Snow arrives!

The weathermen have been forecasting snow for our area and this morning it finally arrived. I awoke to large, fluffy flakes falling quietly and to Devin meowing - not so quietly - as he wanted to go out. The snow didn't seem to bother him and as I let him out, he bounced off to adventure. Meanwhile, B. had gone off to feed the cats at B&M's place. They were gone to LA for the past few days to attend a wedding and they should be returning later today, provided the roads are okay. B. returned shortly after my awakening.

We decided to head out into the snow, too. We walked the ten blocks or so to one of the area's newest breakfast places. We had been there before so we knew we'd get a great meal. This morning we settled on omelets and sat and watched folks try to drive on the street outside the window. Most of the vehicles had no problem but there was one that just kept skidding and slipping around. The driver finally ended up parking the car and he & his passenger went off.

The snow is clinging to the trees and roads, making it all look quite festive. We enjoyed our walk in the snow and then headed home to read the Sunday paper by the fire. A cozy day to stay indoors...

A trip to Peru

On November 8th we flew down to Peru for a trip of a lifetime - a visit to Machu Picchu. We spent time in Lima, Cusco, Yucay and Aguas Caliente which is at the foot of Machu Picchu. We saw many amazing sights, had some great food and made some new friends. You can see me in Peru at the left, being upstaged by a llama.

Last of the Vegetables

Week nineteen - parsnips, carrots, Swiss chard, potatoes, leeks, delicata squash, acorn squash, pac choi, stir fry mix, onions

This was our last week to get vegetables from the Wintergreen Farm. As always, there were way too many for us so I shared some with our neighbor. We still have some vegetables from last week!!

Tonight I plan to make roasted parsnip & carrot soup, a recipe taken from the weekly email sent by the Wintergreen Farm. I'm still not sure what I'll do with the squash but it'll last for a while so I'll just let it sit until I come up with something.

Travel tales

At left is a photo of Cresent Lake up in Olympic National Park. B. and I were only there 5 days but we sure saw a lot of beautiful places - mountains, lakes, rivers, streams, rain forests, ocean beaches.

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Our latest travel plans are for a week+ trip to Peru and Maccu Picchu. Since we hadn't heard anything from the tour company for a while, we weren't sure if they had canceled the trip (as they did our planned trip to Egypt) or not. Last week we found out that the Peru trip is still on. A dozen people are signed up and there will probably be some additional folks by the time of departure.

September

Though it is already September, things are blooming like crazy in our neighborhood. These flowers are glorious shades of orange, light and dark, and this photo doesn't do them justice.

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Our tomatoes have gone wild. They are not ripening very quickly but once they do, I'll be busy making tomato sauce or tomato soup in order to use them all. Or I could invite the neighborhood in for tomato sandwiches.

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Even my pumpkin patch is thriving. For weeks I was morose about pumpkin prospects as NONE of the blossoms became actual pumpkins. Today I looked and I now have 5 growing. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, jack-o-lanterns...

Week Eleven

This week's bounty plus Zoe

Devin's checkup

Took Devin to the Cat Hospital today for his shots. He was NOT happy and meowed fiercely all the way there. Since it was only a 5 minute drive, that wasn't so bad. The quiet atmosphere (no dogs!) and the relaxed vet & assistant made the overall experience relatively easy. Devin behaved beautifully - but was happy to return to the cat carrier after all the poking, proding, and shots. The vet said he's fine but recommended that he lose weight. He now weights 14.25 pounds!! He is hefty - I can tell that every time I pick him up - but he is also a big cat. Apparently, he's having too many cat crunchies but he doesn't seem to eat all that much at home. So where is he getting extra food?

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So we'll have to try to get him to eat more wet food rather than crunchies. That may be a challenge.

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The picture at left is from a few months ago but he still looks much the same, only larger - and without the collar which he removed in the bushes somewhere.

More vegetables

Vegetables, vegetables, vegetables!! We can't keep up! This week we got two lettuces, two zucchini, carrots, two onions, three cucumbers, green beans, basil, cauliflower, a tomato and blueberries. We've made some pesto and I made a chocolate zucchini bundt cake to bring down to the homeless shelter on Tuesday. But that still leaves us a LOT.

