Photobucket Album
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Another quilt - November 2007
I got this one finished when the weather started changing here in Texas. We went from 82 degrees to 47 degrees in short order, with 20 to 30 mph winds. A good day for putting the binding on a quilt!
The original quilt was in an advertisement in one of the quilting magazines. I emailed the company and asked for the pattern. They referred me to an old quilt magazine that I didn't have, so I had to design a paper pattern for myself. I think it turned out pretty well.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
One of those really good days
Today was one of those days that started with no particular purpose. I knew Lonnie wanted to do some canning, and there were a couple of small projects looming.
Breakfast was French Toast with homemade peach spread that Lonnie made while I was back in Texas. He used a combination of fresh and frozen peaches. The frozen peaches were Georgia peaches that we had put up last summer. He added no sugar to the mixture as he cooked it down, just a few spices. It was absolutely fantastic. Creamy, mildly sweet, and intensely peach flavored.
I milked the goat, did some laundry, stirred up a batch of sourdough starter, tidied my room and the living room, and headed outside to spray Round Up on the fence lines and around the trees to make mowing easier. Kathleen washed jars for the canning project, vacuumed the house, and dusted. Lonnie mowed and weed-eated the goat pasture. Goats are not much for grazing, and the grass gets tall if you don't keep it mowed. We need a miniature horse or donkey to eat the vegetation that the goats ignore.
The goat milk had been accumulating, so I started a gallon batch of cheese. It's a rather extended project, requiring slow heating of the milk, innoculation with the culture, addition of the rennet to make the curds, then stirring and heating and draining and salting and pressing. This part of the process takes several hours, and then the cheese curds are placed in the press under certain amounts of weight for varying times. I find the process very interesting and challenging.
Lunch was leftovers. Pork roast, roasted onions, veggie goulash that I had made the other day with home grown veggies and basil from the herb garden.
After lunch, I got the cheese into the press, and Lonnie got the kitchen set up for jelly production. We made cherry jelly, mixed fruit jelly (blackberry, strawberry, gooseberry, peach), and one batch of mixed fruit with jalepeno jelly. The flavor is exquisite!
Supper is going to be homemade from-scratch pepperoni and Italian sausage pizza.
Breakfast was French Toast with homemade peach spread that Lonnie made while I was back in Texas. He used a combination of fresh and frozen peaches. The frozen peaches were Georgia peaches that we had put up last summer. He added no sugar to the mixture as he cooked it down, just a few spices. It was absolutely fantastic. Creamy, mildly sweet, and intensely peach flavored.
I milked the goat, did some laundry, stirred up a batch of sourdough starter, tidied my room and the living room, and headed outside to spray Round Up on the fence lines and around the trees to make mowing easier. Kathleen washed jars for the canning project, vacuumed the house, and dusted. Lonnie mowed and weed-eated the goat pasture. Goats are not much for grazing, and the grass gets tall if you don't keep it mowed. We need a miniature horse or donkey to eat the vegetation that the goats ignore.
The goat milk had been accumulating, so I started a gallon batch of cheese. It's a rather extended project, requiring slow heating of the milk, innoculation with the culture, addition of the rennet to make the curds, then stirring and heating and draining and salting and pressing. This part of the process takes several hours, and then the cheese curds are placed in the press under certain amounts of weight for varying times. I find the process very interesting and challenging.
Lunch was leftovers. Pork roast, roasted onions, veggie goulash that I had made the other day with home grown veggies and basil from the herb garden.
After lunch, I got the cheese into the press, and Lonnie got the kitchen set up for jelly production. We made cherry jelly, mixed fruit jelly (blackberry, strawberry, gooseberry, peach), and one batch of mixed fruit with jalepeno jelly. The flavor is exquisite!
Supper is going to be homemade from-scratch pepperoni and Italian sausage pizza.
Monday, July 02, 2007
My homemade cheese press
I used the directions from Fiasco Farm to make a cheese press today. http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/cheesepress.html
I had a piece of leftover kitchen counter top from when we built our house in 1979, cut it in half, rounded the edges, drilled the holes, cut the dowels, and put the 'feet' on. I made the mold from PVC pipe. I drilled holes in the PVC at the bottom edge and at 2 " intervals up the sides. For the follower, I am using a PVC fitting that was a hair too big to go in the pipe/mold by using my belt sander to sand down the edge 1/8 of an inch so that it fits inside. I cut a circle of plexiglass to put under the follower to make a smooth top on the cheese.
I will have to come up with a spacer to put between the follower and the top board, and I'll have to find my son's old free weights for pressure.
The only things I bought were the pipe, fitting, dowels, screws, and washers. All together less than $10.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Suburban Life vs. Homesteading
Speaking from the point of view of a former resident of a Sugarland, Texas, subdivision, I can attest to the fact that homesteading is a continuum that ebbs and flows. That may be a mixed metaphor, but you'll see what I mean.
We started in that subdivision with a garden and a subscription to the (old) Mother Earth News. Our goals were to move to the country and grow our own food, both veggies and critters. Our sons were small when we made the move to rural south Texas, and we did all those things. Rabbits, chickens, horses, cattle, huge garden, baking our own bread, canning pickles and jelly. The whole nine yards.
Then the kids grew up and moved away. Suddenly there is no need for all that food.
Then, family situations changed. Our parents became ill and later passed on. Our job responsibilities changed dramatically. The need to travel to take care of family became a priority. We still live in the country, but we no longer garden here. We have a remote country place in southern Missouri, and we garden and keep goats with the neighbors so that someone is there to look after things we no longer can.
My thoughts on homesteading over the years have changed, simply because my life situation has changed. Will I get to go back to being the farm lady / homestead woman again full time? Who knows? I have given up on fortelling the future.
We started in that subdivision with a garden and a subscription to the (old) Mother Earth News. Our goals were to move to the country and grow our own food, both veggies and critters. Our sons were small when we made the move to rural south Texas, and we did all those things. Rabbits, chickens, horses, cattle, huge garden, baking our own bread, canning pickles and jelly. The whole nine yards.
Then the kids grew up and moved away. Suddenly there is no need for all that food.
Then, family situations changed. Our parents became ill and later passed on. Our job responsibilities changed dramatically. The need to travel to take care of family became a priority. We still live in the country, but we no longer garden here. We have a remote country place in southern Missouri, and we garden and keep goats with the neighbors so that someone is there to look after things we no longer can.
