We put the last screw in and closed the door as the last of the daylight faded. The storms came in the early hours of the morning. The winds howled to 63 mph. I dreamt of going out in the morning to blown out panels all over. Nope. There she stood glistening in the sunshine.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyGqKSS0ABZlDe5VbW3E-H-onGuqShQOnuE-WmSDo98GtkC7xcYTv0knZny2-wNGTwEwfRggc_wKq1tuZZ3_rAbrJ3HFh5k_aYywis_yjoOdx0AQNPrATym3o_aOqTI1OxRzkSrdOyek/s2048/20210404_120323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyGqKSS0ABZlDe5VbW3E-H-onGuqShQOnuE-WmSDo98GtkC7xcYTv0knZny2-wNGTwEwfRggc_wKq1tuZZ3_rAbrJ3HFh5k_aYywis_yjoOdx0AQNPrATym3o_aOqTI1OxRzkSrdOyek/s320/20210404_120323.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Day 7 was Sunday. I let Doc get back to work on his grading as the semester was wrapping up. I spent the morning sketching out the shelving and storage for the greenhouse, and figured out what I needed to accomplish them. Then it was back to the lumber yard, and back with 2x4s that cost me an arm and a leg. <div>I spent the afternoon painting them so they would dry and cure over night for cutting and assembly the next day.<br /><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BOXxUuxoUeFty_bDMdTZJcEykOLiH_w8R6XLxylCxnoYBClnm93fXhKLRaEzvvoIwgigu9A4_P0_TQ0oBNaiF7DZ2U30t0fi_-Nk6R5AdBxFcA06bWRXjPdQz7Df0z1ePRfjT3esCuw/s2048/20210416_221323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BOXxUuxoUeFty_bDMdTZJcEykOLiH_w8R6XLxylCxnoYBClnm93fXhKLRaEzvvoIwgigu9A4_P0_TQ0oBNaiF7DZ2U30t0fi_-Nk6R5AdBxFcA06bWRXjPdQz7Df0z1ePRfjT3esCuw/w150-h200/20210416_221323.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Day 8 - Monday again. I walked the dog and then left her napping on the sofa. <br />I let the hens out, opened the workshop high-bay door, cranked up the radio and set to work. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNX3J8pWHk36nBEJkfuMbrekfM1H27GOgi0QVQKcmePnq_36QO_uCrdeg618Lanz81WB_LaYXckbkrdI37GHK4BKp2W5XrW4ME9hPayh3f1GTtRXi05Bq5ostgZbXqcUX4FTjcCqtPW20/s2048/20210408_171359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNX3J8pWHk36nBEJkfuMbrekfM1H27GOgi0QVQKcmePnq_36QO_uCrdeg618Lanz81WB_LaYXckbkrdI37GHK4BKp2W5XrW4ME9hPayh3f1GTtRXi05Bq5ostgZbXqcUX4FTjcCqtPW20/w200-h150/20210408_171359.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I had the design all worked out on scrap paper, but double checked my measurements on the floor of the greenhouse, as there was no room for error, no second trips to the lumberyard without painting involved, and no scrap 2x4s in the shop to be had. While they were an easy design, I took my time in building the pair of them, and they took up most of my day. I was able to install one of them alone with the help of furniture sliders. The second one, however, while the same weight and size as the first, couldn't be managed alone as the space in the greenhouse was now limited due the the first being installed. Someone had to balance the second while another crawled through and around in order to wiggle it from the open walk way into its final position. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnfjvT9eR-Sr8-KnQWVI__V9staT4GdvpGpoe0ESDJ_WT3A0LBt47y76ksCrq33H6-8zbiBFs65BzHLuSc1GYnvpvO9zusaQVxIZ5WN1WGvmhpwQUvLD4NMU6Cmso3IqenQq9xio0c5cs/s2048/20210409_122210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnfjvT9eR-Sr8-KnQWVI__V9staT4GdvpGpoe0ESDJ_WT3A0LBt47y76ksCrq33H6-8zbiBFs65BzHLuSc1GYnvpvO9zusaQVxIZ5WN1WGvmhpwQUvLD4NMU6Cmso3IqenQq9xio0c5cs/s320/20210409_122210.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>They look great, hold an incredible amount of flats, and weight, and make the most of the space. Spoiler Alert Photo from later in the season. At one point we had over 1000 seedlings, and held a couple of plant sales locally. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhupbbstVHsBS5gzJzd38Qyu9twLrUmR1i3zVxGYNTGfkB3_6JZQvXns9Sel7hMyVY1PjcPi2LfCZPNcYVCSoQV1_z7T0Q5P_xwe_2-DU2bjIBsW1EbMOgEXNCJJPUYt3a61sbrrvqEY/s2048/20210505_161653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1266" data-original-width="2048" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhupbbstVHsBS5gzJzd38Qyu9twLrUmR1i3zVxGYNTGfkB3_6JZQvXns9Sel7hMyVY1PjcPi2LfCZPNcYVCSoQV1_z7T0Q5P_xwe_2-DU2bjIBsW1EbMOgEXNCJJPUYt3a61sbrrvqEY/w400-h248/20210505_161653.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div>Caryl http://www.blogger.com/profile/01909790086455266299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-32680778031244792532021-08-30T20:47:00.004-05:002021-08-30T20:47:36.259-05:00The Insanity of Spring and Summer Ruled the Roost<p> The fact that it is September in less than 48 hours blows my mind. While I'm ready for cooler weather, I am not ready to give quarter to shorter days and giving over to the cold and wind I know is coming. I honestly do not know where the time went. One second we were babying the tender sprouts in the seeding shed, and preparing to move them to the new greenhouse, And then it was a race to get things in the ground and sold before the heat destroyed all my efforts. Everything I touched seemed to be up against a deadline. </p><p>Before we knew it it was college graduation time, planting time, shearing, birthdays, the 4th of July, farmer's markets, another birthday, surgery for the dog, the start of University, harvest, canning, and the State Fair. </p><p>Along the way there was fun, stress, anxiety, storms, milestones,and of course, some funny stories and some great photos. To be honest, I thought I had written two posts that don't seem to be here. I don't know where they are, but they aren't here, which is ridiculously odd. One was about building our new greenhouse, and the modifications I made and its review. The other was about heartache in the hen house. I distinctly remember writing them, so I'll have to see if I can find them. So I'll spend the next couple of days catching you up.</p><p><b><u>March 2021</u></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRavOywSGsDAnpspz0mr5bB-qWt5iXizHq3yYq9c9T2kzRwlM7AGehVaxd6daIah7vnkJGSD0iBH3Yr77q10F9LreW6K-xQMrEXlkR6gVvoAlruU-8jGucc3JdUs3JrwItPw1INQ7yEeK/s2048/20210323_110934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJRavOywSGsDAnpspz0mr5bB-qWt5iXizHq3yYq9c9T2kzRwlM7AGehVaxd6daIah7vnkJGSD0iBH3Yr77q10F9LreW6K-xQMrEXlkR6gVvoAlruU-8jGucc3JdUs3JrwItPw1INQ7yEeK/s320/20210323_110934.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>March is the Month we snap out of Winter, or at least try to. After the Skunk situation, we had moved past the iffy days of the month, and were moving headlong into Spring. Enough warm air came in to keep the intense moisture we began to receive as rain, instead of snow. Rains came inches at a time and a stream seemed to run through the pasture on a regular basis as it worked its way down hill to the lake.<br /><p></p><p>Fortunately, wet alpaca toenails are the easiest to cut. Unfortunately, this means you have to snuggle with a wet alpaca. Now I love the boys, but oh my, do they stink when they're wet. Imagine 200 pounds of hairy, stale, wet fritos. or popcorn. Ya.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzH4TBBV-bLumPtoQWseTLadlFeihBXqS-Cu2lFXQrodJyj_YSW4ZeQQ2xYjCbbZr6yj6_gDv77j70VO3UYQtAShdoT601CDYAFydEa8YF1L8cDSZoWL6ksISr7c3w_RTLFK2soBcDqWTg/s2048/20210323_091252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzH4TBBV-bLumPtoQWseTLadlFeihBXqS-Cu2lFXQrodJyj_YSW4ZeQQ2xYjCbbZr6yj6_gDv77j70VO3UYQtAShdoT601CDYAFydEa8YF1L8cDSZoWL6ksISr7c3w_RTLFK2soBcDqWTg/w150-h200/20210323_091252.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Even soaking wet they're still cute. We did let them dry out before we caught them, slapped their harnesses on them and lined them up for pedicure day. Merriweather, sat happily atop the hay and supervised. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtx3-NgRYLys-yL5VsYdolTGz5jJpivxI-wCUN5jAHby8NlNHV9ni2MJF-tARQ3op8sM6VAVpRCE7fl3vaUSImuL9S5FbvKfTKhqKtdHxj8NWKxUHXRk7mgWJugW3RrNnpmuFh9_HqG0h9/s2048/20210320_132953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtx3-NgRYLys-yL5VsYdolTGz5jJpivxI-wCUN5jAHby8NlNHV9ni2MJF-tARQ3op8sM6VAVpRCE7fl3vaUSImuL9S5FbvKfTKhqKtdHxj8NWKxUHXRk7mgWJugW3RrNnpmuFh9_HqG0h9/w150-h200/20210320_132953.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>There was a great deal of annoyance with the day we picked. It has to be warm enough not to deal with bulky clothing. It has to be cool enough that you don't get hot and frustrated, while working. It needs to be dry (see above), but not too dry or the nails are hard to cut. Add to this that my newest clippers weren't up to par, but the old pair had lost their edge. PLUS none of the boys wanted a pedicure. Heathens.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJ4ueexgir7wmHrS_7u-O1yNwDD1xHdhm2zU_ahP4KNxQR8m7NXDRl30KfgFfCMoFq2AvYBkWxBp68jxd8tPzTOqzgK9E3_TKvR2rMhxhKt6LuESmYsLVm8bMjGduXAZoAJaCFMzGrDK_/s2048/20210320_132315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnJ4ueexgir7wmHrS_7u-O1yNwDD1xHdhm2zU_ahP4KNxQR8m7NXDRl30KfgFfCMoFq2AvYBkWxBp68jxd8tPzTOqzgK9E3_TKvR2rMhxhKt6LuESmYsLVm8bMjGduXAZoAJaCFMzGrDK_/s320/20210320_132315.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stormy refusing to get up and <br />walk to the chute. He tucks his <br />feet under, locks up, and goes boneless.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p><p>After a great deal of pushing, prodding, and pleading all their nails were trimmed and fleece was checked to see how it was progressing for shearing in May.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>With the incredibly wet weather I entertained myself by cooking, planning the garden and planting successions, weaving, and building.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWfAkVY35t4vCB8uU1zlI5cCvI1gFZ66vboh_XShwk8zwyDqrImYzUcR4WW_-14MRu8diOx3UE62C59FX3v-sLbCj6aNXWfoG2pXO3loeBuKl1k_UbYjivi5gS64fOiyWJTpTNXATSBwx/s2048/20210328_190024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWfAkVY35t4vCB8uU1zlI5cCvI1gFZ66vboh_XShwk8zwyDqrImYzUcR4WW_-14MRu8diOx3UE62C59FX3v-sLbCj6aNXWfoG2pXO3loeBuKl1k_UbYjivi5gS64fOiyWJTpTNXATSBwx/s320/20210328_190024.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whole Wheat Braided Loaf</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCC5pODoozXxuF2zJSDVfY4wTBQwBHv1lZiprSRaeLFSW9boJKG9jPav-B1BB39iJz6jNd2DREgH7Sp0mC7t4LFkNz88cn80zUpAVZg3lo1ndpRnO1rPJh8FsvoHszxl0gS-Bot2BDop_/s2048/20210324_152756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCC5pODoozXxuF2zJSDVfY4wTBQwBHv1lZiprSRaeLFSW9boJKG9jPav-B1BB39iJz6jNd2DREgH7Sp0mC7t4LFkNz88cn80zUpAVZg3lo1ndpRnO1rPJh8FsvoHszxl0gS-Bot2BDop_/w200-h150/20210324_152756.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cinnamon Roll Twists</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzseddar8k3fbjW9yfffaG2LkZFduJFpdHR4u9IjzUu9bmuymCMPDD4jpr5pIkaLldHZRbU9bX3ZgwD3Vr5iggnlQZFCYf-1B4CZ4VQg-uZa5oybZp9r_u8MfcTMsdzujKKMiHu8e0p5wJ/s2048/20210325_123704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzseddar8k3fbjW9yfffaG2LkZFduJFpdHR4u9IjzUu9bmuymCMPDD4jpr5pIkaLldHZRbU9bX3ZgwD3Vr5iggnlQZFCYf-1B4CZ4VQg-uZa5oybZp9r_u8MfcTMsdzujKKMiHu8e0p5wJ/s320/20210325_123704.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Seeding Shed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLxlmwf3DPxPBAJ6ylayMpDG-OYtbOJh7g1gwPYj4LwKna6DmM30D89PFGFhyphenhyphentC7rvoOCFemOHzs_0DuWqqP11dT3fHs7VmTf950HlmgpS-zbHF9kvfFNZOL5orz4Ym-dWL0kN99P_Den/s2048/20210322_100647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1497" data-original-width="2048" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLxlmwf3DPxPBAJ6ylayMpDG-OYtbOJh7g1gwPYj4LwKna6DmM30D89PFGFhyphenhyphentC7rvoOCFemOHzs_0DuWqqP11dT3fHs7VmTf950HlmgpS-zbHF9kvfFNZOL5orz4Ym-dWL0kN99P_Den/s320/20210322_100647.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini Woven Cording For A Set of 19th Century Stays</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">(The following contains the passing of livestock, for those of you that are sensitive.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The last day of March was miserable.</div><div style="text-align: left;">I had found a small mouse hole in the corner of the run that had by-passed the security mesh. I decided to seal it with concrete the following day when I planned to set some posts for the new greenhouse. Little did I know that that would be a fatal delay.