To Everything A Season

There is typically a somewhat predictable flow of seasons.

I don't just mean seasons on a calendar though they play a significant roll in what happens with the other seasons. 

So what on earth do I mean by that?

Well, "typically" we are finished up with wood burning season about April,

and we begin wood gathering season.

This year has been a little off.

We still had a fire burning into May. 

After our extreme winter which came complete with avalanches,

we were ready for spring.

But we weren't able to go get wood.

They made our road what they termed as "passable" but only to the last occupied house about 3 miles up the road.

Beyond that, the avalanches stayed to thaw as Mother Nature determined.

Mother Nature was apparently in no great hurry.

That meant we had to wait to get wood.  We have about 2/3 of what we need.

We are hoping to get another load soon as it is now fire season,

and they could shut down the forests at any given moment.

The other off bit is last year I was canning peas the end of June.

This year they ran about 3 weeks later.

That doesn't sound like a great deal of time, but if you think about the work load and how much you can do in 3 weeks, it might make a little more sense.

We've also had our first picking of green beans 

so I've been canning those as well.

My M-I-L gave me 9 (yep 9!) boxes of apricots.

I luuuuv dried apricots.

This year, I'm storing them in canning jars 

so they don't need to go in the freezer.

I did have to purchase the jar sealers, but they work pretty quickly,

and are a nifty thing to have and use.

I thought I was on my last round of dehydrators when my mom gave me another box so I'm still at it.

At one point I had 4 dehydrators going to get them all done before they spoiled.

Salmon season didn't really happen this year.

They decided not to open the majority of the rivers in our area

which means no stock pile of fish.

We still have several jars from last year so we'll use those sparingly.

Between Mr. LB and myself, we did draw all six tags, which if we can fill most of them come hunting season will save us quite a bit on beef.

(Tags: bear, deer, elk)

I have yet to get an elk so that's not something to bank on.

I've already heard that we are supposed to have another hard winter.

Our seasons seem to be stumbling over each other rather than pacing themselves so slow-pokes like me can keep up.

(I like to plant a few wax beans to throw in - adds a bit of a jewel to the jars.)

I now have peas done, we'll be picking another batch of green beans in a day or two, and once again think I am finishing up apricots.

Hopefully, I can get these things finished up then move onto corn

which is already on - early.

We've been running from one end of the day to the other, and our kitchen is a flurry of big bowls, canners, and various implements.  

The nice part is that our pantry shelves are beginning 

to look a little less anemic and at night, I almost literally fall into bed.
Aside from our seasons tumbling down upon us,
we are well.
And thankful mind you, that we have the provisions, skills, and ability
to do as we are doing.
We don't take that for granted.

                                                      

Keeping an Old Skill Alive

Isn't it strange how sometimes when you least expect it,

something strikes you or takes you by surprise?

A week or so ago, I ran across an add in one of our semi-local publications.

It was from a woman who wanted to learn how to sew by hand

with the specification of "without a machine" as if "by hand"

meant in addition to a machine.

I read and re-read the little plea for help.

It struck me for some reason~

weather it was shock that she hadn't been taught such a thing as a child,

or wasn't able to work it out,

or self-reflection that perhaps I should be more grateful

that I know how to hand stitch (and actually enjoy it,)

or actually a bit of sadness that she hadn't been able to find someone near her

to show her such a basic skill.

Perhaps it was a combination of all the above.

I did respond via email but also hoped that mine was one of many

and that perhaps a neighbor a few doors down would walk over

to her house and say plainly, "Here, let me show you. . ."

With that, I would like to show you folks the most basic method

of hand stitching for general purpose.

Please keep in mind, there are many ways to hold a needle

and just as many variances as to preferences for this method or that.

This is just one of those many ways.

This is a regular running stitch.

This stitch is the most basic stitch for holding two pieces of fabric together~

Keep in mind your "fabric" can be anything from a silk scarf to canvas tarps.
I used two different colors so you can see it better, 
and two strands of dark thread to stand out even more.
Also, you would usually have your edges even, 
I staggered them so you could see.

The physics of it is that the needle goes up and back down through the fabric
spanning the length of your seam.

Though you can do this by poking your needle down and pulling your thread through then poking the needle back up and pulling the needle through for each and every stitch, the easier and usually more efficient way to accomplish this is to "stack your needle" or "stack your stitches" (I've heard it said both ways.)

To do this hold the needle kinda at a slant and move it up and down through the fabric maybe 3-4 times then pull the thread through the fabric.

You will figure out what is comfortable for you depending upon the size of your needle and the thickness of your fabric.
I also used a large needle to demonstrate.

I would recommend a thimble or even a piece of duct tape 

on your "pushing finger."

The goal is for your stitches to be as even as possible.  

Also, the smaller your stitches, the stronger your seam will be.
This stitch can be done in a straight line or around curves.

If you get a little "off straight," either pull it out or
make a very small stitch to get it back in line.

Once you reach the end of your seam, to create a knot,
take a very small stitch in the seam allowance, then before pulling the thread tight, pass your needle under the loop,

pull your thread, then go under your next "loop" with the needle,
pull your thread, then do it one more time.

I typically go through the loop at least 3 times but often 4.

Snip close to knot leaving a very small tail to ensure it doesn't unravel.
With that, you have just hand stitched your seam.
At this point, you would open your two pieces of fabric
and iron or press open.

Typically, if using two different colors, you would press toward the darker color.
Sorry I took the picture before I made my knot.

Voila.
This is indeed slower than using a sewing machine,
but it requires no expensive devise, no electric to operate,
no maintenance, oils, or up-keep, and very little space to store.
The only supplies needed are needle and thread, scissors (or sharp teeth,)
and the item which you are stitching.
This should get you started.  Warning, it's addictive:)

I will also apologize if a few of the pictures are a little less than perfect.
It's a challenge to show stitching while hugging a tripod with a camera
beeping and ready to snap a picture:)

                                                                 

Are You Running Yourself Ragged?

Imagine if you will for a moment a piece of cloth

woven with warp and weft.

Now carefully pick one thread from anywhere on the cloth

and give it a gentle tug.

You can make an unsightly loop or even pull 

the thread entirely from the cloth.

If you were to pick threads randomly from both sides wither and tither, 

you would end up with a pretty tattered and ratty

looking piece of cloth.

The cloth in this scenario is of course, our heart and soul,

our character, our physique, and our being.

Every person we encounter, task we tend to, errand we run, 

and decision we make are all tugs at the fabric of who we are.

Obviously some are menial and with a rub of the thumb

can be smoothed back into place.

Others require a bit more effort to work back into that even weave.

And yet others, well, we might just need a new thread

and our darning needle to repair.

Like anything, it's better to keep at things before they get to that point.

But it can be difficult.

We have demands being made of us at a rather alarming rate

if you think about it, and we don't even realize it.

In addition to the big ones: get to work on time, perform said duties,

kids to school, etc. there are thousands of others.

Car- fill me with gas or I won't run.

Phone- answer me or I'll keep ringing.

Critters and garden- water (feed) me or I'll die and won't feed you.

grocery clerk- pay me or you can't have your items.

Most of these are just understood, but they are still a tug.

They are not necessarily bad or harmful, but when too many 

rain upon us at once, we can be left

'hanging on by a thread.'

Equally important is the fact that we need time to be alone with ourselves

and keep our souls smooth.

There are times when we don't want to go anywhere or talk to anyone.

Time alone at home talking and listening to God and just being

seems necessary.

I think He made the seasons the way they are for a reason.

Just about the time we have run ourselves ragged,

the days start getting a little shorter and

the nights longer and colder.

It seems to go against mainstream society,

but He is almost pushing us back inside come evening-time saying,

"Rest up."

Like most children, we don't always listen as we should.

If this is where you are,

I would like this post to serve as that gentle voice that says,

"It's okay.  Take a breath."

Take a few moments to smooth out those little loops and

remember winter will be here soon, and we'll have more time

to spend with that darning needle.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

A New Path

It is seldom that I show much of our home

in the way of big pictures.

In this case, it's a little difficult to avoid,

but I wanted to share something with you 

in hopes that it might inspire you to 'keep faith.'

For about 7-8 years now we have had a "temporary" back step.

I won't go into all the details as to why,

but here's what it was looking like.

I know, nothing says class like the barbecuer that doesn't work

and the air-conditioner that's going back out to the shop.

My photo op. timing is impeccable.

But back to the point.

The large pallet was beginning to decompose back into the earth.

We want to add a porch on back here, but when we do,

we want it to be a good one - no cutting corners,

which is partly why we still have what we have.

We had been pondering whether we could pour a concrete slab

so that we could later add a porch, or build just the deck portion,

or . . . you get the idea.

Patience and not settling do pay off.

Mr. LB's work acquired a town lot complete with whatever was left

sitting there for the past 10-15 years since the old fella left it.

His boss asked if we had any use for a bunch of bricks

so he didn't have to haul them to the dump.

Sure!

Last weekend after canning corn, I unloaded 4-5 pallets of bricks.

I am the brick mover, and Mr. LB is the brick layer-downer:)

The bricks/blocks we used for the patio portion are 3 sided.

It worked out great for paving the way between the house and the shop.

Then there were the short cinder block type bricks.

When Mr. LB first laid them down, it looked like train tracks.

I told him I wouldn't be able to handle it.

It needed a curve, and I also went and grabbed a few red bricks 

that we already had and started playing.

This is what we came up with.

I am standing at the wood shed to take the picture.

This way, we won't have to track through a muddy path to get wood this winter.

Never mind the piles of rubbish we are working on removing

 and the brown grass and lack of grass.

(Actually, some of that is now picked up.)

We are going to get a few more of the 3 sided bricks to finish out

the rectangle shape over by the BBQ & make a more normal step.

That will be a very do-able sum to afford for what we've gained.

Nothing seems to happen quickly, and from what I hear,

it's not just around our place that it works that way.

I can't tell you how thrilled I am not to be dreading the mud on the floor.

It looks nice - or will once we finish cleaning up-

and it's functional and practical.

If/when we decide to add a porch, we can simply pull the bricks

and use them elsewhere and that's okay.

We haven't thrown money towards something that is not 

in our long term plan.

We still have another pallet and a half of backer stone.

We're not ready to tackle that project yet.

It's still canning season, so this alone is a huge accomplishment.

Wherever you are on your journey, keep faith.

It'll happen, sooner than you think, later than you want.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches 

The Messy Truth about Canning Corn

It is always amazing how you see pictures online

like this. . .
just the end result of the day's labor

without seeing all that goes into it.

Many folks prefer to freeze corn, which I admit tastes pretty darned good.
Freezer space will become precious to us here within the next couple months.
So, we prefer to have it canned.
It still has the delicious flavor of 'real corn'
not like the tin-can flavor of what is bought in the store.
This was our first batch of the year.
Mr. LB must have thought I would be bored - hardy ha ha.
He brought home 42 ears 'for me.'
We ended up eating 2 off the cob and 2 were rotten
so from 38 ears, we yielded 19 pints which may not sound like much
unless you are the one to do it.
Here's how it went.

Have jars and lids out and ready.
You'll need a pint jar for every two ears (or quart for 4 ears.)
I like to get everything I'll need out before I start,
so you might read through completely then gather items before beginning.

First set up for huskin' the corn.

Never mind the junk in the background.  I'll fill you in on that soon.

One basket for husks and one for corn.

Before you clean your corn, put a large pot about half full of water on to boil.

Proceed to clean the corn.  

If you can do this outside, fabulous.

An outdoor kitchen is on our someday list, but for now it's in the kitchen.

 Once the corn is cleaned and the water is boiling,

blanch the corn for 3 min.

This is to boil it for 3 min. then remove it.

I did this in batches since it wouldn't all fit in the pot at the same time,

and I was doing it alone 

so I wouldn't have been able to keep up with 2 pots going.

Once one batch is out of the water,

I put the next in and take the hot corn over to the table where I have

my little de-cobbing set up.

I have a 1"X2" about 3 feet long with 2 nails stuck in it.

I just call this my corn stick and you can probably tell,

I've used it for a few years now.

If at some point, it wears out, it is easy enough to make another.

I set this over a large cauldron or bowl.

I am vertically challenged so I set it on a chair rather than the table. 

Here's where it really starts getting messy.

I have an old towel over the table just because 

I'm setting a bowl of hot corn on it.

Using a nifty little tool available in most marts,

I remove the corn from the cob.

It's so much easier than using a knife.

It does take both hands.
Just start at the top and slightly turn as you press down. 

 I keep the basket of husks handy so I can just throw
the cobs in there.

Working quickly and in rounds as one batch comes out of the water

and another goes in, you can get one batch de-cobbed before

the next is ready to come out of the water.

We end up with a bunch of corn and a floor that looks like this . . .

I wasn't trying for this or being careless.

Some of those little kernels are just rebels and go flying.

The corn milk also squirts here and there.

We'll come back to this, but for now there is corn to can.

Fill jars up to about 1 inch below rim.

Add 1/2 tsp. of sea salt if you so desire.  (1 tsp. for a qt.)

Add very hot water up to 1 inch below rim and seal with lid and rim.

Follow directions for your pressure canner, but mine is to process for 55 min.

This gives me plenty of time to wash up the caldron, bowls, tools, chair, 

and even mop the floor.

After processing, removing the jars from the pressure canner, 

and letting them cool on the counter, they can go on the shelf.

And now we've come full circle to the picture usually shown~

the pretty jars of food resting nicely on a pantry shelf

awaiting the perfect meal.

 It may seem like a bit of work, but Mr. LB is probably sick of hearing
how much better this taste than store bought:)
In other words: it's so worth it.

Until next time
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

A Welding Apron

The latest stitch has been nothing snuggly or pretty.

It's actually been something very useful.

Mr. LB is a metal fabricator,

and in addition to using his great math skills,

he spends plenty of time behind a torch.

Of course sparks fly,

and it's not uncommon for him to come home with holes

burnt out of his clothes.

We try to find his work clothes at thrift stores,

but it can still be discouraging when he has a nice pair of work jeans

and burns them up the first day he wears them.

When thrifting, finding his size doesn't always happen.

Shirts are a little easier to find,

but the wear on his clothes far exceeds most normal people.

Here's where teamwork comes in handy.

I happen to know how to stitch.

While on the look out for more jeans,

I found a leather coat.

I bought the coat and proceeded to make an apron for him.

The apron was actually his idea,

and I kinda just ran with it.

For the body of the apron, I used the back of the coat.

Then from the remainder made the straps, etc.

It has a rectangle clip for his tape-measure
and is low enough in front that he can still get to his pen & soapstone.
After wearing it for one day,
he said he wanted it to have a belt sewn in.
He initially didn't want one, because he wanted it to be easy
to get on and off.
He found that it falls forward without a belt,
especially if his tape-measure is hanging on it.
The picture was taken before the belt was added.
So far so good.
Now, we'll just have to see how long it wears.

I have an old solid machine that I used for this project.
If your sewing machine is new and/or has a nice fine stitch
that you don't want to ruin, I would
think twice about sewing leather with it.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches