tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11721370859622652882024-03-04T20:44:06.165-08:00Crazy Aunt Ter's Life And TimesHomesteading and Knitting in Northern MichiganTerryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.comBlogger229125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-78123861554681986352019-03-21T06:19:00.002-07:002019-03-21T06:25:25.688-07:00The State of the Garden and and Easy Cozy Cowl<div style="text-align: center;">
The tundra is still frozen, however, the presence of high 30's temps and rain (albeit mixed with snow) seems to suggest that Spring will eventually be here.</div>
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In the last week, we've watched the near 2 foot of snow in our yards be reduced to under a foot, although there is still very little dirt to be seen.</div>
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The garden beckons, although still under an icy white blanket and my hands itch to bury themselves in warm soil and plant seeds.</div>
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So... in the meantime, we will talk about a KAL (knit-a-long for those uninitiated...) that was a huge hit at our store.</div>
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<b>The Easy Cozy Cowl. On Ravelry, <a href="https://www.kayewood.com/shop/c/p/Easy-Cowl-Kit-at-North-Woods-Knit-Purl-x36944189.htm" target="_blank">HERE </a></b></div>
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<br />Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-6048723932540139922017-08-02T08:43:00.000-07:002017-08-02T08:44:15.277-07:00From Homesteading to Knitting in One Fell Swoop!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Will try to shift the focus of this from a homesteading and farming blog to a small shop owner blog. Yikes! Could be a train wreck. So, the ducks are all gone, they liked to swim in one of our farm ponds and sadly, something got them there. They never came home. Will try again next year.<br />
Down to only 5 chickens. This is also sad, I love my homestead and gardens, and this year it just didn't happen. Because......<br />
A year ago, I cashed in my retirement and bought a small yarn shop. It's been a ride. It's been fun, exciting, adventurous, nerve wracking and fun. Oh, I said that already. Would do it again in a heart beat.<br />
I already had another business, online, that I worked from home. This was a quilting and sewing thing, so in order to keep what little sanity I had left, I moved that business over to the yarn shop. I still work at home, but that's mostly website maintenance; also merged the websites for the 2 businesses so that would be a bit easier.<br />
That was a good move.<br />
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So, the yarn shop....... I've written about it before, back in January when I last posted. HERE: <a href="http://aunt-ters.blogspot.com/2017/01/so.html#links"><b>Crazy Aunt Ter's Life And Times</b></a><br />
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So that's pretty much my life right now, but lets get to the fun stuff. We have so much going on at the shop on any given day. Lots and lots of people drop by to show off their creations, get help with current crises and of course, stock up on yarny goodness.<br />
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Today, we have what we affectionately call our Super Scrappy Sock Club. Every Wednesday afternoon from 12-4 we work on scrappy socks. Get the kit here: <a href="http://kayewood.com/Scrappy-Socks-Kit-from-North-Woods-Knit-Purl-NWKP-SOCK.htm"><b>http://kayewood.com/Scrappy-Socks-Kit-from-North-Woods-Knit-Purl-NWKP-SOCK.htm</b></a> and use it with your choice of patterns. There's enough yarn to knit a pair of socks.<br />
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Our big event is our Grand Opening Week. From Aug 8-13 we will be celebrating almost a year open. We'll have prizes, discounts, free patterns, some refreshments, giveaways.....And, on Aug 12th, at noon we will have our <strike>Ribbon </strike><b style="color: #741b47;">Yarn Cutting Ceremony! </b>All are invited.<br />
Ironically, the same week is the I75 Yarn Crawl where knitters, crocheters and other fiber nuts will make their way from Northern Michigan (we're the northernmost shop) all the way down to somewhere in Tennessee. All along I75, yarn shops will be playing with more discounts, prizes....<br />
You can get your passport here: <b><a href="http://kayewood.com/I75-Yarn-Crawl-Passport-2017-I75PASS.htm">http://kayewood.com/I75-Yarn-Crawl-Passport-2017-I75PASS.htm</a></b><br />
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Also, during that weekend, we have yet another Trunk Show! Skylie Knits from Mio will be here to show off her hand dyed yarns, stitch markers and more.<br />
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Like I said, lots of stuff going on!<br />
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More to come.... Life is Still Good!!<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Visit us on our Facebook Page, here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/northwoodsknitandpurl/">https://www.facebook.com/northwoodsknitandpurl/</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>And check out our new, improved merged website <a href="http://www.northwoodsknitandpurl.com/" target="_blank">here: http://www.northwoodsknitandpurl.com</a></b></span></div>
Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-43526846519921957252017-08-02T08:29:00.001-07:002017-08-02T08:29:58.499-07:00Crazy Aunt Ter's Life And Times<a href="http://aunt-ters.blogspot.com/2017/01/so.html#links">Crazy Aunt Ter's Life And Times</a>Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-55681557090405710802017-01-01T04:53:00.000-08:002017-01-01T04:53:24.043-08:00<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0BjNQFUxtXEBsQHl0eqLyBBcfms9tlmUnxSP9r-veowCYBK_uw2gyq6WxB2E0RrTfZcHw6jmv3b4G7G6_ham6AIQeuII82_cOQadEzRVTiYu4HsMgmInvNKRgHudQJ_8Hto1XAvNhUYN/s1600/15493678_1885039611737950_6435978942373783442_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0BjNQFUxtXEBsQHl0eqLyBBcfms9tlmUnxSP9r-veowCYBK_uw2gyq6WxB2E0RrTfZcHw6jmv3b4G7G6_ham6AIQeuII82_cOQadEzRVTiYu4HsMgmInvNKRgHudQJ_8Hto1XAvNhUYN/s320/15493678_1885039611737950_6435978942373783442_o.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a>So.... as of July 2016, life on the homestead came to a screeching halt, when the Universe threw me a curve in the form of a Yarn Shop.</div>
Here's how that all went down.<br />
Friend: There's a yarn shop in ________ that is for sale, you should jump on this.<br />
Me: Um, yeah, right, in all of my spare time.<br />
Friend: Come on, we will help you with it (ok, maybe that part is a lie, maybe all that was said was the first part).<br />
After laughing it off, a little niggle started in the back of the little brain. The little niggle grew into a full fledged idea and by the next day I was in.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4WKtMiXtm77T4FAA-R9jxr9nPpoaI8-XsPtRrrxPi0VNL2_M8BeyQ4fUqKA8tPvr3Q-aYmO63iAVkMSbmcy1JE4rqBSIcOe4BzQFj0gpEYW3fIHTlFXecs-yVRLu8A9Q-7l-nWZdaW0U/s1600/IMG_1513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4WKtMiXtm77T4FAA-R9jxr9nPpoaI8-XsPtRrrxPi0VNL2_M8BeyQ4fUqKA8tPvr3Q-aYmO63iAVkMSbmcy1JE4rqBSIcOe4BzQFj0gpEYW3fIHTlFXecs-yVRLu8A9Q-7l-nWZdaW0U/s320/IMG_1513.JPG" width="320" /></a>We've never been one to really think things through, lets just jump in to see how deep the water is.<br />
Well, the water was deep, and cold, but that's another story.<br />
Doors flew open, loans were approved and an acquaintance (now a full fledged employee, friend and necessity) approached me with an idea for this ridiculousness that had now become set in stone.<br />
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One of the doors that opened was a vacancy in a building we owned in town.<br />
So, an opening date was set for Sept 17th (by this time it was the end of July, so, you know, 6 weeks).<br />
Yeah, 6 weeks to totally renovate the building, paint, floors, new walls..., and do all of the stuff required with such things. And, I had to get a sign permit. Yeah, you have to have a permit to hang up a sign.<br />
So, literally, a week before the opening day, a UHAUL was rented, a short drive was made, yarn was boxed up and moved and our local knitting group was corralled into unloading and setting up this mess.<br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">North Woods Knit & Purl in West Branch, MI was born!</span></h2>
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That was 3.5 months ago and this thing has grown like a bad weed.<br />
More doors opening, more opportunities and people coming out of the woodwork to help, offer services and just want a place to play.<br />
It's been a wild ride, but I'd do it all again, and our shop continues to grow and flourish and become a place for fiber freaks to play!<br />
We currently offer an amazing selection of Cascade Yarns, Plymouth Yarns and Needles, Berroco Yarns, Mountain Colors Yarns and of course all of the obligatory toys like Dreamz Needles, Chiaogoo Needles, Addi and Clover Needles as well as an array of stitch markers, needle gauges, scissors, felting stuff (a technical term) and coming very shortly, spinning wheels.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmWOm8ZKIYTZRQ04Ox6EeT4nkPl8TlIfPKX2-fEcAoCg1w1WkQu9QerMfBq8gUFc7qHpF_f3aF82qPlwTZtvy0lsSog2f2CGh59EgzsRqC4Itu9SyJm9qe4brsKSQ-71AiJ0CAmYHryKV/s1600/15540821_1885039608404617_8722788273913952445_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmWOm8ZKIYTZRQ04Ox6EeT4nkPl8TlIfPKX2-fEcAoCg1w1WkQu9QerMfBq8gUFc7qHpF_f3aF82qPlwTZtvy0lsSog2f2CGh59EgzsRqC4Itu9SyJm9qe4brsKSQ-71AiJ0CAmYHryKV/s320/15540821_1885039608404617_8722788273913952445_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We have a Crochet Corner, a lounge with chairs and a fireplace, 24/7 (well 10-5, M-Sat) hot coffee, tea and cocoa and a spot to wind all of these beautiful hanks into cakes.<br />
We have a "Yarn Really Does Grow On Trees" display highlighting all of our sock yarn.<br />