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Doc went to work, I and I went out just after dawn to let the feed the hens. It was terribly quiet, too quiet. As I approached the chicken run, I noticed the fresh areas of digging by the door, then as I turned my head, I notice the area of the mouse hole had been dug out and slightly enlarged. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDgcSBOtf7HagEtESgw5xPI57M_YOibF6pcHo1Vt9UNMnAlB-WZMn36rFOfyaILJjN4VFtC5raytE1aKPLtbofu6SC4fa2SKSs2A8ky4UK6ICQTWVj6tHiwoVpGiV2R4rljw-8joHQLbP/s2048/20210330_093124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDgcSBOtf7HagEtESgw5xPI57M_YOibF6pcHo1Vt9UNMnAlB-WZMn36rFOfyaILJjN4VFtC5raytE1aKPLtbofu6SC4fa2SKSs2A8ky4UK6ICQTWVj6tHiwoVpGiV2R4rljw-8joHQLbP/w113-h200/20210330_093124.jpg" width="113" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The actual hole is only <br />1.5 inches in diameter.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Then I saw the first little body, then another, and another. I feverishly opened all the latches on the door to the aftermath of a massacre. Feathered body after body lay around the run. I let out a wail of shock and sorrow that split the dead calm of morning. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I spied the quiet survivors hiding in the coop, high up in the rafters. I raced around to the door to the coop and flung open the door, keeping my eye out for the killer who could still be lurking, threatening in the coop. More bodies littered the floor. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2RbAUN3PosnGx4F5GOXJM4TsnMekcJiYtZSbYdqg6WoHX-NndrgagXvadNi_R7M0lpDRDhHaZw0-FXV9trUExML91WPS7MfK2KXVqEY71uKh1qz2kRoG3fQRpGJrC7o3sKZjXArnfLVI/s2048/20210330_094955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2RbAUN3PosnGx4F5GOXJM4TsnMekcJiYtZSbYdqg6WoHX-NndrgagXvadNi_R7M0lpDRDhHaZw0-FXV9trUExML91WPS7MfK2KXVqEY71uKh1qz2kRoG3fQRpGJrC7o3sKZjXArnfLVI/s320/20210330_094955.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sadness on Many Levels</td></tr></tbody></table>My mind pushed sorrow out of the way, and focused on rage, and as fast as that came it went working in overdrive looking over the survivors for a quick roll call. Merriweather, where was Merriweather? There she sat, high on a perch, behind the rooster. I grabbed her and pet her while I continued to gather myself and assess the carnage. The alpacas the whole time, standing on the other side of the fence in vigil, had witnessed the entire event, and now me, lining up the dead near the coop. They knew something was wrong and just stood there wondering why their little friends were just lying in the grass. <br /> 14 of my 24 birds gone. A single bite to the back of the head. Faster than they could flee the sneaky beast. The chicken keepers most deadly, ferocious killer, a mink.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I knew he'd be back that night to collect his work. We set out a trap, and just as the sun set, he was mine. He was huge. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmKgVsauxVuEtG4lAVoDxsbVj5GByKEPixcuODMNENSDV5DPBK3Pv6M08iYsYEYejR4sH_DhPCJFauF98A86wQyNunL9KJ4sDBOzglswkRxis4TTXoIom7FBrl3lzFMR44_hwX08DLziy/s2048/20210331_081855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmKgVsauxVuEtG4lAVoDxsbVj5GByKEPixcuODMNENSDV5DPBK3Pv6M08iYsYEYejR4sH_DhPCJFauF98A86wQyNunL9KJ4sDBOzglswkRxis4TTXoIom7FBrl3lzFMR44_hwX08DLziy/w180-h269/20210331_081855.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This left a huge hole in our flock, which I of course swore I wouldn't fill, until I did. </div><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><br />Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-22887156465970722502021-03-22T22:24:00.456-05:002021-03-23T12:06:58.616-05:00Feel free to laugh at this one. It's ok, really.<p> It was going to be just another Saturday. For a change it was going to be nice out, sunny, not too windy, and around 65. Being a weekend day, Doc would be doing the animal chores to give me a break. But on this Saturday, he had a Boy Scout meeting that would take all day, and would be gone. So chores fell to me by default, as I would be the only one with thumbs.</p><p>I got up with the sun, washed my face, pulled my hair up, set up the coffee machine and put my frozen block of oatmeal to thaw in the microwave. The dog got her quick morning trip outside and her morning medicine, stashed stealthily in a mini-marshmallow, and her dental bone. I dragged my half asleep self down the stairs and slipped on my flip flops and staggered out to the workshop. I filled a 5 gallon bucket with fresh water for the hens, and then topped of their scoops of scratch and feed. I loaded up and wandered down to the hen house, listening to the early morning song birds in the trees, enjoying the smell of the fresh earth, and giggling at the excited chatter of the hens who heard me coming with breakfast. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Cez-7ZcwklaqpVJxxaCSbGvpc6AuFQyybE7oQOANEU6nZnu1n03BzxqZfu5eiqZInOHzK1h4TtjFlPYzGDAyMpICSulw-7NX_WhrOTvZF4tLZRcf3TFjJ1T2UQsf8EknB_Lfd30QTiSy/s2048/20210309_095329.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1928" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Cez-7ZcwklaqpVJxxaCSbGvpc6AuFQyybE7oQOANEU6nZnu1n03BzxqZfu5eiqZInOHzK1h4TtjFlPYzGDAyMpICSulw-7NX_WhrOTvZF4tLZRcf3TFjJ1T2UQsf8EknB_Lfd30QTiSy/s320/20210309_095329.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>When I left the coop, I noticed all the alpacas in the corral lounging in the early morning sun, clearly they decided to sleep in the great outdoors. It was not at all surprising as the night had been relatively mild and lounging in the morning sun was one of their favorite pastimes. It was right up their on their favorites list with lounging in the pasture, sleeping in the field, and lounging in the barn. <br /><p></p><p>I caught an ever so faint musky odor as I came around the end of the barn towards the human door that accesses the barn. That too was not unusual. Nocturnal wanderers were now out in full force, hungry bellies looking to be filled, springtime urges to find a mate, and just escaping a den full of newborns are all valid reasons for the parade of things that go bump in the night here and set off the motion cameras. We've seen/heard them all: bobcats, deer, coyotes, cats, skunks, mice, rats, owls, opossums, fox, raccoons, mink- all things that sneak about, and all have a musky, magical odor. Hey, who wouldn't after sleeping all winter in a hole wearing a fur coat. The stink was very faint, and was probably left over from a recent walk through. </p><p>When I got into the barn I put my now empty chicken water bucket down on the floor, the empty scoops inside, and called out to the alpacas to get them to at least think about getting on their feet for breakfast. Oh who am I kidding? I wasn't moving them, but at least calling out to them let them know I was in the barn and was putting out their breakfast, which they could then access at their leisure. </p><p>I picked up their feed pail to fill at the feed buckets (we mix our own feed), and placed it on the shelf so I could spin open the lids to the alfalfa and alpaca pellets. I opened the first bin and tossed the lid on top of the bin. Then I heard a faint rustling....behind me. </p><p>Now behind me, along the wall, is a large rubbermade trunk, the kind you store kids toys, or patio furniture in. We use this trunk to hold extra bags of animal feed to deter the mice. Today it was empty as Doc fills it on Saturdays, but he wasn't home. Beside that was an empty feedbag that we were using as a trash bag. The window above and the main barn door were open, so I figured a slight breeze caught it and rustled the bag. Not giving it another thought, I opened the next bin and tossed the lid on top. I scooped out two measures of alfalfa into the feed pail and hear the rustling again. This time it was different.</p><p>This wasn't the sound of a bag scraping the wall in the wind. This was the sound of tiny claws on poly bag. I was not alone in the barn. I put the feel pail on the floor, and turned to face the trunk. Was it IN the trunk? The lid is easy to open and I'm sure the inside of the trunk smells fantastic. Had something burrowed under the bag, and under the trunk? The kick board base of the barn does need new stone there, something could have easily entered the barn from the outside at that spot. Was it IN the bag? Had something smelled the sweet feed remains in the bag, climbed on the trunk and then fallen in the bag and been unable to scale the slick bag to get out? We saw that a lot with mice in the workshop. Sad little things stuck in open bins and buckets. Was it BEHIND the trunk? Doc kept the trunk about 6 inches from the wall, so the lid would stay propped open when he used it. Come to think of it, I HAD seen droppings in the past, during Mulberry season, but that was months away and ago, in May.</p><p>Out of branches to explore on my tree of reason, I slowly picked up the trash bag, paying attention to the weight and if I felt any extra movement that was not mine or any more noise from it. Nothing. I placed the bag behind me out of the way in case my next action was to have to beat a hasty retreat. I didn't want it to become a slapstick comedy moment with me running to escape some horrible beast only to trip on a feed bag and konk my head on a steel door to then be eaten by said beast. Heck, I was already one step away from it being a 1950s horror film, just replace high heels with flip flops and I was the girl that was going to loose a shoe and be eaten by the monster. I reached out and put one hand on the window sill to brace myself so I could lean far over the trunk without touching it. </p><p>There it was curled up about about the size of a football, just below the window and behind the trunk, a 'not a kitty'. That's our kind way of saying skunk here. Without your glasses or in the dark or dusk, they look like a cat until you get that flash of white. Nope, not a kitty. Well great. I can't have that in here. If I let the hens out, they'll for sure disturb it and OH that will be fabulous. A coop full of smelly chickens, </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHmSUYMGFyxrQa3hMMZwaiGrQk2xZzIy-cFMEkpVqLmP7QmuAZlIOLdxyOxhrYKVbdG6CVIca-Dw6Lxi-j3t0sYHtz6JWp2navAS_kUNAaE-qXMK5o6fotS7agu8bGLAbCcSpUTkgplQ_/s1293/20210306_090716.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1293" data-original-width="1144" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHmSUYMGFyxrQa3hMMZwaiGrQk2xZzIy-cFMEkpVqLmP7QmuAZlIOLdxyOxhrYKVbdG6CVIca-Dw6Lxi-j3t0sYHtz6JWp2navAS_kUNAaE-qXMK5o6fotS7agu8bGLAbCcSpUTkgplQ_/s320/20210306_090716.jpg" /></a></div>like they smell of roses to start with. And if the alpacas startled it while exiting in the evening, that would be horrific on fleece two months from shearing, not that they smell grand to start with either, but stale popcorn is far preferable to skunk scented stale popcorn. Nope, kitty would have to go. As Cary Grant in I Was A Male War Bride often heard after stating that he was traveling en route under Public Law #271 of the Congress, "Look buddy, I don't know where you're going to stay, but you can't stay here."<p></p><p>I opened all the doors in every direction. He was free to go. There were hundreds of acres literally across the fence full of holes and trees, and nooks and crannies for him to live in, but he had to go. I moved the trunk ever so gently further from the wall, no matter which way he looked when he opened his eyes he could easily see freedom. I gently nudged him with the end of the push broom. After all, while it was now my 8am, it was 3am in his world, How would I like it if someone loudly and forcefully shoved a broom in my side? </p><p>He roused and looked around. (Dang it, they're so cute.) Then he tucked his little head back in his tail and headed back of to the Land of Nod. OH NO you don't. Another gentle nudge with the fuzzy end of the broom, and before he could re-tuck, another. Now he was awake, but not annoyed. But he also wasn't trying to go anywhere, nor was he hissing or anything. I am now 30 minutes past food and coffee, but priorities.