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We gave the cauliflower, onions, one lettuce, half the basil, and the carrots to our next door neighbor - the one with the parrots. They eat a lot of veggies (the neighbors - not the parrots, though maybe they do, too). So it is salads this week - along with green beans and a carrot dish. We've had some great stuff. Last week we had spicy cauliflower which we both liked. And we liked the pesto - had that for supper tonight over pasta. Still, we can eat only so many vegetables. I'm glad that I joined the Community Farm as it has forced me to try new recipes and vegetables that I was unfamiliar with such as fennel - but probably next year we won't join as we just can't eat all this. :)

Mixed Media

Last night's art class concentrated in Mixed Media. We tore out scraps from newspapers or magazines and pasted them onto paper and then painted over them. Here's my result.

Painting class - week three

Out for a walk


A quiet day



Purple flower




Unsettled Mind

Landscape

Painting Class - week two

Last week was the first painting class - scary. New teacher, new students, new location. And besides all that - we had to draw so that meant things were expected to look like something. This week was much more fun. Just knowing where to go and who you'd be working with made things easier but our actual work was easier too. We took the work we had done last week and this time we added paint to our drawings, enhancing them or changing them completely!! There are 10 or 11 signed up for class but only about 8 show each week. Most of the people who came last week were there again - but not all - and we had a new person.
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It was really a lot of fun!! And I never thought I would say that about painting!! I really liked spreading all those colors all over the page and mixing up any combination I felt like. The instructor gave comments and suggestions but mostly just stood back and watched us all (after he had explained everything). He also mentioned that he was a bit disorganized tonight because he had been to the vet today to put their cat down (sick, about 15 years old with an incurable disease). That made him seem more human, rather than an "I know everything about art" kind of person.

The other folks in the class are an interesting mix, mostly a lot younger folks but one or two who are a bit older. All of them were very nice. One of the other students, Mary, helped me out on the picture below - which we both decided ended up being a pirate.

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Who knows what we will come up with next week?? :)

Another week on the farm

Broccoli, salad greens, beets, zucchini, carrots, spinach, green onions, lettuce, cauliflower, swiss chard
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The box from the farm was chock full of vegetables this week but we added some potatoes, an onion, and tomatos to our stockpile. And then we stopped at some of the berry stands at the Farmers' Market and got strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries and black raspberries. We are ready for another week!!
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The days have been warmer here, sometimes warmer than we'd like. We've used the air conditioning a couple of times.
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It's been a fine week - hiking, biking, attending a movie, just taking it easy. Looking forward to another of the same.

Week three from the farm

This week's harvest - turnips, carrots, kale, fennel, lettuce, radishes, Napa cabbage, broccoli, beets, green onions, strawberries!! The flowers are not from the Winter Green Farm but from another stall. They were so pretty that I couldn't resist.

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We've already started eating our bounty. Had C. over for lunch and we had a salad which included some lettuce, beet greens, turnip greens, kale, radishes, broccoli and carrots. Still have plenty more.

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Last week we also had kale and we tried one of the recipes that was included from the farm. And both B. and I found that we liked kale just fine. Very tasty! This week we'll try Napa Cabbage Slaw and also Braised Fennel with Parmesan.

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This week I ordered a salad spinner, something I never have thought necessary. However, now that B. & have have salad so often, I find it invaluable and am sorry I waited so long to get it! I've also ordered an electric vegetable chopper but that hasn't arrived yet. It's amazing how much chopping there is with all these vegetables and I think it'll turn out to be quite handy.

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As far as our own little garden in our yard, the peas are ready to eat. There are not a lot of them but they add a nice touch to salads. We've got some tomatoes growing, too, but so far they are still green.

Community Farm

This is our 2nd week of produce from our share of the Winter Green Community Farm. This week we got Swiss Chard, Kale, parsley, carrots, radishes, lettuce and two boxes of strawberries. We still have some lettuce left from last week's box so we'll be busy with salads this week! We also have some interesting recipes planned for the week - Swiss Chard Egg Loaf, Carrot & Parsley Salad, Sauteed Beet and Potato Hash and (if we have some Swiss Chard left over) Chard with Sweet & Sour Ginger sauce. Last week we tried Creamy Choi Soup using the pac choi that was in the first week's box. Both B. & I really liked it though neither of us had ever had pac choi before.

