so where is the thaw?

everyone is telling me

it's going to be really warm this weekend
everything is going to melt

hmmmm

there is two inches of snow covered ice outside the basement door
you actually have to step UP to step OUT

i think even if it goes to 80
it ain't going to thaw out this weekend
not when it's still 17 degrees out right now on the deck

i can't get the stove warm enough either
(wet wood, the dry stuff is warming up now)

i am supposed to be at the computer show

as you can see

i am not

don't ask


oye

vi

felted boots are a very good thing

i got the alpine boots pattern from fiber trends

wow

i loved her clog pattern BUT
my ankles get way cold

so now i am about done with the first boot of a pair of red ones

this opens a LOT of interesting experiments up

i did research
came across russian felted boots,
and just totally had an epiphany

i can do this

i can get galoshes, like the russians do
or
i can take the bottoms of snowmobile boots ( cheapo boys ones at kmart)
and use them
OR

i can have them soled at the shoemaker

OR

i can experiment with 'tire sandels' soles

i can have a LOT of fun with this

just think
warm winter boots, that i can wear outside...............
and that fit my fat calves.......
wow

and i can make them myself
what colors do you think i need???

this pair is screaming gnome red

i want charcoal heather too

and some purple or magenta no?

i see a LOT of boots in my future.....
i predict that this will be a bit addicting........................


vi

yes it WAS good

it made 7 jars
and two didn't seal
one i brushed over a pork loin last night

wow was that good

remember if you make it
take out the rosemary after it gives its all

don't can it with the little leaves and stalks in there


i slept in
boy did i sleep in
thaddeaus got under the covers with me and fawn and calpurrnia sat on top of me

'mom..........you ok mom?............... you slept in two nights in a row!'

i did do that
actually it stays abover 65 in the studio now from about 10 pm to about 7am or so

i got a bright fire going now

i have to go to town, as our anniversary is coming, and i need more seed starter, plus i have the post office to get to

and if i am lucky, i can stop at ac moore
.............ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh nutting.........

just looking.........

this weekend is the computer show in allentown
i want to get there
i don't know what day we'll go

hmm and bernie got home so late last night (he walked in at 9:30..........i didn't realize it was that time)
we never brought wood in

so what i gots............. gots to last

as i can't reach the top of the woodpile now
the shorter piles are all done
the big one is over my head
WAY over my head ( that's what i get for marrying a tall husband)

i don't think the woodpile would be too happy if i started taking from the middle
it would most likely fall on my head

well.................i wouldn't have to haul wood then huh?


next to can..........

orange pineapple grilling sauce
here is what i am thinking

garlic
onion
mustard
honey
dash of hot sauce ( like two drops)
coursely chopped sweet red pepper
orange zest and pulp chopped
crushed pineapple and juice

what else?

maybe a bit of shredded coconut and some lime?

i also have some lemon grass in the house.......... the cats keep triming the plant

i wish i thought to bring in some mint cuttings
cause that would be nice with mint

gee and carol has that mint concentrate she made
hmmmmmmmmmmm

she is far away though

btw
carol from the canning list is in the hosptial with some side effects from the chemo
give her a good thought if you all would ok???

thanks

vi

kitchen experiments

i feel pretty good
in spite of thaddeaus having aged me 20 years yesterday

a full night's sleep will do that for a person

i was in the kitchen
cleaned the STOVE
(i really do feel a LOT better)

canned up some stuff

todays efforts

cranberry/orange/ rosemary relish/grilling sauce

roughly as follows

a pound of raw cranberries
the zest and flesh of two oranges
and the zest of a third

the zest and flesh of one lemon
a goodly hunk of rosemary off the bush

about 22 oz of water
and about 3 cups of sugar

three minced cloves of garlic
and a 1/4 of a small onion minced

throw it all in a pot and simmer it

i canned it in 8 oz jellies in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes

a jar didn't seal
sooooooooooooo

tonight i roast a pork loin peice
and about 15 minutes before it's really done
the sauce goes on

