Things have finally started to pick up in Cooperstown. I worked in the shop again yesterday and sales weren't fantastic but fair. I've sold 4 baby sweater sets so far this month and some smaller things. Pink and white seems to be the colors for this year...I'm a little tired of it...and the baseball hats have finally started to sell! I've got a small yellow sweater on the needles today...should finish it tonight or tomorrow so I can send it down with another member who's working this weekend.
Jeff's been busy with the greenhouse. He decided to put last year's gutter garden in it and they had to be re-sized. When I got home yesterday, the gutters were in place and hooked up to the water system and the pails planted. He still wants to put a raised bed in there. That would be nice for herbs. The plastic will go on next week.
The caged potatoes are doing well,too. Jeff's had to hill them a couple of times already. I swear they grow 2-4" every night! The composted cow manure we got a couple of weeks ago is almost all gone...it seems to make a big difference with the potatoes! If the plants are growing as fast underground as they are on top....
We stopped at the 2 greenhouses by us and got some marked down plants...peppers, squash, cantaloupe and Italian basil. They won't get planted today. We're having a thunderstorm right now and the power went off (This netbook has a battery.)
It's back on but I think I'll stop for now, anyway. Jeff planned on borrowing the column from my pc...since my monitor needs a new on/off switch and the one he lent me doesn't work...until he can get his column fixed but he just told me that after the power went off...and came back on (maybe, a surge?) his monitor started to work. Ah, computers. They are our friends. Ah, ha. Pictures to follow!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Sunday, June 16, 2013
If It's Not One Thing Than It's Another!
It was my turn to man the shop in Cooperstown Friday. With me, I had my pink & white size 6mo sweater with a plain white hat that I had hoped to add something to. Judy had suggested a pompom flower (wrap the yarn around something, tie in the middle) instead of a knitted one, so I tried it. Did 2 with what pink yarn I had left and used the last 2 buttons for the centers. This year I've been using ribbon for leaves instead of knitting them so I added some organdy 'leaves'.
I kind of liked it and someone else did too, coz it sold yesterday! That's what I like...quick turn overs. Especially in a size 6mo coz they don't take long to make. Found another skein of Red Heart baby pink in my mom's stash so I guess I know what I'm doing next!
When I got home I found that Jeff had been busy. He had taken the greenhouse apart and moved the frame, taken pallets apart in preparation to cut them into woodstove size, mowed the lawn (had to before moving the greenhouse frame), put up one gutter on the deck and found out that he needed some parts to put up the other (I had the car and Lowe's is rather a long walk), and...made a pot of spaghetti sauce for supper. WOW, what a man! Before I cooked the pasta we moved the 'ribs' of the greenhouse half way to its new site. Made out of plastic conduits it wasn't heavy...just awkward to move.
Yesterday, the greenhouse completed its move and the lawn finally got mowed all the way around. Jeff re-enforced the ribs on the greenhouse and added a bi-fold door that a friend had saved from the
garbage pile for us. Now we've got to get the plastic to cover it. Jeff's going to put the gutter garden in there. [Sue, you've got to come see the greenhouse!]
I spent the rest of the afternoon knitting and watching the garden grow. The potatoes have started to sprout in the cages and some of the peppers and tomatoes are ready to blossom. Most of the plants in the seedling beds are too small yet to transplant so there's still a lot of empty space in the garden. Funny but all this rain hasn't helped them much. Oh, and the hummingbirds visit the feeders...one in the apple tree and one in the bean tower. You haven't lived until 2 hummingbird are zooming just over your head trying to scare each other away from the feeder! And, I started another ladies summer top. This one is a size small in the silky ivory cotton/acrylic blend. I changed the directions a little coz I'm doing it on a circular needle so there will not be any seams to sew. I like the way the sweater hangs this way.
The monitor on my pc needs a new switch but that will have to wait until next week. I can't quite figure out how to get the camera to download to the netbook. But, rain is scheduled for this afternoon so maybe Jeff will take the time to do it and I can knit!! (Jeff tried but couldn't get the netbook to accept the camera so he took the camera to his place, downloaded the photos and emailed them to me. Whatever works!!)
 |
| "Pretty in Pink" |
When I got home I found that Jeff had been busy. He had taken the greenhouse apart and moved the frame, taken pallets apart in preparation to cut them into woodstove size, mowed the lawn (had to before moving the greenhouse frame), put up one gutter on the deck and found out that he needed some parts to put up the other (I had the car and Lowe's is rather a long walk), and...made a pot of spaghetti sauce for supper. WOW, what a man! Before I cooked the pasta we moved the 'ribs' of the greenhouse half way to its new site. Made out of plastic conduits it wasn't heavy...just awkward to move.
