Author: Cabincrafted1

Traditions and Memories

Our daughter was due the day before my birthday 31 years ago, but she lingered until November 29. I would never decorate for Christmas until the weekend after Thanksgiving, but with that birthday, sometimes Thanksgiving came the day after my birthday, which meant I could technically begin decorating on November 22, but once daughter was old enough to realize, she made an edict that we couldn’t decorate for Christmas until after her birthday. I would sometimes put the outdoor wreaths up before, but would otherwise wait and still do.

As I started pulling out boxes, the reminiscing began. My sister in law quilts and cross stitches and many of the decorations were made by her.

One of my dear friends has given me many hand crafted gifts over the years.

When our children were young each Christmas my hubby would help them buy a Santa or village piece to add to the collection. My favorite Santas and the only ones out so far, are Tom Clark gnomes.

As I handle and place each piece I am flooded with memories of Christmas past and anticipate Christmas futures with our grandkids. Due to scheduling, the tree with it’s collection of a dated ornament for each year of our life together will have to wait for another weekend.

November 30, 2013
This Moment

This idea is from SouleMama’s blog and will be a new feature on my blog page. A single photo from the past week, no words, that I wish to remember. If you are inspired to do so, leave a link to yours in the comments for others to see.

November 29, 2013
Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is American Thanksgiving. In our family, it is a time for family, falling between my birthday and my daughter’s and her daughter was born on Thanksgiving Day two years ago. When our children were young and still at home and we still lived on Virginia’s east coast, my Dad and I took turns hosting Thanksgiving dinner, including as many family members as we could.

This year, my Dad and stepmom are in the midst of a kitchen rebuilt due to a dishwasher leak and the discovery of old asbestos floor tiles, so they will be having dinner at my stepsister’s house. Our daughter and her family spent last Thanksgiving here from Florida, we recently spent two weeks with our youngest son and his family. Our eldest son and his family are currently on a bus travelling here from Northern Virginia to spend tomorrow with us.

Yesterday, it rained and rained and rained after an ice storm the night before and today it is snowing. We are hopeful that this weather doesn’t impact their travels. The preparation for a turkey dinner with all the fixings was begun and the house was cleaned up to help reduce son’s allergy to the dogs.

The pumpkin pies made with the last pumpkin, cooked and frozen last winter. The fixings are all in the house and we are awaiting their arrival.

The chickens were let out this morning, poked heads out of the coop and drew back in. We are experiencing very high winds and the morning temperature of 31f was the day’s high, it has been blowing and plummeting all day. Normally, I don’t have food or water in their coop to keep the rodents from visiting, but today I took pity and though the pop door is open and they can go outside, they are holed up with food and water indoors.

We wish you a happy Thanksgiving from our farm to your home.

November 27, 2013
Crispy morning

A wintry mix,

Crispy grass, slick deck, mini icicles;

Fog, rain, ice pellets, and snow and snow for tomorrow.

Hope my kids on the bus tomorrow are safe.

November 26, 2013
Winter Gardening?

Last Thursday was the start of the meteorologic winter in the mountains and it came in with a roar, a literal roar of Arctic blast air and high wind gusts. I should have harvested my cabbages last Wednesday, but I didn’t. They were under a row cover, so I smugly felt they would be okay until I could get gallon plastic bags to store them in the basement fridge. That was an error on my part, a colossal error. The past two nights have dropped to between 11 and 16f. Yesterday’s high was only 26f. Today we finally bought the bags and as soon as the outdoor thermometer rose above the freezing mark, today’s high of 34f, I grabbed a big canvas sack, garden clippers, gloves, barn boots and jacket and set out to see what the damage was. It was not pretty. Fifteen small to medium cabbages frozen on the outside at least. Debate with self, do I harvest them accepting the damage that has been done or put a layer of straw and the insulated cover over them to ward off tonight’s anticipated ice storm and see if they will “recover” on the next mild stretch (assuming there will be one). Harvest now won and they were brought inside to assess the damage. After cutting one of the medium sized ones in half, I realized that they were pretty much frozen through, so instead of throwing in the towel and accepting my error and the waste it wrought, each cabbage was cut in quarters, still frozen, packed in a plastic bag and loaded into the basement freezer. Most of the cabbage we eat is cooked anyway, so they should not go to waste.

