Mulling Things Over

Things around here have been pretty low key.Rick's meds continue to mess with him a bit. Saturday he went to his Asst Scoutmaster training,and the only down side was that it was in a small room with no windows. Rick has a hard time in rooms like that,but he made it through A-OK. He was wiped out when he got home,though,and he took a nap. 

Sunday,the Menfolk,Zach,and our next door neighbor Kelly decided to go up the road to Shaw Pond (no relation!)to do some ice fishing.We actually have enough ice now on most lakes and ponds to walk on them,but there are still some areas where the ice is not thick enough yet. Fortunately, Shaw Pond has a good 4" or so of ice,so they were good to go. They tried to talk me into going,but I  declined. I am not an outdoor winter person. I used to be in my youth,I loved sledding and being in the snow. Now, not so much. I prefer being warm in my house. The males were gone for at least four hours and had a great time!

Zach,Brother B,and Rick setting up traps

                                                                     Pulling up a fish                                  
 

                                                                        Pickerel!

They used Kelly's equipment,but Zach enjoyed it so much that Rick bought a couple of traps for he and Zach so they don't have to keep using Kelly's.

Also on Sunday,like any good New Englander,we watched the Patriots and the Ravens,holding our breath until the very end when the Raven's missed the field goal. Now we look forward to beating the Giants in the Super Bowl (sorry,New York fans)!

As for me,my project of late was making  some pot holders..

My potholders are in very sad shape. They are to the point where even washing them doesn't get them clean anymore. So instead of buying a pair,I made them. While I knitted,Rick and I started to mull over our plan for our garden this year. We need to order some new seeds-we have had some for three years now and it's time to get fresh ones. Instead of buying two types of lettuce,etc,we are only going to grow one kind. While we are going to cut back on variety,we are not going to cut back on quantity. We may forgo peas this year,too-to be honest,I am not a fan of fresh peas...maybe it's because I grew up with canned ones my whole life. I do love fresh green beans,though. I also need to be more on top of staggered planting this year. I hope that it doesn't take so long for the garden area to dry out this Spring.Last year we couldn't prep the area until late May.It was like a bog out back. Seeing such little snow this year,however,I assume that this spring will not be quite as wet. We also discussed whether or not we are going to make syrup this year,and we decided that we will give it shot yet again. We now  know that we need to boil the syrup a bit longer, to get it a bit more full flavored,and it needs to be canned,otherwise it doesn't last that long and gets moldy.Lessons learned,my friends!

Have a Fabulous Day on this Fabulous Planet!!!

Ta-Da!

 Here is my finished dishtowel. I took this when it was drying after I blocked it:

Blocking,for those of you not familiar with the term,is when you put the item in soapy water,then rinse it several times in cold and then you dry it,making the stitches a bit tighter.I'm sure it does something else,but right now I can't remember. :)

Because the yarn wasn't solid colors,you can't really see the stripes I made ( I wasn't anticipating any special patterns when I bought the yarn) but...if you look close enough,you can see two areas where there is mostly yellow-those are the stripes.

The one thing I was wondering about-if it would be absorbent enough-was certainly answered when I placed it in my bathroom sink. Yep.It's plenty absorbent! So as I make new towels,I will take an old ratty one out of the rotation and put it with my rag bag.

This morning we all overslept-apparently I shut off my alarm without realizing it,and Rick's didn't go off. Zach's new alarm wasn't plugged in. So I drove The Boy to school today.

Yesterday we took a trip to the Manchester VA for an appt with Rick's medicine Dr,Dr Hunt. So far,everything Rick is experiencing is normal. The goal is in a few weeks to be completely off the Seroquil and be totally on the  Depakote. The only downside is,since Seroquil is stronger than Depakote,he will wind taking more Depakote. It could be upward of over 1,500 mg a day.

Today my goal is reorganize my genealogy information. I have folders and binders that I keep in my bedroom closet that I really want to get moved into the file cabinet so when I am using my Family Tree Maker I can access info quickly. I will have to figure out exactly how to  do it-I can't just put the binders into the file cabinet,as I don't think they will fit. Do I use a main name-such as Shaw-as a hanging folder and then have all the names associated with it in separate manila folders? Hmm. It's a mystery,Scooby Doo! I also want to put more info into my  Tree Maker this winter. So far,I have several hundred names on Rick's side of the family (his is easier to find,since my relatives didn't come down from Canada until the 1870's at the earliest). I have also been considering a blog about our genealogy,but I'm sure about it yet.I'm still mulling that over.

