New Years Eve

Another year has come and gone.  They seem to fly by as I get older.

Many people make resolutions for the upcoming year.  I don't.  If I identify something in my life that needs to change, I contemplate & decide what it is I need to do about that particular issue.  I then make that change.

My thought processes resemble this...

Sometime I think so long and hard, I get lost in there!

I tend to meditate while I accomplish so repetitive task, such as spinning or pulling weed.  A simple but time consuming task.  Required, but mind-numbingly boring.  Exactly the activity I need to get into meditation mode.

Do you meditate?  When did you start?  I started very early in life.  Before I ever knew it was called "meditation".  I've always been a very kinesthetic person.  Sitting still is torture for me!  I must DO something....anything.  As a young child, 3 or 4, I discovered I could accomplish those repetitive tasks if I let my mind wander.  Traveling is what I called it.  My husband tells me that when I'm "traveling" I don't hear anyone talking to me.  That's true.  Because my focus is "out there", not here.

When I'm traveling, I check our property boundary, check on the spring, check on the people I care about. I try to make sure everyone and everything is ok.  Then I turn my focus inward & check on my self.  My body, my mental health.  Then, lastly, I check to see if my attention is required anywhere else.

This usually takes me about 20 minutes.  I do this every day.  It's part of my daily routine.

Christmas has come and gone... thinking about long term food storage.

The day after Christmas is a real letdown for some people.  The frenzy of gift buying and exchanging really ramps up the emotions, especially for the kids.

The three of us stayed home, warm and cozy.  I baked the pheasant our friend Erika brought us.  It was excellent.  I baked it at 350 for 2 hours, and then uncovered at 400 for 30 minutes.  I made stuffing with our homebaked bread, then covered the bird with our home raised bacon.  Yummy!

We have no plans for New Years Eve.  I probably won't even stay up... The "year" will roll along without my vigil..

I don't make a resolution each year.  I'm of the belief that I should make changes when I recognize they need to be made - not when some artificial event dictates.

I've been thinking about our long-term food storage, and I need to reorganize/inventory what we have.  Over time, I've used up some supplies & haven't restocked.  An example would be toothpaste.  My husband prefers a certain brand, and when he needed a new tube there wasn't any.  I need to pay more attention to items like that.  We have lots of band aids, not so many bottles of peroxide.

We have plenty of dehydrated fruits and vegetables.  Not much flour, because I've been using more than I have bought.  I needed to rotate through our stock to keep our reserves fresh... but I've used it all up.  I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention.

I have 4 different places I like to get my long term food stocks.  The first is Country Life Natural Foods.
The have a wonderful selection and excellent prices.

We also love to go visit Dalton Country Store. You can find almost anything here!  Bulk dried ingredients, chicken food, organic butter, pie, spices, cheese.  In fact, their deli selection is amazing!  People make a special trip just to have a sandwich made here.  The folks who run the store are very nice. And scenery along the drive is wonderful.

Smart Choice frozen foods can be purchased online through their community ministry.  We used to purchase from their selections almost every month.  But, I am allergic to legumes... and a majority of their items have either beans or peas.  If you didn't have any issues with food allergies, Smart Choice is a great resource.


Meadowbrook-Natural Foods West Plains, MO is a great store. Their wide selections of bulk foods makes it worth the drive for us.

Winter water woes

Just the other day, John & I were talking about the most difficult issue to deal with when living "off grid".  In our case, "off grid" does NOT include lack of electricity.  We're on the grid & we like it that way.

No, our most difficult issue is water.  Having pump issues, or frozen lines, really makes life challenging.  And so this morning, we have no water.  I almost feel like we jinxed ourselves!  We have plenty of stored water for drinking/cooking.  But not for showers or toilet flushing.  I can go a few days without a shower.  But not flushing the toilet isn't so good.... YUCK!

So when my hubby and son were finished with their breakfast, the started the Great Frozen Waterline Adventure...

First, they checked under the kitchen sink, where the water line enters the house.  Nope, no ice there.  So out come the winter coveralls, gloves & hat, boots (it was 8F after all).  And they trudge out to the pump house.  They wrestle with the roof/top to expose the pump & small tank.  DAMN RATS!!! Or evil chipmunks. Some little rodent-type critter has been stealing all the fiberglass insulation and now the connection for the pump and the tank are exposed & frozen.  Now, they trudge out to the workshop and get the small propane torch.  Five minutes later, we have water.

Out comes more insulation & a few packets of rat poison.  The top is back on & we're back to life as normal.

I am so glad this problem was so easy to fix.

Winter is coming!

Ten days until Christmas.  Wow. The past month has really flown by!  It's hard to believe it's been almost a month since I got back from PA.