My thoughts on homesteading over the years have changed, simply because my life situation has changed. Will I get to go back to being the farm lady / homestead woman again full time? Who knows? I have given up on fortelling the future.
In Between Rain Showers
It is now POURING down rain here at the 3 Bar A Land
and Cattle Company. Sigh.
The good news is that I got the yards (front, back,
dog) at our house mowed yesterday, the Kubena house
(my office) mowed, and Dan's citrus orchard mowed
yesterday. Finished up the yard at the Cottage (rent
house out farther on 1157) about 10 minutes ago.
This morning I sprayed Round Up on fence lines and
around trees for two hours, and I don't know if it
was on long enough before the rain started.
I spent an hour or so cleaning up a wood scrap pile
at the cottage. We had to have it treated for
termites and a bunch of repair work done on the back
wall. We are burning the scraps and tree trimmings
down there. I had a pretty good fire going earlier.
Dunno if this rain will put it out or not.
The renter at Uncle Louis and Aunt Mary's house
(brick one on the left as you go back to town) has a
step son (age 22) temporarily living with her, and he
did some clean up at the cottage yesterday. Today he
was supposed to come back and take the skirting off
my office because it's keep the moisture under the
house, but he hasn't showed up yet. With the rain,
he may have missed the opportunity to work today.
Other than that, I put poison out on fire ant hills
and sprayed the yellow jacket nests under the eaves
around the house.
There's now water standing in the yard. Hmmmm. I
think yard work is over for today. I'm going to take
a shower and go across the street to my office/craft
studio and sew!
and Cattle Company. Sigh.
The good news is that I got the yards (front, back,
dog) at our house mowed yesterday, the Kubena house
(my office) mowed, and Dan's citrus orchard mowed
yesterday. Finished up the yard at the Cottage (rent
house out farther on 1157) about 10 minutes ago.
This morning I sprayed Round Up on fence lines and
around trees for two hours, and I don't know if it
was on long enough before the rain started.
I spent an hour or so cleaning up a wood scrap pile
at the cottage. We had to have it treated for
termites and a bunch of repair work done on the back
wall. We are burning the scraps and tree trimmings
down there. I had a pretty good fire going earlier.
Dunno if this rain will put it out or not.
The renter at Uncle Louis and Aunt Mary's house
(brick one on the left as you go back to town) has a
step son (age 22) temporarily living with her, and he
did some clean up at the cottage yesterday. Today he
was supposed to come back and take the skirting off
my office because it's keep the moisture under the
house, but he hasn't showed up yet. With the rain,
he may have missed the opportunity to work today.
Other than that, I put poison out on fire ant hills
and sprayed the yellow jacket nests under the eaves
around the house.
There's now water standing in the yard. Hmmmm. I
think yard work is over for today. I'm going to take
a shower and go across the street to my office/craft
studio and sew!
Friday, April 27, 2007
Learning From Goats
These first few months with goats have been enlightening. In my family, goat prejudice ran rampant, and the acquisition of two dwarf goats brought raised eyebrows and comments. Lately, the addition of a milking Alpine and a yearling Nubian doe have cemented my relationship with goats and the mystification of my non-goat friends.
Here's a few things we've learned:
1. Goats prove that multi-tasking causes diminished results.
When we got the new milking Alpine, Orange, we set up our milking station under a car port for protection from rain. However, dear Orange was so busy watching our variety pack of dogs, taking in the new surroundings, and wondering who was coming up the driveway that eating her grain ration and producing milk became low items on her priority list.
Cleaning out a small building to be the new milk house enabled Orange to focus on what was important. Her view from the milking stand is now a nice plywood wall and a small view of the pasture out the window. Milking became less stressful with fewer distractions, and she is able to eat in peace, let her milk down, and give us a full bucket.
2. Goats understand physics.
We built a new goat milking stand for Orange with a slightly longer length than the books called for, but she refused to hop up on it at milking time. We struggled for three days, trying bribes of crackers and dried fruit, wrestling her front legs up and then boosting the back, and generally feeling like something was seriously wrong. She showed us clearly yesterday. A long goat moves much more gracefully into a long space if you approach it from the *end* instead of from the short dimension. She must have thought we were incredibly dim witted as we encouraged her to jump that long body up from the side of the milking stand where her nose would rapidly approach the side wall of the milk house, instead of simply walking to the end and hopping up with room to step forward to the grain pan.
3. Goats know to call for help in a crisis.
This evening, just as we were sitting down to supper, a chorus of goaty bleats arose from the goat yard. I could hear the two month old mini-doeling, as well as the two new goats, and a muffled dwarf-mom's voice.
The new milk house used to be a chicken house with a *very* small chicken sized door near the foundation for the hens to come and go during the day. We hadn't latched this little door, as it was (to us humans) obviously too small for our goats to get through. However, for a determined dwarf goat, it looked like an opportunity. The dwarf momma had squeezed her bulk through that little door, and she was now inside, calling for her doeling...or for rescue. The doeling was hopping around and hollering, fully aware of where mom went, but unsure of how to get there herself. The two new full size goats were standing outside calling for help because they knew a crisis was in full force, and help was required from the humans.
Goats....don't you just love them? :)
Here's a few things we've learned:
1. Goats prove that multi-tasking causes diminished results.
When we got the new milking Alpine, Orange, we set up our milking station under a car port for protection from rain. However, dear Orange was so busy watching our variety pack of dogs, taking in the new surroundings, and wondering who was coming up the driveway that eating her grain ration and producing milk became low items on her priority list.
Cleaning out a small building to be the new milk house enabled Orange to focus on what was important. Her view from the milking stand is now a nice plywood wall and a small view of the pasture out the window. Milking became less stressful with fewer distractions, and she is able to eat in peace, let her milk down, and give us a full bucket.
2. Goats understand physics.
We built a new goat milking stand for Orange with a slightly longer length than the books called for, but she refused to hop up on it at milking time. We struggled for three days, trying bribes of crackers and dried fruit, wrestling her front legs up and then boosting the back, and generally feeling like something was seriously wrong. She showed us clearly yesterday. A long goat moves much more gracefully into a long space if you approach it from the *end* instead of from the short dimension. She must have thought we were incredibly dim witted as we encouraged her to jump that long body up from the side of the milking stand where her nose would rapidly approach the side wall of the milk house, instead of simply walking to the end and hopping up with room to step forward to the grain pan.
3. Goats know to call for help in a crisis.
This evening, just as we were sitting down to supper, a chorus of goaty bleats arose from the goat yard. I could hear the two month old mini-doeling, as well as the two new goats, and a muffled dwarf-mom's voice.
The new milk house used to be a chicken house with a *very* small chicken sized door near the foundation for the hens to come and go during the day. We hadn't latched this little door, as it was (to us humans) obviously too small for our goats to get through. However, for a determined dwarf goat, it looked like an opportunity. The dwarf momma had squeezed her bulk through that little door, and she was now inside, calling for her doeling...or for rescue. The doeling was hopping around and hollering, fully aware of where mom went, but unsure of how to get there herself. The two new full size goats were standing outside calling for help because they knew a crisis was in full force, and help was required from the humans.
Goats....don't you just love them? :)
Friday, February 09, 2007
Getting Caught Up
I haven't posted since the Christmas season, so I guess I need to get things caught up and then get back into some sort of rhythm. As my life has no rhythm, that may be a challenge!
In January, I made a trip to Memphis to take Wendy the blue van so that she didn't have to drive Nathan's 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel truck. Dan has one of these, too, and driving those behemoths is a big challenge in any city. The van is much more a ladies vehicle, with lots of room for Cole's car seat, etc.
Wendy's mom, Charlotte, arrived in Memphis while I was there, so we became the Granma's-In-Residence and quickly drove our offspring crazy by trying to help and be supportive. This lead to a bit of a conflict, with Charlotte and myself yielding on as many fronts as possible so that the stress level for our kids wouldn't increase any more than Cole's situation has caused. Our distress is minor compared to theirs.
Nathan took me back to the Cabin In The Woods, finally getting to see that countryside for the first time. He especially seemed to like the pasture at the top of the hill near the hand hewn log barn, and he agrees that it's a perfect spot for a house. With a bit of careful tree removal, the view across the Ozarks would be spectacular.
The end of January saw me heading back to Texas in Minnie's car. That's Lonnie's mom, and she isn't driving just new because she's recovering from shoulder replacement surgery.
Two weeks in Texas will enable me to get caught up on some things and (hopefully) get the tax info for the corporation, trust, and our personal tax return to the accountant. Yeah, I know it's early, but it takes a load off my mind to get it done and delivered. Mom used to get extensions every year, and I never could understand that. Reduce stress....get it done!
Sooooo.........that's where I am now. It's Friday, February 9, and I have delivered the corporate return info and the trust return info already. Today's goal is the personal stuff.
If all goes well, I'll be back on the road Sunday. Cole's surgery to remove the tumor is on Tuesday, and I want to be close by for that.
Say a prayer and throw pixie dust for safe travels and successful easy surgery.
In January, I made a trip to Memphis to take Wendy the blue van so that she didn't have to drive Nathan's 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel truck. Dan has one of these, too, and driving those behemoths is a big challenge in any city. The van is much more a ladies vehicle, with lots of room for Cole's car seat, etc.
Wendy's mom, Charlotte, arrived in Memphis while I was there, so we became the Granma's-In-Residence and quickly drove our offspring crazy by trying to help and be supportive. This lead to a bit of a conflict, with Charlotte and myself yielding on as many fronts as possible so that the stress level for our kids wouldn't increase any more than Cole's situation has caused. Our distress is minor compared to theirs.
Nathan took me back to the Cabin In The Woods, finally getting to see that countryside for the first time. He especially seemed to like the pasture at the top of the hill near the hand hewn log barn, and he agrees that it's a perfect spot for a house. With a bit of careful tree removal, the view across the Ozarks would be spectacular.
The end of January saw me heading back to Texas in Minnie's car. That's Lonnie's mom, and she isn't driving just new because she's recovering from shoulder replacement surgery.
Two weeks in Texas will enable me to get caught up on some things and (hopefully) get the tax info for the corporation, trust, and our personal tax return to the accountant. Yeah, I know it's early, but it takes a load off my mind to get it done and delivered. Mom used to get extensions every year, and I never could understand that. Reduce stress....get it done!
Sooooo.........that's where I am now. It's Friday, February 9, and I have delivered the corporate return info and the trust return info already. Today's goal is the personal stuff.
If all goes well, I'll be back on the road Sunday. Cole's surgery to remove the tumor is on Tuesday, and I want to be close by for that.
Say a prayer and throw pixie dust for safe travels and successful easy surgery.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Christmas Quilt Top Finished
Got the top finished this morning. I'll probably not get around to quilting it till next year, but I'm pleased with how it looks. Applique still isn't my favorite, but the results are nice.
Christmas Eve, 2006
It's the morning of Christmas Eve. Dan and I are home in Ganado. Nathan, Wendy, and Cole are in Memphis for Cole's cancer treatment. Travis and MaryAlice are in Austin, doing Christmas with her family.
We got over two inches of rain with a very windy cold front last night, so the yard and plants are well watered. I wish the Christmas elves would come weed all my flowerbeds, rebuild my rasied vegetable beds, and rake the leaves.
Yesterday was spent at Jimmy's, making smoked sausage, head sausage with barley, and tamales. We worked from 9:30 till 4:30 in the afternoon, and my legs and back are a bit tired today, but it was a wonderful soothing project. Just steady work with good tasting products to show for it at the end of the day.
Today will be spent doing the preparations for a small Christmas dinner. There's no reason to bake a huge turkey for the two of us, so I'll be cooking just a turkey breast. Of course, one must have all the side dishes, too, so it's really not any less work.
I've also got to get some sorting and throwing away and storing things done as well. It's especially difficult now that I've been gone so much dealing with various crisis situations over the last two years, and my house has acquired much too much furniture and too many family keepsakes. Some hard decisions about what to keep are going to have to be made.
There's much to be done this week and next, but I'm going to try to keep my focus on today. What is...is. I can only live in the present.
We got over two inches of rain with a very windy cold front last night, so the yard and plants are well watered. I wish the Christmas elves would come weed all my flowerbeds, rebuild my rasied vegetable beds, and rake the leaves.
