Category Archive: Life

2015
02/12

Category:
food
Knitting
Life

COMMENTS:
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Socks and tomato sauce & yarn in

 

IMG_1343I keep hoping at least one of you will join me in making a pair of socks.   Here is the latest finish,

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My splurge.   I had no cotton yarn and wanted to do some dish and washcloths.

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It took 3 days to cook down the tomatoes (from the freezer) into sauce.   I like it to cook to about 1/2 what I started with before I process it.   I have 9 pints this time with more tomatoes in the freezer that will become sauce before summer comes.  It is so much better to be able to do this while the weather is cool.

 

2015
02/12

Category:
Garden
Knitting
Life
quilts

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Starts with few finishes.

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Some days I don’t feel like much has been achieved because a some of several things were done.  To day we planted 85 daffodils here beside the grapes because I didn’t want to go to all the trouble of digging up grass where I wanted them and they are getting in so late.  But I didn’t want to lose them.   They will be done blooming before the grapes need the room, so they won’t interfere with each other.   Maybe in the fall, I can “get a better start” or I may just like some color where they are. (the dark area).   In another place we put the last 15 tulips.   The ones planted at the right time are now coming up.

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We  picked up some starting soil and other items at the wholesale house.

I put a quilt on the frame to quilt.   And I started the binding on another quilt.  Then I cast on for another pair of socks, – a number of starts today, but now I need finishes.

2015
02/10

Category:
food
Life
Sewing

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Pincushion & machine cleaning

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Here is a fun scrap project, I hope some of you will enjoy.   I made a 4 patch from 2.5″ squares and then had another piece of fabric 4.5″ square.

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I sewed the pieces together  with the pretty sides on the inside, leaving a place to turn, about 1/2 of one side.   Turned, pressed and then I filled it will walnut shells.

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  I happened to have this bag on hand, but if you wanted to do more for gifts, try the lizard section of a pet store for a lesser price. I sewed the opening with a needle and thread.

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I have done enough machine work lately that it was time to clean out the bobbin area.   Of course, all of you are doing this on a regular basis.  Here is a refresher for those who haven’t done it in awhile.

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You will need whatever screwdriver your machine takes and possibly your manual.   Remove the screws over the plate under your presser foot – and I also removed the foot.

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In order not to lose the screws and foot, I put them in the thread cavity.  Just be sure they are safe while you are working.   Next take a small craft brush and clean the bobbin holder, then take it out and clean underneath.   It is amazing how much lint gets in the area.

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Check your manual, oil if it specifies and put everything back together.   You should be back in business for your next major project.

BANANA update       Yeah! all the bananas are either in the freezer or dehydrator.    Tomorrow morning I will empty those and be done for a few months – hopefully until after canning is done.

 

2015
02/09

Category:
Life
quilts

COMMENTS:
2 Comments »

Dragonflies, butterflies, & hummingbirds

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These black squares with butterflies, hummingbirds, and dragonflies were given to me to “make something”.   They were part of a stencil and paint demo at a Sew Expo two years ago.    Now obviously, if you were  going to paint something to be used in a quilt, the stencil design would have a bit more variety.   These were pieces she had left over after the show.   So I have turned them into a small quilt with which I hope she will be happy.    I have used random scraps left from various projects.  It is 44 inches square.   Would you just bind it with one of the circle fabrics or would you border and bind it with one and which one?

2015
02/08

Category:
Foods
Garden
Life

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Spring is on the way

IMG_1287Do you see those small white pieces along the front of the bags   and garbage cans?   Those are the iris popping out of the ground.  And inside the house two potatoes that we missed are through the ground.

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We totally cleaned this side and the back today, then put in two types of kale, Simpson black seeded lettuce, endive, and escarole

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In this photo, the clear areas are where there was cardboard.   Any where we didn’t put it, we have all this spreading low ground cover for which we don’t have a name.

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These are some of the vegetables that went in too late last fall to get good growth, but we’re eating them now.  I do a good job of starting early, but somehow peter out mid-summer.

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 These potatoes really,  REALLY want to be in the ground, so we planted them along the west (back) side of the greenhouse.  (we just didn’t have a cool enough place to store them all winter.)  It will be an early crop which will delight us.   We will plant others outside for a later crop which hopefully will do better at lasting through the winter.

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This is a look at the entire hoop house with still lots of work to be done, but for most of it, we are still a month away.

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We laid this blanket over the new seedlings as it is supposed to make the difference of a zone in temperature.   We’re trying it.

So the day went like this:   1.  filled the freezer with another box of bananas, then worked in the greenhouse weeded one side and the back, planted, fertilized, put down slug bait, watered, and then laid the blanket over the greens.  After supper, we bagged those bananas.  (the rest should be ready to freeze and dehydrate tomorrow.  My Fitbit registered over 10,000 steps and I am ready for bed.

2015
02/07

Category:
food
Life
quilts

COMMENTS:
2 Comments »

2014 Super Bowl mystery quilted

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This 56 x 72′ quilt was Quiltbug’s 2014 Super Bowl mystery quilt.  It is now quilted, but not bound.  I haven’t decided yet who will get this one..   I rather like it and the print is from Mother’s collection.  As soon as I decide on a label, I’ll bind this quilt.  Or maybe I’ll bind all but the corner the label where the label will be placed as I like to sew the label into the binding.

This evening we had another box of bananas that were ripe enough to put in the freezer plus 1/2 of the dehydrator trays.   I’m guessing the other 3 boxes will be ready tomorrow and possibly Monday morning.

 

 

 

 

2015
02/06

Category:
farming
food
Garden
Life

COMMENTS:
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A weekend of bananas

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The bananas are ripening.  Today I sliced one box full and put them in the freezer on trays.   After a few hours, I transferred them to bags.   Don’t they look yummy.   Of course now and then a piece did hit my mouth.    The 4 boxes remaining appear to be ready either tomorrow evening or Sunday.   In either case, a lot of Sunday will be freezing and dehydrating these.    When dehydrated, they are wonderful little pieces of “candy”.

It seems as fast as I take items out of the freezer, I find more food to replace it.  Today, I took tomatoes out to make into tomato sauce and for lunch we had corn, zucchini patties, and peas from the freezer.  Then we had black bean dip and salsa from the canning.   It’s terrific to have good food so handy.

I took the seedlings up to the greenhouse when it was only sprinkling.   The rest of the day was medium to heavy rain.    As soon as I can, I need to start planting them in the ground.  Once I start, then it is an unending garden process until the canning is done in the fall.  But the benefits are worth all the work.

 

IMG_1278This is a part of the crew going in for the night.   The geese were very independent and finally had to be herded in.

 

2015
02/05

Category:
Garden
Knitting
Life

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Knitting update 2-5-15

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Bit by bit, I’m getting these socks knit.  It seems I only get 1/2 dozen rows done in a day.   That is small, but continuing forward.

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I planted more than necessary of these cold weather crops because the seeds have been sitting in a very warm room for more than a year and I didn’t expect them to do well.   (The peppers in the cups aren’t up yet)  So tomorrow, I’m moving the cold weather seedlings to the hoop house.   I’d like to get them planted, but that may have to wait until Monday or after.

2015
02/04

Category:
food
Garden
Life

COMMENTS:
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Nappy day

mushroom kit

 UPS brought me this package.     Have any of you tried growing these?   They are just another food that I would prefer to grow if I’m going to eat them.  Tomorrow I will open the box and follow the instructions. Today gifted me with a bug that wasn’t kind to my system, so mostly I napped.   But tomorrow is a whole new day and I plan to be able to spend some time getting the greenhouse ready to plant.   The seeds that I planted January 30 are up and I put them outside today as they are cold crops.   The tomatoes that I planted last week are starting to show a bit, the peppers not yet.

2015
02/03

Category:
food
Life
Sewing

COMMENTS:
Comments Closed

More stars

This morning I picked up 4 boxes of bananas to put into the freezer.   They aren’t ripe, but in 2-3 days, they will have my full attention.   They are just expensive enough, I buy boxes when they have a special of 30% off.  I rarely shop Safeway, however, because I signed up with them, periodically they send me “just for you” prices on half a dozen items.IMG_1262 Then it was off to the sewing studio to create more stars.

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