A cool, foggy morning

We've had a nice week so far.  Mild temperatures get me in the mood for looking at seed catalogs!  What to plant?  We usually have garlic, onion, asparagus (not old enough to harvest yet), rhubarb, tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes, cayan peppers, carrots, beets, turnips, collards, okra, musk melons, cantaloupe, Cranshaw melons, yellow squash,acorn squash,  zucchini, Jerusalem artichokes, cucumbers... A few years ago we also had popcorn.  That grew really well.

My friend Michelle and I took a day trip to Baker Creek Seeds last year.  Baker Creek Seed Company     That was fun!  I hope we're going to go again this year.  Michelle and her husband Jerry are coming to visit today, so I'll talk to her about that while they're here.

Here's a picture from a few years ago, just the harvest one morning.  Things were growing really well!

Here's what our garden looked like last spring when we plowed it, getting ready to plant.  This was taken April 10th last year.

My niece Tricia is having her second baby in July.  I've picked out the yarn and pattern I want to use to crochet her an afghan.  You can see it on Ravelry, link is here...  Tricia's baby afghan.  I've got to print out the instructions, then I can get started.  I love starting a new project!

Cricket and I took a walk down the hollow to the stream.  It's running, slowly but running.  This is the melt from our sleet/ice/snow storm earlier this month.  We're supposed to have rain this weekend.  That would be nice!

I spent part of the day burning leaves yesterday.  My back is aching today from raking!  I originally hurt my back while I was raking leaves, back in May 1999... and believe me, it really hurt!  I blew out 3 disks!  OUCH!  My back went POP! I fell down on the ground and just laid there for about half and hour before I could even try to get up.  That was the pits!

Spring may have sprung!

Monday morning I went out to feed the chickens and discovered my banty hen, Pebbles, had 3 little chicks!  Wow!  What a surprise!

Pebbles with her babies.

My hellebore have been trying to bloom since before the sleet/snow we had recently.  And now that the ice and snow are all gone, they are blooming merrily.  The daffodils are not far behind.  Everything is waking up and poking their little heads out of the ground.

Hellebore by the den

The south entrance to our home

Yesterday's high was 80!  What a change!  Last week we had ice and couldn't even get out to the highway, today we have to fun a fan!  Amazing.

I went to our friend Doris' on Monday night to help start the Hardy Homesteader's Quilt for this year.  We're doing a nice queen size quilt, the motif is Candy Corn.  I spent the evening ironing the fabric before we started cutting the pieces.  I think we'll get it all cut next week and can start to sew after that. 

This quilt should go together rather quickly.  The blocks are 12 inches square.  Background is a nice autumn leaf fabric with greenish blocks at the intersections.   I'll post pictures once we've got something together to show you.  Here's a link for the basic block. Basic Candy Corn quilt block.

We've lived here 8 years now!  Time is flying by.  One of the items we love to eat, but have a bit of a challenge finding is bulk dried fruit.  I love snacking on raisins, figs, dates... and John loves pineapple.  Josh loves apricots.  We have to drive about an hour to find bulk goods.  The little Memmonite store in Dalton is great.... West Plains has Meadowbrook...Meadowbrook Natural Foods.  There's a store in Jonesboro also, but we don't get to Jonesboro very often.

So, several families we know have decided to go together and make bulk orders from Country Life Natural Foods. Country Life Natural Foods We get our first order today.  It's being delivered to my friend Gena's house, because we don't have a garage or anything that would be a good place to sort out a large bulk order.  If you live in our area and want to be part of our "Co-op", please let me know.

Circle Dance Afghan

I finished the Circle Dance Afghan and sent it off in the mail to my step-daughter Tammy.  She was thrilled to receive it.

I sent the yarn leftovers with the afghan.  I explained to Tammy and to granddaughter Ariel that the knots in the stitching which joins the blocks together willl eventually come undone and someone will need to keep repairing it.  That's what the yarn is for.  Ariel told me she would make sure it doesn't come apart.

Here's how the afghan looked when completed.
Circle Dance project page on Ravelry

Weather changes and life changes...

The past few days have been very cold and icy.  We had sleet on Sunday/Monday and below freezing temperatures.  Then it snowed.  And so, we've spent the past week indoors.  Today the weather turned warmer and the 3 inches of frozen yuck started to thaw. 

When Cricket and I went for our walk this morning, the driveway (and all the world around us) was totally frozen.  I walked down the driveway on the ice sheet, and my feet didn't even leave a footprint!  The ice didn't crack... not a sound.  Very strange.  We walked down to our little "seep" area.  And all the little pools were full of frozen water from what little melting we had yesterday.

By the time the mail came at 3PM today, most of the driveway was ice free.  Now it's all mud!  I went to town to do some banking and came right back home.  By morning the drive will probably be frozen again. 



One of our friends, Chris, advertised a steer he had for sale.  Another friend, Julie, and I bought him and he was taken to the processor last Saturday (2/28).  The processor called on Tuesday and said our meat is ready for pick-up.  Julie and her girls picked it up this morning.  She was so nice and picked ours up too and brought it over!  Thanks Julie!! You're the greatest!

Josh and I then spent about an hour trying to find freezer space for it all.  We ended up putting some of the ground beef in our friend Jennifer's freezer, next door.  I called Jennifer to make sure that was OK.  We left a package of steak in her freezer as payment for the space.  That tickled her!

John thought that half a cow was too much meat for our storage space, and he was correct.  We have it all stored for now.  We shouldn't need to buy any beef for several months now.  That's a good thing.  I like it.

I also like the fact that I know how this steer was raised.  I know what it ate.  And I know how it was treated.  He had a good life, eating grass in a real field.  No toxic chemicals.  I like that.

Chris also told us he's going to have milk for sale once his cow has her calf.  I told him I want to be a regular milk customer.  I really LIKE raw milk.  I like to make cheese and butter.  I like to make fresh custard.  And I love drinking cream in my tea and coffee.

I haven't started any seeds yet.  I need to decide what to grow this year.  In the past, we've had a fairly good number of tomato, potato, pepper, squash,  and cucumber plants.  Last year I planted more melons.  They did OK.  Not great, but OK.  The carrots were OK too, but not as good as the previous year.  I didn't plant any collards last year.  I might this year.... Last year, our best surprise was the Candy Roaster squash.  It grew VERY well, tasted great and stored very well.  I will definitely be growing more of those!

Josh burnt off the weeds in the garden last Saturday.  It was a beautiful day, it got up to 70F.  And then it started with the freezing rain on Sunday... by Monday morning it was a winter wonderland again... But I've already talked about that.

I decided to close my Facebook account.  I took this step for several reasons.  First, Facebook is VERY anti-guns.  I own several pistols and a .22 Henry rifle and a .410 shotgun.  John and Josh each own several rifles, pistols and shotguns.  We live in the country.  We have poisonous snakes in our yard and woods.  We have predators who try to eat our chickens.  A raccoon  chased our cat right onto the front porch.  And if I hadn't turned on the light and chased it away, it would have eaten Rusty for dinner!  And it's now been confirmed there are cougars, black bears and wild hogs in this local area.  I need a gun when I go for walks in the woods!

So, the owners of Facebook might not like guns.  That's their right.  But it's my right to have a gun.  And I do!

Facebook is just a company, after all.  It's nice to think of it as a cool, friendly virtual place to share pictures and thoughts with my friends.  Look at things for sale, or learn about activities other's are attending.  Collaborative learning.  Sharing my knitting and crochet with my cousin's wife.  Swap recipes. Look at the neighbor's goat pictures. I will miss those.

But I won't miss the snarky people.  The easily offended, politically correct people.  I kept in touch with my friends, traded recipes and pictures, and crochet patterns... before Facebook ever came into existence.  And I will still be doing those things when Facebook has lost it's glitter.

I'm just feeling the need to be more in control of what and whom I correspond with.  Who I let into my little world.  Who I spend my time with.  Online or in real-to-goodness life.

If you're feeling like you're missing my witty Facebook posts, send me an email.  I can be just as witty, one on one.

Time flies when you're having fun....

Another week has passed us by.  Although the weather was warmer the past 3 days, last weekend and the early part of this week (2/14 - 2/18) were cold.  Cricket and I did get to take some longer walks in the woods, which she really likes.

Our little water pools are coming along slowly.  The pools on the east side of the property (I need to come up with a "name" for this area), are looking very good.  All the pools were holding water.  It's interesting to see how the water seeps out of the ground in various places.  It's not really a "spring"... because the water seeps out in about 4 different elevations on the side of the hill.  But the water does all flow down hill following the same path... So I guess it is a spring.  A very small one.  But, small is better than none.

The springs on the north end of the property have a few natural pools, and I haven't started working on that area.  This is the area with 4 different "springs" that come together to form a seasonal stream.  The stream had water in it the other day when we were down there.  Once I'm sure the pools on the east side of the property are holding water successfully, I'll focus my effort down here.  We've just been calling this section "the hollow"... Not very imaginative, but accurate.  First, I need to impede the flow of the stream to start a pond... then I need to define the pond and get water accumulating.  I'd really LIKE to have a pond down there.  It would be great!  This property really needs a pond.  We'd have more wildlife around if we had a pond.  Blocking that seasonal stream is going to be hard work without any machinery.  But, if a beaver can do it, I can!

I find my energy level is pretty low.  I can walk down to this area, work about an hour and then walk back.  If I try to work any longer, I can barely make the walk back.  This damn Parkinson's really does hamper me!  I hate that!  I'm not old (I'll be 55 in March).  But I have the energy level of a much older person.  I get so tired I fall asleep just sitting in my chair.  Or riding in the car.  When it's close to time for my next dose of Sinemet CR, I'm very shaky and my voice is weak.  My balance is crappy too.  Most people call this their "off" period.  Off because the medications has no effect in relieving the symptoms.  After I take my pills, I'm "off" for about an hour.  My day consists of taking my meds to manage my off times, so I can accomplish something useful while I'm "on".

I take Sinemet CR every 6 hours, at 4 AM, 10AM, 4PM and 9 PM.  I go to  bed after my evening dose, and usually fall asleep by the time it takes effect.  And I wake up with my legs kicking at 4AM.    I get up and make myself some coffee.  Read my emails and look at Facebook, maybe listen to Coast to Coast.  Or watch Youtube videos.  John and Josh are still asleep at this time of morning, so I try to be quiet.  The cat and dogs get their breakfast at this time also. 

John usually gets up around 8.  After we eat and I finish my indoor tasks, I go outside and feed the birds.  For some reason, going out to feed the chickens is VERY exciting to the dogs.  Some times they get so excited, they almost knock me over to get out the door!

I take my 2nd dose at 10AM.  Once my pills have kicked in and John's have too, we're ready to start our daily activities.  John runs out of energy before I do.  That makes sense, as he's 9 years older than me and his Parkinson's is more advanced than mine.  By about 1 PM, we're both ready for a break.  I cook our main meal of the day and we eat as a family.  After we've eaten and I've done the dishes, I find most days that I still have a little energy left.  I usually spend the afternoon watching TV with John while I work on one of my knitting, crochet or other handiwork type projects.  Sometimes John naps, sometimes I do.

We don't go out at night.  John and I can't see well to drive in the dark.  And I get so shaky by 8PM or so, that I really don't accomplish much.

I'm supposed to help with the Hardy Homesteader's Quilt again this year.  The ladies get together on Monday nights from 6 - 9 PM.  I missed last week.  I never know how my day is going to go, so I can only tentatively commit to activities like this.  I wish I could just say "sure, I'll be there".  But I can't.  If I don't have the energy to sew, I don't go.  It's that simple.

We're finally able to go outside!!!

It's been bitterly cold here in NE Arkansas.  Ice and snow on the ground, driveway frozen over... and overnight temperatures in the mid-teens!  Dang, this is the SOUTH!

We finally had a chance to get out onto the highway last Sunday for the first time in 10 days.  It's not that we NEEDED to go to the grocery store... but you have to replace what you consumed at some point.  So, when it got up to 30 degrees and the sun was shining we decided to make a trip to the grocery store (14 miles round trip).

What kind of things did we need?  Milk, half & half, dog and cat food, frozen burritos, potatoes, a beef roast, coke (for my hubby...), flour, juice, ice cream.  What we call "consumables".  Could we have gone another week without going to the store?  Sure.  Do I like putting canned milk in my coffee?  Not really.  I could.  But I'd rather have half & half.  Sure, I'm spoiled.  I admit it.

We're in the process of forming a Co-op group, to place an order for dried fruits, grains and such from Country Life Natural Foods.  Country Life Natural Foods  If you're reading this and live in our local area, let me know if you want to be involved.

I finally got a chance to take Cricket for a walk yesterday.  We walked down to the bottom of the hollow, on the north end of the property.  She really loves her long walks.

It was exactly 40F when we left the house at 4:15 PM.  We made it to the stream and back before sunset.  By the time we got back to the house, it was 35F.  The low last night was 34, the first night above freezing since 1/31.  That is really odd for Arkansas.  And now, it's supposed to warm up to 60 by Monday.  Very odd!

This morning, it's 36F and we're having drizzle.  I won't be going outside to play in the woods this morning!

I've been crocheting an afghan for my stepdaughter's partner.  It's going well.  I've got 3 more blocks to crochet.  Then I get to sew all the pieces together.  Fun!  I've been posting my progress on Ravelry, if you're interested... Circle Dance afghan crochet-along

Property boundaries and more winter weather.

The weather on Saturday, February 1st, was very nice.  Cricket and I went for 2 long walks.  Our first walk took us to the eastern property edge where we've been working on our little spring.

I worked on the last 2 pools for about 2 hours.  I won't know until it rains/thaws if the all the pools are holding water.  But, I've got the little dams all built and have the clay over them.  Now I'll just have to wait and see what's happening with them.

Here's what they're looking like.

Cricket the rock loving dog! 

Some water is holding... now to see how the whole complex holds up.

On our second walk, later in the day, we ventured down into the hollow on the north end of the property.  This area has 4 little springs that turn into one seasonal stream.  It has some really nice features!

Still loving rocks!

The western most spring in the hollow.

Looking down hill.  Not a good place to trip.

Interesting rocks by the 2nd spring in the northern hollow.

The "main" spring, source of the seasonal stream.

When I say, down in the "holler"; I do mean DOWN!  Our house is on the south end of the property, the hollow on the north.  The difference is about 400 feet.  The house is one the highest point on Walker Ridge, every other direction is down.

Sawmill hollow is down hill off the south-eastern boundary of the property (it's owned by River View Farms our hunt club friends), south of us is our friend Jennifer's hunting cabin and her 2 acres (and more River View Farms property), our west boundary is with Mr. Hunter George. Our northern property belongs to Mr. Bill Vance.  The E & L Cypress clock shop is to the east (Cochrane property).  Here's an interesting map I found posted on the wall in the grocery store, next to the freezer section!  Interesting place to find a property map.

Sorry for the poor image quality.

The red line on this map is US 62/63/412. Here's an interactive topographical map of the same area.  Walker Ridge, AR

Our house is located at the small dot near the I in "Ridge".

Our property on Google maps

The 5th spring is on the south side of the property, not far from Jennifer's cabin.  I'm not sure I want to try and enhance this spring much (or at all).  It's down hill from our well and I don't want to effect our water quality.  Our well is over 400 feet deep.  And this little spring and it's associated run off area aren't any where near that level.  So I could probably try to make a few small pools there.  We'll just see how much time and energy I have....

The last spring is on the west side of the property, near some cool large rocks.  There's a deep bowl there already.  I could probably dam it up a bit and have a pool there without any problem.  Some idiot left at 20 gallon propane tank lying right there that I've got to deal with.... Stupid people!

So, after spending so much time out side on Saturday the weather took a turn yesterday.  It was 33F when I got up and it was 24 when I went to bed at 9:30.  We had 5 inches of snow on the ground.  And icecicles on the eves.

Outside the south door.

I see we also had an orb visiting while I was photographing.

The south walkway.