Yesterday was spent at Jimmy's, making smoked sausage, head sausage with barley, and tamales. We worked from 9:30 till 4:30 in the afternoon, and my legs and back are a bit tired today, but it was a wonderful soothing project. Just steady work with good tasting products to show for it at the end of the day.
Today will be spent doing the preparations for a small Christmas dinner. There's no reason to bake a huge turkey for the two of us, so I'll be cooking just a turkey breast. Of course, one must have all the side dishes, too, so it's really not any less work.
I've also got to get some sorting and throwing away and storing things done as well. It's especially difficult now that I've been gone so much dealing with various crisis situations over the last two years, and my house has acquired much too much furniture and too many family keepsakes. Some hard decisions about what to keep are going to have to be made.
There's much to be done this week and next, but I'm going to try to keep my focus on today. What is...is. I can only live in the present.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Life Going In An Unexpected Direction
Shortly after my last post, we had Thanksgiving, the Longhorn/Aggie game, and life settled into a routine again. For a couple of days.
I went to Missouri to help out with Lonnie's situation. Kathleen had foot surgery, and then Minnie, Lonnie's mom, fell and shattered her right shoulder. She had to have shoulder joint replacement surgery and is now living with Lonnie and Kathleen.
Over that holiday weekend, I had a feeling of needing to call Nathan and Wendy. I fought it off for a couple of days, then called. Turns out Nathan had taken Cole (age 2 1/2) to the Emergency Room on Saturday, November 25, because he was limping and reluctant to walk.
Within three days, Cole was admitted to the hospital and cancer was suspected. Every family's worst nightmare was coming true for us.
I left Missouri on Thursday and flew to San Diego to be house sitter and backup for Wendy and Nathan. Dan drove out the next week. By December 9th, Cole was being transported to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
What I will record here are my thoughts on being a grandmother of a very ill little boy. It has been an emotional roller coaster for all of us, and after seeing the wonderful job that Wendy and Nathan are doing recording their experiences, I didn't want to intrude on their carepages.com website. I have this little corner of the Internet of my own.
I went to Missouri to help out with Lonnie's situation. Kathleen had foot surgery, and then Minnie, Lonnie's mom, fell and shattered her right shoulder. She had to have shoulder joint replacement surgery and is now living with Lonnie and Kathleen.
Over that holiday weekend, I had a feeling of needing to call Nathan and Wendy. I fought it off for a couple of days, then called. Turns out Nathan had taken Cole (age 2 1/2) to the Emergency Room on Saturday, November 25, because he was limping and reluctant to walk.
Within three days, Cole was admitted to the hospital and cancer was suspected. Every family's worst nightmare was coming true for us.
I left Missouri on Thursday and flew to San Diego to be house sitter and backup for Wendy and Nathan. Dan drove out the next week. By December 9th, Cole was being transported to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
What I will record here are my thoughts on being a grandmother of a very ill little boy. It has been an emotional roller coaster for all of us, and after seeing the wonderful job that Wendy and Nathan are doing recording their experiences, I didn't want to intrude on their carepages.com website. I have this little corner of the Internet of my own.
Monday, November 20, 2006
The Office of Multiplicity - The Saga Continues
Progress continues across the street at my Office of Multiplicity. Currently, while Lonnie is past due for his usual southern migration because of health issues with Kathleen and his mother, my neighbor and renter, Roger, is doing some of the work. He is installing the bamboo flooring and has only one room remaining - the sun room addition on the back of the house.
The biggest hurdle besides time on this project is overcoming the many design and installation booby traps left by Lynn. She left the crown molding unfinished in the living room, bathroom and sun room. Because she had not installed the kitchen cabinets, there was no crown molding there yet.
I was very intimidated by the need to finish that aspect of the remodeling job. If you look on the Internet, crown molding installation is the most difficult kind of finishing work. You have to cut the corners on a compound mitre saw, and some of the cuts are upside down and backwards. I don't normally do visual/tactile puzzles at all, so this is absolutely my least favorite type of work.
We discovered that the molding Lynn installed was upside down. That means I had to continue with it in that mode, but this turned out to be the least of our concerns. Some of her mitre cuts turned out to be at very odd angles, making it difficultt to start the next run. Some pieces of molding didn't quite extend into the corners of the rooms, which made it hard to install the next piece without leaving a gap. Some of the pieces were not installed at the correct angle in relationship to the wall and ceiling, which made it impossible to install the next piece correctly. The ceiling, even in the room that she and her husband built is very uneven, which made the molding bend and difficult to nail in place. Because of the incorrect construction of the pantry unit, there was a 1/4 inch gap between the top of the pantry and the edge of the crown molding. Roger removed the pantry again, installed flooring under it, and reinstalled it 5/8" higher, eliminating the spacing problem.
This past weekend, I also hired my former student Chris Faas to reorganize and clean up the workshop. It had been rather badly treated by Lynn, as she dumped out plumbing fittings and failed to replace them in their bins, stacked building materials, and generally left a mess behind after using the work space. Chris spent 13 hours over two days working a miracle there. He has a gift for organization, and he's quick to throw out junk, even when the temptation is to keep it "because we might use it some day." Good job, Chris!!!
The current goal is to have the last of the flooring in and the crown molding caulked and painted by the end of the Thanksgiving weekend.
The biggest hurdle besides time on this project is overcoming the many design and installation booby traps left by Lynn. She left the crown molding unfinished in the living room, bathroom and sun room. Because she had not installed the kitchen cabinets, there was no crown molding there yet.
I was very intimidated by the need to finish that aspect of the remodeling job. If you look on the Internet, crown molding installation is the most difficult kind of finishing work. You have to cut the corners on a compound mitre saw, and some of the cuts are upside down and backwards. I don't normally do visual/tactile puzzles at all, so this is absolutely my least favorite type of work.
We discovered that the molding Lynn installed was upside down. That means I had to continue with it in that mode, but this turned out to be the least of our concerns. Some of her mitre cuts turned out to be at very odd angles, making it difficultt to start the next run. Some pieces of molding didn't quite extend into the corners of the rooms, which made it hard to install the next piece without leaving a gap. Some of the pieces were not installed at the correct angle in relationship to the wall and ceiling, which made it impossible to install the next piece correctly. The ceiling, even in the room that she and her husband built is very uneven, which made the molding bend and difficult to nail in place. Because of the incorrect construction of the pantry unit, there was a 1/4 inch gap between the top of the pantry and the edge of the crown molding. Roger removed the pantry again, installed flooring under it, and reinstalled it 5/8" higher, eliminating the spacing problem.
