Friday, July 30, 2010
Preserving the Harvest
Now is the time of year that all the goodies from the garden need to be preserved to last. Everyone has had their fill of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, so it's time to make pickles, spaghetti, salsa, and canned tomatoes. After purchasing 2 dozen canning jars and adding the dozen left over from the previous year, I realized that we just did not have enough to can everything that would need to be canned. The dear husband (DH) came through! He traveled to his grandmother's home, dug around in her basement, and was able to produce 2 dozen canning jars, sans lids. I then purchased new lids for these jars. After looking them over, I decided they were indeed serviceable. Interestingly, several of these are actual Mason jars, emblazoned with the name across the bottom. Most are another brand I don't recognize called Kerr and a couple are completely blank. Regardless of their 'make' they should suffice for what I wish to use them. With luck, their age will not render them brittle. It would be disaster for them to shatter in the boiler!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
If you give a Mom a Muffin
This explains why it's so hard for most mom's to really get anything done!
If you give a mom a muffin,
she'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
So she'll pour herself some.
The coffee will get spilled by her three year old.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor,
she'll find some dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do some laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over some snow boots & bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her
she has to plan supper for tonight
She'll get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook
(101 Things To Make With a Pound of Hamburger).
The cookbook's sitting under a pile of mail
She'll see the phone bill which's due tomorrow
She'll look for the checkbook.
The checkbook's in her purse
that's being dumped out by her two year old.
Bending down to scoop up the contents already on the floor,
she'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two year old.
While she's changing the two year old
the phone will ring. (Of course!)
Her five year old will answer it & hang up.
She remembers that she wants to phone a friend
to come over for coffee on Friday.
Thinking of coffee will remind her
that she was going to have a cup.
She'll pour herself some,
& chances are, if she has a cup of coffee,
her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.
If you give a mom a muffin,
she'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
So she'll pour herself some.
The coffee will get spilled by her three year old.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor,
she'll find some dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do some laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over some snow boots & bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her
she has to plan supper for tonight
She'll get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook
(101 Things To Make With a Pound of Hamburger).
The cookbook's sitting under a pile of mail
She'll see the phone bill which's due tomorrow
She'll look for the checkbook.
The checkbook's in her purse
that's being dumped out by her two year old.
Bending down to scoop up the contents already on the floor,
she'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two year old.
While she's changing the two year old
the phone will ring. (Of course!)
Her five year old will answer it & hang up.
She remembers that she wants to phone a friend
to come over for coffee on Friday.
Thinking of coffee will remind her
that she was going to have a cup.
She'll pour herself some,
& chances are, if she has a cup of coffee,
her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Summer in the Garden
The forecast for end of July... hot, humid, muggy, in truth you can practically cut the moisture in the air with a knife. Enormous occasional summer cloudbursts don't really do anything. It feels as though the moisture barely makes it into the ground before the heat is pulling it back out again! In spite of repeated watering of the garden, the squashes are having a hard time thriving. They are starting to die back. I may need to look into the how's and why's of growing them in this region. Perhaps it would be better to start them sooner, or later in the season. Currently there is just one small pumpkin growing. We've had a few yellow squash, but no other squashes even though there were plenty of flowers, there have been no fruits developing.
It's not really affecting the cucumbers though! After eating dozens of them and putting up half a dozen quart jars of pickles, there are more coming out every day! Just this afternoon I pulled no less than 8 large ones out. The tomatoes are also loving the heat, they've begun ripening and daily I can pick at least a bushel of all different types: Roma, grape, cherry, and the huge sandwich tomatoes. The sunflowers have achieved their full height and blossomed. The heads aren't nearly as large as I'd been anticipating, but I've been able to observe the bees at work on them, so fingers crossed. Even the bean plants have managed to put out a few more flowers, even without their leaves. The new lettuce came up, though I probably should have waited a little longer to replant those, they aren't doing as well now as they would later in the season. The cantaloupe plants came up, but I'm fighting to keep the 2 watermelon plants alive, they too are not flourishing. We also aren't getting as many peppers as we did last year, which is a disappointment.
