I Love To Go A Gardening
Growing Our Life in Northern Michigan
Morning Delight
Hannah Joy woke me up earlier than usual this morning. She jumped off the bed then came over to the side of the bed and started grunting at me. I figured she needed to go out so I got my coat, hat, gloves, and boots on and then told her to go out in the hallway to put her harness on. She remained sitting, indicating that she didn’t really want to go outside, but since I was all ready, I made her go anyway. When we came back inside, I feed her, which is apparently what she wanted in the first place.
Then I settled my chair with a cup of coffee and watched the sun rise while Hannah dozed on my lap. When it was light enough, I went out to tend to the animals in the coop, feeding them, giving them fresh water, and opening their little door in case they want to go outside later.
Next, I put seed out for the wild birds. I came back inside and poured myself a cup of hot coffee to warm my soul and hands. I have very warm work gloves but it’s easier to do many tasks without them and on mornings like this one my hands begin to ache from the cold.
I settled in my chair again and Hannah cuddled on my lap again. When it grew lighter, I saw a doe and her young’un emerge from the forest and come up to eat the birdseed. The morning was cold enough that I could see their breath as a fog when they breathed. They moved off and then a little deer came by. He was alone so I wondered if it was his Mama who was killed in our little valley. Poor thing…although he is old enough now to make it on his own.
After the deer all left, a squirrel ran up to check the feeder. A blue jay also checked it out. They were unimpressed. There was nothing there because the deer ate it all. I might put a little more seed out for them so the birds can have something rather than nothing. I am still trying to re-think how to construct my feeders so the deer can’t access it all.
Yesterday I glanced out of the window and saw a large bird gliding in the sky. I assumed it was a turkey vulture, which I often see overhead. The bird flew toward the house, closer and lower, and I suddenly realized it was a bald eagle! I explained in delight and EJ hurried to the window, but by the time he got the cat off his lap and out of his chair, the bird was gone. However, a few seconds later it flew back into sight–so EJ saw it too–and it landed in a tree in our forest. It stayed there for quite a while. I kept an eye on it because I wanted to watch it soar again, but my attention was diverted by a task and when I looked again it had disappeared. It is always such a thrill to see bald eagles. I’ve occasionally seen them high overheard but never this close. EJ said it was probably attracted by the dead deer in our valley. I really hate seeing dead animals, but it was awesome seeing the eagle.
Murder in Deer Valley
I re-organized the chest freezer and the kitchen cupboards on Friday but didn’t stop there. I sorted through my closet yesterday, getting rid of clothes that I no longer wear. I’ve also been working on organizing the library, even sorting through our file cabinet. I still have more straightening up to do in the library. I suspect I might have a touch of Spring fever?
With such a mild winter it’s not surprising that we are thinking of Spring–but it’s only just February and really much too early for Spring. EJ and I both agreed that there are still weeks left for Winter to hammer us. But sometimes it’s difficult not to let hope for Spring’s arrive rise. Although I actually like winter too.
Today the sky was blue and the temps into the mid-40s so EJ and I walked down to the mailbox for our mail. About halfway down the driveway, EJ suddenly exclaimed, “Holy CRAP!” He had spotted a body at the bottom of the small valley we have nicknamed “Deer Valley” because we’ve often seen the grass flattened where they bed down overnight.
The body was what remained of a deer. EJ went down for a closer look but I continued on to the mailbox because I didn’t want to see more than what I had already seen. Although I did take some photos from further back.
It was rather gruesome: The body was torn apart with pieces here and there and the ribs were bare. Things like this remind me that behind the bucolic scenery and beautiful wildlife that we so enjoy, there is a brutal life and death fight for survival. I am aware of this, and I know it is the way of things, but I really do not like to be a witness to it. It makes me sad to think that one of the deer we enjoy was killed.
It made me feel a bit vulnerable to think of the vicious predator(s) attacking and devouring the deer just over the hill from the house. It makes me wonder whose eyes are watching us from the forest. If the whatever-it-was could bring down a deer, will it consider us or Hannah Joy prey as well? Creepy. Predators are why I lock up the chickens and cats safely in their coop at night. We hadn’t heard anything, although Hannah Joy had been trying to pull me down the driveway for the last day or two so I’m assuming she smelled it. EJ says it was probably coyotes, but there are other predators in the area as well. Yikes.
Here are some of the photos I took of the “crime scene.” Don’t look at them if you are squeamish.
Annie
Here we are, we’ve already made it to February. I used to dislike February. Even though it has the least number of days, it always felt like the longest month. By February, winter felt like it had last forever and that Spring would never arrive. But I don’t hate February anymore. It’s just another beautiful month in winter, one of my favorite seasons. Winter is when the landscape is dressed beautifully and peacefully in white. It’s when the wildlife come to the feeders where I can enjoy them. It’s when I enjoy the coziness of drinking hot beverages, wrapped in an afghan, cuddling with Hannah Joy. There’s a lot to enjoy about winter.
My other favorite seasons are Spring, Summer, and Autumn.