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3SUjlr1pdWtx_FNr7UTGNnYOWJAeWEdtNOEI4VV0jrJMeSakeRWZtMT5xfWtKOVE29CH5BycWYBxAicVLcbZlMHy6-FUrLIwcf2Y4_sbXOP4YP3rVLywAU9MnvHNL_Yy0v95udy5MM9_/s437/Screenshot_20210319-012609_Video+Player.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="437" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3SUjlr1pdWtx_FNr7UTGNnYOWJAeWEdtNOEI4VV0jrJMeSakeRWZtMT5xfWtKOVE29CH5BycWYBxAicVLcbZlMHy6-FUrLIwcf2Y4_sbXOP4YP3rVLywAU9MnvHNL_Yy0v95udy5MM9_/s320/Screenshot_20210319-012609_Video+Player.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I kept poking with my broom trying to get him to move from his spot. He'd have nothing to do with it. I moved the trunk further from the wall thus removing his security blanket. This unsettled him some and with the next nudge of the broom, he let me know how much so. He unleashed all the fury that a small beast carrying a loaded bio weapon can, straight up the wall and the back of the trunk. Luckily this wasn't my first rodeo and I made sure the angles were all in my favor and I had some barriers between me and the loaded end. But aerosols being what they are, and being that there was an open window in this adventure, the gentle morning breeze ya. While I didn't get sprayed, I certainly got a lung and snoot full. There's a powerful stink. It's been a while since I've been that close to a fresh spray. What you smell at home when they walk by or when you pass a dead one on the road is NOTHING compared to ground zero at drop. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYMbqiv1FHzl1yU9g4No8VJ03s9X3ySqvdCpbiU6FXZD9COb790mfixlRAu-5fJvFitzP5axzdDEYXQcVdJSKDj75DcxKdhRk3jXlk0R7MfAjl-vKW2BHPm2EVI6iIMYBXL1rxmgnKk-G/s464/Screenshot_20210319-012546_Video+Player.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="329" data-original-width="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYMbqiv1FHzl1yU9g4No8VJ03s9X3ySqvdCpbiU6FXZD9COb790mfixlRAu-5fJvFitzP5axzdDEYXQcVdJSKDj75DcxKdhRk3jXlk0R7MfAjl-vKW2BHPm2EVI6iIMYBXL1rxmgnKk-G/s320/Screenshot_20210319-012546_Video+Player.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>It's a good thing I hadn't eaten yet. That little booger cleared my sinus', my lungs, and my stomach. I turned on the large overhead barn fans and the great north door to air the barn out. Each time I entered the barn I was gifted another lung full of 'country fresh', and each time would send me back out to lean over the fence and contemplate my life choices and nice condo on the beach in Florida. Each time I was done inspecting the fence, I'd glance over to the attentive alpacas, cushed in sun, chewing their cud and looking at me as if to say ' stinks doesn't he? It's why we slept outside. Plus. he snores.' Alpacas, pfft.</p><p>Now all of this airing out of the barn and checking the fence took well over 10 minutes. And at NO point did I bother the skunk again. SO I went back over to see if he had left. Nope, curled up behind the trunk again. Well that's not right. I know he sprayed the wall 3 times, but they can go up to 8 before they "run out". I lifted the trunk slowly and through the corral door, hearing Dirty Harry in my head, keeping it between me and Pepe LePew. Once outside, I tossed it in the corner of the corral. The alpacas, now downwind of the freshly ordorized trunk, felt the need to leave the corral for the lower pasture. Cowards. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiRwdyqite2blBAqg94vWxQZJIS0nXlyI6pP1tZ9VNSqonPTMxPo-tjWQt2aaUZ034256oRXoCcn_JgKTqxAqNv09GqFzw-KgYznI6qQyho_ad90xEPp2o2MufI-QEY7Vqtmh3SISBjPF/s2048/20210306_093052.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiRwdyqite2blBAqg94vWxQZJIS0nXlyI6pP1tZ9VNSqonPTMxPo-tjWQt2aaUZ034256oRXoCcn_JgKTqxAqNv09GqFzw-KgYznI6qQyho_ad90xEPp2o2MufI-QEY7Vqtmh3SISBjPF/s320/20210306_093052.jpg" /></a></div>As I walked back to the barn I saw the skunk waddle across the breezeway and under the steel feed shelf. NOOOOO! He had 4 wide open giant paths to the outdoors and he chose to squeeze under the 200 pound shelving unit, loaded down with barn supplies, ironic some of which were the animal traps. While I unloaded the shelves and piled everything outside i could hear him digging. There was only two ways this could go, under the barn wall to outside, or into the hay bay on the other side of the wall, which if he dug down would put him UNDER the rubber flooring. I had to move MUCH faster. I couldn't quite reach him in his far corner, even with the shelving panels removed, and it's not like I'm going to grab a skunk by the tail. So I tied the end of my tree trimming pole with a slip knot and put it around his tail and managed to get a back leg. I'm literally pulling a skunk out of a hole using a ten foot pole, when with one final push, he was under the wall. At this point, I have no idea if he has gone under the steel wall frame and under the hay, or under the gravel and under the rubber floor. And there was only one way to find out.<p></p><p>I won't lie. I swore. Loudly. Angus looked up at me from the pasture in disapproval, and then went back to beheading clovers. In frustration I tossed my pole into the yard. I had managed to touch something with spray on it, so now I wanted to divorce my own left hand. However I would need it for my next task. I needed to move 8, large, hardwood pallets, a feed bunk, bags of bedding pellets, 8 steel fencing panels, and sigh, 35 bales of stacked hay, all within inches of a skunk that was hidden among any of it. I would have cried if it hadn't become a comedy of errors with a sound track of 80s rock blaring in the background from the alpaca's radio. (Yes, they have a radio.)</p><p>Item after item, bale after bale, I moved everything neatly and methodically into the center of the barn. I just needed to find the skunk and get him out. The fewer the steps the better, keeping in mind that all of it had to go BACK into the bay eventually. I could smell him, but I couldn't FIND him. I became increasingly worried when I got down to the last stack of hay bales that he had gone into a hitherto unknown den under the flooring. Bale after bale was removed, getting closer to the pallet that kept it dry and up off the floor. I pulled off the last bale slowly, hoping he would be there and hoping he wasn't. (Schrodinger's skunk, ha!) As I peeled back the last bale, there he was, asleep in the corner of the pallet.</p><p>I went to the hen house and grabbed a piece of plywood from a recent nest box renovation and snapped up the 5 gallon bucket I had used for the chicken water. My plan was to have this handy to trap him under the bucket and then slide the wood under the bucket and transfer him to the field next door. I grabbed hold of the pallet and slowly lifted it away from him and backed away. He kept sleeping. Man, I don't know what kind of party this critter managed the night before, but he was some sleeper. Then I started to think he maybe wasn't right, and was even more adamant on getting him away from my barn. I placed the pallet on the stack of other pallets in the center of the barn. Then I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Just a flash of black and white as it slid back under the wall towards the shelf side again. Really? Really ? Oh there's a door right there, maybe he'll run out it. Of course not.</p><p>He's back under the shelf again. I tried to get him to go out of the door. He'd have none of it. I tried to get him to go out the barn door. That didn't suit him either. Back under the wall he went, but this time he seemed rather surprised that there was nothing to hide under, just a giant open bay. But then, and I swear I heard him sigh in relief, he spotted my giant pile of hay and equipment in the middle of the barn and off he went. Now let me just let you know right now, in case you didn't know, a skunk moves far faster than a 50 year old woman in flip flops. There was no way I could cut him off of steer him towards a door with my piece of plywood. I would also like to let you know that while bales of hay LOOK rectangular, they are in fact, not quite, and I did not pack them high or tightly as I had no foresight that an insane, psychopathic, skunk, hellbent on ruining my quiet Saturday morning was going to use them as his personal corn maze to avoid being sent outside.</p><p>I won't lie, I swore a little more. As he maneuvered through the bales I could hear him. My goal was to just get him OUT. So as I moved a bale I stacked them higher and higher, until I couldn't throw them any higher (these are NOT light by the way). I made a chute at one point with pallets and bales, and found that Mr Sleepy head excelled at turning himself into a noodle and at the Olympic high jump. At one point, he zigged when he should have zagged and he ended up running into the open hay bay again, the hole under the wall now plugged with an empty feed bag. I had the bucket in hand and had him cornered, which is exactly what you NEVER want to do with any animal, but especially a skunk. He couldn't keep his eye on me though AND keep me in the cross hairs. So each time he slowly turned to aim, I froze. He'd relax and turn around and look for an escape. I'd shift the bucket closer. He'd turn. I'd freeze. After about 5 minutes, I just went for it. DOWN came the bucket, and under went the plywood, and off we went for a long walk to the neighboring fields. I do not think he'll be back. I'm not sure he was well. </p><p>I closed the people doors to the barn and left the main doors open to air the place out. I blocked off the wet spray area and let the chickens out for the day. I stumbled up to the house and was greeted by a very enthusiastic beagle who wanted to not only know WHERE I had been, but what I had rolled in, and could she roll in it too. I took her outside before heading to a much needed shower as the microwave called out that my oatmeal breakfast was done and where was I?(It's beeps once a minute when the cooking cycle is complete until you clear it or open the door.) After three hours, even the Keurig had given up on me and went back to sleep. Oh you lucky appliance.</p><p>After my shower, I scrubbed my hand down with a concoction that was developed here at UNL for skunk spray so that I didn't have to remove my own hand. My cell phone case wasn't salvageable, so that went in the trash. I skipped the oatmeal and went right for lunch, before going out to tackle putting the barn back together and spraying down the wall.</p><p>And yes, Doc had a nice quiet day down at Scout Camp, but I hear Boy Scouts can be stinky too.</p>Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-23482682185642213112021-03-20T09:00:00.001-05:002021-03-20T09:00:02.540-05:00Odds and Ends<p> The cold snap and the effort and energy it took to get through it was insane. While you would think all that free time inside would afford a great deal of opportunity for project completion, you would be wrong. Everything took extra time to do, which burned energy and motivation to accomplish anything more than just making it through the day, quickly dwindled.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS30-WGWxnnV2pbTs8pOUCzI7QO4F9n5lC_Z6unXGlxtRiaqTuRi-9RHFYe4fhlAvoF15UlrYt7NABAb_8iaBmsXgP-B6QtCZZN2Lfd_3I5K5mTUj0lwmuAI8CsbOQDfuJaSRlK1T-_wnd/s1319/20210316_171555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1319" data-original-width="898" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS30-WGWxnnV2pbTs8pOUCzI7QO4F9n5lC_Z6unXGlxtRiaqTuRi-9RHFYe4fhlAvoF15UlrYt7NABAb_8iaBmsXgP-B6QtCZZN2Lfd_3I5K5mTUj0lwmuAI8CsbOQDfuJaSRlK1T-_wnd/s320/20210316_171555.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smiling Angus</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Even small things removed from the 'to do' list felt like major achievements that required celebration.<br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2OARkrTO2t4cFhIOUZR1phkmzcc_K5hmlZbHtE0r-kKADftZNVSWlAheBHqH0x8Wl868LtvEE4tLX7IWg_cx6ktyJt6kEPdk0a1pVCni5wvKugvLtkAujHxlV7IwS1f13o2EZjqo679C/s2048/20210226_111241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2OARkrTO2t4cFhIOUZR1phkmzcc_K5hmlZbHtE0r-kKADftZNVSWlAheBHqH0x8Wl868LtvEE4tLX7IWg_cx6ktyJt6kEPdk0a1pVCni5wvKugvLtkAujHxlV7IwS1f13o2EZjqo679C/s320/20210226_111241.