Category Archive: Life

2016
04/11

Category:
Life

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Inexpensive fixes

 

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Today was a great day repair-wise.     The electric spinner that the dog knocked off the table is back and was repaired quite inexpensively.

The rototiller part has been ordered and that was less than $50.00.   Putting it back on is free.

And the quilting machine is fixed with just 3 phone calls.  No cost.    I started quilting this “gifts for the holiday” quilt, but will have to finish it tomorrow.     It feels so good to be able to use these machines again.

2016
04/10

Category:
Garden
Life

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You probably knew – but a reminder

Being a manager is hard work.

  • With cataract surgery, one is not supposed to bend down, lift more than 10#, or get water in the eye – forget about rubbing it – for a month.

  • The garden is waiting for the plants.

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So I hired 4 people today to come help – now the 4 people is because if you hire 4, you might get one or you might not.   2 fellows actually showed up for 5 hours and really worked.  It was good there were two of them to get the rototiller down the stairs as there was a section that needed tilling.    Those fellows worked hard and the one will be back for about that long tomorrow and we should have all but the warm weather crops in.  Both of these fellows work hard, when you can get them here.  One has a full time job during the week, the other doesn’t drive.  So after tomorrow, it will mostly be a matter of us keeping it fertilized, watered, and weeded.   The most difficult part – that of getting the large 2 year old weeds is done.

The person who was hired to work in the hoop house showed up late, but did come.  However, that may have been an absolute waste as even after I gave instructions, plants were not put where they should have been nor were they given much care in the transplanting.   Plants are tough, so we’ll see.   I had to be gone for a bit, so when asked why the beets had 12″ between them and the cauliflower had only 4″, I was told, she didn’t want to get up and look at what I had told her.    So that was fixed – we will know in 2 weeks how much took and where we have to start over.   At least the tomatoes, squash, beans etc can wait a month.   But managing is HARD work – really HARD work.

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The  other thing that was accomplished is my daughter came over and unpacked the furniture for the guest room that another daughter had moved back with from the east coast and then didn’t have room.   The movers really packed the furniture well, so there were layers of cardboard and packing paper to remove.    Wednesday, she and I plan to buy sheets and rugs – and see what else appeals to us for the room. There is a dresser with mirror above at the foot of the bed and nightstands that don’t show in the photo.  We are open to any ideas you might have.

2016
04/08

Category:
farming
Life
quilts

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Four patches

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They don’t look like much at this point, but there are 3 seams in each piece and they take time to do.  I have about this many more pulled out to stitch and the drawer will look like this and will fit again.

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Meanwhile the sheep have been having a wonderful time grazing the weeds.

IMG_4343Sheep are interesting in that they take a bite of this and then of something else.   It’s rather like if you eat a bite of carrots, then a bite of potato and continue around the plate.

 

 

2016
04/07

Category:
Garden
Life

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The garden starts

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These are the tiny little potatoes I left in the ground.   They were the size of a marble.   They are nearly ready to be hilled.  This year they will produce good potatoes.

IMG_4340This lettuce and Chinese cabbage, I purchased already started and they are doing spectacular.

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The romaine and leaf lettuce are finally getting with the program.

I think I may be doing much of the remaining planting while sitting.   Did you know that after cataract surgery, you can’t put your head lower than your heart for an entire month???   But that’s alright, I’ll put the started beets and cabbage in while sitting on the ground.   It’s dry in the hoop house.   The tomatoes, cukes, and melons won’t go in for another month anyway.

IMG_4337Finally, I washed the inside windows – rear and rear sides.    They were thoroughly dog slobbered from our last vet visit and this is my farm wagon – a 1991 Honda wagon.    It carries what is needed and has a dog gate as well.   Now that the sun is out, I need to be able to see again.

Other than that, clothes were washed and we made another trip to the chiropractor.   And this time I was the passenger!

As for the eyes, there is both improvement and room for more improvement

 

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2016
04/06

Category:
Knitting
Life

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My truth

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This is another pair of self striping socks that I am using the pattern K6, P2.   I really liked the fit of the last pair and they look better than all knit.

