Cold Weather, Cutting Trees

The summer before last, DH and I noticed that we had a few dead trees in the north fence line (property line).  Being summer, and we didn't want to crush either the hay or the crop in the field rented by the local grain farmer, we decided to wait until winter time to cut those trees down.

Well, last winter was kind of a bust, weather-wise.  Not too many weekends where the ground was frozen and we could drive the tractor across either the hay field or the crop field without making ruts, let alone drag tree trunks through the fields and up to the wood boiler in order to cut them for firewood.  Seemed like every time the ground was frozen, either we had other things going on or DH just plain wasn't home (he's been increasingly busy at work for over two years now). So, they didn't get cut.

All summer, those dead trees stuck out--to us--like sore thumbs.  We vowed that we would cut them this winter, once the ground froze.

Yeah.  Here we are, almost halfway through February, and those trees were still standing.  Again, the ground has not been consistently frozen.  Again, weekends have been busy.  I didn't think it was possible a year ago, but DH has been working even more hours (I'll spare you the details of the Saturday we were on our way to a wedding 3 hours north and DH's boss called wanting him to jump and run and go into work RIGHT NOW!)

This Sunday, however, we were free, DH was home (he has been traveling for work the past two weeks plus had to go into work for a while on Saturday) and the ground was frozen.  Now was the time to take action on those dead trees! 

So I did.  First, I told DH I needed some help pruning the orchard with the chainsaw (he really doesn't want me to run the chainsaw if I'm home alone).   Then, we moved on to taking a few limbs off of a couple of the trees that are on two sides of the garden.  Then, I mentioned those trees we'd planned to cut last winter and we moved out to the north line.

Our first target, we decided was just too big to tackle that day.  The trunk of the tree was quite a bit bigger than we'd thought (at least 28" in diameter), and DH didn't want to cut into it with his chainsaw acting kind of funky--it ran while we were pruning, but not quite right.  He didn't want to get partially through the trunk and have the chainsaw go on strike.  Instead, we did a smaller tree first, then moved on to one with a trunk that split down low enough it was like cutting two medium trees instead of one huge one. 

Split trunk tree:

cutting the first trunk

cutting the second trunk

Then we tackled a big (but not huge) tree.

He would fell a tree, then wrap a chain around the trunk, and I'd use the tractor to drag the tree up by the house.  At least, we did the smaller trunks that way.  The bigger ones we had to limb first, and I'd take the trunk and then the limbs separately.  And the biggest one I think came out in seven or eight large pieces between all the limbs and the chunks we had to cut the trunk into.  It was heavy wood.

the first two pieces

I actually ran out of room up by the wood boiler to leave the trees, so about half of what we cut ended up pulled out into the field and dropped there, until we can get the ones at the wood boiler cut up and out of the way.

During the three hours or so we were out at the north line, a snow squall blew in, and we had to quit working because the wind was driving the snow so bad it was hard to see.  Hopefully we'll have time yet this winter to go back out and cut that humongous dead tree, plus the four or so smaller dead ones we noticed while we were working.

Yarn Along: February

I am joining with Ginny this morning for the monthly Yarn Along.

Last month, I was working on a pair of Autumn Leaves fingerless mitts for my mom, and wouldn't you know, I forgot to take a picture of them when they were finished!  It's too late now, as they've all ready been gifted. 

Once they were finished, I dove right into my next project, a Kempii shawlette.  More yarn and a pattern that I don't think I would have ever picked out for myself, and I really didn't want either sitting around taking up space, (because this year I want to pare down on what's not being used but taking up space around here) so I dove in.

It turned out to be a very good January project, as with the weather being frigid and DH being gone 12-14 hours a day for work, I didn't mind working on a pattern that required I pay strict attention to what I was doing.  The sun shone brightly through the windows (January days are only sunny if they are super cold), and I knit for a few hours many afternoons. 

I actually finished it last night--well, bound off, anyway, still need to weave in all the ends (from the color changes) and block it.  But here it is in all it's still smooshy glory, spread out the best I could for a commemorative photo.