EJ did a bit of grocery shopping at the 24-hour grocery store on his way home from work Friday morning. EJ and I enjoy shopping together but if we have a short list of things we need, it saves time and gas if he just does it after work. Although he’s tired after work, he says he doesn’t mind shopping in the wee hours of the night because the store isn’t crowded–it’s usually just him and the store employees.
Friday I re-organized the chest freezer in the pantry. the freezer has dividers. I put all the poultry in one section, all the beef in another, the vegetables and fruit in separate sections. Now I can more easily see what I have and what I need to replenish.
Next, EJ and I tackled the kitchen cupboards. Over time, the cupboards get in disarray and it’s helpful to go through and re-organize them. We made sure that everything was in a mouse-proof plastic or glass jar. I’ve not seen any mice in the food cupboards, but there have been mice in the pot/pans cupboard near the sink. We have to figure out how to stop them from getting in. Hannah Joy tried to do her part–a couple weeks ago she heard a mouse in those cupboards and wanted me to help her get it. I opened the cupboard doors for her, but the mouse had already gotten behind the dishwasher. Hannah ordered me to pull out the dishwasher, but it’s built-in and I couldn’t do it. She was very upset with me.
I’m still trying to figure out how to keep the chickens from eating the outside cats’ food. I put a little dish for the cats in one of the outdoor dog houses, but if the weather is mild and the chickens go outside, they find it and eat it. So I’ve been putting an additional dish of food on the patio table on the front porch. The other day, I saw a blue jay eating the cat food. Sigh. I haven’t given up trying to figure out how to keep the food inaccessible to everyone except the cats.
Our cat, Annie, died yesterday. She’s quite old and her health was deteriorating over the winter so we knew it was only a matter of time. Still, it’s sad. Annie was a Manx (tailless) cat who didn’t simply meow–she sang her meows with melodious trills. I’ve never heard a more musical meow. Annie is one of the cats that came with us when we moved from downstate. We transported all the animals on the day we drove north to close on our new house. We brought only enough items to “camp out” in the house until our friends could help us move the next weekend. EJ had a quiet drive with our dog, Danny, but I (with JJ) drove our car the four hours with seven cats all loudly harmonizing their displeasure at being contained in cat carriers. They all sang differently so it was rather interesting–and created memories that we won’t soon forget.
I worked for a week or so designing a crocheted square that was inspired by our Hannah Joy. The squares can be used to make pillows, afghans, blankets. I’m selling the pattern, but I’m also willing to make the finished items. Here is what I ended up with:
Mucky Job
EJ’s company is banning overtime for now so he had Friday off. I did laundry and made granola while EJ made bread and our first ever attempt to make yogurt in the Instant Pot. The yogurt turned out well–it was very tasty, especially with my granola mixed in.
This afternoon I went out and cleaned the chicken coop, taking out all the dirty straw and replacing it with new. I also reconfigured the coop a bit. I’m always tweaking. Usually, I don’t do any of the cleaning or tweaking until warmer weather–because the poop freezes in cold weather and also the mat of straw on the floor helps insulate the coop. However, our winter has been milder than normal, the poop wasn’t frozen, the chickens were laying their eggs in not-so-great places, and the coop was beginning to get a stronger ammonia smell–probably from the cats. So it was time.
It snowed a little this afternoon, but the temperatures weren’t terribly cold and the work kept me warm. The dirty straw is very heavy and at times I can roll it up like a carpet. I raked out a mound of straw. Once the dirty straw breaks down a bit it can be used in the garden. Once the old straw was out, I put clean straw in. I do give the chickens clean straw throughout the winter, but they have a habit of scratching it all onto the floor. I’m trying to figure out what I can do to keep more of it in their perching/nesting areas.
It took me several hours to clean out the coop. I had to work around 20 chickens, most of whom didn’t want to leave the coop, and the cats. A couple times when I bent down to pick up the dirty straw from the floor, Annie jumped on my back. Theo also likes to jump on my back when I’m working, although he didn’t do it today. When a cat jumps on my back, I have to go over to their food shelf and straighten up so they leap off me.
I was caked in muck by the time I was finished. I took my clothes off in the laundry room, put them in the washer, and then went and took a shower. I’m exhausted and my body–especially my arms– is aching from the hard work. It was a good workout and I’m counting it as exercise. I think there should be some sort of chart indicating how many calories are burned by doing chores. I’d say cleaning out the coop should burn about 10,000 calories, resulting in a loss of 20 lbs. Or something.
WalkAbout
A snowstorm was forecasted for both last weekend and this weekend. Last weekend’s storm never appeared–although I read that the middle and southern parts of the state were hit with a pretty bad ice storm. Although I think that ice storms are remarkably beautiful, they cause driving treacherous and cause a lot of damage so I’m very glad we were spared. Snow is easier to deal with than ice.
This weekend’s snowstorm did hit us. As near as I can figure it, we now have about of foot of snow on the ground, which I don’t consider all that much for a northern winter. I think we’ve had quite a mild winter this year. So far. I really enjoyed sitting in my chair yesterday watching the snow fall and the various wildlife visit the feeders. We often have titmouses (titmice?), chickadees, and woodpeckers visit our feeder, and occasionally goldfinches and cardinals. We also have a family of Blue Jays that frequently visits. I assume that they are a family because six of them always arrive in a group.
This morning I think that, maybe, I saw a bluebird checking out one of the birdhouses. That really surprised me because I didn’t think they came until Spring. Maybe the bluebird’s visit–if that’s what it was–is a harbinger that we will have an early Spring? I tried to take a photo of it, but it was rather blurry because my current camera sort of sucks. What do you think? Is it a bluebird?
Of course, we also get other wildlife visiting our feeders, such as deer. They can drain the feeders in minutes. I tried to put the tray feeder on a higher hook so the deer can’t reach it and the birds have a chance to eat since the birds are actually why we put out the feeders. Every few nights a possum comes by to eat the seeds the birds and deer spill out of the feeders. I have grown rather fond of the possums, especially since I learned that they eat ticks. I despise ticks. I don’t mind who comes to the feeders; I enjoy watching them all.
I’ve been trying to keep walking around the house every day for exercise. I call it my “WalkAbout.” I was walking 18 times around the house each day last week and even made it to 20 one day. I usually walk half the trips in the morning and half in the afternoon after EJ goes to work. However, Friday morning I didn’t walk at all because EJ and I went grocery shopping and I didn’t walk on Saturday. But I did walk three around the house this morning in the early dawn when it was still mostly dark. Not all at once, I rested between each trip with a cup of coffee because It wasn’t easy wading through the deep snow. Each time, when I had huffed and puffed halfway around the house, with the snow reaching above my boots to my knees and the cold stinging my face, I began to doubt the wisdom of my endeavor. I reminded myself that it would be just as much effort to turn back as it was to go forward, so onward I went. But I think that each around the house in deep snow should count the same as six trips around when I had trodden an easier path through the snow. I took these next photos on my third circle around the house this morning.
It probably would be easier to use some exercise equipment in the house during the winter, but we don’t really have any space for any and I don’t want to risk waking EJ by doing aerobic exercises. Besides, I find using exercise equipment or routines to be very boring. All that effort used to go nowhere at all. When I walk outside around the house, I am actually going somewhere, and I get to enjoy the changing beauty of the forest. One time as I walked last week, I watched a Blue Jay’s panicked flight as he tried to escape some sort of hawk that had him in its sights. I was glad that the Blue Jay escaped. I know hawks have to eat too, but I don’t want to watch them kill their prey. I tend to root for the underdog–or under-bird, as the case may be.
Surprisingly, the younger chickens laid a couple of eggs on New Year’s Eve, and I’m finding more and more eggs–sometimes in odd places in the coop. In fact, I didn’t realize they were laying as much as they were until I found piles of eggs, some of them frozen, cracked, and unusable so I throw them in the compost pile. If the chickens keep it up, it won’t be long before I will have enough eggs to begin selling again, although I don’t know how customers will make it up the driveway unless they have four-wheel drive. In the warmer months, I want to reconfigure the coop and have EJ build more nesting boxes.
Our snowstorm has passed. Earlier this morning the sky was cloudless. Clouds are beginning to drift in, but the sun is still peeking through and the snow glitter. I’ve always been mesmerized by the glitter in the snow that sparkles like crushed diamonds. I think I live in a magical land.
The Washcloth Thief
We’ve had some crazy weather today with wind gusts that stirred up the snow into duststorm-like clouds and twisted it into snow-nadoes. Then we had freezing rain that tapped on the windows and froze there. We are supposed to get more than 6 inches of snow over the weekend, I read.
This morning we saw a buck come through our yard. We don’t often see antlered bucks on our property so it was a treat. I think we’ve only seen one other one in the years we’ve lived here. That one was a six-point buck that I saw pursuing a doe last autumn during the rut. I’m not saying bucks don’t often come onto our property. Sometimes we see their large hoof prints in the sand or snow. But we have only actually SEEN two of them. Isn’t the one today a beauty?
I think I gained some weight during the holidays. Bummer. So I thought I probably should exercise more. In the summer, I sometimes walk up and down our long, steep driveway, but I don’t want to do that in the winter because I’m afraid I will slip, fall, and break a bone, which is what I did a couple of years ago so my fear is not unfounded. Yesterday it occurred to me that I could walk around the house and fenced garden and chicken pen, which is all on flat ground. Yesterday I walked around the house five times. Today I walked around it twelve times. I counted and learned that it takes around 200 steps to go once around the house. So I walked 2,400 steps today. I’m not sure how many inches a step is. Maybe I should walk in the snow and then measure it. I’d like to know how many times I have to walk around the house to equal a mile.
A couple of weeks ago we stopped in at Goodwill and I found a neat “feeder” for the chickens. It was only $3. I think it works better than the bucket I was using–mainly because it’s easier to keep filled.
