Blustery Winds Time 2024

 

Birthday flowers

Last night's full moon was beautiful. Our weather has been a mixed bag this month. We've had very warm days, followed by cold and rain. We had snow over the weekend. I believe it was only the second time that Bob got out his snow thrower all season. Sun yesterday and today has melted nearly all of it. 

During the nice weather we did some outside chores.

"Five, Six Pick Up Sticks"

 

I gathered all of the branches and twigs which had fallen in the yard during our windy weather. These will be used for stove kindling.

Bob prunes an apple tree

Bob got out and pruned his apple trees. He took some of the cuttings to Cornell Wildlife Hospital for a sick beaver to enjoy.

Shiitake logs

Then he set up his shiitake logs for the season ahead.

Now he's busy working on the bathroom remodel. We finally got a new toilet. This is the fourth try. The first had a molding defect. The second time they sent the wrong model. The third time the tank was broken. We had all of these delivered, but we had to take the returns back ourselves. We got tired of hefting them around. We decided to get a different brand and drove to Henrietta to pick it up ourselves. It appears to be fine. We're glad that nonsense is over. I was beginning to think we'd have to use a five-gallon bucket for the job!

Closet wall coming down

Bob's got the tub area drywalled, taped and mudded. Now he's removing the walls around the closet. It takes quite a bit of muscle to get the framing out. He also has to deal with a couple of different ceiling levels in this area. It looks complicated to me.

Seed starting begins

I've started many of my garden seeds: cabbage, kale, chard, tat soi, lettuce, spinach, celery, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and sweet potatoes. I'm still waiting for the peppers and sweet potatoes to sprout.

Three weeks later...

Everything else is up and has been potted up into the small sized pots. After they've filled these out, they'll be potted up into a larger sized pot.

I finished my hardanger project in plenty of time for spring decorating.

Pansy runner all finished

Lately I've been working on a cardigan for myself. There's just a little bit more time to enjoy leisure activities: reading, working puzzles and needlework. Our larder is emptying out. We still have a few potatoes, some frozen fruits and vegetables and lots of sweet potatoes.

Sweet potato fries

Since we have so many sweet potatoes left we eat them nearly every day. This is one of our favorite ways to fix them. 

I cut the potatoes into sticks and drizzle them with olive oil. I toss them to distribute the oil and then sprinkle on an herb mixture of salt, cayenne, black pepper, oregano, garlic powder and rosemary. These bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees, stirring halfway through baking time. Since the potatoes get sweeter with storage, ours are pretty sweet. Neither Bob nor I like really sweet vegetables, so we like to dress the fries with vinegar. That makes them very tasty. 

Despite our cooler than normal temperatures right now, spring is at hand. By the end of next month we should be planting peas and setting out the cool weather seedlings. 

Nature's stirring from its rest and the pace of our lives will pick up in response.

Enjoy this final bit of rest and look forward to a new season of growth and life.

Till next time,

Kathleen and Bob

A foggy morning at our house

Foggy lane to our wooded property

Stay at Home / Cleansing Time 2024

 

Our creek filled with snowmelt & rain

There goes another month. We stayed at home most of Stay at Home Time, but then, we stay at home most of the time.

During this month Bob's begun the hands-on bathroom remodeling. Aside from a couple of items on order, the supplies have been delivered. Most are in the cellar, but the tub surround currently stands in my kitchen.

Tub surround in a box.

The first step in the process was to remove the plumbing access cover, which is in the downstairs bathroom.

That access cover is heavy!

Next, he removed the Masonite, tub surround, and old gypsum board from the tub area. We were pleased to find the mold in this area to be minimal.

Quite a bit of time was devoted to improving the blocking in that area to make the walls straight. That's an old house (174+/- years) thing.

Tub blocking. That's original wallpaper, folks!

Once Bob and his level had completed that chore, he installed cement board which will back the new tub surround. He just finished that job this morning.

Bathroom on Feb 25th

Next, he'll drywall above the cement board and mend the ceiling in this area. Then it's me and my trusty paintbrush.

He decided to begin with the tub area because it's easily isolated and allows us to use the toilet and sink a little while longer.

Bob at Cornell

The Wildlife Center asked Bob for some more perches, which he was very happy to supply.

They wanted "bark on" perches of specific sizes for the injured critters. It only took Bob a couple of hours and got him out of the bathroom and into the fresh air on a pleasant day. In addition to that, he was able to use a Box Elder tree that needed to come down anyway. He really enjoys doing these little projects for them.

Load of perches ready to go.

I have spent extra time this month on needlework projects and harp practice. 

It was time to refurbish my outdoor winter ware, so I dipped into my stash again and made up a scarf with matching mittens and an ear band (I don't wear hats!) with matching mittens. Then I raveled a pair of mittens (I didn't like the way they fit) and am reknitting those.

Busy needles

I've spent just a little more time on my hardanger piece which I mentioned last month. I finished the embroidery on one end this morning.

One end done.

This month also allows me more time to spend on harp practice. Right now I'm focusing on these two books, while still keeping up on the pieces I've already learned.

My current music focus.

 

In an effort to improve our energy efficiency, we've finally been able to upgrade our plant start lighting from fluorescent bulbs to LED grow lights. I'm looking forward to seeing improvement in both our electric use and plant growth.

New LED grow lights are really much brighter!

Cleansing Time is the other half of our month's designation. This is a cleansing aimed at removing obstacles to growth and vision. It means taking time to think about what we really want in life and considering what is standing in the way of achieving it. Obstacles may be material, emotional, relational, ... Once identified, taking appropriate action is the next step. 

A thoughtful time.

This year, we did not see so many material goods that needed to be shed right now. What we did see was change needed in thought patterns and habits. This is in many ways more difficult work. It will be well worth the effort.

That's what our month has looked like. Great seasonal changes loom just ahead - both in the out of doors and in our internal lives.

Look forward to the change of seasons, while still resting in the end of this season of refreshment.

Till next time,

Kathleen and Bob

Ever optimistic Daffodils!

Cold Time/Renewal Time 2024

 

Time to relax by a cozy fire

Cold Time has ended on a warm note. This month we have had some cold and snow, but nothing too extraordinary. We did have a couple of hefty windstorms. There was no damage to the house lot, except for some small, dead branches that came down. We haven't yet taken the time to check for damage in our woods.

For the Renewal portion of the month, we've both been doing a good deal of reading. Additionally, I've been doing some needlework.

Bob's sweater being blocked

I've finished Bob's Christmas sweater (late, I know). All that's left is to sew on the buttons this weekend.

This year's piece: pansy runner

I've also been working on a hardanger project. I have a pill I take every Sunday morning. I can't eat for two hours after taking it, so my routine is to spend an hour to an hour and a half working on this piece. It's the only time I get to work on it through the week. Hopefully I'll finish it by April or May, since it has pansies embroidered on it.

I am also knitting a ski mask for Bob. The winter wind on our daily walk is hard on his face. I should have this done by Monday, when our cold temperatures are supposed to return.

Now, on to our projects.

Bob's been busy planning the second-floor bathroom update. The supplies have been ordered and should be delivered at the end of this week or the beginning of next. 

This is the last room to be totally revamped, and in my opinion, wins the award for the most "Gawd Awful"! I'm not alone in this view. We had the code officer in a few years ago on another matter. He walked into that room and said, "Whoa! This will be the next room to do!".

Here's a gallery of "before" shots for your pleasure (?).

Open the door and walk into a wall

Note the lovely gold marble masonite board ala 1960 something. I'm sure it was ugly then. Age, discoloration and pealing surface have not enhanced it.

Peaking around the wall 

Lovely blue tub and surround

The surround and tub have no caulking. We're sure the drywall behind must be a disaster. The teddy bears make me cringe.

Old vanity cabinet with water damage

The toilet was replaced before we bought the house. Everything else is "vintage". The vanity is water damaged inside and stinks from whatever chemicals were stored in there for years. Yuck!