This past weekend, I also hired my former student Chris Faas to reorganize and clean up the workshop. It had been rather badly treated by Lynn, as she dumped out plumbing fittings and failed to replace them in their bins, stacked building materials, and generally left a mess behind after using the work space. Chris spent 13 hours over two days working a miracle there. He has a gift for organization, and he's quick to throw out junk, even when the temptation is to keep it "because we might use it some day." Good job, Chris!!!
The current goal is to have the last of the flooring in and the crown molding caulked and painted by the end of the Thanksgiving weekend.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
I love Halloween!
Here I am, back home from a quick two week trip to Missouri. It's Halloween, and I love Halloween. We don't normally get many trick-or-treaters, but we'll have a few this year with the kids living on our road.
I'll have to come up with a quick costume. Maybe my red velvet dress and my hair up and lots of spooky makeup?
I've got an incredible list of things to do, but I feel very energized, not overwhelmed. This is a good thing!
I'll have to come up with a quick costume. Maybe my red velvet dress and my hair up and lots of spooky makeup?
I've got an incredible list of things to do, but I feel very energized, not overwhelmed. This is a good thing!
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Getting Stuff Done
Lynn had said that over the summer, she would get most of the work finished on the Office of Multiplicity, across the street from my house. For some reason, she filled her summer break from school with other activities and only got a few things done. When school started, I hoped she would still come on weekends to finish. Unfortunately, this hasn't happened, and when she stopped returning cell phone calls, emails, or calls to her school, it became obvious that she didn't need the cash any more and had lost interest in the project.
Luckily, the gentleman who rents The Blue House is a former house remodeler, and he's jumped into the void and is working on the project on weekends. He has finished the room that will actually be my office, complete with bamboo flooring, and now he's at work on the kitchen, which must be done before the rest of the flooring.
What we have discovered in the past few weeks is another clue in why Lynn quit. She had made a number of decisions during the course of the project that were about to become problems.
1. On the doorway between the kitchen and sun room, she installed the door jamb and panelling in the wrong order, leaving the facing off. Turns out that the facing cannot be installed now without leaving an obvious gap that would run from the top of the door to the floor. Also, when the door facing is installed, the oven door may not open, and we most likely can't pull out the range.
2. The electrician installed the boxes and plugs before the paneling, so Lynn *should have* loosened them and moved them to the front of the paneling. She didn't. So, if you try to put the face plates on the plugs and switches, the screws won't even reach, and the plugs and switches are recessed in the wall.
3. In the bathroom, the linen closet unit was built so short that the crown molding will not cover the gap between the top and the ceiling.
4. The pantry unit for the kitchen was built too tall, and we couldn't stand it up without ruining the ceiling. The solution for that was cutting an inch off the bottom of the unit.
We don't know what else will show up as we work our way through the rest of the project, but it is frustrating to have these problems reveal themselves after she stopped communicating and working. She let me down, and I think she let herself down. It appears she worked herself into a corner where she was going to have to admit she had made mistakes, and instead of dealing with it, she disappeared. It's sad.
Luckily, the gentleman who rents The Blue House is a former house remodeler, and he's jumped into the void and is working on the project on weekends. He has finished the room that will actually be my office, complete with bamboo flooring, and now he's at work on the kitchen, which must be done before the rest of the flooring.
What we have discovered in the past few weeks is another clue in why Lynn quit. She had made a number of decisions during the course of the project that were about to become problems.
1. On the doorway between the kitchen and sun room, she installed the door jamb and panelling in the wrong order, leaving the facing off. Turns out that the facing cannot be installed now without leaving an obvious gap that would run from the top of the door to the floor. Also, when the door facing is installed, the oven door may not open, and we most likely can't pull out the range.
2. The electrician installed the boxes and plugs before the paneling, so Lynn *should have* loosened them and moved them to the front of the paneling. She didn't. So, if you try to put the face plates on the plugs and switches, the screws won't even reach, and the plugs and switches are recessed in the wall.
3. In the bathroom, the linen closet unit was built so short that the crown molding will not cover the gap between the top and the ceiling.
4. The pantry unit for the kitchen was built too tall, and we couldn't stand it up without ruining the ceiling. The solution for that was cutting an inch off the bottom of the unit.
We don't know what else will show up as we work our way through the rest of the project, but it is frustrating to have these problems reveal themselves after she stopped communicating and working. She let me down, and I think she let herself down. It appears she worked herself into a corner where she was going to have to admit she had made mistakes, and instead of dealing with it, she disappeared. It's sad.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
The History of Clutter
Nathan was completely correct on his last visit home when he said that the house is filled with clutter. It touched a nerve because the clutter level has REALLY been bothering me, too, but the last two years have been so hectic that I haven't been able to make any large headway in the de-cluttering campaign.
What I have realized since Mom died is that you can't keep everything that has a memory attached. Mom kept too much from her mother's house, and in the months just after Mom's passing, I felt obligated to keep a lot of those things, plus things from Mom's house that held memories for me. Unfortunately, there isn't room for all those objects in my home. A couple of things will move over to the "office" across the street when that remodeling project is complete, but many things just need to be sold or donated to the Goodwill.
There are many things in various rooms that are momentos of Travis and Nathan's school years, too. These objects need to be sorted and stored by the owners...not me. Be forewarned, offspring, you may be receiving a package in the mail. :-)
When I left my teaching position at LHS, there were many art supplies and books and some furniture that came home with me. I had spent so much money out of my own pocket that I wasn't going to leave it behind to be thrown away. I have supplies for watercolor, pastels, quilting, sewing, origami, and etc etc etc.
Besides all this, there is complete collection of sports equipment, travel souvenirs, books and just plain stuff that accumulates when you live in the same house for over thirty years.
My goal for the winter of 2006 - 2007 is to finish the office, move furniture, have a yard sale, take stuff to the Goodwill, and generally declutter my home. I have made a start. I've made two trips to the Goodwill with things from the bathroom cabinets and the living room, and one trip to Helping Hands in Edna.
Stay tuned for updates!