I took a group photo of my chickens. I counted and I think that 19 of the 20 chickens were in the photo. There seem to be an awful lot of them when they are all in the coop. They tend to stay inside when the weather is cold and/or snowy. Three of the chickens are roosters and seventeen are hens.
Hannah Joy has been her irrepressible self. We pretty much have to “child-proof” the house but despite our best efforts, she keeps finding things to eat that she isn’t supposed to. I did laundry a couple days ago and before I could get the clean clothes folded, she got into the basket and ate two washcloths. As is her usual modus operandi, she waited until I went out to care for the chickens to steal the washcloths. She has eaten a washcloth or two before, as well as a couple dishcloths, and most of my kitchen towels are now ragged around the edges.
I snatched the ruined washcloths away from Hannah, quickly folded all the clothes, and put the baskets away. But yesterday I was sitting in my chair and I glanced into the bedroom and saw something on the bed. I went in there and found a mostly folded washcloth, not yet chewed up. I took it into the bathroom to return to the shelf. We don’t have enough storage in the bathroom so our towels are on a standalone 4-tier shelf unit. I found two more folded washcloths on the floor. Silly Hannah has begun taking the washcloths right off the shelf! I’m trying to remember to close the bathroom door before I go out to care for the chickens.
Hannah also likes to steal Kleenex out of my sweater pockets and papers out of my purse if I forget to put them out of her reach. I call her my “pit-pocket.” She also loves to get under the blankets in the bed. Some days I have to remake the bed several times because she tries to get under the blankets and ends up messing the whole bed up. But Hannah is such a loving, cuddly, protective, funny part of our family that we forgive–no, we enjoy–her quirks. She keeps us laughing.
From 19 to 20
It was back to work for EJ today. He had last weekend off, as usual, then worked two days, then had two days off, and now is working another two days before the weekend. I am now all messed up about which day it is because today feels sort of like Monday.
Two days of wintry weather had brought us several inches of snow so our neighbor came driving up in his tractor to snow blow our driveway. Ever since he saw me clearing our driveway with our little snowblower last winter, he has snowblowed it for us with his tractor. He’s been such a blessing–he can clear in a few minutes what it took us more than two hours to do. He won’t accept payment so we bought him a gift box of sausage and such as a thank you. I was going to make him homemade candy and cookies, but he mentioned to EJ that he didn’t have much of a sweet tooth.
Today the temperatures warm again into the lower 40s (F) so the snow began to melt again although we could get freezing drizzle overnight.
On New Year’s Eve, I made 21 small turkey potpies and I made 14 more yesterday for a total of 35 pies. Yesterday evening EJ and I made cheesecake together in our Instant Pot. I quickly volunteered to make the graham cracker crust because I was tired from making pies, and I left EJ to make the filling. We both made some mistakes, but it was still tasty. Yum! But, ugh, after a couple days of eating pizza, chips, and cookies, we are both feeling rather yucky. EJ said we will now have to be good until next Thanksgiving. I agree.
On the weekends, EJ often goes out with me in the evening when I lock all the animals in the coop. When we went out last weekend, we discovered that Millie and Theo had caught a chipmunk. Sometimes Millie had it and sometimes Theo did. We didn’t want them to bring the chipmunk into the coop so I hurried into the coop, shutting the big doors behind me. Before I could get the little door closed, Theo brought the chipmunk in. With a small scream, I hurriedly unfastened the big door and scurried out because I didn’t want to risk the critter getting free and climbing up me in its panic. Theo took the chipmunk outside again, and as soon as he dropped it on the ground, I picked him up and put him in the coop with the other two cats and the chickens. I think the chipmunk crawled under the coop. I suspect he didn’t live long.
This was the first rodent we’ve seen the cats catch. Millie and Theo aren’t the serial killers that Madeline was. I really liked Madeline, but I’m relieved that I don’t find dead bodies every day.
Last week I wrote about some of the Red Flag traits that I look for to help me identify an abusive person. Those traits basically include attitudes of self-centeredness, superiority, and entitlement, as well as a lack of gratitude and generosity. Today I read a couple of articles that Dr. George Simon wrote on his website that says pretty much the same thing. One was about how to recognize covert narcissists and the other was about their lack of gratitude, the latter of which I want to quote from here.
…One of the pioneers studying character disturbance made an interesting observation. Folks with significant character disturbances came from all backgrounds. Some experienced early trauma. But others came from remarkably benign backgrounds. Some were impoverished in many ways. However, others were products of privilege. But one thing they all had in common was a disturbing attitude. The world owed them, they felt. And they owed nothing back. For them, life was all about taking what they could get. And sometimes it was an additional kick to take nefariously. They had no sense of obligation – to anyone or anything. And that, in a nutshell, lay at the core of their character dysfunction.
When it comes to having integrity of character, it all begins with gratitude. Appreciating the precious gift of life itself comes first, of course. Gratitude inherently inspires a sense of indebtedness. And that indebtedness inevitably inspires us to give back and not just take. So, real thanksgiving is not so much about feeling grateful. And it goes beyond expressing gratitude. It’s more about showing it by doing our part to make the whole enterprise work….
Dr. George Simon has worked with and researched manipulative people–narcissists, sociopaths, and psychopaths–for decades. His writings have really helped me to understand and recover from abuse. I highly recommend his website if you want to learn more.
New Year’s Eve
I hope everyone is having a wonderful New Year’s Eve!
Hannah Joy and I started our day cuddling in my chair. She likes to sleep on my lap under a blanket with only her nose sticking out. I like it because she keeps me toasty warm with her body heat!
I sipped my coffee and watched the snow fall. The last few weeks the temperature had warmed and melted almost all of our snow. However, yesterday we got several inches so our world is beautifully white again. The heavy snow stuck to the trees until a strong wind rose in the afternoon and the snow fell in avalanches from the swaying trees. A lot of people lost their power, mostly to the north of us. I feel sorry for them because it’s not fun losing power in the winter. I’m glad that we didn’t lose power because I’m not sure I would have remembered how to hook up the propane heater.
Yesterday I made a quadruple batch of turkey pot pie filling. I spent all this afternoon making small individual 5-inch pies. I got 21 made. I’ll make more tomorrow to use up the rest of the filling. I freeze them to bake later, usually when we have a busy day and/or don’t feel like cooking. Pot pie is one of my favorite meals. EJ wants us to make beef pot pies as well. I press a turkey cookie cutter into the pies so we know they are turkey pot pies. I don’t know what we will use for a beef pot pie because I don’t have any cow cookie cutters.
Because I was so busy today, EJ made a pot roast in the Instant Pot for lunch. It was very delicious. We love our Instant Pot!
Originally, EJ was supposed to work tonight and just get New Year’s Day off. EJ was a trifle bummed because he would be working at midnight when the new year arrived, and he’d be driving home in the early morning when inebriated people would be driving home from their parties. However, his boss called today to say that the employees could have both today and tomorrow off if they all worked Friday instead. Employees usually work four 10-hour days each week and working Friday is optional over-time.
Because I thought EJ would be working, I had been planning to have a quiet evening and just go to bed at my regular time. But plans have changed and we are going to stay up to greet the new year and decade. EJ went to the store this afternoon to buy a few items so we can make a cheesecake in the Instant Pot. Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow. He also bought some potato chips for tonight, as well as some cashews, which he knows that I love. While he was gone, I finished the pot pies and then I made the dough and sauce for our traditional New Year’s Eve pizza. I always make it from “scratch.” I spent several years searching for a “just-right” pizza dough recipe, and finally found it about ten years ago, give or take a few years. It’s delicious. EJ came home at about the time the dough was finished rising and helped me assemble the pizza.
I’m exhausted, my body aches, and my feet are throbbing from standing on them all day, but I got a lot accomplished. However, I was glad to finally sit down and enjoy our pizza meal. 🙂
I’ve been reminiscing that it’s already been twenty years since the Y2K scare, when people were panicking because they were afraid that if computers interpreted the “00” in 2000 as 1900, it could lead to all sorts of disastrous problems, including large-scale blackouts and infrastructure damage.
Thirty years ago EJ and I met for the first time on New Year’s Eve. A young woman from our church singles’ group invited him to our church and he came that morning and then attended our New Year’s Eve party later that night. I think we started dating in April and on June 15 he asked me to marry him. I’m really glad we met and married. He’s my best friend.
I’m going to end my day the same way I began it–with Hannah Joy cuddling on my lap.
Hannah Joy’s Gift
I have friends who we’ve “adopted” as family.
My friends sent Hannah Joy a Christmas gift. Because of a snafu, it arrived after Christmas instead of before, but I reassured my friend that Hannah didn’t know any better. Hannah was so excited to get her gift. As soon as she realized it was for her, she went wild:
Hannah could hardly wait as EJ got the gift out of the box for her.
Hannah played with her ball constantly for several hours. If we came too close to her, she turned her back on us so we wouldn’t take her ball. She growled whenever a cat came near.
After a couple hours, she went out to the kitchen to check the box her ball had come in, just in case there was another gift in it. She checked the box repeatedly, even sitting under the table for a while before checking again. I think she must have checked it a dozen times.
Sadly, we had to throw away the ball when Hannah wasn’t looking because she was chewing it up. I waited until she wasn’t looking. She is a very aggressive chewer and it’s difficult to find toys for her. But, oh, she had a wonderful time while it lasted.
Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah!
I hope your holidays are filled with peace and joy
Our friends, who are really our “adopted” family, sent us an Instant Pot for a gift. We received it a week or so ago, and we’ve been having a wonderful time with it. It’s fun cooking in the kitchen together. The food cooks quickly in the Instant Pot and is utterly delicious. For us it was love at first bite.
