Springtime on the Homestead

After some really cold nights in the freeze zone the flowers seem to have done all right. This blog is going to be a springy one with lots of flowers. Most all are new bulbs  this season so it's exciting to see them coming up and blooming.

Most are tulips. This first one is ready to bloom.

Orange Princess

Monsella

Pinocchio, these names are funny

pink tulip

Forsythia by the playhouse cabin.

Can't have to many of these

 

Theres more ready to bloom and I'll be posting more pictures later.

I love this time of year and with everyday something new popping up.

Some things are up in the veggie garden and I'll share about that in my next blog. First morel mushroom found today as well. Walked the woods and hoping for a beautiful Easter. Plans for Easter egg hunting on the trails for the kiddies if the weather is good Easter Sunday.

I'm ready to go camping and fresh garden veggies. 

Until next time you  have a good week and a wonderful Easter Holiday. Thank you for your visits.

God Bless
linda

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Well its been awhile sense I blog , had a bit of a set back with a cold and did not want to expose my sister and Mom to it . I need sister's pc to blog with, I still got this half working computer. So its good to get back at blogging.

I'll do a little updating, and need to work on springing up my blog. I love snow, just love it but I'm ready for spring and gardening.

Ok remember I said I was going to stay out in the snow at my Outpost, well I almost did again, came real close . Last weekend we had a good snow some 7 or 8 nches, so I thought this will be it. I started out with getting a fire started which went rather well considering the wood was wet and snow covered. Plans for cooking soup that weekend to b/c it was cold, but inside. So in the 20's* I said why not cook the soup outside , so thats just what I did. Heres some pics.

You can see we got about 7 or 8 " of snow, perfect. Heres my prep work for the soup, canned tomatoes from last season garden,yum.

Veggies all cut up,

Here it is cooking, my hubby is not much on veggie soup but he sure was lookin and had his bowl ready. He still talks about that soup. Must be the outdoors, food always taste better.

Ok now while the soup was cooking I was thinking this is it, while the debris hut did not go so well ,maybe build a snow hut would, I sure had enough of it to do one. So I went to build, dh was back home watching a game so all this projects was my doing. My thoughts were build a nice snow hut close enough for to the fire without it meling.  How could hubby resist sleeping out in the single digits, well he could , he just came up for the food and I went back to building my snow hut.

I laid cradboard down even put a plastic tarp around the open hut , It was cozy.  So I sat in it even laid down and watched the fire and the sun go down. It was pretty nice until I felt cold coming on, I felt my feet were wet even tho I had wool socks and plastic walmart sacks around them. I knew I was not going to get any warmer plus I had to go to the bathroom .

The outhouse was really cold looking, it had snow covered seat and oh was not inviting . So I treked homeward. You know good ol hubby knows when not to say anything , hes good at it. But I knew he was snickering inside, just knew it.

He knew I was not going to camp out in -5* windchill. Boy that just makes me want to camp out even more just to show him, but -5*   . Its called subborn on my part .

Well that fireplace look pretty inviting and the house was super warm from being outside . Plus I was starting to sniffle again and I was just down with a cold and getting over it, how subborn do I want to be, take a chance to get sick again.

Well you know I did have a good day and I hiked in the woods with my new trekking poles, cooked out in the snow, built a snow hut and just plain enjoyed the day. I see that it would have been fun to camp out with hubby or my sister, they tend to be a bit smarter then I , but don't tell em that.

I have been following journals from those that hike the AT, Appalachian Trails. Its a bit over 2000+ mile trail that takes hikers some 5 to 6 months to travel from Georgia to Maine. Oh would I like to do that, so much that I went and got some trekking poles, sis got her a pr. to and we are going on some shake down hiking trips to get us in shape for such a journey. I would like to do some two or three week journies, 7 months would be a lot to take on when theres grandbabies to hold , I would surely miss that.

The neat part about these hikers is their age, their all ages.  A lone thur- hiker "Grandma" Emma Gatewood who hiked the AT two times in her late sixties and her last hike in her seventies. Whata gal!!!

I am currently reading A "Walk in the Woods",by Bill Bryson. I'm enjoying it, even laughed out loud type of enjoying. Glad that I had some ideal how it went with hikers on such an adventure. Makes the book really enjoyable. 

Heres my trekking poles, they even have a compass on each of the poles ends.

Whats new:

Hey I gotta share a site and forum I have joined. If you like to be prepared for uncertain times this might be the ticket. I have learned so much from this site. Survival Topics  

The knowledge the owner shares is priceless , along with forum members. Skills for surviving and the how to's plus help in no time for the many questions asked.

I have been working on such skills at my outpost, the one that sis and I are working on is making fire without matches, theres a few ways. Fire is one of our most important element in a survival, keeping warm, boiling water that would/can be contaminated, keeping you safe from critters, signaling for help, cooking your food. Fire is precious to have and being able to get it started is most important.

I have heard from forum members about these fire starters,  Firesteels  that are offered on the Survival Topics site. How well they work and they are very reasonable, last for many strikes , thousands of strikes. I plan on ordering mine for my family and friends this month.

 A gift BOB, "bug out bag" with the right tools may save my family from unforseen things. I can't think of a better gift to give . Do check em out and get your BOB ready. Next couple of weeks I think I'll do an update and share what I carry in my BOB.  Sis and I are working on our hiking bags, a contest really, who will have the most and yet lightest bag for hiking. It should be fun.

Around the homestead:

Oh the birthdays come don't they, and we had a birthday party for our 2 yr ol grandson. Here he is squatting next to his big tractor.

On the AT, hikers call things that happen that are  good for them, like someone leaving cans of pop, or maybe a book or something they can use, Trail Magic.   I always called things like that little blessings that come to each one of us. And heres one that came on our grandsons b-day, blue spring flowers , blooming on the very day.

these little beauties are called Kathren Hodgekin Iris

Many things are popping up with the snow all gone, 80* weather will do that. Bring on the Spring

Gardening:

Tomatoes, got 500 seeds planted and under grow lights, 150 peppers plants hot and sweet , they are not up yet. Ground cherries, Stevia, cabbage , broccoli, cauliflower for starts.

Its full speed ahead on the gardening , I put out some winter sowing but not as much as last yrs, I went way over board last yr.

Chickens:

Oh those gals what a blessing, they layed all winter long, from 10, 20 to now 40 eggs a day, WOW.

Thank you for keeping up with my blogs and I will be posting about my Outpost adventures whether I sleep out in the snow or not 

take good care and many Blessings

linda

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No cabin fever here, just nice weather today, in the 60*+. Can take all the nice days here on out. Haven't blogged for awhile, but last weekend was something that your going to call me crazy. I just had to do it.

Those of you that have been following my Outpost blogs know I like that outdoor living. I so want to do a winter campout in the snow but have not had really any good deep snows just really  cold weather in the single digits. That kind of cold is so much better to have snow on the ground.

I've been on this Surviver site and read a few threads about debris huts. This sound interesting and done right one could survive in one of these huts in the coldest of weather. I spent a good deal last Saturday making just such a hut, not by my Outpost but further away without any help of tools or fire. The day started out 8*F and warmed up to 14*F with some snow on the ground. Yep it was cold working and gathering my sticks and branches to build a hut to sleep in that night, it had to be warm or I would not make it.

The only warm I did get was gathering materials plus the sun was shinning. I had my hut half built and I go lay on the grasses I gathered to give it a try out, my head into the sticks and evergreen boughs with my backside sticking out,not good. I still had much more to gather. But as I laid there for just a few minutes I felt cold coming up from the ground up and chilling my bones, the hut had too many holes in it and was just not going to work. Plus my time to make it really good and to I was just wearing out and getting discourage. If I had a match I would have lit my hut right there on the spot.

Building the debris hut would have been much easier if I had tools and a fire going, some coffee too. I went without food and water for that day. Why you say did I do all this,your a grandma and you knit. Yep this is true but I like a good challenge It was an experiment. A survival one.

What if you were in a location that you had nothing on your back but your clothes, out in the elements and you had to make do. Well thats what I did alright, just the clothes on my back and had to make a hut really fast and spend the night without covers, just coat I was wearing in my hut.

Well it just didn't happen the way I planned. It was hard and I seen my mistakes. I stayed inside that night poutting ,next to the fireplace with hot cocoa ,pout was over fast !!!

Oh well, I did get out in the cold and build. I have done more homework on these debris huts and plan to really make up one that will be so warm that one will not want to come out of .

Time is flyin:

Its been busy here and I'm so ready for spring. Seed catalogs still coming in the mail and I'm ready to start my Winter Sowing and settting up the garden room for seeds to be started in a month or so.

Today:
Its was just to nice to stay inside, so tis mornin I had a new survival project and wanted dh to join in, It was making Bannock at my Outpost. Also called moutain bread and other names. Its a simple bread that you make and wrap it around a green stick (so the stick won't burn) and put over the campfire.

Oh was this fun, I got a few pic how the camp breakfast went this mornin.

Heres the raw bannock, looks pretty good.

Here I have dh hold the stick over the fire while I get a picture

 

While its cooking I see that we are going to have problems, its slipping off the stick : (. Had to put camera down to catch falling bannock. DH gets the piece that fell

I finish the bread in a pan sense it was no longer going to stay on the stick. I think next time I'll use green twigs to hold it together.

I cooked up some bacon and eggs fresh from our chickens this morning. Scrambled the bacon , oh well it was good. I like straight bacon, its so pretty that way.

And here is a plate full of good eatin, Dh likes his eggs a little runny , I like mine done. The bannock was a success in the yum good area and a do again. Perfect for sopping up eggs and bacon grease and also some pear honey too.

This bannock is a good thing to know how to make , try it on your next camping trip, it will be fun and taste great as well. You can add spices , fruits, nuts you name it to change the taste to your liking. In a survival you need to have the main thing flour and water and forage for berries and nuts , etc and it would be great with wild game as well.

Next project, if it snows I'm making a Quinzee , its kind of like a igloo .


Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by .

Blessings

linda

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We had a Birthday party Saturday for our oldest granddaughter. Now on my last blog I said we were going to have a shrimp boil but that changed to having hotdogs roasted in the fireplace and that even changed. Because of demand for a home cooked meal we wound up with a big spaghetti dinner. That's good to : ), lets see hotdog, spaghetti dinner, hummm. We did eat around the fireplace, well some us did anyway.

Oh the day was fun and we had a crowd. The kiddies came early cuz their mom and dad had some shopping to do , getting the cake and all. So I fixed up pancakes for breakfast and they watched a favorite movie. Our youngest DD and her hubby came over ( they are expecting , whahoooo) in with my shopping list for this unplanned dinner. So I got busy cooking.