Have a Beautiful Day on this Beautiful Planet wherever you might be!!!!

Knitted Dishtowel

Good morning! As I posted yesterday,it was a snow day.Zach helped Rick clear out the snow,and besides doing some knitting,I made more laundry soap. Today I need to do laundry and I am in the process of boiling pinto beans for my crock pot chili. Gluten free cornbread will be served as well.

I received a couple of comments about the dishtowel I am making (hello Tango from VA and Julie from MI!) I am always excited to get responses to my posts,especially when they are new folks.

I was thinking a while back that since a dishcloth could be made,why couldn't a dishtowel? So I started to browse various knitting/crocheting sites to see if anyone had actually made such a towel,and if so,did it work properly? I came across a site,www.purlbee.com,and they confirmed that yes,dishtowels can be made,and not only that,but they work! Her patterns are for striped dishtowels,and they look lovely,with a beige body and red stripes.I am going for a more colorful look:

 She also used circular needles,and I am using 8" straight ( I noticed that after the fact,but so far,it's working well). Finished product is approx 9" x 16". 100% cotton yarn is used.
Cast on 56 stitches,then knit all the rows for a simple towel. If you want to add stripes,her site has different patterns.....www.purlbee.com/soft-cotton-knit-dishtowels. I will share the one I am attempting:

                                                     Twin Stripe Dishtowel
(These instructions are in the colors she uses-you can use whatever you want,of course)

Cast on 56 stitches in a neutral color

Knit 20 rows in garter stitch,do not break the yarn

*Pick up red yarn for the stripe,knit two rows,do not break yarn

Pick up the neutral yarn,knit two rows,do not break yarn

Knit two rows red,break yarn**

Continue knitting all rows with the neutral for 12 rows

Pick up red and repeat from * to **

Continue knitting all rows with the neutral for 20 rows.

Bind off

Sew in ends and block

Give it a whirl! I will let you know how mine comes out.

Snow Day

Today we were suppose to go to the Manchester VA for a medication appointment and an appointment with Rick's TBI Dr.However,yesterday Rick called and rescheduled because of a snow storm that was heading our way.We do have four wheel drive,but there is no point in driving an hour and 15 minutes in a mess when you don't have to,right?

My Mom,who is doing great with her shoulder and is all done with her physical therapy,commented to me the other day that in her 86 years,she has never seen such a lack of snow. We had a covering for Christmas,then a couple days later it disappeared.It has been warm for this time of year as well-yesterday I went grocery shopping in short sleeves and a sweatshirt. Usually here in NH we are bundled up,sometimes by November. This type of weather is extremely rare.

However, this AM the alarm when off at 5:30 AM and I went to the window to see if it had started snowing. It had barely started,and the school district called to tell us that there would be no school. I thought that was a very good decision,since the storm was suppose to get worse as the morning went on,in some areas dropping an inch or two an hour.

So now we finally have some snow. I admit I am happy at this point without it,but it's very pretty to watch. It makes me feel very warm and secure with the wood stove going and the storm swirling outside.

I have taken a break from organizing to do some knitting. I am inspired to knit some dishtowels. The inspiration came from the lovely handmade towels my Dear Friend Michelle gave me for Christmas. I am in need of new dishtowels. Mine are mostly stained,and in a couple of cases,ripped. They will make great rags. I was thinking of buying some new ones,but then I realized that I can just make them myself!Dishcloths,dishtowels,and potholders are on the agenda.

Enjoy your day!!!!

What's On My Needles

Day Two of The Plague...today I am not quite so achy,but my headbone in feeling rather fuzzy.Looks like it's another day to lay low. Since I wasn't up to snuff to do much yesterday ( a pattern that apparently will be continued into today) I spent the day curled up in my recliner with a blanket,a pillow,and my crocheting.

I started teaching myself how to crochet a few weeks ago,and I must admit that so far I enjoy it more than knitting.My first project is a Friendship Shawl:

Of late I am fascinated with shawls. I started loving them watching my "Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman" DVD's. I noticed the wonderful patterns on the shawls,and thought they were gorgeous.How wonderful to be able to create something like that! I went on line and looked up various patterns on various sites,and put the ones I liked the best under My Favorites file. Some of the instructions aren't the best,and thankfully I have my sister Linda to help guide me through some tough spots. Others were just trial,error,and redo. I have started and restarted this shawl about eight times.Videos on line have also helped,especially when figuring out shell stitches. Shell 5 in three ch space was confusing until I saw it online.