So far we’ve made pot roast, chicken and potatoes, and chicken teriyaki. I’ve been printing out recipes from the Internet that look interesting and putting them in a binder. Today we went to the store and bought a few extra ingredients so we can make more foods. We have a lot of things we’d like to try–like yogurt, cheesecake, and many other dishes.
EJ has continued to make bread, learning as he goes. He is having trouble getting the bread to rise, even though he bought new yeast. We think our house is too cold. We are trying to learn how to proof the bread in the Instant Pot. Tonight he is making donuts. We celebrate Hanukkah and donuts are one of the traditional foods. Latkes are another. I made some yesterday. There were delicious.
In between making donuts, we’ve been watching literary movies tonight–first The Scarlet Pimpernel and now Ivanhoe.
Tomorrow we are going to cook a turkey, and I will make more potpies from the leftovers.
Pardon My French
I haven’t written for a couple weeks–not since December 1. I (and EJ too) have had a lot on my mind that I’ve been processing and working through. It is difficult to write when my heart is filled with sadness. Yet, we know that the decisions needed to be made, and we will get through this. I actually have a lot of hope for the coming year–that we will be able to heal. Maybe I will write about what we’ve learned over the years about letting go and reaching forward closer to the New Year, at least in part.
But not right now.
Right now I want to write about happy things, not sad ones.
A couple of weeks ago, I found myself reading the first book of one of my favorite series aloud to EJ. I often describe to him interesting books I am reading or read him a well-written sentence or description that I enjoy, but I don’t often read aloud whole books. But this series, Time Wars by Simon Hawke, is a lot of fun, with some humor as well as some interesting philosophical discussions about time travel, so one thing led to another and I read the whole book. Every few chapters, I asked EJ, “You want me to stop or continue?” He replied, “Continue if you aren’t tired,” so I did. I enjoyed sharing the book with him.
So I started reading the second book with EJ. We both thought it would be fun to read the whole series together. Only this particular book took place in France during the time of the Musketeers. This caused me a lot of problems because it had some French words in it–such as monsieur or D’Artagnan–and I simply cannot pronounce them. EJ tried to help me, and I’d get the words right (more or less) once or twice before they slipped away from me again. I ended up laughing so hard that I cried every time I came to one of the unpronounceable French words that I thoroughly mangled. I finished the chapter–barely–and then I told EJ that he was going to have to read the second book aloud because I simply couldn’t do it.
I apologize if I have any French readers, but it seems to me that their language is filled with unnecessary letters–such as the word “devereaux,” which was the name of a road in the area we used to live. It is pronounced, “dever-roo.” Uh, at least I think it is. Why not just spell it that way? How “eaux” becomes “oo,” I will never understand. Why is the “x” even in the word? Did some long-ago insane Frenchman decide to just throw a bunch of letters together and pronounced them as he pleased with no rhyme nor reason?
The French should not feel insulted because I think the English language–MY language–is wacky too. After my aborted attempt to read the book, EJ and I started redesigning the English language. For example, the letter “c” sometimes has a hard sound like “k” and sometimes a soft sound like “s” in English. So why not simply use “k” and “s” and forget the “c”? So “Cindy” would become “Sindy” and car would be “kar. But then EJ said that the letter “c” could be used for the “ch” sound, using one letter instead of two to make the sound. Awesome idea! “Church” would be spelled “curc.” And we would make the letter “g” for the hard “gah” sound and use “j” for the soft sound it sometimes makes, since a soft “g” and the “j” sound the same. Therefore, “garage,” in which the first “g'” is hard and the second “g” is soft would instead be spelled “garaje.” EJ said he would just use the “Q” and drop off the “u” in words since the two are always paired, making the “u” unnecessary. Given time, we could rewrite the whole English language so it made more sense. I wouldn’t dare try to rewrite French. 🙂
Ah, well, I will bid this topic adieu. That’s pronounced “Ah-doo.” Or “Ad-you.” Or something.
Our neighbor down the road and around the corner has been snowblowing our driveway for us. He started doing it last year when he saw me struggling to snow blow our driveway. It takes us at least 2 hours with our small snowblower to clear our driveway and he can do it in about 20 minutes–if that–with his tractor. He does other neighbors’ driveways too and doesn’t accept payment. I’d like to fix him a plate of tasty treats for Christmas as a thank you because it’s such a blessing for him to do it for us.
My friend told me that one of her friends bought an instant pot earlier in the year and loved it so much that she’s been urging her to get one too. I guess you can cook all sorts of foods in it at a fraction of the time it would normally take with other methods. My friend bought one for a relative for Christmas, but then she and her husband decided to buy themselves one too. And then they thought, “EJ and TJ cook a lot. I bet they’d get a lot of use out of one” so they bought us one too! They are such awesome friends. In fact, we have “adopted” them as family.
The post office sent me an email notifying me that the gift would arrive today. Delivery people do not like to drive up our long, steep driveway in the winter so they put packages in a wooden box at the end of the driveway. I call it “The Magic Box” because every now and then packages “magically” appear in it. 🙂 I suspected the package would be large, heavy, and unwieldy to carry so I got one of our sleds out of the garage. I sort of cracked it a little when it hit something as I pulled it down from the rafters, but it’s still usable for my purposes. As soon as I received a text from the post office that the package was delivered, I walked down the driveway with the sled to get it. EJ would have driven down, but he was still sleeping and I didn’t want to wait. We can’t see The Magic Box from the house and I read of people stealing packages–they are called “porch pirates”–so I like to retrieve packages as soon as I can.
I opened The Magic Box and there was my package! It was indeed large, heavy, and unwieldy, so I was glad I had thought to bring the sled. I put the package on my sled and pulled it up the long, steep, snowy driveway. I felt like a hardy homesteader of by-gone days overcoming harsh conditions. Ok, it wasn’t that bad, but it was a bit cold and it’s fun to imagine.
When I got the package in the house, Hannah Joy looked it all over. I think she thought it was hers. I told her it wasn’t but she didn’t appear to believe me. An hour or so later, she saw Timmy touching the box and warned him away with a sharp bark. I reminded Hannah that the package was not hers, and Timmy wasn’t hurting it. Hannah isn’t too fond of Timmy the cat.
EJ has already been looking up recipes of things to make with the instant pot.
I am sending my friend some mincemeat for a gift. She said her family has never had mincemeat pie. Mincemeat is my absolute favorite kind of pie and I wanted her to experience it. I’m also intending to send her a few other things, but I can’t tell you because I want it to be a surprise and she reads my blog. She knows about the mincemeat but not the other things.
The First of December
EJ left on Friday morning to hunt in the 100-acre woods on the other side of the state. Sadly, he didn’t get a deer (I actually saw more at our Enchanted Forest than he did) but he got a chance to enjoy quiet beauty in a beautiful forest and “that’s not nothin’.”
EJ left the 100-acre woods to drive home last night at about 7 pm. He had debated staying another day, but I’m glad he decided to drive home last night because a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow was forecast for our area. Most of his drive home was clear. He just ran into some freezing rain near home. Hannah Joy was SO excited when he arrived home. She zoomed around and wouldn’t let him out of her sight.
Yesterday we had no snow on the ground, but we woke up this morning to a beautiful snow-covered world.
It is also our 29th wedding anniversary. On our wedding day, the church was beautifully decorated for Christmas so we didn’t have to do any decorating ourselves. EJ had just started a new job and couldn’t get time off so we had a short weekend honeymoon. We drove north to Ludington, Michigan, through town after town festive with beautiful Christmas lights and decorations. It was very special–as if the whole world was celebrating our weddng day with us. We drove home on Monday morning through a blizzard because EJ had to be to work that evening. We stopped at a little restaurant halfway home and had the most delicious coffee we had ever had in our lives. I’m glad we had a snowy December wedding.
This morning EJ suggested that we could go to a restaurant to celebrate our anniversary. I said, “On a day like this? With slippery roads? I’d rather stay cozy at home!” He felt the same. Our Thanksgiving pies are eaten so I suggested that we make more because “everyone knows that the traditional gift for a 29th Anniversary is pie!” So once again, I made the pie dough for both pies, poured a jar of mincemeat filling on one while and EJ made the pumpkin pie filling for the other. It’s fun cooking together.
I sorted through my more than 30 cookie cutters to find one to decorate the mincemeat pie. I decided to decorate the pie with snowflakes and mittens in honor of the snowy day. At first, I couldn’t find the mitten cookie cutter and I cried, “I’ve lost my mitten! Now I shall have no pie!” But then I found it so I got pie after all. I thought the mincemeat pie looked awesome. It tasted awesome too.
EJ is now making another batch of bread. When he has that rising, we are going to bake two of the little turkey potpies I made on Friday–one of each of us. Later we hope to watch the last of The Hobbit movies.
We’ve had ups and downs, joys and sorrows, and our love has grown through it all. I can’t think of a better way to spend our 29th anniversary: cozy at home, together.
Tradition
I know the holidays can be difficult for many people, for a variety of reasons, but I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Or survived.
EJ’s first attempt at making homemade bread a week or so ago turned out wonderfully so he tried again earlier this week. It didn’t turn out as expected because the bread didn’t rise. However, he baked it anyway and then cut it into rectangles. It actually was pretty good. It had almost a pretzel taste to it. EJ was trying to come up with a name for it. I suggested “bread-zel” which seemed appropriate. Now I wonder if he can recreate it.
Wednesday I made dough for our Thanksgiving pies. EJ prepared pumpkin filling and I put together the mincemeat–which just involved opening a jar and pouring it in the pie but, hey, I had made the dough for the pies. I also used a cookie cutter to put a forest of decorative trees on my pie. I have a large tin filled with a lot of different shaped cookie cutters. I seldom use them for cookies. Instead, I use them to make decorative pie crusts, interestingly shaped biscuits, and other such things.