After an early dinner the party begins. Now sometimes those little important things get messed up, in this case its the birthday candles. DD forget to buy them, she has none at home. No worries cuz MOM (me) has candles for the B-day. I do , I do, but where are they, So no birthday candles, not good. But wait , I do have candles , not your pretty little pink and yellow and blue ones but still something that can be blown out.

So here we are with 7 candles, little Birthday Girl gives it a look, yep it's different but she is at grandma and grandpa's house, what do you expect, grandma sleeps in the woods.

This will work, so the blowing begins with little sister helping at a distance.

The real help, what are sisters for.

Those non traditional candles worked. On with the cake, but no cake it was cupcakes. They were piled high with frosting and I noticed the Birthday Girl scrapping off the frosting, she told her little sister she was watching her sugar intake. What!!!!!! I could not believe my ears. A seven year old for just the first day watching her sugar intake. Gosh , I was eyeing the second cupcake piled high with frosting, no watching my sugar intake, no way. This is a birthday for goodness sake.

Then came pinata time. A big heart full of candy (oh the sugar high) I hope I can get some .

Swing away Birthday Girl.

Don't notice all the mess, that's just the way it is when everyone comes in, coats , boots, hats and gloves, you name it, it lands right there.

After many hits the pinatas falls to the floors and needs to be stomped on, the nailing it with a club doesn't cut the mustard. Ahhh its open and the gang dives in, wait I want all the jaw breakers.

Now for the presents. Got to hurry before little brother opens them all. She scored good even being so close after Christmas.

She was very happy, even tho Birthday Girl got poked in the eye with a pop cycle stick

It was a wonderful day , warm and sun shinning and everyone pooped after a running around the living room having a  soft mini marshmallow fight. We have not had one of those for years in the house, we were due for one. It may seem like a waste but the little guys had a ball and the little brother ate  up the ones he found. Oh the sugar high. The old stick in the mud guys at the table missed out the fun but they did get nailed. Oldest DD missed out to cuz she was in our bedroom feeding baby. Mom who is 82 sitting in the chair was just shaking her head with wonderment, wondering when her own girls would ever grow up, (me and sis) . 

When all was over my Mom and granddaughter went picking up marsmallows making it a contest who could pick up the most,making it a fun game. Mom hates messes, its a party MOM!!!!

Bad habits teaching the kiddies, maybe, but they sure had fun and sis and I did to. Plus all that picking up marshmallows helped that sugar intake on that cupcake I ate.

Food fights , well they are debatable but when my adult kids friends come up to me when I see them in town, they always bring up the food fights at sleep over when the kids were little and say how much fun that was. Well the pepperoni food fight was messy but the barn cats loved the goodies, so nothing was wasted. I recommend a good food fight but before you clean house.

So today its cleaning and mopping floors from some frosting that didn't get wiped up, run the cloth down some chairs where sticky pink frosting has harden on. Thinking about all the fun parties we have shared in our home, how messy it got and how fast and easy it was to clean up. Having a basket ball stand set up in the living room and shooting hoops, building tipis, forts and playing hide and seek at night with nothing but the glow of the fireplace for lighting. Having all our family here on those two weeks without electric power and all huddled around the fireplace playing board games and holding our just born Birthday Girl 7 years ago. Oh those wonderful memories and yes even yesterdays memories being made that someday the grandkids will tell their kids how they had a food fight at grandpas and grandmas house.

Heres a picture of our new little one, she just sleeps through it all. Oh when she wakes she is a big smiler with dimples. What a joy.

Have a great week and thank you for stopping by. Have fun and if you get a change to be in a food fight go for it : ). Snow ball fights are good too.

Blessings
linda

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Yep its cold out, but the sun is shinning and I'm out for a walk in the woods.   Over here at my Moms homestead I'm looking for ice forms from the water falls and checking out the ponds.  The woods is quiet and only the sound of crunchy leaves and a few birds here and there.    Plus the sound of water coming down from the rocks.   No frozen ice fountains like I hope to see  , just crystal clear ice  water running down big boulders.    I did find some frost formations on the ground,  not sure if this is true hore frost.   It almost looks like fur.  

Theres many types of frost , heres a link about  Frost     Also a gallery  of some beautiful hore frost pictures.

It was down in the negatives , -4 last night.   No snow like many are getting , just plain cold. 

Around the homestead:

 This weekend is celebrating DH and oldest granddaughters 7 th birthday.  DH B-day is Friday and DGD is Saturday.   We were going to have a big ol dinner of shrimp and crableggs but changed our minds and having a cookout in our fireplace,  hotdogs, lol.   The reason, well  7 yrs ago our granddaughter was born and the ice storm that took out power for two weeks, we lived and cooked by our fireplace. Even slep by the firplace , all  7 of us.   So DD and I thought this might be fun to do again and share to our 7 yr old what it was like back when she was born.   Hotdogs  cooked on a  stick , some marshmallows, all of us around the fireplace.   Oh and some icecream  and cake this time : ). 

Maybe plan a shrimp boil later in the month.   We usually have every New Years when everyone was home.  DH and I would cook a big pot  on the firepit with snow on the ground  filled with crablegs and  shrimp, clam,  red potaoes, corn on the cob, and lots of shrimp spice .      Bring it in by the buckets onto a big restaurant type serving platter and everyone digs in. Served with hot homemade dinner rolls and a big toss salad. 

Oh those dinners were always fun, so hope to do another soon. This time I'm going to lay paper down on the table and just roll up the mess afterwards.   

We have done a shrimp boil by the riverside on a couple of float  trips.   There was always passer bys who wanted to join and one wanted us to toss  him a crableg, which we did.  He went down the river chompping  on the seafood toss.  Thats ok but I Iike my shrimp and crab dipped in hot melted butter and squeeze lemon juice over the top  and close by to get more helpings

Oh my goodness I got to stop thinkin about such good dinners or I might change the dinner plans this weekend. 

I always thought it would be fun to have a clam bake, digging them up and cooking by the ocean.    Have you done this before?   I would love to hear about the way you had your clam bake.

Back to the cold , we are suppose to get a flake or two of snow tonight.    Sure haven't got the big snows like many. I'll have to check our ponds this weekend for skating .  Its not to bad when theres a nice warm fire to sit by, go out and fall on the ice and limp back to the fire. 

Chickens:

Those gals are up to 36 eggs, no extra light either.  They are such a blessing to have fresh eggs for everyone this winter.

Bread:

The bread making is on with even better ways of making with almost little effort and supplies. Mary Janes Farm magazine Jan. / Feb issue shares just how to do it.   So go out and grab a copy.  I was able to get one yesterday and it was the only one left. 

Have a great weekend and thank you for stopping by

Blessing

linda

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Over on a blog site that I have been following Down To Earth  there is something new  and you might just like to join in.  The Biggest Kitchen Table - keeping chickens.   An internet kitchen table to sit around and share and learn from each other all around the world.  What a cool idea.   This week the table talk is Chickens, one of my favorite homestead subjects.     I have not introduced myself so after this post I'm heading over to the table and do some chatting/clucking : )

So today was chicken day for me. The weather was perfect , Hen Den needed cleaning, I needed some vitamin D, sunshine , chickens needed to look for bugs and goodies and the garden always needs composted chicken manure. 

Let me share first that I have been around chickens for a very long time, gosh on my 10 th birthday my folks got me 100 baby chicks.   We would raise chickens off and on living in the country and even in the city we would buy chickens to butcher.  One time living in the city Dad bought at least a 100 chickens , we took all day , Dad , Mom Sis and I to dress them all out just to find out  that our freeser was not working ,Oh that was a job.  So off to all our neighbors passing out fresh chickens all dress out and ready to cook.   We always checked our freezers after that when butchering time came.

Yes its been many years raising chickens.  This last spring I got 100+ chicks, Plymouth Barred Rock , my favorite .  A straight run which  turned out like I hoped, 50 pullets and 50 roosters.  Butchered out most of the roosters already with just a few left and waiting to find out which one will be the best rooster to keep.  So far all have been showing good measure and being nice to each other.  

Heres one of the big boys keeping a lookout for his girls and looking smart about it.

This guy is looking in on the eggs, but today one of the roos jump in the nest and sat down, , humm he might have to go in the pot.

Wow is it fun to gather eggs, and each day we keep getting more.  Up to 32 eggs yesterday  and down 27 today.   I might find an egg or two under the White Pine trees tomorrow.  An early Easter egg hunt.

The eggs get a little dirty from the hens feet from coming outside but on the dry days the eggs are so clean they don't need to be clean but I like to wipe them down anyway. 

With around 60+ chickens the Hen Den gets pretty messy and needs cleaning often.   I use straw and even bagged up leaves from the curbside for the flooring.    I put straw in their nest but they like to fuss around  their nest boxes and scratch out the nice nesting material.    I hope there will be a couple of hens that will go into brooding this spring and summer and hatch out a mess of chicks.  This will be so much easier for them to care for then doing the job myself.  Alto I do like to raise chicks.    But seeing a hen coming out from under an old farm house crawl space with a flock of chicks is something to see.    Oh how the mother hen takes care of her young.    Crawling under an old farmhouse to gather eggs that were spent is not fun and horrible when they break on you . I would rather be hit by a skunk :P

I really like the Booted Bantum breed as well and they make very good mothers.  I might get 25 of those this spring.  They are easy to raise , less on feed and wonderful in the gardens.

Many times I have rasied the Cornish Cross.  Oh my are they eaters, messy  to , very fast growers.  But man oh, man are they good eatin.

So if you thought about chickens for your homestead and want to learn some great info or would like to share about your flock head on over to the Biggest Kitchen Table ever.  It looks like room for all and I think the host Rhonda has a cup of tea for ya.     Check out the other posts on that site and all the different followers.  The knowledge that is share is of great value and will come in handy for us all.  Plan to stay a long time on her site , it is packed with good wisdom.

Artisan Bread:

Oh I hope they have a table talk on breadmaking. This last  week I have been making Artisan bread.  That 5 minute bread that has been buzzing around the net.  I made it and I like it.  Its very easy to make and the recipe and how to is found in the Mother Earth magazine. 

I put a bit to much flour on top, it brushed off easy .   It felt like old world making this type of bread,   flicked the raised bread into a very hot oven on a cooking stone and let it cook. 

Weekend plans are just stayin at home and keeping warm.    Our beautiful warm day  was wonderful but alas winter is back.  Oh I like the snow but if its not going to snow then might as well bring the spring on. 

It was temping to sleep out in my Outpost tonight but the wind in rough and maybe a storm.  But if we get a nice snow I just got to have a campout .  I'll keep you posted on my snow camping : )

Thanks for stoppin by, have a super great weekend.

Blessings

linda

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Happy New Year  .   I hope you are havin a good dinner and some blackeye peas.

DH and I are over right now as I blog havin coffee at Moms.  We just had a great dinner of turkey and all the fixins and of course those blackeye peas.    I'm  full .     The picture is my Moms'  great dinner rolls, those were taken last year but she made some today that looks just like em.  Yum good and made with our fresh eggs.    Mom has got that roll recipe down pat. 

I'm getting excited about the New Year here on the homestead.   Garden seed cataloges are coming in the mail.  I'm ready to take down the Christmas decorations and start cleaning , painting and organzing , again for the New Year.   Get the store room ready for planting seeds and plus my Winter Sowing will start this month too.

I put up a couple of '09 calenders , one I like with old barns.  Soon it will be loaded with events and dates penciled in.    Not as bad as when all the kids were home with going here and going there.  Lifes a bit slower with the kids gone and on their own. 

It does get slow in the winter but theres much to do without leaving the farm and not costing.   Watching the wildlife, making plans for the gardens, feeding and caring for the animals and trying new foods and making bread.   Picking up something new to learn how to make and one of my favorites is organizing the foods in the store room and try to replentish the food storage.  Learn, learn, learn. 

Outpost living:

Well it had snowed a couple of times and I didn't sleep out in my Outpost.  The holidays sort of took over. But Jan and Feb. looks like I might have a campout at least one snowy weekend. 

I'm going to hit the trails in a little bit and walk off this dinner, check out the ponds and the Outpost.

Chickens: 

Wow those gals are still layin good, 22+ eggs a day. This spring I'm planning on letting a few hens hatch out their own eggs.

Breadmaking:

I made my first Artisan bread the other day and it wasn't to bad.  This is  a fun bread to learn how to make right.  So back to the kitchen  and try it agan: )

One thing about bread, its an imporant part of life, the bread of life.   So I wish you a very Happy New Year and that your table always has bread on it with Blessings overflowing.

tc linda

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Our Christmas was wonderful, alto we all missed our son who is stationed (Navy) in another part of the world. This will be the first Christmas without him. He did call and right before we all were having our circle prayer before dinner. We put him on the speaker phone and he could hear DH choking up while saying the prayer and I think our son was choking up to, he was here with us in heart and spirit. We all will be together next Christmas.

Plans did not happen for Christmas Eve. This was the first time DH and I have been alone on Christmas Eve, we always have had big parties. But plans do change and it was OK. With others having plans that had changed as well, it worked out that everyone would have more time on Christmas with us. Being as this was such a different year it worked out great.

DH and I went on a late night walk on our trails in the woods Christmas Eve. It was so quiet with just the sound of snow crunching from our footsteps. I called it a date, didn't tell hubby tho, cuz i didn't want to scare him away with the word date . He'll think he's gotta get flowers or somethin'.   So after the nice crispy walk , we loaded up firewood in arms and headed for the fireplace, hot cocoa and popcorn. Watched a DVD , Christmas movie and both of us fell asleep, (this is ol peoples date night).

Christmas Day. Food, food and more food, candy, cookies and gifts came through our doors Christmas early afternoon. As I was cooking sis and Mom cooked as well and all to meet and have dinner over here on the homestead. Dinner was wild turkey and pheasant that BIL hunted, spiral honey ham and all the good things that you can think of for extras. We had 14 people in all for our Christmas Day, Oh am I still full. I will think diet next year .

We ate first and then opened gifts, and oh did the paper fly. Screams of joy and happiness came from the little ones with all the things they got, they had a ball.

Playdough has always been a winner and Sis is the one to give that in her many gifts she gives , its always a hit.

I took a lot of pictures of the kids but most were fuzzy from running around.

After the gifts were open then came time for the older kids to find the pickle in the tree. We have done this for years, with first simple gag gifts to later $$$, its gets them more excited to find that hard to fine pickle. Oh where is it?

I have to pack the tree with lots of stuff. I put even feathers of pheasant and wild turkey, pinecones, etc., to make it harder to fine.

The tree is not very big this year, 8 or 9 ft. But still they can't find that pickle!!!

Where is that pickle?

The top of the tree has a wicker star that I just love , dd gave this to me a few years back.

That pickle is not up there.

Is it by the snowman, Nope.

How about close to our son's baby shoe I hang up every year. Why just one shoe? I can't find the other one

Nope, not by the shoe or in the shoe (did that one year)

How about in the feathers, could be cuz there's feathers all over the tree.

Is it by the pocket watch hanging in the middle of the tree? I don't think so but it is time you all find that pickle. There's pie to eat.

Ahhhh I found it screams our younest DD, who has found it for the 5th year in a row. With others whacking her with love pats, I hope.

The pickle, it's a pretty pickle, all clear green glass. Well I think it is pretty as far as pickles go.

Now for the extra pickle finders gift. I hand her a bag, she pulls out a gold hammer, WHAT, Oh Boy A Gold Hammer ( which is realy my craft hammer that I am taking back). But whats up with this MOM!!!!!

Look at the tree again and your gift is in the tree.

A NUT, What!!! I rather have the gold hammer, Oh No that is just to be used to crack the nut.

So here ya go, DD finds her a helper , oldest granddaughter. A whack and its cracked and out pops, drum roll!!!

A folded up green thing, a folded up $100 , DD gets love hits again from her hubby and big sister and BIL, while she pockets the find  .

Ah well, theres always next year.

Next year I may go back to just a jar of pickles like the very first year I did the pickle find. Our oldest DD found it that year, she would be givin me love smacks if I did real pickles for the gift and she found the pickle, oh I'm thinkin that might just be a hoot

Well I went retro in our Victorian bedroom (just on my side of the room) DH's side is the garage look which I have to take hold of once in awhile. I use to put up a white flock tree, but I looked at this year and its all flocked out :(. Were did all the white go. So I was going through containers of organized Chritmas stuff, well not really organized, just mangled in a container. And there it was branches of the aluminum tree. My eyes widen and my heart raced . Could the whole thing be here? Would I like it like I did when we went to my grandma's and grampa's on Christmas Eve and see their aluminum tree lit by the rotating light of red , green, yellow, and I think blue oh so many years ago. Would it be as cool ?

The word cool is not cool enough for such a tree. This picture does not do it justice but when the sun shines through it spirkles like diamonds. It needs no decorations. (don't laugh)

I have to blame some of this vintage love on Mary Janes Farm . Maybe I stayed out in my Outpost to long, or maybe I need to stay longer in my Outpost. Who knows.



The Christmas decorations will stay up tell after Jan 6th, tree will go out and food for the birds will hang on its branches. The red living room will stay red until after Feb 14, then I will start painting and spring cleaning and new decorating for spring and summer. Then it will be outside with gardening and camping for the rest of the year.

Oh was it nice today, 70*. I took to the trails and oh the hopes of spring and longer days was felt. Plans were for iceskating, DH and I walked a little on the ice pond on Christmas Eve but we took it nice and easy and listening for the crack of ice. But today the water shone with some ice, more fishing then iceskating/ falling.

I have been working on my falling skills this last snow fall. I made a deranged snow angel. The extra padding of Thanksgiving dinner helped the fall : ).

Hey the chickens are still layin.

This New Years I think we will forgo the New Years big din din and just have a pot of blackeye peas with the ham bone from Christmas for seasoning, and a batch of cornbread. Its a bit different then most New Years dinners , a big shrimp boil and crablegs. But this year is different. We will pick up our plans as before when we are all back together again. Alto the girls were talking of all of us going on an Alaska vacation next year. Oh my , My staycation on the homestead my be over, lol.

I sat at my Outpost on the swing and just enjoyed the Day after Christmas and thanked God for all His Blessings and the Birth of His Son Jesus that brings us Pure Love.

May you have a Very Happy New Year with many Blessings
linda

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The kiddies came over for pictures last night and guess who came by "Santa"  Oh did he shine through the front door windows. As the kids mouths flew open and some backed away cuz they just didn't know who that was. Red suit and snow white beard, jingle bells and Ho Ho Ho !!! How exciting the place got. Everyone sat on Santas lap except our youngest grandson 1 yr, but oh did they all love the extra pre Chirstmas gifts from Santa. Plus told what they would like for Christmas

Did I tell ya how I have a very special sister with a big heart. Thank you sis you made it a wonderful evening of love and happiness


The wind has been blowin' like crazy this last couple of days. In the 60* and will drop down to the single digits in a few hours. Gotta toss more logs on the fire for sure. I got my hot cocoa and marshmallows ready. A couple of good Christmas movies and I'll be good to go, might pop some corn later tonight as well.

I had a cold last week so my Christmas decorating was a bit slow start, gosh I'm still recovering from Thanksgiving. I took a few pics of some Christmas cheer around the homestead , the old camera is on its last legs/clicks but still I snap away.

With things getting tighter and more use of the computer, e-cards are more and more , cards in the mail get fewer each year. I use to set the cards around, hung them on a line, taped them around the door but a couple of years ago I was out in my garden cleaning up the tomato cages and had this thought of using an old rusted tomato cages for displaying our Christmas cards. Now I like to think I came up with this one, and I do think I did and not seen it somewhere else. I just can't remember :/. Well anyways it works for our cards. Each year I put the new cards on the top wire ring and the older cards of years pass on to the bottom ring. Attached with colored yarn , each year having it own color.

Plans for finding all my Christmas cards which are boxed away and put them on the tomato cage to. The family likes looking through them and remembering family and friends and those that have passed on. Plus the style of the cards is fun to look at along with those that send pictures on their cards. It's a fun way to keep it simple and organzied. The cage is upside down with Christmas mice on top of the points of the tomato cage, the part that would go into the ground.

This display is sitting on an old wooden ironing board in the dinning room with a Christmas lace cover. That ironing board held all the Thanksgiving pies this year. Makes a great extra serving table. Idea came from Mary Janes Farm.

I put out this winter scene every year, oh how I like white, white lights , white walls, white slipcovers, snow, ice cycles, white sweatshirts, white cars and trucks, you name it I just like white.

Its a little snow town of old times, it was suppose to be painted but I just left it white

My sister got me the ice skaters this year and it went perfect in the scene. I love iceskating. But do much better on roller skates.

Ok I like shiny red apple too.

Heres a pic of the living room, I'm still decorating and working on the tree. Its a really small one this year 8ft . I'm so use to the 10 to 14 ft trees. I think we will go back to our tradition of cutting down the tree at a tree farm with the grandkids next season. I do miss that so much when we use to go out to the farm and cut down the perfect tree with our kids.

