Home Invasions??

    I think yesterday would have qualified as a day of home invasions to the dogs.  First, our new groomer, Alexandria Fisher, pulled up in her big white truck.  Zoey was willing to go outside to greet her...a stranger...but Fanny after barking a few times from the doorway, retreated to her security spot under the kitchen table. (Hey, it is a 100yr old, solid oak, round pedestal table so I can understand that it does offer some security.)  After Zoey had her nails clipped, and it was Fanny's turn, Jeff had to drag her out from under the table! She was muzzled so her resistance was totally passive but she does weigh 80lbs so there is a lot of dog to drag even if it is only across the room!  Alexandria thought the dogs' nails were too long to be clipped as short as they should be...the quick was quite long and there was a chance of bleeding...so we made another appointment for her to come back in 2 weeks to finish the job.  Zoey was back to wiggling and friendly by the time Alexandria left but Fanny had retreated under the table as soon as she could, and she stayed there for the rest of the afternoon!  

      I had noticed a decrease in the resident population of mice in our house lately, but I was just attributing it to seasonal hunters outside like hawks and other predators.  That notion changed when something streaked across the kitchen followed closely by Zoey barking like crazy!  Fanny stood up in her safe spot under the table and barked loudly, too! I screamed and Jeff started to yell just to add to the general confusion.  Since he hadn't seen the critter, I had to describe it and he gave me a couple of suggestions of what it could be.  I looked them up online and found a picture to match our invader...a weasel!  I yelled at Jeff to do something, but I can't repeat what he said! (*!* ) I said I'd stay at my PC and scream when I saw it but changed my mind when Jeff said it was hunting mice!!  I decided it could visit.

     I've lived in this house since 1962 and we've been 'visited' by critters over the years that usually resulted in my mom and me screaming and running one way and the critter just running around!  I've learned how to catch bats (just wait for them to tire out and land somewhere and drop a bowl or box over them and use a magazine as a cover to hold them in, carry the container to the door and dump it outside) and snakes (my mom's 'reach and grab' tool worked the best!  I didn't have to get closer than the length of the tool and the grabber could hold the coiled snake until I carried it outside).  Jeff's been in charge of mouse traps that he'd set periodically but the mice always seemed to be ahead!  We had a bird fall down our fireplace chimney a couple of times.   Someone else picked it up and took it out that time but I think I threw a towel over it the next time it happened and did it.  But this weasel was the politest home invader we've had.  When the dogs started barking (and I started screaming) it ran to the cellar door and squeezed under it...and we didn't see it for the rest of the day!!  And besides, it's a lot cuter than a mouse!

Mug Rugs

     Some of the knitting chat groups I belong to organize some great swaps that I usually sign up for and the April/Spring's Swap was no exception.  When a Mug Rug Swap was announced, I thought that it would be a piece of cake!  Even though April was the traditional re-opening month for the shop with a lot of last-minute embellishments and button sewing to do, I thought I could manage to produce a mug rug...or even a set of 4 if I tried hard enough.  I mean, a mug rug is only a 4" square!  So, I signed up and received a swap partner and started looking for a mug rug pattern.

    Just to let you know, I aways thought mug rugs were just squares with a design in the middle, nothing too fancy or difficult, simple and easy to do.  Well, I was wrong.  Mug rugs do come in 'simple, easy to do' and then they move on to the more intricate and elaborate designs.  Ever try to do a linen stitch? I quickly learned that I was going to need more than a few spare minutes between sewing on buttons to master that stitch!

   And what yarn to use?  Any and all types!  Of course, the types I have the most of in my stash are worsted weight acrylic and washable wool sock yarn. I tried using some sock yarn on a US2 with a pattern I found on Ravelry until my hands started objecting and began cramping.  OK, so it was a NO to sock yarn on a US2.  Then I began to seriously look at patterns that called for acrylic worsted weight yarn and a needle size I could handle (like a US7) without major cramping problems. I ended up revamping a chart of a sheep I use for a lot of children's sweaters and hats and started knitting...completely forgetting what a 4" square of acrylic yarn knit in stockinette stitch on a US7 would look like when finished...even if single stitch 

crocheted around the edge!  To get this square to lay flat I was going to need some interfacing and backing...possibly felt or flannel. A trip to Walmart and a piece of felt solved that problem and the mug rug because a usable square. 

My hands objected strongly to putting the knit square, the interfacing and piece of felt together with blanket stitches and I used a light touch of a warm iron made sure the interfacing stuck to the knitting. I managed to assemble 1 rug a day!   But I really liked the way they were coming out, so I made 4!   And

now, that I'm ready to mail them on Monday I think I should add something extra to this package.  Years ago, my mom worked with a woman from England who always had a piece of chocolate with her 'cuppa'...she said it made her tea taste better.  Maybe I'll get some Hersey Miniatures to put in the bag.  What do you think?

  Here's the finished set of 4 Sheep Mug Rugs!

I had toyed with the idea of doing sets of these for the shop, (with different animals) but I think it will be better...for my hands, at least...just to do these for Christmas or housewarming gifts.  I have 3 sets on my To Do list already!  No, make that 4 sets!  I want a set, too!