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Each week we get an email (mid-week) from the farm which tells us what to expect from this week's harvest, how to store it, tells about the people doing the harvest, and gives recipes. You can also find the information from previous weeks at their site http://www.wintergreenfarm.com/ (just click on the ONLINE BOX NOTES). I'm finding this helpful to get more recipes for some of the vegetables that I'm unfamiliar with.

A perfect afternoon

Yesterday the weather was fine. After all that rain we'd been having, we were thrilled to have sunshine - and warmth! I sat outside on the deck, reading my book and watching Bill stain the fence as I enjoyed my croissant and fresh strawberries from the Farmers' Market. Idyllic!

Yard in May

With the warm weather we had last week, the yard and garden are growing like crazy. Our iris are at their peak. Roses are blooming all over the place. And my little salad garden is doing just fine, too.

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Last week we bought an Earth Machine compost bin. It was easy to install and we've been using it a lot. I hated to throw those leftover salad/fruit scraps or peanut shells down the disposal or in the trash when they could be used for making compost. So now we don't have to throw them away and I should have compost handy for next year's garden.

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We've already been eating salad from our garden - microgreens & spinach.

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And I've finished my first pair of socks!! As you can see from the picture on this site, they match pretty well - and they fit. I was concerned on whether I'd be able to get the 2nd sock the same length and size as the first but I was pleased with the results. I've already got my yarn for the next pair and I plan to start on them tonight.

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Devin & Zoe are both enjoying the warmer weather. Usually Zoe spends most of her day just sleeping on our bed but now she goes out and sleeps on the cushions on the deck chairs. She's even taken to exploring a little. She is now 10 years old and has slowed down considerably, especially compared to Devin - at 1, he is full of pep and energy and finds a few hours of sleep each night is plenty for him. He's made friends with some of the neighboring cats, too, and they'll sometimes play together.

Mother's Day 2008

Am I the only mother in America that got some "Windup Hopping Lederhosen (Bavarian folkpants with a mind of their own)" for a Mother's Day gift? I bet I am. I'm probably the only mother in the entire world who got this gift. If you are a mother who got the identical gift this past Sunday, let me know!!

Had a fine Mother's Day. Spent the morning with C & friends having brunch. I decided to be adventurous and ordered Crab Benedict. However - the joke was on me. I never had Eggs Benedict and I didn't realize that it came with a poached egg - something I am NOT fond of. That's what I get for adventuring. The rest of the brunch - fruit with mint sauce, scones, and the crab portion of my special were all very tasty. So, by no means, did I starve.

Later in the afternoon I went out with B&M to a cafe near their place and had pie. We had lots of choices. B & M both had berry pies but I chose chocolate cream. It was fun to have so many different selection possibilities and I'm already wondering what I'll order next time I'm there.

My day in court

Here you can see my garden - as of a few days ago. On the left are a couple of rows of lettuces, then two rows of spinach, and all the remaining rows are peas. They've all been thriving in the cool weather we've been having lately. Where will I put all the other things I want to plant?? Well, some of them may go in pots and others may replace the peas when they are done for the season. I could use another bed...

A few weeks back, B. & I went to the local community college for talks on trips to Egypt and Machu Picchu. On our way back, we went down a street that was partially blocked off but provided access for local traffic. Since we were just going to the next main street, we figured it was local. No! Got pulled over for a ticket (along with many other folks). This morning I went down to the court house for my scheduled 8:30 AM court date. I left home in plenty of time and made it to the court house about 15 minutes early. Still, there were lots of people ahead of me. I listened to them talking and found that a lot of people ahead of me were there for the exact same reason - they had gotten ticketed at the exact same place. I had expected that we would be in a courtroom in front of a judge but that's not how it worked now - though apparently that was the case in the past. Now, everyone with tickets just lines up, waiting for a turn to approach one of the five cashier windows. It is at the window that you make your choice - request a trial, enter a plea of GUILTY or NO CONTEST, or enter a plea of NOT GUILTY. And then pay your fine.

