Firewood and Morels

Well hello all.

I do hope everyone had a pleasant Mother's Day weekend.

While some women might want diamonds and pearls,

my sweet hubby brought home something a bit more practical.

Precious stones don't really burn as well.

This is out behind the shop where I usually wouldn't show anybody.

We are afraid they are going to shut the forests down early

due to the drought so decided to get wood in the spring this year.

Hubby found a fortunate surprise while heading towards the wood.

Morels!

He loves them sautéed in butter.

I received a bit of a bonus as well.

This is actually a tamarack,

which is wonderful to burn and the pitch is just as 

beneficial in making my soap as pine.

If you missed that, you can find it right here. 

I only got about 1/3 cup, but enough to infuse oil for 1-2 batches.
We had all the wood split and stacked by about 7:30pm.

Mr. LB said that he thinks he likes getting wood in the spring
if he can get morels as well.
He was so excited,
he went back up yesterday after work and found a few more.

That's the same bowl as above!
He was just getting ready to clean these up
so never mind the bits of grass and such.
This morning he said he might head back up after work again today.
I asked if he was going to be able to eat them all.
"Oh, yea."
He did take a few to share with a couple of co-workers so
he's not completely stingy.

If you usually wait until fall to get your firewood and you like morels,
spring wood-cutting might be something to consider.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Depression Era Sustainable Ways

Sometimes there are people

who impact our lives in unforeseen ways.

A dear friend will be 95 next weekend.

As you can imagine,

he has seen quite a few changes 

over the course of his life.

I thought I would share just a few of the tid-bits

that I've gained just by "swappin' stories."

When he was about 4-6 years old,

his bed was really a frame with a short lip around the edge.

This shallow 'box' held a mattress

filled with cedar bows.

To me it doesn't sound that comfy,

but he said though he was a child,

he remembers it as being pretty cozy.

There was no refrigeration growing up. 

To keep their butter and cream cool,

they had a wire cage that they wrapped well with gunny sacks.

They would set that in a large pan or tub

with a couple inches of fresh cool water in it.

As the water wicked up into the burlap,

evaporation kept the contents cool.

And lastly,

When they butchered something in summer,

they would hang the pieces (like a quarter of critter)

at least 30 feet high, up in a tree.

He said that is above the fly level.

It will "skin up" and have a skin on it as thick as the hide.

You cut that off and the meat inside is good.

He said he's eaten meat that has hung in a tree for a month,

and it is tender and delicious.

Okay, maybe if I had no other option,

but that one might worry me just a little.

I think the gunny sack cooler is brilliant,

and I bet that cedar smelled fabulous as he fell into slumber.

These are the kinds of things

I consider gems of knowledge.

Maybe that's part of the reason I love talking 

with elderly folks.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

Give a Guy a Tractor - Follow up

It's been a while since I did the post

Give a Guy a Tractor

then

Give a Guy a Tractor part 2

and now...

after a little over a year and a half later,

we have underground sprinklers.

Woohoo!

It's difficult to see the sprinklers going during mid-day.
Hubby took this picture yesterday - evening.

There's grass seed down,
now we just have to keep it wet & wait for it to grow.
Yes, we are those kinds of folks who
find it exciting to watch the grass grow.
Again, nothing seems to happen over night around here
so it feels good when a project gets finished-up.
We tend to do these types of projects ourselves
and as we can pay for them,
so we don't expect to have things done by yesterday.
This was Mr. LB's project, and it will be so nice
not to have to drag hoses all over that big ol' yard.
Thank you, Love:)

In the above linked post,
the tree that the trailer is tied up to is going to come out.
I will show you what's going on there when we get to that.
I have a hard time saying okay to cutting down a tree
so there is usually a really good reason for it.
That tree happens to have a crook in it.
If it toppled, it would land on our shop.
Also, we will be able to park the rigs back there and still move.

For the time being,
I'm just grateful for a watered yard.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

~*~*Ta~Da*~*~

We worked and worked and slaved away.

Last week, you saw the beginning of our little project out front.

Here is what has become of it.

And the real surprise is...

After two years,

we got the swing hung up.

I did a little trading: got rid of a desk and acquired the swing.

Brought it home, cleaned it up and sealed it.

Then there it sat.

About 6-8 months ago,

Mr. LB found the length of chain for 60% off so got it.

And there it sat:)

Finally, we put it all together.

It really is level.  The ground is not.

I know I should have a pillow and quilt draped over it for a pretty picture,

but that's not very realistic.

For two evenings now, we've sat out here and watched the water

shoot from the sprinkler after we we've finished-up 'out and around.'

Once summer comes, I imagine there might be a tall glass

of iced tea in our hands but still no pillows.

After the initial clean up,

Mr. LB took the rototiller to it and pulled out at least a cart full

of roots and these rocks.

These were just a few of the big ones.

I put those little ones in a ring around the base of the tree

because I planted a few beans in there to see what would happen.

I also planted corn, broccoli, and celery.

It's a little early, so I am just hoping we don't get a late frost.

I have other things started inside,

but of course, it's too early to put them out.

That is the road that passes in front of the house,

so we want some barrier,

but I will do more cleaning up and plant things with a purpose.

Did you notice?  We also got all the barbed wire and chicken wire out.

As you are looking at the swing, to the right

there are lilacs.

After they've bloomed, we will prune those way back and

clean all the mess out from the bottom portion

and gain even more ground.

I didn't have the heart to do that before they bloomed.

Depending upon where it is,

we have reseeded some the area with grass seed.

We do want some lawn, but

where there is good sun, is reserved for edibles.

Our goal is to have pretty much everything in the landscape

to be edible including flowers.

Think hosta, tiger lily, nasturtium, chamomile, balsam, etc.

It is a process.

None of it happens over night.

This little accomplishment seems big to us.

With every little bit we develop, nurture, and tend to,

we hope to create a natural 'grocery store.' 

Mr. LB is probably tired of hearing me say every time

we eat home canned veggies,

"I just can't believe how much better this tastes."

Not only is home grown/canned tastier,

it's better for us.

We use no chemicals to grow 'bigger/badder.'

Compost is a wonderful thing.

Until next time,

Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches