tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-103300662024-03-12T23:52:29.000-05:00Swamp Creek FarmOne Family's Sustainable Farming Experiences in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, USAElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.comBlogger435125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-91638230587768765912019-07-13T20:32:00.003-05:002019-07-13T20:32:28.064-05:00Lovely Day for an UpdateToday was an absolutely beautiful summer day! The weather was perfect; not too hot and not too cool. And, it was Lara's birthday. We celebrated by going to the Mexican restaurant in Hurley on Highway 51 for some excellent food, and then later in the day after we returned home, we had some Williamsburg Orange cake for dessert that I had made per Lara's request for her birthday. She opened her birthday gifts and talked with her friend, Carrie, on the phone. Everyone crashed. I feel like I'm going to pop. Not good for my diet, but a splurge now and then is OK. For a change, it was a day without stress.<br />
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This was a busy week taking care of doctor and dentist appointments. A trip to the feed store took up another day. And, of course, there is working in the garden. FINALLY it is starting to take off.<br />
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Here's before in mid-May:<br />
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Here's now:<br />
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I actually have weeded these boxes three times now.<br />
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It was a job but I also got the fence erected around the big garden over by Dad's. I have potatoes, pumpkins and winter squashes, Moon and Stars melons, beets, rutabegas, Golden Bantam corn, Jerusalem artichokes, pole beans, and flowers in it that call my sister's bees, and that garden needs to be weeded again. I have to thin the beets and rutabegas and till the bare area I left for the squashes and melons to run in. I'm ecstatic that no deer have gotten over the fence. There are deer beds in the grass around the garden so I know they have been thinking about getting in. I will have to take some pictures of the garden for you so you can see what I'm talking about. Tom and I put up 7' deer fence over 6' posts. We used old t-posts from around the farm and pieces of angle iron Dad gave me. We decided to let the overhang be instead of tying it up with the thought that the deer might be spooked by the loose fencing blowing with the wind, and so far, it has been working. Two of the four fruit trees I planted died and need to be replaced, but I think where I planted the trees will work as an orchard area. The soil just needs a bit of work. Good spot for comfrey to do its magic, and I have been taking black and red currant cuttings and potting them up for new plants to add, as well.<br />
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Earlier this spring I pruned the rose bushes and currants. Holy smokes, does everything look good! I think that despite the weather this will be a great year for fruit. I will be loaded with plums, black and red currants, blueberries, and raspberries. Even the elderberries, of which half the plants had to be severely pruned because of winter kill, are going to give some berries. And for the first time there will be some apples on the Honeycrisp apple tree. Half of my grape vines died right to the ground although thankfully they did not die and are sending out a new central leader, but the others are beautiful and climbing all over the newly repaired trellis fence. The hops are happily climbing the trellis fence on the far side of the garden. They are filled with drunken fat bumble bees. Ever see a drunk bee? <br />
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I have been harvesting some herbs this year, too. I dried a bunch of violet flowers to put in teas and soap.<br />
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And German chamomile decided it wanted to grow for me and came up all by itself in the boxes where I transplanted all the rhubarb and the walking onions. I just love volunteer plants; they are like old friends you haven't seen in a long time that suddenly drop by to visit. I'll be cutting and drying St. John's wort, yarrow, and mugwort this coming week.<br />
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In the back yard the collards and kale are doing well enough that I will harvest some to take to the farmers market this Wednesday. I'm not happy that the collards that have grown are not the collards I thought I planted. I like the giant leaves on champion collards. Still, collards are collards I guess and when you are hungry variety doesn't mean much. It all looks the same in the freezer. It is a shame that everything growing is behind time about two - three weeks. I am concerned the season will be short and not everything will have time to mature.<br />
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Tom and I have noticed all the wild trees that are flowering and fruiting. We discovered three hop hornbeam trees at the edge of the back yard behind the Honeycrisp apple tree. They have beautiful white flowers that look like big hop flowers. All the lower branches of the trees have been eaten by deer, and when Tom looked the tree up in our tree identification book, it said that deer and lots of other animals love hop hornbeam flowers. Medicinally, it is also a great tree to have around. You use the leaves and flowers. The choke cherry trees are full of fruit and all over the place. It's no wonder we are being visited by all sorts of birds. We have the usual nuthatches, finches, robins, chickadees, and marsh sparrows, as well as orioles, blue jays, grosbeaks, and red wing black birds. We even have catbirds, Cedar waxwings, scarlet tanagers, and believe it or not, we actually had a meadowlark stop on the feeder, but it flew away before I could get a picture of it. I would have sent the picture to the newspaper if I had been able to get a shot of it. I thought meadowlarks were extinct. I discovered that they are not, but they are almost gone. Tom says the birds line up on the back yard trellises and nearest trees and wait for him to hang out the feeders in the morning. Spoiled critters!<br />
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I got 19 chicks hatched out in the incubator, and after they hatched my big hens decided to go broody. I was going nuts there for a while trying to gather eggs, but finally one of the bantam cochins I bought last spring outlasted everyone as a biddy. The other day while I was out in the coop cleaning and putting away new supplies, I heard a "cheep cheep" that sounded like a new baby. I knew the incubator chicks while still small were too big to make that sound, so I looked around and sure enough, there was a baby sticking its head up through mama's feathers. Baby looks good and mama is still sitting on the clutch so I think more babies may be coming.<br />
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Well, it's time to go shut up the coop and take care of Lara. It feels good to have time to sit down and blog an entry. I hope you all are well and have your gardens planted.<br />
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Be safe and prepared!<br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-67814959825985142342019-04-18T19:15:00.001-05:002019-04-18T19:15:45.645-05:00Time to Work OutsideWell, the snow has melted enough for me to get out to clean out the chicken coop. Was that ever a job! I'm usually able to clean it out during the "False Spring" that comes in January, but this year the weather didn't cooperate. In fact, it got so cold that I added four bales of hay to the coop for some additional insulation for the chickens. The hay worked out well keeping the chickens warm, even when we had the -50F wind chill nights. But it took me two whole days to shovel out the coop. Now when the ground firms up a bit and the rest of the snow melts I'll have to cart everything over to the compost area for breakdown and use on the gardens next year. I'll sure get my five miles a day walking in then for sure.<br />
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I potted up a bunch of seedlings I started in the basement last month and they are coming along nicely. I have about 30 Brunswick cabbages started, lots of kale, cilantro, onions, and some flowers. I hope to move them to the greenhouse in the next few days. It's funny. In the Spring you find you have to "do this" before you can "do that". And before I can take the seedlings out to the greenhouse, I have to clear out all the yard "stuff" that I stored in it over the winter. Then I can go back into the basement and get my squashes and pumpkin seeds started.<br />
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Yesterday I went out to the forest garden and pruned the black currants and a couple of fruit trees. This year I'm clearing away a lot of the "weed trees" so the sun can better reach into the garden. It's too soon to tell if I'll need to replace any of the trees, but most everything looks good. I took 20 black currant cuttings and potted them up in the greenhouse. I really like those earthy black currants. Once you get used to the taste they are great. Try an apple-black currant pie; it's delicious! Anyway, I sure hope those cuttings take. The cuttings I potted up last summer and left to overwinter in the greenhouse have started putting forth leaves. Only two look like duds. Of that group there are six black currants and six red currant starts. If I get good at starting cuttings like this I may be able to sell them for extra income. That would be great.<br />
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It's mud season now and the roads are posted against heavy traffic. The snow is rapidly disappearing and we've had our first good rain. I can work outside without wearing a heavy coat, and the birds are starting to return and sing.<br />
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If only those black barred cochins I bought last year would sit on some eggs now . . . .<br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-33195198440629631522019-03-05T19:50:00.000-06:002019-03-05T19:50:14.311-06:00Tough Winter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Winter started late again this year and has turned into a monster. Morning temps are evidenced by the above picture are lately the norm. Boy, am I glad I dug out the wood piles and refilled the wood stacks in the garage before we started getting the non-stop storms. Having a fire in the wood stove sure is nice.<br />
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Snow storms have been coming non-stop. It takes Tom and I about three days to shovel everything out -- just in time for the next storm. Keeping up with the snow is hard. He is ready to move and I say he can go if he wants. I'm not going anywhere. Moving the snow is hard work, but I am grateful for the opportunity to exercise my muscles, solve problems like where to put the snow and how to take care of the chickens in extreme weather, and test my critical thinking skills regarding "what would I do if . . .". I can't do any of that living in some shitty little condo back in the city. I believe in being self-sufficient and getting older simply presents me with an exercise in adaptive living.<br />
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The chickens are doing remarkably well. No frost bite to deal with and I haven't lost any of them yet. When we had the -50F nights I spread a couple of bales of hay in the coop, and just doing that noticeably helped warm the coop. Still, about half the eggs I get I have to toss because they freeze. Those little barred cochin bantams I bought last year are real talkers. I get the biggest kick out of them and can't wait till it warms up so I can clean the coop out well and set up the broody box for them. With their feathered feet the snow doesn't seem to bother them.<br />
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I've started a bunch of seeds in the basement and some of them are already starting to come up. I bought a wood stove and may set it up in the greenhouse (which miraculously has not collapsed with the ice and snow) to keep seedlings warm overnight. Australian Brown and Newburg onions, New Brunswick and red cabbages, rainbow chard, Champion collards, Tuscan kale, and lots of perennial flowers. I'll wait till May to start the squashes and cucumbers. Supposedly it will be a cool and wet summer. We'll just have to wait and see.<br />
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Here are some pics of the snow around the house. We had three more inches after I took these pics and we are expecting another 5"-8" again this weekend. By the way, I'd like to thank whoever the good person was who moved the big snow banks at the front of our driveway. Our snow plow couldn't move the snow back any farther than we had it so your act of kindness has given us some place to put the incoming snow. Thank you!<br />
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Tom may be right saying that we'll still have snow in June. As far as making maple syrup this year, well, that's up in the air for now. I'm glad Dad is in the nursing home; it would be really hard worrying about him if he was at the farm house and dealing with our issues, too. Thinking positively, when the sun does shine the days are beautiful, and Spring IS on the way!<br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-69007081404793036482018-09-21T21:30:00.000-05:002018-09-21T21:30:27.802-05:00White Patty-Pan SquashOur biggest seller this year at the farmers market was the heirloom White Patty-Pan summer squash, and I had so many people ask how to use it that I thought I would show you one way my family likes to eat it.<br />
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This dish can be made ahead and baked later, if desired. If you are going to cook it right away, lightly oil a 9" x 13" baking dish (I like coconut oil) and turn your oven to 350°F.<br />
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First I wash the squash. I like them to be larger sized. Many people prefer "baby" squash, but for me, a larger squash has more flavor. Don't let them be too big though because the skin on an older squash can grow too tough to eat. <br />
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Use a sharp knife and cut around the stem (pretend you are starting to carve a pumpkin). Be careful not to cut through the bottom!<br />
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Pull off the stem and use a spoon to help clean out the inside.<br />
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Arrange the hollowed out squash in your baking pan and set aside. Now make whatever filling you want. Here I used ground venison, corn, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme with an added can of tomato sauce and some shredded mozzarella cheese. Use your imagination when making your filling. Bacon anyone?<br />
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Now fill your squashes and top with more cheese if you like. (I had extra filling so I spooned it around the squashes.) Cover the pan with foil and put in the refrigerator to bake later, or put it in the oven now and bake about 45 minutes until heated through and the squash pierces easily with a fork.<br />
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Enjoy! <br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-18904879333739206882018-08-31T20:09:00.001-05:002018-08-31T20:09:51.171-05:00Winding Down the Garden YearOh, my, how the year has flown. My good intentions to post here more often went by the way. It just seems to take more energy and time to get things done!<br />
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The garden year started off uncertain as the weather seemed confused. Cold, then hot, then cold again. Only days before I took this picture we had a good 2' of snow on the ground. You could not tell there were garden boxes in the yard. Then it got hot and all the snow vanished.<br />
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I got everything planted by the new moon in June, and by the end of July the garden was growing well.<br />
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These were my four patty-pan summer squash plants from one of the garden boxes in the back yard. I could not believe how well they produced. I had a bumper crop of cucumbers this year, too.<br />
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Lara was excited for us to finally get to the farmers market in Park Falls. It really is fun to go to the market! It's been so nice to renew acquaintances with the other vendors and to meet old and new customers.<br />
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Sadly, the deer devoured my big garden over at Dad's again, and I firmly resolve to get a fence erected around that garden spot. I lost all my winter squashes, corn, pumpkins, melons and tomatoes. They also munched to death the four apple and pear trees I started in a new orchard. So, enough is enough. Next year is sauerkraut year. I plan to grow lots of cabbage and I don't want the deer to get it. <br />
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I did notice a curious increase in customers wanting to buy finished, value-added products over raw produce. As a grower this disturbs me. I would much rather see people buy the raw produce and prepare it themselves. <br />
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Since we did not have much to sell, we are finished going to market for the year. I am working hard to clean up the garden boxes and work my way through the forest garden. It looks like I may actually get ahead of my pruning and trimming tasks before the cold weather sets in again.<br />
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I have started red and black currant cuttings in the green house and am trying to see if I can get plum and peach trees to sprout from seed. I also have several kinds of hot peppers I started from seed in the greenhouse, but they are coming on so late that I fear I will not get any peppers from them.<br />
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Out in the forest garden I am enjoying my first plum harvest. I have enough plums to make a batch of plum jam. It isn't much, but I am so happy my trees are getting old enough to bear fruit. The hazelnuts look great, the new row of black elderberry plants took off grandly, and while the black and red currants didn't bear much fruit because they need to be pruned, they are also healthy. The rhubarb and horseradish in the hugelkultur bed are massive, and the grapes and hops are happily filling the trellis fence. Only one of the grape vines bore fruit this year, but it, too, was enough to me to make at least one batch of jam. I will be ecstatic when the apples and pears begin to fruit. <br />
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Lately we have had a lot of rain and there is flooding both north and south of us, but thankfully we have been spared any trouble. Dad is still at the farm and doing well. I am still on my diet and half-way to my goal. I am determined to reach my goal!<br />
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Canning, cutting a trail out to Tom's deer stand, and cleaning out the chicken coop to ready it for the winter are next on my "To Do" list. Might was well "make hay while the sun shines," as the adage goes.<br />
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Hopefully I'll post again soon. Take care!<br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-87532049011877866552017-05-22T22:34:00.000-05:002017-05-22T22:34:29.551-05:00Good FortuneI had an unbelievable turn of good fortune a week or so ago: <br />
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I went for my annual physical and :( had to go to our local pharmacy afterward to get back on my high blood pressure medication. Now, downtown Park Falls is undergoing quite a bit of road construction, and I had to park some distance from the pharmacy and walk through the back alley to get there. After I got my medication and was on the way back to my truck I spotted the new bakery that opened a few months ago. It was open! So I decided to check it out and buy something sweet for Tom.<br />
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As I walked into the bakery I noticed that the owners were turning part of their space into some sort of yarn/craft area. It was obviously not finished, but I already liked it. There was a gorgeous spinning wheel there that I thought was part of the decor. I said, "I like your spinning wheel," and the bakery owner said, "It's for sale." I literally stopped dead in my tracks. I held my breath and hoped the eagerness didn't show on my face. I mentally crossed my fingers and casually asked, " Oh. Well, how much do you want for it?" It turned out that the spinning wheel was being sold for another woman and the bakery owner knew nothing about spinning wheels or how much the wheel owner wanted as she had just received it from the owner that morning. My Providence detector started sounding loudly in my brain. So, I decided to take a chance and left my phone number for the wheel owner to give me a call. I bought Tom a cinnamon roll and went home. (Yes, I had a raspberry strudel!)<br />
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Later, the wheel owner called. We chatted a bit and then she told me she wanted $200 for the wheel and the spinning chair that was with it. I was ecstatic! I told the lady I would buy the wheel and chair for that amount and that I would meet her the following Tuesday after the bakery opened.<br />
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That Tuesday the wheel owner asked me if I wanted the wool she also had for sale. I told her I would have to see the wool and then it would depend on how much she wanted for it. She took me and the bakery owner's wife a few doors down the street, through the back of the business there, and into a large garage that was filled with all kinds of stuff that was for sale. She led me to a corner and kicked a plastic bin filled with various rovings. Then she kicked another bin and said she would throw that one in, too, for $15. About that time my eyes fell on a large Ashford drum carder that needed a belt and was sitting by its lonesome on a table and I asked what she wanted for it. She thought for a moment, then said she would give me the two plastic bins, the drum carder, a new in the box Harrisville warping board that just needed to be put together and the wood oiled, and a Harrisville rug loom with shuttle, all for another $100. I thought I died and went to heaven. I said, "OK," and we all went back to the bakery and celebrated with coffee and delicious pastries.<br />
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I would have loved to have stayed longer, but I had to get back home to take care of Lara, so the ladies helped me load the truck and off I went. When I got home and started going through the plastic bins, the good fortune kept coming. Among the wool rovings were luscious bags of llama and merino fibers, and in the second bin were one pair of antique and one pair of new in the box hand wool carders, a yarn swift, a Lazy Kate, two niddy noddies, several bobbins, extra spinning wheel maintenance parts, books on spinning, and I don't remember what else. I just couldn't believe it. I was SO happy. That night I went on line to <a href="https://woolery.com/" target="_blank">The Woolery</a> and ordered some extra drive belts for the wheel and the drum carder. I think God must have wanted me to have these things.<br />
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The spinning wheel is an Ashford Elizabeth. The chair matches it.<br />
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Here is the drum carder. When I can I'll get a packer brush kit for it.<br />
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You know what the best part of the day was? I made some new friends. Thank you Pam, Heather, and Mike!<br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-59330293551359451572017-05-06T22:57:00.000-05:002017-05-06T22:57:01.031-05:00Another YearWow, I can hardly believe how long it's been since I last posted! The time truly has flown by and there is a lot to update here. Let's see, where shall I begin . . . .<br />
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Since January of last year I have lost 44 pounds and counting. Hooray! I'm down three clothing sizes. I was a bad girl, however, and stopped taking my high blood pressure medication, but I am now back on it and will not do anything that stupid again.<br />
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I lost my sister, Anna, to pancreatic cancer last October, shortly after her 59th birthday. That totally sucked and that's all I have to say about. Second Saturn returns can be the pits.<br />
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Then, in November, I went to check on Dad and found him lying on the floor and no heat in the house. He was stiff as a board and did not know me. He wound up staying in the nursing home till this past March and was happy as could be when he came home just before his 87th birthday. He now has nurses aides and therapists coming to visit him regularly, and my sister, Mary, was finally able to get in the house and have major renovation done.<br />
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My Eddy turned the big 3-0.<br />
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Our Sarah, who works for the US Forest Service down in Arkansas, has decided to add Florida wildfire fighting to her resume. We are very proud of her!<br />
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Things are hopping here at the farm, too, but I'll save the updates for the next post. Talk to you soon. Until then, Be Safe and Well!<br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-26180313266848044092016-07-16T21:52:00.001-05:002016-07-16T21:52:50.500-05:00Summer UpdateI know it's been a while since I last posted. How time flies, eh? For a quick recap, our Ed turned 29, Cousin It turned 31, and Lara turned 33. Tom and I are married 41 years, and our Yellow Lab, Sandy, is a creaky 12 years old. Dad turned 86 and is doing much better since he hooked up with the VA hospital in Iron Mountain. We had a family Father's Day gathering that turned out great. Just about everybody came.<br />
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The big news and main reason I have not blogged is that I am participating in a weight loss study that keeps me on my feet and off the computer. Honestly, by supper time I am tired! (I'm only blogging now because I took the day off from exercising.) Since January I am down 32 pounds and half of that since I started participating in the study. I am learning a lot about exercise, nutrition, shopping and eating habits, and strategies for dealing with eating in various social settings. I am enjoying all of it and am really working hard at making lifestyle changes. I would love to lose another 30 pounds by the end of the year.<br />
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The weather and the wild critters have been my plagues this year in the gardens. I had to replant my garden boxes three times because of squirrels. One morning I woke to find a turkey hen taking a dust bath in my greens box. Every so often she would kick up dirt and then deftly stick her neck out and snatch a bite of lettuce or mustard. Sheesh! The pole beans were eaten by bugs so as a last resort I have planted some in pots in the greenhouse and hope to harvest something this Fall. The deer have eaten most of my winter squash and pumpkins over at the big garden I have by Dad's, and because of all the rain we've had the grass has overtaken that garden, as well, though I am doing my best to keep the crops visible. It's hard to work that garden properly because of my family time constraints. There are still some tomato plants, a few green beans, and my Fisher's Earliest corn (I'm keeping my fingers crossed on the corn because there is a Sandhill crane nest in the field about 10 feet from the back of Dad's barn) that survive and I need to weed by hand. I'm starting some perennial plantings in that garden and started this year with putting in about 10 black chokeberries (aronia). Only one has died.<br />
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Speaking of tomatoes, my garden box that hosted tomatoes last year sprouted a number of volunteers this year, and amazingly they are my strongest plants anywhere in the gardens! Yesterday I cut some poles and staked them all. I have to mention that the Russian tomato varieties I planted this year don't look so hot, but I will give them another chance next year before I make my mind up about growing them after that.<br />
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The garden boxes in the back yard don't look nearly as good as the ones in the front yard and I will have to take a picture of them for you. About half of those boxes are dedicated to perennials now. There is a box for blueberries, one for bush cherries, one for domesticated raspberries, and I am in the process of making another box for just herbs, both annuals and perennial, culinary and medicinal. After I harvest the garlic, I will amend all the empty boxes and replant them for a late harvest.<br />
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I am learning much from my forest garden experiment and continue to read as much as possible about permaculture practices. I have found that by leaving everything to grow together as they will there is much less insect damage and increased harvest. For example, bindweed left to twist and climb becomes a natural trellis for raspberries, grasses, and red currants. Dogwoods seem to favor grouping with basswood trees and elderberries. Raspberries and ferns like fruit trees. Bergamot loves spreading in the sunny grassy areas. The black and red currants are simply overflowing with berries. My mugwort decided it didn't like being next to my hazelnut bushes and has, on its own, migrated to my hugelkultur bed next to the hops I have growing on the trellis fence. The grapes seem to like being left to climb where they will. The blackberries are definitely not happy and I expect that at some point I will move them elsewhere. Horseradish and rhubarb love the hugelkultur bed, and all of the apple and plum trees seem to be happy. Even the "iffy" pear trees have settled down and are beginning to gain growth. This year I added two apricot trees. I don't expect them to survive the winter, but I thought I would give them a try anyway.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peaches</td></tr>
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Canning season has officially started for me. I wish your gardens a heavy harvest!ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-91085940296609292882016-03-30T17:27:00.000-05:002016-03-30T17:27:10.694-05:00Computer WoesWell, I'm ready to run around the house shrieking because of our computer trouble. It all started when I was accepted into a weight loss for rural seniors research study from the University of Kansas that our clinic is partnering with. Part of the study requires video conferencing. Well, my computer has no camera and runs on Windows 7. So, I bought a camera and tried to set up Skype (which won't redeem the prepaid voucher I bought). Then because my computer frequently blue screens on me Tom and I decided to buy a new lap top computer. That one runs on Windows 10 and has a camera built into it. And, because I like to read a lot I bought a little Kindle Fire to ease the wear and tear on my poor old desktop. OMG! Trying to get everything to work together has been a nightmare. Now my old computer constantly crashes Firefox, and it and Internet Explorer are besieged with pop-up ads despite my installing the latest Kaspersky Total Security. I finally downloaded Google Chrome on the old computer and so far I can at least function. (I am able to be posting this!) My Kaspersky Total Security tells me everything is fine as does Windows, but I can't seem to get rid of the annoying pop-upson Firefox and Internet Explorer. I even reset the computer to an earlier time and reinstalled Firefox. At least the Kindle Fire seems to be OK. Now I have to figure out what is wrong with Skype (when I chatted with their people they couldn't find anything wrong even though I'm getting an "internal error" message). My husband thinks the Skype problem has to do with our being located in an area where cell phones don't work. I just don't know how that would affect a computer program. Ugh! Anyway, progress is being made slowly but surely and we are being dragged kicking and screaming into an updated computer era.<br />
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We are well into mud season now and most of the snow is gone though we could very well see more of it. May 15th is the latest I've seen it snow here, and the cold will be here a while yet because the frogs down in the marshes aren't peeping. Our town has instituted the annual weight limits on the roads and will no longer give a permit to the garbage collector to collect our garbage so we have to take our garbage down the road a ways (about four miles) to a drop off point in Ashland County. You'd think we'd get some type of refund or credit on our contract for having to do this because, after all, we are paying them to collect the garbage from the end of our drive, but no, not a word from either the town or the garbage company about that.<br />
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I cleaned out the chicken coop on the first nice days we had, and the ladies and gents approve. They are having great fun scratching through the old bedding. When I can I will shovel it all into the trailer and haul it over to the garden by Dad's. He wants me to learn how to run the tractor so I bought a can of diesel fuel and when the grounds firms up I'll give it a go.<br />
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And speaking of Dad, Mary bought him one of those emergency buttons you wear around your neck that you can press for help if you fall and can't get up. And she was able to get him signed up at the VA in Iron Mountain for health care. He seems satisfied and liked his doctor. She told him he needs "eyes, ears, and feet" and they will get him glasses, hearing aids, and send him to someone to check his feet out. We got a kick out of the appointment reminder: "You must report to . . .", just like military orders. And so long as he doesn't get hold of any alcohol, he's ok. He also just turned 86.<br />
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I started seeds out in the greenhouse earlier in the month, but yesterday I brought the trays into the house and put them down in the basement because we are supposed to get a really cold spell toward the end of the week. I am trying several new varieties of tomatoes and would hate to lose the seedlings to cold. The seed trays with all the herbs I left in the greenhouse because they like a couple of weeks of cold before they decide to sprout. My sunflower tray was ravaged by a mouse -- twice -- so the last time I went to town I picked up some mouse traps. I am now out of Fat Mama and Maximilian sunflower seeds but did find a pack of <a href="http://www.burpee.com/flowers/sunflowers/sunflower-american-giants-hybrid-prod000380.html">Burpee's</a> American Giant seeds in my stash so all is not lost for a sunflower border around the garden.<br />
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No pictures for you yet, but I hope to take some soon. I just love it when the tree buds start to swell. The sand hill cranes are making a racket down by the creek.<br />
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Well, I have to get back to trying to fix this computer so I'll let you go. I hope all is well in your world!<br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-18273540132327650162016-01-20T23:03:00.001-06:002016-03-30T17:29:24.803-05:00Into Another Year<div style="text-align: center;">
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2016 has started out with a bang. Seems like everyone I know is being slammed in some way, mostly by grave illnesses and issues with family members. For me, it's my Dad. The situation has me so stressed I won't bore you with the details. I will just say that my husband and I will never do to the young people of our family what my father is doing to my sister and me. Never. And that's my polite vent.<br />
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Elsewhere, I managed to cook up my first batch of hot process soap. It was a six pound batch using tallow, lard, olive oil, coconut oil, and shea butter. I scented it with patchouli essential oil right before I spooned it into my mold. The soap turned out beautifully. It smells so good! I couldn't find a large enough slow cooker so I made a double boiler by using my water bath canner and inserting a 12 quart stainless steel pot inside it. A cast iron trivet raised the 12 quart pot off the bottom of the larger pot, and I added water in the larger canner pot to halfway up the sides of the 12 quart pot. I mixed the lye water out in the garage. As the outdoor temperature was so cold it didn't take long for the lye to cool. I was sure to wear my heavy duty rubber gloves and my "<a href="http://www.garrettwade.com/german-made-real-shop-safety-goggles-gp.html">Imperator Furiosa</a>" safety glasses. While the lye cooled in the garage, I melted my fats and oils in the 12 quart pot. When the fats and oils and lye water were the same temperature (100°F), I stirred the lye water slowly into the fats and oils and "cooked" the mixture in the water bath, stirring every half hour. After three hours I checked the pH. Soap that is meant for use on skin should be between 8.0 and 10.0 pH. My batch registered 8.5 on my digital pH meter so I removed it from the water bath and spooned the soap (it was pretty thick) into my freezer paper lined plastic bin mold. I let the soap sit overnight and cut it into bars the following morning before stacking the bars on a shelf to store. That batch is going to last us a long time. I can't wait to make some more.<br />
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I'm also cutting out the template pieces for the different blocks for Ed's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1440204128/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=3488827989&hvqmt=b&hvbmt=bb&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_4fily6vbn7_b">Hobo Quilt</a>. I have some nice 10" fabric squares to use for it. As ever, a project's preparation takes longer than the project does to actually put together.<br />
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This Mercury Retrograde is a doozy. In our spare moments both Tom and I have been shoveling out the house getting down to bare necessities. We've made three trips to local thrift stores so far and I have to say the house is looking much less cluttered. I got out my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Western-Guide-Feng-Shui-ebook/dp/B004C03KY2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453344734&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Western+Guide+to+Feng+Shui">Feng Shui</a> book and am working my way room by room through the house. I found a poster advertising a fish vendor in the back of our closet so I bought a frame for it and hung it in the wealth and prosperity section of our bathroom (where, unfortunately, the toilet is located), but I think I'm going to have to move it because since I hung it on the wall we've been having to spend money left and right for unexpected expenses. I'm sure our "wealth" is now going down the toilet because certain persons in the house refuse to keep the toilet lid down and the drains closed. I'll hang the picture in another room's wealth and prosperity area and see if our "money drain" stops.<br />
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It's amazing how Feng Shui decorating really does work. I discovered that the main Love and Marriage area of our house is in the garage. What a mess! I cleaned up the garage as best I could and I bought a sign of what I consider to be the <a href="http://www.art.com/products/p21851385360-sa-i7437861/kissing-on-vj-day-war-s-end-kiss-plastic-sign.htm?sOrig=CAT&sOrigID=0&dimVals=0&ui=FA17B90F1D344FD998E2056F64FB5BE6&searchstring=VE+day+kiss&SSK=VE+day+kiss">happiest kiss ever</a> to hang out there. I'm not sure I put it in the right corner although for sure my marriage is much improved. The one thing I've learned about Feng Shui is that you must make changes slowly and remember what you did because often your results happen quickly and dramatically, and if the results send you bad fortune, you can quickly reverse the change you made. Whew! Believe me, that's important to remember. (Note: if you are looking for a new job, try spiffing up your career and wealth and prosperity areas!) I am also working on our Health and Family areas since I am feeling very stressed dealing with my Dad.<br />
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I have a neat little history book for you. It's called <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/187856983X?keywords=Stalag%20Wisconsin%20by%20Betty%20Cowley&qid=1453348454&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1">Stalag Wisconsin</a> by Betty Cowley. It relates the story of WWII prisoner-of-war camps in Wisconsin. It is interesting that there is actually not a lot of information available on this topic because (if I read the book right) much of the information was deliberately destroyed by the Army after the War. Local newspapers of the time cooperated with the Army by severely limiting news of the camps, and recollections in the book are mostly from people who were just children at the time. I have not finished the book, but so far my favorite recollection relates the tale of an American soldier who was one of only sixteen survivors in his group of over 275 men that were at the Battle of the Bulge. When he returned home he was very angry to find German prisoners of war having a good time in a local tavern together with their guards! Well, the American soldier went home, loaded his M1 carbine, returned to the tavern and told the locals to git. He then proceeded to march the prisoners of war AND their guards back to the camp, whereupon he gave the camp commander a piece of his mind. In short, there were no more tavern visits by prisoners of war and the entire camp was closed not long after! Great little book.<br />
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I've ordered some seeds and seed starting supplies, and I'm looking forward to getting the garden going. Lara is looking forward to going to the market again this year, too. I have to find time to take my market scale down to Merrill to get certified by the State, and I want to get another small table and some produce baskets to improve our display. I am hopeful that we will have a good year. Growing time is rapidly approaching.<br />
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Well, I guess that's about all for now. I hope your life is going well. Be safe and take care!<br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-67000737381939840932015-12-23T23:23:00.000-06:002015-12-25T14:32:47.331-06:00Merry Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Today was rainy and the little snow we have is dwindling quickly. If it gets cold enough tonight I expect the roads will be very icy tomorrow. I have mixed feelings about the weather. It is nice not to be out shoveling deep snow, but it certainly feels weird not to have -0°F temperatures. None of the snowmobile trails are open and I'm sure the local businesses are hurting. We've hardly needed the wood stove except to take the damp out of the air in the evening. I am thankful that the chickens are handling the seesawing temps all right. They are still laying, too. Yesterday I gathered four eggs! (Which was good because yesterday I dropped the bucket of eggs I was going to wash and I broke every last one of them. Ugh.)<br />
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I have been knitting and reading. I made several hats and pairs of mittens, and with some of the wool from the yarn I received from the fleece I shared with my friend, Sally, (did I mention in my previous post that her husband's father was a Navajo code talker during World War II?) I have started knitting myself another cardigan sweater, this time incorporating simple 5-stitch cables and seed stitch.<br />
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I am looking for an old crock pot that is big enough to make some hot batch soap in and I stopped at the thrift store in Phillips to see if they had any. They did not, but a large red and gold scarf dangling on the scarf rack caught my eye. I could tell immediately that it had been woven because of the twist in the fringe and I wanted to take a closer look at it. The gorgeous feather pattern was reversible and the scarf was large enough to wear as a shawl. The price was right. It was marked $1.50 and I bought it. Later I discovered a label on it that said 100% <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashmina">Pashmina</a>. Well, I had no idea what that was so I looked it up on the Internet. It turns out that Pashmina is the finest kind of cashmere wool. However, according to the Wiki article, the label should not read 100% Pashmina because that is not a label recognized in the United States by the Federal Trade Commission. Shawls this size sell for around $200 and I have not come across any on the Internet that have this lovely a pattern. The fabric drapes heavenly and it is light and very warm. I just love it. I'm sure it is an authentic Pashmina shawl despite the illegal label. As most of the items at the thrift store come from decedent estates, I look at the shawl as a gift sent to me from some deceased little old lady's ghost that knew I would appreciate so fine a weaving. I have no idea how old the shawl is, but I expect to love it for the rest of my life.<br />
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I also went to the Christian Mission Thrift Store in Park Falls still looking for a large crock pot, again to no avail, but there I did find a smashed up DVD of the movie Jurassic Park for $2.00. The cover was shot, but the DVD looked OK so I bought that for Ed. Then, I almost stepped on a professionally framed double matted Norman Rockwell print that was just laying on the floor. Anyone who knows me knows I love anything Norman Rockwell. It was a print of "<a href="http://www.art.com/products/p9388040471-sa-i5446828/norman-rockwell-runaway-september-20-1958.htm?sOrig=CAT&sOrigID=0&dimVals=0&ui=D3831452CF10448F87689BBAF5FAFC2D&searchstring=Norman+Rockwell+The+Runaway&SSK=Norman+Rockwell+The+Runaway">The Runaway</a>". I got a strong impression when I picked up the picture that it had once belonged to a policeman. Well, I had to have that, too, for $7.00. "The Runaway" is now hanging in our center hallway next to my print of "<a href="http://www.art.com/products/p9388041735-sa-i5446709/norman-rockwell-little-spooners-or-sunset-april-24-1926.htm?sOrig=CAT&sOrigID=0&dimVals=0&ui=D3831452CF10448F87689BBAF5FAFC2D&searchstring=Sunset+Norman+Rockwell&SSK=Sunset+Norman+Rockwell">Sunset</a>" where it will be joined after Christmas by my Christmas gift to myself of "<a href="http://www.art.com/products/p9388041386-sa-i5446557/norman-rockwell-refugee-thanksgiving-november-27-1943.htm">Refugee Thanksgiving</a>". And when I got home I ran the Jurassic Park DVD through Lara's <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015ACUKC?keywords=disk%20doctor&qid=1450932387&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1">SkipDr</a>, popped it into the DVD player for Ed and the disk played like new.<br />
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Christmas here will be quiet. Tomorrow I'll visit Dad and take him his annual supply of pipe tobacco. Dad has not decided whether or not he will join us on Christmas Day for dinner. (I expect he will eat a big dinner tomorrow with my sister, Mary and her family, and will not feel like eating a second big dinner on Christmas Day.) We will be having pork roast, sauerkraut, and dumplings with a <a href="http://www.cooks.com/recipe/og4u38dk/raspberry-bavarian-cream-dessert.html">Raspberry Bavarian</a> for dessert. I baked cinnamon rolls and some Christmas cookies to munch on throughout the day.<br />
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I wish you all a Blessed and Happy Christmas!<br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-6692787028391522492015-11-26T21:52:00.001-06:002015-11-26T21:52:30.925-06:00Thanksgiving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is about as good a picture of our Thanksgiving turkey I could get this year because a certain unnamed party had already started snitching pieces off of the side you cannot see. (Sigh.) If you've ever seen the movie <i>A Christmas Story</i> you'll know what I mean when I say that the ghost of Ralphie's dad must have been hanging around my kitchen. My Dad came over to eat with us and he is looking good. My sister and some of her children were going to stop by for a short visit, but the weather quickly changed from freezing drizzle to snow, so she called to say they were going to stay home. I don't blame her. It was a nice day and we'll eat for a couple of days on the leftovers.<br />
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Here is a picture of the railroad knitting blanket I made. The blocks are a log cabin pattern with each block segment highlighted in outline stitch, and the blocks are connected in rows of single crochet. The blanket is much heavier than I expected and it is very warm. I used up quite a few of the little balls of yarn scraps in my yarn bin, but I still have some more I can use up. I am thinking about making some Christmas ornaments, small animal toys, or working them into some knitted Christmas stockings. We'll see.<br />
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Well, there are many projects on my to-do list and I'll keep you posted as I get to them. Right now I'd like to thank all of you for reading my blog. I am grateful for your company. I hope that some of the things I do give you both inspiration and encouragement as you carve out your own homestead. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. We all have much to be thankful for. <br />
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<i>1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 -- Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.</i><br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-28935597958984921112015-10-31T14:27:00.001-05:002015-10-31T14:27:17.055-05:00HalloweenIt's cold, wet, and bone aching miserable outside so I put on my nice grey sweater that I finished last year<br />
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and am spending my time making a blanket in railroad knitting (a/k/a Tunisian crochet) with all of my yarn scraps. It is taking me longer to finish because I decided to embroider each section on each block in black outline stitch. It was a good decision because the colors are nicely highlighted by the outlining and the blocks are reminiscent of stained glass windows. I'll take a picture of it for you when it is finished.<br />
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Yesterday (speaking of yarn) I picked up my share of wool yarn from splitting the costs of a fleece with a woman I know in Phillips who used to go to the Phillips Farmers Market. She had the fleece spun at <a href="http://bluehillsfibermill.com/">Blue Hills Fiber Mill</a> and it is gorgeous. The wool is grey and the natural color of the fiber. I received different fiber thicknesses so I will make me a nice warm shawl (I have a thing for shawls), Ed gets a good warm hat with ear flaps, and Lara will get some nice warm socks.<br />
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The reading bug has hit me again, too. I am nearly finished with the totally awesome <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0061253804?keywords=Gulag%20Archipelago&qid=1446316041&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1">Gulag Archipelago</a><i> </i>and have finished <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Forever-War-Joe-Haldeman/dp/0312536631/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446316215&sr=1-1&keywords=the+forever+war">The Forever War</a><i>. </i>I'm half way through <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Canticle-Leibowitz-Walter-Miller-Jr/dp/0060892994/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446316300&sr=1-1&keywords=a+canticle+for+leibowitz">A Canticle for Leibowitz</a><i>. </i>This book is excellently written.<i> </i>It is a shame, but I think only someone raised as a Roman Catholic in the pre-Vatican II, Latin Mass era, can fully appreciate how that type of upbringing strengthens the cultural nuances of the story's core and makes for such an enjoyable read. <i>("Eat! Eat!" </i>You have to read the book to understand why I was bug-eyed when I reached that part. . . .)<i> </i><br />
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I have received the <a href="http://www.keepsakequilting.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc">fabric </a>to start Ed's <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Hobo-Quilts-Original-Blocks-Language/dp/1440204128/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446318763&sr=1-1&keywords=hobo+quilts">Hobo quilt</a>, so I expect to at least get that project started before the end of the year.<br />
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Elsewhere I have six chickens butchered and another six to go. My sister Mary had one chicken that "got away" when she butchered her flock so she said I could have the hen. I retrieved the hapless one when she was asleep and back in the hen house that night and put her in with my flock. Since she is a hen I'll keep her for her eggs. She has adjusted well. I knew she would because she is bigger than my chickens who were extremely put out because of the stranger in their midst. It only took about three days before calm descended in the coop once more. I have scrubbed, scraped, swept out cob webs, and otherwise cleaned out the coop and "winterized" it with about six inches of fresh wood chip bedding. I had to take a scraper to the window because it had not been washed for a couple of years, but it looks great now, and the chickens can sit on their perches this winter and watch the snow fly.<br />
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I still have some fence work to do and the cutting back of weeds. Tom and I are waiting for good weather to go up on the roof and clean out the gutters now that most of the leaves are off the trees.<br />
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Twice already we've had snow fall but so far nothing has stayed on the ground. The birds are busy at all the feeders though so I expect we will freeze up pretty soon now.<br />
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Since it is Halloween, I thought I'd leave you with a fun link to the complete broadcast of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs0K4ApWl4g&index=2&list=FL1ve6Vw5zkaY0ySNHlq7gQw">Orson Welles' famous radio program from 1938</a>. Be safe Everybody!<br />
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ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-27560749420835713582015-10-12T20:49:00.001-05:002015-10-12T20:49:41.699-05:00Summer's EndThe Autumn leaves were beautiful this year and stayed a long time on the trees, but today the wind and rain came and blew most of them away. I fear Little Luke's Summer, that last sweet spell of summery weather that occurs around the Feast of St. Luke (October 18), is over. I need to finish up the last of the yard work soon as snow will not be long in coming now.<br />
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It's been quite busy here. Look at these lovely Fuji apples I bought at the Feed Store. Do you believe they were selling these as <i>deer </i>apples for hunters? I bought two boxes of them for $12 a box and promptly put most of them in the dehydrator. I can hardly believe that this is the first time in 10 years that I've not gone to Bayfield for apples.<br />
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The cabbages were wonderful this year and I had lots of them, both red and green. I put all of the red cabbages in the freezer and made sauerkraut with most of the green. I also used a 6.5 gallon plastic fermenter I bought from a brewery supply for the first time and it worked out great. It was much easier to handle and clean than my heavy pottery crocks. I canned 42 quarts; good thing we like sauerkraut! <br />
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Working on Dad's wood pile was a family affair. Gosh, what a job! Tom and John cut the logs; John, Mary, and I split it; and Tom, Ed, and I stacked most of it. There is only one small pile left to stack, and after that, all that is left to do is to rake up the bits and pieces to add to Dad's stove wood that is already stacked on the porch. <br />
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Greens and cabbages grew best in this year's garden. The tomatoes were pretty prolific, too. I planted Chadwick Cherry, Aunt Lucy's Paste Tomato, original Abe Lincoln, Vintage Wine, and a very old commercial variety called 1884. All did well though they seemed to come on late in the season. I attribute that to the odd weather we had. I would say I was most impressed with 1884. For going into the ground late (July!) it grew like gangbusters and produced some real nice large sized fruits. None of the tomato varieties were bothered with insects, but I did have problems with blossom end rot, and again I attribute that to our cold nights. Vintage Wine was a second year trial. When I first planted it, it did not do well at all and I only saved a few seeds, but when I planted it this year, boy, did it grow. And for a tomato it is a pretty plant; I like its leaves, and the fruits are pink with yellowish striping. The name is justified. Aunt Lucy's Paste Tomato produces mountains of smallish red fruits. It is a real work horse of a tomato. It did extremely well when I first planted it in a dry year, and it did just as well in this year's hot/cold/wet weather. I also liked original Abe Lincoln. A very pretty red slicer with great taste. Perhaps the most finicky for me to grow is Chadwick Cherry, but I like to freeze the fruits whole (like berries) and add them as I want to soups and stews. <br />
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While the garden's bounty was limited, I was able to gather a lot of seed due to the long season. No garden year is ever the same, and the learning experiences always differ. I love this life!<br />
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Now, for the chickens . . . .<br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-49341967342525921332015-08-23T18:13:00.001-05:002015-08-23T18:13:54.713-05:00Wind and Rain and Time WarpEveryone I talk to is having the same sort of year. Not enough time and no matter how many chores you finish it seems as if you are always behind. Time somehow feels warped.<br />
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For sure I have been busy. I added mint jelly and blackberry jam to my list of jams to sell at the market. A gallon bag of Green Arrow shell peas is in the freezer. The onions and garlic have both been pulled and cured. The seed garlic is in the frig waiting to be planted, and the onions are in a bushel basket in the kitchen ready to use. (No onions for the market this year. We eat too many to spare!) I have fermentation vessels everywhere. Yogurt and kombucha are bubbling in the kitchen. Cucumbers are fermenting in brine in the living room, and about 12 gallons of cabbage are fermenting into sauerkraut in my crocks in the laundry room. (Even Tom is getting in the act by brewing beer in the basement. Can't wait to try some of that!) I said bye-bye to a couple of roosters and added them and some good broth to the pantry. Put up 15 pounds of beets I bought at the farmers market. And yesterday I worked all day cleaning up and amending three garden boxes. Since the moon was in Scorpio I figured that if I wanted to put in a Fall garden I had better do it now, so I set aside one box to put the garlic in and planted the other two -- one with Purple Vienna Kolrabi, Scarlet Nantes carrots, Summertime and Paris Cos lettuce, and Detroit Supreme beets; and the other with Egyptian Walking Onions, Newburg onion seeds, Lisbon Bunching Onions, Forellenschluss lettuce and leftover unnamed onion sets from those I planted this Spring that I bought at the feed store. With row cover and plastic I'll see how long I can keep the garden going. I need to pick more beans and check the tomatoes. Tom's Swiss Chard and collards need picking again, too.<br />
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The farmers market last Wednesday was our best day yet. My jams are selling well and I had someone tell me they would like to see my knitted dishcloths in more colors. And everybody loved my Copenhagen Market Cabbages! I should have taken a picture of them. They were truly beautiful little cabbages. I sold all my Tuscan Blue Kale and some of the Portugese Kale, all the Italian Parsley I brought, and most of the cabbages. My special customer received her bushel of Provider green beans. I will have to start bringing cold weather outerwear for Lara and me to wear because the wind is beginning to switch around and come out of the North. Lara said she was ok, but I actually got cold.<br />
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I have been making extra effort with respect to my seed saving skill and the effort is paying off. I'll have lots of herb seeds, peas, spinach, mustard greens, bush and pole beans, summer and winter squash seeds, cucumber, and tomato seeds. Hopefully I'll do better at overwintering the biennials than in the past and will get seed from them next year. Among them I hope to get cabbage, collard, kale, beet, and parsnip seed.<br />
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Today is windy, cold, and rainy; a good day to stay inside and rest. It is a day that heralds the coming of Autumn. I expect I'll start seeing the leaves turn color any time now. Soon I'll be able to get back to my fire zone upkeep, and we will go over to Dad's and finish splitting and stacking his wood pile.<br />
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Till next time, Be Safe and Be Well!ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-86395843389679596352015-07-29T00:03:00.000-05:002015-07-29T00:03:26.742-05:00Hot and HumidI have to admit I'm a wuss about hot and humid weather. When the day temps start reaching into the 80's I go in the house and whimper. Cold drinks, a wet kerchief around my neck; I turn into a crab and hide in my shell. I feel ill in hot weather and have a hard time breathing, so I elect not to unduly exert myself. I am grateful that I do not have to be out in such weather.<br />
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Late last evening I battled mosquitoes and waded through the forest garden to check on the melons, pie pumpkins, and winter squash. The sad truth is that of the three only the winter squash -- Blue Hubbard -- is even growing. The melons and pie pumpkins look like they were planted just yesterday. I can't understand it, but at least the big squash is happy. I think it is because I planted it in my hugelkulture bed.<br />
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I picked the last of the black and red currants to put in the freezer, and the handful of raspberries I gathered I added to a cup of nice homemade yogurt. It was a good snack. I will watch the raspberries closely as I have a feeling they will ripen pretty much all at once this year and I want to be sure I pick at least a gallon of them. The flavor of wild raspberries is hard to beat.<br />
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I pulled out one of my new books to read. I heartily recommend it if you are interested in saving your own seed. <a href="http://www.chelseagreen.com/blogs/save-25-on-the-organic-seed-grower/">The Organic Seed Grower </a>by John Navazio is the best book about growing for seed I've read since Suzanne Ashworth's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Suzanne-Ashworth-Seed-Techniques-Vegetable/dp/B00N4EF2V6">Seed to Seed</a>. This really is a must have book for your library shelf. This year I am going to try to overwinter beet, carrot, and rutabega roots, kale, Swiss chard, cabbages and collards to plant for seed next year, and I'll try to gather seed this year from just about everything else I can. If we are lucky and have a long Autumn, I may be able to harvest a lot of seed.<br />
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Lara and I did well at the farmers market again. We sold enough of the jam I made that I think it is worth the effort to make more to sell. I am going to make some different jams to add a bit more variety to the selection. We sold all but one of the spring cabbages we brought, too, so that was good.<br />
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Hope you all are staying cool!<br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-81442805646271368342015-07-17T23:48:00.000-05:002015-07-17T23:48:00.137-05:00SummertimeWhew! I have to take some time to fill you in on what has been happening here at the farm.<br />
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First off, I forgot to tell you that Tom and I had our 40th wedding anniversary back in May. We decided to celebrate by taking the kids with us to go see the new (totally awesome!) Mad Max movie. So like us. I was always a cheap date -- take me to an action movie, buy me popcorn, and I was a happy camper. Some things never change.<br />
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My sister and I went to a pasture walk down in Milladore one evening to see an organic farm. It was pretty cool. The family had been traditional row cropper farmers but a serious accident caused the family to rethink how they farmed. Over the course of a few years, with minimal equipment, the family transitioned to being a diverse, certified organic farm. They raise grass pastured beef, chickens, ducks, and turkeys. Everything they raise is bought by an organic marketer, and financially they are doing better now than when they were row croppers. The walk was well attended despite being held in the evening. The family was very down to earth and had an amusing cadre of farm dogs, too! One of the funniest things that happened was when we walked by the duck pen and the 136 ducks saw the woman farmer. There was this huge cacophony of duck quacks and a mad press toward the fence. The woman told us, "Aw, they see me and think they are going to get fed." I guess ducks are like any other critter. :)<br />
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Back at our farm, while the weather has been steamy during the day with patchy heavy rain and too cool at night (we've have two nights down in the 30's) the garden is actually doing fairly well. I have had no luck whatsoever with lettuce, radishes, and melons, but the parsley, red and green cabbages, collards, mustard greens, beets, and kale are doing great. The green bush and pole beans are finally starting to come on, and the cucumbers and summer squash are getting flowers now. My Green Arrow peas are just now producing when normally peas would be finishing up at this time. The green peppers and basil look pitiful, but the garlic grew gangbusters and the onions are filling out great. I have tomatoes planted all over the place and while there are no tomatoes yet, the plants are growing well despite the cool nights. This year I planted Chadwick Cherry, Vintage Wine, original Abe Lincoln, and a very early variety simply named "1884". I have been blessed with no insect or disease problems this year despite the weather. <br />
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So, Lara and I take lots of greens to the farmers market. Customers even call us "the greens people". We have been to the market twice so far.<br />
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This week we didn't go to market however because the chores in the house and the garden were starting to pile up and I needed to make some time to take care of the work. I pulled the garlic and have it curing out in the garage. I amended the garden box the garlic was in and replanted it with rutabegas, lettuce (another try!), radishes, carrots, and beets. I picked the currants out in the forest garden and started cutting open some walk paths. Today I was in the kitchen making currant and strawberry jam to sell at the market. We may have some spring greens yet and some of the cabbages and peas should be ready to harvest for next week.<br />
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I wound up with 12 chicks that aren't so little any more. They are starting to hop out of their brooder box in the greenhouse so it won't be long before I'm able to put them in with the other chickens. Of course, before I do that I will need to whittle down the roosters and lazy hens in the main flock. Work never ends, does it! Well, busy hands make a happy heart, or so the saying goes. I think I'd rather take the time to look for the bluebird of happiness.<br />
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Talk to you soon. Be safe and Be well, Everybody!<br />
ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-39205916439911655382015-06-21T23:19:00.001-05:002015-06-21T23:19:25.397-05:00Solstice DayHappy Fathers Day to all dads old and young, here or gone! We had my dad over for bar-b-que and the weather was lovely. It was a nice day. Lara and Ed bought Tom a Chicago Bears tool box, and I gave my Dad a couple of cans of pipe tobacco. He's set with tobacco now till Christmas so he's happy.<br />
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Holy cow, it's really the longest day of the year! This year is simply flying and I still have a flat of leeks and one of tomatoes to plant. The weather has been rain and more rain with brief respite in between storm systems. We may get some severe storms tomorrow. Darn it. It frustrates me how long it takes for me to get work done. There's not much you can do when the grass is too wet to cut.<br />
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I finally have some pictures for you. It's unbelievable that barely one month ago we had our last snow fall. This pic shows my greens box (beets, kale, spinach, mustard, and Italian parsley), my garlic box, and beyond it is my box that is planted with peas.<br />
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This pic shows about 100 trees and shrubs that I still need to get in the ground. I have already planted 40 butternut trees and about 40 each red oak and white pine out in the field. I want to plant the remaining trees and shrubs there, too.<br />
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This is my collards, spring cabbages and red cabbage box. Next to it is the box planted with bush cherries. I have planted bush beans in there, too, though none have come up yet. <br />
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This is a little pallet garden I planted up with herbs. There are two little bay trees I bought from <a href="https://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/store/index.php">Nichols Garden Nursery</a> planted in the black grow bags. Lara's fig tree (in the big pot) that I feared had given up the ghost is actually hanging on and sprouting new leaves. <br />
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These are the nine garden boxes Tom and I built last Fall. The two boxes on the far right are mine and hold my sweet peppers, yellow onions, and tomatoes. The other boxes are Tom's. The temps got down to 36°F the other night -- not good for any kind of fruit set.<br />
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My ankle couldn't hold up with manhandling the BCS tractor out in the field so I was not able to plant my potatoes or corn out there. I was able to plant the potatoes in wire bins, but I couldn't find a spot for the corn. What a disappointment! I shall try to plant the corn next year. I have planted the sunflowers and winter squash on my hugelkulture bed in the forest garden, and I've planted Moon and Stars melons and New England pie pumpkins throughout the forest garden, too. It will be interesting to see how everything grows there. I also planted some white currants, goji berries, honeyberries, and more hazelnut shrubs. I actually had blossoms on one of the Chestnut crab apple trees this year so maybe I'll be able to make some crabapple jelly this Fall.<br />
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Here are the first of the new chicks that are still hatching in my incubator. They are so cute when they first hatch. I have 13 so far and more coming.<br />
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My really good news is that I went down to Wisconsin Rapids on June 13th to take the Amateur Extra ham radio exam. I PASSED!!! I feel so great about it. I can't wait to be able to gather the equipment I need and set up my very own radio shack. <br />
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Until next time, Be Safe and Be Blessed!ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-27083065447889478482015-05-19T15:28:00.000-05:002015-05-19T15:28:01.201-05:00Loving SpringWoke up this morning to snow on the ground. Brrr! This is the latest snowfall I've noted since we moved here. Still, it is Spring.<br />
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I love Spring. You know, that time of year when buds break on the hardwood trees in colors of new greens and reds, and the conifers sport bright new growth on branch tips. I liken the feathery silver sage on the tamaracks to slender ladies wearing gossamer gowns. Spring is that short time when the cricket frogs chirp in the marshes and the grouse drum on a just right fallen log out in the woods. The humming birds return to fight over red nectar filled feeders, and I listen for new bird songs at the forest edge. The fecund earth is soft from the frost coming out of it, and the wild cherries, hop hornbeam, and elderberry bushes are first to burst into flowery bloom. I suck Spring into my lungs and want to shout for joy! Earth is new again.<br />
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I move slower now because of that dratted ankle I broke last year. I had to buy some different work shoes to accommodate my swollen foot and I am very happy with them. They are not heavy to wear and are very comfortable. The ankle has better support with them and walking around on uneven ground is much easier. Because I am slower, it takes me longer to get work done. I hate that, but I am not young any more and I understand that my reflexes are not as nimble as my mind. It's one reason I haven't had much time for blogging.<br />
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I have accomplished a lot though since my last post. I finally finished boiling down maple sap and got just over a gallon of syrup from six trees. Not a lot, but enough for us and maybe a gift or two. (Dad already has his jar.)<br />
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I also made great progress continuing my quest to cut away brush in the fire zone around the house. But my biggest achievement so far is getting the hand pump installed on the house well.<br />
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A walk through the forest garden was full of surprises. The gooseberries and the hazelnut bushes look healthy and strong. The red and
black currants look great and are loaded with flowers already, and I
finally have flowers on one of the Chestnut Crabapple trees. Yeah! The bad
news is that my best Haralson apple tree is dead from being
completely girdled by mice, and another Smokehouse apple tree died, so I
need to find two more apple trees to replace them. Overall though, the plantings are really starting to take shape and I like the way the garden
looks. I finally finished the trellis fence around the forest garden to my satisfaction. When the moon goes into the sign of Cancer I'll plant some hops to climb the new sections. There are grape vines, blackberries, and when the weather is warmer, Old Homestead pole beans, Scarlet Runner beans, and Grandpa Ott's morning glories to keep them company. The fence should look very nice this summer.<br />
