Sunshine But Cold

Last week I made curtains. I know I said I wouldn't, but I needed curtains to keep the sun from shining on my cutting board and cause it to warp.  And it will be good to have the curtains there to keep the sun off my sewing machine. 

My sewing machine is under the grey cover. Not much room there, but it will have to do for awhile. The treadle, Lovey, is still in need of some repair. I need to repaint the table top.

Some of the chickens are missing feathers and look like they are molting again. I did some reading and found some mention of chickens molting twice a year, not at all, or whenever.

The chickens are out and about, but I'm waiting for warmer weather before I get out and do some outside work. We are supposed to have another sunny day, then clouds and rain for the weekend.

I'm trying out this "curtain" to block off the doorway to keep the cool air in the room in the summer.  These two back rooms stay much cooler in the summer because they are on the shady side of the house.

Well, hopefully this room will stay cooler now that I can trap the cool air. Morgan thinks the curtain is fun.

I love this material, but never knew exactly what to do with it! The fabric was hand woven by Indians in South America. My friends mother bought the fabric in the 60's+- when she was on a tour. It is a long piece (doubled here over a tension rod.) I didn't want to cut it or hang it in the window as a curtain and let it get sun damaged so this is a good use for the fabric until I can get a door. Or not.

Well, back to trying to figure out how to get to the thumbnails in iPhoto in the other user account.

Sheep Apron

I finished two aprons. One was a chicken theme apron made to this pattern. I wish I had taken photos, but Kristine was going to be seeing the dear lady that gave me the fabric, so I gave her all the items in a
big hurry. No photos.

But I must say I love these silly sheep. The apron is lined with the pink that matches the sheep's ears so well. Kristine won't model the apron so I laid it out on the cutting table I have covered with a dust throw.

I moved things around in my sewing/computer room and got rid of a lot of clutter and stuff that had ended up stored away there and lost.

I still need a sewing table. It is very nice feeling without all the stuff in the way. I still have some things to go through.

As far as the computer not having sound when I use the DVD player... I figured out how to get sound!

I was watching YouTube and there was sound, so I thought there should be sound for the movies.

There are two user accounts set up on this computer... the old one and the new one and I have been using the old account with all my bookmarks, etc.

So, I got to thinking that maybe the new account had the correct settings and that was it... the DVD player works on the new account. I guess there is some code in the kernel that wasn't changed on the old account?
I'm not messing around changing code, so I exported my bookmarks to the new account and I'm setting up iPhoto.

I am having trouble figuring out why the thumbnail option in iPhoto doesn't show up. I'll keep looking.

But, I'm very happy to be able to watch movies again... I think I will watch Red again and actually watch the screen. I listened to it while I was sewing. I finished all the Maisie Dobbs books except for the 2011 book. It has a long hold list at the library.

Hope it is sunny tomorrow.

Hail And Rainy May

Hail!

It was sunny/cloudy this morning,

then cloudy, then rain, then hail.

Then it got sunny/cloudy again.

The hail was the size of marbles.

It is trying to be Spring out there, but it's having trouble.

The chickens didn't mind the hail or rain. They were happy to be outside!

But it was the thunder that got my attention. It was loud and close. There was one blast of thunder that fairly shook the house. I unplugged the computer and spent time reading Maisie Dobbs books.

Kristine couldn't get something to get the speakers hooked up. Going to have to work on that. She did pick up some jeans we ordered. They didn't have them in the length we needed.

I think I will have leftover Thai food for dinner. Good stuff!

Stuff That Happened

Thank you for the beautiful computer!!!

 I can't thank you know who you are enough for all the care and hard work! 

Happy Mother's Day to me and all our dear Mothers.

Happy Mother's Day Kathleen!!!

I'll call you tomorrow.

Love You!!!

Here are some of the things that happened during the five weeks my computer was getting rebuilt:

Drapes!

I hung drapes... sheers on a rod,

drapes on a tension rod inside the window.

When I was a child I was taught that sheers were to be hung against the window and the drapes were to be hung over them and were to puddle on the floor. Well, no puddling here. I love these sheers and their embroidery is so pretty and delicate. Sooo, I hung them up this way so I can see them all the time. I'm so bad. I love breaking the rules.

Kristine made up Easter decorations

that children at the libraries could put together.

I love crafty stuff!

Those cotton ball bunnies are so cute!

Snow?

Yep! Snow in April.

It was April 14th and the rain turned to snow.

Cold!

We are not supposed to get freezes after May, but we remember snow in June a few years ago. So, I am very unsure about planting the garden until late May. Sure doesn't leave much of a growing season.