Yesterday, the greenhouse completed its move and the lawn finally got mowed all the way around. Jeff re-enforced the ribs on the greenhouse and added a bi-fold door that a friend had saved from the
garbage pile for us. Now we've got to get the plastic to cover it. Jeff's going to put the gutter garden in there. [Sue, you've got to come see the greenhouse!]I spent the rest of the afternoon knitting and watching the garden grow. The potatoes have started to sprout in the cages and some of the peppers and tomatoes are ready to blossom. Most of the plants in the seedling beds are too small yet to transplant so there's still a lot of empty space in the garden. Funny but all this rain hasn't helped them much. Oh, and the hummingbirds visit the feeders...one in the apple tree and one in the bean tower. You haven't lived until 2 hummingbird are zooming just over your head trying to scare each other away from the feeder! And, I started another ladies summer top. This one is a size small in the silky ivory cotton/acrylic blend. I changed the directions a little coz I'm doing it on a circular needle so there will not be any seams to sew. I like the way the sweater hangs this way.
The monitor on my pc needs a new switch but that will have to wait until next week. I can't quite figure out how to get the camera to download to the netbook. But, rain is scheduled for this afternoon so maybe Jeff will take the time to do it and I can knit!! (Jeff tried but couldn't get the netbook to accept the camera so he took the camera to his place, downloaded the photos and emailed them to me. Whatever works!!)
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Tip Toeing Between the Raindrops
Seems like we can't get more than a day or two of dry weather at a time. The garden is getting planted...slowly...but nothing is really growing. The tomatoes and peppers in planters on the deck have been practicing their back stroke...the pots have been flooding!! The only healthy crop we have so far is mosquitoes! and there are too many of them!
Jeff had another procedure on his back this past Monday. This time, after locating the nerves with the fluoroscope, hollow tubes were inserted and radio frequency waves were transmitted cutting the nerves. The results may last for 12-18 months. So far the pain level has been quite low and manageable...hope it continues.
We've been getting some interesting 'stuff' at garage sales. This week we used the old fashion, hand-cranked meat grinder Jeff got a couple of weeks ago and made some hamburg. We had gotten a couple of nice big pieces of top round on sale at Hannaford. Jeff had the butcher cut them into 1" pieces that cook up perfectly on our Ronco rotisserie. This week we pressure canned some of
.jpg)
those pieces and put some of them... and the fatty scraps...thru one of the meat grinders. Our hamburg came out fantastic! Have to do it again.
With all the rain I've gotten quite a bit of knitting done. I finished my ladies summer top...really a tank top...in a cotton/acrylic blend. Very silky. And another baby set, this time in pink and white with a white hat decorated with 2 pink flowers. It will be nice if they sell...fast!
(6/15/13-the monitor on my PC has a problem so all photos will be added later.) Photo added 6/17
Jeff had another procedure on his back this past Monday. This time, after locating the nerves with the fluoroscope, hollow tubes were inserted and radio frequency waves were transmitted cutting the nerves. The results may last for 12-18 months. So far the pain level has been quite low and manageable...hope it continues.
We've been getting some interesting 'stuff' at garage sales. This week we used the old fashion, hand-cranked meat grinder Jeff got a couple of weeks ago and made some hamburg. We had gotten a couple of nice big pieces of top round on sale at Hannaford. Jeff had the butcher cut them into 1" pieces that cook up perfectly on our Ronco rotisserie. This week we pressure canned some of
.jpg)
those pieces and put some of them... and the fatty scraps...thru one of the meat grinders. Our hamburg came out fantastic! Have to do it again.
With all the rain I've gotten quite a bit of knitting done. I finished my ladies summer top...really a tank top...in a cotton/acrylic blend. Very silky. And another baby set, this time in pink and white with a white hat decorated with 2 pink flowers. It will be nice if they sell...fast!
(6/15/13-the monitor on my PC has a problem so all photos will be added later.) Photo added 6/17
Thursday, June 6, 2013
A Busy Week
We've been busy this week in spite of the weather. There were a couple of those HHH days (hazy, hot and humid) and some wet and cold ones, too, but Jeff got more of the garden planted. He had to put kick-walls around some of the beds coz Fanny can't understand that 'keep out of the garden' and 'stay in the yard' refer to the same area of ground. Now there is a trail thru the plants that she races around. (She doesn't jump the walls although none of them are higher than 6"!)
Jeff put a flower box around the apple tree in the center of the garden and I planted some wildflower/hummingbird mix seeds in it. (Jeff maintains the planter is to protect the tree's roots when he tills around it). He's trying a new method to grow potatoes this year: potato cages. The
chicken wire cages are buried about 6" in the ground and filled in as the plant grows. Easier than hilling and at harvest time, the cages just have to be unrolled. No bruising the potatoes.
Jeff also built the 1st bonfire of the season one of those cold evenings and we sat outside until 10 pm. (I bought some marshmallows yesterday so I'm ready for the next time!!) I'm waiting for Tractor Supply to put the swing chairs I want on sale to finish the firepit area.
Monday Jeff had a series of injections in his spine. Using fluoroscopy for direction, probes were first inserted in his back to locate the nerves. When they hit a nerve, a block was injected. He ended up with 5 injections on one side of his spine. He had a good reaction to the procedure and the pain level went down. Monday the other side will be done. Then after a couple of weeks it will be decided if a more permanent procedure can be done. Of course, he hasn't been taking it easy this week...planting the garden, cutting up pallets, putting his sister's attic floor back together, etc, but his pain level has stayed down. Hopefully the results from the 2nd procedure will be just as good and a permanent solution can be achieved.