What I have realized since Mom died is that you can't keep everything that has a memory attached. Mom kept too much from her mother's house, and in the months just after Mom's passing, I felt obligated to keep a lot of those things, plus things from Mom's house that held memories for me. Unfortunately, there isn't room for all those objects in my home. A couple of things will move over to the "office" across the street when that remodeling project is complete, but many things just need to be sold or donated to the Goodwill.
There are many things in various rooms that are momentos of Travis and Nathan's school years, too. These objects need to be sorted and stored by the owners...not me. Be forewarned, offspring, you may be receiving a package in the mail. :-)
When I left my teaching position at LHS, there were many art supplies and books and some furniture that came home with me. I had spent so much money out of my own pocket that I wasn't going to leave it behind to be thrown away. I have supplies for watercolor, pastels, quilting, sewing, origami, and etc etc etc.
Besides all this, there is complete collection of sports equipment, travel souvenirs, books and just plain stuff that accumulates when you live in the same house for over thirty years.
My goal for the winter of 2006 - 2007 is to finish the office, move furniture, have a yard sale, take stuff to the Goodwill, and generally declutter my home. I have made a start. I've made two trips to the Goodwill with things from the bathroom cabinets and the living room, and one trip to Helping Hands in Edna.
Stay tuned for updates!
Monday, August 14, 2006
from Hornfans.com - Nathan's post
Re: What is it that makes you a Texas fan?
Like many of you, I was pretty much born into it. My grandmother got her degree from UT in the mid 40's, Dad was on the Track & Field team from 68-70, and met my mom at the Texas Relays a few years later. Mom was a freshman PE major at the time.
I pretty much grew up going to every home game from the time I was 5, we also went to the games in Houston when Texas was playing Rice or UH. I remember wanting to be Eric Metcalf, and going to the Letterman's round-up each year and getting to meet Earl Campbell and those guys was a dream come true. After each game, Milkman Dan and I would beg my parents to take us to Rooster Andrews so we could get a t-shirt or a hat. I wore #60 in high school, because I was a linebacker, and that's the number that any decent linebacker in Texas should want to wear.
Just like my dad, I spent a few years in the Navy before going to UT and trying out for a team. I didn't know what my chances were of getting on the squad, but I knew that if I didn't at least try out I would regret it for the rest of my life. I survived the 2 day try-out process and made the squad with about 18 other guys. Only myself and 3 others from that group finished with degrees, letters, and T-Rings.
While at school, I also met my wife Wendy. She was one of the first members of the UT crew team, and she is also a Letter winner at UT. There is a pretty unique story about how we met. Mom and Dad met at the shot-put ring one the eastern side of the south end-zone at the Texas Relays in the early 70's. The current location of the weight room is in the western corner of the south end zone. Wendy and I met about 75 feet from where my parents first met. That's pretty wild.
My son, Cole, is probably the only person that I know who has more Orange blood than I do. Both of his parents were UT jocks, and he is named after a UT football player. He went to his first UT game (the Texas/Michigan Rose Bowl) before his first birthday, and he loved it. I can't wait to take him to the letterman's round-ups when he gets a little older. If his mom has anything to say about it, he will keep the athletic tradition alive.
Like many of you, I was pretty much born into it. My grandmother got her degree from UT in the mid 40's, Dad was on the Track & Field team from 68-70, and met my mom at the Texas Relays a few years later. Mom was a freshman PE major at the time.
I pretty much grew up going to every home game from the time I was 5, we also went to the games in Houston when Texas was playing Rice or UH. I remember wanting to be Eric Metcalf, and going to the Letterman's round-up each year and getting to meet Earl Campbell and those guys was a dream come true. After each game, Milkman Dan and I would beg my parents to take us to Rooster Andrews so we could get a t-shirt or a hat. I wore #60 in high school, because I was a linebacker, and that's the number that any decent linebacker in Texas should want to wear.
Just like my dad, I spent a few years in the Navy before going to UT and trying out for a team. I didn't know what my chances were of getting on the squad, but I knew that if I didn't at least try out I would regret it for the rest of my life. I survived the 2 day try-out process and made the squad with about 18 other guys. Only myself and 3 others from that group finished with degrees, letters, and T-Rings.
While at school, I also met my wife Wendy. She was one of the first members of the UT crew team, and she is also a Letter winner at UT. There is a pretty unique story about how we met. Mom and Dad met at the shot-put ring one the eastern side of the south end-zone at the Texas Relays in the early 70's. The current location of the weight room is in the western corner of the south end zone. Wendy and I met about 75 feet from where my parents first met. That's pretty wild.
My son, Cole, is probably the only person that I know who has more Orange blood than I do. Both of his parents were UT jocks, and he is named after a UT football player. He went to his first UT game (the Texas/Michigan Rose Bowl) before his first birthday, and he loved it. I can't wait to take him to the letterman's round-ups when he gets a little older. If his mom has anything to say about it, he will keep the athletic tradition alive.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Gelding The Stallion, formerly known as Lucky
Lucky had his gelding procedure yesterday. I moved the horses around between the
pastures to put the mares out on the grass, and Lucky up close to the house where we would have easy access to him when the vet arrived.
Unfortunately, when a mare's foal is a week old, the mare has 'foal heat' and is willing to be bred again. The brown mare is coming in to that, and Lucky went over one fence and through a pasture to get to her. I got to him before he got busy with her....there's a lot of flirting that goes before any action with horses. I got them all sorted out and him tied up to a fence far away from the ladies.
We made a quick four wheeler run to the cabin for some tools, and when we got back, the new baby had gotten outside of the two strand electric fence and wanted back with his momma very badly, but was NOT going to touch that fence again. It took some strategy and luck to get him back in, as he is not tame yet. Lonnie worked the gate, and I moved past the colt and encouraged him to go toward the opening. Thank goodness it worked the first time, and we didn't have to spend an hour running around in the pasture.
Then, the vet got here. We moved Lucky to a shady and clean part of the lawn, gave him the anesthesia shots, and he got wobbly legged, and then sat and rolled over....the wrong direction. This is a HUGE horse that probably weighs 1300 lbs,
even skinny. So, the vet and I each grabbed a let, me on the front, him on the back, and rolled him over. I stayed at Lucky's head, the vet started to get the job done,
and I had to start singing to the horse so I wouldn't HEAR the cutting. URK!
Then, we had to keep the dogs out of the bucket of .......parts.