I've been working on gifts & charity knitting objects.  And baking, of course.I haven't gotten much weaving done.  Oh well, there will be plenty of time during the upcoming winter season.

The weather forecast is looking very odd.  Here's what KAIT 8 has to say...

We have all kinds of weather to talk about over the next few days. Tonight, colder air will continue to push into Region 8 and overnight lows will go into the low and mid 20s. Tomorrow looks very cold, with many areas not warming much above freezing. Warm air surges into Region 8 LATE on Friday, giving way to a few showers and storms. We start our Saturday with temperatures in the 60s, but end the day in the 20s with a chance of light sleet or snow. Any accumulations will be light. VERY cold air for Sunday and Monday. -Ryan

Brrrr.  Sounds like I'll be staying in side this weekend.

I need to get the lamp in the chicken run, my birdies need to stay warm.  I also need to make sure the plants in the greenhouse survive.  Busy, busy.

I'm hoping to get all the packages in the mail today.

Kidney stones

I had follow-up appointment with Dr Emery, the urologist, last Wednesday the 30th, in Cherokee Village.  I had to get an x-ray of my kidneys before the appointment.

He's a very good doctor.  Professional, friendly and very thorough.  The x-ray revealed I once again have a large kidney stone in my left kidney. I was scheduled for  lithotripsy  (Kidneystones shockwave treatment ) in Batesville yesterday.  I had to get another x-ray prior to the procedure. Everything went well.  We stopped at The Pill Box in Highland (Davis Drug Store Inc ) to pick up some medications and arrived home safe and sound.

Now I just have to pass the pieces....  Fun, fun, fun!

I've been knitting away on my Christmas list. Hats for Children's Hospital, Knititng for Noggins. Knitting for Noggins

I got the slippers for my nieces finished & mailed off.  Sadly, Nevaeh's are too small.  So I'll be making her another pair.

I also ordered yarn from Knit Pics (Knit Picks.com) to crochet a blanket for Nevaeh.  I'm not sure how it happened, but she never got a baby blanket.  So now she'll be getting a big girl blanket.  Nevaeh's sick a lot, she has a compromised immune system (e-coli infection from contact with her dad's turtles).  I know when I don't feel well I always want to cuddle up in my blanket.  I'll be adding all the love and care I can into this one for her.  I'll make her slippers that fit with this same yarn.  I added this project to my Ravelry queue.  Nevaehs pink blanket

Puttering around the homestead.

The calendar has rolled around to December, and it's time to get ready for the cold weather.  Joshua has been cutting, splitting and stacking wood.  John & Josh got the air conditioners out of the windows.  I got the chicken runs covered with plastic.

Yesterday, I finished putting the plants into the greenhouse.  Then I put some empty 5 gallon buckets in, which I will fill with water.  These will help keep the humidity and temperature more stable.  I dug up one of the bell pepper plants and planted it in a container.  I also spread some heirloom tomato seeds in another container.  I dug up starts from 2 of my mint plants.  One peppermint and one spearmint. I put these in the house.

I picked all the green tomatoes still on the vines.  I have quite a few! And two bell peppers.

Green tomatoes & bell peppers

We had some building supplies in the carport that needed to be brought in to prevent freezing.

The repair technician came yesterday and made the repairs to our washer.  I asked him what he was replacing.  He told me he took two plastic hinges our and put 4 metal hinges in, so the lid could not fly off.  That would be a good thing!

Our hunting neighbor, Jennifer, took her large deer to the meat processor and had summer sausage made.  We offered to pay for part of the cost of processing so we could get some of the sausage.  This helps Jennifer with the cost, and helps us get some "non-pork" meat in our freezer.  The chest freezer is full of pork.  And I do mean full.  Both freezers in the house are full of fruit for smoothies and other meats and cheeses.

I went through our canned meat, and realized we've eaten up all the beef and chicken.  That's right.  We have a pantry of canned pork.  And the odd squirrel or quail.  I will be canning some chicken and beef in the near future.

I checked on the food stored in the storm shelter.  Our number 10 cans of dehydrated fruits and veggies are still sealed, so these will be our long term food storage.  These cans will be edible 10 years from now.  That is my idea of long term!  We also have dried fruit, bulk rice, bulk flour and dried potatoes in vacuum sealed bags & jars.  I'd say we have more than 6 months worth of food.

I asked Josh if he likes fudge.  He does.  So I decided to make some chocolate marshmallow fudge.  Well, either our thermometer is off... or I am.  I stood at the stove for 90 minutes straight, stirring the pot!  When the mixture finally reached 235 degrees, I poured it into the pie tins I had prepared.  I warned the guys NOT to touch the tins as they are VERY hot!  After several hours, I put the tins in the fridge.  Josh got one out to see how yummy the fudge was and discovered we have caramels not fudge.  He cut it into squares, and I tried one.  They are excellent! Here's a recipe. I didn't add the corn syrup, but I did add marshmallow fluff.

Mom's caramels recipe

I had an appointment with the urologist on Thursday,  I had to get an Xray beforehand.  The Xray showed I have another large kidney stone in my left kidney.  I will be having a procedure on the 8th, using ultrasound to break this up.  I had the same procedure 2 years ago and it worked well.  I hope it goes as smoothly this time.  Passing the stone fragments up isn't fun, but I really don't want to keep the fragments in my kidney either!

I finished crocheting slippers for my niece's daughters & got those in the mail.  They came out very well.

Nevaeh's slippers

Revan's slippers

I've also been knitting a variety of hats on my knitting looms.  I hope to get them in the mail to Children's Hospital this week.  They have a great program called Knitting for Noggens.  I participate every year.

Baking...

My husband, John, tried to convince me he didn't really like sweets.... Really, Mr. Little Debbie's addict?

John also loves my home baking.  He likes Makes It's Own Crust peach cake/pie... a great old "dump cake" recipe.
Crazy Crust Peach Cobbler

He also likes baked custard.  I have written several posts about making custard before.... Check the links.

Baked custard

And cheese cake.

Italian cream cheese and ricotta cheesecake

And Carrot cake.  OK, I admit I use a mix for carrot cake.

Dunkin Hines carrot cake mix

But his favorite is old fashioned, home made fruit cake.  I'm not talking that hard, dry, nasty stuff you can buy at this time of year.  I'm talking wonderful, fruity goodness.  Here's the recipe I use.  Try it yourself.  It's great!

Old fashioned fruit cake

I used to bake cookies, nut log, cheese danish.  But we don't travel to Georgia anymore, so I don't do all that baking for the family gift exchange. John, Joshua and I can't eat all those sweets.  So today, fruit cake is the mission.

Getting ready for winter

While I was visiting family in Pennsylvania, John & Josh worked on the greenhouse.  It's now ready for the plants.  I spent about half an hour yesterday getting them all inside.  I will be doing some more work on the interior... putting some rocks around the perimeter too keep out little rodents, putting in some 5 gallon buckets full of water to help raise the humidity & act as a heat mass, starting any seeds we want to grow over the winter (tomato & bell pepper come to mind).

The greenhouse.  The door is on the left, out of the picture.

The roof is really interesting.  This plastic is very strong.

I also got the chicken enclosure covered in plastic.  It's getting down to around freezing at night now, and the highs will only be in the mid 50's.  I've been covering the chickens for a few winters now, and I haven't had damage on their combs or feet.  This is a great improvement.

What the cages looked like after an ice storm last winter.

Frozen chicken is great in the freezer, not in the chicken house.

We've stayed close to home the past few days.  The stores are always crazy the week of Thanksgiving.  First, all those folks are in the grocery store buying all the items they need for the annual feast.  Then, BLACK FRIDAY...  I've never been shopping on Black Friday.  I don't understand waiting in line, in the cold, pushing & shoving & fighting.  Just plain crazy , in my humble opinion.

I did some baking in the past few days. Two pumpkin pies & a peach "dump cake".  The guys have been eating well!  We had ham & potatoes au gratin for our Thanksgiving meal.  Very tasty.

Knitting for the family

Every year, I stress my self out trying to knit or crochet something special for the members of my extended family.  I really believe Christmas is for the kids. The little ones are the ones I try to focus on.

My nieces and nephews are all grown up now.  My step kids are too.  My granddaughter, Ariel, turns 14 today.  WOW!  That doesn't seem possible.  My niece, Tricia, has 2 little girls; Nevaeh and Revan.  I'm crocheting slippers for them right now.

I made Ariel some special socks, 1 pair just because, and 1 for her birthday.  I'm working for a pair of socks for Tammy (my step daughter), for Christmas.  I will also try to get a pair of socks made for Tammy's partner Rickie.

I also knit hats on my knitting looms, which I send to Children's Hospital in Little Rock.  I really love sending hats of all sizes.  All those sick little ones need a nice warm hat.  A good hat in cold weather makes everyone feel better.

I knitted several hats and a scarf before I went to PA this month.... I recently finished a huge crocheted afghan, Mandala Madness, which I am keeping for myself.  I rarely keep anything I make, I like giving my handmade items to people I love.

Mandala Madness

I track most of my projects with Ravelry.  My username is PennyTeem.  You can check out what I'm working on, if you're interested.

I am still weaving dishtowels with the pattern Ariel used over the summer.  I finished and passed out 4 all ready.  I have 4 more on the loom, and will probably have enough warp for 3 more.

Ariel weaving on a jack loom for the first time

I knitted/crocheted Nevaeh & Revan some stuffed animals earlier in the year.  They really love them. Revan will not sleep without her giraffe.

Nevaeh's hippo

Revan's giraffe

Thanksgiving thoughts - helping friends in need...

Today, Tuesday November 22nd, has me thinking of Thanksgiving.

When I was in PA last week, the folks in my Mom's apartment building had their annual Thanksgiving turkey dinner.  There were about 40 people present.  This was a catered event.  The food was great.  Our table companions were interesting. The elderly married couple seated with us have been married almost 70 years!  Wow! And the lady seated to my left was their flower girl!  Holy cow!

My mother's friend, Pat, was seated to my right - between Mom and I.  Pat had purchased her first house from this lovely couple back in the 1970's.  Again, WOW!

That was on Wednesday, the 16th.

Pat is wheelchair bound.  She's lived in the apartment building for 18 years.  She & my mother have been friends for 15 years.  The watch the NASCAR races every Sunday.  They cook meals together.  Good friends, for sure.

On Thursday, Mom and I went driving to Benton, PA to check out some antique stores.  We had a great time.  When we got back, Mom got a call from Pat's medical emergency monitor that she had fallen.  We hurried over to Pat's apartment.  Pat was lying on the floor in her bathroom.  She seems to be rather unfazed by this fact.  Mom and I got her back into her wheelchair.  She insisted she was fine, but did admit she'd fallen 5 times that day.  This really distressed my mother.

She felt bad that Pat had such a bad day, while we were out enjoying the sunshine.  She didn't really say anything about it.  But I knew she had wished she'd been around to help Pat when she was needed.

I left for the airport very early Friday morning.  My husband and son picked me up in Little Rock, and we drove home in the rain.

When we got home, I called Mom to see how Pat was feeling.  Pat's daughter Becky had called 9-1-1 early that morning.  And just a few moments before I called, Becky had called and informed Mom that Pat had passed away.

I'm glad I had an opportunity to get to know Pat over the past week.  I'm glad I had an opportunity to help her when she needed help, even if it was only to help her when she fell.  I'm glad I got to eat Thanksgiving dinner with her.  What could be more appropriate?  Thanksgiving is about taking the time to be thankful for the people we have in our lives.  For the fact that we have family, a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. It's not about parades, football games or super shopping opportunities.  It's expressing the love we have in our hearts to the people we care about.

So in closing, I want to say "I love you" to my family and friends.  To the people who I see in my daily life.  Thanks for sharing this big old crazy ball flying through space with me.  I'm glad we're here together.

Visiting Pennsylvania, or why I hate keyless cars!

I spent the past week visiting with my family in NE PA.  I left Arkansas on a late flight out of Little Rock on Veteran's day.  I had a short layover in Atlanta, and then continued on to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton airport in Avoca.  We landed a few minutes before midnight.

My first mission was to pick up the rental car I reserved with Hertz.  When I talked to the counter person, she informed me that I could only rent a car using a major credit card.  No debit cards!  Then why didn't they advertise this fact on the website I used to make the reservation?!  ARGH!  So, what's my option at midnight??

Luckily, Avis accepts debit cards.  Hurray, I'm saved.  I completed the forms, signed and received the fobs.  OK.  So, I headed out the door.  BRRRRRRRRR.  It's windy and cold, 34F.  I wandered around in the rental car parking lot for a few minutes and finally found the car.  I unlocked the car, put my carry-on luggage in the trunk, and try to figure out exactly HOW to start this Altima.... Now, my car is a 2006 Scion XB.  No fancy options.  No bluetooth. I don't really understand exactly WHAT bluetooth is.....another wireless technology (not WIFI).  Anyway, I sit there looking at the un-illuminated dashboard.  Wondering.  My niece Tricia calls on the cellphone.  We chat for a moment, and then I ask the ultimate question: "Tricia, how do I start a keyless car?"  "My friend has one, I think she just pushes the START button."  OK.  I try that.  Nope, that doesn't work.  I try several combinations of pushing the start button while trying other things.... Maybe the seat belt has to be on.  Maybe I need to turn the headlights on... Where the hell is the interior light??!!

I finally succeed in finding the interior lights.  The damn bluetooth display says, "Invalid protocol" or some such unhelpful declaration. I finally query Google, "How to start an keyless Altima".  No YouTube videos come right up.  A few blog posts, which weren't very helpful, are available.  Most note that the Altima is a very popular model car.  I'm not impressed so far!

I check the glove compartment, no owner's manual.  Of course not.  Why would you want to look at the owner's manual for a rental car?!  Well, shit!

I have now wasted 20 minutes.  So, in a huff; I unload my carry-on, grab my purse and head back to the Avis counter.  Thankfully, the lady hasn't left yet.  "I can not start this damn car!"

She looked at me like I had 3 heads, "What?"  "I can not start this car!  I have an 11 year old car. With a key.  I have driven since I was 14.  I can start a car, minibike, golf cart, tractor, lawnmower!  Not that damn car!"  She takes the fob and says, "I will check it out, stay here."

After another 10 minutes or so, she pulls up with the car.  "You couldn't start it because you'd had too many failed attempts and it locked you out!".  Great.  So, what is the trick?  "You have 7 seconds from the time you unlock the car to sit in the driver's seat, step on the break & press the START button."  Seven seconds??  and where do I find this information?!!"  "Oh, it's not publicized.  It's a safety feature."  Well, it sure as hell is safe from me!

"OK.  So, how do I start this *&^%#$$%%^&**&&**(### without the fault?!"  "Just step on the break & press the start button."  "Couldn't you have told me this when you gave me the damn fob??!!"  Her reply?  "I thought everyone knew how to start one!"  Well, young lady, NOT EVERYONE owns a new model car!

By this time, it's past 12:30.  I call my mother to inform her I haven't been sucked into the twilight zone... I'm just having technical issues.

So, I get back into the car.  My first task is to make sure I CAN start it.  Step on the break & push the button.  Yes, that works.  The air is now black with my sailor language... but at least I am making progress.

Now I turn to my trusty cell phone & try to get directions from the Avoca airport to Dallas.  I know I have to get onto Interstate 80 (or is it 81??) and make several transfers quickly onto the Cross Valley Expressway.

I left Pennsylvania in 1979 when joined the Navy.  I have visited many times in the early 1980's when I was stationed in Newport, RI.  If I had to fly, one of my relatives always picked me up.  I only visited a few times in the 1990's. I lived in Mount Vernon, WA then.  I visited in 2004 & 2005.  I drove from Georgia for both those visits.  I visited last fall, but I landed during the day.  I have NEVER driven from (or to) the airport in the dark.

Anyway, Google maps indicated I should "head N I-81".  OK...  I notice the bluetooth display still indicated "Invalid protocol".  I follow the signs and manage to find my way out of the airport and on to I-81 north.  As I'm trying to get in the correct lanes, (and miss all the barrels, cones, cement barricades) I try to look at the cellphone display.  I miss a turn, drive several miles before I can turn around.... get off the interstate & turn around.... get back onto the interstate.... and after another 30 minutes see a sign "Binghamton 25"! I'm not supposed to be going to Upstate New York!

Now the air is very black with sailor talk.  "F***** ME!"   I hate driving in Pennsylvania!

I finally manage to get OFF the I-81.  I find a nice, well light & empty parking lot.  My cellphone still indicates "Head N I-81".  What the hell is going on???!!!  At this point, I am ready to happily use dynamite on this Altima.  I notice the "Invalid protocol" again.... Interesting.  So, I start pressing random buttons on the controls near the bluetooth display.    Purely by chance, I finally find a menu for "bluetooth controls" and turn the bluetooth off.  At last!  My cellphone is now responding!  Google maps now indicates I've driven 35 miles in the wrong direction on my 14 mile trip between the airport and my mother's apartment!  CRAP!

It's now after 1:00 AM.  I call my mother, again.  "Oh hi Mom.  I'm fine.  I'm just driving around in circles in the dark.  Oh no, nothing's wrong.  I'm just an idiot who doesn't know how to use technology.  I will be there as soon as I can figure out where I am and how to head in the right direction".

At this point, I must point out: I was an E-6 Intelligence Specialist in the Navy.  I can read maps like nobody's business.  I can navigate in the wood.  I can find my way around satellite imagery.  Make a strip chart. But, I can not get this damn car to stop messing with me!  If I could have located an open gas station or mini mart, I would have purchased a paper map & found 50 ways to get from where I was to where I wanted to go...

Finally, I get Google Maps under control.  I find the route I want (NOT on the Interstate) and make my way to the Cross Valley Expressway.  And by 1:45 I arrive at my mother apartment.  She seems to have taken my vanishing act to New York in stride.  "Come on in.  Would you like some tea?"  "Yes, thanks Mom.  That would be great!"

After using the Altima for a week, I came to the following conclusions:

1 - The 7 second "rule" isn't true.  I could doddle along as long as I wanted after I unlocked the doors.  Open the trunk... Open all the doors...

2 - You CAN NOT open the doors from the inside as long as the engine is on!  WHAT THE HELL??!!  Maybe I WANT to open the door while the car's on.  Maybe someone in just getting in (or out).  Why MUST I shut the car off??!!

3 - The *&^%#@$%&&*(^%$$ bluetooth will NEVER be on when I am trying to use my cellphone.  I do NOT want the car to control my communications!

4 - I am a Luddite!  My younger family members found the whole story intensely amusing. I did NOT.

5 - Websites that don't inform you a major credit card is required for all transactions take advantage of poor, lost and confused middle-aged travelers.  Thank the maker, there was another option.  I guess I would have waited for a bus otherwise...

New washers.....

Several months ago, we had to buy a new washer.  The one we had was having final spin cycle issues.  And then it decided to stop filling... I guess it thought the kitchen floor needed scrubbing too.

So Josh & I headed to Sears in Ash Fat to see what they had available.  We looked at the various models. I finally decided on one, made the purchase & arranged for delivery.  They brought it by the following day.

We were surprised to discover that this particular model plays several little songs when you start the cycle & when the cycle is done.  Great.  My washer sings to me....

When we started using it, the cycle was very quiet.  This was great, because our old one was very noisy.  But as time has passed, the new machine has been getting louder and louder.  And now, it's veeeeerrrrrryyyy loud and makes a banging noise.  CRAP!!!

Now, I know why this happened.  Our washer is being recalled by Samsung.

Samsung-recalls-top-load-washing-machines

Initially, I tried to register online.  But when I tried to schedule an appointment for repair, the webpage failed.  I tried several times.  So on Monday, I called the 1-800 number and waited on hold for 20 minutes.  I eventually just hung up.  Yesterday, I tried again.  After a 15 minute wait, a nice young man helped me get registered and set an appointment.  A technician will be here next Monday to make repairs.  That's pretty fast!

Cold, crisp Sunday morning

November 5th... the year is flying by.

Today we perform that annual Autumn ritual known as Turning the Clock Back.  What a pointless ritual!  Why do we have "daylight savings" time?  How can you save time by manipulating the clock?  It's not like you can add an hour or subtract an hour .... the day remains 24 hours in length.

Ah well.

It seems we still have an armadillo rampaging in our yard and pasture/orchard area.  Near holes appear every night.  The darn thing gets the chickens all excited.  Which gets the dogs excited.  Go away, you armored beasty!

Recently, I was walking from the house to the workshop, and found a new hole it dug the night before.  Here's what it dug up!

Who knows when this camera was lost. We've been here almost 11 years, so it's been longer than that.

New books

I got a few new books through Amazon last week.  I love books relating to my crafts!  I prefer hardcover books, they hold up better through the years.

So, here's the first book.  Homestead Kitchen

We have enjoyed watching Alaska the Last Frontier for years.  This family brings homesteading to TV in a great way.  They are hardworking.  They have strong family values. They are resourceful.

This new book by Eve and Eivin has lots of great recipes and lots of other useful information.  Great pictures. I'm sure this book is going to be in use in my kitchen for years to come.

As I mentioned the other day, I've been interested in applique quilting for years now.  Recycling wool clothing, felting sweaters from the thrift store, making toys or Christmas ornaments, these all interest me.  I saw these 3 books on Amazon and got a great deal on them,

First is Wool Applique Folk Art

Rebekah L. Smith is a real artist!  Her color pallet is very soothing.  The book is full of great pictures & paper patterns for every project.  The step-by-step instructions are very clear.  Even the novice quilter could use this book to start a project and finish it with excellent results. This is an excellent book.

Gorgeous Wool Applique

This book by Deborah Gale Tirico is wonderful!  Appealing projects, excellent instructions and pattern pieces to help you make these heirloom articles for your home.  This is another book that both the novice, and the long-time quilter can use to get great results.

Summertime Sampler

Erica Kaprow's patterns will help you produce brightly colored primitive quilts.  This isn't a book, per se. The pattern pieces are provided, along with step by step instructions.  I really like the bright colors Erica uses.  Happy, sunny.... They made me smile.

Another beautiful Sunday

Fall seems to be one hold once again.  Sure, the leaves are falling but temperatures are back in the mid 80's.  Dang, I put my sweet tea pitcher away already....

Life has been pretty low key lately.  John and Josh did some heavy duty yard clean-up with the tractor.  They moved the band saw mill and relocated the log pile.  They dug a bit deeper in the rain "relief" pit.  And they put a door on the greenhouse.  Now, I need to get to work on the inside.

I've been spinning and weaving and crocheting.  Here's my current weaving project.

Ariel's first ever weaving with 2 shuttles

Making me proud! She's only 13!

Friends Chevelle & Christa come to visit & weave.

I showed my granddaughter Ariel how to use the warping board, and she wound a 5-yard warp.  I had given her rather specific instructions on how to tie it to prevent tangles.  She isn't very attentive, so her warp twisted itself into a huge tangled mess.  So she had to wind another warp.  This warp made it over to the loom in good condition.  While sleying the reed & threading the heddles, she again lost focus.  So she had threads all crossed, out of order or broken off.  That warp also went into the burn box.  Warp number 3 actually made it onto the loom.  We got it wound on without too difficulty, and she started weaving.