Don't notice the three different paints on the walls. I'm tryin to get away from white walls and its been years to do so. Maybe spring I will do the change all over. Maybe go back to white : ). My decorating is simple , mostly used finds and even curbside finds. Its warm and cozy and lots of room for everyone to run around in.

Heres a shot looking down from my art studio. One year I hung the angel on top of the tree from the upstairs balcony. I think the best time was when my Mom got the kids a basketball goal. It was way to cold to play outside so we brought the gift in and played basketball all winter long in our living room. I became a good shot that year.

On the TV cabinet sits some deer and oh how I love the pine branches and pinecones from our White Pines to place here and there, oh the smell, hummmm.

Heres a wall hanging I made . It was easy to make and I hope to get back into quilting this winter. I'm still knitting on Christmas gifts.

Outside I'm still working on the porch, with the sled that we will be using and iceskates ready for when the pond freezes . I found sled and skates on the roadside curb. Two brand new sleds waiting to be tossed in a land fill. Now just incase some kids didn't just lay their sleds on the trash heap, I always ask if I can have peoples throw aways just to be sure : ). I even ask if I can have their bagged up leaves and many say to come back next year and help bag em up .

Chickens:

Oh is it fun to collect the eggs, up to 25 a day now. We sent DD home with 108 eggs the other day. The baking is better with fresh eggs. My cornbread pops up there like a cake and oh those eggs for breakfast , yum good.

I'm over at Moms having coffee. Dh i'm sure has the fireplace going by now because that cold is coming in. So I'm off to make some popcorn and cozy up by the fireplace.

Merry Christmas Blessings to you and thanks for dropping by.
linda

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We had a super great Thanksgiving with most all my love ones here. Our new little granddaughter sure made for a special time. I didn't get to hold her much b/c of cooking but GreatGrandma sure did .

We had 14 people in all, 5 being our grandkiddies, our new SIL parents even shared our Thanksgiving with us, what fun. His Mom got right in the kitchen and help make gravy while her DIL (our DD) was helping with the other goodies. I loved it.

Lots of food and of course we over ate. In the warm afternoon we all went walking on the trails (except new grandbaby, mommy and greatgrandma) and checked out the Outpost. In the 50's, I was sure tempted to camp out but I will wait for the snow.

Heres our cutie,she changes a little bit each time I see her.

We have the cradle which my Dad gave me for my babies, in the livingroom. Not knowing at the time how many more beautiful babies would be sharing a sweet nap. A ture Blessing.

I did some junk store finds and found this neat hat holder with hats, perfect for the kiddies playclothes in the spare bedroom. I'm decorating it up Christmascy for them this weekend.

Here they all are in their new/old dress up clothes, hamming it up for gandma. The littlest guy didn't have any playclothes so he found a knit hat to put on, thata work. So I will be looking for lots of play clothes for them.

What fun they have dancing and singing in the living room.

Tomorrow DH and I will go to town and find a Christmas Tree. We use to take the family out to a Tree Farm and cut the most beautiful tree on the farm, (we always told ourselves this). Some would be whoppers up to 14ft tall , using extention ladders to decorate. But we have scaled down to 9ft and 10ft trees after the kids left home. Last year I think I got a tree leaning against the Hen House store while my sister looked on in the warm truck. This could be payback from a time when Mom, sis and I were getting a tree and sis got out in the rain as we had thumbs up or down for the perfect tree. Poor wet sis,

Oh and all the orange comes down, orange wreaths, orange pumpkins, oranges decorations and even the orange slipcovers in the living room. Its red and green time. Inside and out. And speaking green we are scaling down the lights on the house this year, kinda sad but DH needs a break. I put up the garlin and lights over the front door and will be putting out the sleigh and iceskates and pincones. But if I get a second wind I might put up more lights and light the trails. Just not sure yet. Less is more but then again someone told me more is more and less is really less. And then we got the being green going on too.

Chickens:

Oh boy are they doing well, up to 20 eggs a day. Nothing like cracking an egg for the Thanksgiving peacan pies, just freshly laid that day.
Go Girls Go!!!

Just for fun:

In some past post I share of a group I have joined late this summer. Mary Jane Farm Connection. I was new to the magazine and new to the forum. What a great connection from the get go. This "get er done" Mary Jane inspired me to make up my Outpost, she and other "out their women" inspired me to camp out for 13 weeks in my own Outpost. Make a reading tree for my grandkiddies and take a bath in the woods again like I use to.

Now I'm on a major cleanup here on the homestead, when you got a big roll off dumpster , its major clean up. One thing that I was going to toss out was my kids Barbie dolls, oh they were a mess and no way I want my grandkiddies playing with these , so why would I give them away to good well. Yucky, I tell ya, they were in very bad shape.

Now just before the toss I had a moment, a moment that I could not do, I'm throwing away my girls dolls : (, how could I do such a thing. Then the light bulb came on, I thought how Mary Janes Farm and the sisterhood is all about women Who Can and to raise little farmgirls Who Can as well. So why not clean up these dolls and make farmgirl Barbies for my own gandgirls to play with, a good wholesome image and recycle at the same time. And there it was, Farmgirl Barbie, Mary Jane style.

I shared with my farmgirl friends in Mary Janes forum and it was a hit, with the thread stating "What do you do with a big bag of wild-haired naked Barbie dolls?" Many ideas and others wanting to do the same with their DD Barbie dolls, and many wish they had not thrown their dolls away.

Heres a picture of one of those dirty wild-haired Barbie dolls that I cleaned up and made an apron for her (Mary Jane believes in aprons, there is power in an apron).  She is called  Farmgirl Barbie the Herb Gatherer

Barbie cleans up pretty nice.

Now all this gets even better.

Mary Jane herself has an artical about this in her Nov /Dec magazine.

I was so surprise that she liked my idea that she featured it heading and all "What do you do with a bag full of wild-haired naked Barbie dolls. Her write up was wonderful and I'm so honored to be mention in your magazine. Thank you Mary Jane .

This is a wonderful magazine so do check it out. I got my copy at Borders but you can also subscribe. Check out her forum to Mary Janes Farm   , lots of wonderful Farmgirls, all ages from all over the world, country and city. Talk about Kindred Spirits. You will find many there. I sure did.


Happy Holidays to you all , thank you for stopping by.

My heart and prayers go out to those in India. What a sadness this brings. A sadness for the loss but also a sadness that many have so much hate in their hearts to do such things. May Peace On Earth happen soon.

Blessings
linda

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Hubby and I were Blessed with a beautiful healthy granddaughter late Thursday evening. It was a concern in the beginning but all went well, Praise God.

We had the other kiddies for a couple of days and oh the energy they have. Getting to sleep was a no go until somewhere in the very late night/early morn. We had to have slept cuz we all woke up at 7:00. Ready for more excitement to go see baby sister.

Here's my three little homesteaders, 6,5 and baby. She is so sweet and coos and makes girly noises and even comes with dimples .

It is awesome that my Mom who is 82 is here to hold her 5th great grandchild. We will have a super Thanksgiving with most everyone home.

My Basket of Blessings is Overflowing .


My heart is full of happiness yet also room for the hurt that some of my friends have had this year with their own children and grandchildren, through health and loss. I to have had the loss of a child and I know the hurt. So I share my joy with this in mind. And I, without doubt believe that we have a Creator, our God to all, who Loves us so dearly, that we will someday see our love ones again.

Have A Blessed Day
linda

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Well another campout, this time a bit more chilly, it got down to the 20*. Still not to bad. I had plenty of covers and slept in my Artic coat.

Here I am snug as a bug in a rug

Ahh thats not really me, just some covers to look like I'm under there, but I'm sure thats what I looked like all night I did not move , slept well and warm.

Earlier I drank hot cocoa and read, boy is it hard to turn pages with gloves on, so I kept one glove on for holding the book and the other for turnin the pages. The critter sounds were drowned by gun shots , deer hunters gearing up for the season. It was sure peaceful when they ended. I kept the windows closed in the tent to keep all the heat in, even tho I did see my breath. This sure makes having a home with warmth even more treasured. It is doable to camp out in the cold and many do not just for the fun of it. There is a difference. Choosing and having to. But then again its still a choice being there are shelters around the country.

Its different staying out in the cold by yourself. Its really colder. I remember when we use to camp out in the snows , Dad , Mom , Sis and I would have so much fun building our camp, wrapping hot bricks from the firepit and wrapping them with newspaper to place down by our feet in our sleeping bags. The smell of burnt newpaper was not nice but oh how our feet were nice and toasty. We kept warm by gathering wood, gather around the fire and ate good food. Told stories and laughed, another warmth.

The lone camper has its place to , a connection of hearing and seeing things that one could miss when in a crowd. So the best of both is good. A time to think and reflect and a time to laugh hard.

The late night I woke to the sound of geese honking. It was a cold sound and reminded me of a song some years back, maybe you remember it. I'll hum a few bars. " I heard the wild geese flying in the dead of the night, with beats of wings flying , I heard the wild geese flying" That is one cold song.

I got up early looking out my tent and seeing ice that had formed and everything looking cold, I did not freeze as Mom predicted. Thoughts of building a fire went past me fast. And using the cold outhouse went past me even faster. So I gathered up and headed down the trails back home where I knew the fireplace and hot coffee would be ready thanks to DH.(((hug))).

I think I will call my weekend camping off until after hunting season. We don't hunt on the place but a hunter or two have ventured through. I think it to be safer if I don't camp plus I like to think our woods gives the deer a little break from the hunters. Alto I support hunting I also love to see the wildlife. Me being there would only run them into the hunters. So until then I will wait and do a snow campout and let the deer have the Outpost for a bit : ). Like they are really going to stay there , lol.

I so want a walled tent with cookstove so these winter campouts will be even nicer, plus sis said she will camp out then : ). So this winter when we have snow, look out cuz we are going on a sled ride and maybe ice skating on the pond. Bundle up, there will be hot cocoa and lots of fun.

I love our woodpile, this alone warms me up. The sight, the bringing in and sitting by is all about being warm.

Heres my new/old cast iron skillet and Dutch oven that I got at a garage sale. They were pretty rusty so a lot of cleaning and still more to do.

This is a fuzzy picture but notice the hammered finish. I'm not sure if this is old or they still make these.

Holidays are upon us and my plans are to enjoy. No crazy shopping. Lots of good food to share with family and friends. Gathering when I can extra food items in the upcoming weeks that could leave us cabin bound : ) this winter. I want to bring out the old board games and have the family around eating popcorn and hot cocoa, making lots of laughter. Pop on good clean Christmas movies or listen to holiday music.