I love making ginger tea. The only down side is peeling the ginger root. My latest ploy is to use a spoon to scrape off the peel and then cut the root in large pieces, and then chuck it all in a freezer bag and freeze the lot. When I want ginger for tea I take a piece out and use a microplane and grate it into a cup and then add hot water, lemon and honey. So good. Makes me sweat though if I drink too much. Sweat? Uhhh... glow? Some people grate the ginger up all at once and freeze it ready to use.

My latest trick with the ginger is to add some to ginger ale and put it in the fridge to sit overnight. Wow... tastes so good... instead of a sugar water flavor there is a real ginger beer flavor. The best ginger ale I have tasted is from Australia... and hard to find.

Computer news: Everything works wonderfully on the computer! It is all brand new and up to date! Fast and a dream!!! Only one little glitch... the old power cord doesn't have the correct connector for the sound. Kristine is going to see about getting a new cord or adaptor tomorrow.

Well, this is enough news for today... more tomorrow.

Computer Is Back Home!!!

Happy Day!

Just got my computer back!

Wow!

It is fast!

Enough of this laying around!

I'll be posting tomorrow!

Computer Hospital

My computer tower is going to the computer doctor to be checked and have the DVD player fixed or replaced. So, I'll be computerless. eek!

Don't know how long this whole process will take. I'll be posting when I can.

Miss Chicken is sitting on a pot of breakfast oatmeal and raisins keeping it warm . I suppose she could double as a tea cozy. Her normal duty is as a warmer for a basket of hot biscuits.

I'm going to miss my computer.

Busy Making Aprons!

I'm busy making aprons... designing, making patterns, cutting and sewing.

After I draw an apron, I like to cut out a little paper apron to see what it will look like... (I think I should be designing clothes for paper dolls?)

Sometimes it is easier for me to cut stuff out than draw it.

 Rather appropriate

to use a pot lid

to mark the curve?

The fabric is laying on
freezer paper
that I am marking
to make a pattern.

Well, back to work... I'm sewing this together.
The pink is an apron backing.

3 eggs today.
The snow is mostly gone. Rain tomorrow.

Red Tea Cozy Ready For A TeaPot

The red tea cozy is finished and may see a trial use on Kristine's teapot tonight.

I'll be very happy if the cozy keeps the tea hot for a few hours like the other cozy I made.


Since this cozy fits over the teapot the down side is that the handle on the teapot heats up to an uncomfortable temperature. Ouch!

So, I made a special little chicken to use as a pot holder (handle holder) when pouring the tea.

I still have some stitching to do on the chicken. The white pin heads are sticking out around the bottom.

I enlarged the pattern I had for making pot lid holders. The little chickens are handy for picking up hot pot lids and I like to see them sitting on the pots.

The chicken mug rug makes up a nice trio. I wonder what else I could add to the mix. An apron?

5 eggs eggs this morning.

Red Tea Cozy

Tea cozy project in the making. I worked on this yesterday and today and still have some more plans. This cozy will fit most any tea pot except for one of the tall models.

Kristine said she would get me a tea pot in a month or two. So, I'm making a cozy that will fit a tea pot with a long spout and large handle.

I'm sewing this by hand because it has too many layers and is way too thick to fit in a sewing machine.

There are four layers of batting, four layers of fabric, ruffles, and two thermal layers. It is almost too thick for me to sew by hand. The thermal layer is cut from a synthetic carry bag. Sometimes I just use a plastic grocery store bag

I know there are special battings that you can buy for use in hot pads, etc., but I can't get any of that so this is my make do choice.

I didn't take step by step photos to post. I'm going to make another cosy and plan to take some photos to post of that project. I can't make the next cozy until Kristine gets the tea pot because I want to make the cozy to fit the teapot... with a space for the handle to be uncovered.

I'm enjoying sewing while watching shows on YouTube.

Kristine made it home today,

but not up the driveway.

The car got stuck in some

mud and snow.

Things should dry up this week.

There is blue sky

and lots of sun forecast for next week.

Winter weather and then

right to summer?

Some of the ski resorts say they think they have enough snow to stay open until June... maybe July 4th even. Who knows... we may even see more snow. We have had snow in April, May and June. Tricky weather up here.

Snowy Weather Makes Me Hungry

This is my fast way of making a phony poached egg. I put just enough butter in the skillet to keep the eggs from sticking, then drop them in the heated skillet, let the whites set, and then I put in a small amount of hot water from the kettle and put the lid on until the steam cooks the top of the eggs.

