Vacation journal: Colorado and New Mexico in March

Farm girls get to go on vacation now and then, and my vacations are built around my favorite thing: family! My first stop was to see the Grand Girl and her parents. We did what we usually do:  

Made funny faces.  

Went out and played. 

Made and ate good food (our first hot water crust meat and veg pie...yum!)

Then off to see my sisters and mom in New Mexico, where we: 

Made happy faces. 

Went out and played.  

Made and ate good food (pan seared duck breast, pan fried Brussels sprouts, roasted root vegetables and salad...yum).

The flowers were just beginning to bloom in New Mexico when I left. I arrived back to snow on the ground. Good weather for working on an appeal, so that we eventually will have more funds to keep building!  

One more photo of that Grand Girl:

Credit to Uncle Austin for the whale coat! 

Season journal: the waters of March

Zeke enjoying a St. Paddy’s day outing.  

When Lake Superior freezes over, spring comes late. One week ago (3/10), it snowed 7 inches.  

It then rained for the next two

days.  

The chickens haven’t ventured this far since January.  

Michael and I had cleared the garage roof and shoveled snow away from the edge to minimize flooding in our “guest cabin.”  

Only a small river runs through it.  

Michael also shoveled the snow out of the ditch Clyde and Irene excavated to make a walk-out basement, in order to avoid having the basement flood.  

It worked!  Dry basement.  

The pond is full again, and the snow hasn’t all melted yet. 

We won’t be planting the garden anytime soon.  

There are signs of spring around, nevertheless. 

The oaks don’t shed their leaves until spring comes.  

It snowed again today.  

It might keep snowing until mid May.  I hope not. Our baby chicks and ducks should all arrive around May Day. We hope to have the birds on pasture by then so the babies can stay in the coops instead of the guest cabin. We have to keep those babies warm! 

Weather journal: snowiest February in quite some time and thank goodness for child labor

We celebrated having both girls and the Grand Girl here for two days in late February by having an 6” snow fall. It took no time at all to clear the driveway!   

This snow came after we had already cleared off the 11” we had gotten a few days before the girls arrived.  

Fluffy, not heavy, but still amazing to move. 

We haven’t had time to do any formal weight lifting, but I do believe I’m developing some new muscles!  Of course, they are a bit lopsided, due to favoring throwing the snow right-handed. Even the US Postal Service shut down for a day due to this snow fall.  

The amount of snow by the roadside isn’t spectacular until you realize there’s usually a ditch there.  

We hadn’t moved the Subaru for a couple of weeks. 

Michael bought a roof rake. We hope to prevent our garages from flooding when melt time comes. The ground will be frozen when the melt begins.

The snow from the roof was compacted. Made me feel like I was in a Star Trek episode! 

Now it is sunny and cold. 22 below and the sky becomes a deep blue.  

Sparkle! 

Harvest journal: volunteerism at its best

Stuck.  

We found a rabbit stuck in our fence once before, but he had expired. This one was still alive when Michael went to water the ducks this morning. Michael tried to free him, but he had injured himself so badly he would not survive once disentangled.

That left the issue of what to do with him. Michael put him out of his misery and I undressed him. 

Clean! 

Previously, I have dredged the pieces in seasoned flour and made a stew. This time I marinaded the bits in a dry vermouth/Dijon mustard/shallot/rosemary mix for about 4 hours. Then browned the bits in olive oil. Put the marinade in the searing pan (after removing the bits) and added chicken broth. Bits back in sauce and simmered for an hour or so. Once tender, I fished the bits out and put the sauce onto a brisk simmer, until reduced to about a quarter of its original volume. While this was happening, I boiled our favorite noodle and wilted spinach in some more olive oil. When the sauce was sufficiently reduced, I added a splash of cream and put the bits (now boned) back in the sauce. Layered, it was quite fine. 

I forgot the food porn part until half way through dinner.  

Persephone and Irene shared in our bounty. It all served as a lovely reminder of the luck that has followed us through 32 years of marriage (as of today) and all the blessings rained upon us, as well as the generosity of others. We thank you Mr. Bunny. We thank you all.  

We look forward to feeding this one and her mommy.  We’ll have to wait to sustain her dad until summer comes. 

Weather journal: 4 days. 14 inches of snow.

Snow began falling in the wee hours of Friday, February 8.  It began with light rain. 

4” with the ice making the trees light up.  

We got another 4” on Saturday and then 6” from Sunday into Monday.  

Beginning to feel like a fortress!   

The snow piles are almost as tall as I am.  

Michael can put his liners in his boots, and so we’ve both been out moving snow. Good cardio. I’m happy we have been doing upper body workouts lately, so the shoveling hasn’t been too hard on arms and shoulders. 

Today, Valentines Day, Michael could finally fit into shoes!!!  Yayayayay.  

Not bad for an old guy.  

We were so full from beans and sopaipillas for dinner we didn’t have any of the cake...so we saved it for breakfast today.  

Can hardly wait to see this one and toss her in a snow bank!   

And voila, more snow today!   

So much snow, the pheasants are becoming bold.  They are now venturing inside the duck pen, along with the rabbits that sneak under the fence. 

Weather journal: a 72° temperature swing

Four days ago we had 36° below zero. Two days ago we had 36° above zero. Today we have single digits above and snow.  

The change in temperature created fog.  

The ground was still very cold, so the fog froze to all surfaces. 

The black top went from slightly frosted to ice covered to snow covered. Makes for a slippery walk with Zeke.  

Heading west down towards the river on Sunday. 

Walking east to infinity today.  

While out putting the birds to bed yesterday, the wind would whir through the trees, which then started to crackle like taking ice cubes out of their trays.  

All the leaves have become brittle with ice.  

The snow makes different sounds, from the sharp crackle of stiff cellophane to the snap of styrofoam in a deep resounding box, depending on its depth.  

The sock is doing it’s job well.  

Walking is helping Michael’s foot heal. Happy we have a dog to take us both for walkies.  

Weather journal: minus 38 at sunrise

The coldest part of the day is just after sunrise, which is a little before I (or Michael, once the doctor okays his lifting more than 20 lbs) go out to feed and water the birds. The reality of Life in the Big Woods is cold weather. Knowing this, I made myself what I call my “fake beard.” 

I custom-spun alpaca with silk for the beard. Circular design that is conical. The unstretchiness means it blocks wind. Non-wool material doesn’t irritate my skin.  Michael made me the hat from Jacob wool he spun. Super stretchy to hug my head!

Michael traditionally grows his “deer hunting” beard, which I have coveted for years dealing with scarves that come unwound. No more! 

The last time we saw less than 30 below, we had small children and lived in The Cities. Blowing bubbles outside and watching them roll around on the ground, then break like glass, was fun. Now we have a dog and live in Big Woods territory, which gives us other wonders of very cold weather.  

The ground above the culvert cracked apart about a half an inch. It’s called a “frost quake.” 

We didn’t have any wind, just startling blue sky. Pouring out the unfrozen part of the bird buckets makes sharp cracking sounds.  

Michael is walking and can fit his swollen foot in a snow boot, with the lining removed. I am making him a large woolen sock to fit over his other sock, to give him a bit more insulation. It’s handy to know how to turn a heel, so I can make any shape sock I need!

Surrounded by my boys.  

Walking Zeke lets us see the drama of the wild, even if it’s the wild right next to the road. 

A pheasant walked here; then an eagle feasted. 

I’m so happy we can both take Zeke for walkies now!  This is too great not to share. And it is too lovely to have cold keep us inside. 

Pet journal: meet Zeke

Our new Springer Spaniel/Lab mutt friend

We celebrated Michael’s being able to walk (but not carry more than 20 lbs) by visiting the Animal Rescue next to the hospital. Two days later (after clearing out space in our room) we brought Zeke home. Our daughter reminded us it was the 3 year anniversary of Zealot’s death. We have missed having a dog in our lives, but had neither time nor space for a new one.  Not that we will ever have a lot of extra time, but devoting attention to animals is part of what we do. 

Dusty spent the entire first day Zeke was here growling from under the bed.  

Day 3 and Dusty is beginning to accept having a new family member around.  

We did have to move Dusty’s food, water and cat litter box into a room that we could close to Zeke. Dusty spent most of Day 2 in that room with the door closed. Then he decided that he didn’t like being alone and so has made a tentative (claw’s length) peace with Zeke. 

Zeke had a couple of accidents on Days 1 and 2, but we got his yard ground-fenced yesterday. He spent all of that time outside with us. He snuck under the fence once and I shinnied under that same fence after him.  He spent the rest of the time at the end of a very long rope, until we finished putting up bottom fencing. Then he got to run free. He hasn’t had any more accidents. We are all learning how to read each other!   

He is a smart puppy. He came to our house knowing how to sit on command, but not to lie down. Yesterday I taught him that command. I’m teaching him “come” to get up the stairs (he never wants to go up the long staircase), and we are working on walking without winding either of us up in his leash.  

He chewed up one of our daughter’s shoes, but Dusty has been guarding my shoes. Good cat!  

Like any youngster, we need to keep a close eye on Zeke. We will introduce him to the chickens when the weather warms up and they come out of their coop. He’s a runner, and came in as a stray, so will never be out free-ranging with the chickens. Zealot was the same. It just means we will be on our regular walk routine again!  

Perhaps the best news of all is that Irene is making friends with both Zeke AND Dusty. It helps that Dusty no longer feels free to lay in the middle of doorways, creating a trip hazard for Irene, and he is more appreciative of attention. Irene loved Zealot. We hope she can love both Zeke and Dusty. Looks like she will.  

Chore journal: having livestock is a great way to get outdoors in the winter

Spring, summer and autumn are all about gardening. Winter here tends to be weighted toward inside activities. This can lead to cabin fever. Having livestock, however, guarantees that you will spend quality time outside on a daily basis.  

The bunnies come and clean up feed left on the ground by the ducks and chickens.  

You get to see the sun on occasion!  The old part of the cabin, where we spend most of our inside time, has few windows. 

Sometimes it rains tiny stars.  

The swans fly from the fields to the river every evening. The geese fly high, but I can hear the wind in the swans’ wings.  

Emptying the outside tubs is an evening chore. Watching the ice develop over time, as well as its run-off patterns, is fascinating.  

The mower blade/rail tie counterweights on the squirrel-proof bird feeder make interesting light patterns. They also chime in the wind.  

Light changes in quality with cloud cover and ice crystals or fog or other airborne water particles, as well as with the position of the sun. It keeps the same view ever fresh.  

Michael has been doing more outside, hauling all the water buckets in the morning and occasionally hauling wood in the day. He has been more conscientious about elevating his surgery site to reduce the swelling. I am still doing many of the outdoors jobs, and now am loathe to give them up!   

Grand Girl journal: she walks, she talks, she steals your heart and your shoes

Our time with L, in somewhat chronological order from the morning of December 22, 2018, to her departure on January 4, 2019:

The GG never met a slipper she didn’t like.  

While not redistributing footwear and canned goods, she was always ready to eat.  

Jelly, straight out of the jar. Must be at grandma’s house.  

She needed energy to oversee the cutting of the tree.   Our windbreak trees needed thinning. 

“Tree” was L’s first word.  

Helping her Da inspect the lights.  

All the unbreakable ornaments went on the bottom half of the tree...due to the cat, of course.  

Putting the final touches on the decorations.  

The youngest member always distributes the presents.  

We modified the rule to “the youngest who can read.”  This left Auntie Sister on the hook.  

Dolls and books. Her favorites.  

L is fascinated by animals.  

“Hi Mee!” 

Most things merit only one syllable with L. So her blanket is “blah” and water is “wah”, but the cat became “Meow.”  He acted the gentleman with her. 

L and Meow birdwatching.  

At 18 months, she can climb onto chairs and beds and most everything else. More importantly, she safely climbs down again. I did put together a very short stool to help the process; the benefits of having nicely finished scrap wood!   

I think she had a good time while here.  

Playing tag with Da.  

Watching Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer with Michael. L hasn’t named us yet.  

Sledding in the new year.  

Making L-sized holes in snow piles.  

Feeding herself yogurt and more jelly.  

Rearranging the larder. I’m still finding cans in odd corners.  

Sharing her fingers with Summa (which is what Artemis named Irene when she was about 18 months old).  

Tolerating goodbye kisses from us.  

We miss her, and her parents too.  

Vacation journal: let the party begin—tomorrow

The Grand Girl and her chauffeurs spent all day traveling. 