On Thanksgiving morning, EJ got the turkey in the roaster. He wasn’t sure it was thawed enough even though he had taken it out of the freezer last Friday. Meanwhile, I made homemade buns. They didn’t rise well the first time, and only a little the second time. I think our yeast is too old. I thought, “Oh, well, que sera, sera” which I think basically means “what will be, will be.” We didn’t stress because Thanksgiving isn’t about food, it’s about gratitude for blessings. EJ’s turkey got done even earlier than expected and was very tasty, and my buns raised while baking and were delicious.
I boiled potatoes and made the stuffing–just stuffing from a box. EJ was going to make green bean casserole but he decided just to fix pea pods and mushrooms. We ate the fried onions that are supposed to go on top of the casserole as a snack later. Haha!
As usual, Hannah Joy kept very close by my side as I worked in the kitchen, which means I kept bumping into her. She keeps hoping that tidbits will fall to the floor, which she can gobble up. Although I don’t let it happen intentionally, food does escape often enough to keep Hannah optimistic.
Later in the afternoon, EJ and I watched The Hobbit together. We got through two of the movies and will finish the third at the first opportunity.
This morning EJ left to go hunting at his friend’s 100-acre woods. He will return tomorrow, probably. We could get some bad weather Saturday night and Sunday, including freezing rain. I hope he gets home before it hits.
Traditionally, many people go shopping today, the day after Thanksgiving, when most businesses offer huge bargains. I traditionally spend the day after Thanksgiving making potpies with leftover turkey. I usually make several large pies, which I freeze for later meals. This year, however, I used small 5 1/2 inch disposable pie plates to make 13 little individual pies. With just EJ and me at home, it makes more sense to make little pies. I can cook two at a time–one for him and one for me–and it’s just enough. I used my turkey cookie cutter to make a little turkey on each pie. I put all the potpies in the freezer except for one, which I baked and ate for my supper. It was yummy, if I do say so myself. Homemade potpies are one of my most favorite meals.
I’d like to get a few more small disposable pie plates to make and freeze dessert pies for when we are really hungry for something sweet.
Thanksgiving Prep
We continue to have warmer weather–in the 40s. It’s almost more “jacket” weather than “winter coat” weather. Our snow has all melted and the chickens are enjoying wander through the garden. When it’s too cold or snowy, they prefer to stay inside the coop. A winter storm is forecast to arrive in Michigan on Thanksgiving Day, but I think the snow will slip through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and we will mostly get a rain/snow mix. If it gets slippery, that could cause problems for our area, but we will be snug at home so it won’t affect our household.
Friday afternoon I made a double batch of honey granola while EJ decided to make bread. The bread was very tasty. EJ said that perhaps he will make bread regularly from now on. That works for me! Hannah Joy was very interested in EJ’s bread-making endeavor–mostly because she was hoping something would fall to the floor so she could eat it.
We adopted Hannah Joy from the Animal Shelter two days before Christmas in 2017. Her previous owner had starved her and she was just skin and bones when we brought her home. She was so thin that I bought her a pretty Nordic coat to keep her warm on the cold winter days. The coat fit her but the hood didn’t so yesterday I cut the hood off. I was afraid I’d ruin the coat, but I didn’t. I crocheted a border on the hood and sewed velcro on it. I might crochet a collar on the coat, but I don’t think it really needs it. Now Hannah has a pretty coat and a hat that fits her. EJ called her “adorkable” because she looks adorable and dorky at the same time. I made her model it this morning:
Of course, it’s too warm outside for Hannah to wear her nordic coat and, besides, she needs to wear her hunter’s orange vest during hunting season so she isn’t mistaken for a deer. But when hunting season is over and winter hits us, Hannah Joy will be pretty and warm in her coat and hat.
Edison and his Mama came by yesterday to eat from the bird feeders. I finally was able to get a good photo of them. You can see how tiny Edison is:
Millie was at the bird feeders this morning. She was very interested in the birds that came to eat. However, Millie isn’t the fierce huntress that Miss Madeline Meadows, our serial killer cat, was. Madeline was an awesome cat and I miss her, but I’m rather glad I’m not finding dead bodies every day. It always horrified me and made me sad. With Madeline gone, we are getting more cardinals up near the house.
This weekend EJ and I planned our Thanksgiving meal. We have developed the tradition of both us preparing the meal to divide the labor. I’ll make the pies on Wednesday–most definitely pumpkin and mincemeat, and maybe apple. EJ is going to stop at Meijers on his way home from work this week to buy little disposable 5″ pie pans. I want to make a lot of small pies to freeze so we can occasionally enjoy dessert without overindulging. The day after Thanksgiving, I always make potpies from leftover turkey. This year I’ll make small turkey pot pies freeze them as well.
On Thanksgiving morning, I will make dinner rolls while EJ prepares the turkey and also makes the green bean casserole. The other tasks we can divide up, depending on who is free at the moment.
I’ve been thinking today of how much I value friends my friends. I want to say thank you so much for your encouragement, comfort, laughter, and awesome uniqueness. I value you all.
I Love To Go A Gardening 