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Our current projects include an "Enter the Fiber Forest" room for our spinning and dyeing projects.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAKxg-EEzbQq9Y_t2bK6m7PWYIc8u5NUzWdIzisDEYu-MjxBF2upNWeXe5rdYNQxnLn6OKRbzVemHZKZaWD2RZ0Xb-8KsumTeocgb-OzTG_TH30bCyAk6w8-S6XWgwMx-ZN2M2to1MjD-/s1600/14344331_1841938482714730_9200091166475270366_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAKxg-EEzbQq9Y_t2bK6m7PWYIc8u5NUzWdIzisDEYu-MjxBF2upNWeXe5rdYNQxnLn6OKRbzVemHZKZaWD2RZ0Xb-8KsumTeocgb-OzTG_TH30bCyAk6w8-S6XWgwMx-ZN2M2to1MjD-/s320/14344331_1841938482714730_9200091166475270366_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>So, as you can see, the homestead suffered a devastating hit, but as things settle down, more and more homestead-y things are happening, besides, the chickens really don't care if I'm there or not. As long as they have water and food and some hay to scratch around in, they are happy.<br />
If I had thought ahead, I would have grabbed a 100 lbs or so of potatoes from the local fruit and meat market to can up today.<br />
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Our first trunk show will happen in 2 weeks. We are hosting Kat and Claire from Why Not Fibers in Traverse City, MI on Jan 13 and 14th.<br />
Come on over and see us, and bring a project to work on, we'll leave the light on for you, I mean, the coffee will be hot!<br />
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<b>Please like us on Facebook, here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/northwoodsknitandpurl/">https://www.facebook.com/northwoodsknitandpurl/</a></b></div>
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(Yes, we also have llama and alpaca - in the form of fuzzy, warm, totally pettable yarn!)<br />
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Life really is good, and in 2016, it got a lot better!<br />
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Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-16178319589441410642014-12-28T05:15:00.000-08:002014-12-28T05:15:18.734-08:00Ambition Strikes Again - And This Time, On A Saturday!So... yesterday I got a streak of ambition. I hate when that happens, it almost always means more work for me. First off, I made a list. This is usually a good start and almost ensures that I have procrastinated long enough to knock at least a few things off of The List.<br />
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When ambition strikes me, I always try to get myself to do the most objectionable chores first. Then, as I work my way down the remaining items, it doesn't seem so bad.<br />
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This is going to be Farming 101 Boys and Girls, pay attention!<br />
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First on the list was to do the mid-winter clean out of the chicken coop. This really isn't as bad as it sounds as during the winter I do a deep litter method. Basically, you just throw a bale of hay or straw in there, fork it around a bit, making sure to scoop the good stuff off of the floor of the coop and mix it all up. Throw a bit of corn or grain in there, plus the hay seeds and the chickens will do the rest. This, as you can imagine, while composting, throws off a bit of heat for my little egg layers. The picture shown is not of my coop, it is one I stole off the internet, mine is more hay. I will do more in another week or so, when my arms are not yelling at me quite as bad as they are this morning.<br />
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Then, since for some reason, Michigan has not been privy to any snow this year, I did some yard clean up. We have a pile of bones, for the dogs and cats and birds. They are all of the deer that hubby got this year and all of the wildlife enjoys them. The birds will pick out bits of meat from between that the larger cats and dog can't get, when I let the chickens out of their run for the day, they are all over it, and everyone is happy. My lab/shepherd/Shar-pei/hot mess mix puppy is all happy too, as she gets to toss the bones in the air and then chase them. So, how does this relate to cleanup? All of the bones have to be retrieved from every conceivable spot in the barn, yard, under the decks and returned to their pile under the beech tree.<br />
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All of this forking of hay and chicken poo, <br />
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and cleaning up of bones only took about 1/2 hour so now what to do? Well, you take the puppy for a walk, or rather, you try to keep up with her as she romps through the woods. Hunting season is essentially over, so it's safe to be out there again. Shown here is said hot mess, 80 lbs of YIKES! But she's adorable and I am hers, so I guess she gets to stay. Plus she is an amazing cat herder, which is totally necessary, if only in her mind.<br />
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Next on the list, use another bale of hay to spread in the garden. This encourages worms and discourages weeds. I don't want to till, I think that tilling, especially in prime soil such as I have breaks up the organisms, cuts worms in half..... and creates a hard pan about 6" down. So, I compost. Of course, hubby has to be on board with this, which when it comes to my little farm, doesn't happen regularly. The saying, "Let me do the farm, you just keep my tractor running", doesn't play very well when he has the chance to jump on one of his big machines and play. <br />
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Don't even talk to me about the cukes, squash, pumpkins and watermelon plants I had last year that got "scraped up" so he could "make the ground even". Really? REALLY???? Make the ground even? You just wanted to play, and now you've "scraped" up all of my plants and taken out a whole row of onions.<br />
See? Told you I wasn't over it yet. And besides if you want to "make the ground even", why do it AFTER I have planted the garden? Yeah, still not over it.<br />
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So, yeah, got more hay sprinkled down, which in the spring should be composted pretty well.<br />
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Next I came inside because it started to rain. Yes, I said rain. In Northern Michigan, in December and not even the really cool freezing rain/sleet stuff we sometimes get. It was flat out, rain! But it's a good time to get the fire going again (log cabin, don't need the wood stove going all the time in this weather as it heats so efficiently and the cabin holds heat really well...), put on a pot of tea, start dinner and break out the seeds! After all, I have to see what seeds I have ( I already know this, but it's still fun to do), make more lists about when to start what, what can go in the ground early, what needs to be started in the greenhouses before it can go out...(again, I know all of this but the List Compulsion) takes over. And see if there is anything new I want to grow this year. Yes, I will try sweet potatoes!<br />
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Then the big aquarium in the living room. This thing is huge and is the reason I finally got my wood floors. (big leak, lots of water, big insurance check = hardwood floors!) Change out some of the water, replace the filters and clean up the resulting mess. After that, although there were still lots of things on my list, I sat down to knit for awhile, took the partially cooked pork roast out of the crock pot and put it in the oven, planned the rest of dinner and collapsed. That's not really a lot of work in one day, but after all, it was a Saturday!<br />
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There are still a lot of things on my list, like wash the bathroom floor, but that can wait, because, one of my young grandsons is coming to stay a couple of days with me!<br />
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Life is Good!!<br />
<br />Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-80899746938149786242014-12-11T01:47:00.001-08:002014-12-11T01:47:06.115-08:00Sleep - It's Overrated!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXHPk415gPZRefnGaFHksYZ-2LzzChZq1-f5VIIuJKFG0NzD7krR0ZBAULQjD9mlQ4j6K9E9U39lsJ_0WvzUHk-blg5JSmwNdA083LYInfHZigMA1_EYL_OosTLvtVO-WNZ1zX6k9oEkt/s1600/WWS-Insomnia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXHPk415gPZRefnGaFHksYZ-2LzzChZq1-f5VIIuJKFG0NzD7krR0ZBAULQjD9mlQ4j6K9E9U39lsJ_0WvzUHk-blg5JSmwNdA083LYInfHZigMA1_EYL_OosTLvtVO-WNZ1zX6k9oEkt/s1600/WWS-Insomnia.jpg" height="195" width="200" /></a>So as I'm sitting here, waiting for sleep to wrap it's arms around me, I'm trying to reason this out.<br />
The whole menopause thing in not such a bad deal once you get past the blazing fires of hell and the mood swings that leave you catapulting between Saturn and its Moons.<br />
But the insomnia? That's a deal breaker!<br />
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It's 4:30 oclock in the morning. And I've been awake since 12:30, previously having been sleeping since 10. That's 2.5 hours. That's not enough. For anyone!<br />
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But there are some good points to this Eyeballs Won't Stay Closed thing. Let's explore them, shall we?<br />
1. The house is quiet and I can hear the wind chimes on the front porch (which are clanking together pretty hard due to the gale force winds that are currently shaking my little world).<br />
2. My internet service (satellite, because even if I had a million dollars a month to spend on internet, satellite is still all I could get) is at it's premium speed with no bandwidth limit.<br />
3. Hello Netflix!<br />
4. Even though the internet speed is at it's premium, the dish is hanging on for dear life out in the gale force winds that the wind chimes are currently singing about.<br />
5. This makes for spotty internet.<br />
6. I guess I could read.<br />
7. Or play with the puppy.<br />
8. But that would make noise, which would not make for a happy hubby.<br />
9. Ugh!<br />
10 I know, I will make lists! I love to make lists. Do it all the time. And dream of all the things that will get done once I put down my pencil and actually get up to do something!<br />
11. I could go downstairs and try to clean something, but face it, unless you're one of those organizational wizard types, that's not a lot of fun.<br />
12. I could also play on Facebook. Oh, wait, already did that; bored.<br />
13. I could read, or<br />
14. I could put a couple more pieces of dead tree into the wood stove, call it good and crawl back into bed.<br />
Ding, ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!<br />
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Night all...<br />
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Life is good (mostly during the day, but unlimited internet rocks pretty high on the list too).Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-50948964282700068952014-12-10T06:35:00.001-08:002014-12-10T06:35:46.561-08:00Wintering Over Plants<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUy4Pe03Esyaz_Soubmhj1jYEK4eunbZynKjmPVLjGZ8ByfciDH5FIaGXdwrGEAJ8uMWaLpcUe8YvVCHJxDpilcM5Cls57Q0o6mlSh7F-aVnZEJC2ayHJiy6l6QW8IGk5NNFbsdvNWGHre/s1600/10420087_921746781173268_22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUy4Pe03Esyaz_Soubmhj1jYEK4eunbZynKjmPVLjGZ8ByfciDH5FIaGXdwrGEAJ8uMWaLpcUe8YvVCHJxDpilcM5Cls57Q0o6mlSh7F-aVnZEJC2ayHJiy6l6QW8IGk5NNFbsdvNWGHre/s1600/10420087_921746781173268_22.jpg" /></a>It has occurred to me that I totally suck at over-wintering plants. Other than the seedlings that will inhabit the greenhouse around about February, my plants are really asked to do very little. Grace my home with natural greenery (or yellowery or brownery as it so happens), and freshen the air a bit. See, the air gets a bit dusty and stale from the wood stove....<br />
When these plants spend the late spring and summer outside, they are subjected to balmy breezes, highly humid air (with lots of rain) and 16 or so hours of sunlight.<br />
Then I bring them in because I can't stand the thought of them freezing outside and dying a long, slow death due to the severity of our winters.<br />
So what so I do? Bring them in and subject them to bone dry air, temperature fluctuations of 50-1,0000000. (When the wood stove is blaring) and no rain to speak of.<br />
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Well, I could water them, but I forget....<br />
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So, overwintering plants doesn't work real well for me. There are a few hardy survivors. The Boston Fern that lives in the bathroom (not a lot of light, but plenty of moist air), and there's another big plant in there too, from my dad's funeral 4 years ago, that I don't remember the name of. Umbrella Tree? Don't know.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLE0zhJAWPMLUk310SaSou4f4Zen9etyX2EZSg1oPlc6lMF8jovjKGSVVisSRJzLTNkhFRBfZQDlpT0Zol7xqch8yZ6fmYSlPyYxFqSQdtJI0RgS_EbUMT9Q7vcDJ8rRcTWVhICjOgHaN/s1600/10420087_921746781173268_22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLE0zhJAWPMLUk310SaSou4f4Zen9etyX2EZSg1oPlc6lMF8jovjKGSVVisSRJzLTNkhFRBfZQDlpT0Zol7xqch8yZ6fmYSlPyYxFqSQdtJI0RgS_EbUMT9Q7vcDJ8rRcTWVhICjOgHaN/s1600/10420087_921746781173268_22.jpg" /></a>Then there is the Cinnamon Basil that I forgot to bring in, that is now encased in ice on the back deck, yeah, that one is a goner. The rest live in the kitchen and living room by windows, and the wood stove and have to live on meager rations of water and a once over with the vacuum cleaner to remove dead leaves. I'm just not good at it.</div>
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So what has been happening in the frozen North lately? Same old, same old, a lot of firewood has been cut, stacked, brought in, burned up, and brought back out in the form of ashes. This ash goes in the garden.<br />
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My chickens (numbering at 17) are hanging in there, fighting the good fight. In the winter, they don't lay a lot of eggs (like maybe 3 every 2 days), but if I have any hope of bringing more eggs into my life, they do need to be fed (and watered - these I do remember to water). That and once a week or so I let them out to roam in the yard. They find goodies under the deck and in the barn that supplement their feed. I get them game bird blocks, which is a large block of salt, minerals and seeds, corn, wheat... and they also get suet blocks to help with warding off the cold. That and water. Fresh water is pretty important to them in the winter.<br />
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Then there's the gals in my knitting club who regularly send home "scraps" for me to give them. I think my chickens like my knitting club better than they like me. That's ok, I can live with it.<br />
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They have finished their molting (the inside of the chicken shed looks like something was massacred and feathers are quite deep).<br />
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Back to my plants. They are fairly hardy, they don't ever die, just give up hope of ever seeing water again and go into some self induced hibernation. Anyone wanna volunteer to come water my plants?<br />
And what's up with the aloe? Aloe is not supposed to grow in a zone 3 climate, but this thing thinks it can conquer the world! It needs to be re-potted (again), but it is already in a pot larger than what I can lift and it keeps reproducing. Probably has something to do with the dry, hot climate in the cabin. Yeah that's it. My cactus don't seem to mind my neglect either.<br />
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I should probably put "water plants" on my list....<br />
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Life is good.....Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-88846057467167864692014-02-19T06:21:00.000-08:002014-02-19T06:21:06.290-08:00What?? It's Been Almost A Year?Update? Still homesteading, still knitting, still playing in the snow and loving life in Northern Michigan.<br />
<a href="http://www.kayewood.com/akita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.kayewood.com/akita.jpg" /></a>There have been a few changes in our lives. We (hubby and I) lost our beloved Bu-Dawgh (8 years old) to cancer a couple of months ago. During one of his "I'll do anything to make your tears go away" moments, he set in place the procedure to procure me another dog.<br />
Now here's the fun part. I have never in my life been without a dog. Also, I have never in my life picked out my own dog. They have all been "cast offs" or strays that wandered into our lives for whatever reason and found a home here. Much like the 12+ barn cats who currently eat all of our cat food.... but that's another story.<br />
So... how to find a dog. We, of course, we started with the internet. That wonderful little tool that lets you find anything, at anytime, anywhere, whether you need it or not.<br />
This is what I wanted. <br />
<ul>
<li>A mature already housebroken dog</li>
<li>Medium to low energy dog</li>
<li>To wait awhile until Spring or maybe Summer.</li>
</ul>
This is what I got...<br />
<ul>
<li>A Shar-pei (really? REALLY???) / Lab puppy. (not mature but mostly housebroken)</li>
<li>A crazy mixed up mess of energy (definitely NOT low or even medium energy)</li>
<li>Now.</li>
</ul>
She is a sweetheart, already spayed, already micro chipped and came with an assortment of vet checks, shots and vaccinations. She was 4.5 months old when we adopted her from a local shelter. The picture on the website said her name was "Bella". Her name is now Akita a.k.a "Kita". The picture on the website reached into my heart and wrapped it's furry little heart around mine and a couple of phone calls, applications for adoption filled out and miles later, she came home with me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwckADNx1OYgA_8aBJMC69I3w6wrsvsOmw8lLqxwLfwMg0NaWGB4rSoiOYb0HdiFO9M-gA4PtluEFj6yJLI81rJTSLzN5cspa4MceTFXSvyMmvjx1RTnXHm1XEKhBAEWrPvxoOdf4VZ3O0/s1600/100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwckADNx1OYgA_8aBJMC69I3w6wrsvsOmw8lLqxwLfwMg0NaWGB4rSoiOYb0HdiFO9M-gA4PtluEFj6yJLI81rJTSLzN5cspa4MceTFXSvyMmvjx1RTnXHm1XEKhBAEWrPvxoOdf4VZ3O0/s1600/100.jpg" height="320" width="258" /></a>So, the new farm dog is Kita, complete with all of her puppiness, extra large feet, lab tail (if you have a lab, you are incredibly familiar with this term), fuzzy, snuggly, fur coat and of course, the obligatory big, brown eyes! Yup, she had me from day one. Actually, she had me from day -3, as it took that long to get her home.<br />
She is good with the chickens, loves to chase the kitties, gets driven insane by the squirrels and loves all of the small humans that come her way. She's pretty good around large humans too. One flaw... when it comes to baths... the Shar-pei comes out. And she whines with the same separation anxiety that the Bu-Dawgh had and she also has the Shar-pei ears. Ok, that's more than one flaw. I can live with it.<br />
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Around the homestead, seeds have been started. In one of the "worst winters in decades", (I am more than decades old and I can remember worse ones), we are pummeled daily with more snow and "record breaking cold". Again, I can remember worse, but the folks who make their money getting you all worked up over the weather and how bad it is are quite a bit younger than I am.<br />
Hubby found, at Tractor Supply, portable greenhouses, so now I have 2 of them living in my living room. They currently contain onions, tomatoes, peppers, parsley and hollyhocks. There will be more, this week, of the cabbage and onion flavor.<br />
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Got lots on the "to do" list for spring, the first being to fix the doors in my chicken coop, and get the fences fixed up so my girls have more room to roam.<br />
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Well, work beckons, because, without work, the homestead thing doesn't happen.<br />
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Life is Good!Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-68945605789463007662013-01-23T06:16:00.001-08:002013-01-23T06:16:59.505-08:00I Blame It On Mother NatureYeah, she's the one to blame for this deep freeze I currently find myself in. <br />
Don't get me wrong, I love winter and I love the snow, but seriously? <br />
<br />
Snow can live at temps above 0, just saying! Snow can even live at temps above 32 (I've seen it, don't go there). But the absolute best temps for snow to live is about 20. With bright sun. Those are the best days for things like skiing and ice fishing. Throw in a few grandkids and life doesn't get much better (except on my bike, but since January and motorcycling don't mix up here that's not a current possibility).<br />
<br />
But, alas, since we have soooooo much cold and sooooooo few snowflakes, really, we have less than a foot, which at this point in the year is just ridiculous, I am forced to complain about the weather.<br />
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I want snow! And lots of it. Me and the Bu-Dawgh love to take long walks in the woods in the deep snow. Ok, he likes to take long runs - he thinks he's a sled dog, I just try to hang on and not get my snowshoes hung up in the branches... but I digress...<br />
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And it's even cold in here! Yeah, the woodstove is going, but it hasn't reached my frozen toes yet. And, yes, I do have my hand knit slippers on TYVM!!<br />
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On the agenda for today after work is my Wednesday night sewing group in which most of us knit. At first I was all "I'm not knitting during the sewing group, I don't have enough sewing time as it is, so I will sew". Until I ran into a project that must be completed and ready to wear tomorrow! So, tonight at my sewing group, I will knit (and drink lots of hot cocoa with (insert choice of alcohol here) in it.<br />
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Nothing much homestead-y going on. The chickens are insisting that their job of laying eggs will go on until the end of time. I'm not complaining, I'm just waiting for the bottom to drop out. It will. Just no clue when. Thinking of getting more chickens this spring. Well, of course we'll get the roasting chix, but maybe a few more laying hens. (because 12 isn't enough for a family of 2), but more like they are so cute when they are little. Turkeys too, going to get turkeys again, cause they so AREN'T cute when they're little, but they grow up to be fairly tasty, and they're stupid hilarious!<br />
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Might try to fix the ground fault outlet in my bathroom today. Stay tuned, this could get fun. Still have to figure out what to do with the sink that is currently residing in my living room. I would love it if someone would raise their hand and say, "Hey, I'll put that sink in for you" (and install the garbage disposal - which hubby decided was necessary, and completely redo the plumbing....).... Anyone? I thought not... Oh well..<br />
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So with all of that jabber now in your head, I'll leave you. Because I should probably get to work, or something like that.<br />
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And I have no idea what's going on with my avatar, it should be a picture in a ski scene....<br />
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Life is Good!Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-25208100682331094922013-01-16T11:35:00.000-08:002013-01-16T11:35:04.066-08:00Still In A Holding PatternWinter is like that though, in a holding pattern, seems like it goes on forever, but it's really only 2 or 3 months that we're in a deep freeze. <br />
My knitting is coming along although it's same old, same old. Still working on the 9 Miles of Stockinette Shrug. It is in 2 halves. 1 half is done and the other is probably 1/2 done, so I guess that makes it 3/4 done.<br />
Also working on some Travelling Socks, or Around The World Socks. You knit 2" on a sock and then pass it on to the next person who either passes theirs on to you or passes you hers. You're all working on socks and everyone will have a pair of socks that everyone else has worked on when they're done.<br />
Awesome way to use up the stash.<br />
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The chickens are STILL laying massive amounts of eggs. I'm giving this victory to the light I hung in the coop. You know to extend the day? I never plugged it in, but it's there. There's a light in the coop so the chickens keep laying. I know this will all come crashing down around me, but for now my 12 hens are producing an average of 9-10 eggs a day. I'll take it!<br />
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Started another sweater/sweatshirt. It's actually a heavily patterned (read "gorgeous") sweater in denim yarn. This yarn is amazing. When done it truly feels, and wears like a sweatshirt. And no babying this baby! When it needs to be washed, you throw it in the washer (and dryer, if you're so inclined) just as you would a pair of jeans. It fades a bit around the raised edges, and looks very cool.<br />
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Still working on my Wolf Song quilt pattern, which doesn't really resemble wolves so much as deer and elk in the winter, with a log cabin scene. In flannel. Combined with my fleece sheets, no more cold toes for this girl!<br />
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Tonight, vegetable beef soup on the woodstove and more knitting and quilting. And look! It has started to snow a bit outside. YAY!!!<br />
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Life is good....Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-19046340237035830402013-01-08T05:52:00.001-08:002013-01-08T05:54:41.369-08:00Canning and Sinks<img alt="" class="rg_hi uh_hi" data-height="160" data-width="314" height="160" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSK7Lzm6-jJTYOdprFkn92wDfiz5nJTcNQ2IPkI9-yCoLRLT2j1" style="height: 160px; width: 314px;" width="314" />I think I'm gonna keep the $200+ version of the sink. See previous post about black sink vs white sink. Sink with all of the holes I need vs sink without holes. Deep deep sink vs shallow sink. Brand new shiny black cast iron sink vs old farmhouse, full of character, white porcelain sink. Yeah, the new, black one won. It was a close race though, the only thing that tipped it was last night, cleaning up after my Canning of the Chicken Soup escapade I was paying attention. I really really like my current sink, which is flimsy but very deep (and leaks, Badly.) I really feel that the deeper sink is what I need for what I do in my kitchen. <br />
I wish it could be reported that I chose the more economical of the two (white porcelain, old farmhouse, with drain ridges on either side, full of character sink that is out back behind the garage) but this time, new, it had to be. The picture was pretty much what the old farmhouse type of sink looks like, although not nearly in a good of condition, it's scratched and dinged, more character right? But... it doesn't have enough holes and it's too shallow.<br />
Was a tough race. A bit too much for a Monday, but there you have it. Efficiency was chosen over character, looks and availability. It wasn't a proud choice either, being very homestead-y, use what we have before buying new, type of person.<br />
But enough about that.<br />
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Still working on my knitted pumpkin colored shrug. When I'm near it, I never have my camera. When I have my camera I'm not near my shrug, so you don't get to see a picture of it yet. The lace pattern is complete, now for the 9 miles of stockinette stitch. UGH!!<br />
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Yesterday afternoon, my knitting guild met and we decided to do a "round the world sock" thing (technical term). You start a pair of socks and knit 2 inches on each sock. Then you pass it off to the next person who does their 2" and then it gets passed on again. In the meantime another person who started a pair of socks and did their 2" thing passes it on to me. In then end, everyone has a pair of socks that everyone else has knitted on. No rules. use sock yarn scraps in any color, knit any design wether it be stockinette or lace or cables or..... no rules. I want to use beads, we'll see.<br />
That I will post a picture of, every now and then.<br />
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Weather is getting weird, it's warm. When I was little (a looooonnnnnngggggg time ago) January meant a month of below 0 temps and the famous "January Thaw" meant a few days or a week of above zero temps. Not so much anymore. We're actually supposed to get rain and 40+ degrees by the weekend. This. Will. Cause. A. Mess!<br />
(What happens to water when it hits a frozen surface....) Yup! Slippery, slidey ice!<br />
But beyone that... January + Northern Michigan does not equal 40+ degrees!<br />
I don't blame it on Global Warming, I blame it on cyclical weather patterns. We also used to get tons of snow. Like more than feet, yards! We used to have no 1st floor on the house as it was covered in snow. We used to have to tunnel out. It was great! (I love snow). Not so much anymore :-( Sadness.<br />
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So, let's see..... Homesteading. Check........ Knitting. Check........... Weather. Check!<br />
Got it!<br />
Tonight is another knitting club. Normally during the winter when I have to drive my truck over there (as opposed to riding my bike) I would take my wheel and spin, but I really want to get this shrug done and get my 2" sock thing done, so knitting it will be.<br />
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Oh, I also decided to get some pigs in the spring. Fence off the garden area, let them till it up really good to get rid of the ragweed and bindweed, and then my garden will be better. This summer I will plant my garden in a different area.<br />
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Have a good one!<br />
Life is Good!!Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-61860994848188788972013-01-07T08:13:00.000-08:002013-01-07T08:13:13.266-08:00So... yesterday I said I was gonna cut and stack more wood. And I did!!! This is unprecedented. Usually when I put it out there that I'm going to accomplish something, it doesn't happen, but YAY!!!<br />
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Also, yesterday I cooked and canned up a bunch of Chicken Soup. Awesome, all I need to do is whip up some noodles and automatic dinner!<br />
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And... I made another decision. Am I on a roll or what? I'm going to start hanging clothes out again. I used to do this all the time, actually, my kids refer to my dryer as an "ironing machine" meaning I only use it to get out wrinkles. Well all that ground to a halt about 6.5 weeks ago when I slipped on some ice (hanging laundry). Went down intact and came up with a broken rib and lots of bruises. Not Fun!<br />
But it's time. I guess if I can tell the grandkids I can go skiing, then it's really time to be economically and more earth friendly responsible and start to hang clothes again.<br />
Yup, it's gonna happen.<br />
