Kids Slippers

Today was sunny and windy and 50. I got all the chores and then hand carried some of the larger logs up the hill to the little buster and split them, loaded them on the little wood dolly and brought them down to the house. Didn't take long for me to get tuckered out. ~smile~

I even worked in the garden just a tad -cleaned out one of my chicken runs and took the litter down there and started making piles as I pull up the corn stalks. I took the forked hoe and loosened up the soil so I could pull the green weeds and refilled my buckets and carried that back up the hill to share with the chickens so they could have some fresh greens.

I went up to feed Yukon at dusk and carried Crystal's load of laundry up to her tiny house that I had hung out and discovered that she still had fire in her little stove? I was shocked as she had left early this morning to go to a funeral ? Maybe that piece I had made for her stove is helping her stove work better , so I added some wood to it so it will be warm for her when she gets home.

I made this pair of slippers for one of Debbie's grand-kids but I do not particularly like them?? They are very warm and very durable since I used two stands of yarn and that would be good for active kids ?? I can not decide whether to make another pair for the other granddaughter or try another pattern????? 

Caps?

It was a cold , windy morning to get all the outdoor chores accomplished. Everything was soaking wet from a Hard rain we had most of the night. I hung out a load of laundry to dry in the wind and carried up some more wood for the day.  Once inside Casper got his apple this morning from the core where I had made an apple pie. I get tickled at him getting it all over his face. Later that evening I made a stir fry and he got celery and carrots and he had a orange beak. Maybe he will keep his good eyes?? ~smile~

Indy and Daisy loved staying indoors where it is warm.

Indy is always looking for the good that life has to offer now-no more bait dog days for him, I pray.

I completed two little caps to go with those two blankets I made for the charity event.  Time is slipping away from me , I need to get back on Christmas gifts for my family and friends as Christmas is only weeks away now and with keeping my wood pile stocked it takes up a lot of my time. I just wish wood would Magically appear , even though I know the exercise it good for me. ~smile~

Almost my Nemesis

This simple looking baby blanket almost drove me over the edge this week. When I had completed that other baby blanket I was concerned about taking 3 days to complete it-so I decided to try a different pattern!

I had got almost 3/4 of the way to completion when I discovered that I had made a Big BOOBOO and it was lopsided. I Almost threw it in the trash! But I decided I just could NOT waste that much yarn? So I ripped it out and started again - working on it another day later and discovered I had made another BOOBOO!

By now I wanted to just cry-so I ripped it out again. I decided one more try and figured out a code that my brain would accept to carry in my wee little brain and Finally it is completed. So my three day blanket turned into a 5 day blanket and with time slipping away I needed all the help I could get?

Daisy said as long as I did not disturb her anything was alright. LOL

I got more firewood carried in and shelled a few more beans. I was distressed though because my daughter's best friend lost her partner in a horrible accident. His face was crushed under a vehicle he was working on and she found him that way. Then his brother and sons descended upon her and took most everything that he owned. So, she will have to find somewhere to move with her two small grandchildren. Sometimes you just wonder why these horrible things have to happen.

My other helper ready for bed. I have to fill the woodstove first. My eyes are hurting for some reason and I discovered today that my youngest son and his wife have broken up -so my heart is hurting for them too.

We are having a Lovely Rainy day here in Va. So, it has been a great excuse for me to do things inside the house. My two helpers are really into the action. lol

I did get a baby cap made to go with the baby blanket.  Yea.

I would have got more accomplished but I ran into a program last night about saving your sight from this blasted macular degeneration. It is called the Outback Vision Protocol and it cost me a hundred dollars that I did not need to put on that credit card that is worrying me to death , Already.

But, done is done -and I have spent hours printing out information and recipes and ideas and lots of knowledge-some I knew and some I did not?

One of the sad things about it was that they used 3 green smoothies a day with specific vitamins coming from the smoothie, where I have only been making one a day -which tops out my budget? How in the world to fit in two more a day - I am still pondering that one? Money will only go so far. But I do believe in the program as the gentleman who developed it used it to save his wife's sight. Plus, others have bragged on it too- although I never know whether to trust testimonies or not? But it just feels right to me.

I am guessing it would cost 300.00 a month just for all the supplies and I only spend around a hundred to two hundred for me and the pups??? We will just have to see how it goes? You know if you had unlimited money you would spend any amount to save your eyesight-

It is absolutely Pouring the rain down here now -still holding at 59 degrees. I saw Crystal manage to get absolutely drenched as she was working outdoors on her greenhouse. I did tell her that was why her Mama liked to do things when the sun was shining! "chuckle, chuckle" . But she got me back as she left a container of laundry at the back door -UNDER a run off from the roof and when I found it everything was drenched so I could not even carry it in the house . I had to take each item separately -through the house to the wash machine????? After the first 4 times and I drowned the floor and had to mop it up - I got smart and got a dishpan to carry the last ones through?? At least I have a cleaner floor. ~smile~ Kids??????  Doesn't matter what age they are.

You May Wonder What Is this?

A good belly laugh because I found myself in that position of having too many irons in the fire? I was working on getting apples in the dehydrator , which is warm , cooking something in the oven, determined to complete a crochet project and had the wood stove going , when I realized - It WAS HOT! I checked the thermometer and it said 92! LOL - This was the rear end of Rosie sticking out from under the  chair on the Hard wood floor, where it was the coolest when I went to turn down the wood stove. But this picture caused me to have a good laugh when even you cat is HOT! LOL

This is the baby blanket that I was determined to complete BEFORE I left my chair -which lead to it being HOT! LOL -  But it is completed and ready for the Charity. I intend to make a little cap to go with it. But it did take me 3 days to complete it -so it takes about ten hours to do one and it is hard for me to find ten hours to sit down.

This was another one of my projects - Running Miss Gabby down. She has been staying with Crystal in the tiny house all Summer but now with colder weather I would like for her to be down here in the house where it is warm all day long since Crystal does not have heat during the day while she is at work. Plus, she puts her out and I do not want her out. The other night something ran her UP a Big tree and Crystal had to take her truck up in the field and park under the tree and climb up on top oher cab and rescue her off of a limb she was stuck on?

I peeked in the tiny house this morning to give her food and water but she was nowhere to be found so I spent the day searching for her and when I finally found her hiding I put her under my jacket and brought her to the house. I put her in the sewing room and fixed her 3 places to hide from the dogs since she hates dogs and the other two cats. So far I have had success and she has stayed in all day long eating and looking out the window from her cat seat in the window.

I am good and tired. Have the apples in the dehydrator and am working on making pectin????? It was a beautiful day. I did finally get rid of that monster rooster. I took him and gave him to a friend last night who took him to a sale today and sold him the very first thing. Now my poor , bedraggled hens can get a rest and maybe regrow their feathers that he had yanked out of them. ~smile~

Successful Thursday

This was such a beautiful flower I just could not leave it outdoors to freeze, so I brought it in to survive as long as it can in a dark house. It is in front of a window -but still a dark house. I do have two little starts taken off of it as the double impatients are one of my favorites.

I got all of the morning chores accomplished and then sharpened the chainsaw once again-loaded my little Tracker with the saw and the gas and the oil and headed down to the road where a friend had dumped a loaf of wood. Since I have discovered that my bar is bent I will need a new bar and chain . But payday is a while off and I need to be productive now that cold weather is here so I can work on smaller limbs

I discovered that one tankful of gas in the saw ran long enough for me to cut a small load that would fit in my vehicle. By the time I cut it and throwed it across the fence and then reloaded it into the vehicle and took it to the house and then unloaded it I was beat and hungry.I put the saw and gas and oil back in the building and carried a basket of walnuts down to the basement too. Time has a way of slipping away from you and I knew I would forget and they would freeze and they would ruin. So, now they are where they will not freeze & in about a month of so I can start cracking them. I am having so much trouble just seeing them to pick them up.

After I ate and cleaned up my mess and rested I pulled out a skein of yarn and went to work on a baby blanket I am making for the charity event. It took me about 3 hours to use up the skein and by then my shoulder and back was complaining. Everybody use to make it like when you got old you could sit in your rocker and crochet your heart of -nobody said you would be in so much pain it would be extremely hard to pull that off.

I was so stiff when I finally got up I like to never got moving to complete the outdoor chores. But I am pleased with the work for the day. I wish I could have got more wood cut but you only have so much energy . Plus, when I work my way through this wood pile I will not be able to cut large pieces because of my bar??? Winter is so hard.

A Great Day

Yep, got a lot accomplished today. After all of the morning chores I tried to work on the wood splitter but could not find the right tool to take out the plug for the oil. I am stumped on that one for the moment. So I moved on to "see" if I could sharpen my chain on my chainsaw and low and behold I had good luck!

Next to see if I could start it and , "why bust my britches" she fired right up so I took that as a good sign to go down and see what I could do with that tree in my garden. Looks very different now , doesn't it?

I am good and tired now because I discovered scrambling up and down that hill with a chainsaw on slippery leaves can just wear you out. Taking all those little branches off so you could get to the main branch was a bother too.

I ended up with a good pile of them . Sometimes I had to go up the hill to cut the larger branches to make them fall down where I could reach them as they were sticking up in the air so high. I did discover that my bar is bent on my saw so I will need almost a hundred dollars for a new bar and chain.Everywhere you look you need money and my money tree really failed this year. ~smile~

Of course one of my nosey helps had to tag along and supervise.

I ended up with a nice little pile of wood, but this is only the start. I need to bust a few of those pieces in order for me to handle them. O dear, another job- to see if I could get the gas log splitter to work? It usually hates me is why I ended up with the little electric one . Machines really do hate me .

I ended up with one little post damaged severely from being crushed. It is still in the ground bent all the way back. I had managed to get the others out from under the weight of the tree when it happened but this poor fellow was not so lucky. That little electric fence was the only thing between my second garden and those ravenous deer-who love anything humans plant to eat?

These two little criminals managed to get themselves into trouble while my back was turned running the saw. I saw a truck stop at the road and so I quit and walked down and low and behold there they were crossing the highway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BOY was I miffed at them. I thought for Sure I had trained them to stay away from that road! Thank God for some kind gentleman ! They are very unhappy and it breaks my heart to se them in the crate but at least they are safe while I am busy. I need to figure out something else when I am working outdoors and get distracted.

I finally made it indoors and completed my next set of baby items for the Sewing Guild charity in December. I think this set if cute-booties, bib and baby cap. All simple and useful. 

Now I am starved-let me go see what I can stir up.

 

Basic Crochet Beanie Hat For A Newborn

This is a simple pattern that I made tonight for anybody doing crochet projects. This one will be for a charity event. 

Fall Already?

Yesterday I had to take my beloved Mocha in for a teeth procedure.  She is 11 now and had a terrible heart condition so I was an absolute wreck. The reason we decided to do her teeth was because she has been having breathing issues , almost a gurgling and she cannot run or play without bringing it on. I always hate to wake her in the mornings because it starts her gasping . So my vet had ruled out numerous problems and thought MAYBE it is her teeth. She found some really loose and really caked with tarter and put her on antibiotics -we are all hoping it is tied to her sinuses and that this might remedy the situation?????????? So we are going on HOPE.

She felt so bad last night when I picked her up and I could remember feeling that bad at the dentist. I have her pain meds and she has been hiding from me? She breaks my heart as she tucks her little tail and runs from me????? In this picture she is hiding in a covered crate and not sleeping in her water bed???? I am hoping she forgives me as she has never had anything like this done to her in  her life?

But , So Far - Today- I have not seen her gasp for breath-one time! So keeping my prayers going and kinda holding my breath. 

I took her sister, Cocoa too because she was limping and turned out she has Lyme Disease - so she is on meds too??? My sweet babies- their health is so important to me. I want them to have the best life possible as they bring me so much joy.

After meds and chores were all caught up I spent the rest of the afternoon busting fire wood and carrying it down to the house . Then my little log splitter kinda gave up the ghost. So I did some research and discovered it is suppose to need hydraulic oil and I can't even find where you check and add it at??????????? I sure do hope we have not killed it for good. 

I also picked up another bucket of walnuts and put them on a piece of tin to dry .Tomorrow I am Hoping to go cut on that tree in the garden. But it will depend IF I can see to sharpen that chain saw and IF I can get it to start???? That is one reason I LOVE my little electric chain saw that I used today -it always starts -but my cord is not long enough to reach where the tree is???? My back is hurting -dealing with firewood and chainsaws is hard work. I just wish things did not have to be so complicated? But, I am very grateful to have the health to be able to take care of me and my critters.

I wish my son's would drop me a line every now and then , but they are busy with their own lives and challenges. There just does not seem to be enough minutes in the day for anybody to complete what they hope to so we continue on, as best we can.

This was the way my morning started.

He finally decided to  " Play Possum" after the dogs had barked and screamed at him and even pulled his hair through the cage?? I was hoping they would terrorize him enough he would not want to come back but when I turned around and saw blood on his side where they had pulled his fur I locked them in the building and carried him up into the field. I Like to NEVER got him out of the cage. He had those little fists locked so tight around the bars it was like trying to remove a monkey with a death grip. I could not just leave the cage open because Daisy had broken the latch that held the door so I Had to get him out . Finally he thumped to the ground and continued to play dead. I told him I was sorry they had hurt him - I did not mean for that to happen and then I left him in peace.

When I went back Daisy tried to Track him down so I had to tie her up in the yard with me while I worked on putting up plastic to protect the chickens in the outdoor run from the winter winds.

I worked my way all around the enclosure and attached it at the bottom too, so we will see how it holds up once the cold starts?

Then I went down and dug up my sweet potato bed and only found TWO sweet potatoes after the deer had eaten my vines about 5 weeks ago. I just kept hoping , but ????????/

Then I moved in the house and worked on putting up a light in my sewing room. The florescence light had failed so I like to never found a stud in the ceiling that I could put up a hook into and hang up a "chicken lamp". I had tried to find a swag lamp but to no avail , so I settled for the lamp that you put over your baby chicks for right now. Have to make do right now.

  

This is that beast of a rooster that someone dropped on me. He was tearing my hens all to pieces so Crystal even got tired of it and caught him and stuck him in this wee cage that he can barely turn around in? I don't have any space any bigger though? He even bit me when I fed him this afternoon. I am hoping to rehome him somehow????

When I walked down to the sweet potato bed I discovered one of my potted plants laying out in the yard-minus its pot! I checked the camera and of Course -the deer had come all the way up to the front sidewalk and grabbed this flower and drug it way down the driveway??? It is a Mother-in-law's Tongue so I repotted it so I can bring it in the house soon. They are known to be very good at helping clean the air in your house during the Winter time and very hard to kill! I need that in my dark house. Of course the deer ate the vine beside it and worked on the two peach trees again! So, I hooked up the Scarecrow once again - which squirts water at them !  They just will not take NO for an answer.

Another Adventure

Joyce and I decided that we should take time with the beautiful weather to take another hike and explore a path about 30 miles from our home. A place called Mill Creek and it was advertised as a easy to moderate hike. We cleared our calendars and took off. It was a beautiful day and we found the location in Narrows , Va. I had tried to download a map of the trails but the colors on the monitor and the colors printed on the map did not match up. I tried to enlarge the printing but even that was challenging. So, up the path we ascended and this little stone structure was the first thing I saw up above me . I do not know what it was built to be but I love anything stone. Plus, the air was so clean and refreshing that you could tell such a difference from getting away from society.

As I turned to look up our path opened up in front of us. This was quiet a different world than I was accustomed to.

There was a little stream that ran constantly to our right as we headed up the mountain. The sound was very soothing and you could feel the difference in the atmosphere .

This was my friend Joyce stretching her back when we arrived at a handmade dam built in the 1800's. It is hard to see it because the leaves have started to fall and cover the top of it.

This is the front of the little dam showing the hand carved stones that were carried and put in place. It is totally amazing how the people pulled this off and how it has withstood the test of time -especially when you consider the force of the water once the mountain floods and water pours down?

I wished for a minute that I could be a mermaid and just jump in and take a look around under the water-boy would that be COLD. lol

The forest all around us was mind-blowingly beautiful. It is hard to take in all this beauty at one time.  I did secretly keep asking God to Please not let us bump into a BEAR. ~smile~

It never ceases to amaze me how God paints every leaf and designs every twist and turn in this world of beauty. Plus, the smell - if only you could have smelled it - it was totally different from anything in my everyday life.

I asked Joyce to let me have a picture of her going up this one trail as a measurement . She is sitting on a tree across our path and the path continues up and around the side of this mountain. 

Along the way someone had arranged rock piles into formations I found very interesting?

You could look up and all you saw was more rock boulders above you.

Beneath those boulders was another simple rock formation but it really intrigued me.

There was a turn off of the main path and I wondered "WHERE in the world is she taking me"????Straight down a slope and hanging onto trees to descend brought us to this lovely waterfall.  The sound was more than any orchestra could produce and my eyes were giving me problems so at first I thought we were walking on water????? LOL Turned out to be a monstrous big flat rock .

And to our right it dropped down into this beautiful pool -but those rocks were SLICK.

Across the water was what looked like monster steps going UP and then disappearing- I was HOPING we did not have to go UP THERE??

I turned to look to my left and Joyce was taking a picture of the waterfall. They talk about when you are around water that it releases negative ions that influence your health and I sure do believe it. My body seemed to be just soaking it in and loving it.
Here is a short article about them:

Experiencing headache, uneasiness or sudden nausea in an overcrowded room is a common problem. Sometimes even in an air-conditioned room you might experience these problems.  Reason? Lack of negative ions in the room.

Don’t go by the name, there is nothing negative or unhealthy about negative ions. Negative ions are beneficial for the human body while positive ions are harmful. In fact, you will find the highest concentrations of negative ions in natural, clean air. Ions are invisible charged particles in the air – either molecules or atoms, which bear an electric charge. Some particles are positively charged and some are negatively charged. To put it simply, positive ions are molecules that have lost one or more electrons whereas negative ions are actually oxygen atoms with extra-negatively-charged electrons. Negative ions are abundant in nature, especially around waterfalls, on the ocean surf, at the beach and after a storm. They are widespread in mountains and forests.

Negative ions are present in the air we breathe in and they are also present in our bodies. The degree to which negative ions contribute to overall well-being and health is scientifically proven:

* They neutralize free radicals.
* They revitalize cell metabolism.
* They enhance immune function.
* They purify the blood.
* They balance the autonomic nervous system, promoting deep sleep and healthy digestion.
(Source: kiflow.com)

On the other hand, in polluted cities, crowded areas and in confined spaces such as offices, industrial areas, schools and cars, you will find the highest concentration of unhealthy positive ions.

AirTamer’s design is ultra compact and incredibly versatile. You can wear it around your neck (strap included) since it is smaller than most MP3 players.

The most important benefit of negative ions is that they clear the air of airborne allergens such as pollen, mold spores, bacteria and viruses. Besides they also clear the air of dust, pet dander and cigarette smoke. Negative ions perform this function by attaching themselves to positively charged particles in large numbers and negatively charging those particles. As a result, these viruses, bacteria and pollen spores become too heavy to remain airborne and are thus prevented from entering your breathing passage where they can make you fall sick. In other words, negative ions form a protective circle around you

We clawed our way back up to the mail path and on up the mountain until we came to another waterfall. It was beautiful but the path was  treacherous so we turned back on that one , but mostly because the closer you got to the waterfall -the less you could see of it???

Joyce finally got cell phone service on her phone and took a moment to call her daughter who lives in California! I can hardly believe we are on a mountain in Virginia and she is talking to her daughter all the way across the United States???????????

Joyce was an avid photographer at one time and you can find her hot on the trail for a delectable shot.

This was what she was after. I had Never seen one and probably never will again. Turns out they are called an Indian Pipe and are considered rare. They say as they continue on they will start to droop down and look like a pipe. To me - they resembled lovely Roses.

This was the only view where we could peek out and see civilization beyond us. Yuck, I am not for sure I want to go back. lol Especially when we meet two really nice ladies coming UP the mountain that we are now Descending from. They warn us that footing is slippery as all the little rocks like to rumble around under your feet. My toes complained about being squished in the tips of my shoes. I was Good and Tired now and asked the kind lady if she could guesstimate how far we were to the parking lot -hoping she would say not far!!!!!!! She laughed and peeked at her fitbit and told me Just 2.7 miles?????????????????????????? BE STILL MY BEATING HEART!

Wonder what happened to that Little Hike we had planned to recoup from our last 2 mile hike???????  Joyce was kind and bought me our lunch of supper or dinner or what ever you would call it -I was too dumified to even know. I scarfed it down with great appreciation.

We made it home in time for me to do my evening chores and I hit the bed- ONLY to discover I was now TOO WIRED to sleep.  Every time I closed my eyes I would see visions of that mountain.

One funny scene was where we were scrambling down that mountain and all of a sudden we ran across an OLD swing set for kids and an OLD wire table . I kind of chuckled to myself , thinking??? and I am carrying in my fanny pack the ONE plastic wrapper that Joyce had found a little bag of nuts in????? in her fanny pack and shared with me.