The second thing on my needles is the second sock in the pair I am making for Brother B:

As you can see, I haven't gotten too far with the second sock because I am all into the shawl,but I have assured Brother B that he will get his sock before there is too much snow on the ground! :)

Today is another lovely day,and I am not happy that I am still under the weather. Days like this will be few and far between pretty soon. Why couldn't I get this when it's zero outside and there is snow on the ground? Sigh.

Finished Socks

I finally did it! I finished a pair of socks!!!

The yarn I used was a  bit heavier than I was suppose to use,but I wanted to see how they would come out. These are great for scuffing around the house. Like with the mittens I knitted, I used four double ended needles. The pattern was from my book,"Very Easy Circular Knits" by Betty Barnden. While it is getting easier,I do admit I am still having a heck of a time with the SSK stitch. I find it very hard to get the left needle back through the two stitches,so I have had to just K2TOG on occasion.

Last night I started knitting Zach a pair of camouflage socks. Then I will knit Rick and Brother B each a pair.

We have had a lot of rain here in NH last week,and we have had water flowing continually into our basement (thankfully we have a good sub pump). The only problem is,our washing machine drainage and the sub pump drainage are the same pipe,so when the sub pump is doing it's thing,the washing  machine does not drain like it should. Brother B made a trip down to Brother Dale's yesterday to finish up our laundry.

In between the rain,temps in the 40's,and fog,we have lost quite a bit of snow. Our pathways are now grass. I can see the top half of the wagon in the front yard again. We do still have quite a bit of snow,however.We "Sprung Forward" on Saturday night,so now we are an hour ahead. It now doesn't get dark until 7:00 PM. I wish it would just stay like that year round. To be honest, I still don't why we change the time. It goes way back,and I think it has something to do with farming and giving farmers more daylight to work/harvest their crops.It's also suppose to save electricity,I guess.

My thoughts go out to those in Japan. Such terrible doings going on in Nature around the world lately.

Ta-Da!!!!......Finally

Here they are......my mitten knitting project. These are not my first attempt. My first  was with black yarn,and I only got halfway through one mitten. It came out awful,so I took a break. I made these with four double ended needles. There were two areas which I had a bit of problem with-attaching the thumbs to the hands and making sure that when I was starting a new needle that I kept the old needle and the new one close together so the stitches in between would not be stretched out,creating a gap. The thumb was an issue because I had to figure out the right stitches to pick up,then knit. Practice makes perfect,and I still have much practicing to do to make perfect!

This mitten pattern was from the book,"Very Easy Circular Knits",by Betty Barnden.It begins from the cuff and works it way down to the fingers. Right now I am working on a pair of  socks (again). After I got aggravated with my first try at mittens I moved on to socks,and wound up with a pair that came out one too big,the other just right but I didn't close up the toe right on that one. So I am attempting it again.

I never thought that I would enjoy knitting as much as I do! It can be very frustrating,but very satisfying as well.

Stiches Create A Connection To The Past

I believe that I have mentioned that I have been in process of learning to circular knit with four needles. I would love to be able to make mittens,socks,sweaters,etc for the family. I have a book that is very good in describing all the steps I need to do,but some of the steps as a newbie took a while to figure out. I finally know what K2TOG and SSK are,so I don't have to refer back to the book to see how to do it. I still drop stitches,and my work isn't the smoothest.I do know that all comes with time and practice,and at some point my knitting projects will look just as lovely as some of the work I have seen at craft fairs.

I am probably more surprised than anyone at how much I enjoy knitting.When I was younger,it did not appeal to me-it seemed like something old ladies did. However,our new life direction led me to learn this skill,and I am enjoying it immensely. I also have new appreciation for the time that is involved in any knitting project.

Right now I am working on my first pair of socks. I used my foot as measurement. The first sock wound up being big enough to fit Rick! Hmm. I think I know where I messed up,so I am trying the smallest measurement for my second sock.I think I measured from the wrong spot on the sock. My first sock has several dropped stitches that I attempted to work back into the work. This second sock I have started and restarted four times. I am a few rows into the upper cuff of the sock,which is a K2 P2,with each row beginning and ending after the marker.