I did realize though that while I like the layout of this year's garden, I will need to make some modifications for next year. The stakes I used for the tomatoes just aren't strong enough to hold them up properly. Especially the larger fruiting varieties. Next year I will need to look into trying something else, I wonder if an arboretum would work for things like tomatoes. And I may move one of my fence panels next year and see about growing the cucumbers vertically instead of along the ground, it's sometimes difficult to locate the fruits before they are as large as my arm! And next year I plan on setting up a few 'scarecrows' to try and keep the wildlife at bay. We work way too hard on the garden to have the produce of our efforts stolen from us. I wouldn't mind sharing, but the business of consuming every last leaf or taking a bite out of every fruit is the pits!
Speaking of fruit, the apple tree has mysteriously lost all it's fruits. It's a moderately sized tree, but I'd have sworn I saw some apples earlier in the year. Hmmm The fig tree is loaded with fruit, those should begin to ripen within the next month or so. I may try preserving some of those this year.
The herb gardens out front have sprouted, or at least half of it has. The lavender and the sage have come out, but the fennel and the oregano are being stubborn. I'll give them a little while longer so I don't accidentally mistake a young plant for a weed, then I may just try re-planting.
That reminds me, 3 stalks of corn came up in the raised garden. They aren't very tall, but I left them and now there are a couple ears on each stalk! Interesting, isn't it what happens when you leave some things alone.
It's not really affecting the cucumbers though! After eating dozens of them and putting up half a dozen quart jars of pickles, there are more coming out every day! Just this afternoon I pulled no less than 8 large ones out. The tomatoes are also loving the heat, they've begun ripening and daily I can pick at least a bushel of all different types: Roma, grape, cherry, and the huge sandwich tomatoes. The sunflowers have achieved their full height and blossomed. The heads aren't nearly as large as I'd been anticipating, but I've been able to observe the bees at work on them, so fingers crossed. Even the bean plants have managed to put out a few more flowers, even without their leaves. The new lettuce came up, though I probably should have waited a little longer to replant those, they aren't doing as well now as they would later in the season. The cantaloupe plants came up, but I'm fighting to keep the 2 watermelon plants alive, they too are not flourishing. We also aren't getting as many peppers as we did last year, which is a disappointment.
I did realize though that while I like the layout of this year's garden, I will need to make some modifications for next year. The stakes I used for the tomatoes just aren't strong enough to hold them up properly. Especially the larger fruiting varieties. Next year I will need to look into trying something else, I wonder if an arboretum would work for things like tomatoes. And I may move one of my fence panels next year and see about growing the cucumbers vertically instead of along the ground, it's sometimes difficult to locate the fruits before they are as large as my arm! And next year I plan on setting up a few 'scarecrows' to try and keep the wildlife at bay. We work way too hard on the garden to have the produce of our efforts stolen from us. I wouldn't mind sharing, but the business of consuming every last leaf or taking a bite out of every fruit is the pits!
Speaking of fruit, the apple tree has mysteriously lost all it's fruits. It's a moderately sized tree, but I'd have sworn I saw some apples earlier in the year. Hmmm The fig tree is loaded with fruit, those should begin to ripen within the next month or so. I may try preserving some of those this year.
The herb gardens out front have sprouted, or at least half of it has. The lavender and the sage have come out, but the fennel and the oregano are being stubborn. I'll give them a little while longer so I don't accidentally mistake a young plant for a weed, then I may just try re-planting.
That reminds me, 3 stalks of corn came up in the raised garden. They aren't very tall, but I left them and now there are a couple ears on each stalk! Interesting, isn't it what happens when you leave some things alone.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Garden
Finally today I was able to harvest a few tomatoes! It's been a race against the groundhog to see who can get the tomatoes first. I've been trying to keep the plants up off the ground, but it's been very difficult. I saw the first butternut squash developing though and the first pumpkin is doing nicely. The sunflowers are enormous towering giants and starting to flower. If it weren't the the lost kholrabi, broccoli, and bean plants I'd be very pleased with the garden's progress!