Very large closet, missing doors

This huge closet is not very useful. We use it as a dressing room. There were broken bifold doors on it, which Bob has already removed. We will make this a much smaller and more useable space.

I am currently painting the new closet doors, trying to get a jump on what work I can.

New closet doors in process

Even as I type this, Bob is finishing the hanging of the new door for the second upstairs bedroom. This house had definite door issues. All of the doors were either missing entirely or damaged. This one was missing. Only the hinges remained.

New matches old quite well

New latch going on

As a reminder that winter does not last forever, I've finished planning out my 2024 garden, and the seed order has arrived.

Some of this year's selections

We haven't gotten out too much this winter, but wildlife sometimes comes to us.

This week we had a Northern Goshawk shopping at our birdfeeders. We thought it was great. Our avian regulars did not agree.

Wild turkeys have visited a few times. This last group numbered 24.

Turkeys heading back into the woods

So, while our month hasn't been entirely rest filled and relaxing, our projects have not been too taxing. Perhaps next winter we can relax a bit more. It's something to aim for. 

Next we look ahead to Cleansing Time, when we examine, assess and make alterations in our lives. It's like a late-winter garden clean up in preparation for new growth.

We hope you have enjoyed a time of rest and renewal. Perhaps you might consider "tending your own garden" to encourage growth.

Till next time,

Kathleen and Bob

Wild Turkey

Long Nights Time/Darkest Depths 2023

 

Holiday Greetings

The winter solstice and the full Cold moon have passed. The Great Wheel of the seasons has turned again and Long Nights Time/Darkest Depths has waxed and waned.

Winter weather has yet to find us. Only a couple of dustings of snow and above seasonal temperatures have been our lot. Our fall cover crop of oats and peas is still thriving.

We may not have snow, but we have had Snow Geese.

Snow Geese overhead

On our daily walks the whole week before Christmas, thousands of migrating Snow Geese passed overhead.

Look at all of the lines of geese

It's really something exciting to experience. One day we were lucky enough to have a very large flock come down to feed in a harvested corn field right next to our path. (Also lucky Bob was carrying his camera!)

Coming in for rest and refreshment

We still see some stragglers going over, but the big migration is done until March.

As regards our tasks and projects:

Bob's still working on the door he's fabricating for an upstairs bedroom. The old door frame won't accommodate the size of a modern door, so he's making one out of excess old floorboards. This will make the door like some of the existing doors upstairs.

He's also doing more research and planning for the remodel of the upstairs bathroom.

I'm nearly finished threshing our beans; only two more bushels to do. I hope to finish on December 31st and start the New Year fresh.

We're finally done with our apples! Since our weather has been so warm, our root cellar is not cooling down as well as it should, so we can't keep the apples fresh all winter. 

Final batch of applesauce

In addition to eating many apples daily, we cooked some smaller batches of applesauce in the crock pot. Some of this was frozen and some eaten fresh.

The remainder of the soft apples were spread in the woods behind our house for the wildlife.

Wild Turkeys by our garden fence

The wild Turkeys that browse our woods really enjoyed them. They visited for several mornings. We saw a dozen together at times.

On the solstice we had a nice meal, relaxed and read.

Quiet holidays

On Christmas we had another nice meal, played a game and walked the North Rim Trail at Taughannock Falls State Park.

Upper falls at Taughannock

Gorge the falls empty into leading to high falls

It was a nice and restful day.

We've never gone in for noisy and late New Year's celebrations, so as is our custom, we'll read, listen to good music and perhaps watch an old movie (Holiday Affair or Bachelor Mother).

With this full moon we entered Renewal Time. I think our New Year's observance supports this well. So, our goal for our current month is renewal on all levels: physical, mental and spiritual. (Of course, they're all of a whole.)

I'll leave you with a gallery of holiday trimmings around our house. Enjoy.

Peace and health to you all in the coming year. May calmness imbue your being.

Till next time,

Kathleen and Bob

Family postcards created by my late father in law