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The alpaca yarn for weaving was done at the Fiber Mill, so I drove out and picked that up. It turned out to be a lovely day, albeit a long drive. One bag of seconds, we decided to turn into batting or felt, for other projects. I'll go out and get that in a week or two.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbMsS9j4tycnZ51nlvReJDp4QPsyHfldqxNPS_JnfdjyjaC9XSbwkBBfn2hQmiCu62wAU8wUW5vxWwZLrLDeP2Mgr-8NORO379mET5kbqSsKuKNw2xybCeP9BYYuaIIRnR20XGQVgMT8n/s2048/20210227_132858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbMsS9j4tycnZ51nlvReJDp4QPsyHfldqxNPS_JnfdjyjaC9XSbwkBBfn2hQmiCu62wAU8wUW5vxWwZLrLDeP2Mgr-8NORO379mET5kbqSsKuKNw2xybCeP9BYYuaIIRnR20XGQVgMT8n/w320-h204/20210227_132858.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUJCWopRDp2P4GxC-CQuWQRZ1_1jT-vsD7uWwBxHuAVZQjuAuuCrAjWlDA9oqZym66D6mvvTfoMwai6qJ6TulpbuWFO3xySHnh1u5t6sft9Ni6Y5nAgaCa_ANTOJTNrLQ594xug6yLK7h/s2048/20210212_124804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUJCWopRDp2P4GxC-CQuWQRZ1_1jT-vsD7uWwBxHuAVZQjuAuuCrAjWlDA9oqZym66D6mvvTfoMwai6qJ6TulpbuWFO3xySHnh1u5t6sft9Ni6Y5nAgaCa_ANTOJTNrLQ594xug6yLK7h/w150-h200/20210212_124804.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>The sewing table has seen it's use the past few weeks. A set of 18th century pockets filled one snowy afternoon. Another was dominated by up-cycling an old quilt into a late 19th century quilted petticoat. I came across a full 9 yard bolt of woven plaid for a 1840s working dress and ordered the pattern to create it. (I still need a nice contrasting fabric and 16 buttons.)And I made up another pair of aprons and another linen skirt. Of course, another round of masks needed to be made. (I would never have guessed a year ago we'd still be wearing them, but here we are.)<p></p><p>The sewing list is no where near gone, but it is smaller.</p><p>The old knit dish cloths finally ran their useful lifespan, so I've been spending the quiet hour or so before bed knitting or crocheting new ones. Handy little things.<br /><br /></p><p>On the tape loom, I have 6 yards of cord in progress for my 18th century stays. The stays are a lovely bark brown and I chose the same brown for the ties with the addition of a deep mustard yellow. It's quite nice.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nZuU9rT_nQeoKH6CRCujugYqAqa4iHFLnl25jf49E-cs8VrwRd1hQ-Y4GJWtLx-mAthcbdBxfVrK8eeuM56Nv8YGJP0kSsI0SezQ6DJtUE3g46iisGGiMoinPWE-iP40OmiXHA7swx_m/s2048/20210306_170419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nZuU9rT_nQeoKH6CRCujugYqAqa4iHFLnl25jf49E-cs8VrwRd1hQ-Y4GJWtLx-mAthcbdBxfVrK8eeuM56Nv8YGJP0kSsI0SezQ6DJtUE3g46iisGGiMoinPWE-iP40OmiXHA7swx_m/s320/20210306_170419.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>On the baking front, I finally became annoyed enough with the NutriMill mixer and bread dough. I think the problem is the plastic bowl. It is so slick that the bread dough hooks grab the dough, but the dough has no purchase on the bowl and instead of getting kneaded, just slides in circles around the bowl. I found a dough machine that is usually used for making Chinese dumplings, but works just as well for bread. It not only mixes the dough, but also has a fermenting/proofing cycle that gently warms the bowl and allows for a great rise. This is awesome, as it frees up my microwave, which I was using as a proofing box. I am getting far better gluten development from this mixer than any other I've owned. Think of it as a bread machine, but without the bake cycle. (NO affiliation or profit. I bought it on my own.) It is the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/HMJ-A70C1-Microcomputer-Face-up-Panel%EF%BC%8C7-Stainless/dp/B08RN9MYLN/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=2A5K311GA5FMH&dchild=1&keywords=bear+dough+maker&qid=1616123128&sprefix=bear+dough%2Caps%2C1228&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&smid=A3VFTQRHKWARDI&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzSUU0TFZINEdCSEkzJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUExMDI3MTMxU00wOTM0UE84REdYJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA1NTc5NzlDVk5WNkI5RkRPM0Qmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl" target="_blank">The Bear Dough Mixer</a> I even used it to make whole wheat croissants! They were AMAZING!<p></p><p><br /></p>Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-22909511774801498222021-03-18T21:42:00.001-05:002021-03-23T11:50:24.248-05:00As Hard And Fast As It Came, It Left<p> Spring has sprung. </p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixk7f_dq2hv18MrePum1cRTY40jQmItc3jCcESbP9mJSz-Tt1ZcyhVkNyT0PpId91DOwXiCOf6TtWbCAl_HiQO0vcvkktmuC78UD_lJXFBPDK-FQW7BH9obTaIagin6mxrussq4HgaBw7E/s2048/20210305_113310.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1207" data-original-width="2048" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixk7f_dq2hv18MrePum1cRTY40jQmItc3jCcESbP9mJSz-Tt1ZcyhVkNyT0PpId91DOwXiCOf6TtWbCAl_HiQO0vcvkktmuC78UD_lJXFBPDK-FQW7BH9obTaIagin6mxrussq4HgaBw7E/w614-h189/20210305_113310.jpg" width="614" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The alpaca coats fresh from the laundry, airing on the deck.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoxSBj5KiBMNbO_vwsjSTI-CQP4ygM1Faq5oAJcRUMnFbi0CzUW2bBT0uV2hU0ogVnro32JhU0YhGjhlf4LbZlDRYsFh1YJT-mE851VcI5RocheUNBLDeBsueK3VDGC_HTXrnbgVVnF8Y_/s2048/20210221_111926.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoxSBj5KiBMNbO_vwsjSTI-CQP4ygM1Faq5oAJcRUMnFbi0CzUW2bBT0uV2hU0ogVnro32JhU0YhGjhlf4LbZlDRYsFh1YJT-mE851VcI5RocheUNBLDeBsueK3VDGC_HTXrnbgVVnF8Y_/s320/20210221_111926.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Cold snap lasted 22, long, hard, miserable days. It was physically demanding, and draining on the soul. The alpacas were tired of hunkering down in the barn, fully unwilling to go out into the chill. They preferred to sit and chew their cud, toes tucked under their warm and toasty bellies, their warm winter coats helping with the chill, on a deep bed of straw. <p></p><p><br /></p><p>The hens, we didn't loose anyone, seemed to ride it out just fine. There was little moisture in the air and they were safely out of the wind. We had no cases of frostbite in the coop this year. By the end of day 22, they were more than ready to get out of that coop and into a lovely 32 degree, sunny day. When I finally open the door, a great tidal wave of feathers poured from the chicken run. They didn't seem the least bit disappointed that their was no green grass to eat, or bugs to chase. They were just happy for the change of scenery and to be able to stretch their legs. With great leaps and bounds, with flapping of wings and singing of song, they bounded across the snow covered barnyard before finally settling down and looking for things to eat.</p><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVnXoASctuCROocjR-EiBH_gb9vtPFjN835jIP6IPQzDGPMsF6SSLHiNCH82_ykmpCpzPS6v4U4QlnSXyjG7DUlkpT2uvw7yol3qJwsGy9Q-m_lLpWg67h4LDyjGIUa07Gbg3b5Vqaj-v/s2048/20210316_101222.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVnXoASctuCROocjR-EiBH_gb9vtPFjN835jIP6IPQzDGPMsF6SSLHiNCH82_ykmpCpzPS6v4U4QlnSXyjG7DUlkpT2uvw7yol3qJwsGy9Q-m_lLpWg67h4LDyjGIUa07Gbg3b5Vqaj-v/s320/20210316_101222.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The temperature slowly crept above the freezing mark, and before we knew it we were in the 40s, the 50s, the 60s, OH MY the 70s! Even the people went from being unrecognizable masses, bundled under layers upon layers, to being half naked, soaking up every photon from the great orb in the sky and letting it soak deeply, and warmly in to pale skin. We all broke out shorts and shirt sleeves at about 50 degrees.<p><br />This increased, and much needed warmth, was rejuvenating. If you looked ever so closely in the matted, flattened, straw colored thatch, you could spot the tiniest speck of green. Baby clover leaves reaching out to see if it was safe to come out. The increases warmth causing rivers of water which had been previously trapped in the snow pack. You could actually hear it running under the thatch, finding it's way downhill. The large 4 foot drifts and plowed piles that framed every road and every driveway, didn't stand a chance. </p><p>The winds then came, as they do in March. In Nebraska, and especially on this hilltop, they aren't subtle either. They begin as a whisper, then a yell, their howling becomes screams and while it did a wonderful job melting the snow and drying the sod, the winds made it nearly impossible to enjoy time outside. Tree limbs snapped, causing power to go out. Luckily we keep water banked for the animals if we loose power (no power=no well pump=no water). We also keep water banked for us, coffee and tea must be available.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCmaw9tn1TTimF3V8DBbXY6KzsLjWsYN1C3ghBUN6pZK2fnP7BeTJfnKOfZVuVSVhibI0Q83BugCRVboxP_KfRrnMzyoi3He25yI8P2TRXrOXD9_fA7mZVs9I2ezWKuEUwpvoqFfeGL5z/s2048/20210314_191317.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsCmaw9tn1TTimF3V8DBbXY6KzsLjWsYN1C3ghBUN6pZK2fnP7BeTJfnKOfZVuVSVhibI0Q83BugCRVboxP_KfRrnMzyoi3He25yI8P2TRXrOXD9_fA7mZVs9I2ezWKuEUwpvoqFfeGL5z/s320/20210314_191317.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Then came the deluge. I was joking with a fellow meteorologist last week, that since we've moved here, the records have fallen left and right. I'm starting to take it personally- record snows, drought, hail, cold snaps, low temperatures, high temperatures, dew points, air pressures, moisture in a day or for a single storm. It's becoming ridiculous. </p><p>I've been keeping my eyes open for a couple of days of slow rain so that I could apply some nitrogen fertilizer on the hay field. I saw it coming and drove out to pick up 500 pounds of nitrogen and 500 pounds of moisture retainer product to spread in the problem drought areas of the hay field. I hooked the rake to the tractor and thatched the whole field, keeping an eye out for invasive cedar as I went. Then I spread the products with the new broadcast spreader. Six hours later and the hay field was clean and fed, and just waiting for the rain. I managed it 5 days before the storm. Then the track changed. Our models increased the totals with each and every run. But the time the rains ended, we had managed 7.47 inches over less than two days. I'm hoping it came down slow enough the first 4 hours to dissolve the nitrogen in the soil. Time will tell. I'll either have a lush hay field, or the greenest drainage ditch in the county.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have the fertilizer for around the house proper, but besides the ground being a bit too soggy for the tractor, the rain coming up with be another 3 inch fall in 24 hours. So I'll wait for another day on that project.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkiHjnflVs-tfwka4bOxmXbAQBob3DeLDO_HY90rDDhq8Ln72F6p5rdhqC48lX-C_RJZDNLkTzgeBArXNOvLda7IUSTrvWP2w6slceq28Trlvwh-HU3YzMvGX99d-Qh34kwLfSZ22FJGDe/s2048/20210316_095838.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkiHjnflVs-tfwka4bOxmXbAQBob3DeLDO_HY90rDDhq8Ln72F6p5rdhqC48lX-C_RJZDNLkTzgeBArXNOvLda7IUSTrvWP2w6slceq28Trlvwh-HU3YzMvGX99d-Qh34kwLfSZ22FJGDe/s320/20210316_095838.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitE4U2PRbc5gIojMRDMaMjeRvYxfq5_AqjyOq9LmI-LeH7seezlDQ-DyWHS2h8-qV232LrLHThpIU7WvIuDgQFv9aGKGOguVO731fY2tOMsl7exXdo5XV_R-O2JtywdBjDfM9ISdMHTNPk/s2048/20210303_133916.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1521" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitE4U2PRbc5gIojMRDMaMjeRvYxfq5_AqjyOq9LmI-LeH7seezlDQ-DyWHS2h8-qV232LrLHThpIU7WvIuDgQFv9aGKGOguVO731fY2tOMsl7exXdo5XV_R-O2JtywdBjDfM9ISdMHTNPk/s320/20210303_133916.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Also in the land of pleading for Spring, the potting shed is open and sprouting seeds. So far I've started the marigolds, horse radish, onions, and one variety of tomato, a new variety, cloudy day. Now that those have sprouted, I will start the San Marzano tomatoes.