Friday, July 16, 2010
A new lullabye
I find that this has become one of my new favorite lullabies since my son came along, composed by John Lennon:
Close your eyes,
Have no fear,
The monsters gone,
He's on the run and your daddy's here,
Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better,
Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we'll both,
Just have to be patient,
Yes it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime,
Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is just what happens to you,
While your busy making other plans,
Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy
Close your eyes,
Have no fear,
The monsters gone,
He's on the run and your daddy's here,
Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better,
Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we'll both,
Just have to be patient,
Yes it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime,
Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is just what happens to you,
While your busy making other plans,
Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy
Explaining Yarn
The interesting thing about thread art is the vast array of medium there are to work with. And each one will have it's pros, cons, or uses. I have always said that the reason I love thread art the most out of everything I can do is that it is portable. Give me a hook or pair of needles, a skein of yarn, and a pair of scissors and I'm good to go! But this entry isn't about the benefits of my main hobby, it's about the different yarns available. Right now I'm going to focus on the basics, the most readily available. And those are in 3 categories (simple, eh?), those are acrylic, wool, and cotton. Of course there are blends and I won't go into that, but I do urge everyone to read the blend % of the yarn band to be sure you know what you're getting. Don't always trust your fingers to know what you're holding, some of the blends and fibers can be crafty!
Generally, most acrylics are very sturdy and extremely soft. Not all of them are, but the better ones should be. A few can be scratchy, those are usually the cheaper ones though. Honestly, there are a few that I absolutely refuse to use for anything because they feel awful sliding through my hands. These also tend to come in the widest array of solid colors. This is the fiber I use most often for my toys. It is not a natural fiber, but it is very durable and also washable.
The second most common fiber to be found is probably wool. Don't be fooled by this one either! The days of the old scratchy, itchy, coarse fiber are over. Wool can be one of the softest threads you'll find. It also has the added benefit of an ability to be custom hand-dyed. Therefore it's easy enough to get a skein of natural yarn, which is more of a cream color, not white, and either dye it yourself with acid dyes/kool-aid or have it dyed for you by a dyer in any combination of hundreds of colors. Wool comes in 1, 2, 3, 4, or multi-ply. The more layers to the thread, the less likely it will be to pill (create small balls of fiber) or felt together. Felting is where all the bits of the fiber connect together yielding a tough, solid piece of fabric. It is because of this phenomenon however that results in the 'ruination' of wool when washed and dried. This effect can be used is certain situations as a tool to yield a specific appearance and durability. A felted object can be washed, a non-felted object should not be. Felting renders the individual stitches in the piece virtually invisible. Wool itself is a natural fiber that also lends itself well to mild water-resistance and also has antimicrobial properties. Because of this wool often makes an excellent fiber for very young children. However, keeping in mind that because wool is less sturdy overall, the chance of felting by the child is extremely high.
The last common fiber used is cotton. This one is a bit of an enigma, it has a multitude of uses, mainly wherever absorption may be desirable such as washcloths or dishcloths, trivets or pot-holders, coasters, and a variety of other household objects. I have found that organic cotton can also make very nice stuffed toys, stuffed with cotton batting they make excellent specialty items for people that are intent on offering only the purest and most natural toys to their children. Cotton can also be dyed, though the process is somewhat more involved than for wool.
Generally, most acrylics are very sturdy and extremely soft. Not all of them are, but the better ones should be. A few can be scratchy, those are usually the cheaper ones though. Honestly, there are a few that I absolutely refuse to use for anything because they feel awful sliding through my hands. These also tend to come in the widest array of solid colors. This is the fiber I use most often for my toys. It is not a natural fiber, but it is very durable and also washable.
The second most common fiber to be found is probably wool. Don't be fooled by this one either! The days of the old scratchy, itchy, coarse fiber are over. Wool can be one of the softest threads you'll find. It also has the added benefit of an ability to be custom hand-dyed. Therefore it's easy enough to get a skein of natural yarn, which is more of a cream color, not white, and either dye it yourself with acid dyes/kool-aid or have it dyed for you by a dyer in any combination of hundreds of colors. Wool comes in 1, 2, 3, 4, or multi-ply. The more layers to the thread, the less likely it will be to pill (create small balls of fiber) or felt together. Felting is where all the bits of the fiber connect together yielding a tough, solid piece of fabric. It is because of this phenomenon however that results in the 'ruination' of wool when washed and dried. This effect can be used is certain situations as a tool to yield a specific appearance and durability. A felted object can be washed, a non-felted object should not be. Felting renders the individual stitches in the piece virtually invisible. Wool itself is a natural fiber that also lends itself well to mild water-resistance and also has antimicrobial properties. Because of this wool often makes an excellent fiber for very young children. However, keeping in mind that because wool is less sturdy overall, the chance of felting by the child is extremely high.