Error number 2 was leaving the large pumpkin on the front porch for the past two nights. The chickens are now enjoying the stalks and lower leaves of the cabbage, the seeds from the frozen pumpkin that I tossed into their run and split with a hatchet. If it ever thaws outside, they will eat the pumpkin down to the stem and the added bonus is that pumpkin seeds are a natural safe dewormer if any of the flock is infected.

In spite of the cold, even though egg laying has significantly dropped off, they are still producing enough for the pups and me to have one each morning and enough to put aside for the holiday baking.

Life is good on our mountain farm, just cold right now. Guess I should bundle back up and go bring in some firewood for the wood stove and fireplace, just in case the ice storm takes out the electricity.

November 25, 2013
A Week on the Farm – November 24, 2013

This week has been all over the thermometer. We had a high near 70f one day and this morning when I went out to feed, water, and let the critters, dogs and chickens out, it was 18f with a windchill that probably dropped it to near zero. The chicken’s water tub and container were solid, I couldn’t even open the container to add warm water. I think today’s agenda will include the purchase of a second smaller tub that I can fill each day. There was a light dusting of snow which the pups love. Rooting their nose along the ground and tossing the flakes into the air. The sun is out but there are still sparkling flakes blowing around in the wind.

Our neighbor is gathering his herd to cull the ones that are going to the stockyard. One which they wanted to keep has become somewhat rogue and we found her, another heifer, and two young bulls in our yard a few days ago, having broken through the fence in the sinkhole and wandered up for a graze. I helped her chase them back down the hill and home, sealing the fate of the young heifer, who is now slated for the stockyard and sale. Didn’t get any pictures of that, but it was probably quite a site to see two 60 something women chasing 4 young cattle around our back field.

This week, we ventured away from our usual riding stable to take a lesson and 2 hour ride with a natural horsewoman on her Tennessee Walking Horses. We learned quite a bit more than we previously knew and thoroughly enjoyed the ride on her smooth gaited horses.

That particular day was very cold, so we made a stop at the local Tractor Supply on the way over and I purchased a new barn coat to go with the new barn boots that hubby gave me for my birthday this past week.

This greatly improved the comfort of the ride and was a welcome layer this morning doing chores. It turns out that the instructor and her husband have much in common with us and resulted in a dinner invitation to their lovely home last night with two other couples. It was a wonderful time with a great meal and new friends.

One afternoon after taking the pups out, still working on getting the big beast to get in the back of the SUV willingly, we drove on out the road past our house, up the hill and took this photo of the house, which you can’t see from there in the summer time.

The week has been a good one, this week we will have one of our children and family here for Thanksgiving. Life is good on our mountain farm.

November 24, 2013
This Moment

An image usually with no words, from the past week that I want to linger over and savor.

The funniest card I’ve ever received. It clucks Happy Birthday.

November 23, 2013
What were you doing 50 years ago today?

Most of us have historic events that stand out strongly in our minds. You can recite what you were doing, where you were, when the event occurred. The first that stands out to me was November 22, 1963. I was a sophomore in high school, sitting in class when the Principal came over the public address system and announced that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas, Texas. The classroom was stunned to silence, some girls sobbed. This was nothing we had experienced in our lifetimes.

The day was a Friday, the day after my 16th birthday and I was to have one of the few birthday parties of my lifetime, a friend that had moved to Richmond was on a bus coming for the weekend. Needless to say, plans changed. The friend did stay the night before going home to her family the next day.

I wish that was only event of it’s kind in my history, but sadly, I also remember vividly the day his brother was also assassinated, the day the Challenger blew up and the day the World Trade towers were destroyed by terrorists. I hope not to have any more of these memories, just happy ones and wish for my grandchildren that they don’t have to experience them either.

November 22, 2013
The Scarf – Part 2

The scarf is completed, the one to match my favorite hat. I love Unplanned Peacock Yarn, it knits so beautifully. This pattern combo will soon appear on Ravelry.

RUBY HAT and SCARF

HAT

The Ruby Hat is an easy hat, knit in the round and a good way to sample several stitch patterns. It fits a 22” head.