Look mom! She's weaving!

She wove a dish towel for her mom before the summer visit ended.  So, I took over weaving.  I finished 3 & got them cut off the loom and hemmed.  I sent one to her other grandmother, Margaret.  And I sent one to my mom, Ariel's great grandmother.  I have several more to finish.  There are 3 wound onto the cloth beam at the moment.

My current crochet project is coming along well.  I've been working on a "crochet along" project, Mandala Madness.  My cousin's wife, Maggie, made a Facebook post about it. So I decided to do it too.  It's coming along very well.  I'm almost finished.  I post my projects on Ravelry; user name is PennyTeem.
PennyTeem

An Autumn walk in the woods

It was nice and cool yesterday, so Cricket and I took a long walk on the west side of our property.  I started out thinking I would take some pictures of Fall colors.  I found some really interesting patches of moss and lichens together, and these really interested me.

Cricket & I start out on our walk

Continuing down the lane, heading west, through the center of our property.

Some interesting rocks & moss

Rocks & moss 

I like the color and texture of this lichens.

Interesting colors, textures & shapes

Moss & lichens... a fern too.

Great colors

How many varieties are in this picture? I have no clue

 I love the soft, feathery texture of this moss.

Small, round moss. Very compact and firm

That fathery moss again

Two different compact mosses

Interesting

Venison backstrap recipes

Now that we have a backstrap, how shall I cook it?

Sure, cutting it into medallions and wrapping them with bacon is always wonderful.  Put those babies on the grill... Yum, yum.

I could cook it in the pressure cooker, adding potatoes & carrots for the last 10 minutes is another good old standby.

I could cook it in the dutch oven.  I'd have to build a fire first to do it really old style.

Here's a few recipes from Wide Open Spaces

Another good source for recipes & meat (should you be an urban dweller or non-hunter) can be found at Broken Arrow Ranch.

Pinterest is also a good resource for recipe ideas.  I have a board for Fresh Yummy Food.  There's also  Cooking Tonight.

Butchering a deer

Our neighbor, Jennifer, loves to hunt.  Bow hunting, muzzle loader, or with a modern rifle.  She is part of the River View Farms hunting club, which adjoins our property to the south and west.

She arrived yesterday afternoon and went out to sit in her tree stand soon after arriving.  She  sent me a text at 5:30.  She'd gotten a deer, and would be back at her cabin after dark.  I offered to help her butcher the deer.

Growing up in NE Pennsylvania, the men in our family all went deer hunting.  I was never involve in the butchering.  I remember loving to eat venison, but I don't recall how my mom cooked it...

Our first winter together, John went hunting with his brother Jim.  They both got a deer.  The meat was divided among all the family.  I cooked our portion, but didn't participate in the butchering.

Once we got settled in here, John helped Jennifer butcher a deer.  I learned how to butcher along with her.  It's not difficult work, just messy. The deer we butchered last night took us about 30 minutes...

Our favorite cut, of course, is the back strap.  Any venison is good venison, in my opinion.  Steaks, roasts, stew... We've made deer sausage links in the past.  Yummy, Yummy, Yummy!  Check out my previous post on dutch oven  cooking.

I strongly believe that any animal you kill should be eaten.  Trophy hunting is just wasting good meat!  Rabbit, squirrel, quail, duck, turkey, venison - we've eaten them all.  Waste not, want not is our motto.  Arkansas has a program, Hunters feeding the hungry, the uses donated deer to provided ground meat to local food banks.  They have a website & a Facebook page.  Check them out.

Arkansas hunters feeding the hungry

Quilting

About once a week, I get together with a local group of ladies and work on a quilt. We make 1 quilt a year and raffle it off at our annual Homesteaders event.  I've been involved in the quilt making 3 or 4 years now.

The quilt we raffled off on October 1st was very nice.  The design is called "9 patch".  Here's what it looked like.

2016 raffle quilt

We using the "strip" quilting method.  For those who aren't familiar with quilting, "strip" quilting means all the fabric to be used is first cut into uniform strips (in this case 4 1/2 inches).  Then the strip is cut into squares (again 4 1/2 inches).  These squares are sewn together into "blocks".  The squares in the blocks are now 4 inches wide, the 1/2 inch being the seam allowance. The blocks are then sewn together with another strip, the background color (here it's orange and 6 inches wide). These are then sewn together to make the "field" of the quilt.  Then the border is sewn on (brown in this case and 6 inches wide).  The quilt "top" is now complete.  We sent the top off to a local lady who has a larger sewing machine specifically for quilting large items.  She added a layer of cotton batting, and a "backing" (in this case a king sized sheet), and then sews all 3 layers together - the actual quilting.  The border is folded over and is attached to the backing, giving a nice finished edge.  She did a great job on the quilting.