The last common fiber used is cotton. This one is a bit of an enigma, it has a multitude of uses, mainly wherever absorption may be desirable such as washcloths or dishcloths, trivets or pot-holders, coasters, and a variety of other household objects. I have found that organic cotton can also make very nice stuffed toys, stuffed with cotton batting they make excellent specialty items for people that are intent on offering only the purest and most natural toys to their children. Cotton can also be dyed, though the process is somewhat more involved than for wool.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Bath Time
It's an interesting phenomenon that whenever a small child is placed in the bathtub in this house, no matter what it is precisely the other children are doing, if they are in the house, they will magically appear in the bathroom either demanding to be included or attempting to take over the bathtime ritual. Even more interesting is those same children, when requested to individually cleanse themselves, will vociferously refuse to do so. For some strange reason, when there is a baby involved, bath time is automatically equated with fun and playtime.
Tonight, in attempting to bathe my son, who granted adores baths, loves to play in the water, and whose childish giggles are often infectious, I was quickly inundated by the presence of my youngest pair of daughters. The third stripped bare and demanded to join her brother. Even though she is less amicable to actually being cleaned while bathing. The second pushed me to the side and attempted to pet her brother on the head and just make a general nuisance of herself.
The bath itself should have lasted a few minutes for cleaning and a few minutes for playing. Perhaps 15 minutes total, including drying and dressing. However, hampered so by my other children, my son's bath stretched into 30 minutes or more. He certainly didn't seem to begrudge the extra playing time however!
Tonight, in attempting to bathe my son, who granted adores baths, loves to play in the water, and whose childish giggles are often infectious, I was quickly inundated by the presence of my youngest pair of daughters. The third stripped bare and demanded to join her brother. Even though she is less amicable to actually being cleaned while bathing. The second pushed me to the side and attempted to pet her brother on the head and just make a general nuisance of herself.
The bath itself should have lasted a few minutes for cleaning and a few minutes for playing. Perhaps 15 minutes total, including drying and dressing. However, hampered so by my other children, my son's bath stretched into 30 minutes or more. He certainly didn't seem to begrudge the extra playing time however!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The Fair
Well, we attended our local fair this evening. It's generally a lot of fun and one we try to get to every year. This year we were fortunate to have a family member who won wristbands for 4, but wouldn't use them and so gave them to us. It was a good thing too! I went early to retrieve the wristbands and we returned later in the evening, when it was cooler. I was a little concerned as the sky appeared to be clouding over a bit. However, as I had checked the weather expectations earlier I had confidence that we should be alright. We went through a small animal petting area and literally as soon as we were coming out, a bolt of lighting lit up the sky. The fair, of course, immediately shut down the rides, it's not safe to have a bunch of people in metal contraptions swinging around in the air after all. Everyone was encouraged by the fair officials to seek shelter in the large center building. We took refuge under an overhang just in time to watch a deluge soak everything in sight. We waited for perhaps an hour or so and when it appeared to be lightening we decided to check around the fair at the games and offerings. At first the rain picked up again, but then lightened out and then stopped. The rides were re-opened and we quickly took advantage of the situation, riding as many as we could, which granted still wasn't many. When the lightning started up once more, the fair officials opted to close all rides for the remainder of the evening. We found a canopy with tables near some food vendors and the children enjoyed funnel cakes, cotton candy, and a steak sandwich while we watched the torrents of rain start up once more. After awhile we were instructed to try and head out of the fairgrounds through the main building. So we left. It was a good thing I hadn't had to pay for the wristbands, since we honestly weren't able to realize their full value in rides. Still, I think everyone had a good time, even through the frustration at the fair and the weather. And that's what is the most important aspect of visiting the fair.
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