<p></p><p>Which leads me to the next major project ~A greenhouse~</p><p>I purchased a hoop type greenhouse that a man down the road has. He has 4 of them and used to own a commercial nursery. Now in his spare time he starts plants, and gives them away for donation, and also has the most amazing tomato patch. I swear it's the annual planting process that is keeping him going. He's a dear soul and has the touch for sure. His greenhouses are in the village and between the garage and house and have never budged from their spot. He said he's never had a lick of trouble with them. So I purchased the same one. <br /></p><p>I actually bought it last June, and put it away for this Spring. I picked a lovely 75 degree WINDLESS day to put it up. It snapped together in the blink of an eye, with heavy steel tubes with push-pin to lock, male and female ends. The cover looked heavy enough and slid right on. Following online suggestions, I did make a large, heavy, wooden frame to sit around the outside edge to hold down the apron. I used their supplied tie down cords, which were little more than poly baling twine and cheap, short tent stakes. First thing the next morning I went out and purchased 18 inch long industrial stakes and used paracord with taught-line knots to secure their covering. That was on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday the wind picked up, just a little. Saturday, the winds really picked up. At 30 mph, which is nothing for here, she was just fine. Sunday morning we were gusting to 37. On a walk with the dog, Doc noticed that the cover was ripped, the green house cover was floating above the frame like a kite. All of my tie downs and cord were secure, but their seams had ripped. I packed it up and returned it. </p><p><br /></p><p>I've wanted a real one for years, but other projects came up. We fell in love with one from Kansas at a garden show. But they're backed up in ordered for MONTHS. I could design my own and build it, but quite frankly boards and sacks of concrete are getting heavier and heavier as time goes by. I could have the shed company that has done other work for me design and build one for me, but they're backed up as well.</p><p><br /></p><p>So I opted for a you assemble it kit from a local hardware store. As nowhere on this property is level, I'll be building a platform frame for the base and then install and secure it to that. I have high hopes and yet none at all. </p><p>We shall see. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrGyPSJLgHW1wg5s8cqD20q9Wjz4r_6UU8FQnXQ8SBQlpvXQV4Mj6luAnJMTTF5mpuULrR5rv-uRXcUygnnewR65EaaZu119ESpU3RcJsvHgSLyBHUuD5vjhjd9ScqvXIXJxktcRa0ppx/s2048/20210316_194300.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1479" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrGyPSJLgHW1wg5s8cqD20q9Wjz4r_6UU8FQnXQ8SBQlpvXQV4Mj6luAnJMTTF5mpuULrR5rv-uRXcUygnnewR65EaaZu119ESpU3RcJsvHgSLyBHUuD5vjhjd9ScqvXIXJxktcRa0ppx/s320/20210316_194300.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-20998043885220248032021-02-09T17:50:00.001-06:002021-02-21T13:17:25.622-06:00Cold Doesn't Even Begin To Describe It<p> We knew it would be coming. You can't spend all of a Central Plains winter working and being outside in nothing but a T-shirt and windbreaker, or a sweatshirt. At some point you KNOW you're going to pay for that. Usually we get brutally cold for a few days, five at the most in mid to late January. Sometimes we get a warning shot across our bow for a couple days in December. But for the most part, as cold, miserable and windy as the storms are, they are quick to pass, and normal temperatures creep in and let us enjoy winter without considering moving the whole farm to a warmer climate, like Greenland.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hsz6vIb7gj7UqvqiMX0QdoC0RI88KAPOqGEnHDsNe8LO7Gz5dNbOXUVUnaESC9sCj1tEOsQJcdOFDY6v9xmcTPSP3uLYr2zfjlYQDiSErkD29PpDE21Itaxs5mO8EnTQ-bE9bIHFpHc/s2048/20210208_094212.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hsz6vIb7gj7UqvqiMX0QdoC0RI88KAPOqGEnHDsNe8LO7Gz5dNbOXUVUnaESC9sCj1tEOsQJcdOFDY6v9xmcTPSP3uLYr2zfjlYQDiSErkD29PpDE21Itaxs5mO8EnTQ-bE9bIHFpHc/s320/20210208_094212.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The snowfall this year hasn't been funny either. Instead of coming down one or two inches at a time, melting off the roads shortly after we plow, and then off the grass a couple days later. This year it has come down down by the mountain load. And it has stayed, in one case a dump of 14 heavy,wet inches.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONbybA-cLJm-YoXQtOi4qfTl4RQpLa0L2_3wiCx1hhrYVTqsBF2IHeBUCS2284Q7eHWn4qZCj9hdS6YhYzaqfsjVe1zEUoMrzkTJHiKtBwwrp4bC0KOqs63mWV2dscYEjWGq9xbq0M2E/s2048/20210203_081653.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONbybA-cLJm-YoXQtOi4qfTl4RQpLa0L2_3wiCx1hhrYVTqsBF2IHeBUCS2284Q7eHWn4qZCj9hdS6YhYzaqfsjVe1zEUoMrzkTJHiKtBwwrp4bC0KOqs63mWV2dscYEjWGq9xbq0M2E/w151-h202/20210203_081653.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Now has come the cold. It started a few days ago with temperatures dipping well below freezing and it's stayed there, day and night, and it will for at least the next 10 days. (17 days below freezing is what it ended up being.) In fact, our temperatures will be below 10'F as a HIGH temperature for the next 7 days. Wind chills will be dropping us to -40'F this weekend. Luckily, the animals are kept out of the wind and we spend as little time in it as possible. (Our lowest real temp was -31 and wind chill that night was -45'F.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpL0srlSqJygoDt8tD7C7oKzlIBGvQHz4LgRYXVywryPzElvwwnb2eYyrSEEWjT_TLOpjw9Qj_OlnIwfnF9F8KNYd9lH7C1KBxPJ7akaA23zQMe0A7LGma3ldBUFObzAI9s4DdGyxG6k/s2400/Screenshot_20210208-211737_Twitter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2400" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpL0srlSqJygoDt8tD7C7oKzlIBGvQHz4LgRYXVywryPzElvwwnb2eYyrSEEWjT_TLOpjw9Qj_OlnIwfnF9F8KNYd9lH7C1KBxPJ7akaA23zQMe0A7LGma3ldBUFObzAI9s4DdGyxG6k/w518-h233/Screenshot_20210208-211737_Twitter.jpg" width="518" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJZ2EmHRau-ZM3XDNtlz0_yoG58s0c8U-iRdaxmLkDT6aqdQDsmM0Px09n-YxzhYSb8mNDbxvCp_uv3DlEi_iGiAR-g4nu4k4wFaTcf1r4C5D_trM6bME79qGy7KYbEvLf9vF6osBn94/s2048/20210208_155642.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1076" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJZ2EmHRau-ZM3XDNtlz0_yoG58s0c8U-iRdaxmLkDT6aqdQDsmM0Px09n-YxzhYSb8mNDbxvCp_uv3DlEi_iGiAR-g4nu4k4wFaTcf1r4C5D_trM6bME79qGy7KYbEvLf9vF6osBn94/s320/20210208_155642.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The alpacas can handle the cold out of the wind. They have thick rubber mats on their stall floors and a DEEP layer of hay/straw on top of that to snuggle into at night. They have full access to inside the barn, which does stay a few degrees warmer than outside. They get extra food rations, and have heated water at all times. Yesterday, I wrangled them and put their coats on them. That will make them even happier. They do get bored, and when the sun comes out, they do wander down the pasture and have some hay in the shed, wrestle, or just go for a run.<br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG234T-lLbJHYN4lF98UMY2Y9pATrAOpzoetAJ_AJN4AT_cEwBsSuoJ9Xce6yO-AftQKMkYvTi-ce5kxDPXyS3R0xtguQNEJo5b51IrPRje8AGJh9ZbZuZWExSJB0cLxCMV4hqKphBQXU/s1770/20210209_121805+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1308" data-original-width="1770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG234T-lLbJHYN4lF98UMY2Y9pATrAOpzoetAJ_AJN4AT_cEwBsSuoJ9Xce6yO-AftQKMkYvTi-ce5kxDPXyS3R0xtguQNEJo5b51IrPRje8AGJh9ZbZuZWExSJB0cLxCMV4hqKphBQXU/s320/20210209_121805+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywZcP-Ts7uzuFX_8ipDMsciRLuv6nxzUAI-q9xKCI2tf2VTpMQYvm36MhaDg6TdpaK3oimMGoHNqH23s5JsPUOgxDED5Bs0YequkTIC3ZPehlAO22rBUZ5lQ4iCcDzpyz8T-lJpjc0xg/s2048/20210208_153207.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywZcP-Ts7uzuFX_8ipDMsciRLuv6nxzUAI-q9xKCI2tf2VTpMQYvm36MhaDg6TdpaK3oimMGoHNqH23s5JsPUOgxDED5Bs0YequkTIC3ZPehlAO22rBUZ5lQ4iCcDzpyz8T-lJpjc0xg/s320/20210208_153207.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Don't fret. The hens are just fine too. Nights are brutal, but their well designed coop and run are draft free, and the clear panels allow heat to build on a sunny day. Today when the temperature was only 6 degrees at lunch, it was 24 in the coop. I'm sure we'll have a couple end up with frostbite on their combs, but that happens every winter. They too have heated water and get extra feed, to include warm veggies for breakfast and dinner. They've been as low as -18'F before, so I'm not worried about them. Merriweather, at age 6.5, has been put in the 42 degree workshop. She's old and gets a pamper spa week. <p></p><p><br /></p><p>So if I'm not outside, what am I doing? Last week I had a ball being the weekly host at @smallholdingsUK on Twitter. If you twitter, check it out. It is a group of small land holders, originally only in the UK, but now all over the world. We share what we do, where we are, and how we do things. It's a great way to travel and meet new people and get new ideas without stepping out the door. :::Waving to all my new friends.:::</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xyb_mk-3BI7qzcYVBfkciXQTZBXI58nwWnXQHmtQRBiNMsikBt4N2aHZ9bpcfxcBegDnMr5yg1KJasPy9WAL-6KMmGBF7_v3alTV6aj9RUXDqAC7DSLQWFtlxS9Zez1L-R42M0bBLfc/s2048/20210205_115143.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1528" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8xyb_mk-3BI7qzcYVBfkciXQTZBXI58nwWnXQHmtQRBiNMsikBt4N2aHZ9bpcfxcBegDnMr5yg1KJasPy9WAL-6KMmGBF7_v3alTV6aj9RUXDqAC7DSLQWFtlxS9Zez1L-R42M0bBLfc/s320/20210205_115143.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I've also snuck down to the sewing room. I can't sew while Doc is working in his office, so my pile of work has been waiting for me. I had a small project I could work on while he was upstairs working on non-school things. <p></p><p>A few weeks ago I found a yard of very high quality flannel at the local charity shop for only $1. At the time I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but it followed me home anyway. I found a list of things online that you can do with bits of flannel. I passed on the washable swifter type dusters and found someone that was making re-usable/washable 'paper' towels that snapped together and rolled up. What a great idea! I decided to forgot the cute snap idea and just went with the quilted rag idea.</p><p>I purchased a yard of grey terrycloth with my coupon for $5 and set to work.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2uhkwJIeek9mpSYig9xKi6gjqtrIxU2kWQMaUjhHaZ4owgQMGvtqvYDk813v0jM1TQrDfk1lfPQWjjCLh6lvRZpidFC7BO435GeaxP8n8DWojZdA3-HL3pyugduGChS6vto6ZXL43Kw/s2048/20210207_125818.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2uhkwJIeek9mpSYig9xKi6gjqtrIxU2kWQMaUjhHaZ4owgQMGvtqvYDk813v0jM1TQrDfk1lfPQWjjCLh6lvRZpidFC7BO435GeaxP8n8DWojZdA3-HL3pyugduGChS6vto6ZXL43Kw/s320/20210207_125818.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I washed and dried both to mitigate shrinkage. I placed the flannel on the terry and pinned it all over. Wrong. Wrinkle planet. Wrinkles everywhere. That wouldn't do at all. I removed all the pins and put the flannel UNDER the terry and pinned- much better. <p></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Ow2oc2IFash-WhsU7UcFjlvqQpdAIW5wI5roMZqWRUG-sOryGG9M7iCHJYzUy7x6_U9qpLu3Ox8GnPcFJd2eYo90vc0eESaZCKAsO0yoPB-oRH1Ejy4fF0DGQJ7dllHR1MriYn8a4DU/s2048/20210207_134505.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Ow2oc2IFash-WhsU7UcFjlvqQpdAIW5wI5roMZqWRUG-sOryGG9M7iCHJYzUy7x6_U9qpLu3Ox8GnPcFJd2eYo90vc0eESaZCKAsO0yoPB-oRH1Ejy4fF0DGQJ7dllHR1MriYn8a4DU/s320/20210207_134505.jpg" /></a></div>Then I simply used the machine to sew a diagonal line across the whole thing and then mirrored that line about every 2.5 inches to quilt the two pieces together. Then I figured the best cut size to minimize waste, which turned out to be 11 inches square with only a tiny bit of loss to square the piece up.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">I ended up with 12 quilted rags. They needed the diagonal that goes the other way which was faster and easier on an 11 inch piece than a giant panel. Then I simply finished off the edges with the serger. 12 nice mop up rags or dust cloths for only $5 and two hours at the machine!</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYHJW8DF-JjBHeOm-IhVdi8f2tKPb9cOjrG9wMMz73TE65qfbXKDOUbk3dl1nc_4MerYpH7ZAWWkhahxW1NpUN4CJS_NeLniN27a23uSSBdztTH0AzKQtqI-uYdt1GW52Iuv0LAAKHR0/s2048/20210207_143310.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYHJW8DF-JjBHeOm-IhVdi8f2tKPb9cOjrG9wMMz73TE65qfbXKDOUbk3dl1nc_4MerYpH7ZAWWkhahxW1NpUN4CJS_NeLniN27a23uSSBdztTH0AzKQtqI-uYdt1GW52Iuv0LAAKHR0/w168-h224/20210207_143310.jpg" width="168" /></a></div><p>Another treasure at the charity shop. a 12 ounce glass peanut butter jar full of pins, old sharp sewing pins and long hat pins, as well as tailor pins. The BEST treasure this time was a roll of pale lilac table cloth. It is 44 inches across and started as 100 foot long. There is at least 50 feet there as it almost filled it's original box. It feels like percale cotton. I'll test it. If nothing else it will be GREAT for pattern mock-up. If it's cotton, then a matching historic 1840 skirt/shirt set it is! How much was it. Well it was on half price sale. $2.50 yup. So check your charity shops !</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Caryl http://www.blogger.com/profile/01909790086455266299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-69335829034106004732021-01-07T20:54:00.000-06:002021-01-07T20:54:35.773-06:00A Gnother Gnome<p>Doc here.</p><p>During the winter break, I decided to create 3D wall art of Baard the Gnome.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaA9QdYKxW-Z9I2XI1KVLD-ueOV69Wdg9oJ5r7NfovtxE9-s1EgzMGkD3kWypr-Gfdjbs6Xahki2PEFCX3F0OnmPFgHCScUPUN42AbD5hzCIAUAbLWmxI-dna5eJm_ciYAb2CxYq8jXc49/s2048/20210107_174443.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1866" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaA9QdYKxW-Z9I2XI1KVLD-ueOV69Wdg9oJ5r7NfovtxE9-s1EgzMGkD3kWypr-Gfdjbs6Xahki2PEFCX3F0OnmPFgHCScUPUN42AbD5hzCIAUAbLWmxI-dna5eJm_ciYAb2CxYq8jXc49/s320/20210107_174443.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I started by printing the line-art that Caryl had created for her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/GnomeGnomeOnTheRange" target="_blank">Etsy shop</a> to create graphite rubbings for the general outline. The body is formed by halving a length of 1x12 and using a thickness planer to reduce the two halves down to about <span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px;">¼</span>". While it would've been nice to make the resaw cut in a single pass on the bandsaw, the wood's width was too great -- so I made two passes on the table saw.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4105QHPs78JjVnZ2ChGymYuGic2Z3Ab5knTSq3w_2bQpUtPWVn8KCuDyGo5LYld5-iufstV3F6OyN_W2ziBgoA4Tf_dz1_vbatP1ozgBRSuCLkzDx6m6ymVIQbGz9BTnuACHi-jw4oWF/s2048/PXL_20201222_200205443.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4105QHPs78JjVnZ2ChGymYuGic2Z3Ab5knTSq3w_2bQpUtPWVn8KCuDyGo5LYld5-iufstV3F6OyN_W2ziBgoA4Tf_dz1_vbatP1ozgBRSuCLkzDx6m6ymVIQbGz9BTnuACHi-jw4oWF/s320/PXL_20201222_200205443.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3F0oVc4pTrY1BGqJE98PlJ68s1rqr3C5Rupj4hrfnOY_k3VyR6xUo1qoAi8r_3eOLmQdERyNAn79ZQWI1kN7sww7u-iJe_3nHMSeECCKMQ7QQcCXZYAGY8i3-WwdZ9uX55Hq6ssgF0d9H/s2048/PXL_20201222_200623858.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3F0oVc4pTrY1BGqJE98PlJ68s1rqr3C5Rupj4hrfnOY_k3VyR6xUo1qoAi8r_3eOLmQdERyNAn79ZQWI1kN7sww7u-iJe_3nHMSeECCKMQ7QQcCXZYAGY8i3-WwdZ9uX55Hq6ssgF0d9H/s320/PXL_20201222_200623858.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-Jzm_QnbCWpSn1d_wgQyLtrBZCE-Jq9alJS_pk9fFbvdPWPUKTaWD_Qmr2L-H2dsFHuqI1BVPiP7gsUTsbGnSZzUf-9hR9iF3wgugDHQjMNGPuzKFDVHNMggwAUf80Nz_mj3xzm7BkgV/s2048/PXL_20201222_202557770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-Jzm_QnbCWpSn1d_wgQyLtrBZCE-Jq9alJS_pk9fFbvdPWPUKTaWD_Qmr2L-H2dsFHuqI1BVPiP7gsUTsbGnSZzUf-9hR9iF3wgugDHQjMNGPuzKFDVHNMggwAUf80Nz_mj3xzm7BkgV/s320/PXL_20201222_202557770.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Several passes through the thickness planer brought the pieces down to <span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px;">¼</span>" thick.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>I then made the graphite rubbings on each of the two pieces and cut out the layers of Baard's body using the bandsaw.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiH8TSXxJRhxTO0Li-gLh8hTtZBs1jg4FZNAC3SAu055eQG743ZJUK3psoLT8v096VANvennCEENPDCJiJF-WxrcAuCg82pgcn5YQQqu8T66d4W-aX3pVwYMcpHmadu81vkZevUWppNiFt/s2048/PXL_20201222_220601008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiH8TSXxJRhxTO0Li-gLh8hTtZBs1jg4FZNAC3SAu055eQG743ZJUK3psoLT8v096VANvennCEENPDCJiJF-WxrcAuCg82pgcn5YQQqu8T66d4W-aX3pVwYMcpHmadu81vkZevUWppNiFt/s320/PXL_20201222_220601008.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>When I rubbed the outlines onto the layers, I also marked three points by punching the pencil through through the paper to mark holes to drill on the drill press.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUFw0oOet5wl16rhbNtqVUrNv5W0jbERLAUvRbEM5uOmZWX4GuCRCb6peJZZlLLXJ-MQW2oP8HwPLBWuxmcARPOUtmz6ly5fGgUSsfZlpJo5-crqoKGbzcvIcS-XGOwfLIslBJenlQzMp/s2048/PXL_20201222_223145222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUFw0oOet5wl16rhbNtqVUrNv5W0jbERLAUvRbEM5uOmZWX4GuCRCb6peJZZlLLXJ-MQW2oP8HwPLBWuxmcARPOUtmz6ly5fGgUSsfZlpJo5-crqoKGbzcvIcS-XGOwfLIslBJenlQzMp/s320/PXL_20201222_223145222.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Two of the holes are drilled all the way through the back layer and partway into the front layer for dowels to align the two layers. The third hole is drilled all the way through both layers to position Baard's nose.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Then I used the strip sander to make the final touch-ups to the layers' outlines and to partially round the edges.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lqC_jlIuSBVKagfgzz_O1ukDaHq41uBJScYI1C8GCDu3N0QQYzgTJgmlwl1xywsXbFukcdbVPIkzcPaLjIILv8Crk6PYTSQMn85KMU7k2MVlo2irX2_xFoQ2lk6aZNmCQkiVxb8k38no/s2048/PXL_20201223_215602929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lqC_jlIuSBVKagfgzz_O1ukDaHq41uBJScYI1C8GCDu3N0QQYzgTJgmlwl1xywsXbFukcdbVPIkzcPaLjIILv8Crk6PYTSQMn85KMU7k2MVlo2irX2_xFoQ2lk6aZNmCQkiVxb8k38no/s320/PXL_20201223_215602929.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>On to Baard's hat. At first approximation, it's a triangle, but the sides are slightly curved, and the bottom edge has a pronounced curve. The front of the hat is a curved surface. I wanted the lower corners to be at the same level as the body's front layer and the middle of the base to project about a half-inch from the front layer, which would be the full thickness of the original 1x12. The peak of the hat should be slightly shallower than the body's front layer.</p><p>I started with a graphite rubbing and then cut a triangle. The reason I started with straight sides instead of starting with the bandsaw was so I could make bevel cuts to start shaping the front surface. By running the triangle's sides along the tabletop, the resulting bevel faces will leave the base thicker in the middle than the sides, and the sides and peak will all be at the same level.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXK-4e69RzDu81vvYIHCWznstWckAA7RJgnsPuh3Nr79d8uln0vSjnf-0GQ7ih5yO527U6pT66t4HevrayP-o8FNmLEHAAhnnRVyWeG99EznLqM2UY6QRVKOuBYBZG2mGS8YvLQvJrZWta/s2048/PXL_20201223_222327250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXK-4e69RzDu81vvYIHCWznstWckAA7RJgnsPuh3Nr79d8uln0vSjnf-0GQ7ih5yO527U6pT66t4HevrayP-o8FNmLEHAAhnnRVyWeG99EznLqM2UY6QRVKOuBYBZG2mGS8YvLQvJrZWta/s320/PXL_20201223_222327250.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjDCwdiRRMK9CkApVY6gLCB105ilxgtDZQz7j6QqGbLDfA4ro_U7LFeOz5CaltcGkt7hlR_PF92RY8SrP0tRLUUQ_XMmbY9bAProBDv8G1TpXq_GIsJPIP-3ZAh168y1WiMpp7k_INWk1/s2048/PXL_20201223_224306549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjDCwdiRRMK9CkApVY6gLCB105ilxgtDZQz7j6QqGbLDfA4ro_U7LFeOz5CaltcGkt7hlR_PF92RY8SrP0tRLUUQ_XMmbY9bAProBDv8G1TpXq_GIsJPIP-3ZAh168y1WiMpp7k_INWk1/s320/PXL_20201223_224306549.jpg" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div>After using the bandsaw to introduce the slight curves on the hat's sides and the pronounced curve on the base, I used the belt sander to finish shaping the hat's front from a collection of flat facets to a single curved surface. Finally, I used some scraps from forming Baard's body to extend the thickness of the hat's sides so the hat appears to fully enclose Baard's head.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7l5vtisPHplCaRamFfFxfQT-HS8CfoWw6VIOycOB_9Hui8I-W8l1ANzT4RENw_TibA9kakObIDDn58fTlmewvKaInIXoOBe2RaHJ50pfTgWb0AHhdUsPzDE6eTGs4BOSQN2cxXVzWYmU-/s2048/PXL_20201223_232911236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7l5vtisPHplCaRamFfFxfQT-HS8CfoWw6VIOycOB_9Hui8I-W8l1ANzT4RENw_TibA9kakObIDDn58fTlmewvKaInIXoOBe2RaHJ50pfTgWb0AHhdUsPzDE6eTGs4BOSQN2cxXVzWYmU-/s320/PXL_20201223_232911236.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEa2PY-Ra39xGuMgNa34Zuxc-Mjm8G_vGo4In7Qx3PDbuly71CM7bnGC-V9IEUjufl5cX6YPP2ri66BIVDS7N_PIiyyubwHiZXn-oqm2xjedX6sHS7NOUtp6zJhk2vg5lUS-qJr_x3Nef/s1024/PXL_20201224_195743067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEa2PY-Ra39xGuMgNa34Zuxc-Mjm8G_vGo4In7Qx3PDbuly71CM7bnGC-V9IEUjufl5cX6YPP2ri66BIVDS7N_PIiyyubwHiZXn-oqm2xjedX6sHS7NOUtp6zJhk2vg5lUS-qJr_x3Nef/s320/PXL_20201224_195743067.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /><div>I cut out Baard's nose from the 1x12 and gave it an initial pass at rounding it with a ⅜" roundover bit on the router table. I further rounded it with the strip sander.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_BxYYQECStq8DEf9oW19UpruaAQmz6j9VXyA2k9JiJenQcyv6PPtUb9Cw1GxGvL1Yk9qiBrOsEG12h-da1raP1jbeV2uLP1bARvPgueHZyv6ILJrWlZoKAgUPY2NN59lQSDs9TXUUGM6/s2048/PXL_20201224_200429563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_BxYYQECStq8DEf9oW19UpruaAQmz6j9VXyA2k9JiJenQcyv6PPtUb9Cw1GxGvL1Yk9qiBrOsEG12h-da1raP1jbeV2uLP1bARvPgueHZyv6ILJrWlZoKAgUPY2NN59lQSDs9TXUUGM6/s320/PXL_20201224_200429563.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRNnTnMSF7y28f05jmX6suWLEceF0kfgjTNErUZx_powxQ1CP0vjo3ti1If0YVCwrlALWnOz4AvnBbp7HpbB7keESKCOQFW7T8ShwdQ8q7Gh97-CAa0R7yriAKUhWDyXb8mEMzFPYqV_z/s2048/PXL_20201224_201756861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRNnTnMSF7y28f05jmX6suWLEceF0kfgjTNErUZx_powxQ1CP0vjo3ti1If0YVCwrlALWnOz4AvnBbp7HpbB7keESKCOQFW7T8ShwdQ8q7Gh97-CAa0R7yriAKUhWDyXb8mEMzFPYqV_z/s320/PXL_20201224_201756861.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPDwvofVNKvwDmfh4I2mlRams4wXo7D2BvhE9XphExKdHFcj-HGRGXHpPyBACIbHXbK9ZhFNA27RvPZMBZGFzMR_APwMQLW631hfKkIVGIUKC_sNFuWCYSEX0P_0c6ScjyRQg1bx4SQpm/s2048/PXL_20201228_191704073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPDwvofVNKvwDmfh4I2mlRams4wXo7D2BvhE9XphExKdHFcj-HGRGXHpPyBACIbHXbK9ZhFNA27RvPZMBZGFzMR_APwMQLW631hfKkIVGIUKC_sNFuWCYSEX0P_0c6ScjyRQg1bx4SQpm/s320/PXL_20201228_191704073.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>The strip sander left Baard's nose faceted, and so I finished rounding it using a sanding sponge.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Baard's shoes were daunting at first glance.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPbPfLYiKP8Or1W1Uc6zvumUDO9FUBNlfBej0k51bEAosiYF-Uzv9VWImJ_sYbblHOj5UxCTVI-YCE1omfhtHTOTfnJkbNhaoaCpz9i1Tr2NLuw4x-ICsnA5AEKEah7APC0riMmqgUeGx/s1502/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="1502" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPbPfLYiKP8Or1W1Uc6zvumUDO9FUBNlfBej0k51bEAosiYF-Uzv9VWImJ_sYbblHOj5UxCTVI-YCE1omfhtHTOTfnJkbNhaoaCpz9i1Tr2NLuw4x-ICsnA5AEKEah7APC0riMmqgUeGx/w400-h98/Picture1.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71pqk5zdLeOoC0chDVKr0URWstmEI0CtrpE35P5E3TFm3w2wuIzk53u5u418z2uWWQXT1Gv5cga2rGujlXUsdGNaFv-k4cDHkFTk4TOJPH2x9vE3vPyk359xR_e_p_UgEa45dOJQfgyCS/s2048/PXL_20201224_211743750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71pqk5zdLeOoC0chDVKr0URWstmEI0CtrpE35P5E3TFm3w2wuIzk53u5u418z2uWWQXT1Gv5cga2rGujlXUsdGNaFv-k4cDHkFTk4TOJPH2x9vE3vPyk359xR_e_p_UgEa45dOJQfgyCS/s320/PXL_20201224_211743750.jpg" /></a></div><div><p style="text-align: left;">I decided to start with a scrap of 2x3 and used Forstner bits to cut the concave curves first. I cut a dado down the middle of the 2x3 and then cut the 2x3 down the middle of the dado, creating the two shoes -- each half of the dado is now a rabbet to attach the shoe to Baard's body.