We spent all day cleaning.  

Before.  

After.  

I can hardly wait to introduce the Grand Girl to the ducks.  

So happy all those children arrived safely. 

Construction journal: shower trim installed!

The grab bar and shower hardware are in too. 

Now to get the construction grime cleaned up. There’s a reason I’m not showing the pan. 

You didn’t want to watch me on the ladder juggling screw drivers, boards, caulk guns, etc.  

I have two days to turn my workshop into a bedroom fit for an 18 month old (and her parents). 

I will be doing a lot of stairs, storing equipment in the basement.  

My planned schedule got delayed a bit due to Irene going to the ER with a bowel obstruction on Sunday. I got her out today. The 4 hours on Sunday and 5 hours today (and daily trips to the hospital in between) ate into my work time. Michael, having only one working foot, isn’t eligible to drive, or to stand on ladders. He continues to make fabulous bread though!  

The ladies know who bakes their bread.  

The weather gods have blessed me with warm weather and scant snow.  

The crystals formed overnight between warm days, until the nights were warm too.  

We are hoping for snow on Christmas Eve, so the Grand Girl will have a chance to use her new sled. 

We will cut a Christmas tree when the Girl arrives so she can help decorate ours too.  

Physical maintenance journal: daily routines and invasive surgery

Michael was born with flat feet. He hasn’t been particularly kind to them over the years. We took him to a podiatrist this fall and the nice nurse, upon seeing his xrays, blurred out, “You have terrible feet!”  Hmmm, could be why we were there...

On November 27, he went under the knife.  

Two weeks after surgery.  

He was off his feet except for bathroom and meal breaks the first four days. Since then he’s been up and making bread, doing dishes, and other indoor chores.   He still needs to allow himself time to heal. 

The iWalk is a hands-free crutch. Works well! 

Michael makes rye bread because he knows I love it.  

In the meantime, I’ve taken over the outside chores.  

Five gallon buckets, full, weigh about 40 pounds each. I fill them to between 30-35 pounds. When the weather turns colder, I’ll fill twice a day to water the birds. Good core conditioning! 

I start the day filling buckets with warm water, to fill inside and outside watering stations.  

Long Feather lost one of his spurs recently.  

I then put out the outside feed and gather eggs.  

With low light, we are down to one duck egg a day. The chickens respond to artificial light, and are up to 9 eggs a day.  

I spread straw in the coops about every 2-3 days, and then remove it once every 10 days to two weeks, depending on weather.  

Keeping clean coops helps avoid foot infections.  

After the birds are watered and fed, I walk down the driveway to deliver any outgoing mail and pick up the newspaper.  

I’m happy we haven’t had any deep snow.  

My on-line health coach suggested I pick up the pace of my chores, so I try to “power walk” the 1200 foot round trip to the mailbox.  Somehow it didn’t mention “power-lifting” 50 pound feed sacks...so I do those nice and slowly, using my legs. 

My last morning chore is gathering wood. We don’t have any other source of heat in the original cabin section of the house.  

Michael thought it was a good idea to haul wood in the wheelbarrow.  I’m not sure how I’d cope without it!  I’m learning how to split wood, as some of the logs are too big for our stove.  I’ve been doing special leg exercises in order to push that barrow without becoming crippled myself.

It takes me about 2 hours in the morning to get the chores done. Then it’s time for breakfast, a little rest with the sudoku and NYT crossword, before working a bit on construction projects.  

Slowly they dry, layer on layer of spar varnish for the shower trim.  

Then it’s time to fill feed buckets for tomorrow, empty outside water tubs, and put the birds to bed. Inside to make dinner, sit and knit, then fall in a heap to sleep.  

Soon I will put away my tools, sweep the addition, and set up beds for the holidays. My favorite little bird will need feeding! 

Bird journal: on the move

The birds have been flocking for a month or more.  

Sand hill cranes in early November.  

I’ve counted as many as 130 geese in a single formation.  

You can always hear the trumpeter swans before you see them. They sound like clown cars.  

Turkeys have been sneaking around the barn. 

My favorite little bird will be migrating our way soon! 