While I was casting on stitches for the third time,I started to think about  back when women would make all the clothes for the family,from shirts down to underwear. Sewing,knitting,and crocheting require a lot of patience. As I sat there
gamely knitting and purling,I imagined that it was up to me to provide the family with warm socks,otherwise,no one would have any. I felt pressure to knit faster. How could I ever provide socks in a timely manner for my family? It takes hours for one pair. What if I had to provide entire wardrobes? Sheets? Pillowcases? How could I ever get all this done? I would fail my family miserably. They would have cold feet,be naked,and sleep on a bare mattress and pillow if they had to wait for me. Let alone the fact that I can't sew!

Of course,if I lived "back in the day",I would've learned at a very young age how to sew,knit,and crochet. It would be second nature. As the woman of the house,it would be one of my duties to make things for the family.I would be able to  provide clothes,underwear,socks,sheets,pillowcases,and  lovely lace to make things pretty. By the time I reached my ripe old age of 43,I would be able to whip out things quickly because I would be doing it so much.

Is it any wonder that when we read about this time in history that women were,for the most part,cooking,cleaning,and sewing? Cooking and cleaning didn't take up too much time (houses back then were not big,nor did folks own much,so maintenance didn't require hours and hours on a daily basis),but sewing takes a while. In the "Little House" books,after the cooking and cleaning are done,Ma is always sitting her rocker,knitting. Or she is sewing something. The girls as well. Even Mary can sew or knit after she has lost her sight.

This is another skill that while it is not lost,it's not necessary. We have stores where we can buy whatever we want,whenever we want. I think it's rather sad. I have found more insight in a pair of socks  created from my own hands than I ever had in a package from a store.

Goodbye 2010...Hello 2011

It doesn't seem possible that we are already going to say goodbye to 2010 in just over 12 hours. So much has happened to us this year,and we have learned much.Not everything got accomplished,and some things that I personally was striving for (such as weight loss) fell to the wayside. However,the overall year was certainly more positive than negative. Here is a reflection on the year that was........

The biggest things that happened to us as a family was that Rick was finally medically retired from the military in April. It took three med boards and 5 years for this to happen. By November,he was 100% disabled through the VA,collecting his monthly pension and receiving Social Security Disability. In May,his knee problems were finally diagnosed by one of the best hospitals in the US,Dartmouth Hitchcock,which is also a training hospital for Dartmouth College,one of the Ivy League schools ( For those of you who are outside the US and may not know,Ivy League schools are schools that are the oldest in the nation,such as Harvard,Yale,Brown,Princeton).He was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Degenerative Arthritis,which was incurred from his days in Combat Airborne back in the 1980's,fighting what I call President Reagan's "secret little wars." Both knees were replaced with titanium.He spent three weeks in rehab,and has made  a quick recovery-his surgeon is very pleased. Those three things are most certainly the biggest things that have happened to us this year.

At the beginning of the year,we sat down and discussed what we wanted to do,why we wanted to do it,and how. For the first time,we started seeds indoors. That was a learning experience.Lights,grow trays,heating pads, timers....the one big thing I learned was that I should not take peppers off the heating pads once they sprout. Our basement is cool,and it stunted the growth of the peppers,but I put them back on heat and they did wind up growing.We learned about Square Foot Gardening,and made boxes,made a compost shifter,and shifted lots of compost. We bought a compost tumbler,and my sister gave us a compost bin. We put a small bucket in the kitchen for composting kitchen scraps (who knew that paper towels were compostable? I didn't!). Rick and I built our turkey cage and got Narragansett turkeys from one of our friends. We built a chicken house and got chickens. I discovered that chickens and turkeys love weeds pulled from the garden. We did our first canning this year,and though my veggie weight tally wasn't complete,I do know we grew 28lbs of cukes! We set up rain barrels from juice barrels that Brother Dale gave us. That helped keep the poultry watered since our dug well was low. We planted blueberries,blackberries strawberries,and raspberries. We started a kitchen garden-mint,rosemary,oregano,thyme,and basil (Rick and Brother B tell me I need to plant and dry more oregano next year).Our Concord Grapes took off last year and we bought a trellis,which is already too small-I think we will make an arbor this coming Spring. We got edible apples from out Jonathan apple tree this year! It was planted before Rick went to Iraq. We used our neighbors wood chips to make a walkway to the house and we also used them in between the raised beds. Our  other neighbor let us use a mix of their dirt and wood chips to extend our driveway.  We made our own maple syrup,as little as there was.I made lye soap,continued making laundry detergent,and attempted to make dish soap,but because I didn't like the results I went back to store bought,but went to Planet,and stopped using Ajax. I stopped buying Clorox wipes and started making my own cleaners-bleach and water for disinfectant and white vinegar and water for glass cleaner. I began making my own brown sugar ( sooooo much better than store bought!). I make our own bread and baked goods.I started teaching myself how to knit.