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">I used the bandsaw to cut the convex surface at at the bottoms of the shoes, and then I free-handed a rough oval shape from top to front to bottom to back. I touched-up the shaping on the strip sander and, as with the nose, removed the faceting with a sanding sponge.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVghQMHdwmhUi9WKoCyecLZ_YFBlTOgqty_OUC7VShoXpjxOUqXOanppMKw0MMSHyP2NS-1liatrUsL9yUWD5zHe5vOb6189wcf2GaEnwIHXbDFp9GZ1x_4Q0TLUz6INkd7Bk75q0a9YKj/s2048/PXL_20201230_225715187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVghQMHdwmhUi9WKoCyecLZ_YFBlTOgqty_OUC7VShoXpjxOUqXOanppMKw0MMSHyP2NS-1liatrUsL9yUWD5zHe5vOb6189wcf2GaEnwIHXbDFp9GZ1x_4Q0TLUz6INkd7Bk75q0a9YKj/s320/PXL_20201230_225715187.jpg" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">I added a little detail using rasps, and I cut the excess dowel material off the back using a bear saw.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">The two body layers, and the hat now pressure fit together, and the body and feet stay together using gravity if the body were to be propped up.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1vlMdTAD6rIsDkIEArhcKC0p0rrUCNqoQaDPxCqX0c2DYeIz8ok2rH5fB81wPpNvpXMhFdAyriMAfNoch0bPSbxST3ZwobH1IUiRI5YehwvP7BR9KsKn6kck45qXV4_IxbVAINST0LOm/s2048/PXL_20201224_230325464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1vlMdTAD6rIsDkIEArhcKC0p0rrUCNqoQaDPxCqX0c2DYeIz8ok2rH5fB81wPpNvpXMhFdAyriMAfNoch0bPSbxST3ZwobH1IUiRI5YehwvP7BR9KsKn6kck45qXV4_IxbVAINST0LOm/s320/PXL_20201224_230325464.jpg" /></a></div></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">After I finish-sanded it, Caryl stained the segments and glued Baard together.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjurnm-NeTRTqKVxLrTktCkEHABZUCCxr_H3IbAe3hwkuqtDE5N6V17iPi2yXC853A1j4wDzIA6SHgNULNaPcBtPWjVyXsWNREyPWh80WR3Al4y6x7uJPgjJ5XeOWargBdIVrGD9fpSTjx/s2048/20210107_174443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1866" data-original-width="2048" height="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjurnm-NeTRTqKVxLrTktCkEHABZUCCxr_H3IbAe3hwkuqtDE5N6V17iPi2yXC853A1j4wDzIA6SHgNULNaPcBtPWjVyXsWNREyPWh80WR3Al4y6x7uJPgjJ5XeOWargBdIVrGD9fpSTjx/w640-h584/20210107_174443.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /></p></div>Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-19356112389757226122020-12-21T20:21:00.000-06:002020-12-21T20:21:04.898-06:00Mini Schnitz Hand Pies<p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /> Hand Pies. Tiny fist sized capsules of dough (fried or baked) that are used to contain and transport fabulous fillings into your gullet.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7-IuL61Aoec8RbVuC1UkTbQwQaabe2nRCtxPGyInqcPvyUb9L6H9wVVR4vsiGOGhqLrDGYtVnM3NnluZh5pUFqV-zEfOO5gkC9AhAqy510ofDRsI8u9wNRx8voKhpB12wjrascbYBHKk/s2048/20200919_132905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1624" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7-IuL61Aoec8RbVuC1UkTbQwQaabe2nRCtxPGyInqcPvyUb9L6H9wVVR4vsiGOGhqLrDGYtVnM3NnluZh5pUFqV-zEfOO5gkC9AhAqy510ofDRsI8u9wNRx8voKhpB12wjrascbYBHKk/s320/20200919_132905.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>As long as I had the induction coil plate out for the Rosettes the other day, I decided to go ahead and deal with the dried apples that had been so unceremoniously displaced from the cookie jar. The cookie jar spent all of Fall housing a gallon of dried apple slices from the Fall harvest. As the season switched from the crisp autumn air to full on frigid, I noticed the apples were being nibbled on less and less as a snack. The jar now holds oatmeal pecan toffee cookies, and the apples were thrown into a large ziploc baggie on the counter.</p><p>I had plans to just make two, full-sized, Schnitz pies, one for us and one for the neighbors. But the more I thought of it, the more I started to lean towards making smaller hand pies. A pie is cut into 6 or 8 pieces and then gone. I can get far more hand pies than 12 or 16 if I make them hand sized, or better yet, bite sized, which means more gifts. </p><p>Hand pies are prevalent in many cultures, they have many names, and can be filled with either sweet or savory fillings and can either be made with a doughy, biscuit like crust, or a flaky, pie dough like crust.</p><p>Schnitz pie, is an apple pie made from re-hydrated, dried apple slices. I sometimes add raisins. The hens have eaten all the raisins I had in the house this time, so these are just plain apple.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1s8TP0BMxM2kK6ChoSFVwokORGsOtLfP1Qf315zCE0esR8TE5bR1MNrBSuRYhVZikycnZWfLT8sTQsnVcf0DmKvRJTmEyyopoYQHSeoyAqe9bLhksRdSh1W7yynJfWQwEZiAaeuKcYXGb/s2048/20201214_105042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1s8TP0BMxM2kK6ChoSFVwokORGsOtLfP1Qf315zCE0esR8TE5bR1MNrBSuRYhVZikycnZWfLT8sTQsnVcf0DmKvRJTmEyyopoYQHSeoyAqe9bLhksRdSh1W7yynJfWQwEZiAaeuKcYXGb/w150-h200/20201214_105042.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>The recipe is simple and non-exact for the filling.<p></p><p>Place about 2 cups of dried apples slices in a pot and cover with water. They'll float, so push them under. Cover the pot and simmer as low as you can for about 30-40 minutes. You can also use apple juice, or a combination of apple juice and water.<br /></p><p>Drain the apples. I simply pour the now re-hydrated apples into my small mixing bowl with the flat beat attachment, or even the smaller whisk attachment. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-TwELzpvyq45ZkBQkQC4ya517Xrh19otgtw0t2MqKY6beYomeuCjPN6g6y2gT18jtxDmMR4X8NoIpQ5ym4sY98bzZkYZ1snJQfYxyA_gaICkwLOI-zN2mpvogMRtd1xEaVMxSoNgejZV/s2048/20201214_121057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-TwELzpvyq45ZkBQkQC4ya517Xrh19otgtw0t2MqKY6beYomeuCjPN6g6y2gT18jtxDmMR4X8NoIpQ5ym4sY98bzZkYZ1snJQfYxyA_gaICkwLOI-zN2mpvogMRtd1xEaVMxSoNgejZV/w200-h150/20201214_121057.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I then add:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sGE8z4rCwURQ5u-803CSFF2rkvHM7bCtMQx-C3Q4YfXUUfUSpjtmPlfZ3ipuJ1-pFxDI5uQah-z7JMUUUEbnSuVgy0fty0oR1WvQx0M-dMF12TK74BBiAT-3vuYKCGoQ0txu9E7wnaOz/s2048/20201214_121304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sGE8z4rCwURQ5u-803CSFF2rkvHM7bCtMQx-C3Q4YfXUUfUSpjtmPlfZ3ipuJ1-pFxDI5uQah-z7JMUUUEbnSuVgy0fty0oR1WvQx0M-dMF12TK74BBiAT-3vuYKCGoQ0txu9E7wnaOz/w200-h150/20201214_121304.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>2 teaspoons of cinnamon<p></p><p>2 Tablespoons of brown sugar</p><p>dash of salt</p><p>dash of of Nordic Spice (optional)</p><p>I gently work the apples and spices until they are almost a paste, but still have texture.</p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VMHKBwfCbONtUZknTP2hQXGTCGyQffZlpuiKfMj0fJ8o05TMGiilnks-v-yl1iDKp2TvVYo1RpiikcbOQzwVpRIKqCwEhDaCGdomQT5Rn7O7U8vtqYZLJ9c-hw8ZDRFn04Cnu2de08Aa/s2048/20201214_135536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3VMHKBwfCbONtUZknTP2hQXGTCGyQffZlpuiKfMj0fJ8o05TMGiilnks-v-yl1iDKp2TvVYo1RpiikcbOQzwVpRIKqCwEhDaCGdomQT5Rn7O7U8vtqYZLJ9c-hw8ZDRFn04Cnu2de08Aa/w150-h200/20201214_135536.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>For the dough you can use store bought biscuit or pie dough or you can use your own favorite recipe. The trick it to make it thin so it cooks through in the hot oil.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfNjYRXlkLwS2a_cIzf6Kddd6UOSPxF71ERskSuRdPRCAQweOKWzLNjUBNxRTjXb8fy7d6RkngNw1Xtp7cAf-phA4NXz3Pjne0kbyjlD3E9QQ9MJhvNViV3O1uOJtMsM_lDaxQTUJ6upM/s2048/20201214_142104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfNjYRXlkLwS2a_cIzf6Kddd6UOSPxF71ERskSuRdPRCAQweOKWzLNjUBNxRTjXb8fy7d6RkngNw1Xtp7cAf-phA4NXz3Pjne0kbyjlD3E9QQ9MJhvNViV3O1uOJtMsM_lDaxQTUJ6upM/s320/20201214_142104.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>You can cut large circles and then place filling in the center and fold the dough into a half moon shape, or you can cut two circles, placing one on top of the other - like making ravioli - sealing the edged with a little milk wash and a fork on either shape. I used a biscuit cutter and my ravioli cutter to shape, and seal in one blow.</p><p><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">You then fry at 370 degrees until golden brown, flipping them over when needed, and then remove and allow to drain. </p></blockquote></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Dust with powdered sugar if you like.</p></blockquote></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeGo4aKALOXZYKsP67oOv8kiE6VEnOK7vgxfFz1p73NPy3ITWIZQh9HyfUWVFedtUXBJtHxrUPMoXK16VuKoZXhyS8gN0higA0HqgECUmBhrIzFnWvjuSyRbVwbWutRg5FN1EeCGF73yX/s648/20201214_160822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="648" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeGo4aKALOXZYKsP67oOv8kiE6VEnOK7vgxfFz1p73NPy3ITWIZQh9HyfUWVFedtUXBJtHxrUPMoXK16VuKoZXhyS8gN0higA0HqgECUmBhrIzFnWvjuSyRbVwbWutRg5FN1EeCGF73yX/w400-h301/20201214_160822.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p>Carylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10753084297516102948noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-30507154630011758332020-12-18T21:13:00.001-06:002021-01-06T17:02:01.977-06:00Farmer's Cheese<p> Well it turns out that I haven't posted here about making Farmer's cheese. I can't believe it, but it's true. I only mentioned it <a href="http://dunrovinstation.blogspot.com/2020/03/hello-spring.html">here</a>. The next time I make it, I'll add photos to this.</p><p><br /></p><p>Farmer's cheese is just about the easiest cheese you can make at home. You don't need special equipment. You don't need rennet or junket. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUE6RfZuCa54shyphenhyphenrXLDVcsYOpeq4zFnP_mvx8_yQI1jPcDPA51G3Zb0anYjtQb1D7N1ncU2BhoLUPd2CYEuBXqGIgEdcbcy18rWYblKjstz0v60m4_ZGgaHUKwC8tuqoX5xgLYkCH8ALTn/s2048/20210106_123445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUE6RfZuCa54shyphenhyphenrXLDVcsYOpeq4zFnP_mvx8_yQI1jPcDPA51G3Zb0anYjtQb1D7N1ncU2BhoLUPd2CYEuBXqGIgEdcbcy18rWYblKjstz0v60m4_ZGgaHUKwC8tuqoX5xgLYkCH8ALTn/s320/20210106_123445.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>You simply need a large heavy pot, like enameled cast iron or thick bottomed stainless steel.<br /><p></p><p>Depending on how much cheese you want to make will depend on how large a pot and how much milk you will need. </p><p>To give you an idea, I usually just use a gallon of good quality WHOLE milk and then use my 8qt stainless steel double bottom spaghetti sauce pot. From that I get 1 pound and 6ish ounces of cheese curds.</p><p>You can easily adjust this to a half a gallon of milk.</p><p><br /></p><p>So what is Farmer's cheese? It lies somewhere between the world of Ricotta and Cottage cheese. It is just the curds from heavy milk, that are drained, pressed, salted, and if you want to go nuts, seasoned.</p><p>NOW what do you do with it?</p><p>I use it like ricotta and mix it with egg and seasoning to fill stuffed shells or sprinkle in lasagna or on top of pizza, or in quiche or on salads.</p><p><br /></p><p>BUT more likely than not, it is salted, seasoned, and pressed into an inexpensive cheese mold and then served as a high protein snack with crackers. </p><p>I use the collected whey from the process for my liquid in bread making. It's a sneaky way to add protein to your bread.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK90xgY1YNbdvzZ3P27l-5D94x5pIqS5NyjTon2Wu3tncIKm4C0M8xY68h65K3jvbXg8MudgJQ5xmA9Ns499GGV3ETbhcPbVD_9ixPXQKlOdO1Sm7PZbtQBufy-LLQOtn79GQBDA0rfzMX/s2048/20210106_131257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK90xgY1YNbdvzZ3P27l-5D94x5pIqS5NyjTon2Wu3tncIKm4C0M8xY68h65K3jvbXg8MudgJQ5xmA9Ns499GGV3ETbhcPbVD_9ixPXQKlOdO1Sm7PZbtQBufy-LLQOtn79GQBDA0rfzMX/s320/20210106_131257.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>You simply pour your milk (DO NOT use high filtered milk like Fairlife) into your pot and set the burner to medium and get it warming up. The fattier your milk, the more curds you will get. This is where I will toss any cream in the fridge that is close it it's date as well. <p></p><p>I DO NOT SALT MY MILK. Save the salt for the end. </p><p> You don't want to get it to a boil, you're looking for just below a simmer. It will start to get bubbly and foamy on the top.