WINTER WEATHER-STORAGE CONTAINER-THE VISITOR-MOM

Hello,

WINTER WEATHER

Yesterday we had snow and sleet, It started off as rain and on my way to the class it turned to heavy sleet and snow.  The yard this morning is covered with snow but its suppose to be int he 50’s so it will melt.  Better weather is coming and after all its New England and in April anything can happen.

STORAGE CONTAINERS

I have unloaded the pop corn  and today will get the flour and oatmeal put away.  I was asked by Patti where I got the containers.  Over the years I have collected jars and tins.  Living on a farm always includes pests like rats and mice.  They are in search of food and there is plenty of it. both chickens and sheep are messy about the food they eat and spill stuff everywhere.  SO early on most of my food was stored in some sort  of container.  I have bought them at tag sales, junk stores and people  have saved them for me.  You can even buy them at your local farm supply.    I just placed an order for salve jars and included 4 gallon jars in that order.  They quickly got filled with the popcorn and some cloves.

FLOUR STORAGE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Unexpected Visitor

Last night I headed out into the barn to feed the sheep their carrots and almost ran into my friend The Skunk.   I ran back into the house to get my camera but he has disappeared.  He doesn’t want people to know who he is, I am sure he/or (hope not) she is doing undercover work.  So I went up the stairs and as I was half way up I saw him go for the kitchen door and disappear.  Well I knew that I had shut the door so the kitchen was safe.  Since its arrival my kitchen smells mighty skunky, especially in my pantry.  In the pantry there is an opening to the dirt floor below covered with hardware cloth so the plumbing is easy to reach .  Upon coming downstairs I realized that the insulation had been removed  between the barn wall and the kitchen wall right on the floor line so it wasn’t visible to me before now.  He has a good entrance to under the kitchen and into the cellar.  The trick will be the next time I see him in the barn to get the entrance blocked.

How handy is this.  This little entrance goes right under the kitchen floor into the basement.  So far no spraying in the basement.

MOM

Today is the the big day for Mom.  CIndy is on her way there right now and all is in place for her to be moved at 3pm.  Hospice has done an amazining job at getting things all together at the last moment.  Her bed and all her supplies that go with the bed and wheelchair will be moved and set up at Canal View, they have arranged transportation.  I sent all the paperwork overnight so the new place will have it before Mom comes and Cindy will be with her and take her belongings  to the new place.  I am anxious to hear from CIndy how Mom is doing.  We were down there a month or so ago but I am sure the changes with be dramatic.

The boys are coming tomorrow, so a busy week is ahead.

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

HANDSPUN HAT – HESTER – OLD POST BOX

HELLO

It’s another cold, damp, dark day here in Western Massachusetts.  I have spent a good part of the day keeping this old house warm.

HANDSPUN HAT

A friend of mine was making handspun Alpaca hats and selling them.  I had been given bags of Alpaca to spin so I got them out and started spinning.  Her hats were elaborate and beautiful.  I really wanted something that looked nice but was easy to knit and practical.   After looking at what seemed like hundreds of books on hat making I found this book “Hattitude ” by Cathy Carron.

I did change the pattern some, just knitting  it instead of the pattern called for.  I really didn’t want to follow a pattern.  I wanted the hat to be basic and simple.  This wonderful hat covers your ears and comes down on your neck too.  It has worked out to be a wonderful, warm hat.  So if you are looking for something different, yet quick and easy in hat wear try this pattern.  Its called Austere.  The yarn I spun for this hat was spun in a bulky weight.

HESTER FINALLY TOOK OVER THE NEST BOX

Poor Hester, her beloved sleeping spot was taken over by Charlotte for quite some time.  Last night she was successful.  She looks pretty smug in there doesn’t she?

OLD POST BOX

last summer I had to have the back part of my kitchen done over.  The sill piece had rotten and the back walls were never insulated right.  My neighbor Pat did a wonderful job on it.  I have shelves for all sorts of things, Its made my life easier.

Living in this house for 14 years I have had a battle with rats and mice.  The barn is attached to the house (that was the whole reason I bought this place) which makes it easy for these little creatures to get in.  I really needed a place to store waxed paper, zip lock bags and the likes.  The post box is perfect.   There was just enough room for it between my washer and dryer.  I looked and looked for a used one but couldn’t find one.   I think that I paid around $30. for this large one.    It’s the perfect place to store the waxed paper, crackers, and some grass seed.

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

 

 

MORE QUILT SQUARES – STORAGE SPACE FOR HOOKING WOOL AND MURPHY

HELLO,

It’s a beautiful brisk day in this part of New England.  The apples came early this year because of the summers weather.  I am closing some windows as I can feel the chill in the house.  I hope the heat doesn’t come on, and I am not going to light the wood stove just yet.

I was at the grain store today and bought the latest edition of The Farmers Almanac.  Can’t wait to read the predictions for 2013.

MORE QUILT SQUARES

This is the second batch of quilt squares I bought on e-bay.  I didn’t realize that they were from a smokers home and they will have to be soaked in fabreze before I can do anything with them.  They are much larger than the ones I used yesterday.  I am planning to cut hearts and fill them with lavender.

 

 

 

                                                                                                       
RUG HOOKING STORAGE

There is never enough storage in an old house.  You have to be inventive to find a solution.  About a month ago I went to Strawberry Fields and saw a very large gray wood box.  I thought about it and decided to come back and get it.  Well several weeks went by and it was sold, luckily she had another one and I snapped it up.  Now I have an old trunk belonging to my family full of wool in the dining room and this.  It’s nice to have the stash so handy.

 

Have a good day

Carole

MURPHY