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I have a new sink that is waiting to be installed. (Waiting because it is of the cast iron variety and way to heavy for me to heft around, so waiting for hubby to get tired of it sitting in the living room). It's really pretty, black, deep deep bowls and lots of holes for all of my faucets and stuff. Then hubby tells me he has an old farm sink (white porcelain) out in back of the garage. I get to thinking, hmmmmm (it's never good when I get to thinking), why not use that and return the 200$ + version?<br />
Well, still considering it. The sink is awesome, it's white (I can live with white) and has one bowl (ok, I can live with one bowl because it's a HUGE bowl), but it's shallow. I really like me a deep sink, but this older one has sooo much character. I love to be able to put a canning kettle under the faucet and fill it up while doing something else. <br />
I will measure it and see if it will work. I'd really like to have that 200$+ back in the savings account and this old one is really cool. Still thinking.....<br />
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Homesteaders and all of their "stuff", eh? lol<br />
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Life is Good!Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-29610609680614869112013-01-06T06:02:00.000-08:002013-01-06T06:02:35.356-08:00Winter Homesteading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, January already!<br />
January is one of my favorite 12 months. Because it's easy. And pretty outside, and COLD!! <br />
So what do you do on the homestead when it's COLD??<br />
You cut wood. Yesterday was a blistering 12 degrees, but there was no wind and the sun was divine. (In the winter, up here, the sun is a precious commodity, so when it makes it's appearance, you want to go out and worship it, such that is possible in parka, flannel lined jeans, mittens, hats and heavy boots...)<br />
And you might have asked before I got diverted with my sun worshipping, why wasn't the wood already cut?<br />
Well, I'll tell you!<br />
Winter is an easy time on the homestead. Spring planting, Summer maintenance, and Autumn Harvest, but Winter is easy. Pretty much all you have to do is survive the COLD! (And we've come up with some pretty creative ways to do that).<br />
Back to the wood pile. Winter is easy because there's not as much to be done, so that's when we cut wood. Plus the fact that you get really warm cutting and stacking wood, so it's best done when the temps are cold. Some might argue, that's ok, that's just the way we do it.<br />
So yesterday we took the opportunity to cut and stack 4 loads of wood. And restack the current woodpile. See, depending on time of day, whether you'll be home or not and how cold it is determines what type of wood you feed the stove. And seeing as how it the woodpile had become a total mess on the deck I took an hour or so to restack it. Slabs in one place and roundwood in another.<br />
Today will be more of the same, get the deck stacked all back up and that chore will be done for another couple of weeks.<br />
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Chickens continue to lay between 8 and 9 eggs a day. This is likely because I took the time to run an extension cord out to the chicken house and hook up The Light (to simulate longer days). The Light doesn't work, but I guess just the threat of The Light is enough to keep them going. Currently I have close to 26 dozen eggs in my fridge. I just know that once they (the chickens) start to molt, the egg production will cease.<br />
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Still working on a shrug pattern from some orange/gold yarn that was given to me. I'm liking it more and more. It's quite coarse but the lace pattern is really easy to memorize and very pretty. I'm past the lace pattern now, now I'm doing 9 miles of stockinette stitch. No matter, when hubby wants to go somewhere, we jump in the truck and I get another couple of yards done!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.kayewood.com/item_images/wolflg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.kayewood.com/item_images/wolflg.jpg" width="260" /></a> Also, just started a shop sample also for <strong><a href="http://www.kayewood.com/item/Wolf_Song_Quilt_Pattern/1309" target="_blank">kayewood.com called Wolf Song</a></strong> . The designer is an engineer and the pattern reflects her ability to over explain every step (in this case that's a good thing!)<br />
In my version it's an elk, done in shades of winter blues and flannel. The pattern only sizes up to a Twin size, so I'll have to get creative and add some more borders for my queen size bed.<br />
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Today, after stacking more wood, maybe I'll work on my quilt, maybe I'll clean the house (probably not gonna happen) and maybe I'll upload some more items to ebay.<br />
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Life is Good!Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-5419540063490002152012-05-08T07:42:00.000-07:002012-05-08T07:42:04.961-07:00So, it's once again spring on the farm! Baby chicks and baby kittens this year. The cows are all teenagers, so next year, we'll have babies.<br />
Since I've increased our chicken flocks by A LOT I had to make the caged in area bigger. They have free run of the whole acreage, and love to scratch in the woods, but I like my eggs. At night, they dutifully return to the coop and I close them in. In the morning they fly out. Guess what my project is? Yup, gotta get a top put on the penned in area, so when we're gone, and in the morning pre-coffee, they are safe. <br />
I've stopped putting heat lights on the babies during the day, but still at night it gets chilly, and sometime in the next month or so, I've got to introduce the two flocks to each other, and let everyone learn how to get along. <br />
Have heard that putting them all together during the night and having them wake up all together works. It doesn't, there is still the "pecking" order that needs to be worked out, and right now the babies are too small to be attacked, plus they can still fit through the fencing, so they'll stay in the baby pen for now.<br />
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Hubby is starting to make noises about getting the tractor hooked up to the disc, this means that soon my garden will get tilled. YAY!! Can't really plant much until the 1st of June (or when ever the frost date is for the current year) but it still gets tilled, and tilled and tilled again. I've got some of my herbs started, tomatoes are looking awesome and peppers not so much. It's still too cold to germinate the pepper seeds, and this time of year, we don't heat the house, but even putting them into the garden as bitty little plants will give them time to grow.<br />
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Another project is to make the dog pen biggeer. I want the Bu-Dawgh to have a lot of running space, he has to be in a pen or on the line when outside because he just won't stay in the yard and he won't listen (to me). With baby deer being dropped now, I don't want him chasing. And he does love to chase!<br />
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Asparagus produced little to nothing this year, but the rhubarb (as usual) is very prolific. Found a recipe for a rhubarb crumble that I want to make, but my oven is out of commission. The element burned out of it, so I have to scare up another one soon.<br />
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On the needles is my festival project. Our Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival is end of September and this is my contest entry. I'm using a yarn I bought from the festival last year (requirement) and making the Central Park Hoodie, with my awesome Knit Picks Harmony Needles. Although I did break my own "rule" about knitting with dark yarns on dark needles in a pattern, oh well, I love the Harmony needles, so it's worth a little eye strain.<br />
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Today? After work I want to work on the chicken pen and see if I can find another element for my stove from the "Stash Of Used Pieces and Parts" that every homesteader worth their salt keeps! Hoping I don't have to buy one!<br />
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In the meantime, it's a bit chilly today, but the sun is shining and Life Is Good!Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-32375367106055076072012-03-04T03:52:00.000-08:002012-03-04T03:52:32.982-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbS6OZbHn5OoX6hZBENWIeEBq5ByNn-sjuazZE89dmBflx8X1rxWzQ6gU1cSJRxiDBB6nXARJXNn1hFGQUcN_IGwXq79gkaW1ZgXYlMyjf-JpXdoWK8gD0TQdVWl843GtpvjXf7PXMrqlD/s1600/1b-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbS6OZbHn5OoX6hZBENWIeEBq5ByNn-sjuazZE89dmBflx8X1rxWzQ6gU1cSJRxiDBB6nXARJXNn1hFGQUcN_IGwXq79gkaW1ZgXYlMyjf-JpXdoWK8gD0TQdVWl843GtpvjXf7PXMrqlD/s1600/1b-1.jpg" /></a>So I started my Iknitarod 2012 project. What? You've never heard of this??<br />
Over on Ravelry (online knitting and crocheting mecca) they have a Knit-Along called the Iknitarod 2012. Now if you've watched the news at all recently, you just may be able to put this together, if not let me spell it out for you.<br />
The Iditarod (famous dog sled race through Alaska) is happening right now. If you replace the "d" in Iditarod with a "kn" you get Iknitarod, in which a bunch of crazy knitters get together and knit while the mushers mush. <br />
From the first "MUSH" (or whatever they yell to get the dogs going), until the Red Lantern goes out (last musher crosses the finish line) we will be rooting them on with our marathon knitting session.<br />
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But... I'm not getting much knitting done right now am I? Nope, better get at it (but I did do some last night, see?)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0BpTNtjRftk-K0KxQbenC36ISYUnWnLvNe03vqfQKxmGrjxJSxB_tsCq8Pt84NbJR_p1N4DTVGc6L_dh7_cnRWDfv7zybNYz0hZXn9kmNVP0bgVBqgwQDl07YwcsY5_o8Pf0AQmWR4Zy/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0BpTNtjRftk-K0KxQbenC36ISYUnWnLvNe03vqfQKxmGrjxJSxB_tsCq8Pt84NbJR_p1N4DTVGc6L_dh7_cnRWDfv7zybNYz0hZXn9kmNVP0bgVBqgwQDl07YwcsY5_o8Pf0AQmWR4Zy/s1600/2.jpg" /></a></div>Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-2905985646539381182012-02-23T05:05:00.000-08:002012-02-23T05:05:55.223-08:00So, yeah, once again it's been awhile and there are so many things going on in my normally crowded life. <br />