We made a few investments: a new (used) four wheel drive truck,an artesian well (which will never run dry),a new snow blower,and a new wood splitter. We purchased tree length wood,which should keep us in heat for a few years. Rick bought me a Cuisinart stand mixer,with  food processor and meat grinder attachments.

We took a lovely trip to Malone,NY,and got to explore the world of Almanzo Wilder,the husband of one of my all time (if not THE all time) favorite authors,Laura Ingalls Wilder. It was so much fun,and was really something to stroll among the grounds and in the house that I have read about so many times in Farmer Boy.

Personally,though I haven't succeeded at weight loss,or conquered my procrastination issues,I have done much soul searching this year. I feel as a person I have grown and have a more sense of self,though I still have much more growing to do. I am more comfortable in my own skin and in what I believe. I don't get into religion and politics on this site,because that has nothing to do with what we are trying to achieve here.However, these two issues have been some of what has been rolling around my head this last year. Suffice it to say I don't like extremism in religion or in politics,and I don't like it when people try to use fear or paranoia to try and gather followers or votes. Sadly,there is much of that out there right now. I think it's scary.

We have a list already in the works for this coming year:
-Double the size of the garden
-New metal roof on the house and garage
-New deck
-Weatherproof the mud room so we have a place we can keep coats,etc since we dont' have a coat closet.
-Remodel the bathroom
-Remodel the kitchen
-Paint the house and garage
-Clean out the attic
-New windows in the basement
-Make a cold frame with the old sliding glass doors
-Have a cold weather garden this year
-Maybe get goats!

I am sure the list will be added to,and though I know not all will get accomplished,that is what we would like to see happen.

Thank you all for following our lives here in our little cottage.I am very grateful that you all have followed us on our continuing journey.

From all of us here at The Little Yellow Farm to all of you throughout the world,have a wonderful New Years! I hope your joys are many,your sorrows few.

See you next year!!!!!  :)

A Kick Back Day

Yesterday was what we call around here a kick back day.Our little cottage was nice and cozy from the wood stove, the usual daily chores were done,and I started some laundry. Zach's bedspread needed to be washed because our big old moose of a dog,Samson,got sick on it,and I did have two other loads that needed washing. While I was waiting for the the bedspread to wash,I sat down and did some knitting.I am in process of teaching myself circular knitting,and right now I am working on a mitten.

Poor Zach was not feeling well yesterday.He said his head felt funny,and he was a bit warm and pale. We could tell he wasn't up to par,because he was very quiet. I told him to take some Aleeve and take a nap,to which he replied he was planning on napping. A bit later,I got his bedspread out of the dryer,and when I brought it up to his room,he was all curled up under the covers,sound asleep. I gently put the cover on him,and it reminded me of when he was a baby.He would kick the covers off and I would cover him back up,very gently,so as to not wake him up. I miss those times. He wound up sleeping all afternoon,and woke up around 7:00 PM,feeling fine.

Basically all I did was knit all day,fold and put away the laundry. I was surprised that I spent about 6 hours knitting.It didn't seem like it. It was neat to see how the thumb was starting to form in the mitten,and I kept wanting to do more to see how it would come out. Bear in mind,my stitches are off,but I am going forward with it. I like to do the whole project (I have only done small ones,anyway.If it was a sweater or something of the like I wouldn't keep going with mistakes)so I can get the practice of doing the whole thing. The second mitten should come out much better. After that I am moving to socks.

Rick did go out hunting for a while yesterday,but got nothing. He is starting to get very frustrated.This is the first year in a few that he has been able to actually go out and walk distance,and he is only seeing signs of deer with an occasional glimpse,but no shot. All this walking has been great for his knees,though they do get sore.The Dr told him to take Aleeve before he goes out. He is still only 1/3 healed.The whole process takes up to 18 months. He is still doing incredibly well for having both knees replaced almost 6 months ago.

Today I am going to make some more soap,I think. And I should take stock of what we need for Christmas decorations. And that knitting is calling to me again......