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I built a herb garden from an old pallet and am transplanting herbs from my herb garden box into it. The soil in the garden box has settled down considerably and needs amending so it is nice to have a new place to put the herbs. The greenhouse is filled with veggies waiting to go in the ground, and this morning I started more seeds in the basement: melons, pole beans, cucumbers, pie pumpkins, sunflowers, and summer and winter squashes. The rest of the veggies will be direct planted outside. Now I need to get out to the field and till the ground for them. Can you tell gardening is on my mind?<br />
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How are things going for you in your neck of the woods? ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-442467582505502662015-03-07T21:43:00.000-06:002015-03-07T21:43:04.346-06:00Winter TimeI have been working like crazy completing unfinished projects that were screaming at me so loudly that I couldn't walk through the house without feeling guilty. So, I sewed a rain poncho with a pattern I bought from <a href="http://www.nancysnotions.com/product/90+minute+poncho+pattern.do">Nancy's Notions</a> and a navy blue knit jumper and skirt for Lara; did all the mending; and, I finished my first "real" quilt. Every stitch in that quilt is hand sewn. It is certainly not perfect, but I'm proud of it.<br />
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I also straightened out the basement so you can at least walk through it. The next big project (for next winter) is to cut up all the old clothes into strips or fabric squares for future quilts or whatever I think we need. I am definitely going to make Ed a <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Hobo-Quilts-Original-Blocks-Language/dp/1440204128/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425782182&sr=1-1&keywords=Hobo+Quilts">hobo quilt</a>.<br />
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The weather has been weird to say the least. This winter has not been as brutal as last year's winter, but it certainly has been cold in a brutal way. That is to say, there has not been much snow, but the cold in the wind has been simply bone chilling. I certainly find the wind hard to tolerate and that is why I've spent so much time indoors this winter.<br />
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I'm getting pretty good at making kombucha. Some people say I'm actually making something called "jun" tea because I use green tea and chamomile tea, but I call it kombucha because I use kombucha culture.<br />
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My neighbor, Beth, gave me some great crabapple puree and I made a batch of apple fritters with one quart (no picture because they were inhaled as they came out of the frying pan), and I made crabapple brandy with the other quart. It's pretty good!<br />
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Beth also sent us a box of citrus from Arizona for Christmas. It was wonderful! I made more fermented lemons (the small jar) with the lemons. As you can see, my big jar from last year is half empty, but looking good still. As a matter of interest, when I strained my apple brandy I thought it would be a shame to discard the puree, so I decided to make an applesauce cake with it. The recipe called for lemon extract, but instead, I omitted the salt the recipe called for and replaced the lemon extract with one slice of fermented lemon that I first rinsed and soaked for 15 minutes in a bowl of hot water to draw out more salt, then finely minced it before adding it to the batter. Talk about good! The chickens didn't get any of that cake. <br />
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My chickipoos started laying in January. That was a real surprise. I didn't expect them to start till February when the days noticeably start to lengthen. But we love eggs around here and eat them all the time. The chickens have handled the winter very well and the ladies like the new next boxes I made them.<br />
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I have been experimenting with the dehydrator Tom bought me for Christmas last year. I bought a book called <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Ultimate-Dehydrator-Cookbook-Including-Just-Add-Water-ebook/dp/B00N9F39EM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425783670&sr=1-1&keywords=the+ultimate+dehydrator+cookbook"><i>The Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook</i></a> and I have to say that my interest in dehydrating is definitely piqued. The quart jar on the left hold FOUR big bunches of celery and it's only half full! The jar on the right was all the small onions I planted after I got off crutches last summer. I plan to use that dehydrator a lot this year.<br />
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Our Ed turned 28 and Tom's birthday is right around the corner. I just can't believe how fast the time flies. It's also a year now since I broke my ankle.<br />
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Oh, I have to tell you about the fireball I saw today! As I was locking up the chickens for the night (about 5:00 p.m.) I looked up at the sky and in the WSW I saw what looked like a big comet, tail and all. It was SO bright. Then I realized the object was actually falling to earth. I watched it for a minute or so before it dawned on me to run and get my camera to try to get a movie of it. I thought to send it to The Weather Channel. Of course, by the time I found my camera and got back outside, the object had disappeared behind clouds and I didn't see it again. It seemed pretty big although far away from our location, and I waited a while expecting to feel at least a gust of wind from its impact, but nothing came. I don't know what happened to the object. It was pretty exciting to watch and I wonder if any ham radio operators were able to catch some contacts on the scatter.<br />
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I have seedlings growing in the basement, and trees and seeds on order. I'll tap a few maple trees in a day or so and start boiling down sap soon. And I'm still studying for my Amateur Extra ham license. I sure hope to be able to take the exam this year. All in all, I cannot say that I've been bored this winter.<br />
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May you all be safe and well!ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-46974467506803205042015-01-02T00:19:00.002-06:002015-01-02T00:19:22.404-06:00Another Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We had a quiet end to this difficult year, and I have to admit - again - that I am not sorry to see it end. The old ones are starting to leave us; friends are failing in health; we are slowing down considerably, too; and illness -- sometimes serious -- seems to want to be adopted into the family. All the year's troubles made holiday memories more precious. I will hate to take down the Christmas tree.<br />
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Reflection seems to be appropriate at this slower time of year, and I receive a great deal of personal strength from meditating while being out in Nature. For example, on several evenings this Fall while going to shut up the chickens for the night, I was thrilled to see little brown bats flitting above me in the dusk. They were starting their Fall migration. It was something I had never seen and the sight filled me with wonder. Their presence on the farm, even if they were only passing through, was like a blessing. Such a small happening, but it filled my soul with joy, and such events never fail to feed my thirst to understand God's Creation and express His Goodness in whatever I do. (If you're an atheist like my husband, just ignore that last sentence.)<br />
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In keeping with my reticence, I find myself doing a lot of reading these days. I am still studying for my <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Extra-Class-2012-2016-Gordon-West/dp/0945053746/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420176103&sr=1-4&keywords=Gordon+West">Amateur Extra</a> ham radio license, and am riveted by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gulag-Archipelago-Abridged-Experiment-Investigation/dp/0061253804/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420175969&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Gulag+Archipelago"><i>The Gulag Archipelago</i></a> by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. I bought some of Dr. Richard Alan Miller's books: <a href="http://richardalanmiller.com/shop"><i>The Modern Alchemist, ESP Induction Through Forms of Self-Hypnosis, Power Tools for the 21st Century </i>and the accompanying <i>Workbook</i></a>. I bought a fascinating new cookbook by Hilary Boynton and Mary G. Brackett called <i>The Heal Your Gut Cookbook: Nutrient-Dense Recipes for Intestinal Health Using the GAPS Diet</i>. And for Christmas I bought from <a href="http://www.chelseagreen.com/">Chelsea Green Publishers</a> (they had a great sale) <i>The Organic Seed Grower, The Sugarmaker's Companion,</i> and <i>Integrated Forest Gardening</i>.<br />
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The tasks on my To-Do list are starting to scream at me. But I have to say I would much rather look up from reading a book to watch the finches, pine siskins, chickadees, and woodpeckers on my bird feeders than work in my basement.<br />
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I hope all of you made precious memories over the holiday season. Believe it or not, you are all part of mine! Keep safe, and Be Well!<br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-44278921746045902492014-10-31T00:00:00.000-05:002014-10-31T00:00:14.224-05:00HalloweenAnother month has come and gone again. I can't believe how fast the time goes -- especially when I'm busy.<br />
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We had our first snow on October 3rd, <br />
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but the weather quickly warmed and <a href="http://www.almanac.com/fact/st-lukes-little-summer-a-spell-of-word-definition">St. Luke's Summer</a> gave us about 10 great days for working outside. Tom and I made the most of it. He built and filled the garden boxes, and I worked madly on cutting back the fire zone. Tom figures we have room for three more boxes and we'll put them on the to-do list for next Spring.<br />
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I added a grand stack of brush to my hugelkultur bed that now needs to be covered with manure and soil, and there is still a bit more cutting back of brush to do. I managed to get the garlic planted and two of the back yard garden boxes cleared and topped off with manure. I transplanted the mulberry tree and elderberry bushes inside the chicken run where I hope they will do well next year. Still need to transplant the rest of the trees I have heeled in the garden box from this past Spring. I have amassed a fair number of small tree trunks to use as posts for my forest garden fence, and I am eyeing more trees to thin out, especially in the forest garden where I want to plant five more apple trees next Spring. I sure hope I will have time to get all the work done. Right now it's snowing and blowing outside like a blizzard! A real Halloween trick for sure!<br />
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In the house I cleaned the garlic harvested this year for fresh use and dried the onions I planted after I got off crutches in the dehydrator. It worked very well for that, but my first attempt at making jerky was a disaster. I didn't think I would like dehydrating, but I do. It's amazing how much food shrinks up when it is dried. This will be a fun skill to learn.<br />
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Cousin It came with her boyfriend and stayed a week with us. I took them to Bayfield with me, and they had a good time. I wasn't able to get any pears this year, but I did buy two bushels of apples -- one for fresh eating (we have almost finished them already) and one to can for baking. I bought an apple peeler and another bushel for Cousin It to take back home with her as she is learning to can. Well, what are Moms for . . . .<br />
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And so, I did a bit of canning, too.<br />
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I finished knitting my elven rune sweater. Following the legend in the front pages of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Hobbit-Tolkien/dp/0137171668/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414726641&sr=8-2&keywords=the+hobbit+book"><em>The Hobbit</em></a><em> </em>I worked out the phrase, "Walk in Starlight". Then I scoured the Internet for free patterns of oak leaves and acorns. The sweater was knitted in solid dark grey and raglan style, and I worked the runes and decorations in duplicate stitch in a silvery grey color. As usual, I made the sweater big and wear it like a coat. It's nice and warm.<br />