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Works continues (barely, damn economy - don't get me started...) My daughter and I have taken over my Mom's business while she decides if she's ready to semi-retire or not. Semi retirement. Hmmmm, unusual concept, but so far it's been really good for her and great for us. <br />
We've taken the traditional 9-5 concept of the office to a more casual "just get it done and if there's time left over..." strategy and it seems to be working great for both of us. <br />
I can now go to my Yoga classes during the day, or the yarn shop if the yarn fumes start calling to me and work early mornings, late nights or weekends if I want. That in itself is almost like a semi-retirement!<br />
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As far as the garden, yeah there's still quite a bit of snow out there, but that's ok. Up here we save snow throughout the winter and call it "water table" in the summer. I've got some seeds started, some herbs that I use for cooking, and am looking at doing an organic garden for things like oils and tinctures for our little fledgeling business. I've even gone so far as to get the duffel bag of seeds out of the closet and go through them! Gasp!!<br />
<br />
Normally I won't plant tomatoes or peppers... until Mid March or so, but it's hard to wait. The weather has been so nice lately (so not like February in Northern Michigan..) that the urge to get my hands in the dirt and ride my bike have been nearly overpowering. Thankfully there are fail safe preventions automatically put into place to rein me in. The snow in the garden keeps my hands inside, where they stay warm and the ice on our rode pretty much limits my bike riding, but pretty soon......<br />
<br />
This year on the farm I will be getting more chickens (LOVE pastured birds). I used to say my chickens and turkeys were free range until a new friend (shout out to Monica) told me the difference between free range and pastured. You would think that free range would be all about the little birdies going where they want, and when they want, but not so. Free range means that they are kept inside and have an outside space where they can go, be it grass, mud, dirt, or chicken crap. Pastured is really what you want. My birds are pastured. They spend the night inside the hen house, but in the morning I let them out to roam where ever they want, which usually means the barn this time of year. Then I play heck trying to find their nests. Every year I have to re-train them to lay their eggs in the hen house, so soon that initiation will begin.<br />
I am also getting a couple of pigs. I love pigs, they are so funny, and smart!<br />
<br />
My cows have made it through the winter so far, and are looking quite nice. They will look a lot nicer when stuff thaws out enough that I can get the skid steer into their paddoc, and get some, um, cow shit cleared out of there. I'll put it in a pile and then use if for next year's garden. I don't know the time table on letting cow crap compost, but I give it a year.<br />
<br />
Going to build a dog pen this summer, tired of having to put them on a chain. I have a nice large part of the yard, away from tractor paths and garden paths and pool paths that will work nicely, and it's quite large, so they'll, I'm sure, be a lot happier. <br />
<br />
Am still looking to re-home my boxer. She's high energy, about 4, has been spayed, is great with kids, very affectionate, and loving, will sit on you all day long if you allow it and just in general is a very nice dog. Why don't I keep her? Well, hubby really doesn't like her, and I don't have time to put the training on her that she needs to go from a good dog to a great dog. Why did I get her in the first place? I didn't. She was left behind when her owner moved and the family that took her in didn't want her anymore and was considering euthanization. She's too great of a dog for that. So with that in mind, the search continues.<br />
<br />
We're butchering another cow this weekend as two families are almost out of meat. This cow was aquired with hopes of producing a nice line of calves but that hasn't happened, she's wild and since she hasn't done what she needs to do to keep her spot in the pasture, we're going with option B.<br />
<br />
Knitting! Ah knitting, my passionate friend..... Being the sort of person who has to compartmentalize my life and then tear that all apart just when it seems to be working.....never mind.<br />
Currently on the needles I have another pair of socks, a crazy brother project (more on that later), a denim sweater and will be starting my own Knit-A-Long over on my other blog <a href="http://knitting.craftgossip.com/" target="_blank">Craft Gossip</a> shortly. I figured out that I don't really knit socks just to knit socks, but I knit socks so that in spare moments during the grandkids wrestling or basketball games, or waiting for food in restaurants, or riding along in the car I have something to keep my fingers busy. That's really best for everyone.<br />
<br />
So as the snow continues to melt a little more each day (totally weird for the snow to be melting in Feb) I see all of the remains of the yard that didn't get cleaned up last fall. It's so nice and clean under the snow and then......<br />
<br />
Yup, there are so many, "and thens...".<br />
<br />
Life is Good! (And thanks, J, for lighting a fire under me to get this going again ;-)Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-54559502075009869612011-10-05T10:33:00.000-07:002011-10-05T10:42:32.275-07:00Note To Self....Note to self.... when the temps are in the high 30's, bright sun or not, wearing gloves on the motorcycle ride to work doesn't hurt.<br />
<br />
Note to self... wearing a white work t-shirt out to the barn and expecting fate to keep it clean is just stupid. But I did it, and it stayed clean. How's that for kicking fate in the teeth!<br />
<br />
Note to self.... the dog's chain gets dragged through the dirt and.... When you pick it up and wind it around your leg to untangle it, you're going to get dirty. Count on it.<br />
<br />
Note to self....Striking a match to a pile of papers to be burned does not necessarily mean that said papers will burn. Even if they've promised you they would. This may or may not have a direct connection to the amount of dew that has settled on them overnight.<br />
<br />
Note to self....The oatmeal may or may not explode in the microwave. But it probably will. This does have a direct correlation to whether or not I've just cleaned it (the microwave, not the oatmeal - cleaning oatmeal is just stupid!). <br />
<br />
Note to self....the cows will probably find a way to get out, likely on a day when I'm already late for work.<br />
<br />
Note to self....Iphone's auto correct feature can turn SVSU (local-ish university) into absurd. That's not only stupid, that's absurd!<br />
<br />
Note to self....The way this day is going I might be further ahead to order pizza and stay away from the stove.... just sayin'.....<br />
<br />
Life is Good!Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-33547392739586105592011-10-04T08:18:00.000-07:002011-10-04T08:40:15.892-07:00Let's Winterize The Fences, Shall We?Hubby is going away hunting. Last year when he decided to do this, he came back damaged. We're hoping he doesn't do that again. <br />
<br />
It's traditional for me to undertake a big project when he leaves me alone for any length of time. The project that I wanted to do has been vetoed because he doesn't want me to run the saws while I'm alone. If you know me personally, you realize this sticks in my craw, and he's smart enough to know that if he's going to make a statement like that, he damn well better back it up with a rational rationale.<br />
<br />
His reason this time: We can't have you hurt, because if you hurt yourself and can't work, we are sunk. (he still can't work from his last year's injury).<br />
Ok, I know he's right, so I revised my plan. Now I'll spend my time getting the farm ready for winter, so that he doesn't have to and can help me with my project when he gets back. <br />
Smart, eh?<br />
<br />
Don't think for one minute I didn't see through that, but when he makes a valid argument I usually try to pay attention. <br />
So, instead of redoing my bathroom cabinets, sink and vanity, I will fix fences and just generally winterize the farm. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Without a skid steer.</strong> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Let me say that again, in case any of you get the implications of that statement.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Without A Skid Steer! (Bobcat)</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I will attempt to haul up a couple of loads of wood to the deck (without a bobcat, or a truck if the battery doesn't get replaced or the tire fixed...)<br />
<br />
I will finally get the chicken pen enlarged and the hen house cleaned out (yuck)<br />
<br />
I will get a few odds and ends picked up, like old fencing, fence posts, wire, get hoses drained and rolled up, a bunch of trash burned... little stuff like that. Maybe get the barn cleaned out.<br />
<br />
And hockey watched, and knitting knitted, and a lot of bike rides if the weather cooperates. <br />
<br />
This time of year I'm very cognizant of the fact that my riding days are coming to an end so any excuse to fire her up and take her for a ride pretty much takes precedence. <br />
<br />
I need to get my cabbage shredded, crocks washed and put the two together to make sauerkraut. More grapes need to be turned into juice.<br />
<br />
Hay loft needs to be rearranged to make it more suitable for winter, and the tops of the chicken pens need to be sturdied so they don't collapse under the snow load.<br />
<br />
So much to do. So little time....<br />
<br />
But I love fall.<br />
And you know I love my farm.<br />
<br />
Life Is Good!Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-39380017775524293842011-09-25T15:12:00.000-07:002011-09-25T15:37:21.973-07:00Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival, and Finally, A Diagnosis!<div>
So I'm sitting here at the local fiber festival. You know, all of the knitting, spinning, and weaving stuff and all of the critters that make this all possible.</div>
<div align="center">