The specks are pepper and basil and the eggs taste like they were poached. It's a bit of a cheat, but it is fast.


I don't know what it is about being stuck in the house on snowy days, but I want to cook and eat.

So, I gave in and since I had buttermilk to use up I made buttermilk pancakes. Very good.




Then I got the pot roast ready and cooking on the wood stove. This is very easy cooking and food really does taste better cooked on the wood stove than on gas. Go figure.

Someone should get a grant and do a study.

I have been reading news or trying to find reliable news about Japan's earthquake.

I have found several blogs written by

people who live in Japan

besides my long time favorite...

Tanya's Blog ~ Taniwa.

She was in a cave when the

earthquake hit... imagine.

And I'm going to put a link to another blog Life In Japan because he has written about his experiences everyday since the earthquake and I found it very interesting to read Tanya's and this blog and learn first hand how the people in Japan are dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake through their eyes instead of the sensationalized media accounts.

I guess it is time to go stoke up the fire if I want any dinner tonight.

Snowing?

I'll be posting off and on during the day.
When there is power.

It is 6 in the morning and it's snowing again.

Hard to believe...

we are supposed to get rain.

I filled up the wood stove,

took Morgan potty,

now I'm going to make some hot cocoa

and go back to bed.
~~~
Can't sleep
7:20 am
still snowing

The Weather Channel
says we have a polar jet moving through.
I believe it.
Now I'm off to feed the chickens
and walk Morgan.

~~~
Morgan is fed and walked.
The chickens ate treats and scratch.
4 eggs!

It has warmed up to 31.
Rain?

Early Snowy Morning

The power is back on... so I'll post some photos. Or maybe not... the photos won't load.

I'll try later.

OK... it's later...

This is what is left of the meat loaf I cooked

on the wood stove.

Yikes... it's still snowing!

Christmas Tree?

Yep... it is still up.

I did take the wreaths and stockings down.

Morgan... I told you to stay in the shed.

It's snowing!

But there is something trying to get in here...

can't I go chase it?

Kristine didn't make it home again last night.

The driveway is snowed in again.

I lifted up the old horse waterer that I use

to cover the faucet in the winter

and filled up a chicken's water bowl.

There were two eggs this morning and I broke one because I set a feeder scoop down on it... there is a lot to be said for routine... because I hadn't put the eggs in the egg basket and left them out where they weren't safe. What a mess. Oh, well, I had a lot of snow to use to clean with.

The chickens got chopped up lettuce, cabbage and apple this morning. Some of the hens like to stay in the coop roosting and will only come out for treats. Either they eat their chicken feed earlier or they like to stay on the roost and keep their feet warm or?

Rain and some snow forecast.

Hopefully, more rain than snow.

Slushy, Mushy, Snow

The hens enjoyed lettuce for a treat this morning. What they really want and all they seem to like is scratch mixed with seed.

They will break down and eat lay pellets if there is nothing else left.

I'm sure the scratch is not that good for egg production but the chickens may need it to combat the cold?

Anyway, I give them a choice of a feeder full of each feed. We will all be glad when Spring shows up to stay.

Morgan stayed in the shed today when I took the feed to the coop. She 

stayed there because I told her to stay.

The weather is a milkshake of slushy mushy snow with alternating layers of wind, rain, sleet, ice and more snow.

Morgan learned this trick

from the male doberman pinscher

we had when she was a puppy.

She is very selective

and only decorates a tree

once in a while.

The chickens left 5 eggs for me this morning. Thanks for the eggs, girls.

I do feel sorry for them out in the coop, but when I go in there to collect eggs it is surprisingly warm compared to the outside. Not really warm, but not freezing either. Chickens are amazing. The cold doesn't seem to bother them nearly as much as the summer heat.

For dinner last night I made a meat loaf in a dutch oven on the wood stove. Turned out great, and I will have to take a photo tonight when I heat up the left overs. I hate it when I miss photo opportunities.

Tracks In The Snow

The power came back on! Well, it goes on and off and I want to post these photos quickly... so not much text.

I took these photos this morning when I took Morgan out for a walk.

My boot tracks and Morgan's dainty footprints.

Rabbit tracks?

The critter that left these tracks

was small enough to make it through the fence.

This looks like

it could have been a squirrel?

Mystery prints?

No tail drag marks.

Wow!

Well, this limb didn't exactly make tracks...

more like one deep track.

Glad I wasn't walking down the path during the wind storm we had the other night.

There is more rain (a week+) and snow forecast. All this rain and snow in March is a bit surprising. There was even a tornado in the valley yesterday.