It took Lucky about 30 minutes to come to, and he wobbled around for about another hour. When he was grazing and steady we went in the house, leaving him tied in the shade on a long grazing rope (something he is used to.) Next time we looked out, he had broken free and was over by the mares again. GEEEEEZZ.
Luckily, he's easy to catch, so he was returned to his own pasture. I put his new halter on, which happened to be pink. He managed to lose it over night. Guess he didn't appreciate pink in his newly neutered condition.
pastures to put the mares out on the grass, and Lucky up close to the house where we would have easy access to him when the vet arrived.
Unfortunately, when a mare's foal is a week old, the mare has 'foal heat' and is willing to be bred again. The brown mare is coming in to that, and Lucky went over one fence and through a pasture to get to her. I got to him before he got busy with her....there's a lot of flirting that goes before any action with horses. I got them all sorted out and him tied up to a fence far away from the ladies.
We made a quick four wheeler run to the cabin for some tools, and when we got back, the new baby had gotten outside of the two strand electric fence and wanted back with his momma very badly, but was NOT going to touch that fence again. It took some strategy and luck to get him back in, as he is not tame yet. Lonnie worked the gate, and I moved past the colt and encouraged him to go toward the opening. Thank goodness it worked the first time, and we didn't have to spend an hour running around in the pasture.
Then, the vet got here. We moved Lucky to a shady and clean part of the lawn, gave him the anesthesia shots, and he got wobbly legged, and then sat and rolled over....the wrong direction. This is a HUGE horse that probably weighs 1300 lbs,
even skinny. So, the vet and I each grabbed a let, me on the front, him on the back, and rolled him over. I stayed at Lucky's head, the vet started to get the job done,
and I had to start singing to the horse so I wouldn't HEAR the cutting. URK!
Then, we had to keep the dogs out of the bucket of .......parts.
It took Lucky about 30 minutes to come to, and he wobbled around for about another hour. When he was grazing and steady we went in the house, leaving him tied in the shade on a long grazing rope (something he is used to.) Next time we looked out, he had broken free and was over by the mares again. GEEEEEZZ.
Luckily, he's easy to catch, so he was returned to his own pasture. I put his new halter on, which happened to be pink. He managed to lose it over night. Guess he didn't appreciate pink in his newly neutered condition.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Call Me A Roofer
The "Doll House" has been having some leaky roof issues during some of the recent tropical downpours. A couple of years ago, I had a local roofer use the roll roofing to try to solve that problem. It only worked temporarily, and the time came to make major improvements.
My friend, Lynn, who has been doing much of the recent work on the Office of Multiplicity, said she would come early today to help me put the roof on. She always brings her daughter, Misty, age 13, who is normally an excellent helper. Lynn said that she wouldn't get on the roof, but Lynn is normally fearless, and I expected her to climb up and pitch in after the first few minutes. Oh, how wrong I was!
Lynn and Misty arrived at 8:00 AM, which is good, because the temperatures were projected to rise to the mid 90's. I went up to start freeing up the flashing at the upper end of this 24' x 13' roof area. Lynn and Misty stood on the ground, talking to my renter, Frankie. Lynn again declined to get on the room, and Misty followed her mother's lead. The whole roofing project was then up to me.
Lynn tossed me tools when I needed them and handed up the V-crimp sheet metal one piece at at time. They are unweildy due to length, so I'm glad she helped with that, but Frankie did just as well when Lynn went to Klekar's Lumber Yard to get more meta. After I got over my irritation at the lack of help, I got into a rhythm of lining up the 14' sheets of metal and screwing them down to the deck. Thank goodness, it's not a very steep roof. It took twelve sheets of 14' and five sheets of 8' V-crimp to cover the roof over the kitchen and back porch/steps.
During the process, Lynn noticed the fat next door neighbor leaning against his porch post, watching us work. She was really grumbling under her breath about it, so I finally looked up and said to him (with a smile), "You could come help!"
He laughed and said, "I just find it surprising to see two women working."
I had to resist the urge to show him a one finger salute and instead told him, "I wouldn't phrase it that way if I were you." Lynn added some comments about men working, and the fellow went into his house.
Luckily, the weather was partly cloudy, and I had occasional shade from white puffy clouds. When the sun came out, the roof really started heating up. The last ten minutes of work, just before 11:00 AM were horribly hot. I drank two bottles of water during the process, but I still lost three pounds during the three hours it took to get the roof on.
That's a project that's been looming over me for a while, and I'm glad to get it finished. Proud of my work on it, too, especially since it turned out to be an almost solo project!
My friend, Lynn, who has been doing much of the recent work on the Office of Multiplicity, said she would come early today to help me put the roof on. She always brings her daughter, Misty, age 13, who is normally an excellent helper. Lynn said that she wouldn't get on the roof, but Lynn is normally fearless, and I expected her to climb up and pitch in after the first few minutes. Oh, how wrong I was!
Lynn and Misty arrived at 8:00 AM, which is good, because the temperatures were projected to rise to the mid 90's. I went up to start freeing up the flashing at the upper end of this 24' x 13' roof area. Lynn and Misty stood on the ground, talking to my renter, Frankie. Lynn again declined to get on the room, and Misty followed her mother's lead. The whole roofing project was then up to me.
Lynn tossed me tools when I needed them and handed up the V-crimp sheet metal one piece at at time. They are unweildy due to length, so I'm glad she helped with that, but Frankie did just as well when Lynn went to Klekar's Lumber Yard to get more meta. After I got over my irritation at the lack of help, I got into a rhythm of lining up the 14' sheets of metal and screwing them down to the deck. Thank goodness, it's not a very steep roof. It took twelve sheets of 14' and five sheets of 8' V-crimp to cover the roof over the kitchen and back porch/steps.
During the process, Lynn noticed the fat next door neighbor leaning against his porch post, watching us work. She was really grumbling under her breath about it, so I finally looked up and said to him (with a smile), "You could come help!"
He laughed and said, "I just find it surprising to see two women working."
I had to resist the urge to show him a one finger salute and instead told him, "I wouldn't phrase it that way if I were you." Lynn added some comments about men working, and the fellow went into his house.
Luckily, the weather was partly cloudy, and I had occasional shade from white puffy clouds. When the sun came out, the roof really started heating up. The last ten minutes of work, just before 11:00 AM were horribly hot. I drank two bottles of water during the process, but I still lost three pounds during the three hours it took to get the roof on.