Hunting journal: 88 pounds of venison in the freezer

We have hosted as many as 9 hunters on our land in the past. This year we were down to three: Michael’s brother John, Michael, and me. Johnny shot his doe Saturday morning of opening day. Michael discovered on three different deer that he can no longer hunt with iron sights...and after changing rifles mid-day, shot his doe at about 4 PM on Saturday the 17th. 

She was a hefty lady.  

I went and got the Suburban my dad left us and helped Michael tug her up the hill. We could barely swing her up into the truck!  After we got her hung in the walnut tree, we had a quick dinner, put the birds away and went to bed. I think we were both asleep by 7 pm.  

I harvested my doe the next day at about 4:20 PM.   

Such a pretty girl. I took time to thank her and admire her before starting on the grisly part of the harvest.  

My doe was not quite as large as Michael’s. He took the hide off of mine and quartered her on Monday. I worked on the livers and hearts while he was skinning. 

The chickens vacuum up any odd scrap that Michael lets fall.  

Due to the weather, he didn’t have a chance to part out his doe until the Friday after Thanksgiving.  

We love the meat grinder attachment for the Kitchenaid. Beats grinding by hand! 

We save out the backstraps for steaks, and carve out several roasts from the back haunches. We also make stew meat from the thighs. Most of the rest goes into burger. This year we made breakfast sausages out of the hearts. My daughter, who will not eat liver or the “icky” parts, had to agree the sausage was very tasty. 

They were fat deer. Layers of fat between muscle attachments is becoming more common. We used to only find fat on the thighs and in the abdominal cavity. Now it is everywhere. This is what comes of living off of corn and soy rather than tree browse. We will make soap from the rendered fat, which came to almost 18 pounds. We turned the hides in to a local collection box for a charity.  The rest of the carcasses we will burn on New Year’s Eve and return the bone minerals  to our garden. 

I love hunting season. I love watching the birds while waiting for a deer to step into my sights. 

The woodpecker would shoo away the chickadees and nuthatches.  

I counted 45 turkeys. 

I love watching the sun move across the field. 

Mostly, I love living and working with Michael to make things...even meatloaf. It seems to mean more when you have stroked the neck of the animal you eat and have been able to thank her personally.  

Furniture journal: the pantry shelves are done!!!

I put the back on the pantry shelves and Michael and I wrestled them into the kitchen.  

The wood  brightens te kitchen. The new lights help as well. 

Moving Irene into her new space allowed us to move the table into what used to be her living room. The table and chairs pretty well fill that room, but comfortably so. That table used to be in the middle of the kitchen, in front of the chair still remaining in the kitchen. it made a tight squeeze to get anywhere in the kitchen, as well as through the kitchen to any other room. It is a joy to have room to walk from the stove to the fridge and from one room into another without having to dodge obstacles every step of the way.  

The pantry Clyde built. We will still use this space, but will modify it to be a bit more accessible and have fewer places for things to fall between the cracks.  

The canisters on the floor did not fit in the old pantry. As Irene didn’t bake bread, she didn’t need much flour. Michael’s bread is a daily treat. I like to encourage him to use as many different types of flour as possible.  Now I can indulge him without tripping over the canisters. Cleaning the floor will be easier too. 

Full! 

My hope is that we will stop buying duplicate canned goods now that we can see how many we still have. I counted four bottles of black bean garlic sauce. We won’t use that much sauce in a year!  And we will use more if we see it and can say, “Hey, how about stir fry with black bean sauce for dinner?”  We had hot chocolate for dessert today, having discovered that we had some.  We are visual people. If we can’t see it, it doesn’t exist. 

I have several more articles to build to make the kitchen more functional. We need more counter space, and need to arrange things so that the space we have is more useful.   Countertops are usually 24” deep. I wish to build 16” deep countertops to tuck here and there without blocking the traffic lanes. Those projects will have to wait until next year. In the meantime, I’m thrilled with increasing our storage space right now!

Construction journal meets weather journal: putting in the shower and finishing boards in the snow

We celebrated All Hallow’s Eve by beginning to install the shower surround. 

Swanstone is a plastic composite.   We didn’t want to deal with grout in the shower. 

Michael primed the cement board walls before we began, so I suppose we started on about the 29th of October.   We installed one wall per day. 

Day 2 of wall installation.  

I didn’t manage to get a photo of Day 3, but it was more of the same...   

Once the walls were in and the silicon caulk had set, we started on the shower door.  

It took an entire day to install the fixed side of the shower door, as the railing that attached to the wall was bent. We had purchased the door back in February and didn’t open the package until November. We were apparently overly optimistic about the time it would take to get the finish work in Irene’s space done.  With the help of some angle iron, a wooden spacer and a rubber mallet, we hammered out our problem. 

And after a couple more days, the walls and door are in and caulked too!   

Once the shower door was in, Michael installed not one, but TWO ceiling fans in that bathroom. We are tired of having insufficient airflow in the bathroom.  

The first snow fell on November 6th. The snow has stayed, and increased, ever since.  

I started cutting boards for a pantry shelf a day or so before the shower took over our work space. By the time the shower project (minus the plumbing and finish boards) was done, winter arrived. I have been cutting and sanding boards in between snow showers. 

Once I clear out the boards from the future living room, we can bring in the wallboard that has been sitting in the Suburban and finish installing the walls in this area.  

Michael made time to help me assemble the shelves. So far, we have two days into gluing and screwing boards in place. 

Letting the glue and putty dry before making space to cut the backing. 

I am SO EXCITED to have a place to put the canisters that have been on the floor for several years now. That, and being able to see and find canned goods will be a blessing. I often have to unpack several shelves to find that can of tomato paste, olives, or whatever else is needed at the moment, that I know is there, but has been pushed to the back of the 2 foot deep shelves Clyde built. He made good use of the space he had, which is why we are creating more space.

I understand the concept of tiny houses. Clyde and Irene lived in motor and mobile homes for years and were experts at living in tiny spaces. Yet, cooking and hosting family dinners was not something they did. Nor did they have anything more than a single bed or a non-roll out couch for visitors. No space for projects. All things we want to have in our home. We hope to be able to host my 5 brothers (and put them to work!) by the summer of 2020. So I will continue to cut boards and sand them outside, snow or no!

Harvest journal:popcorn!

My new favorite:

Heirloom raspberry popcorn. It grew well.  

It takes about 3 ears to make 2/3 cup.  

Tiny kernels but very tasty...even Michael says they are better without butter, and he’s a butter booster!   

We will add this to our garden repertoire.  

Harvest journal: beauty in the breakdown

Wednesday morning I carried the 18 ducks we hatched and raised from the pond pasture to the Duck Mansion. Michael returned from Colorado Wednesday evening. The next day, yesterday, we started our duck harvest. We finished today, saving 4 ducklings to augment our flock. Now all are tucked into the Duck Mansion for the winter.

Tomorrow they say it will snow. Today, I give thanks to my ducklings for nourishing my body and soul, with love and gratitude. 

Partnership journal: Missing man formation

I have been hanging photos and artwork in Irene’s new space.  I ran across these photos:

My mother made me promise her two things when I told her I would marry Michael: that I would wear a dress and that I wouldn’t use a mail order minister. You can see I wasn’t much into keeping those particular promises. I had more important ones on my mind.  

We got married just outside our efficiency apartment on a Tuesday evening.

I am being sentimental because Michael has been gone for 8 days now. We aren’t exactly sure when he will be back. He flew to New Mexico to pick up the Suburban my father gifted him.  

Doing an ops check. It all checked out.  

While in NM, my mom made use of Michael muscle.  

Making the landscape less labor-intensive now my dad isn’t there care for his flowers.  

While Michael was in sunny NM, it rained 2.25” over three days. 

Caring for the ducks became a very muddy job.  

The rain finally let up long enough to allow me to begin digging the garlic garden. 

A day’s hard labor, and I’m not quite done. It snowed the next day. I’ll get the garlic in later this week. 

Michael was due home today, but he is still in Colorado, taking care of our Grand Girl while our daughter recovers from surgery. She fell ill the day he arrived. Surgery was successful and she should be back in fighting form soon.  

Bedtime stories as only Michael can tell.  

We are both thankful that he can be there as long as they need him. In the meantime, I can handle the daily chores. Yet, working with Michael is a lot more fun than doing the same things alone. 

First sunlight on the trees.  

I have to admit, my daily chores are pretty spectacular as they are. I need my partner back to share these moments, and by sharing, make them even better.