WARNING
this is NOT for folks who like smooth seedless sauces
this is hearty, rustic and robust

you have been warned

go forth my child and grill


vi

i think my heart is back in my chest

today so far hasn't gone well

in addition to the woodstove

thaddeaus decided to age me 20 years

he decided to fall and get stuck behind the solid oak library bookcase in the other room
in about 3" worth of space

i just thought he was getting into his normal trouble

but when i found out
i was frantic
that library stack without books weighs 200 pounds
and it was loaded loaded

and he is a bit cat but even a big HUMAN is powerless against that kind of weight

i started to throw books across the room
i ended up after a while being able to tilt the case forward

he climbed out
but then I WAS STUCK
i forgotten i was actually in there
and in my haste i had piled books around me as well

all i cared about was getting thaddeaus out

fawn and calpurrnia tried to help

they got on top of what i was trying to throw and cried for thaddeaus

then cried at me

i was crying too

oh man

now my boy is right here

naturally he threw up right after he got out

i ran to the bathroom and almost soiled my undies

it was not a good time had by all

but the boy is safe

i hope he is also a bit wiser................but somehow i doubt it


i can breath again

maybe


oye

i don't like forced hot air furnaces

we had to put the furnace on

why?

we have to clean the wood stove chimney

we had a problem with a smoke leak and after bernie banged on the chimney we got draft back
for about 12 hours
and then had draft issues again

soooooooooooooooooooo

we let the fire go out
and emptied the ash bucket which i will use to clean the hot coal out
and later bernie will have to brush out the chimney

it's snowing
did i mention that?

naturally
as he has to go on the roof

did i mention i don't like forced hot air furnaces?

did i mention i love and miss my woodstove?

sniff

but not warm enough

we need to clean the woodstove chimney again i think
it's been warmish
but not warm enough to dismantle the stove after a day of it not burning

i think this means.......................

(insert ominous music here)

using the furnace

oh no..........
that is not a good thing

bernie isn't too happy

well neither am i

but that is what has to be done

so far this week is not started well

i had to tink back the new clog i started
got the yarn all tangled
missed getting a fibertrend family slipper pattern for 2.50
now this with the stove

oh and........... THE BOY is losing his fur AGAIN

oye

so what did i do today?
write checks
and checks and more checks
but not for the furnace
or the chimeny or the pattern

for the attorney from suing that jackass next door
and for board for my sheepies and goatie

oye


gees

oye again

now as to duckies
i got them a surprise
i even braved the iced and hilly driveway to get it out of the van for them

a tiny new bathtub!!!!!!!!
it holds 7 gallons and three tiny duckies comfortable.........
it isn't the spaciousness of their summer pond

but it IS liquid water
and it WAS warmer

did they RUSH to the little bathtub with a song in their heart and graditude on their lips

ok so they don't have lips actually
but work with me here

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoo

cleo finally consented to take a sip of water out of it
i put phoebe in it

oh man she acted like i threw her to the alligators............(no that would be NEXT WEEK....after the ungrateful duckies STILL haven't used thier little pond)

then without a backward glance....................

the little duckies from hell
walked
single file down the hill

and stood at the door of their day pen

doing the peepee dance waiting to be let in

sometimes it just doesn't pay to be the momma duck


again
oye

vi

opinions PLEASE???? favorite felted footwear

hihi everyone, i am going to sort of repost this as i would like a few more folks to answer

btw
our 32 wedding anniversary is week from wen............. feb 11
AMAZING ain't it
especially since i am still only 19 years old!

shhhhhh that's my story

also i am pleased to announce that i got sleep
yup
well it's big news in my world
(what you thought i was going to get another animal???,.............. hmmmm could be)

ok
i just knitted and felted another pair of the fiber trend clogs
(these are plum with black soles..........i am going to paint the soles with that tool dip stuff)

i would like to make some other felted boots, shoe, slipper thingies

i would like some with ankle cuffs

i would like opinons if you all don't mind

which patterns do you all like
what yarns have you all used that lasted LONG???????????

i have made two pairs of clogs in lion brand fishman ( one i dyed)

i have now made two pairs in classic wool

i would gladly save for the lamb's pride bulky IF it would actually hold up longer then a year...
i wear the soles out so fast

but i have got to made a few more pairs of something
it gets COLD here you know

vi

expansion and contraction

it seems to me all of life is a series of expansions and contractions
even watching the fire in the wood stove
it expands to encompass the entire fire chamber........then as it goes on it contracts to just a bed of coals and ash

families are like that too

a couple sets up a home, and soon children and/or pets arrive
for years if you are lucky
that home is the center of a world of love and activity

eventually the offspring move on to their own homes
and the cycle begins again

it's all over the place when you think about it

companies grow..........expand and then contract
it may just be the natural order of things

following that thought

you can see religions, civilizations, societies doing the exact same thing
as does populations


there is no point to this post

just observations

that's what happens when you watch a fire in a woodstove

again Lucy

i woke up with dreams of Lucy De Padova again
this time in the dreams sinks were laying about
(her husband is a plumber as is i believe one of her sons)
although the dream was centered around lucy
i did see one of her sons sorta of in a meditative state
which bernie ( who was also in the dream) helped me wake up
i found a phone number
maybe i should call?