</p><br /><p><br /></p><p>Stir it on occasion while you are setting up the draining area:</p><p>I cut about 3 feet of kitchen cotton string and have it handy too. You will gather the ends of the towel later and hang it from a cabinet knob to drain.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIgxoifbFqq_eEYL65lYWgwuzmcZdbWjJDs6_TzwDgzvpStPABZUhrxblk8QnshIhtbt7-Tnsdu4zNFbbIyQmxaBAE9opW_xFtNkMqheklxC6O-C_qY_pgeHwDUBHeCInbpanN_rtFB8F/s2048/20210106_131955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIgxoifbFqq_eEYL65lYWgwuzmcZdbWjJDs6_TzwDgzvpStPABZUhrxblk8QnshIhtbt7-Tnsdu4zNFbbIyQmxaBAE9opW_xFtNkMqheklxC6O-C_qY_pgeHwDUBHeCInbpanN_rtFB8F/s320/20210106_131955.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Mixing bowl for salting and seasoning.<p></p><p>I put a 6 qt bowl in the sink and place a colander on that. Over the colander I lay a clean flour sack dish towel.<br /></p><p>++++++++++++++++++++++++</p><p>OK back to the almost simmering milk. Turn off your heat and give it a good stir.</p><p>ADD for each half gallon of milk a 1/4 of a cup of acid. That's right, just dump it in and stir it for a few seconds. The division of curds and whey should be almost instantaneous. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBkhI-zu2zDS4YKcdaRXvnsAUr4prE8HFT4mxNYQd8euvzXlZgNmRp3N4G5jAzpCpJIBr-yxfGTCCibSyRxBcQuavADqO4N7FjRUd_rEHBPw6CHeOerHpsVYmqjCbzBZF7jix0VD_AYsw/s2048/20210106_131305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBkhI-zu2zDS4YKcdaRXvnsAUr4prE8HFT4mxNYQd8euvzXlZgNmRp3N4G5jAzpCpJIBr-yxfGTCCibSyRxBcQuavADqO4N7FjRUd_rEHBPw6CHeOerHpsVYmqjCbzBZF7jix0VD_AYsw/s320/20210106_131305.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />( They whey should almost look like weird lemonade. You can add a little more acid if you think it still looks too milky.) Then STOP and put the spoon down.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNlxd94YBJDcucnEtr9gnih29Vbsx4nuWGiOCjUFuxthxWMf7K900OOcKx7sQng8s9WFV7j9BvVbMcvjnr_qNZsVKsqKX3duTG5eAvVjI1S5IjHcDI8AIvzR7foSOaAe3ZlECavUQgprL/s2048/20210106_131438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNlxd94YBJDcucnEtr9gnih29Vbsx4nuWGiOCjUFuxthxWMf7K900OOcKx7sQng8s9WFV7j9BvVbMcvjnr_qNZsVKsqKX3duTG5eAvVjI1S5IjHcDI8AIvzR7foSOaAe3ZlECavUQgprL/s320/20210106_131438.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>ACID?!?!?!? yes, but you've got it already, I promise. You can use vinegar or lemon juice. Some people use all lemon juice and some all vinegar. I prefer a 50/50 mix as the citric acid stays in the whey and helps my yeast rise in my breads. (remember you save the whey)</p><p>Let it just sit there for 20 whole minutes, no heat, no stirring.</p><p>When your time is up, pour your curds and whey slowly onto the dish towel that is lining the colander, over the bowl.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xcVJWLU8mcVlfB76M2QDBWY060e4CkEzJSKtrhkFlllilGoNtJGOEasu0E5ynN0NsLEP_JihEZbZfpv9YnBULcqOPgscHeFss-qBqZ0ZFb0mWenibVVsq1jdZn5MwnHp2n0JmL0TLzIK/s2048/20210106_134744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5xcVJWLU8mcVlfB76M2QDBWY060e4CkEzJSKtrhkFlllilGoNtJGOEasu0E5ynN0NsLEP_JihEZbZfpv9YnBULcqOPgscHeFss-qBqZ0ZFb0mWenibVVsq1jdZn5MwnHp2n0JmL0TLzIK/s320/20210106_134744.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Gather up all the sides of the towel and tie and hang from a knob on your cabinets to drain for a few minutes. Either over the sink or a spare bowl.</p><p>Resist the urge to squeeze your cheese.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtRF4n_9_8ZC6S2QxUsCMozP8bB3XrmpCC4TffD4If-3JzbDfs2tpADYGoap5Qc46pQxkZQpXn4meD63qPZXWxRctFVWh54Bt5GZYMlPQrQwKmknz0e8XSBEEy7lN_oihOPDebyD4DBX2/s2048/20210106_134803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtRF4n_9_8ZC6S2QxUsCMozP8bB3XrmpCC4TffD4If-3JzbDfs2tpADYGoap5Qc46pQxkZQpXn4meD63qPZXWxRctFVWh54Bt5GZYMlPQrQwKmknz0e8XSBEEy7lN_oihOPDebyD4DBX2/s320/20210106_134803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The more whey you remove the drier your cheese. Good for some applications/final products not for others. </p><p>When it feels like a blob of dough in a sack, pour your curds into a bowl and add salt, go easy to start, like 1/4 teaspoon and mix well. Taste. Need more? add more.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjtC7CgOfihKn2-ybAstCt04dA_v5J1BK4PH_X_pgvI9rVSDCRbssUnRi2VJsJt8eIudBS4XZvxPqQ2BQkKigLD2F8IJ86uFwsOLF8Js2VRj3-dlDdSCoo5a8ulE0Dg8VLwfwasRS6KLj/s2048/20210106_135146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjtC7CgOfihKn2-ybAstCt04dA_v5J1BK4PH_X_pgvI9rVSDCRbssUnRi2VJsJt8eIudBS4XZvxPqQ2BQkKigLD2F8IJ86uFwsOLF8Js2VRj3-dlDdSCoo5a8ulE0Dg8VLwfwasRS6KLj/s320/20210106_135146.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I also add garlic powder, onion powder and fresh cracked pepper and paprika. Go crazy. Release your inner mad scientist. (dill is good too, basil, oregano, sure! Why not?!) Even cinnamon and sugar with pecans is amazing!<p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPTawE4LzlT0DQLsFUTJwvXonzmjxA3EcybWXIPKm8SrMF0j3oE_NZFkfeZgIj-1esj2zItDjecxsZ0PTu0Cw6s2s_eBL68ef3bnfFzQGwqqPz9R9LIKxfgnSCtJd87tjnAKYBVCtItIx/s2048/20210106_135428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPTawE4LzlT0DQLsFUTJwvXonzmjxA3EcybWXIPKm8SrMF0j3oE_NZFkfeZgIj-1esj2zItDjecxsZ0PTu0Cw6s2s_eBL68ef3bnfFzQGwqqPz9R9LIKxfgnSCtJd87tjnAKYBVCtItIx/s320/20210106_135428.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Now put your mixed curds into a press and un-mold later, or if you don't have a mold, simply put back into the dish towel and roll and twist and squeeze it into a ball and turn out on to a plate.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHh1SYvBN-eYnkdIgy93w8MMJ3rt6JEE6zXTeEMSMTV1au5_LO-G5rosRzpPamygNxITC67sYhyFR9S6HSReX9GAwTapvnzOK3qonV0U8vZvoMj6DDOWqUY9XtEXVvNxZJfLYIb6ktO4q/s2048/20210106_164446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjHh1SYvBN-eYnkdIgy93w8MMJ3rt6JEE6zXTeEMSMTV1au5_LO-G5rosRzpPamygNxITC67sYhyFR9S6HSReX9GAwTapvnzOK3qonV0U8vZvoMj6DDOWqUY9XtEXVvNxZJfLYIb6ktO4q/s320/20210106_164446.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Store wrapped or covered with plastic wrap or in a sealed container. Use in less than 7 days. We have frozen it for crumbling use later, but not for spreading or slicing.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Caryl http://www.blogger.com/profile/01909790086455266299noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016158772323988313.post-33334294819173637382020-12-18T18:16:00.000-06:002020-12-18T18:16:09.004-06:00Ostakaka<p> Sounds weird, right?</p><p>Like a crazy joke from a 5 year old, 'what's for dessert mom? KAKA?'</p><p><br /></p><p>But seriously, it literally translates as cheesecake. But this isn't your instant Jell-O brand sour pudding cheesecake, nor is it the dense, sugary, mile-high, graham cracker crusted dessert of New York City or Chicago. It is not so much an acquired taste, as it has to deal with texture. It is not smooth and creamy like American cheesecakes. Think of it as custard and cheesecake having a baby.</p><p>This is the Scandinavian version of cheesecake, usually saved for Advent/Christmas, or other special events. In American recipes, people have taken to substituting cottage cheese. While I have never done that, even in a pinch, I suppose it would work. The curds of American cottage cheese, it would seem to me to contribute the the chunky texture that puts off so many people. </p><p>So what do I do?</p><p>I make my own cheese base. The recipe itself is very simple, both for the cheese and for the ostakaka (Cheese-cake)</p><p>I use the same recipe for the farmer's cheese that I have previously posted and don't forget to save that whey for other projects!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcl3AhwriKm0LHhzqGnbWCeG0j0EwX9KMM2doEsaFUhChvKcfXmE9FAwIdqSq_DD30cUTB7gn3TjyEkJktu7YbBUSfKiHeHtChTZ8-yHIiwloHrNLU2_g-WWHXoHxTb1bHLyzcbepU1o/s2048/20201218_152732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcl3AhwriKm0LHhzqGnbWCeG0j0EwX9KMM2doEsaFUhChvKcfXmE9FAwIdqSq_DD30cUTB7gn3TjyEkJktu7YbBUSfKiHeHtChTZ8-yHIiwloHrNLU2_g-WWHXoHxTb1bHLyzcbepU1o/s320/20201218_152732.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>For the Ostakaka you will need 16 ounces of curds from your 1 gallon of whole milk cheese recipe. DO NOT ADD ANY salt. Also do not drain it as long as you normally would. You can leave it a little more wet than normal. </p><p>****If you have extra curds from your gallon of milk, then put it aside for a snack while your casserole dish is in the oven.</p><p>Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and find yourself a 2qt casserole dish.</p><p>Add your cooled curds to your mixing bowl with the flat beater attachment or normal beaters and add the following:</p><p>3 eggs</p><p>Mix until the curds are fine and the eggs are well incorporated</p><p>Add:</p><p>1/2 cup white sugar</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguq5zt1P9ATRUj5f9yrjltOELrdgBsc0Tyvqyz4_dthVu0SoNbhmIioe3kwvPAGYUoEQUP_xesWR9apwA9pEvj0D9R5n9lEGxYmnnay_pmNwbrM16XYwB4hCg3eO-TvW9jb1sCG9xOgZg/s2048/20201218_153424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguq5zt1P9ATRUj5f9yrjltOELrdgBsc0Tyvqyz4_dthVu0SoNbhmIioe3kwvPAGYUoEQUP_xesWR9apwA9pEvj0D9R5n9lEGxYmnnay_pmNwbrM16XYwB4hCg3eO-TvW9jb1sCG9xOgZg/s320/20201218_153424.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>1 1/2 Tablespoons of flour<p></p><p>1/2 teaspoon of salt</p><p>1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract</p><p>1 teaspoon of almond extract</p><p>(Optional, but I like mine with 1/2 t cinnamon, a dash of ginger, sprinkle of cardamom, and maybe nutmeg)</p><p>Mix well at slower speed.</p><p>Slowly add in 2 cups of Half-and-half.</p><p>Continue to mix until the batter resembles loose cake batter with tiny bits of cheese curd in it.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUk9MR16iMgDdGaH1Ulnl3PXVPczmtzbDh5c_4G-5fXIr-kz3feei_ZHW5UvRIJxYN9MshH4Ci__LnVmGM-RkWUAvutNu7gTaKcMW6fsDQ24aEOmRoaMjm_ARj4SLqlb71-jqNobKhgw/s2048/20201218_171047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUk9MR16iMgDdGaH1Ulnl3PXVPczmtzbDh5c_4G-5fXIr-kz3feei_ZHW5UvRIJxYN9MshH4Ci__LnVmGM-RkWUAvutNu7gTaKcMW6fsDQ24aEOmRoaMjm_ARj4SLqlb71-jqNobKhgw/w246-h185/20201218_171047.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>Pour this into your dish and bake 1-1 hour 15 minutes until it looses its wet, jiggly properties and is very lightly browned.<p></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>You can serve this warm or cold. (I prefer mine cold)</p><p>And it is traditional to serve it with <span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 17px;">lingonberries, lingonberry jam, or </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 17px;">lingonberry syrup.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZtkEG7K59B0O4m-XaaeX9DRCmp6GJeblhU1T-CINSxbcfA8uxGhhiYBjQzP4Nc2TmsCJAm_1j-eMuFaV2QmO-7J3pMFuhbtN_WoBsjy07xouHpX1R8Kg5GDdwP9n8W1nvrRADeZoSbo/s2048/20201218_173516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZtkEG7K59B0O4m-XaaeX9DRCmp6GJeblhU1T-CINSxbcfA8uxGhhiYBjQzP4Nc2TmsCJAm_1j-eMuFaV2QmO-7J3pMFuhbtN_WoBsjy07xouHpX1R8Kg5GDdwP9n8W1nvrRADeZoSbo/s320/20201218_173516.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 17px;">The slight sweetness of the Ostakaka helps tame the tartness of the berries. If you really don't want to deal with the tart, then you can substitute with strawberries, raspberries or anything else you like. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 17px;">Enjoy.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #303030; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #303030; font-family: Merriweather, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px;">***I've had a lot of questions about where I obtain Lingonberry products. Of course you can find it on Amazon (no affiliation or kickbacks) or Scandinavian store, but the oddest place I have found it reliably, is Tuesday Morning! So if you have one nearby still, check them out.</span></span></p>Caryl http://www.blogger.com/profile/01909790086455266299noreply@blogger.com0