The speckled yarn (which I wouldn't have purposely bought, as I'm really not a fan of that trend) actually is kind of pretty.  It looks dull from a distance, with a light gray/off white base, but up close is much nicer and brighter.

It's been a while since I did a large project like a shawl, and I do have to confess to getting a little impatient to be done with it once there were a couple hundred stitches per row on my needles.  Oh, to be making socks with their 64 stitches per row!  On the other hand, I came across a shawl kit that just said  to me "Surprise has a birthday coming up in April, she'd love this" and so I bought it.  I think February and March are going to find me bouncing back and forth between two knitting projects: a pair of immediate-gratification-knitting socks and a longer-slower-per-row knitting shawl.

I did manage to read a few books since January's yarn along.

1. Gap Creek by Robert Morgan.  If you like pioneer days/poor rural mountain folk type of reads that make you think about the differences between your life now and their life then, this one was a good one.
2. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.  I've actually had this one for several years.  Had heard it was a good book, but it's about girl who grew up in an alcoholic and neglectful home, so I was a little afraid to read it (I don't like reading about violence).  Once I actually opened the book, I couldn't put it down!  There is no graphic violence or assaults, and it really is a fascinating story.
3. Anna's Healing by Vanetta Chapman.  An Amish fiction, it was okay.  I like this author's Amish mysteries much better though.
4. The Pint of No Return by Ellie Alexander.  A craft-beer themed murder mystery, I really enjoyed this book.  Can't wait to read more by this author.  Her technical facts related to brewing were spot on (having homebrewing experience myself, there was only one minor thing in the book I questioned).  

Just January

This week, the governor declared a state of emergency because of our winter weather. We had a big snow storm (got 8", officially) on Monday.  Then on Tuesday afternoon, the winds picked up. Today we've been below zero all day, not counting the wind chill.

the high temperature for the day at this little place here

The wind chill, which really doesn't matter if you're not outside in the wind, has ranged from -20 to -33 so far, and supposed to dip further yet tonight.  OK.  Sounds horrific.

Except, to me, cold is cold.  I mean, I've been out all three days, doing my normal routine (feed and water chickens, work at the horse farm) plus some chores that aren't normally mine--like stoking the wood boiler and plowing the driveway with the 4-wheeler because DH has been out of town all week on a work trip. If it is to be, it's up to me. Oh, and keeping the cellar temperature above freezing--I've been monitoring that too the last 24 hours--since the pipes coming in from the well and the pressure tank are in there.  Mr. Buddy heaters are handy for more than just warming your hunting blind!

Honestly, bundled up--which you should be if you need to go outdoors to get chores done-- negative 30 hasn't felt any colder than -12 did, and -12 didn't feel really any colder than zero did.  After a certain point, it tends to all feel the same: cold.

It's just January. We've kind of gotten spoiled by the warmer winters of late, and the media is making a huge deal of the current cold and snow.  I especially was entertained today by reading an article on the "record cold" which stated that it hasn't been this cold on this day since 1994 and that it's "the kind of cold that only comes around once every 20-25 years."  This was big news, I kid you not.

Now think about that for a moment.  Today is the coldest January 30th it has been since January 30, 1994.  So 'horribly' cold that it's the kind of cold you don't get often, only "every 20-25 years".  Dude, do the math.  2019 minus 1994 is twenty-five years.  So, technically, this weather isn't anything extraordinary or earth-ending. It's a fairly regular occurrence.

Anyway, enough of my mini-rant.  Here's a few photos of my day, this cold, windy, January day.

snow blowing across the road on my drive to and from work

stoking this thing full every 12 hours to keep the house toasty

working on some knitting (that's actually not socks!)

figuring up a baby quilt design

(graph paper leftover from DH's college days;

none of our kids needed it by the time they got to high school, LOL)

cutting fabric for my next wild baby quilt

bundled up for chores

"Cold, what cold?  I'm sweating!"

Well, Darn!

Darn socks, that is.  Since I got hooked on the wonderful thing that is wearing hand-knit socks, I really didn't want to part with them once the heels started to wear through after much use.  So, when it happened to the first pair I'd knit (created way back in 2013), I set them aside with the intent to learn how to repair them.  After all, before mass produced goods, people darned their holey socks instead of tossing them in the trash and running off to the store to buy a new pair.

