FROSTY MORNINGS-OCTOBERFEST-GARDEN DELIGHTS-DRYING HOT PEPPERS AND HERBS.

GREETINGS

The hot and humidity has cleared out and now we are hit with almost frosty temps.  That is New England for you.  We  finally got some longed for rain. And now a stretch of  wonderful weather. 

OCTOBERFEST

 

The Brick Meeting House is active again..  Come join us for lots of local crafts, food and a good time in Colrain.  Next Saturday or rain date is Columbus Day, Monday for a wonderful fair.

GARDEN DELIGHTS

 Sadly none of my pumpkins came up this year but to my surprise one rogue cucumber did come up and is giving me some nice cukes at the end of the season.

 The  leeks did wonderful and I did remember to hill them up occasionally this summer.  Half are in the freezer and I will pull up the rest soon.

DRYING HOT PEPPERS AND HERBS AND RECIPE FOR ARTHRITIS SALVE

 

I bought 10 hot peppers I don’t know what kind they are but after they were in the dehydrator for an hour or so I started coughing and my eyes were tearing up.   Finally after a couple of hours I had to turn it off.  Today I am finishing them .  I am including my recipe for Arthritis Salve which is easy to make and works well.  Please remember when using that this is made from hot peppers …

ARTHRITIS SALVE

 CAUTION PEPPERS CAN CAUSE BURNS WEAR GLOVES AND DON’T TOUCH YOUR EYES OR FACE.  EYE PROTECTION IS RECOMMENDED.

WIDE MOUTH JAR WITH CAP

Hot Peppers  ( they must be dried and sliced )

Olive Oil enough to cover the hot peppers by at least 2 inches

Small amount of Beeswax  It all depends on how many peppers and oil that you use.

Dry peppers (either in a dehydrator or by hanging them up)  Place in a jar and cover the with olive oil then add two inches, making sure that no peppers can reach the top of the olive oil.

Let sit for at least a month.  Mine will sit for 2 or three months.  This lets the peppers infuse with the olive oil.

   Strain the peppers  through a cheesecloth and place in  a saucepan.   Put aside . Melt beeswax over a double boiler and put aside.     Warm up the oil till its warmed through and then add the beeswax a little at a time.  Testing drops on a plate as you do this.  When you find that the drops solidify your are done.  Do not overdo the beeswax. Pour into jars.  

This salve has worked wonders for me.  When you put it on there is no hot sensation.  It works slowly.   It  has also saved me a lot of money.  Fr a small amount of money you can make 10 or 20 jars , and compared to what it cost in the store you could save hundreds of dollars.

 

PRESERVING SWEET ANNIE WITH PLANTS FROM SUSAN BATES HOME AND GARDEN

I started preserving Sweet Annie, which is one of my favorite plants .I finally found the perfect spot for it and they took off..  This year I bought 2 plants from Susan Bates at the Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair. She has a brick and mortar store in Ashby, Massachusetts called Susan Bates Home and Garden.     Her plants are of the best quality.  She has lots of wonderful things at her shop, furniture, and antiques handmade things and she also occasionally has classes.  Check her out on Facebook.

 This year I have enough to sell a few bunches and am preserving them in a glycerin based mix.  1 put 1 part glycerin and 2 parts water.  With freshly cut branches place them in the water mix for approximately one week.  They will stay as they were preserved and not turn brown  The smell remains and they are a perfect fall decoration and they repel insects.

Many thanks for reading my blog on this lovely fall day.   Carole.

DOT AND SHE HAS A NEW FRIEND SEE MORE ABOUT HER IN MY NEXT BLOG

 

 

 

 

 

 

OUR TOWN IS SADDENED BY AN ACCIDENT- THE CORN-THE HEATH FAIR-MY RANT FOR THE DAY

 

HERBS DRYING IN THE BARN

GREETINGS

A tragic accident in our little town has shaken the town to its core.  There has been many accidents on that same stretch of road and many scary near misses but this time there was a death. It reminds us that we need to appreciate even the smallest things in life.  A meeting will be held tonight and there will be  discussions about what can be done.  The state feels this road is not dangerous I wonder if one of the people making that decision would feel that way if they lost their brakes or started skidding on ice.  We are so removed from Boston politics here!

 

 

THE CORN

The second field of corn was ripe and two bushels were ready for me to freeze.  The question of the day was should I blanch it like I usually do or freeze it right off the cob.   According to the internet blanching is best to keep the taste the longest.   Wednesday and Thursday of last week I did  over 140 ears.  All of it is safely in the freezer to be enjoyed over the winter.  Now on to tomatoes and blueberries.

THE HEATH FAIR

  A wonderful fair with Horse pulls, fried dough, and a parade, Firemen’s muster and so many other things.  This was the 100 year of the fair(well really 101 but in 1942 the government  asked that no functions be held where people would gather because of the polio epidemic.) I got lots of spinning done and met lots of wonderful people . 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MY RANT FOR THE DAY

Thanks to Verizon and Direct TV for being the worst companies in terms of service.  The  other day it was raining so I could not stream anything or get any info on the internet.  This happens every time it snows , rains, is overcast, kids come home from school. work hours end and on weekends.  They know this happens but we  in my area are in a bind its all we have.    The great news is in a year or two they will have competition and I  for one will probably switch.  

And for Direct TV, thanks for charging me 70 dollars a month for 10 channels the other 190 you couldn’t pay me to watch.  And the same thing goes for the rain, snow, overcast no local channels work and some of the others don’t either.  It would be nice to get urgent weather info but oh no.  This will change for you too direct tv .  New things are coming on the market making your services obsolete.

Many thanks for reading my blog on this beautiful summer day.  Carole

HAPPY FOURTH-FARMERS MARKET PROJECT-WEEKLY RIVER TIME=COSMO AND CATNIP

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY

The humidity has left and we have warm days with coolish nights.  Ideal summer weather.  We had some much-needed rain but are still in a pre-drought condition

FARMERS MARKET PROJECT

I have two pieces that I need to finish this summer and the Farmers Market is a good place to work on them.

This is such a fun piece I love working on it.

 

WEEKLY RIVER TIME

I love the river, its peaceful and quiet so this summer I decided to take the boys to the river once a week.  I will bring a project they will do whatever they want.  Charlie loves to swim and Tyler like to check out animal habitats and construct boats out of things found on the riverbed.  His boat yesterday out of branches and leaves worked pretty well.  He has plans for a better model.  I brought my quilting pieces there.  

COSMO AND CATNIP

Catnip is sooooooo good!

I am so glad Cosmo came into my life.  He is a unique cat .   He has taught me lessons about only having one eye, and made me understand in the animal world they adapt so much more easily.   Little did I realize that one day there would be a one eyes sheep in my family.

I don’t know if he ever had real catnip but yesterday I introduced it to him.    He was over the moon about it.  The dried catnip is nice but the real stuff is so good.

All he needs now is a bow tie!

A SUPER HERO NEXT DOOR.

If I ever need a super hero there is one next door.  Her brothers helped her make the costume and Lil is a super hero these days.

I am still planting things in the garden, Brussel sprout plants went in yesterday and some flower seeds.  Slowly things are coming up.  Many thanks for reading my blog today.  Carole

 

FIXING THE BARN DOOR-LIL-GRISWOLDVILLE

GREETINGS

FIXING THE BARN DOOR

My old post and beam barn has a door from the barn to the  second floor of the house.   I haven’t been able to use it for a while.  Rats, raccoons and skunks had invaded it and left the attic space a mess.  I have been working 15 minutes every once in a while to get it back to order and identify what is in all the boxes.  The door on the barn section was off the hinges so yesterday my Son and Grandson fixed it.  Its a heavy door cut out of the barn structure itself.

 

 

 It wasn’t an easy job but it looks great and I am thankful its done.  While they were doing that Lil came up and helped feed the sheep.

 Elliott was very curious to see what was happening in his barn.

GRISWOLDVILLE

Someone years ago wrote Griswoldville on the door..

 

Griswoldville is one of the 7 villages which are located in COlrain.  Once upon a time the Griswoldville Manufacturing Company (a cotton mill with an interesting history)  was located here.  The houses on High Street  were mostly owned by the company for their employees.  My house and my son’s house were privately owned.  The factory is long gone but the houses remain and form a delightful community backed by miles of mountainous forest.

RUGOSA ROSES

I do love Rugosa Roses.  There smell is delightful and the bloom off and on all summer long.

Hope you have a wonderful day and many thanks for reading my blog.   Carole

 

 

THE FARMERS MARKET-LIVING ON A FARM-THE LAVENDER FEST

GREETINGS

LIVING ON A FARM

At the last town meeting there was a vote to make our town, Colrain, a farming community.  What a nice gesture.  Most people who live here adjust to farm smells and farm sounds.  But there are those few people who complain about both.  My friend Lynn has had a neighbor complain about her rooster some years ago.  I have a neighbor who constantly complains about everything , some people like to complain but when you live in a rural town you can expect the baaing of sheep, crowing of roosters and the mooing of cows and yes, sometimes very barny smells!  I am glad that Colrain remains a small town and encourages farmers.  We have both large and small farms here and its a great place to live.

THE FARMERS MARKET

The farmers market livens up when the veggies come in but it’s still an enjoyable place to be on a Friday afternoon.  There are still lots of things to be had, fresh home-made bread,greens, handspun yarn, fresh eggs, ice cream, lamb and much more. Ricky set up the tent and helped me and Jane came and spun.  I am working on the Farmers Market rug and enjoying meeting new people and introducing them to my products.  Here is a look at the progress on the Farmers Market Rug.

THE LAVENDER FEST

 JOHNSON HILL FARM IN BUCKLAND, MASSACHUSETTS

Yesterday was a glorious day..  Breezes with plenty of sunshine.  Everything looked beautiful and it was a great day for meeting old friends and greeting new people.  Ricky helped me set up. I worked a little on the Farmers Market Rug but today I am bringing my spinning wheel.  Come join me.

Many thanks for reading my blog on another beautiful day.  Carole