Material required:

1 skein worsted or heavy worsted (this hat was worked with Unplanned Peacock worsted)

Size US 8 circ or DPNs

Tapestry needle

SECTION 1

Cast on 80 stitches using a stretchy case on such as Long tail, place marker and join in the round.

Row 1 Knit

Row 2 Purl

Repeat these 2 rows 4 more times

SECTION 2

Row 11-16: 1 X 1 rib

SECTION 3

Row 17: *K2tog, YO* repeat to end of row

Row 18: Knit

Row 19: *K2tog, YO* repeat to end of row

Row 20: Knit

SECTION 4

Row 21: Purl

Row 22: Knit

Repeat these two rows 3 more times ending on a knit row

SECTION 5

Knit 8 rows

Decrease for crown:

Row 1: *Knit 8, K2Tog* to end of round,

Row 2: Knit round (repeat for all even numbered rows)

Row 3: *Knit 7, K2Tog* to end of round

Row 5: *Knit 6, K2Tog* to end of round

Row 7: *Knit 5, K2Tog* to end of round

Row 9: *Knit 4, K2Tog* to end of round

Row 10: K2Tog to end of round

Row 11: K2Tog to end of round

Cut yarn about 8” long and thread through remaining stitches and draw up tight. Secure and weave in loose ends.

Copywrite 2012 Fran Stafford

SCARF

Worsted weight yarn: This pattern was worked with 2 skeins of Unplanned Peacock Studio Superwash Merino Worsted Weight

Size 8 needle

K=knit

P=purl

K2tog=Knit 2 together

YO= Yarn Over

Garter stitch=knit every row

Section 1

Cast on 36 stitches.

Knit garter stitch for 3 1/2”.

[Knit 8 rows of 2 X 2 rib

Next 4 rows is a simple lace, *K2Tog, YO* to end

Knit next row, increase in first stitch

*K2Tog, YO to end*

Knit next row, increase in last stitch]

Knit in garter stitch for 1 ½”

Repeat [ ] pattern

Knit in garter stitch for 1 ½”

Repeat [ ] pattern

Knit in garter stitch for 1”

Center section of scarf

K2tog, knit across row to last 2 stitches, K2tog

*K2, K in back loop, P* repeat to last 2 stitches, K2

Repeat this row until scarf is 12” less than the total length you desire.

Section 3

K front and back of first stitch, K to last stitch, K front and back of last stitch.

K garter stitch for 1”

[Repeat simple lace from beginning section.

K2Tog, YO to end of row

Knit in front and back of first stitch, knit to end

K2Tog, YO to end of row

Knit to last stitch, knit front and back for last stitch

Knit 8 rows of 2 X 2 rib]

Knit 1 ½” garter stitch

Repeat [ ] pattern

Knit 1 ½” garter stitch

Repeat [ ] pattern

Knit 3 ½” garter stitch.

Bind off loosely.

If you want a narrower scarf, work in multiples of 4 for your cast on.

Copywrite 2013 Fran Stafford: Please feel free to knit items for sale or gifts and print this pattern for your own use. Do not sell or otherwise distribute or publish this pattern without owner’s permission.

November 21, 2013
Power of Suggestion

Yesterday as we drove down Main Street in the nearby town, the Cajun restaurant had a sandwich board on the sidewalk with the day’s specials. The soup of the day was Hungarian Goulash. I know that Goulash means soup or stew and that if you look in a dozen cookbooks, you will find a dozen different recipes, the internet is flush with variations. I had not taken out anything to thaw for dinner and seeing that sign, my mind started pinging with desire, not to go to that restaurant, but to prepare a dish that my grandmother used to prepare for my Dad and his brother; my Dad prepared for my siblings and me; I prepared for my children; my daughter prepares for her family. Our recipe never written down, is a simple stew of ground beef, onions, paprika, tomatoes (or catsup) and kidney beans (sometimes whatever beans are available). Two of my children don’t like it. I love it and so does my hubby. He even created a mantra to remind me how he likes it: “Stew on rice, Goulash with rice, Chili no rice.”

On our way home, hauling our trailer with hubby’s motorcycle from it’s servicing, we stopped at the local grocery, purchased a package of ground beef and dinner was already planned and later enjoyed. The amazing power of suggestion.

November 20, 2013