it's cold here
high winds as well
not as cold as a few weeks ago

i slept a bit last night thankfully
i don't sleep at all when bernie has to stay down at work

thaddeaus who was concerned about the state of the woodstove this morning..............
came up on my pillow doing that kneading thing that cats do
then of course he stretches out his paw and pushes my cheek

'mom...................... oh MOM............?'

yes thaddeaus

'mom you up?'

no thaddeaus...........not really............why?

"MOM GET UP...........the woodstove needs wood"

thaddeaus come under the covers........... i can't quite get up yet
i haven't slept in days

"MOM, that is NOT my problem......................''

oye

what is WITH all these guys ?

i get tons of attitude from all of them

and this without the benefits of coffee.......................

starting seeds

it really isn't too hard

you need a clean container that is well drained

i use Styrofoam cups with holes poked in the bottom ( writing the variety and date on the sides with a marker)

viable seeds *** remind me to post a list of the seed places i deal with

a STERILE starting mix either homemade or boughten

some plastic

a marker

a notebook as you do need to keep records of a sort

a warm place and some lights

now

1. fill your container with potting mix....leave a bit of room for later watering
2. WATER thoroughly and let drain................make sure mix is evenly moist
3. read the planting depth and light for that variety (some need light to germinate.........don't cover them with soil)
4. plastic for over the top
5. set in a warm place such as on top of a water heater, plant heating mat...........or over a heat duct, me i just leave them in the studio with the woodstove

some seeds are very tiny, such a carrot.......( those you mix with sand and direct seed anyway)depending on size now
you can poke tiny holes with bamboo skewers or the point of a pencil into the potting soil
check the recommended depth

now i don't cover with soil actually

i sorta water the seed in with tepid water and it fills in the hole a bit

small seeds just sit on the surface

i put a smallish tent of plastic wrap over the little cups which are in waterproof flats to protect the furniture

and i put them under lights............watching excitedly for tiny green things to pop out of the ground

as SOON as they do uncover that cup and put it under lights

i use regular fluorescent tubes one warm white, one cool white........no fancy plant tubes needed....some seeds will gradually need you to cool them off and grow them cool

also do NOT let the babies dry out

cooler growers

cabbage, broccoli, greens, leeks, onions, for example

warmer growers

PEPPERS ( in fact they can take forever to sprout........bottom heat helps)

now that concludes beginners seed starting 101
just remember a lot of things such as beans ( USE the INOCULANT)..... cucumbers, corn, most squashes, root crops:ie: carrots, beets, turnips etc are DIRECT seeded into garden beds

i do sometimes cheat with the pumpkins as well as other squash due to us having a short growing season and start them in gallon milk containers a few weeks before they are due to transplant out.... and i put plastic mulch under them PLUS inject them with BT

oh and DATE to maturity....... for the most part that is roughly an idea how long from TRANSPLANTING in the garden to first harvest

ok?

weather and felted clogs AND have you started YOUR seeds yet?

a few years ago i made several pair of felted clogs ( fiber trends pattern)

i dug out my pumpkin pair last night
and now i am going to knit a few more pairs i have decided
these however will have cuffs to cover my ankles

it's cold you know

ask the duckies if you don't believe me

'mom.............................'
yes duckies

'it's cold out'

yes duckies, but you do have those nice down coats under your feathers

'mom, we don't like getting up though........it's ok after a few minutes but boy mom it's cold at first'

yes duckies i know

i AM out here with you

'mom, can we have hot cocoa?'

no duckies but you CAN have hot oatmeal

and so we go down the slope to the duck pen

we didn't get the winter pen done
so
now the winter pen is going to be the permanent pen but will be done i hope in spring

along with a chicken coop
and

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

a sheep and goat barn
i am going to bring them home
the economy is too bad
and i can't keep up the board
besides i am going to rent them out for poison ivy control


i will tell you folks.......i am starting to get seriously worried about this world

however
that isn't like me.......... while i worry, it's normally about friends and my immediate world...
so it may be that i am a bit sleep deprived
i been knitting and stoking the stove twice a night
(simple knitting....... since it has to be done in a relative coma)


now if you all don't mind
can we talk chickens
( normally the expression is turkey............i wonder where that came from???)