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I have to tell you about the latest book I bought. It is the single best book about farming that I've read since the first edition of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-Grain-Raising-Gene-Logsdon/dp/0878571345/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414723234&sr=1-2&keywords=gene+logsdon%27s+small+scale+grain+raising">Gene Logsdon's Small-Scale Grain Raising</a>. It's called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Farming-Woods-Integrated-Permaculture-Medicinals/dp/1603585079/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0HH6A9Y1J0ZM8ZY3AFJ3">Farming the Woods by Ken Mudge and Steve Gabriel</a>. There is useful information on every single page. If you want ideas about how to utilize and farm your temperate climate woods, this is the book to get. I LOVE chewing on the information presented in this book! It's my opinion and I have no doubt that these young people coming out of <a href="http://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Science</a> are going to save world agriculture. They get it.<br />
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Well, it's late and I need to go to sleep. I'll talk to you later. In the meantime, Be Well and Safe.<br />
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ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-37535229487153272172014-09-24T21:41:00.001-05:002014-09-24T23:18:53.692-05:00Autumn WorkI received the "All Clear" from the doctor when I went for the last x-rays of my ankle so I happily have no more activity restrictions, and Tom and I have been making up for lost time. The weather has been decent lately so we have been busy trying to get the outside work finished. I have been cutting back the brush around the house and cleaning up the "fire safety zone". Let me tell you, that is a job. I'm pooped! Even after three full days of sawing, pruning, and slashing with my brush sickles, it hardly looks like I've done anything. The chickens delightedly follow my progress because I haul the cuttings inside the coop area for them to peck. I'm surprised they like eating dogwood leaves; the grasses and brambles I can understand, but dogwood leaves? I hope to finish cutting back the slope by the chicken coop tomorrow. If I can keep up my steady pace, I should be finished with everything I want to cut back before I need to plant my garlic in mid-October. I will save cleaning up the garden boxes for last.<br />
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Speaking of garden boxes, take a good look at the front yard:<br />
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Tom and I are going to be filling this entire area with new garden boxes. He cut the lumber today, and we have been hauling mink poop from our good neighbor for the last few weeks. I told Tom I just can't shovel that stuff any more for a while so we are going to take a break from getting any more trailer loads.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The very stinky stuff</td></tr>
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The leaves are changing very rapidly now. I actually think we have reached peak color already. I always love being outside enjoying the trees at this time of year.<br />
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Of course, being inside can be fun, too. A day in my kitchen makes everyone smile. <br />
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Enjoy Autumn! Be Safe and Well, Everybody!<br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-18112135823831499942014-09-07T16:33:00.001-05:002014-09-07T16:33:11.228-05:00Change of the SeasonI think Summer left a few days ago in the last rain we had. The air is much cooler; the leaves are starting to change color; the light of day is different. We are busy getting ready for winter. Tom and Ed cut, split, and stacked our wood.<br />
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They filled the firewood frames in the garage and all the kindling bins. The wood he didn't want to burn was put in a stack by my maple sugar rig. Then they went by Dad's and stacked his wood for him that my sister and her husband had cut and split. We bought tarps and covered all the wood piles and my syrup rig.<br />
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I cleared a nice spot next to the chicken run where Tom can park the truck after we put the snow plow on it. And I am working on clearing back the fire zone around the house. There is more to do, but the yard is already looking much better.<br />
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My ankle is better though it gives me painful twinges most days. I go for x-rays again next week and hopefully will get the all clear on activities. I just have to admit that I cannot work at the pace I was used to working at any longer. Well, "slow and steady goes long into the day" is one of my favorite aphorisms and now it has a slightly different import for me! <br />
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After I got off crutches I managed to gimp out to my garden boxes and plant three of them with collards, mustard greens, and kale in one; Provider green beans in another; and lettuce, beets, radishes, patty pan squash, and onions in the third. The lettuce and beets just didn't grow, and the squash will not be able to mature before frost comes, but the rest are looking good. I figure I will have to put on hoops and row cover for them all soon because we may get frost and possibly even snow next week. We already had one night down to 38°F. Tom had planted one pole bean trellis and a handful of cucumber plants, and even with just a few plants I have been able to make several batches of sweet pickles, East India and cucumber relish, and several quarts of green beans. I would love to get another bushel of beans and a bushel of beets from somewhere. I am all out of beets. Fortune also shined on me this year with a bumper crop of black currants and raspberries from the forest garden, and Tom's black chokeberries in back of the house. I may yet get enough elderberries to make some cough syrup. I made lots of jam and a fine supply of brandy cordials to soothe away any winter blahs. I haven't tasted the black chokeberry jam yet, and as it is something I have not made before, I'm wondering if I should have made jelly instead of jam because when I tasted a raw berry it was awfully mealy. We'll find out soon enough! I read that chokeberries are very popular in Europe.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Titania Black Currants </td></tr>
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I worked on filling in and strengthening the brush fence, and I must say I like the way everything looks. I think it's rather picturesque. <br />
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With all the rain we had this year, everything grew spectacularly. (Too bad I didn't have my big garden!) The forest garden is a veritable jungle and I wonder if digging those swales last year was a factor. And I am glad to report that the red currants are coming back and looking great. I only lost two apples trees to last winter's wrath; a Paula Red and one Smokehouse. One of my remaining tasks is to cut paths through the forest garden. In another week I will check the hazelnut bushes and see if I have any nuts this year. Last winter was so long that I never even saw any blossoms on the apple, pear, or plum trees. And speaking of winter, our last snow came on May 15th. We had a visiting Chinese priest speak at our church earlier this year, and he commented that our area really reminded him of Siberia!!! I guess our little rural towns, marshes and woods are similar to what is over there in Russia. Maybe Dmitri Orlov ought to visit out here and give us his opinion. LOL. <br />
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The rose bushes in the chicken run are still blooming and they are heavy with hips. I think I will try to make some rose hip jelly this year and dry some hips for tea. I just love the rose scent on the air when I let the chickens out in the morning.<br />
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Speaking of chickens, one of my projects for this year was to build up my flock of Dominiques. I bought an incubator and gave it a try --<br />
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Fourteen of twenty eggs hatched and I have nine pullets! A man on one of the gardening/homesteading forums I frequent said that if you want pullets, put eggs that are more rounded at the small end to hatch. Rooster eggs will be more pointed at the small end. Some people say that is folklore and has no basis in fact, but the advice worked pretty well for me. I'll give it a shot again next Spring. I plan to cull the flock next month and these replacements should work out well.<br />
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Till next time, Be Safe and Well!<br />
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P.S. It sure feels good to sit down and blog again :) ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10330066.post-38828918743673137252014-09-07T16:28:00.000-05:002014-09-07T18:20:45.370-05:00Crafts and SuchI wanted to post a picture of the gansey style sweater I made. I think it turned out pretty good for a first try. It fits great and I <i>almost</i> can't wait for the colder weather to come so I can wear it.<br />
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I am almost finished with second pair of socks for Lara, and my latest project is an everyday sweater for me (I'm always cold) that is a darker grey color and embroidered in duplicate stitch with a lighter, more silvery grey color. I dug out my Tolkien books and wrote out a phrase in Elven runes, then searched for a couple of patterns for oak leaves and acorns that I will use for the embroidery. So far I love the way it is turning out. Stay tuned for a picture when I'm finished. If I have enough yarn left over I'll make a matching hat or cowl and fingerless gloves.<br />
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My grandnieces and nephews came by the other day and I promised we would do some crafting together when they come by again around Thanksgiving. I think I will make some homemade soap and let them each remill a bar to take home. Maybe we can make some lip balm or hand cream, too. Even boys can use lip protector and skin cream, especially in winter! That should be a fun get together. They brought me a grocery bag full of apples they picked from one of the trees on my sister and brother-in-law's farm. I made Tom a couple of no sugar pies with some of them and boy did he like them! The apples are not quite ripe yet, but they sure made good pies. They were snarfed up so quick I didn't get a picture of them.<br />
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Cousin It is planning to visit at the end of this month. If the weather is nice, perhaps together we can run up to Bayfield to get my yearly apples and apple wine. Since she is starting to can food, she might like to take a bushel back home. That would be fun.<br />
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While I was off my feet, I enjoyed bird watching through the window. We had blue indigo buntings, our feisty hummingbirds, Northern Orioles -- a new bird for us, and lots of finches. We even had some pine siskins and rosebreasted grosbeaks.<br />
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There was a gun show up at Butternut Park yesterday so Tom and I decided to go. We have been to archery shows, car shows, and fishing shows, but never a gun show. We did not know what to expect. It wasn't much. We thought the prices were way too high on most things. I did buy a bag of shell casings to use as pegs when I make a cap rack for Tom and Ed. I got the idea from a craft booth I saw at the Mercer Loon Day festival where the crafter used shotgun shell casings as pegs. Nifty idea. There were some people selling household items at different booths and I picked up a beautiful stainless steel pan with handles for only $15. It had a smashed snake petrified on it that needed to removed, but otherwise it was fine. The first image that came into my mind when I saw the pan was of someone making cheese in it. I don't know what the original use of the pan was, but I'm sure it was connected somehow with dairy. I also picked up a nice old galvanized steel pail. I like the old steel items because they simply last longer than the plastic garbage you find in most places today. All in all, it was a nice outing.<br />
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Well, chores call me, so I'll talk to you later. Be well and Be safe!<br />
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<br />ElderberryWine4uhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05359661837742907170noreply@blogger.com0