<strong>Gorgeous stuff, and the yarn and fiber fumes will totally draw you in.</strong></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
And I'm finding that all of the people aren't bothering me. All of the chaos and commotion is being taken in stride, and I'm smiling and I'm relaxed! And how different is this from the woman that just 6 short months ago suffered from debilitating anxiety with depression.<br />
Debilitating. So bad in fact that I sought out the services of a doctor who specializes in such things. Not only debilitating anxiety and the depression that goes with it, but social phobias, and an almost bi-polar approach to changes in life. (note to self - changes in life are gonna happen - deal with it!) Except I couldn't. And I seriously did NOT know what was wrong with me.<br />
<br />
Why was I driven to such frustration that I would lash out unexpectedly and probably undeservedly to anyone close. Why couldn't I do my job and be part of the team and get along with others. Why couldn't I have close friends. What was wrong with me? And the anxiety! That's what finally drove me to seek help.<br />
<br />
And now, after 6 months of a battery of tests and counseling, the diagnosis is in.<br />
<br />
<b>ADHD!</b><br />
<br />
Wait, what? Isn't that what kids have?<br />
Yeah, kids have it but adults also have it. But adults are supposed to deal with the symptoms and the world doesn't so often see this.<br />
Except when it's bad. Except when it's so bad, that the fear of being around people or situations that I couldn't easily control could bring on a panic attack and a rousing case of anxiety that would last for days!<br />
<br />
This was so bad that I considered quitting my job. I tried to work at home but that wasn't best for my employers and co-workers (although I'm sure they didn't want me anywhere around any more than I wanted to be).<br />
This was so bad that at the end of the day I'd go home and hide from the world. I didn't want the world to see this "me" that I had no control over. And I tried everything. I tried giving up caffeine and dietary changes. I tried meditation and yoga. I tried medication, small amounts and large amounts, over the counter and prescriptions. I tried being by myself. And I desperately tried talking myself down. Every. Single. Day!<br />
<br />
We had no social life because I couldn't possibly go out with another couple let alone go be in public. Now there were good days, don't get me wrong, there were days that I felt almost normal. Almost. But never quite like I thought I should.</div>
<div align="center">
<br />
And I always just KNEW deep down inside of me that if I could stand face to face with this demon I could beat it down. If I could put a name and/or a face to it I could win this battle.<br />
I tried, day after day to face the world and be like everyone else, failing miserably almost every day.<br />
But I did have one thing going for me.... I never gave up. I never quit fighting this demon and I never totally let it have me.<br />
<br />
Well, now the demon has a name, a face and a presence and this demon is going down. Educating myself has been key in understanding the cause and effect of the whole thing on the human mind. Medication helps, but I really believe just knowing that I'm not crazy, not stupid, not lazy, not any of those labels that I've lived with my whole life has been the turning point. Just knowing that there really isn't anything wrong with me and believing it. Realizing that this scattered, unorganized way of thinking and working is wonderful in and of itself.<br />
<br />
My mind works differently than a lot of other people. Now I get that, and you know what? It's ok!<br />
It's ok when I feel scattered. That's just my mind pinging around inside my head and trying out all of the ideas that run through like a freight train. Just knowing this lets me be able to stop that train, get off grab hold of those ideas and make some sense of the things around me.<br />
<br />
I am very productive at work, always have been, but have never been the kind of employee that got along with all the other employees that didn't understand my brain style. I thought this was all my fault, and was led to believe that if only I'd "open my eyes" or "think before I act" everything would run smoother, but I couldn't. And I didn't know why, or how.<br />
<br />
I certainly don't blame my former co-workers for not understanding my style of thinking and acting, how could they when I didn't? But now I do understand it, or am getting there. Now I know my trigger points, and I know how to re-route the train before it derails into whatever object I'm heading toward. I've learned and discovered strategies to deal with different situations that just 6 months ago would have sent me home hiding.<br />
<br />
I now understand how to better keep my ducks in the same puddle so as to be as productive as possible, while maintaining the creative pinging that keeps me going.<br />
<br />
And I'm not done yet. I'm still learning and trying different things on. I am now so much more comfortable with people that I don't dread going out in public. I'm still fairly quiet, and still shy but I'm not afraid any more. New situations stimulate my creative senses now, rather than send me into hiding. Changes in my routine don't send me spiraling down into the black hole anymore. And that is soooo cool!<br />
<br />
And this year was the best fiber festival ever and I truly enjoyed it. And maybe, just maybe, someone will see this post, think of someone they know and maybe suggest that they do some research.</div>
Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-23152705397236581642011-09-24T18:10:00.001-07:002011-09-24T18:10:38.292-07:00What Happened To My Summer?<div>
This may be forever known as The Summer That Wasn't. The winter lasted forever, then we got a few weeks of spring, a few weeks of "hotter than hell" and then fall. </div>
<div>
As luck would have it, lack of summer, also means lack of projects that were slated to be completed during the summer, didn't get done.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Let's revisit some of the projects that were supposed to get done, shall we?</div>
<div>
Chicken pen to be enlarged? Nope.</div>
<div>
Back deck steps and railings? Nope.</div>
<div>
Barn painted? Nope.</div>
<div>
Greenhouse? Major nope! (major bummer....)</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
What did get done?</div>
<div>
On the farm.... Chickens raised and butchered.</div>
<div>
That's about it!</div>
<div>
Spent a lot of time on my bike touring Northern Michigan, and , OH YEAH!!! The Rockies!</div>
<div>
Some friends, hubby and I took our motorcycles out to Colorado where we spent one glorious week riding our bikes around and through the great mountains (and myself, having dropped my bike on my foot resulting in a broken bone or two, hobbled along for the ride as it were).</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Totally awesome!</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
But then as we drove back into Michigan, real life creeped back in. There was a garden that needed to be weeded, a house and farm to be maintained and critters that required attention. That and the Mouth decided to move to Alaska, but I'm not over that yet so....</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
So, the garden got weeded and the foot hurt.</div>
<div>
The critters got maintained and the foot hurt.</div>
<div>
The house and farm were revisited and the foot hurt. And it continues to hurt, despite the fact that it has been over 2 months and it should have healed by now. Just sayin....</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
The tomatoes have been canned, and the grapes and cabbages are next in line, but this weekend is the Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival, so in the kitchen playing with jars and canning lids is not where I want to be.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
We have a new addition to the critter family. When The Mouth moved to Alaska she kind of forgot to take her dog with her. So guess who got her. "her" is a 4 year old boxer, the sweetest girl ever, very affectionate, loves to give hugs and kisses, and has a loveable goofy look about her. She's not the brightest crayon in the box, but she's nice and since I didn't want her to go to just anyone, we took her.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
I've got two knitting projects I'm working on. The first is an awesome side to side knit vest from a new book by Interweave called Knitting Off The Axis. I'm using Knit Picks new Wool of the Andes Tweed in a purple heathery tweed. Sooo cool!</div>
<div>
The second is a pair of socks with Noro's Silk Garden sock yarn. These ones will be warm. The first heel got turned today, and maybe tomorrow while at the Lamb and Wool Festival, I'll be able to finish it. Maybe. Still having arm issues, so have to take it easy but as long as I go slow, the knitting will still happen.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
So that's all that's been happening. Looking forward to a color tour in a few weeks on the bikes, will be awesome!</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Life is Good (and as if it needed to get any better... hockey season is starting!!!!!!)</div>
Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-198605001163939462011-09-24T18:10:00.000-07:002011-09-24T18:10:13.204-07:00The Summer That Wasn't!<div>
<div>
This may be forever known as The Summer That Wasn't. The winter lasted forever, then we got a few weeks of spring, a few weeks of "hotter than hell" and then fall. </div>
<div>
As luck would have it, lack of summer, also means lack of projects that were slated to be completed during the summer, didn't get done.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Let's revisit some of the projects that were supposed to get done, shall we?</div>
<div>
Chicken pen to be enlarged? Nope.</div>
<div>
Back deck steps and railings? Nope.</div>
<div>
Barn painted? Nope.</div>
<div>
Greenhouse? Major nope! (major bummer....)</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
What did get done?</div>
<div>
On the farm.... Chickens raised and butchered.</div>
<div>
That's about it!</div>
<div>
Spent a lot of time on my bike touring Northern Michigan, and , OH YEAH!!! The Rockies!</div>
<div>