this batch is 5 roos and apparently 3 hens............unless one 'hen' is going to have a sex change
which did happen to henrietta
i need more hens i think
and i would like some speckled sussex
only three
i want to sell eggs this summer
and i want my old hens to go out
but
i may keep a rooster
we'll see
i may also look for a fresh drake.....but falstaff lives out his life here
i just trained him to walk out to his day pen without being carried in the crate
smart duck

but back to chickens
i am thinking of a mostly orpington flock with a few speckled sussex
they are nice quiet birds
they look so cozy and domestic they hug my heart just watching them

if i could find a processor closer i would also get a few turkeys


now
to you all

have you started your seeds yet?
if so
whatcha planting????


i will start this week
i am running a bit behind
leeks
cabbage,
onions are first up

so now
YOUR turn
tell me what you are planting

well the studio is partly cleaned

bernie and i tore another part of the studio apart and cleaned it
i got tons of boxes of paper work to go through

sort
shred
burn
compost

( btw, my old beloved ergonomic keyboard is alive again for the most part.... but i need back legs on it)

i have to go through my yarn stash
i am going to be knitting a lot of socks and hats

i wish i had lopi and lamb's pride bulky stashed,
i love lopi for sturdy outdoor mittens
and i want to make more felted clogs so the lamb's pride would be the thing for that
with the mohair

right now i am doing some really simple sideways knit fingerless gloves
out of leftover patons decor
i made a hat for a friend out of it
a pair of footie socks
and now these gloves
i am expecting to run out of the decor about 2 inches prior to finishing so in that case
i have another bit of yarn left over from another friends hat to finish up with

all of a sudden i am able to do a lot of knitting

i think that the docxyciline helped
my wrists and hands aren't hurting


in duckie doings
i taught ( or am still teaching but he's doing it)
falstaff to walk in and out of the crate from the house to his pen, instead of my carrying him in his crate to the pen

it doesn't sound like much
but for falstaff and me that's huge

the girls of course follow me out ( or lead ..... depending on if someone needs to lay an egg or not in a hurry)

but falstaff is sort of semi feral
although he is so much better then he was
the guy i got him from would glove up with hockey gloves and a mask etc to handle his
ha
falstaff is a pushover
he is a good duck
smart
just doesn't want to be petted or touched by humans
he is not aggressive at all

now the chickens
i am thinking that the last 'hen' is indeed a hen
i am also wondering about keeping a rooster
i really do need to have some fertile eggs hatch
i am also thinking seriously about the goat and sheep coming home
if i could figure fencing and a pen i would go an get them tomorrow!
i think i need to sell badger and edmund
and just bring the girls home
bonnie and arabella make no noise
violet...............well she is a nubian
maybe i should sell her as well
(that is going to kill me)

with the economy so bad at least if we have a milker and the ewes
i know we will have milk and eventually lamb

now
a totally seasonal question

have YOU started YOUR seeds yet?

for your victory garden
we all need to do our part


no?

gee mom there are POLAR bears out there

or so the duckies tell me
they are not eager to get out of the house in the morning

our duckie/momma conversations go this way

'mom?'

yes duckies

'there are polar bears out there'

no there aren't duckies

'yes mom there ARE'

no duckies, we are too far south or north or something

'mom, we're telling you.....................'
( said while hopping on one foot and trying hard NOT to step on the snow covered ground outside the door frame)

duckies, you have to go out to the day pen
your FOOD is in there, so come on...let's go

'but MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM'
(nothing like adolescent duckies huh?)

come on girls

'oh, ok, but there ARE polar bears'

it doesn't matter duckies, you guys are white
the polar bears won't see you anyway


so goes conversations with ducks

what?
you expected shakespear?

they are DUCKS

so that was short

i have to reformate my new computer
oye

i screwed it up
i threw the software into a glitch when i sort of accidently pushed the display for the monitor over all the way to the right
which put the monitor out ofrange
i would love to fix it without a reformat
but see this is vista
and that doesn't work

oye

again

how many ways can you say cold?