There was a lot of talk about how ridiculous it was that we got ticketed for going down that street. Some of the others came armed with file folders which held many photos of the site. None of them felt it was fair and all wanted to protest. But for all their bluster, I noticed that as each one went up to the cashier's window, they all paid their fine and went on their way - except for one gentleman who requested a court day. For the most part, people did not want to be bothered having to come back again - and just considered the fine as a donation to the police.

I didn't want to be bothered with a return either and I didn't know how I'd make out in court. I thought we were driving locally, the officer thought not. Was it worth the gamble of a court appearance? I spoke with the cashier who said my fine would be lowered by $60 because of my good driving record and that if I went to court and the judge found me guilty, I'd pay the same amount, no further discount. Only if I were found not guilty would I escape payment. I weighed my options, then pulled out my checkbook and pleaded NO CONTEST. I still feel it was a ridiculous ticket but I don't feel contesting it was a battle worth my time. Now back to the serious stuff of life - like tending my garden. :)

As to the Egypt/Machu Picchu trip, B. & I decided on Egypt as we have wanted to go there for many years. We sent in our deposit and began to plan - only to receive a phone call a few days ago that the trip had been cancelled for lack of participation. So now we are thinking we'll go to Machu Picchu.

Spring Days

As I walk around the neighborhood this spring, I see lots of flowering trees & tulips & daffodils. I also came across this unusually decorated truck just sitting in someone's driveway.

This has been a strange spring. Sometimes - in the space of an hour - you could have sunshine, rain, and hail. Lots of hail this spring.

Latest Treasures

"Specially Hand Made by Mother". That's the label I found on this quilted piece that I purchased yesterday. My favorite thrift store has an outlet store near our house and I stopped in there yesterday when I was out for a walk. At the outlet store, all the rejects from the other stores are thrown into bins and everyone just picks through them to find what they want. You might think there is a lot of useless junk - and some of it is - but there are some very nice things too. They are sold by weight starting at $1.59 a pound.

In addition to the quilted piece, I got two placemats, a toy dinosaur, a toy car, and some owl "goofy goggles". Total price for all my riches: $1.27. How can you beat that?

Continuing miscellaneous

It's starting to look like spring around here! This morning B. & I headed out for breakfast, taking advantage of the fine weather. It was still cool, but pleasant. We walked over to one of our favorite breakfast places - about 10 blocks from here. We were surprised to find no one there yet other than the cook and waitress. Of course, it was only a bit after 7:00 AM. We were up early thanks to our frisky young cat Devin.

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After breakfast we headed home, checked email, and then headed out to run errands. We had quite a list of them lined up - dry cleaners, drug store, liquor store, Costco, the mall, Petsmart, Wal-mart. It would have been nice to narrow it down to two or three places but each one had something unique that the other didn't offer so we'd run in, get what we needed and run out again.

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Monday night I went to my woodworking class fully intending that it would be my last class. I've been working on my building blocks and have a nice assortment. All I need to do to them is sand them and then coat them with mineral oil and I hardly needed to attend class to do that. However, by the time I got to class I realized I didn't have any triangles or arches as part of my blocks. With advice from my instructor, I used the band saw, cutting out some of the more unusual blocks to add to my collection. And then I used a couple of sanders, including the circular sander which I hadn't used before. It was really a lot of fun and the two hours passed by quickly. I enjoyed it so much that I think I will attend next week's final class and maybe make a few more unusually shaped blocks. I've chamfered them all, giving them nice beveled edges with no splinters for anyone using them. And I've done some sanding using the machines at class but I still want to do some fine hand sanding on each, probably while I'm sitting out on the deck enjoying the nice spring weather.

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I had decided that I'd give up on woodworking but after last week's class, I'm not sure. Maybe I'll sign up again for another class next winter. Next week I start a new class I signed up for - knitting socks using double-pointed needles. Though I've been knitting for many years, I've never had much success with double-pointed needles and I'm hoping this sock class will help me overcome that.