The election was draining of emotion on both sides, and I'm glad its over. My side did not win but I can sleep good with my choice I made. My prayers and energy will be for the goodness of our country and well being. Prayers for the president to make decisons with our United States Consitution in the front of everything. Our forefathers , men and women died for this and dying still to keep this a free country that brings in many from other lands to live in freedom. Freedom is worth all that it takes to get it. And Praise God for those that gave to keep us FREE. God Bless America and God Bless the world that loves freedom.


Happy Holidays to you all and always thank you for your visits. We all may not agree, thats ok. Heck its hard even in families sometimes. As long as we do the best we can, repect and love we should be alright.

A whole bunch of Blessings to ya
linda

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Another weekend at the Outpost. Both these last couple of weekends have been warm. Its been a solo campout, sis and hubby neither want to campout      I think they are hibernating or something. They are missing out on the most beautiful evenings with stars and the milkyway to drink in and the night critter sounds that will be silenced in the upcoming weeks for their winter rest.

Last weekend was more sounds then just critters to hear. I'm getting into my reading when I hear the sound of loud, very loud teenagers and lots of gravel road noise. Its a hayride, I can hear the sound of the wagon wheels and the laughter and fun the kids are having. Oh the hayrides. Didn't do one this year but I hope you got to. So back to reading after all the hoopla. I woke up late, I mean I have not slept that late forever, almost 9:30. DH came up to see if I was ok. Boy I was in lala land for sure.

Now if DH didn't come up I'm sure the critter that got into my tent would have. It was a little bird that somehow got in. Stay cool Linda, stay cool is what I kept telling myself. Open the door and it will fly out and please birdie don't land on my pillow, it landed on my pillow . It took off but oh my!!!. I check for snakes, now I'll have to check for birdies.

I have been adding more stuff to the Outpost, its looking like a hobo jungle, maybe a little gypsy. For sure its eclectic (kinda like my house). But rather I should call it "Recycle Camp" cuz everything that was going to be thrown away ins up here at the Outpost, hummm still like my house.

I was able to get a bigger wash tub for the bath house, an oval one and put a fancy backdrop. Its a headboard to a twin bed that was going to be tossed. Oh this outhouse is sooooo girly don't ya think!

We had a good rain so it filled up the tub. Just a bit to cold for my likings.

I also got a good deal on this swing frame to use up at the Outpost. Got it for $30 and sis gave me her swing she does not use.

Pretty good deal I would save and even better to sit and swing which overlooks the pond. I had my hot cocoa and a good book and just enjoyed the afternoon.

Now this weekend the nights have been really foggy, kinda spooky foggy. But I'm still going to camp along, just not think of spooky things and don't let that noise in the woods bother me either. Just get in that tent and zip up.

The pond has a different look in the fog and I so love taking the trails when its so foggy that I can't see but just a few feet ahead. Wait up I tell DH, my cobweb getter.

We leave these beauties alone, they just shine up when mositure hits on them. See the spider?

We haven't did much to the kids tree house other then put up a swing. They have not seen it yet and I can't wait. This swing is just for little ones, its about a foot off the ground. I have not built it yet but there will be a platform like the bath house. It will be a stage for those little intertainers. It will have stage curtains and lights and they can sing, act and put on skits. I'll have a few stumps for us grownups to sit on so we can join in the fun.

I remember my sis and I use to intertain our grandparents in their kitchen. We would learn something at school and share with them. I remember their happy faces and our bows at the end.

Garden:

This weekend was the final cleanup of the garden and planting more bulbs. Plus working on new plans. Oh I can't wait tell spring.

Chickens:

They got a clean house this weekend and we got our first egg last week, yesterday there was two eggs in the nest.

Its small but will get bigger as the hens mature. Big brown eggs and it looks like I'll get 50 eggs a day , oh my!!!

I put this wire rooster that I had in the garden, it looks better next to the Hen Den

Thanksgiving:

My its almost here and I got to get planning. I always want to try something different and looking through other blogs I find many wonderful dishes to try. I know for one thing,thanks to the Pioneer Women , I will always add cream cheese to my mashed taters. Boy are they good that way.

My BIL brought over a wild turkey so we will have that for Christmas, being as Sis and BIL goes up to his family for Thanksgiving. So we'll eat the wild bird and pheasant that he hunts for our Christmas dinner.

Another pretty day tomorrow and then turns colder Wednesday. But oh how we love each day its nice to get outside. We got our wood too, two cords with 4 more coming. Our SIL is helping clear some land for a fence to go up for cattle and sense they need to clear it why not make a few extra bucks for the wood. I'm a happy camper. We have the fireplace going when the nights get chilly.


Thanks so much for visiting. I got a couple of garage sale items I want to share on my next blog. I hope to do in a couple of days. Its busy around here and still so much to do. I don't worry tho, cuz its just material things that will keep. Ok I'll go do the dishes.

Have a great week and blog at you later

Many Blsssings
linda

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I got a pot of just fresh green beans from the garden cooking in bacon drippings and a big ol onion. A dressed out chicken in the oven and the house is smelling good. Warm and toasty on this cool cloudy day.

Made new slipcovers for my living room sofa and love seat, Its a fall look for sure. Using a burnt orange fabric. Oh it looks good for fall but right after Thanksgiving off they come and the more old fashion Christmas colors will decorate the home.

We did go to Heritage days at Truman Lake this last weekend. All the ol timey crafts and way of life was all around. We had our group the kids and grandkiddies went along. I got a few pictures to share, but didn't take as many as I should have cuz I was havin so much fun just looking and learning.

Oh and I had to get some soap being made right there. It was the hot press and they had cold press for sale as well made with pine tar. A good antibacterial type soap. Got some good info too.

Weavers, spinners, broom makers , log splitters, apple butter and sorghum, beans and corn bread dinners along with smoked turkey legs. I took a couple of bites of turkey, left the rest of that monster leg with DH and went over to talk with the lady dying yarns with natural materials like walnuts, hedge, onion skins and different herbs and plants to get just the right color for the yarns. It was packed with many interesting crafts.

This lady was making rugs with something I had not seen before. Using a buggy wagon wheel and long strips of rags and weaving in a fashion to make a rug. I wanted her wrap. It was a little cool when we started out and that warm shawl with the blanket stitch was beautiful. I was hoping she was selling those, but no it was gift. if I wanted to get warm I could buy a rug and wrap up with that

The art of lace making will make you go away shaking your head. Wow was it involved. All those bobbins to keep track of and this artist did it with such ease as she shared about her dress she made. It was beautiful too.

They had a cabin that was built on location . One room downstairs and one upstairs , sleeping quarters. Fireplace was going and all the pans to cook up a good dinner. I seen my Dutch oven that I sure want to get.

The blacksmith that was important part of pioneer days was busy making a hinge , showing us the techniques how to make a round in the metal.

In the Hooper house the wood stove was going and nice to warm the hands along with smelling the pies cooking.

Even the name of these stoves bring a warm feeling.

Now there was a couple of ol buckskin wearin old timers that gave the youngsters a time, in a loving fun way. It was my grandkiddies to get the scare.

They had em look into the cage and out jumps a skinned varmint to give them a leap backwards. They loved it.

Now this was cute in a wrinkled brow type way. This ol timer was showing the girls his necklace made of toe bones. Girls took a good look. He explained that he was missin a few toe bones, then looked down at their feet. Took out his big ol knife and asked if they would give up a toe. They jumped way back, heck dd and I jumped back. Ahhh he said I don't want to take your toe I want two of them, Oh my gosh , he reminded me of my Dad and grandpa , something they would say. We assured the girls he was just kidding but leave your shoes on just incase.

These two old guys were fun , we need more ol timers like them so we can lightin up. Know when a joke is just for fun. And know what kind of people can take a joke in a fun light way. I'm glad we looked like the right kind of people.

I loved this wall tent , its taller then most the wall tents that were set up for the two day event. This one had a stove and when you poked your head in it was so warm. I so want to have one like this to do the winter camping at my Outpost.

There was so much to see, tipi's , civil war relics, cannons even and oh the noise when they went off. The sorghum makers were giving out taste of sorghum. Ahhhh the guy that was making it does not like it. I tasted and , well I didn't care for it either, I like the taste of honey much better.

A fellar was making sauerkraut, he had old crocks, old shredders (what are the names of those?) We got to talkin about cracked crocks (hate when that happens) and he pulls out under his table what he makes his kraut in, a 5 gal plastic bucket, lol so much for the ol timey stuff. He said it was ok to use a cracked crock (which does not leak) but I still have my concerns about it leaching from within , whata you all think?

Well there was citified bathroom and good old country outhouses. This two holer was the only non working outhouse. Everyone likes or dislikes those Johnny on the spots. I'll take the originals any ol time, but I like the single hole ones. I just don't care for company when nature calls.

We had a great day, weather was a beautiful fall . We stopped by our favorite rib place for dinner. Got back home and I got ready to head to the Outpost. I was pooped, Sis joined me late, scared the b-gee-bers out of me. Ok its dark, she didn't say whether she was camping out or not, its getting real late. Its hunting season and I see a light that looks to be coming from the pond dam. Oh that is not sis, and why would DH be out this late on the dam. So my thoughts were being a lost hunter. Oh my I'm in my long underwear too. I just see a light, I poke my head out the tent and hallar "who's there" , no one answers, and the light is getting closer, I yell again louder, "Who's There" and still no answer. Light is in the camp at this point and I'm a sitting duck with my light on and head sticking out of the tent. Think linda think!!!! I really screamed "Who's There", and now I hear a clicking sound. Now I'm scared and mad at the same time. The light now is in my eyes blinding me and my crazy nutty sister says "Its Me". Oh I had a cow, I told her never ever do that, you could get yourself shot. Lessons learn here. I should have turned my lights off so not to expose myself. I should have said "I have a gun", even tho I had a stick . I should not wear long underwear in the woods b/c I may have company.

What's with the clicking noise you ask , well sis has this thing that she thinks I'm scared of UFO's, aliens that make clicking sounds. Not true, well sorta of, but I'm more trouble of strangers that would not ID themselves. Lessons learned is all I can say.

It was cold that night and sis woke up on her side of the room and made all kinds of rustlin noise around to wake me up. She said this might be her last camp out cuz of the cold. : (. I wish I had one of those wall tents that has the wood stove in it.

I slept good under warm goose down comforter and DH's long johns. But My bones hurt from a fall I took from the day before. I practice my falling skills every winter on ice covered walks and yard, good thing cuz it came in handy for my Walmart parking lot fall. It had been raining and I have lost thread on the bottom of these cheap Croc knock offs of a pr of shoes, but they are sooooo comfy. Sis is in the truck, we are handy to town to meet clients and there I go. Its not quick, its long and drawn out, sis is watching me the whole time. I am trying to catch myself in a graceful way and I just keep going forward and down, some ten feet of falling forward. I see this road blocker and think while I'm falling moving forward that I can grab it and keep from a crash and burn. Nope I crash and burned. Sis said I looked like a 2 by 4 in mid air and fell flat : (. I laid there for a bit to see if I was ok, make sure my guts went back into place. A women jumped out of her van to see if I was ok and also another person drove up. Sis was getting out of the truck and wondering why I didn't jump right up , wipe off my backside and get going. Everything was checked out, scraped the palm of my hand but my biggest concern was that my brand new underwear went flyin across the parking lot for the world to see. Oh how embarrassing. Yes I broke down and bought bloomers. I guess the excitement of new under britches made me not pay attention to my walking. Yes my falling skills did pay off.



Chickens:

Now Sunday we had to take out a few more roosters. And I get to go retrieve the boys. I almost had one in my grips when he few in my face and nailed me good just above my eye lid with his nasty dirty sharp toe nail : (. Oh that roo is in the oven now : ). Lessons learned, get those boys when they are roosting

Garden:

Picking and gathering fall garden veggies, herbs and flower heads for saving the seeds.

Expanded the garden for a big pumpkin patch, corn, wheat and buckwheat. Man came out and plowed up the rich dark earth. I can't wait tell we plant in it next spring.

Weekend:

Planting many tulips , hyacinths from co-op and waiting for peonies coming soon too. Weekend will be busy so I hope weather will be warm. Camping out in the Outpost, gosh this will be the 11 th weekend camping out. Oh I hope I can get sis to camp out.

Thanks for dropping by and reading this long blog.

Winter is here for many. I love snow but I want it to hold off for a bit. Haven't started up the fireplace yet.

Take good care

Blessings many

linda

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This weekend the signs were good for fishing. Plus our neighbor/friends want their big pond/lake to be fished. They don't fish so us four, Mom who is 82 yr, Sis ,Dh and I went on a fishing trip this weekend and really didn't leave the farm. Its just 3/4 of a mile as the crow flies to the fishing lake. Sis's DH went turkey hunting and didn't get his bird, should have been fishing with us.

Not only did the fish bite but my oh my was the weather perfect both days, Sat and Sunday. Saturday was a better fishing day but fish was caught on both. All total we caught a little over 100 bass and bluegill. I caught the biggest and sis caught the smallest.

My bass weighed in just under 2 lbs. most were 1+ lbs. hand size bluegill.

Plans were to cook outside at the Outpost but we / I , all just got to tuckered out. Well now fishin and skinin does wear a body out, LOL.

But sis and I still camped out at the Outpost. We didn't build a campfire, it was pretty windy so ate sandwiches and chips, colas while we read our camping adventure magazines and books. Sis brought up her Bible to read, I would say the better of all books, But I still like reading my camping trip books and know hows when up at the Outpost and then in those quiet times reading Scripture. I'm reading about wolfs attacking in the Outdoor magazines and sis is reading how the wolfs attack in our lives , pretty much the same kind of reading. Just different weapons to use.

Oh this lake is a beautiful place to just sit and watch the leaves fall and fall they did. The fallen leaves looked like brown sail boats at sea heading into shore. A gust of wind and down they would come. We all had to laugh cuz they were so many and awesome to see. The lake itself would whip up when the wind would blow and it came from many dirrections. And that saying, Wind in the West Fish Bite the Best, is true B/c everytime the wind blew out of the west someone had a fish on the hook or was setting hook. And then we would just sit there when it was blowing from the East. Wind in the East Fish Bite the Least, oh so true.

This lake is surrounded by many hundreds of acres of trees and wildlife. It connects to my Moms homestead.

These were taken before the major leaf fall.

The leaves are turning and we are getting another pretty Autumn this season

I had to buy a new rod and reel for myself, only the thing would not work, blast it. I gave up and let DH mess with it. Found out the people that put things together in the stores had it backwards, some thing of ma-jig. So I took DH old rod and reel and he took the new one that he fixed. Thats ok cuz I caught the biggest fish anyways : ). Next time i'm bringing my fly rod and see if I can catch a bass or two on a fly.

Now we did some Channel Cat fishing to later in the evening using the liver from the butcher roosters from last week. Did not get any Channels. Maybe another day. But while we were sitting there and just light enough to see objects a big crane came swoopy by across the lake. Then we heard a big noice and see him swoop right by us. We figure we are sitting in his spot cuz he just circles the lake. We're not movin cuz we are fishin'.

Didn't get a dang thing done on the homestead but we got a freezer full of fresh fish. And a beautiful weekend just enjoying the outdoors. Watching my Mom fish, drinking hot coffee from thermos. Shaking the bucket of worms to find a nice big juicy one. Washing hands in the just a little cool to swim in water, after you take your fish off the hook and toss it in the basket and hearing the sound of the days catch being plopped in the water. We had three baskets going and no one said anything but I kind of think there was a contest going on the amount of fish in the baskets, but I still caught the biggest one, Hehehe!!!

While the fishing was letting up for a while, Wind in the East. I started to gather hickory nuts, many all over. They were little but tasty. DH brought over a huge Hickory nut, Wow , so I took the basket and went where the big ones were being assured that they would watch my rod.

I picked up only a half basket of nuts cuz I heard them catching fish over yonder, the wind coming from the west now. I was worried about my rod going in the water. But still I gathered a good mess of Hickory Nuts. Oh these are hard to crack but well worth the trouble, esp. the big ones.

So the weekend was foraging, fish and nuts. Its healthy, clean (well sorta) fun. We had a good time.

So get your fishin rod out, grab somebody to go with ya and have a wonderful day. Plus fresh fish is mighty tasty along with fried taters and onions, can of pork and beans and cornbread. We'er talking stick to your ribs food now

Its quite something to sit and watch water how it moves, watching the reflection of the clouds form in the water. Having leaves fall on you and hearing the sounds of tiny to big critters as you watch the sun go down and the moon comes out to make a whole other world before you with different sounds and sights to see. On another forum I read something like "Being outside is Being". I love that.

Thanks for visiting, hope you liked my fishing trip. Winter is coming head on fast and will be here before we know it. I read others who are getting, gathering and preparing for the coming months. Whether its weather or the state of our nation and the world and challenges it is facing that will effect everyone.

I would like my blog to be helpful . So well gear it toward that direction . Theres many sites I would like to share as well that will make our winter bearable and strengthen us along our path. I never ever want to feel I'm stuck, theres always a way out and many options , but we gotta do the homework and work at it. And the thing is every little or big thing we do has an effect. I would like it to be effective on the positive side.

So have some fun when you can, get down and serious on important things and make it work.

Blessings
linda

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Where has the time gone, its been a couple of weeks sense I have blog. We had out of state company last week. They brought their vintage travel trailer so I could work on their cushions. Plus my own work kept me pretty busy.

I'm still camping out, and it gets better all the time. I just love it up at the Outpost in this beautiful fall weather. I just sit down and let the leaves fall on my face like you would if snowflakes were coming down. Took off my shoes and socks and just ran my feet through the leaves that gathered while reading my Mary Jane Outpost book and getting more ideas. Oh I got a perfect spot for the walled tent that will have a wood stove in it. Can't wait.

Been working on the bath house , so pictures willbe on my next blog.

Its so nice out tonight I might stay out there and pop some popcorn. Sis stayed last night. The wind was up so sounds of limbs falling or maybe animals moving around. DH stayed last weekend but hes more of drop in the sack and off to sleeping were as sis and I like to read or play our tin whistles or do hand shadows on the tent, silly fun stuff. Maybe a spook story from sis, knowing full well I got to make one last trip in those dark woods to get something at the house. And oh was it dark last night, after the lamp is off and your eyes get adjusted to the dark, then comes all those shadows and seeing something and not seeing something. Stars galore, just a beautiful weekend.

This weekend was also chicken butchering again. A few weeks back I dressed out a couple and they were just a little small. The ones today and yesterday dressed out to 3 1/2 to 41/2 lbs. With about 25 more to do next weekend, they should be close to 5+lbs.

It sure is good to know our family will be eating good homegrown food. With another food call on milk from China and chicken too.

Fall Gardening:

Green beans are full of blooms, hope they hold out until we have a freeze. Lettuce almost ready to pick for a nice salad bowl.

More herbs to gather, peppers, sweet and hot dehydrated.

Planted turnips, beets,peas,parsnips,lettuce,garlic today. some will be an ify for harvest.

Gathered more seeds from flowers and gave the Gkids some huge sunflower heads to harvest and make a nice treat. I saved many for the birds too, I just leave those in the garden and let the birds have at em.

Last blog I mention a day trip down to Truman Lake. We are planning to go again this month for a pioneer festival. So I won't show most of the pictures I took and wait tell I have pictures of some of the ol time stuff being used and made.

But first before the lake we went to a Cherokee Nation gathering, even tho I have some Crow in the blood lines , it was still nice to see. Altho no tipi's, I so wanted to see the structures. But they had some heck of a set of drums. This was double drums made form a huge cottonwood trunk.

You know I have to touch it, and I did. Was told by the chief that women are not suppose to touch the drums, but was ok sense it was not being used in a ceremony. I'll be dang if I touched it again. I best watch it

I talked to lady called White Dear, she was awesome to talk to and loved what she was doing, loved her land and all the wild things she has found on her place, plants and critters. She had a display of all her findings on her homestead. Very interesting what one has just out the back door. It was a good gathering.

Then we all go out for BBQ, oh boy was it good, sitting on cedar picnic tables when a big slab of ribs and all the fixins is put before us, we hogged out.

After the eats we go to the lake where the pioneer days will be going on this month.

This is back of a log home, with other buildings made just like the ol time. I could live in this log home.

Heres a house with a history that they move in the area, lots of old cook stoves in the summer kitchen, rope beds, quilts, and a herb garden out back and much more. I could just be content on that porch shelling peas or snapping green beans with a cold glass of lemonade.

Heres a pic,looking out the window in this old one room school house. I just imagine what a school teacher was thinking just before school started for the day or maybe after the kids ran home when school was let out.

I like this picture.

Now on the way home we stopped by an Amish store, I was after some more lye to make more soap. Some young Amish lads were out with their horses and oh was it a sight to behold. I wish I had one of those fancy cameras to get these shots. I don't know what type of horses these were but oh how beautiful.

They started back in that beautiful field, rounding them up.

Then they are heading toward us, I get nervous cuz I want a good picture.

They must have seen us cuz they all turned and ran the other direction. Oh this was indeed a sight. And to hear too. I just wonder if those Amish boys said "Those English"

Well I can't wait to go back and see soap making out in the woods, spinning, weaving, broom making, pies cooking in wood stoves, apple cider press and lots of good ol timin ways. Oh and the smoke house will be going to , hope they got some jerky to share.

The weather has just been wonderful, Fall is here

Until later have a great week and always thanks for stopping by for a visit.

Happy Autumn Blessings

linda

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It was a busy weekend and Monday. With weather being so nice that you just don't want to go inside, it brought out my fair weather family to the Outpost. Sis stayed Saturday night and I'll be, ol hubby spent Sunday night, it was cuz of the the grandkiddies camped out with us to, plus he didn't have to work on Monday.

We had the girls sleep on one side of the tent and DH and I on the otherside, oh I was hopin it would not tip over, but all went well. The girls talked and we told stories, read a story but the made up ones made them giggle so. Hand shadows on the tent and lots of plans for the new tree house to be built.

I'll start out with Saturday. We took a day trip to see a Cherokee Nation gathering and then to Truman Lake. I got some pictures that I'll share this week.

I told my sister that I was going to make Cowboy sandwiches on the firepit so don't eat anything heavy during the day. Well she didn't eat anything and was so looking forward to the cookout. Ahhhhhh we sorta ate heavy that day, BBQ ribs down at the lake. Got back later and I was pooped. I didn't want to cook. Sis came over and wondering were's the big dinner and I bring out the hotdogs : (. She was not a happy camper but she cheered up when I brought out the candy corns.

And that I played that tin whistle again too. I did tell her we were having chili on Sunday at the camp, not good for her, she was heading down to her farm.

So we enjoyed the evening and had our hotdogs, then coffee and played tin whistles and then read later in the tent.

Now Sunday evening the party got on, our girls and grandkiddies all came for chili , the SIL's couldn't make it. We had a picnic table full, perfect weather and all ate good. DH took everyone for a ride in the wagon on the trails.

Nature:

We stopped by to take a look at the Monarch I have been watching. The Monarch has left the building , I missed him/her coming out and flying about.

Maybe I'll find another at the right time and get a picture.

Theres spiders webs on the trails and no matter how many times you knock em down those spiders put them back up again over night.

Coal our Lab mix mutt pup had something in her mouth while on the trails, she dropped it and was so happy what she found, a play mate to toss around. She wanted to show us. She was so proud.

It was a turtle and we let her know to leave it along , but oh did she want it for her friend or lunch : (. The turtle was ok and we left it alone on the trails.

Treehouse and tea party:

Today after breakfast of pancakes, not outside but in the house we all went out and worked on the tree house. The girls had a tea party under the big ol hedge tree.

Added some flowers and Humpty Dumpty

Is it me or is Humpty Dumpty just a little to happy, Maybe falling off that wall was just a bit much for him.

The tree house is going to be so much fun for the kids. This tree is huge , big enough for a big swing for me to sit and read while the kids play until their old enough to play by theirself. It will be a great place to read stories to them. We put the floor on and then will add rails. Right now it looks like a cool deer stand. But no hunters go'na want to stay in there with all the cutey fun things that will make a place just for the grandkiddies.

Straw and chickens:

The Hen Den got a good fall cleaning later after everyone went home. Picked up a truck load of straw , some for the chickens and some for fall decorations. Then use next year for mulch around plants in garden. Got a good price on the bales of straw,$3 each . Walmart wants $6 a bale. I'll be getting more next weeken to . They make nice sitting place around the camp. Toss on a blanket so you don't get scratched up and
work on that marshmallow at the firepit.

Soap:

Oh my goodness I made soap this weekend. My very first. I cut it this morning and its curing, takes a few weeks before we can use. I am ready to get going with more soap, adding different oils. Oh this is going to be so much fun.

This was a simple recipe, I used Olive Oil, lavender oil and lavender buds that I grew, sprinkled on top for texture and looks. I had to make sure everyone knew it was soap and not cake or candy, butttttt it sure looks good enough to eat. I can' wait to make more.

Until later:

I"ll be sharing about our weekend trip later this week and some pictures. Lots of work this week and getting more fall decorating done inside and out. Oh the smell of Autumn

Happy Autumn with many Blessings that it brings
tc linda

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Saturday it rained all day, storms the day before and lots of rain today, results from Ike making its way to the midwest. Oh everyone thinks I'm nuts to stay this night so I had no company.I think everyone is nuts for not wanting to sleep out and hear the rain come down on the tent. Eye of the beholder thing I guess.

Starting the fire was a challenge but I got it going to make coffee then it poured down again. I grabbed my coffee and took to the tent, I did a little cleanup, gosh I think I keep the tent better then I do my home. Hope its not a new broom swipes clean thing going on here.

I put this big board on top of the storage plastic bin, it has a curve on top so the board helps make a flatter surface for my pipping hot coffee and hot cocoa.

Heres a front view of it, notice the fan, thats the side sis sleeps on when she is not a chicken to stay outside in the cold and rain. She's got to have her fan. Along with wild life magazines, survival books and all the other great books I have been reading lately. I got my coffee , good lighting (still using the lamp and I kind of like it) so let it rain, i'm good to go. Theres also my walking stick on the floor just incase I meet up with that cougar again. I'll probably be in such shock that I'll drop my stick and freeze again like I did before.

Now when you read about camping you usually just hear about the fun things , that big fish that was caught or got away, or maybe someone being chased by a bear. All the cool adventures and oh the food. But you don't hear to much about when "mother nature calls". Its not really a big thing, everyone has to go, and really its rather a boring subject. But not when you got to go, its sorta the only thing you have on your mind at the time.

It was pouring rain , was one of those nights I just wanted to stay in my tent and hoped I didn't drink so much coffee that I would have to go so soon and the rain would have to stop some time. It didn't and I had to go bad

I had worn my clothes that were soaked carrying my dry clothes in a bag to put on at the camp. Going outside of the tent I would have to put back on those wet cold clothes or strip down to the buff and head to the outhouse. The thoughts make me sudder even now. And I plan to bathe in the woods

So I'm rid of my dry cloths and then I start to zip up the tents zipper. , oh my gosh its stuck, it only open less then a foot. I'm in trouble big time now. I have got to go and if your an older person holding it just doesn't work as good as when younger. So thoughts of sliding out the hole in the tent was my only option. Then my reasoning and fearful side of my brain started working, What if I get caught in that hole, pass on from exposure and they find me dead, stuck naked out a tent hole. Oh My Goodness, I did not have my game on here. Even if I had put those cold wet clothes back on the thought of moving onto the after life stuck in a tent hole was not the way I wanted to move on and be found. Not to mention the stories that would be passed on.

Oh where is my DH at times like these. He's never around when I have a flat tire, never around when I'm unloading 50 lb bags of chicken feed and now not around in the pouring rain and I'm stuck in a tent down to the bare and have to go to the bathroom. No he's at home on the couch watching some kind of sports while darling wifey poo is in big dilemma.

Think linda think, stop thinking this is your darling hubbies fault. You and you alone jacked with the tent zipper and got it stuck, so get out of this one yourself.

Did I ever show you the pretty flower pot that is just arms length outside my tent door

Toilet paper , hummmm you know those magazines that are suppose to be in the outhouse, hummmmm problem solved now back to reading


I fell asleep while reading a book and rain keeps coming down. Woke up during the night and was glad the tent and I didn't float into the pond, thoughts of that went throught my worried side of my brain. Can this vintage trailer travel tent work like a boat, cooooool if so, I was thinkin on the positive side now.

But I was hi and dry , and fell back to sleep. I woke up to quiet and the tent's top was covered in leaves. I did have a plastic covering on the top b/c there is some small holes in the canvas. I was glad I had it covered. This is not the clearest of pic's but it was neat to wake up to.

Well my fare weather sister camped out with me on the nice and dry Sunday night as long as I would practice the tin whistle with her. I wanted her there, shes a great zipper opener. So I agreed to toot my whistle to some ol' Irish tunes.

The moon was full and bright Sunday night, it started out cold but warmed up comfortably. I tell ya I got to be my sisters maid cuz she had me go get her some hotdogs to roast. I was good with just coffee and well I was full from the squirrel dinner earlier sis had cooked.

The worry thing came again , we hadn't ate squirrel for ages, what if we wind up with squirrel gas in the close quarters of our tent. We had this happen when we were down at Branson , sleeping in a bunk house on Possum Trail. We all ate gator at Bass Pro Shop and all of us wound up with a bad case of Gator gas :P. We asked a year later at the same place and the waitress said we must have had some bad gator , hummmmmm. So my thoughts were open with sis like always and she said no worries thats why she has the fan. So another tenting problem solved.

But I still gotta go for those hotdogs and I was so not wanting to leave the camp but I abided in her wants so off on the dark trails I go. I just wish she hadn't told a spooky story beforehand. The moonshine help but oh those dark areas that never see moonlight, it can get scary if you let it, so you walk real fast through them and hope you don't get snagged on a branch.

That moon was big and bright but this picture doesn't look like much moon at all, but oh was it big and bright..

We both cooked a hotdog, without buns, they just didn't smell right. You buy bread at the store you best eat it up right away cuz a day or two it turns sour then green :P

Good thing I brought the marshmallows, she wanted them to, so I go ahead and roast one as well , hey I'm a sport.

Alls looking good and I just want it to get a nice golden brown then all of sudden the white thing on my stick is in flames,

Oh well charded marshmallow. Still tasty tho

Now we get finished with the eats, wash it down with more coffee, oh I hope that zipper works. And start to play our tin whistles. Sis knows her stuff on this music, she can play by ear but she uses her mouth. I on the other hand have to read music.

I can't see the notes by the campfirs so I bring over the lamp, perfect.

Perfect until sis starts to snicker while i'm playing a tune. What is your problem I ask, while she is still snickering. I know its been awhile sense I have played but really must you snicker. She points down on the ground, its all wet. My slobber was coming out of the flute while I was looking down at the notes and playing. I tried to dry up my pucker but it still ran like a river. Oh this would be so embarrassing if there were others around listening to us play. Should I eat a raw persimmon, a lemon. Maybe I should tack the sheet music to a tree and toot unwards like the Pied Pipper, nope that could cause me to chock on the down flow of slobber. All sis said was glad your not playin a trombone, you could flood us all.

Enough playing our tin whistles so I put the lamp back in the chuckwagon. It gives an ol time glow under the canvas top.

We called it a night and we both read listening to the coyotes howlings, perfect when you got a full moon. I put my book down first and sis wants to read about a wolf story, "go ahead i'm listening". I don't remember it cuz I fell right to sleep. I did wake up with the sounds of sis snoring on the other side of the tent. Fan going too.

I was up first tis mornin and thought I could sneak out without waking sis. Nope the sound of that zipper will not be quiet no matter how slow you zip and I'll be, it works.

I step out to look at the pond and see how much its has risen after our rains, it could use some more. A pond in the woods with lots of trees is just not a good thing, it will leak, even ponds under good conditions will leak sometimes.

Thoughts of taking all the trees out to make a fishing lake have been talked about , but I so love the trees , trails and the two ponds hold enough water all year long for the critters to stop by and have a drink. This one is just below the Outpost. Its so peaceful just to sit, watch and listen.

Look there in foreground on the pond, theres frogs jumpin in. I have seen a mother raccoon and her kits look and play in there without them knowing I was watching for a good 20 minutes. Oh was the mother shook when she seen/smelled me and took her babies quick as a wink on the other side of the dam and vanish. Yep I think we'll just keep as is, besides theres plenty of other fishin holes around this neck of the woods.

After the rains the wood's floors are nice to walk on, with wet fallen leaves and the signs of Autumn all around.

I love the smell and looks of the camp , likes it got a fresh cleaning.

I set out to get sis and I some morning coffee, not on the fire, but run to the house where DH has already gone to work, but the coffee is still hot, I just missed him. Came up to feed my fish and looked out at the trails, something caught my eye. A young deer was following me down the trails and was peeking out wondering where I was. Oh I never get tired of looking at wildlife. Camera is up in the tent.

Sis is still in her covers and sleeping, she wakes with the sound of the zipper, "Oh sorry did I wake you"??? Oh we are never that nice to each other, lol. Hand her a cup of java and she says were's the bacon and eggs. Knock it off I say, be happy you get coffee in bed. Its a work day so lets break camp and get crackin.

I tell her she will be campin next weekend and she says yah right. If I play my tin whistle right she'll be there or maybe dh too, maybe some good cookin on the fire will send them in. I'm sure glad your here.

Until next weekend at the Outpost you have a good one. Thanks  for the visit even if things don't run as smoothly (zippers) as planned. And thank heavens for flower pots without holes in them.

Take good care, have an awesome week with many Blessings
linda

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Might as well , DH and I were already wet from checking out the water falls over at Moms. Really I went down as far as I could go and landed in a water hole, pant legs wet and hanging on a small tree and looking over the edge to see. Some of the boulders were loose so I had to watch my footing.
I could only hear the water rushing from down below. Oh I so wanted to get there.

You know when you have last minute thoughts of doing something , wing it so to speak. But your not prepared. We just went over to have a cup of coffee with Mom and it was slightly raining. I did not have the proper clothing and shoes on to hack through the thicket to get to the goal, the Water Falls.

Down in those woods and by the creek lies the claw foot iron bathtub that I want to get out and put in my outpost. The woods had been tamed at one time when we moved down from the city many years ago. My sister and I had the energy to weed wack a hill side , carry a big Army tent, water , supplies, food down a steep hill to the creek. Muck out the creek to make a bigger swimming hole. Chopped  wood, sleep out with the wildest of critters all around us.
Camp out when the snow was on the ground, yes we had the energy. The woods is back to its wild ways and really you can never tame the woods, only be there to enjoy its beauty and what it has to offer which is never ending. While you give it respect to be wild and free.

My Aunt's place is next to Moms and we have caught many a fish in this nice pond. We even paddled boat on it , what fun and oh the exersize.

We picked a few pears so I can make some pear honey, yum good and so rich.

So back at home , dh and I go check out the Outpost. We had tornado watch yesterday and with the heavy rains all night and wind I was hoping all was well up at the campsite. It was, so we go for a walk on the trails. A light rain was falling , but the canopy of trees kept us nicely covered. Until it started to get heavy. Oh did we get wet. Drips of water from my nose, brow, lips, both of us in our wet T-shirts and wet pants, we were in the middle so no place to go but keep walking.

I love it when hubby is ahead of me on the trails. I always plan it that way, he gets the spider webs. Oh I get my share of spider webs in the face and do a weird dance on the tails tryin to get a spider off. But sometimes its just nice to lag behind and let someone else get those webs and watch them do the funny dance .

We are quiet walking and just listen to the rain come down. Seeing the tiny moss that brightens up from a nice rain and oh the smell of woods when a rain hits it.

We check out the Monarch chrysalis, the one I have been taking pictures of is still hangin on. Others that I have seen earlier in their stages disappeared, probably from birds , altho I have seen others just beginning their chrysalis stage.

That is one strong holden rope he/she's got. The shelter is gone from under that leaf so more exposed to the elements. The spots and coloring are starting to show up more.

Outpost:

Rain all day but I'm still going to camp out. I'll make a fire, well try, NO I will make a fire and have my coffee. I won't cook but bring a Thermos of bean soup and cornbread for a late night snack. While reading more of my wilderness adventure stories. I do hope it rains tonight, and its suppose to. I love the sound of rain on the canvas tent.

Brown Bagging:

Sis and I are still brown bagging our lunches and it happen that this last week going into town to meet with clients it fell on my Birthday. So we got to the lake and found a new place to have our lunch. Nobody around but us, but oh was it cold, probably why no one was there. That wind blowing off the lake chilled our bones. But oh how beautiful it was.

We had a beautiful stone picnic table to have our lunch on. Sense it was my birthday Sis made the surprise lunch. She spreads out the plastic wear, the fall print paper napkins and leaf print paper plates. She always does things in a dramatic way, like we our at one of the finest restaurants and spare no expense. Opens her Thermos and out plops Hot Tamales. We laugh, and laughed hard. We ate and oh was it so good and warmed us up too.

The lake is so peaceful during the week, once in awhile you'll see a lone fisherman in his boat crossing the lake. Here was a sailboat out enjoying the last of the summer days. So beautiful , quiet and the Canadian Geese in the foreground.

Each week we see how the trees are turning, sad and beautiful at the same time.

Well my beans and cornbread are done, the rain is coming down so off to have a bite to eat, clean up my workshop and get ready to camp out tonight.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are safe from the storms. My prayers have been for those that are in the hurricane areas.

Blessings this week
linda

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Camp coffee is always going, and with the weather changing to cool to very cool to down right cold, I want my long johns. Its a welcome sight when setting next to the fire with coffee hanging from hook. the smell tells when its about done.

Well I spent the 4th weekend night at the Outpost. I was alone on this one, everyone chicken out on me. I don't know why rain and cold keeps em away.

I was going to be prepared for a cold and rainy night and I wanted to be warm. So I searched around for long underwear in my drawers. Found some pink ones, put them on, WHAT! I could not breath I think they were a size 2. Peeled them off and took a look in DH drawers, ah ha thats what I 'm talkin about, some nice fitin longjohns. I didn't care if they were stained in places I wish they were not stained in : (. But I wanted warmth and they will have to do. Time I got my longjohns on and sweats and vest I was heating up and needed to get outside.

So up to camp to get the fire started, it was going to be a challenge when its been raining, but finally got a go on it and coffee pot on.

I even cooked me a hotdog on a stick , it was rather different up there by myself. No one to complain to and all.

So with a cup of coffee, a bag of M & M's and a nice down comforter ,sleeping bags and more covers I was ready to settle down for some good reading.

This book I told ya about on my last blog is some good read. A Mile In Her Boots, by Jennifer Bove'. Short adventure stories written by women who have worked in the wildness and the challenges they meet.

I only got half the book read when I started to get sleepy, but stories like trail breakers, firefighters in the wilderness. Women that use chainsaws, fisherwomen,bad mountain men hunters , I was surprise I could go to sleep after reading that one. And headless bears, Oh I am surprise I slept at all. But I did : )

Its pretty neat to be laying in your tent and just about 2 ft from your head the rain is coming down. You just think your going to get wet, but the Outpost stayed nice and dry.

I was waken by a hoot owl. It was still dark out and I thought about starting up the fire but the comforter felt so good I just plopped down for more ZZZ'Z.

Nature On the Trails:

I've been keeping track of the Monarch and the next day this caterpillar is starting its change. This was Saturday.

This is Sunday, he/she is now in his/her chrysalis stage. A third the size from when h/s was a caterpillar. This is just amazing to watch.

Over on thistle a bee is gathering up pollen, I see these every year and they are fun to watch and oh how they pack the pollen on their legs.

Now this is cool, Saturday i'm in my Outpost reading and DH comes up bringing the mail, lol. Out in the woods getting mail. Just can't get away from everyday stuff. But I was so glad he did cuz it was birthday gifts from others on my Daves Garden Forum. OH my goodness, wonderful things and cards. Stationary, a windchime that I put in my Outpost and a braclet from Haiti. I have had Haiti's people heavy on my mind in the last week or so. I thought that was extra special to recieve. And I got some more goodies today.

I also recieved my official member badge and # from Mary Janes Farm. I'm so new but so sold on this group of can do Farmgals from all over the world, in the country and cities.

So working on my badge ,putting some stitches and decorating it up I get a call from DD, she is in the emergency room at the hospital. She had her hand in a glass while cleaning it and it broke. 5 stitches, then while she is getting stitched up I call her and she says , I can't talk , with DR getting stitched. I say "WAIT", tell the DR your 82 yr old grandma is coming in to get some stitch work done too : (. Mom cut her leg bad, some 20 + stitches inside and out of the cut. Both my loves are doing well, DD will get her a wash thing-a-ma-jig. Mom is banded from outside cleaning. Everyone and badge is stitched up.

I didn't camp out on Sunday night, I blame it on my Mom and DD and it was sorta realy really really cold out. Just going up there in the dark and starting up camp plus stitches and all I was just not in the mood. So I plopped on a DVD to numb my brain and fell asleep on the couch. DH wakes me, and I see the  dvd play is running over and over.


Now normally I would not have joined things that have badges and such but this is a group of gals that are always doing something, making a difference , whether it be little or hugh. From community service to knitting a dishcloth. And everything in between. You just want to be part of, so I joined and havin a great time.

Mary Janes Farm is what sparked my Outpost. They talk of camping, fishing, hunting you name it, things I like, things I have done and things that might just be fun to learn. Oh and those Sisters on The fly, in their vintage trailers. Gals that go fly fishin, hot dog!!!!

I recieved a certificate , a beautiful ol fashion print of Farmgals of early years with my number on it. I will frame it and put in my Outpost.

Check out Mary Jane's Farmgirl Connection     Its for women so gents tell your women in your life about Mary Janes Farm. She will love it.


So heres my Badge, it will go on a jacket, and someday when some of my sisterhood get together I'll wear my badge proudly at the gatherings. #343

Theres a little bee on it , thats to remind me to beehave myself and the buttons, to button up my trap when I get my feathers ruffled, well sometimes : )

Have a great week
Blessings
linda

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