That's a project that's been looming over me for a while, and I'm glad to get it finished. Proud of my work on it, too, especially since it turned out to be an almost solo project!
Friday, July 14, 2006
A Positive Frame of Mind
Over on www.homesteadingtoday.com, there are some folks who just LOVE to be negative, especially if it's a gloom and doom prediction based on a recent media story.
One of the most prolific negative posters started a thread this morning, predicting what was going to happen as fuel prices rise. "Purchases of things other than what is needed to maintain what we presently have will be very rare. Watch for headlines stating 'starvation in the cities', you will be rewarded. Collage educations will be worthless, learning to survive will be priceless. The depression of the 30's will appear as being a cake walk, compared to whats coming. I expect to see small compounds banning together to survive, we are headed to third world status; maybe not within my life time but in the near future. Teach your children how to raise foods, hunt and fish, defend their selves, there is no one available to bail us out..."
For some reason, I have a difficult time staying out of these silly discussions, and I posted a very short simple rebuttal saying that we can't predict the future and that I preferred not to tell myself and others negative stories about what may happen.
That opened the floodgates to the other Negative Nellies, and when one of them said that my problem was that I wear rose colored glasses, my patience snapped. Herewith, my reply....
You know, I just am totally amazed every time I get hammered for positive thinking. There are some folks on this board that just can't stand it when someone stands up for not being gloom and doom. You'd think I'd learn to keep my mouth shut.
I will be more specific:
A. We bought Howard Ruff's _How to live in the coming bad years_ back in the 70's. Then, we bought gold and silver, stocked up on emergency food, etc etc. His predictions fell on their fanny.
B. A few years ago, we heard all about how the Mexicans were going to march up Highway 59 and invade. They didn't.
C. We heard about all the diseases that were supposed to wipe out half the population and decimate the ecomony. They didn't.
D. We read on other threads about the "decline of the small town," but if you LOOK, there are thriving, wonderful small towns. I know this, I live near one and travel through them frequently.
E. I have faith in the citizens of the United States and their ability to respond to whatever the world economy throws at us.
F. What I don't do is fall for every media-hyped Chicken Little story.
G. We have traveled internationally for business, and I realize that our 'middle class' is so far more wealthy that most of the rest of the world that our whining about it makes us a laughing stock on a global level.
I don't have rose colored glasses, and I resent the personal attack(s.) What I do have is a paid for home, a garden, and a plan. Because we have been working our plan for 30 years, we are farther down the homestead road than a lot of the people on this list, and I get hammered for that, too. We are successful, and we have worked hard to get here.
And some of you don't like that.
One of the most prolific negative posters started a thread this morning, predicting what was going to happen as fuel prices rise. "Purchases of things other than what is needed to maintain what we presently have will be very rare. Watch for headlines stating 'starvation in the cities', you will be rewarded. Collage educations will be worthless, learning to survive will be priceless. The depression of the 30's will appear as being a cake walk, compared to whats coming. I expect to see small compounds banning together to survive, we are headed to third world status; maybe not within my life time but in the near future. Teach your children how to raise foods, hunt and fish, defend their selves, there is no one available to bail us out..."
For some reason, I have a difficult time staying out of these silly discussions, and I posted a very short simple rebuttal saying that we can't predict the future and that I preferred not to tell myself and others negative stories about what may happen.
That opened the floodgates to the other Negative Nellies, and when one of them said that my problem was that I wear rose colored glasses, my patience snapped. Herewith, my reply....
You know, I just am totally amazed every time I get hammered for positive thinking. There are some folks on this board that just can't stand it when someone stands up for not being gloom and doom. You'd think I'd learn to keep my mouth shut.
I will be more specific:
A. We bought Howard Ruff's _How to live in the coming bad years_ back in the 70's. Then, we bought gold and silver, stocked up on emergency food, etc etc. His predictions fell on their fanny.
B. A few years ago, we heard all about how the Mexicans were going to march up Highway 59 and invade. They didn't.
C. We heard about all the diseases that were supposed to wipe out half the population and decimate the ecomony. They didn't.
D. We read on other threads about the "decline of the small town," but if you LOOK, there are thriving, wonderful small towns. I know this, I live near one and travel through them frequently.
E. I have faith in the citizens of the United States and their ability to respond to whatever the world economy throws at us.
F. What I don't do is fall for every media-hyped Chicken Little story.
G. We have traveled internationally for business, and I realize that our 'middle class' is so far more wealthy that most of the rest of the world that our whining about it makes us a laughing stock on a global level.
I don't have rose colored glasses, and I resent the personal attack(s.) What I do have is a paid for home, a garden, and a plan. Because we have been working our plan for 30 years, we are farther down the homestead road than a lot of the people on this list, and I get hammered for that, too. We are successful, and we have worked hard to get here.
And some of you don't like that.
Call Me A Mechanic
I had some trouble with the riding lawn mower this morning. This is the relatively new Craftsman 20 HP, 42 inch cut machine. I cleaned the air filters, sprayed carb cleaner in the appropriate orifice, then saw a telltale drip. The fuel line to the carborator was cracked and leaking in two places. I went to Bep's and got new fuel line, then called Sears to get instructions on getting to the end of the line that I couldn't see. They wouldn't tell me, as it was a 'safety issue,' and recommended that I call for service. I had already checked online, and the soonest a repair person could get here was July 26.
Sooooooooooooooooooooo, I took off the housing for the air filter, and TA-DA, there was the other end of the fuel line. Got that replaced, then decided to check all the sections of the line and the fuel filter. Went back to Bep's for more parts, and got it all put back together. The mower's running nicely now, but the temp is 94 degrees outside, and I'm taking a break!!
Anyway, I'm pleased. The base charge for Sears coming out if you don't have a service agreement is $94, so I think I did pretty well by doing that project myself.
Sooooooooooooooooooooo, I took off the housing for the air filter, and TA-DA, there was the other end of the fuel line. Got that replaced, then decided to check all the sections of the line and the fuel filter. Went back to Bep's for more parts, and got it all put back together. The mower's running nicely now, but the temp is 94 degrees outside, and I'm taking a break!!
Anyway, I'm pleased. The base charge for Sears coming out if you don't have a service agreement is $94, so I think I did pretty well by doing that project myself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)