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On Tuesday I went down to the homeless shelter as usual. Most of the guys needed no help but got right to work on their resumes or job hunts. One guy came in and said he really had difficulty with computers and would need my help. It didn't take long to see why he needed help - he couldn't read!! I've worked with a lot of guys over the past year or so since I've been at the shelter and a lot of them needed some computer help or help with spelling but this was the first one I worked with that couldn't read - at all. We struggled along and managed to get emails sent to a couple of employers. When/if he gets any response from any of them, he won't be able to read them!! Sometimes working with the homeless is quite overwhelming.

Home again

B. & I had an uneventful plane ride back from Maui. And both of us were glad to be back home though we did have a fine time on our travels. We drove the road to Hana, hiked down the crater at Haleakala, went to a magic show over in Lahaina, had dinner at Mama's Fish House and lunch at Kula Lodge - plenty of excitement for a one-week vacation. The cottage we rented was fully equiped with all the kitchen tools needed. It had space enough for the two of us and best of all, we had use of the front yard (of our landlord's place) which was right on the ocean. We would go down at night to sit on the bench in the front yard and listen to the waves while looking out to sea or staring at the night sky. Very nice.

Our cats seemed happy to have back to normal with our return. Zoe settled right in and was a pleasure to have around. Devin, however, must have been quite stressed out as this was the first time we were away from him. The first night we were back - both of us very exhausted from the flight - he sang to us for much of the night. He rattled the shades, knocked things off the shelves near our bed, leaped on each of us a number of times, meowed and meowed. Did he think we should get up and play with him?? Well, we didn't but it sure was hard to sleep with all that fierce meowing going on. By the second night, he seemed to accept that we were actually home again and he calmed down.

So now we are back to our usual endeavours - deciding what courses to take at the local community college, attending the courses from this semester, taking walks, getting groceries, etc. Another couple of days and we may feel normal again.

More Maui

What can I say? The island is beautiful!

Maui - day 1

Here's the view from our deck. More tales and adventures after a good night's rest. B. & I are still tried from all that traveling.

Woodworking, Greens, Taxes

Hey, I finally finished my cutting board!!! Last night I did some more sanding and then covered it with mineral oil. What a change the mineral oil made, bringing out the richness of the wood! It's amazing that it took me so long to make but also amazing that I made it. :)


This past weekend I attended a class titled "Cooking with Greens". I expected that I'd learn how to use swiss chard, spinach, bok choy, etc. in recipes and that maybe by seeing them used (and tasting them), I'd learn how to prepare them myself - and maybe even like them. Imagine my surprise to learn that half of the recipes we'd be tasting were for broccoli, my most-hated vegetable!! Here were the four recipes for the day: Chocolate Broccoli Cake, Broccoli 'Guacamole', Beans & Greens Soup, and Scrambled 'Eggs' with Greens. The idea of a cake made from broccoli seems repulsive but I have to admit that it tasted pretty good, not at all like raw broccoli. The broccoli guacamole wasn't bad either. It made for a tasty dip or spread - as long as you were not really expecting avocado guacamole. I was pleased with both the soup and the scrambled 'eggs' (tofu) as it showed me I could incorporate greens into types of recipes that I currently make, that I wouldn' t have to sit down to just a big plate of greens. So for me, the class was worthwhile. I made the soup the other night and both B. & I liked it. Next I may try to make that cake!

I was back at the homeless shelter today and one of the guys who showed up was the one who was having problems last week entering his taxes. His first comment was "I finished my taxes!" and that was good to hear. He actually made so little last year that he wasn't required to file but by filing, he should get back all that was deducted from his paychecks. And, I hope, make him eligible for the rebates.

Taxes revisited

B. & I sat down and went over our taxes this morning and we did indeed find an error. In one spot, I had entered some taxes as income and - of course - that was throwing everything off. So we ended up with a refund from both federal and state and that was more to our liking. :)

Woodworking progress & tax preparation fiasco

Here at last is my woodworking project, a cutting board. It's almost finished. It needs a little more sanding and then I have to stain it but I'll do that next class night. This week's class was spent planing, sanding, sawing, and routing and I'm beginning to feel more comfortable on all the corresponding machines. Still, I am also beginning to feel that my future is not one of woodworking. What a lot of work it took me to get to this simple little cutting board! I'm not sure I want to invest that much time in something when I could be knitting or crocheting instead. Once I get this cutting board completely finished, I'll work on building blocks for the remainder of the classes. I have a study wooden tool box that I made in my very first woodworking class and it will be perfect for storing wooden blocks, should I ever have some young guests who would like to play with them.