  

Cooper Country Crafts

   What started one winter weekend 50 years ago when some talented friends got together to market their crafts continued to develop and grow, becoming a mainstay of downtown Cooperstown's Doubleday Parking lot.  Encompassing over 300 crafters thru the years, Cooper Country Crafts outgrew their humble beginnings on Pioneer Alley, and quickly proved that Cooperstown is more than just baseball! This unique store may not be the biggest in town, but it is loaded with many one-of-a-kind, hand-made items.  Today's 20-odd members produce something for just about everyone on your gift list from that new baby to your grandmother, with everything from hand-knits, quilts, unique aprons, beautiful jewelry, pottery and hand-blown glassware, wooden toys and hand craved wooden utensils, and much more.  And don't forget, treats for your special furry friends, too!

   And the management of the shop makes it doubly unique.  It is a co-op without any paid employees.  All the maintenance and store workers are crafters.  Any visit to Cooper Country Crafts can be a learning experience as a simple conversation with a salesperson can lead to an insightful peak over a craftsman's shoulder.

    Now as winter finally fades into spring, the talented artists at Cooper Country Crafts will fill their shelves with their hand-crafted treasures for their 50th season, reopening on Friday, April 5th, at 

No Oil???

      We were getting low on fuel oil on Friday so I called the HEAP office to see if I could get another allotment.  I was told  they were about out of funds for this winter, and I had to run out of oil and apply for an emergency allotment.  When we got up Monday morning to the quiet sound of no furnace running, I called them back and after leaving a message twice during the day, they finally called me back late in the afternoon and I was told that I had already gotten my normal number of allotments (2) and emergency allotment (1) and that was all I would get this year.  I called my fuel oil service, and they said I had credit with them for a partial minimum delivery and just had to pay the difference ($300 instead of the full $600) so I ordered it.  Unfortunately, it was too late in the day to ensure a delivery the next day unless I wanted to pay the special delivery fee ($ 200).  I said we could wait till they got to us which they said would be Wednesday or Thursday.

   Yesterday Jeff put a fire in the woodstove and slowly the house lost its chill.  He kept getting up and tending the fire until nearly sunrise and while he complained about how cold the sheets were last night, I was comfortable (wearing sweatpants, long sleeve t-shirt, sweatshirt, and fuzzy socks...let's just say he was not dressed as well) with my microwavable beanbag warming up the bed around me.  This morning the house wasn't exactly warm, but it was a lot better than it was the previous morning! The dogs were still huddled as close to me as they could get without being on my bed...making it a 2-dog night!

   I had an appointment for an INR this afternoon, but Jeff stayed home in case the oil delivery came because the driver would have to come inside and restart the furnace.  I drove to town and after my good INR (a 2.8) I just drove back home without any trouble.  I won't say much about the a***hole in the red car who raced over the hill from Little Falls, passed me on a double line in front of Cooperative Extension (across from the former Massaro's Florist), got in the left lane when the highway split, passed everyone in their path on their way down the hill and ended up in a long line at the stoplight by Hannaford's, still there at the stoplight at Rte. 28 and when I turned into Bassett Healthcare, the line was just stopping for the stoplight at King St.  It would have been nice if a trooper had been able to ticket this creep for speeding/reckless driving, but I'm satisfied that they were totally annoyed that they had to slow down as they traveled thru Herkimer.

     About an hour after I got back home, the dogs started announcing someone was in the driveway and it was...The Oil Delivery!  Jeff and the driver agreed a lot of this year's HEAP funds went to illegal immigrants.  I've just checked my oil delivery receipts for last year and we had gotten 3 deliveries thru HEAP but this year we got only 2...and we did not get an emergency delivery. We've always tried to stretch our fuel oil by using the woodstove but as we get older that's becoming harder to do.  And while I am sorry that people from Mexico and South America are not comfortable during our winter, I do not think it's fair...or right...that American citizens have to suffer because of it.  Maybe it's time to think of Americans first. 

Happy Birthday, Jeff! (pt2)

      Jeff and I were supposed to meet my cousin, Ed, at Fat Cat's for supper tonight to celebrate Jeff's birthday, but something came up and Ed had to cancel.  We were really looking forward to going out for dinner, so we decided to go out anyway.  We went to town about 4pm and did some errands before deciding where we would eat.  Since I was 'buying' I told Jeff to go to whichever restaurant he really wanted to eat at, and he chose the Mohawk Station.  We both love the Mexican restaurant, Tren de Villa Mexican, that is there.  Jeff easily chose 'Carne Campirano', a big platter of steak strips with veggies over refried beans and Mexican rice, his favorite! I decided on a Taco salad, and I wasn't disappointed!  I have never had a Taco salad that good.  There was even refried beans and Mexican rice on the bottom of the giant taco shell.  And the taco shell!  I almost think it was made in the restaurant kitchen.  I have never tasted a taco shell that was so light, crisp and...just plain good!  Even the old Asteroga House in Little Falls couldn't come close to this taco shell!

