Another Corner Decked Out

     I 'decked out' another corner of the living room this morning, cleaning and dusting the piano and all the candles and glassware that were on it.  The quilt wall hanging was done by Judy Curry and my mom

bought 2 from the shop in Cooperstown years ago to give as wedding gifts but never did.  I decided this year to finally hang one up.  One of the glass snowmen lost his carrot nose in the wash but I managed to glue it back one.  (It looks ok if you don't look closely.)  He'll make it for another year!  I know the wall hanging isn't up exactly straight, but it will do.   The rest of 'crystal forest' is in the TV room and I haven't gotten in there yet. Maybe tomorrow I'll dust the corner hutch, but I don't think I'll make it to the TV room before Christmas!

Pignolata (Strufoli) or Italian honey clusters

In a large bowl place

      2 cups sifted flour

     1/4 salt

Add 3 eggs, one at a time, mixing slightly after each addition.

Add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix well to form dough.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead.  Divide in half.  Roll each half into a rectangle 1/4" thick.  Cut each rectangle into strips 1/4" wide and roll in your hand to form rope pencil thick.  Cut each rope into pieces 1/4-1/2" long.

Frying only as many pieces of rope that will float uncrowded in your pan, fry one pieces 3-5 minutes until lightly browned, turning occasionally.  Drain over pan before removing to absorbent paper.

In the meantime, over low heat cook

1 cup honey

1 tbl sugar

for 5 mins.  Remove from heat and stir in fried dough pieces.  Stir constantly until all pieces are coated with honey mixture.  Remove coated pieces with a slotted spoon and shape on a platter or in cupcake papers.  Sprinkle with

1 tbl tiny multicolored candies.

Advent Swap Day 2 & 3

Here are Day 2 & 3's Advent Swap gifts.

Those 2 wash clothes will be put to good use!  I've never seen a Yarn Daisy before!  It should come in handy balling hanks of yarn. 

Advent Swap

It's Advent Swap time on Raverly!!

     

    My Advent Swap package was delivered today and oh, boy, is it full! I can hardly wait to open the wrapped gifts!  But I 'controlled' myself and dug out the package labeled 'Day 1'.  Zoey inspected it and since it didn't appeal to her doggie nose, I opened it. This is a 'blind swap' and you are supposed to scout out your partner's history to learn her likes and preferences. The rules call for 24 inexpensive gifts and a more expensive gift for Christmas.  You can make or buy your gifts.  

Yesterday I had put a small ziploc bag in my pocketbook with a skein of sock yarn and 2 small circular needles so I could carry a sock in progress with me, but the 'stuffed baggie' didn't really fit in my pocketbook.  It popped! And I think the needles punctured the plastic bag.  This fabric bag was a much better fit.  Not only did the yarn and needles fit but I even managed to slip in a book (in case I got tired of knitting while waiting).  Jeff's got a CT scheduled for this afternoon and another next Wednesday so I can take my 'work bag' with me and get something done while I wait. Oh, my Swap package came from Karen in Florida! Thanks, Karen!

  I'll post photos as I open the packages so everybody can see what I got.  I sent a package to Saginaw, Michigan and it was delivered yesterday.  I hope she liked it!!

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

 3. Get Rid Of Fruit Flies 

With Homemade Traps!

This is one of my favorite tricks. During the summer, 

we always get a HUGE influx of bugs and 

pests trying to make their way inside. Unfortunately,

 that means that even the smallest crack is a point of 

entry for the annoying little thing known as the fruit fly.

And if you see one, then there are a hundred 

you’re NOT seeing. That tells me that I need to start 

making some traps again. It’s very easy and you can 

make them with household materials.

First, I like to grab a bottle of water. Preferably 

from a brand with a weaker plastic, like Kirkland or

 Crystal Geyser.

Then, I’ll cut off the top and invert it so that it forms

a funnel going into the bottle.

Next, I’ll grab some juice, overripe fruits, and some water.

You want to make a slurry of warm water, juice, 

and fruits that you can leave at the bottom 

of the water bottle.

Then you add a drop of dish detergent, put the 

funnel on,

 and tape the seams together.

Read...It's Good for You!

 

   This is the way I've been feeling lately.  It's so nice to be able to roll over and pick up a book!  After a chapter or 2, I may feel like knitting so I pick up my needles and work for another hour or so.  By then the dogs are awake so I get up and let them out, fill their bowls and pour myself a cup of coffee. We move to my PC and they go back to sleep...Fanny on the sofa and Zoey on the pillow on the floor between us.  After I've had a couple of cups of coffee and a toasted bagel, read my emails and checked out what's new on Facebook, I'm ready to start my day...but Jeff is still in bed!!  By then my book is calling me again, so I may head back to my room and read for awhile.  As soon as I'm settled the dogs are coming in to get comfortable on the floor.  I've got an old queen-size comforter folded into quarters that just fits between my bed and highboy.  It makes life a little interesting walking over it, but I can put one hand on the bed and the other on the top of the highboy to steady myself. Climbing over the dogs just adds to the experience!  Zoey is the easy part; Fanny usually lets me get half-way over her when she suddenly gets up!  I got a fleece dog throw that was supposed to fit over a sofa, but it doesn't, so it's on top of the comforter.  Fanny likes it, Zoey doesn't and manages to roll up part of it, so she doesn't have to lay on it.  A prima donna or what?  Sometimes they're in opposite corners.  Sometimes they're back-to-back or nose to tail in the middle.  I think the colder the night is the closer they get.  They both snore (Jeff says all 3 females in that room snore! He should talk!!)) but at different pitches. Instead of keeping me awake I'm finding it rather soothing to sleep by.  In fact, when one of them leaves the room for the couch or Jeff's room, I wake up because the noise is different!  

   There has been a lot of postings on Facebook about reading today.  I have to admit that the best 14-15 years of my work life were probably spent at the library.  I can't imagine not having books in my life.  I think I have 8 or 9 on request right now.  I just picked up 7 Thursday!!  (And I've read 5 of them over the weekend.)  

   Time to get back to...reading! 

 Here are 3 new hats that will be going to the shop this weekend.  Do the bottom 2 need pom poms?

Prayer to Mary the Mother of God

 For my Catholic and non Catholic friends:

Today, is the day that Mary passes through your house. This is a Novena for those who believe in the power of Prayer,

Hail Mary full of grace! the Lord is with thee blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus!! Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death amen!

Make your special request please don't break the Novena, just copy and past on your timeline.

Praying today for anyone struggling in anyway, battling illness, in mourning ,fighting fear, anxieties of the future and every prayer request. We all need the power of prayers. Amen

Thank you, Yarn Pal!

     This was swap week for Yarn Pals and I got a fantastic package from my new Yarn Pal, Maria Martin, today.  Maria lives in Oklahoma and the box was HUGE!!  Besides the 5 pattern books, there were multiple skeins of all the yarns shown.  There is so much yarn, I don't know where to start!!  And on top of that 

there is more!  That "Stars & Stripes" is a mini sewing

kit!  And there a small pouch to hold a mini pack of tissue.  And a small, zippered project pouch. And one of the round yarn cutters that can go on a key ring. There was even a package of dog biscuits for each dog! (Fanny swallowed her treat in 2 gulps, but Zoey ate hers like a lady...then looked to see where I had put the package!)  But the yarn was the heart of this package.

   I have never heard of this label before and that is something I regret very much.  The yarn is beautiful...so soft and the colors are so rich.  There is some fine yarn (for a shawl? I'm in a shawl-state of mind), some worsted, some bulky yarn...there is just so much I really don't know what to make with which yarn first!!  But I do know, I am going to enjoy just sitting and dreaming about using it for a while!