cause i am running out of ideas

got up late today
cause i was up stoking the stove and knitting footie socks
next up
thrummed boot socks
yup that cold

all i keep looking at are mittens, hats, neckwarmers and socks

and i could use a few skeins of lopi for mittens
and a few skeins of lamb pride bulky for felted boots

this weekend we are to move the computer desk and computers around
about time
i am sitting here with a ton of wires and two keyboards......................
one on top of the other
looks like a mad scientist gone way wrong
and of course
wool

piled on top of the keyboards

along with knitting needles just recieved from ebay

( i won two auctions, one for 14 circular needles and one for 14 sets of 6 inch double points)
bamboo of course

now
i better get a move on
duckies to go out
dishes to do
bread to bake
stove to stoke
and more computer stuff

btw
my ipod is giving me fits
it is charged but if i take it's umbilical cord off the computer
it goes dead
what's that all about
i got it xmas 06
and NEVER used it!

in other transitions...

i am working on moving files from the old computer to the new one
it's slow going right now as they aren't networked
and win98se and vista may as well be on different planets

i did have to stop and do that ipod thing
as mary had given me an ipod a few christmases ago, that i have never been able to use
i can now
i want to load podcasts and such into it
oh my
for someone who aspires to be amish
i am certainly getting into the 21 century

kicking and screaming maybe
but there never the less

now speaking of other new beginnings
does this mean kitchen countertops and new kitchen knives????


i read a peice about banks foreclosing on small builder, even if they are up to date on loan payments and haven't ever missed a payment

does that mean that the development behind me may turn out to be abandoned?
maybe i could get a few acres out back cheap yet?................... to bring the sheepies and goat home ????

will miracles happen?

in fiber news here.........i am looking for lamb's pride polar weight 3 skeins worth
to make felted shoes
AND
i am about to start, i think, thrummed slippers or thrummed boot socks

yup it was THAT cold lately

please, it was so cold that i was remembering that lady with the full mohair knitted long johns and tops
and thinking to myself

i don't care if i look like a neanderthal
i want a set of thems..... for the cold
and a set for each duckies.......................

when we get the farm
i get mohair goats

today is the day

history is being made

ok so well history is being made daily.......................
i mean...... isn't yesterday history

isn't 5 minutes ago history.........????


but i am talking about 'notable' history
you know..........the kind that makes text books in school
and have LONG term ramifications

not like that questionable burrito you ate yesterday, that only SEEMS like it is going to be with you long term.......

i plan on watching it on line on the new puter with the dsl

if i am not at the bank straightening out a mess that only a large corporation could do

the bank changed routing codes

huh?

i found out when a check was returned to a person i wrote it to as 'invalid'

huh?

so i get to argue with the bank

now
they don't buy me new checks do they

just so happened i had just bought new ones
but i intend on getting them to make this right

there is enough going on with banking to scare anyone

but i think with this current bank

it's three stikes your out
and it's had it's third strike

dsl is not too shabby

and neither is the new computer!
but

i don't like vista
and I hate the keyboard


i need my old one back

oye

soooooooooooo

someone clue me in on the ins and outs of vista.............
until i partition the drive and install linux
and win98se and maybe xp


meanwhile
i gotta go get the duckies


til next time

vi

BLUEBIRDS!!!!!!! at the bottom of the garden!

it is warming up here
20 degrees and a few inches of snow
warm enough.....relatively speaking to let the ducks out into the day pens

now on my way back to the girls pen out past the end of the garden,
i saw a flash of blue!
then another and another
looking closely from under the multiple layers AND my hood
i realized i was looking at a flock of bluebirds!!!!

bluebirds?
this time of year?

in the snow?

they were stripping berries off of the wild rose bushes out back

i was totally amazed and went to get bernie to look
but by the time i got up to the top of the driveway and got his attention
the flock was gone

i was so lucky to have that special moment

i wished bernie could have seen them as he adores wild birds

so does this mean............
spring is around the corner?

meanwhile
i am still having lack of sleep for the stoking of the stove
but
while i wait for the stove to heat and the room to heat enough to damp it down to go back to bed
i am getting a LOT of knitting done

in my half dazed state.........

now the dsl arrives the 20th
i am hoping in time to see obama's inaugural speech
as it is another historical first in my lifetime
filed right up there with
walking on the moon
civil rights
microwave ovens
computers
and what looks like a cure for breast cancer

wow

vi