Every time we go to Utica...via the old road between Frankfort and Utica...Jeff points out a farm just before my cousin's house that has a nice pile of composting cow manure. Yesterday on the way to his sister's we stopped. Come to find out, Jeff knew the guy from when they were young in Corn Hill! So, on the way home from Sherry's we stopped and got a trailer load. It was a slow ride home thru the valley towns with the 4-way flashers going but the trailer and ol'Subarbu did ok...and we didn't get a ticket for overloading!! Jeff would like to go back for another load when we need it. The price was right. We got a lot more this way than when we bought that bagged compost from the transfer station...and we know this stuff is 'organic'!
Today my mechanical heart valve had it's annual check up in Cooperstown. My bp is ridiculously low for someone my size (118/68) and the valve is clicking nicely. Just got to work on lowering my cholesterol (and losing some weight)! I stopped at the shop afterwards to restock my shelves and found out that I had sold a toddler pullover this morning. My stock bag is empty but my shelves are full so I decided now is the time to try to knit a lacy ladies tank top. The yarn is a beautiful sea foam green cotton/acrylic blend...soft and silky... but only sock weight and is done on size 3 needles! I'd like to get it finished before my next work day at the shop which is a week from tomorrow. We'll see.... (I had a slice of pepperoni pizza from Sal's in Cooperstown for lunch. Good!! Fanny had a paperback book...borrowed from Jeff... off the kitchen table for her's. Not good!))
The mouse on my desk top PC is wireless and needed new batteries but not having any, I tried to plug in the old mouse...and keyboard...but that just made it worse. The whole thing is now froze up!! Jeff's trying his 'unplug' everything trick but we won't know til tomorrow if it's going to work this time. This post is being written on my netbook but any photos will have to wait until the PC is running again.
(Photos added 6/8/2013)
Jeff put a flower box around the apple tree in the center of the garden and I planted some wildflower/hummingbird mix seeds in it. (Jeff maintains the planter is to protect the tree's roots when he tills around it). He's trying a new method to grow potatoes this year: potato cages. The
chicken wire cages are buried about 6" in the ground and filled in as the plant grows. Easier than hilling and at harvest time, the cages just have to be unrolled. No bruising the potatoes.
Jeff also built the 1st bonfire of the season one of those cold evenings and we sat outside until 10 pm. (I bought some marshmallows yesterday so I'm ready for the next time!!) I'm waiting for Tractor Supply to put the swing chairs I want on sale to finish the firepit area.Monday Jeff had a series of injections in his spine. Using fluoroscopy for direction, probes were first inserted in his back to locate the nerves. When they hit a nerve, a block was injected. He ended up with 5 injections on one side of his spine. He had a good reaction to the procedure and the pain level went down. Monday the other side will be done. Then after a couple of weeks it will be decided if a more permanent procedure can be done. Of course, he hasn't been taking it easy this week...planting the garden, cutting up pallets, putting his sister's attic floor back together, etc, but his pain level has stayed down. Hopefully the results from the 2nd procedure will be just as good and a permanent solution can be achieved.
Every time we go to Utica...via the old road between Frankfort and Utica...Jeff points out a farm just before my cousin's house that has a nice pile of composting cow manure. Yesterday on the way to his sister's we stopped. Come to find out, Jeff knew the guy from when they were young in Corn Hill! So, on the way home from Sherry's we stopped and got a trailer load. It was a slow ride home thru the valley towns with the 4-way flashers going but the trailer and ol'Subarbu did ok...and we didn't get a ticket for overloading!! Jeff would like to go back for another load when we need it. The price was right. We got a lot more this way than when we bought that bagged compost from the transfer station...and we know this stuff is 'organic'!
Today my mechanical heart valve had it's annual check up in Cooperstown. My bp is ridiculously low for someone my size (118/68) and the valve is clicking nicely. Just got to work on lowering my cholesterol (and losing some weight)! I stopped at the shop afterwards to restock my shelves and found out that I had sold a toddler pullover this morning. My stock bag is empty but my shelves are full so I decided now is the time to try to knit a lacy ladies tank top. The yarn is a beautiful sea foam green cotton/acrylic blend...soft and silky... but only sock weight and is done on size 3 needles! I'd like to get it finished before my next work day at the shop which is a week from tomorrow. We'll see.... (I had a slice of pepperoni pizza from Sal's in Cooperstown for lunch. Good!! Fanny had a paperback book...borrowed from Jeff... off the kitchen table for her's. Not good!))
The mouse on my desk top PC is wireless and needed new batteries but not having any, I tried to plug in the old mouse...and keyboard...but that just made it worse. The whole thing is now froze up!! Jeff's trying his 'unplug' everything trick but we won't know til tomorrow if it's going to work this time. This post is being written on my netbook but any photos will have to wait until the PC is running again.
(Photos added 6/8/2013)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)