Yesterday morning at the homeless shelter was a busy one. A lot of guys showed up, mostly to work on resumes or check email. One guy wanted to work on his taxes but he was easily frustrated just entering his W2. I helped him get going and then he spent the rest of the two-hour session that I'm there completing his taxes. He was just in the process of e-filing it at noon when I leave so I stayed a few minutes to let him send it off. And as he hit the key to complete the e-filing process, the computer shut down, complaining that it had an Internet error! All his hard work vanished. I assured him that it would still be out there, that if he just came back and signed on again, he could finish it off and be done with it. I don't think he believed me. He sure was frustrated - and even if I could have stayed longer, he was in no shape to continue work on it right then.

B. and I are having tax issues of our own. We spent a good part of the weekend working on them only to find that we still owe MORE money, after all the money we've already paid this year. Something about the figures just doesn't feel right so we plan to go over everything again today and see if possibly we didn't enter something we should have. We're hoping for some slight error that when corrected will either net us a refund - or a greatly reduced tax owed.

I went back to the library craft circle last Sunday to give it another try. This week was a lot more interesting than the last time. There were only four of us there, one woman that I had met last time. Everyone was working on interesting projects and had lots of ideas, suggestions and patterns for future projects. And, in addition to meeting some interesting, like-minded people, I made some more progress on the baby blanket I'm knitting. Definitely a good session.

Unsettling News

Late last week, 500 people were laid off from Home Depot headquarters (SSC) where I used to work. Most of the cuts were in Information Technology so that means a good number of my friends and former co-workers were among those to lose their jobs. I don't have a complete list yet of those let go but of the names I have heard, the folks were all good hard workers, people I was able to count on when I was trying to get a job done. Sad times...

Button cake

Yesterday I went down to our local library for their twice-monthly craft circle. Most of the folks there were knitting or crocheting but one woman was making cakes - for Barbie dolls or for doll houses. As we all sat there talking, I mentioned the doll house I had made (and am still working on) in a previous woodworking class. So the cake lady made me a caramel cake for my doll house. What a great gift!!

A Pile of Sticks

Monday night was woodworking class again. I got there just before class starting time and only a couple of other folks were there - sitting in their vehicles. The door to the woodworking shop was closed and locked, everything dark. Even though it was a holiday, our instructor had told us we would have class but he hadn't yet appeared. It was cold, very cold and I started hoping that the instructor wouldn't show up and I could head home to some nice hot soup and watch the basketball game. More students arrived. Finally, about 15 minutes late our instructor arrived, let us into the building and we all got working on our projects. Many other students must have assumed that it really was a holiday from class because they did not appear - making it much nicer for those of us who were there as it was easier to get help from the instructor and to get time on the machines.

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My planned task for the night was sawing my wood into equal depths. The width size won't matter and the length will be modified after I've glued the pieces together. I chose 1-inch for the depth of my pieces so when it was my turn, I adjusted the saw and got going. It went smoothly, no problems, but the woman after me had the saw break down on her. Besides the table saw, I also used the miter saw for one of my longer pieces of wood. So - now I've worked on 4 power tools: jointer, planer, table saw, and miter saw. The picture on the upper left shows my result - a pile of sticks!!

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Yesterday I went down to the homeless shelter as I do on Tuesday mornings. It was pretty quiet for the most part. However, I did have to help one of the guys as his resume was showing up in Japanese, really confusing him. This was resolved when he accessed his email through the icon on the screen rather than going through a Tokyo site. Magically, his resume now appeared in English. (Because the guys are not allowed to save anything to the pcs, many of them save them out on their email site so they can get to them easily.)