However, I didn't get to looking up how to darn socks right away.  Not even after a second pair got holes.  Or a third pair. . .  Over the past year and a half or so, I'd racked up five pairs of socks needing mending.

Well, I finally got around to doing it, and it wasn't hard at all.  A little time consuming, yes, but not hard.  Something that can be done easily while watching TV of an evening. Or a mid-day if you're having cold and snowy weather keeping you indoors. Tutorials abound on the internet; I don't even remember exactly which one I used to educate myself in the 'art' of darning socks.

All I know is that between my not-worn-out-yet socks and the five mended pair, my dresser now has more hand-knit socks than there are days of the week!  And if you don't look at the bottoms, you can't tell which ones are the mended ones.  Even when you do look, it's not always easy to tell--if I had leftover yarn from making the sock, that was what I used to darn it with, so it blends right in pretty much.

I picked up a wooden darning egg at a local antique store for just a few dollars.  That helps tremendously in keeping the correct shape while patching up a holey heel.  Even works well on the ball of the foot, where one sock needed to be mended.

Usable socks once more!  No more worn out heels.

Darning on the ball of the foot.

Unfinished No More

Something that really bothers me is when I don't get to finish things that I start (or that other people don't finish what they start).  Having incomplete projects or tasks just slowly eats away at me in the back of my mind.  One of my main goals for 2019 is to try to complete at least those projects that rely on just me to get done.  In other words, if it's something I need DH's expertise or muscles for, those projects are not up to me alone, and so are ranked differently (those are on the "Wishful Thinking" list).

This weekend, I knocked one item off my Personal Projects list.  It was a mystery quilt that I participated one winter. It has been languishing, incomplete, first in a closet, then in a drawer, then promoted to sitting on the cedar chest in my bedroom--where I can see it daily--for a long time.  Like, I pieced this thing in January and February of 2013. 

Yep, an almost 6 year old UFO. 

Looking back, 2013 seems to be the year I started to lose it.  Organization, control of my house, etc. December 2012 is when we moved DD1 back home after only one semester of college out in Minnesota.  She'd been incredibly homesick, and the college out there wasn't as good of a fit as she'd thought it would be. But coming back home didn't mean going back to the old arrangement of sharing a room with her younger sister.  Nope, they had so many screaming fights that we ended up shuffling things around and giving DD1 her own space in the basement.

Moving back home meant bringing all her dorm stuff with her (cram that into my house).  And when she moved out again in August 2014, we had about one month reprieve before moving DS1, K2, K3, and Toad up from South Carolina to living with us.  Cram four people and about 1/2 their house into my house.  They were here for 18 months.  When they'd been on their own again for about a year (and I still hadn't gotten my house back to pre-2013 status in terms of cleaning, schedules, and organization--plus still had some of DD1's stuff and a few stray items of DS1's family), DD1 started moving her apartment into my house in preparation for living with us while she student taught at a nearby school district.  She stayed until after her wedding in May 2018, and while she now lives several hours away where she and Honorary Son are permanently employed, because they are renting a lot of her stuff still remains at this little place here.

Sigh.  And that, my friends, is how this relatively small project sat for six years before I got around to finishing it.

All it needed was a border, batting (which I've had for years), and backing fabric. I admit that it was probably the border fabric that delayed the project the longest.  The few times  over the years that I took my pieced top out and looked at it, I just couldn't find any fabric in my stash that I thought went well enough to be the border.  And then this summer, I found the most fabulously perfect backing fabric, and that gave me new insight into what a good border would be.  It just so happened that in the previous year, I'd picked up a small cut of fabric somewhere (garage sale?  thrift shop?  end of bolt bin at Walmart?) that was a good match with the backing and while not typically what I would of considered to coordinate with the front, it did go very well.  I think of the 'pattern' on that particular red piece of fabric as lava.  Hot, spewing lava. 

Anyway,  I got that small--45"x 45"--project completed in the last few days.  It is no longer a UFO.  Now it's a small quilt/accent piece/throw/something the grandkids are going to want.

Top

Loud lizard backing

Backing close up

That's a little bit of weight off my shoulders.  One less undone thing nagging at me.  And it's something bright to display in my house during these fairly dull gray winter months.

Random Thoughts, Food and a Picture! Jan. 18th

I've been wanting to blog more for a while now, but between normal life and the things life randomly throws at me that are abnormal (LOL), I haven't quite gotten to post as regularly as I intend.  Amongst all the holiday craziness, I did from time to time conduct some 'blog research'--as in, went looking for other blogs to read in addition to the few I frequent (many of whom also seem to post less and less. . .).

Instead of helping me to organize my thoughts and create more frequent posts, these recon expeditions into the current blog world have me scratching my head. I've noticed a few common themes, like posting your weekly menu, or blogs that are lists upon list of suggestions for bettering yourself or your looks or your wardrobe or your sleep or your home.  But not too many that appeal to me as real-life anecdotes or discussions by people like me. 

My aim has never been to sell stuff via my blog (sorry, no binders of how to declutter, or de-stress, or organize your life).  My aim has never been to impress people (sorry, no fancy photos of gourmet meals, grandiose trips, fashion, or reveals of trendy home makeovers).  No lists of what I've been Kindle-ing (I don't own an e-reader and don't intend to).

What you get here, what you've always gotten here, is me, plain and simple, and not too glamorous.  You get happenings at this little place here where we raised four kids and a large portion of our own food.  You get to read about cutting wood, and weeding the garden, and repairing the tractor/suburban/house. You get my opinion on stuff, but typically not political or other hot button topics.  You get chicken pictures as well as recipes that sometimes feature those very same chickens.  You get pictures of things I knit, things I sew, things I grow.  And photos where I've covered up the faces of people so that their privacy is somewhat kept.

I guess looking at what other bloggers are talking about hasn't given me topics for more posts.  It's kind of made me a bit more random.  Such as this post you are reading right now.  Maybe I don't need to have a planner with post topics mapped out and scheduled to publish on certain days of the week. Maybe I should just pop in more often and share with my readers what's going on in my little piece of the world, and in my head.  Even if it's totally random.  And probably more than a little un-exciting.

So here goes:

Random thought #1:  What is up with language these days?!?  Even in our writing.  Do we really need to cuss so much and use acronyms for salty phrases that everyone reads as the words that should be edited out?  Can't we dig out our thesauruses and expand our vocabulary instead of shrinking it?  Can't we be livid instead of mad "As F***"?  How about apoplectic?  Incensed?  And unless you are of the genus Canidae, I can't quite see calling you by the terminology for a female dog, even if you are a good friend, even if it's all in fun and (maybe? do they use it that way?) a compliment.

Random thought #2: Does everyone really like painted furniture?  I know it's way easier to slap a coat of paint on something wooden instead of taking time and skill to strip old stain, repair scuff marks, and apply a new stain and sealant.  But should we?  And can you truly say a dresser or sideboard is antique if you painted over it?!?  Doesn't painting it kill it's value as an artifact from another time period?

Random thought #3: Along the same lines as RT#2, what is up with all the white?  It seems like every thing I find on decorating lately, the walls are white. The trim work is white.  The furniture is white.  The drapes are white. The carpet/rugs are white.  WHITE?!?  Do you not have kids, pets, or live where people spend part of their time out of doors?  White?  Are you kidding me?  Not only is it hard to keep clean, it's just obnoxiously antiseptic to look at.  The only time the earth is white, white and nothing but white is during a blizzard.  And not too many people rush out into a blizzard to joy in the whiteness of everything.

Random thought #4: I don't really care to see what people ordered from Amazon this month. Or what they are binge-watching on Netflix (seriously? Binge-watching?  Let me send you some chores to do with your time).  Or what they are Instagram-ing.  Or what they are pinning on Pinterest.  Tell me real-life stuff.  Stuff that matters.  Stuff that can benefit someone in lasting ways.


Now, I do kind of like seeing what other people's menus are.  It gives me a little inspiration to switch up my own dinner line-up now and then. In case you are wondering, this week for dinner I cooked:

• oven-fried chicken leg quarters with mashed potatoes and creamed corn, 
• scalloped potatoes and ham with green beans, 
• husband's delight (kind of a lasagna knock-off with egg noodles),
•  taco salad, 
• and glazed pork chops with mixed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots).

We went out to eat on Sunday (using a gift certificate I received as a Christmas present), and I'm not totally decided on what tomorrow's dinner will be.  Homemade chicken soup, perhaps.  I still have several chicken carcasses (from where I cut off leg quarters and breasts after butchering) in the freezer waiting to be made into soup.

What I'd really like is some ideas of quick to cook (so I don't have to get up pre-five-thirty a.m. to make breakfast that will get served by 6:30) but not carb overloaded breakfasts.  I can only eat eggs so many days a week before I'd rather skip breakfast than eat another egg.  Sausage never agrees with my stomach, (except as very small pieces in biscuits and gravy, most of which I try to leave in the gravy for DH) so any type of breakfast sausage dish is out.  Also never could deal with the texture of hot cereals such as oatmeal or cream of wheat. . . As a kid I'd starve rather than try to force them down my throat without them coming right back up again.

What do I like to see on blogs?  Stories of every day life.  Stories of homemade/frugally done DIY projects and festivities.  Stuff about animal husbandry.  Stuff about gardening. Craft tutorials for things that are useful and will last a long time rather than be the trendy tchotchke of the moment. Pictures that people take.  Doesn't have to be professional quality as long as it's not too dark or blurry to tell what the picture is of.  It's nice just to see pictures of things other people have made, or experienced, or seen from their front porch.

Here's a picture I took on my camera this week.  I pulled out of the cedar chest a quilt DH's grandmother had made for us in 1991, and decided to wash it up and put it on the bed that is now considered the guest bed since (hopefully) DD2 will have a full time job somewhere and not return home to live after she graduates from college this Spring.  It hasn't fit our own bed since we got a king-sized mattress back in 2000.  It's nice to see that quilt in use again.

A Few Quick Projects

I have a sewing project to do that I'm a little nervous about.  I know I can do it, but it's kind of an important one, and part of me is afraid that I'll mess it up.  You see, DS2 asked me to hem his new suit pants. Easy, right?

But these aren't just any suit pants.  These are the pants to the suit he will be wearing when he stands up in his best friend's wedding in February.  And when he stands up in the wedding of another long time friend in July.  And when he says his own wedding vows in August.  (These guys are really smart thinkers; instead of renting tuxes or suits three times this year for these wedding they will all be in, they decided they would all wear the same suit in the same color for all three weddings, and just go ahead and buy suits.  That way they save money in the long run and have a suit to wear for other formal occasions too.)

So, while I know that I can do a great job on a simple tailoring task such as a hem, I decided to do a couple of other quick and easy sewing projects first.  To bolster my confidence, as it were.

First, I whipped up some new cloth napkins/bread cloths to cover dough while it rises.  These were all made from fat quarters acquired during a trip to Shipshewana last summer.  In fact, the lighter colored fabric was sort of a birthday gift to me from DD1.  She had intended to make these cloths herself and surprise me with them, but she had trouble with the tensioning on her mother-in-law's sewing machine and so quit after the first one. When she gave them to me, she informed me that my gift was "some assembly required".  She had measured and cut them, and even ironed under the hem allowance, but had only sewn the hem on one.

It was quick and easy to finish the other three.  And while I was at it, I got out some fabric that I had set aside for the same purpose.  Using the same dimensions as the ones DD1 had started, I cut and sewed the edges of two more.  Now I have six new bread cloths!

I think these bread cloths are the bees' knees!

The bread cloths are just 18" x 18" squares.  I ran a basting thread 1/4" from the edge (using my handy dandy 1/4" presser foot normally used when piecing quilts), ironed the hem under on that mark, and then did a fancy top stitch over all four edges, which caught the raw edges on the underside.

Having accomplished that, I was motivated to work on another sewing project right away.  I made a pair of pillowcases for K3 and Toad to use when they come spend the night at this little place here.

Minions for my little minions.   :0)

Now I'm ready to tackle DS2's wedding pants.  Tomorrow.