We used new 100% cotton fabric, washed it and ironed it before we started any cutting.  We used a rotary cutter, ruler and cutting mat to make the strips and blocks.  This makes the cutting much easier.  We take turns doing different tasks, but I normally do the ironing.  I can't cut the strips straight with my wiggly hands...

Last year's quilt was a big more difficult.  We still used the strip method but the sewing was trickier.

2015 raffle quilt

This quilt came out very well, it was also king-sized.

This year's quilt to be raffled off in 2017 will be another 9 patch, in blue/red/yellow.  It will also be king-sized 100% cotton.

Several years ago, I saw that the Parkinson's Disease Foundation was seeking 24 inch quilt blocks from people with Parkinson's, which would be put together and displayed in Scotland.

I was really enthusiastic about this, and make a square to be included.  I used 100% cotton fabric, already dyed using the batik method.  Batik dyeing uses more than 1 color.  The fabric is bunched up, folded or waxed to make the pattern.  I love batik fabric because of the wonderful interplay between the colors.

I used the applique method of quilting.  This is done by cutting all the pieces into the proper shape, and then stitching them fast to the background fabric.  This is done by hand-stitching rather than machine, using the blanket stitch.  I sewed the pieces down the embroidery floss.  The color range on floss is amazing!

Asus Chrome C200

Slowly, but surely, I am entering the cyberworld.

Several years ago, my laptop died.  My husband was kind enough to let me use one of his older taptops.  Now the battery on that laptop had dies.  When I upgraded to a smart phone 2 years ago, I also got a tablet for $10.  Now, that battery won't hold a charge.  And so, my step-son Josh took me to Walmart in Ash Flat to get a new tablet or laptop.

I came home with a Asus Chrome C200. Here's a link on Amazon...
Asus Chromebook with Convertible touchscreen

So, I got myself a glass of wine and started the set-up tutorial.  This laptop doesn't work quite like other's I've had before.  Every file and photo are stored "in the cloud".  Now, this is a challenge for me.  What is the "cloud"?!  Where is the "cloud".  Why do I want to store my stuff there, rather than on an internal hard drive?  Who can see my "cloud"?!  Ahhhhhh!

It's taken me some time to get all my information off the old laptop and tablet.  I've had to get my bookmarks, accounts and passwords organized.  I had to investigate how to get apps and extensions on Google Chrome.

I even challenged myself yesterday.  I took a picture on my phone, saved it to the cloud, opened it on the tablet and posted it to Ravelry.  Wow!  It actually showed up.  Isn't technology amazing?!

Thankfully my phone didn't decide to die along with all my other devices.  I would really have been challenged then!

The weather is still warm.  We had to run the air conditioner yesterday.  We'll probably have to run it again today.  We had over 3 inches of rain Thursday and Friday.  One particular bolt of lightening made all 3 of us jump!  The air conditioner made a snapping sound, and the power went out for half a minute.  Our power continued to flicker for the next few days.  I called the power company yesterday and someone came out.  He found the problem and had it fixed in 15 minutes.  No more blinking lights.

It's been a mild winter

Feburary 25th... Where has the winter gone?

It's been a very mild winter this year.  We had one bout of ice and snow, with total accumulation of 1 inch.  That's pretty mild by my standards.

I saw a honey bee on a dandelion on Tuesday.  In February??  Strange.  Josh saw a snake.  My hens are betting broody.  The frogs have started singing.  Just odd.

I'm still working on my "Christmas" knitting!  My nephew Chris and his wife Jenny told me they wanted socks, a few days before Christmas!  Nothing like a little lead time.  I had 2 baby blankets I needed to get done.  Our friends, Jessica and Logan Bailey were expecting their baby, Silas, the first week of January.  My nephew Jessie and his wife are also expecting.  So, those socks just had to wait until I finished those blankets.  I've got the heel turned on the first sock for Chris.  Hopefully, I'll have both pair in the mail by the end of next week.

I've decided NOT to buy any seeds this year.  I have lots here already.  I may pick up some blueberry bushes though.  We only have 1.  We have TONS of huckleberry bushes scattered through our property.  But the birds and deer get them before we do.

John and Josh have been working on the tractor we got.  Mostly, doing the routine maintenance type things that had not been done.  I know John has a list of projects with it.  I'm not sure what is on that list exactly...

I'm anxious to get back to work on the Hobbit House. Our friend, Chris, has his hands full trying to build his own house AND work.  I know we're in his queue...