Some friends, hubby and I took our motorcycles out to Colorado where we spent one glorious week riding our bikes around and through the great mountains (and myself, having dropped my bike on my foot resulting in a broken bone or two, hobbled along for the ride as it were).</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Totally awesome!</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
But then as we drove back into Michigan, real life creeped back in. There was a garden that needed to be weeded, a house and farm to be maintained and critters that required attention. That and the Mouth decided to move to Alaska, but I'm not over that yet so....</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
So, the garden got weeded and the foot hurt.</div>
<div>
The critters got maintained and the foot hurt.</div>
<div>
The house and farm were revisited and the foot hurt. And it continues to hurt, despite the fact that it has been over 2 months and it should have healed by now. Just sayin....</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
The tomatoes have been canned, and the grapes and cabbages are next in line, but this weekend is the Northern Michigan Lamb and Wool Festival, so in the kitchen playing with jars and canning lids is not where I want to be.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
We have a new addition to the critter family. When The Mouth moved to Alaska she kind of forgot to take her dog with her. So guess who got her. "her" is a 4 year old boxer, the sweetest girl ever, very affectionate, loves to give hugs and kisses, and has a loveable goofy look about her. She's not the brightest crayon in the box, but she's nice and since I didn't want her to go to just anyone, we took her.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
I've got two knitting projects I'm working on. The first is an awesome side to side knit vest from a new book by Interweave called Knitting Off The Axis. I'm using Knit Picks new Wool of the Andes Tweed in a purple heathery tweed. Sooo cool!</div>
<div>
The second is a pair of socks with Noro's Silk Garden sock yarn. These ones will be warm. The first heel got turned today, and maybe tomorrow while at the Lamb and Wool Festival, I'll be able to finish it. Maybe. Still having arm issues, so have to take it easy but as long as I go slow, the knitting will still happen.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
So that's all that's been happening. Looking forward to a color tour in a few weeks on the bikes, will be awesome!</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Life is Good (and as if it needed to get any better... hockey season is starting!!!!!!)</div>
</div>
Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-61397095637203219742011-04-02T15:13:00.000-07:002011-04-02T15:15:42.272-07:00Helping The People of JapanSome of them have lost everything, including family members and we have so much! So, to help raise money, myself and my peeps over at the CraftGossip blogs are having auctions where 100% of the proceeds will go to the Salvation Army to help with relief efforts. I have 6 books over there, <strong><a href="http://craftgossip.com/blog/tag/helping-japan/">check out all of our auctions....</a></strong>Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-85099189994461718252011-03-16T08:46:00.000-07:002011-03-16T10:47:06.788-07:00Today it's all About the Tomatoes!Tomatoes are what's on my mind today. I even have my tomato red shirt on. Don't mind the fact that it's advertising some bar in Alaska, that's ok. It's my tomato shirt. My story...sticking to it... you know the drill.<br /><br />I didn't get any tomatoes planted yesterday but today I will. I'll also get some cool new varieties ordered from the seed catalogs too. I will only buy from companies who have signed the Safe Seed Pledge. No GMO crap for me, there's enough toxins in the air and water, don't need to put it on my maters.<br /><br />I do need to get back out to the barn and try to wade through some of the winter overflow. You know, the stuff that gets thrown in the corner to get it out of the way, to be dealt with later? Yeah, it's later! Next two days are supposed to bring rain and mid 40 temps, we'll lose a lot of snow then.<br /><br />And, since most of last night involved taking my bike over to the bike fix it guy (and resulting grease and dirt on my hands) no knitting took place last night. Tonight, however, there is a Red Wings game on, so knitting will occur!<br /><br />Life is Good!Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-46240344314982084772011-03-15T05:51:00.000-07:002011-03-15T06:44:42.196-07:00I'm Over It! Time To Start Over....I am sooo over this cold. It had it's day (week) and then came back for round 2. No! No round 2!<br />Jumped out of bed (crawled, whining and crying) with renewed ambition.<br />Spring is right around the corner, and someone has to whip this farm into shape. This year will be the year of the farm!<br />Yup! This year the farm will start to pay for itself.<br /><br />And my first act is to get the chickens in shape. Have to wait a bit for some of the 1.5' of snow remaining to melt, but with temps in the 40's this week, plus rain coming that will help. The chicken pen needs to be enlarged. We set the posts last fall and then someone who shall remain nameless saw fit to break his leg and ankle, sending us down a 5 month road to nothing getting done. I have to go to Home Depot, maybe today and see what kind of netting or hardware cloth I can get (cheap) to drape over the top of the chicken pen. Yesterday I hacked enough ice away from the door of the coop so that I could pen them in again. Pen them in at night, let them out during the day. At least until I get a "lid" on the pen so they can stay in there.<br /><br />I can't go to the Tractor Supply Store yet, (because they have baby chix) and I can never resist those. Especially since I want to get turkeys again this year.<br />I'm torn between my chickens. On one hand I wanted all of one breed (did the research and figured that for eggs and meat, in this climate, buffs were best, so I bought a bunch of them last year, they would lay and give me eggs and more little birdies, but on the other hand, it looks kind of cool to have all different kinds of chickens, all shapes and colors, running around. So I'll wait a week or so to visit the Tractor Store, then probably come back with more chickens than I need.<br /><br />In the knitting arena, I'm still working on a mohair cowl made from Aloft (<a href="http://www.knitpicks.com/"><strong>Knit Picks</strong></a>). I got the yarn to try out, and <a href="http://www.clover-usa.com/product/426099/3683/_/Takumi_Combo_Set"><strong>Clover USA</strong> </a>was totally cool enough to send me their new line of bamboo interchangeables from Takumi to try out. I LOVE them, but I knew I would. I'm all about wooden and bamboo needles. I have the Addi Clicks and the Denise set, but even though they "click" into place and the others "screw", I prefer the bamboo. Easier on these old, arthritic, farmer hands. They have just enough "grab" to keep the stitches in place while my stiffer than they should be hands and fingers have a chance to work the stitches. Anyway, the pattern is just a long rectangle with a herringbone stitch. Totally cool stitch pattern, but it's not one of those mindless patterns. Have to watch every stitch. But it's almost done, then a picture.<br /><br />So, for today, after work, I'll get into town and do some grocery shopping, then come home and put Bu-Dawgh's trolley back up. I have a run for him, from the cabin to the barn, but last year during haying season, the trolley broke and never got put back up. That will get done today, as well as planting more tomatoes.<br /><br />Going to set up my Ebay shop again too, lots and lots of stuff I can get rid of to make room for living as well as make some money to buy more yarn, I mean to get stuff paid off!<br /><br />My bike is on the trailer, ready to go to the bike doctor. It needs a few fine tune ups, to survive our Ride in the Rockies this summer. If hubby doesn't go fishing tonight, we'll take that over.<br /><br />Life is Good!Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1172137085962265288.post-48106554569861089252010-12-04T09:10:00.000-08:002010-12-04T09:23:00.580-08:00Outside My WindowI see snowflakes gently spitting around. There's snow on the ground and it's cold! Making ice cold. Well, ok, it's not like it's really all that cold, but you don't wanna be caught out there without a coat, some gloves and nice boots.<br />Also there's a plume of smoke. This morning bright and early I went out and gathered up all of the sticks left over from the last windstorm, the ones I could pick up anyway, a lot of them are already frozen in, but everything I can get cleaned up now, will be less to do in the spring. Also, there are some garden leftovers in there. Still left to do outside today is get the grill moved up by the house and get another skidder of wood.<br /><br />Hubby went in to work, he'll have help there today, so maybe he can get things back on track. He sure is frustrated not being able to do much.<br /><br />Outside my window there is also a plethora of roosters, too many for the hens I have, so soon I will put one of them in the oven. Can't butcher all of them as the freezers are still full from butchering the steers and also from deer season. And ice fishing season looms.<br />Mmmmm, nothing like blue gills through the ice, which now that I think about it, will make a nice dinner tonight.<br /><br />Throughout the winter I'll butcher the roosters one at a time as I need them, until I have only 2 left, that will make a nice ratio and ensure babies in the spring.<br />I also have one hen who thinks shes a cat. Go figure, I'd have a strange critter. She sleeps in the window wells and up in the hay loft with the cats. She doesn't hang with the other chickens at all, but it's ok I guess, the others are content to be locked up in the hen house at night, but she sleeps out with the cats. Whatever.<br /><br />Still working on my shawl, got a lot more done yesterday and will knit a bunch today too. Next will be a cowl, big enough to pull over my head for a hood. Would be awesome if I could make one out of Quiviet, but probably no go. I do, however, have some angora sport weight that will work nicely.<br /><br />Ok, back at it! Gotta get the fish out of the freezer to start thawing, and go see if I can start the skid steer.Terryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06347298167176982949noreply@blogger.com0