Category Archive: Life

2015
04/07

Category:
farming
Garden
Life
quilts

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Surprises keep coming

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It’s hard to believe that these green stripes have been evading me.   They are scraps from several years ago and I don’t even remember the original intention – hopefully this was it.   However, I opened a small drawer to put something in and these begged to come out.   They are now a new  quilt top just waiting to be quilted.  It measures 41 x 48. I really don’t know what is about these greens as green has never been my favorite color, but I do like it for quilts.

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I also worked at moving a box in the hoop house.  We have to move it over about 18″.   So I’ve been clearing where the new side of the box is to be – digging the dirt from the left side, tossing it onto the right side.   The post on the right side will eventually be in the middle.   I still have a couple weeks before planting the tomatoes so I’m okay.

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And here is the point from where Lacey enjoys watching the most.   No one can come or go without her watchful eye.    However, usually she must be in the pasture with the animals.  (The alpacas were allowed out to eat weeds today, so she was able to watch from here.)

2015
04/06

Category:
Life

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Little green crochet blanket

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This has really been fun.   It goes quickly, is pretty, and has been a good piece to practice skills.  At this point I am about half done.

2015
04/05

Category:
Life
quilts

COMMENTS:
2 Comments »

More green squares

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There are now 10 green squares consisting of 25   squares in each.  All of these have been out of remnants from other projects.  I haven’t decided if I want to put anything between them, or just sew them all together for one big patch.   Any suggestions?

 Some of today was spent outside, taking inventory of what needs to be done.  Then daughter, Jen, came to visit with her two sons and DH.   We had a great visit.

2015
04/04

Category:
Life

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Mt Rainier

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Since it was sunny, we arranged to go for a walk in the park this afternoon, but it was cold and windy, so we (our daughter, her DH, Bill and I) decided to go for a drive to the east side of Mt Rainier instead to Chinook Pass   I can’t even begin to show you the beauty we enjoyed on this mini trip.   So instead of talking, I’ll just let the photos speak for themselves.

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2015
04/03

Category:
crochet
Life

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Crochet (after housework)

IMG_1755After we spent the morning doing housework, it was time for a break.   Mary came over, which is always a treat, and had lunch with us.    Afterward I brought out the yarn.   We could not find the pattern for the blanket I wanted to make, but Mary remembered how it went.   So she started this blanket and we both worked on it.

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Of course, the yarn had a fit and didn’t want to come out to play nicely, so while I worked on the blanket, Mary rolled this lovely new ball from which to work.   It is a beautiful Paton baby color and I think the baby’s mother will enjoy using it.

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Bill (DH) even joined the party by crocheting on a purple baby hat.     So now we have a much cleaner abode and fun projects started.

2015
04/01

Category:
food
Life
quilts

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Food!

Have you ever thought about how much time we spend on food?   Now if we could just eliminate that little detail, we’d have more time for other things.   This morning we went to the grocery store, came home and put all those items away………..after, I washed all the fresh food, made about 4 gallons of fresh salad, which will only last a week.  I was so hungry for fresh greens.   Then it was lunch time and we ate.

 IMG_1745 Someday, I want to move, so I’ve evaluated what would be the most difficult in my sewing studio to keep straight in a move.   All these bits and pieces would.   So this afternoon, I sewed many strips together and then cut them with the above June Taylor ruler.

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It has nice slits to guide the rotary cutter.   So after the pieces were 5 strips wide, I just put this ruler on them and cut away.

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Then I started assembly, which is going to take a few days.   The strips are only two wide at this time.

 

2015
03/31

Category:
farming
Life
quilts

COMMENTS:
2 Comments »

Refusing to work

IMG_1739My body was refusing to do more manual labor today, so we headed out to get a supply of animal feed.   Look who had run away.   I don’t know who he is or where he lives, but he is quite away from home as he doesn’t live in our area.   The truck on the right is following them so cars don’t sneak up on him.   Grain purchased and in the proper containers, it was time to make lunch.

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After lunch was a good time to go into Seattle, which was more than a 3 hour round trip.   We went to REI as I purchased a red jacket there which was great in every way except color.   The more I looked at it, the more I realized I wouldn’t be wearing it as I wear mostly red and pink shirts and would feel like the colors were clashing.   And DH had a jacket that he wanted to trade for one with a hood.   They didn’t have any blue ones in the store, but will be mailing me one next week, which is fine.   It is a type of shell, so more rain and wind proof than warm, which is what I need.

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After all of that running around, I took two hours to finish this scrappy top.    Animals are now fed and put to bed, so I’m taking some time to help my brother on the family genealogy.    If you’ve never worked on one of these, you have no idea how much time and effort goes into it.    He has spent the last two years rounding up photos, flying to where the oldest people are that still might have information etc.  With all this work, you did up a lot of interesting stories and get to know your ancestors.   Hopefully he will publish this in the summer.

2015
03/30

Category:
Garden
Life

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Spring fertilizing

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The fountain is once again working – for how long, we can only guess.   But it’s fun while it works.

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I don’t even know how many batches of pre plant fertilizer I mixed up today along with a batch of regular fertilizer.   We’re using the Mittleider method, so we use a bag of regular fertilizer plus some minerals and Epsom salts which the plants need.   I then applied this to about  30 small blueberry bushes, 10 grapes, some small plants, our front yard plants and

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14 apple trees and 4 small nut trees.

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Since I was poorly advised last fall that hay would work just like straw as a mulch, we are having to pull out the hay that wanted to take root.   So pull it out we did, then added our fertilizers and planted a double 7 foot row of snow peas.   I was going to put beets in as well, until I found I had no beet seed.    Tomorrow is calling for rain, so I will work in the hoop house.  I have that 4 x 32′ bed that needs to be moved and Rome wasn’t built in a day either.

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However, coming past these beautiful blooming flowers as I enter the house refreshes my soul.

 

2015
03/29

Category:
Garden
Life

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Hoop house work

IMG_1706This is what greeted us in the hoop house this morning –  beds of weeds to get ready to plant.  I’ve neglected it for sewing and knitting.

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So I hired a young man to make this tomato cage for us.  As you can see from the first photo, we need to move the box over 2 feet.   We’ve had the box in about 3 or 4 years, but hadn’t counted on the overhang.   It will totally shade the little box on the side if we leave it here.   So it will get moved in the next week and if I’m truly lucky, the water will be put in as well.

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While he worked on that, we tackled the weeds.  This is the south side and we will add the pre plant and fertilizer tomorrow,  wet it down and plant it.   I am so anxious to get some lettuce, kale and other greens in here.  Last time I went to the grocery store, organic romaine lettuce was $4.00 a head and leaf lettuce was $3.00!   So I’m going to try to keep it growing year round.   I can, if I pay attention to planting times.  The beets, onions, and carrots can go in here now as well.   I just need to do succession planting so the foods are always available.

Oh, yes, I also need to remove weeds from the hillside garden to get the peas in.    Well, unless it rains this week – But then with a hoop house, it doesn’t rain, so we’ll see how much gets done before I promise more fiber time.

 

2015
03/28

Category:
Knitting
Life

COMMENTS:
2 Comments »

A walk and some ornaments

IMG_1701Tired of the park yet?    I hope not.   It was really windy today, but look, there are fields of dandelions.

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And finally, a better view of the river that runs along side of the park.

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This tiny sock was done on size 1 needles with left over sock yarn.   I think when I make it again, I will add rows to the foot.  It looks stubby to me.

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The mini mitten turn out pretty good, I think.   I’ll make another and use it as an ornament. that is a credit card size card that it is laying on.