 Each of us has different reactions to what happens to us.   Noon started day 2 of the new lens.   Contrary to what many others told me, I still am quite hazy in that eye.   My balance is also suffering.  The doctor visit went well and he is quite pleased with the progress so far and I go back in a week.    I don’t think that my experience is all that different from others, just that while I’m in the middle of it, I’m reporting on it.   My guess is others are so pleased with the results and so will I be in a week, I’ll have forgotten this side of it – that is – until the other eye is done.   Meanwhile, I’m finding that I bump into walls at times, and cannot see well enough to sew.   I tried to knit for awhile because that doesn’t take as much thinking, but even that was slow and I feel tired.    DH thinks all is normal because even though I was awake, they gave me a pill to make me very relaxed.   Until that is out of my system, he thinks I will just have to “go with how I feel”.  So I apologize and ask that you bear with me this month and as soon as possible, I’ll get more done and have more to show you.

2016
04/05

Category:
Life

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Eye patch

 

IMG_4335This is the eye shield needed to be worn at night and when around dirt etc that could fly into the eye.   I can see through it – if I could see out of that eye.

I went in at 10:30 and was done, ready to leave at 11:10.   It was fast and the doctor described every step as he was doing in.   They were very kind and efficient.  Interestingly enough, before the team started, each member gave his/her name and their participation on me who they also named.  They do this to avoid errors.  It is recorded as well.  I like that efficiency.  However, it is hours later, after a nap, and the eye is still blurry.  They told me this would last until tomorrow or the next day.  So I am doing little and what I do is with one eye.

 

2016
04/04

Category:
Life
machine embroidery

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Birthday embroidery

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It’s time to start thinking about all the birthdays coming up this spring, summer and fall.   There are a number of them in this family.  So I started prepping with this embroidered chef’s apron.  Costco had the aprons and the design is an Anita Goodesign.

It is possible there will not be a post tomorrow.   I have to be at the outpatient surgery unit at 10.30 tomorrow morning for my first eye cataract appointment.  I probably will not be doing anything exciting tomorrow – or maybe I will be, but won’t get it posted.   I mean, isn’t eye surgery exciting????.

2016
04/01

Category:
Garden
Life
quilts

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Circus block #1

 

 IMG_4329This is the first block of 9 monthly installments of Critters at the Circus published by Quilt Magazine.   They are really cute blocks which use mostly scraps.   I will show them to you each month as I complete the applique stitching on each.

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And the applique on the “fish” is completed.   It is now hanging in the “to be quilted” closet, which is way too full.

The sun is still shinning and I found someone to dig and clean out the vegetable beds.   We now have a few peas and potatoes planted and 100 onion bulbs.   The garlic was put in last fall.  So I won’t be putting too much more outside until we are past the frosts.  By then the beds should be ready to plant.

 

 

 

 

2016
03/31

Category:
Knitting
Life

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Life is throwing curve balls

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Today there is only a bit of knitting.   I had to decide which yarn and which pattern, which became overwhelming and I just went with basic simple socks.   I can work on them this month when I can’t do other things.

Since I woke at 2.30 this morning and didn’t get back to sleep for 3 hours, when I did, I overslept.   But that was only the start.   We went to the doctor an hour away, had a burrito  at Whole Foods and then I decided to check out 30/10 weight loss.    I have seen what it has done for others.   So I did the interview and decided that the program isn’t one with which I’d be happy.  There  has to be a better way to lose a few pounds.   Tomorrow starts a new month, perhaps that’s a good time to start.  I do know the less sleep I get, the more I tend to snack.

We made a couple more stops and came home in time to put the animals to bed.   Why does being in the car a good share of the day, wear a person out?  The weather was so beautiful one should be rested.

And next week promises another curve.   I will be having cataract surgery on eye #1 on Tuesday, April 5th  and two weeks later the other eye.  The doctor promises I will see better and that colors will be brighter.   That’s interesting, because I think they are bright now.  April will not be a boring month.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2016
03/27

Category:
farming
Garden
Life
spinning

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Today’s Rodeo

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Sometimes, this place really and truly is a zoo.   Today, we had to give some of the sheep shots and others  got larger coats, which they need every 3 months.    We didn’t have enough coats the right size and so will order more and 4 still need to be sheared plus the alpacas.    And our ram has decided that at least one girl was missed and he should take care of her.

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But look at this heavenly wool.   It is a dream come true and hand spinners love it.  This and the enjoyment we have from watching the sheep make it so worth the little troubles.

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Before the rodeo, we had a couple strong helpers out here turning the garden beds, in which we hope to get the potatoes planted this week.   The garden is also getting vermiculite and possibly peat moss this year.   The weather report has sun through Saturday. which is good, as we are a bit behind.  We didn’t use most of these beds last year, so they had two years of growth on the weeds.  That was a huge mistake.   We should have at least covered the beds with mulch.