    But I got excited as I unpacked the books, too.  The baby book has some really cute patterns and so does the hat book, but you can't see the book with the directions for knit animals!!  They are so cute!! And by the time I reached the Arne & Carlos Christmas book I was completely blown away!  I have been looking at Arne & Carlos books for a couple of years now but always managed to resist the urge to buy one. I am so grateful and happy to finally have one of those, and all of these pattern books.  I know I will use them...for Christmas gifts and for new stock for the shop for next season.

   Thank you again, Maria, for this over-the -top Yarn Pal package.  It is more than anyone would imagine and makes me feel very privileged to be your Yarn Pal.

p.s.  If you knit or crochet and would like to join a great group for some friendship and fun...and some swaps...consider Yarn Pals.  You can't go wrong with them!

All Set To Sail!

      Jeff's brother, Tim, and Tim's step-son, Mark, got together and built a trailer for Jeff to use with his fishing kayak and Tim brought it down today. (Jeff's been putting the boat on top of the car.) Driving around with it up there hasn't been too bad except that the back hatch on the car has been off limits because the boat's braces blocked it. I wasn't too thrilled with Jeff lifting the boat up, but he kept telling me it wasn't that heavy. The main drawback was that the trolling motor and its' battery and the fishing seat couldn't stay attached when the boat was upside-down on the car! That made a lot of extra work for Jeff every time he wanted to take the boat out. And Jeff said the battery alone weighted more than the boat! Now all Jeff has to do is get the car wired to accept the trailer lights and get a trailer hitch installed on the car. Since we have an appointment to have some mechanical work done on the car this week the timing couldn't have been better. As long as the mechanic has the car he might as well do what is needed to get it trailer-ready.  The trailer will also come in handy moving other things, too.  The Town has a 'Dumpster Day' at the Town Barn coming up in October.  If the trailer gets registered in time it will be perfect to use to take bags of trash and items too large to fit in the back of the car over to the dumpster.  (Tim drove it down here from his house w/o plates(!!) but since the town barn is across the street from the Troopers' station, I don't think we should chance it!)

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Another One of Those Days

I had an appointment for my regular INR today but nothing about it was regular. The nurse had to prick 3 of my fingers before she was fast enough to catch enough blood to test! I scored 7.1. Never has my result been so high in the 14 years I've been on Warfarin. Between the stress of Jeff's PET/PFT procedures last week and trying to watch what I've been eating...I scored 'critical'...it was practically red water instead of blood! Whenever you score in the'critical' range, the nurse has to draw a vial of blood and send it to the lab for testing. It took 2 nurses 3 attempts before they got 1 vial. I just got an email from the lab that I scored 6.9 this time...still high and critical. Then I got a phone call from Bassett because it seems that one of the nurses forgot to record the instructions to me and they wanted to be sure I knew how to cope with such a high INR. Besides the doctor instructions to hold the Warfarin for tonight, tomorrow and Thursday night and to re-test on Friday what could they say? Avoid sharp and pointed objects (like knitting needles)? They could have easily just said I OD-ed on Warfarin! No wonder I've felt so beat/tired lately. Now I get to go 3 days w/o any Warfarin and after re-testing again, we'll start adjusting the dosage. Wonder how long it will take to get back into range? I've been out-of-range before but never like this!

Yarn Pals and Other Happenings

     I got a really nice package from my Yarn Pal, Janice Pushak, last week.  Janice lives in Pittsburgh and must be a mind reader!  She sent 2 books (one of them a knitting mystery that promises a knitting pattern at the end!), beautiful yarn and a lot of stitch markers!!  I was so desperate for some markers that I had been looking under chair cushions last week for lost ones!  There was also a sturdy bookmark, some cookies, tea and a tote bag in my package.  And a nice note introducing herself arrived a day or so later!  I got the photo taken today so here it is!

  

   With that finally done I tried to send a photo of the receipt from the post office that showed I had mailed my package to a Yarn Pal on time. Of course, my little Kodak 'PixPro' doesn't focus really well on USPO receipts, and I had a hard time getting any of the printing to show or be in focus.  After several tries, I ended up sending an out-of-focus view and then had to send all the info that wasn't in focus. My package has to travel just about 166 miles...the shortest trip I ever sent a Yarn Pal package...but it caused enough headaches for me and for the group monitor in-charge.   I knew it was going to happen like this, that's what's been happening the last couple of swaps I've been in.  Oh, well, maybe the next one will be better...easier?

   I had an INR done today and scored a 2.9... nearly perfect! I don't have to have another 'finger pricked' for 2 weeks and my daily warfarin dose stays the same.  I've been taking arthritis strength Tylenol lately and was a little afraid it might cause my numbers to be 'off' but it didn't bother them.  My shoulders and arms ache a lot since I've been using the walker (a good reason to get off it) but I'm still a little unsteady when walking longer distances. Jeff has been encouraging me to drive and  yesterday and today I drove to town with him as copilot.  No problems...but today I got beeped at by a white SUV that turned out of a driveway after I turned on to a street.  I never noticed it until it beeped!  When I made my next turn it kept going by and we both gasped to see that it was a county Sheriff's SUV!  

  Jeff took me to Arby's for a late lunch after my INR and instead of their fantastic burgers we had our regular Arby's sandwiches (beef for him, Buffalo chicken for me).  One of the counter girls had just made 3 small chocolate shakes for some customers but another girl had done it faster and she was offering them free to those who were waiting for their food.  I took one and that was my dessert.  I have been hungry for ice cream lately and that chocolate shake was so good! It really hit the spot and not to mention it cooled it down after their Buffalo chicken!

   I think it's about time to give the girls their peanut butter treat and maybe a potty break.  I think I'll get myself a bowl of dry cheerios, too.  Or maybe a couple of some of those cookies in my Yarn Pal box??

You Get What You Pay For

Saw this on Yarn Pals this morning.  It is so true!!!   I couldn't resist copying it and pasting it here on my blog.  I'm not sorry if some readers are insulted but my arms, fingers and back resent 'customers' who expect a 'good price' for a handmade article.  

 Yarn Pals

Ann Mim Lambert  

This has never happened to me . So it’s not directed to anyone I know.

A lady wanted to purchase a beautiful hand knit dress and spotted a crafter who did absolutely amazing work, but she charged a good price too. The lady thought that her price was way too high so she approached the knitter and in quite a brusque fashion stated "I want to buy a dress from you, but I think you charge too much." The crafter was a little taken aback but replied "Ok, how much do you think i should charge?" The lady replied “I think you should charge “X” much, because the yarn will cost this much, and ribbons this much, and buttons this much. I even factored in the price of scissors." The final price the lady had calculated was a lot cheaper than the crafter's original price, but she said "Ok, deal. You will get your dress in a week". The customer is very pleased with herself and can’t resist telling all her friends what a fabulous deal she has negotiated and how smart she is, and that in a week she will have her gorgeous knitted dress.

A week later her parcel arrives in a lovely packaged box. She opens it and inside is yarn, ribbons, buttons and even scissors. Angrily she contacts the crafter asking “How could you do this to me? I asked you for a dress and you sent me a box of yarn, ribbon, buttons and scissors?!" The crafter quietly replies "My dear, you got exactly what you paid for, if you think there is something missing, you need to pay for it."

Moral of the story, when you buy handmade you are not just buying the materials you are buying the crafters, time, effort, love and dedication that goes into making your items…

I have seen many "memes" about how people will buy top $$$$$ for anything brand name but when it comes to something handmade that always want to pay peanuts. When buying something handmade you are buying quality work, in which the crafter has put her time, inspiration, imagination and pride to lovingly produce a beautiful end result......... ! Please be respectful of their hard work and dedication..... Enjoy your evening....((HUGS)).

Retired...Again!

    It's official, I am retired from the craft shop...at least for the rest of this year.  And I'm walking without the walker more every day.  At first it was just thru the house, but I've been grocery shopping without it and walking around outside the house without it.  I have to admit, I go a lot slower without the walker...especially outside the house...but I'm trying!!  I used it when I went to the library the other day becoz Ilion library has a ramp and I felt like I need some extra support.  I've also used it whenever we stopped at a restaurant. I don't feel confident with all those double doors and extra rugs!  (Hey, the walker even causes the rugs to roll at the edges, so I'm actually beginning to think it may be time to go back to a cane.)  I haven't started to drive again...I don't feel confident enough, my reflexes aren't quick enough yet!

   Last week Zoey got loose and we both had to work to capture her.  Jeff followed her to Wally's house and got her hooked up to the leash.  By the time they had walked back to the fence between our properties Jeff was slowing down so I took the leash and 'us girls' walked home alone.  I had her cut across the front lawn so she would stop trying to walk so fast and Jeff actually beat us home! I had to be extra careful looking out for chipmunk holes in the lawn!!  Made it without tripping or falling but we both had trouble going up the stairs to the backdoor.  Zoey took a nap when we got inside but Jeff and I had to go to town so no rest for us!

   This morning I had to untangle Zoey from around the pine tree by the porch.  She believes everything is 'one-way' and stops moving when she feels the lead pulling on her neck.  I got her untangled and into the house but the lead was still wrapped somewhat around the tree.  Jeff untangled the lead later.

   Although I am now a retired shop worker, I'm still knitting for the shop so yesterday I started another baseball sweater.  This one is red and white and will be a size 4.  I'm about half-way finished with the v-neck and I hope to finish it this weekend.  Next week I'd like to do some girly sweater and some summer hats.  I want to restock for Independence Day by June 29th and I'll be sure to post photos here first! 

   

What's New!

    A lot has happened since I last posted anything...starting with the days just before Easter when I was having a hard time standing up and walking. Jeff  called an ambulance for me on Good Friday and tried to convince me I needed to go to the hospital, but I resisted...no, make that refused!

   Finally on Easter Sunday, I gave in and he called them again and I allowed myself to be taken to the 'only available bed' in the system at...Cobleskill Hospital!  I tested positive for Covid twice...once before getting in the ambulance and again in the ER.   While in the hospital I was put in an Isolation Room but never treated with any medication for Covid.  On Monday, they discontinued my Warfarin and put me on Lovenox, an injectable blood thinner.  On Tuesday, I was discharged and sent home with a 'kit' for self-injection and an Rx for Lovenox.  

   If you remember Monday had been the Easter Blizzard and the ride home in the ambulance took 'the long way around'.  We went north of Little Falls, turned west to go around Ilion and head towards Utica, finally turning back east onto the Thruway and going to Little Falls.  Then we turned again west on to Rte 5 and back towards my house.  Smallsbush Rd was clear and our driveway had a track to follow in but out car was parked besides the house and the ambulance attendants said I had to walk to the porch.  With one attendant on each side and a walker, I just walked home. No problem. 

    I didn't discover until I was getting ready for bed that night that I had been sent home with an Rx for Lovenox but without any Lovenox, so I just took my regular dose of Warfarin that night.  Part of my discharge orders included having an INR done ASAP, so I called Herkimer Bassett the next morning and made an appointment for an INR for that afternoon.  

   I was not popular at Herkimer when I got there and they found out I had been hospitalized due to Covid, but they did do the INR (1.7) and sent me home with another appointment in one week.  By then my INR (4.6) was totally out of control and we started a weekly routine that lasted until this past week when it was finally back where it belonged (2.3). 

   Cobleskill also sent me home with orders for a walker...and a commode which didn't fit around/over our toilet so I never used it.  The walker I did use.  I had adjusted it to match the walker I was using in the hospital but Sharon, my nurse at Herkimer, agreed with me that it wasn't adjusted properly, so we raised it.  I found the walker easy to use...except going into stores that had rugs just inside the doors.  I kept tripping over them! This week I started walking without the walker thru the house and from the car to a grocery cart.  (I used a grocery cart and walked around Walmart this week for the first time in 2 months!  We went in thru the Grocery entrance and I pushed the grocery cart back to the Yarn and back to the check-out before going to sit in the car and wait for Jeff to finish his shopping (Rx's).  I was exhausted!!) I've been doing short grocery trips to Hannaford.  That's my size store!!

   I was lucky enough to be given a large gift of yarn from Maggie, my college friend (and after choosing 20 skeins to keep) I shared the gift with a high school friend who knits for her church.  I have more than enough yarn in my stash to keep me knitting for a couple of years!!   I've also done a couple of shawls for the shop with some beautiful hand-dyed superwash wools that I received in my Yarn Pal swaps.  

   I haven't driven a car in over 2 months and am hesitant to start right now.  I can't raise my right leg fast enough to get it off the gas and onto the brake for me.  I'm just not comfortable with the idea of driving...and the idea of driving over 30 miles one way to the shop is not something I want to do.  If I did have Covid, it made my arthritis worse...especially in my arms and shoulders.  I have to make up my mind in the next couple of weeks about the shop.  Maybe it's time to become a non-worker...just knit and send my sweaters and shawls to Cooperstown. Just the idea of that makes me feel old!  Oh, well!! 

Another Automobile Adventure

    Well, the never-ending saga of our Automobile Adventure added another chapter today.  I had a 1pm appointment in Ilion for my eyes at Woolner's so we headed out about 12:30. By the time we had turned on to Rte 5 from Smallsbush, Jeff had decided something was wrong...maybe a tire was soft...so he headed to Stewart's in Herkimer for air.  As he turned off Rte 5 to take the less traveled route thru the southside, the trip got bumpier.  The last block or so we knew we had blown the tire and were probably riding on the rim.  Yep, the right front tire was no more! (Hopefully, the rim survived!) When we got to Stewart's, Jeff got out the 'donut' and jack and started to change the tire.  Another man had just finished putting air in his tires and he offered to help, so between them they were finally able to get the jack to lift the car and get the lug nuts loose (a real feat since they had been tightened with a hydrohalic wrench on Monday when the brakes and rotors had been done!)  Another guy lent me his phone and even got the number for my optometrist in Ilion so I could call them and tell them I wouldn't be there and why.  Without those 2 guys we probably would still be sitting there in Stewart's parking lot. After they got the tire changed, we went to Tallman's Tire and ordered a replacement. It will be here on Monday. 

    I had to call Herkimer Bassett when I got home and reschedule my regular INR which was suppose to be after my eye appointment.  There was no sense having it done today as stress can effect the results.  I was still shaking when we got home and I'm sure my numbers would have been out of range again. I rescheduled my INR for next Tuesday afternoon and my eye appointment for May 19th.  Let's hope nothing unusual happens those days! 

    I had hoped for something special for my birthday (tomorrow) but a $110 tire wasn't it. Everyone kept saying 'don't drive too much on that donut' so I don't think this will be an exciting weekend...just another quiet weekend at home in the country.

 

The Strange Legend of the Christmas Pickle

As the legend goes, the Christmas Pickle is an old German custom that started with parents hiding a pickle-shaped green ornament deep in the boughs of the Christmas tree after the children had gone to bed on Christmas Eve. Then on Christmas morning before presents were opened, the children would search for that hidden pickle on the tree and whoever found it first, would get an extra gift. (One flaw with this German tradition story is that children in Germany open gifts on Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day.).

So, where and how did this strange quirky legend start?

One origin story goes back to the American Civil War (1861-1865) and a Bavarian-born soldier Private John C. Lower. He was enlisted in the 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry, captured in North Carolina in April 1864 and sent to the prison in Andersonville, Georgia (also known as Fort Sumter) where by August 31 there were over 31,000 prisoners. According to the Lower family history, by Christmas Eve he was starving, weak, and near death when he asked the guard for a pickle, which the guard provided. Miraculously, John recovered and credited the pickle with saving his life. After the war ended in 1865, he returned to his family in Pennsylvania and began a Christmas tradition of hiding a real pickle on the Christmas tree each year, with the first person to find it being assured of good fortune in the coming year.

Another tale is set in the Middle Ages (some versions say Victorian Era) when two Spanish children were returning home from boarding school, stopped to stay at an inn, and the innkeeper put them in a barrel of pickles. St. Nicholas happened to pass by, tapped the barrel with his wand, and set them free

CLEAN HOUSE

 

Insurance Companies

   The company who holds my house mortage has always provided my house insurance and I never complained about the cost until recently.  Last year the insurance went up to $500 a year and I thought it was too high so I decided to bundle my homeowners and car insurance thru All-State and try to save some money.  It seemed too good to be true!  The insurance payment went down to 1/3rd of what it had been and I was happy.  Then All-State decided our property wasn't clean enough.  There were tree branches over the yard that they felt should be picked up, our wood pile wasn't stacked properly, our lawn furniture wasn't put away...the list went on, so they cancelled our homeowners insurance.  Our house is on a clearing in the woods.  There is only 1 access to our house from the paved road and the back of our house has been used as garden and wood pile till now.  We do not allow access around the house because of the placement of the septic tank.  The back of our house is not even viewable from the front of the house or the road! 

   I contacted Progressive Insurance and inquired about bundling homeowners and car insurance thru them.  The price was lower than it was thru All State so I cancelled my car insurance and signed up with Progressive.  I was surprised to get a refund from All State!  But I was shocked to get a bill from them for cancelling my auto policy. That's where we are right now. More to follow.

Yardage for Simple projects

 

                 child's sweater                                                   364yds

A Cold Winter Day

    About 2 weeks ago our fuel oil company called to let us know that another round of HEAP allotments were going to be coming out and be sure to sign up.  Well, I know that you have to have 1/4 tank or less to qualify and we had just less than 1/2 a tank at that time so I figured we had to 'burn down' some.   After the super cold spell we had the last few weeks with daytime temperatures below freezing and nighttime below zero I knew we'd get down to 1/4 of a tank pretty quickly.  Jeff thought we had done it by Sunday so I planned to call HEAP and signup on Monday but I got busy and never got to it.  

   Tuesday morning we woke up to a cold house.  We had run out of fuel oil sometime in the early morning and the house got chilly quickly!!  Jeff started a fire in the woodstove and kept it going all day.  He even went to town and got a couple of more bundles of wood to be sure we had enough...besides what was in the garage.  He stayed up all night Tuesday feeding the fire and the house stayed comfortable.  We have a fan in between the TV room where the woodstove is and the rest of the house and that keeps the kitchen and parlor very cozy.  In fact, the butter in the butterdish on the kitchen table was softer on Tues & Wed than it's been since August!

   It was my turn to feed the stove during the day on Wednesday while waiting for the oil delivery and Jeff got some sleep.  I sat in the parlor working on a shawl, watching the clock so I could feed the fire on a regular basis.  The thermomature on the wall by my computer showed that the temperature in the parlor stayed between 70 and 72 all day except for one spike when it went up to 75!  Quess that piece of wood was extra heavy.  The oil delivery finally came around 3:30pm.

   Fuel oil in upstate central New York this week is going for $4.03 a gallon (our empty tank took 250 gals), because we were on 'empty' it was considered an 'off-day' delivery and we were charged an extra$65, and to have the guy come in and start the burner cost another $25.  The wood Jeff bought was $9.75 a bundle and he got 3 bundles.  I'll leave the math to the reader but it was an expensive cold day.  Oh, and there was 8.5% sales tax on everything, too!  Still it was nice to have the woodstove to fall back on.  In fact, I don't remember the last time it had been that comfortable in the house.  You can't beat wood heat.

   Here's the shawl I'm working on: "Easy as Pie' by Marissa Hernandez, available on Ravelry.  I'm doing it with Sundara Yarn's "Hills of Mist", a 100% superwash extra fine merino on US5's.  I've got 145 sts heading for 207. It will stretch out and look 'finer' after it's washed and blocked.  It gets a 30-row edging of lace to finish it offf.  The price for this shawl will probably be $80.  I've got another hank of this yarn but I think I've got to find another pattern.  I ordered yarn from Knitpicks, too.  I'm hoping I can do 4 or 5 shawls to add to my display in the shop for our April reopening.  I had thought of doing 'smalls' but my hands don't like that idea too much. I think I'd be better off doing a shawl (that sells for $80) than 6 small things that sell for a total of $80.  

A Winter Wonderland

      We haven't gotten the snowfall that was forecast (9-15") for this 'major winter storm' but since it's still coming down, who knows what we'll end up with!  This first photo was the view at 10am today from the kitchen door.  If you know how high the back bumper is on an Outback you can figure out how much snow we got over night.  Zoey, our short Beagle, says it was too much!  She went down the steps and was suddenly 'swimming' in snow!  Fanny followed her down the stairs and was just walking without any trouble while Zoey was leaving a 'belly path'!  Since this photo was taken, we've gotten at least 2" more!  The forecast was calling for 4" of new snow this afternoon but who knows what we'll end up with! 

   The mouth of our driveway is blocked by the road slush pushed there by the town plow.  There has to be at least 18" of frozen snow and ice built up there.  Needless to say, we're not going anywhere anytime soon.  Jeff had a doctor's appointment today but I called and rescheduled it.  The woman wanted to change it to March 1st at 9am but I couldn't do that to him...it's his birthday!!  So he'll have to wait to May 6th to see his MD.

   This second photo is a view from a bedroom.  Those are tracts left by a snowmobile...not a very wide truck!  After the last storm, Wally had a friend of his come over with a pickup truck and a plow and open the road.  I sure hope he does it again tonight or we will be snowed in for a few days!  The berm in the mouth of the driveway is too big for a 'walk behind' and neither our Cub Cadet or Wally's is in any shape to tackle this job.  

   Well, Jeff and the dogs are taking advantage of a quiet day to nap but I think it's time for a cup of something warm and maybe a good book.

 

Yarn Pal Time

           The dogs seemed to know that the soft squishy package UPS just delivered had something special in it for them...and it did!  There were 3 different kinds of dog treats!!  The package was from my current Yarn Pal, Nina Weiss in Huntington Beach, California, and it held more than just dog treats!

   Besides the beautiful yarn and the package of coffee beans, there was a book on tatting, a shuttle and a ball of tatting thread.  Now, I can't tell you how many times I've tried to learn to tat.  An old friend of my mother's, an expert tatter, even tried to teach me and I'm afraid I nearly gave the poor woman a nervous breakdown!  And I wasn't a kid!  I was an almost 30 year old professional woman with a good job AND a thriving craft business but I couldn't remember the easy directions she gave me! By the time I got home I had forgotten everything!  But, boy, could I make great knots! Now with the book and its beautiful photos I think I just might be able to master tatting.  Let's keep those fingers and toes crossed!  Please!!

And Thank You Again, Nina Weiss!  I am looking forward to trying to tat!!  

(Oh, I had to put the dog treats on a high shelf because Zoey's Beagle nose found them on the counter and was urging Fanny to get them down for her.  When you're only 11" high at the shoulder there are times you need to rely on your 'big' (20" at the shoulder) sister!)

 Mom...

   Miss you still!    1/13/2022 is the 108th anniversary of my mom's birth.  I never saw this first photo until my cousin sent it to me today!  It may have been taken in Conn.  I love her coat in the next photo! That's my cousin, Rosemary(l) and my aunt, Fran (r), with my mom in the 4th photo.  I have a blanket that reminds me of that coat!  The group photo is part of my mom's family, (l-r) Josie (mom), Mary (the oldest sister who lived to be 100!), Caroline (it's her kitchen!). back row Pete (the baby of the family and Fran (sister & best friend).  The last photo: The Bathing Beauties of 1932 on a beach in Conn.  (l-r) Josie, Rosemary, Flo,(a dear family friend), Fran.  Don't you love those wool bathing suits?