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We have finally gotten some sunny weather though it is very cold. Our bushes, especially the roses, look quite sad but I expect they'll revive as the days warm up. I am enjoying our longer days - in December it got dark outside by 4:00 PM but now it stays light until 5:00.

A winter day

I've had two woodworking classes so far. Last week we choose wood for our project and then began to get it ready. I spent some time on the jointer so I feel relatively comfortable with that. There was only a little time for the planer and one of the saws so I definitely need more experience with them! It'll probably take me the entire class - 10 sessions - before I really feel comfortable with all the various basic tools. I'm sure I won't get to some of the fancier tools this time around. This picture shows the wood I selected - after it has been through the jointer and the planer. Next class I plan to saw it into usable pieces.

I'm reading Sacred Games, a novel of a policeman in India - 900 pages!! The sheer size of the book is rather overwhelming and the pages have small print but I am really enjoying it. Of course I'm only at about page 100 so I'm hoping it holds up throughout. I haven't read anything of Vikram Chandra before but I am happy to see that he does have other books.

The cold weather lately has inspired me to make soups - lots of soups. We've had lentil, vegetable bean, black bean, and today it's potato corn chowder. Nothing like a nice hot homemade soup on a winter's day!

New projects

Yesterday I attended a craft class at the local library. This one was about the uses for recycled sweaters (easy to find at nearby thrift stores). The instructor gave us plans for three possible projects - a scarf, a business card case, and a toy animal. Most of the class chose the animal but I was the only one making a cat. My classmates made bears though by modifying the ears, you could easily make a dog or a rabbit, too.

I learned how to do the blanket stitch. Since I'm not much of a sewer, that's something I've never done before - something readily apparent if you look closely at the stitches on this little cat.

It was certainly easy enough to do but probably not something I'll be doing again. I already have too many knitting, crocheting, and embroidery projects to take on sewing projects too but I did like that things were being recycled. And old sweaters work fine for this.

My main reason for taking the class was to get to know some more people in the neighborhood, people who enjoy crafts. Most of my classmates were from the neighborhood and there were a number of them that I'd like to know better. A few of us plan to get together at the next craft circle at the library and I'm looking forward to that.

In spite of not wanting to take on another craft, I have signed up for a woodworking class through our local community college. It starts tonight. Will we get to make our own projects? Or will there be something already planned? All the other woodworking classes I've taken (not all that many) were based around a specific item that we were making. If we make our own projects, I have a lot planned - kids' building blocks, a bench for the yard, bird feeders, bird houses, some further work on the doll house I built a couple of years ago, some bases for B.'s mosaic work. My main goal is to become more skilled with tools, especially the saws, so whatever I build will probably help with that. If this class works out as I hope, I may sign up every year just to have use of all the tools and expertise of the instructor.

And on to 2008

Devin at the computer

2007 was a good year for us and we are hoping 2008 will be, too. I've signed up for a couple of classes at the local community college - one on cooking greens and one on woodworking. A few years ago I made a doll house in one of my woodworking classes but it needs some more work. The windows and doors don't fit quite right as the spaces for them need to be slightly enlarged. I'm hoping I can get to this in my class. And maybe make some bird houses, too.

I've never cooked greens and have never eaten cooked greens either unless I ran into them at a restaurant. So, even if I were to cook some, I won't know if I've done it correctly. Last year's classes on tofu & tempeh were both helpful and I'm hoping the greens class will be too.

This year I'm planning to continue my volunteer work down at the shelter but I may also volunteer to do some office work at the Red Cross. Haven't decided yet. I don't want to over-schedule and not have the time I need to work on family history. I'm currently working on a book about our family in the 1940's using letters that had been saved from then.

Took down the Christmas tree yesterday and have that all put away for another year. Seems a little empty without it brightly lit in its spot above the fireplace.

I did make it to some of the after-the-holidays sales and got myself some cards and wrapping paper for next year, much of it at 75% off. Yesterday I stopped at Michael's where they were having a 30% off sale on yarn so I stocked up on yarn for hats and cat blankets. I picked a brand of soft knitting worsted and bought one skein of each color. I'm eager to get started using them but I have a few other projects to finish first. I LOVE starting projects but sometimes its a struggle to finish them off.