    After we supper we kept saying to each other, 'that was a good meal' as we rode over to Hannaford's, shopped and rode home.  When we went past Fat Cat's overflowing parking lots I said 'I'm glad we went to the Station' and Jeff said(again) 'that was sure a good meal!'

   I got a carrot cake and some ice cream at Hannaford's incase Ed decided to come over for dessert.  But if he doesn't get here soon, I'm not going to be held responsible for this carrot cake's future!

edited 3/2/24  10:55am:  Ed showed up about 7:45pm with a cake (!) and this carrot cake was soon a shadow of itself.  But it was good!  Vanilla ice cream went with it so well....  The dogs sat by our sides and eventually I gave them both a spoonful of ice cream.  That satisfied Fanny and she stretched out under the table but next to Jeff and was soon asleep.  Zoey didn't give in that easily and hung around hoping for more, but she finally gave in and went into the living room to stretch out on the dog pillow on the floor where she could keep an eye on us (or the cake) at the kitchen table.  She must have had a dream of eating the entire cake because about half an hour later she let out a large snort and several loud snores!  We all laughed at her, but she just went back to sleep!  I think everyone enjoyed Jeff's birthday.  Oh, he finished his deviled eggs for a midnight snack.  Said they were good.  I think I'll do them again for St Patrick's Day.

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

    Today is Jeff's birthday. He is 71 years old...although today I think he feels older.  Yesterday was not a day either of us want to repeat soon...if ever.  By the way, Jeff still has not opened the ash drawer to see what was burning in it.

   In honor of his birthday, I thought I'd do something special and decided to make a plate of deviled eggs for Jeff.  So, last night between supper (tomato soup and crackers) and bedtime (t-shirt, sweatshirt, sweatpants, 2 blankets and a beagle), I finally got 6 eggs boiled, cooled down and put in the refrigerator.  This morning, I started to peel the eggs even before I made coffee!  Mother Nature must have decided to apologize for lousy the day we had yesterday, because the eggshells came off those eggs like nothing!!  None of the shells stuck and none of the whites broke up and I soon had a bowl of egg yolks ready to be crushed!  That was when I noticed we had very little mayonnaise left in the jar.  That was ok because I had seen a recipe on FB that called for using cream cheese in deviled eggs and I had half a small container of whipped cream cheese!  (Bagels and cream cheese had been on my breakfast menu last week and there is always cream cheese left over!)  Cream cheese and mayo mixed together were a little thick, so I put in a squirt of horseradish relish and another of yellow mustard before mixing in onion and garlic powder, and salt and pepper.  Oh, and a dash of hot sauce, too!  Tasted ok to me.  I cut the egg whites the long way and they were all ready to be filled.  I thought I'd get a little fancy, so I put the filling in a small plastic bag, and tried to pipe the stuffing into bottoms but I guess I don't know my own strength because the bag started to split apart between my fingers and the filling oozed out the top (zipped shut??  Hardly!) all over my fingers.  I gave up and went back to spooning it in.  I had more than enough to fill the 12 halves and boy, were they filled!  (I had forgotten to buy paprika so I couldn't make them look pretty but I don't think Jeff minded.)

   I told Jeff he had deviled eggs in the refrigerator and started to clean up.  The dogs were more than happy to help clean my hands and they seemed to enjoy the deviled egg filling and I think Jeff did, too, because he had 4 halves for breakfast!  (The only suggestion he made was to use less of the horseradish relish next time!) I think what's left will be his

lunch.  We're suppose to go out for supper tonight but that will be covered on the next posting here!  Happy Birthday, Jeff!

Our Latest Adventure

    Our latest adventure here in the little house in the little woods we are attributing to Mother Nature.  The weather forecast for last night included high winds and snow so when both started shortly after sunset it wasn't a surprise...but the strength of the wind was!  Sitting at my computer and later comfortably wrapped up in a blanket with a book in my favorite chair, the wind sounded like it was going to lift this little house and carry it away...or knock over on to our roof those big oak trees next to it that have been getting bigger every year since we moved here in 1962.

   Around 10pm the next act of the evening performance began.  The lights would flicker a few times and then go out, only to come back on in about 15 minutes.  This procedure repeated itself for about an hour and a half until 11:30pm when the lights went out and did not come back on until 1:15 this afternoon. 

   We woke up to a cold, dark house:  no lights, no heat, and no water (remember, we live in the country).  Neither of us had slept much and were not in very good moods.  We couldn't call Wally (next door) ...or anybody...because our phone was out so after driving down to Wally's house and not seeing his car, we decided to go to town and see if we could find a pay phone so we could report the power outage and get some coffee.  But first, Jeff decided to check out the next house down the road since he had noticed flashing lights and large truck traffic during the night. We couldn't even get close because the road was blocked, and a National Grid truck was parked beside a fallen tree that was resting on the electrical wires that ran along the road.  Well, we found out where the problem was!

   Jeff turned the car around and we went to town, couldn't find a payphone but got coffee and went home. A few minutes later Wally was knocking at the door.  He had his cellphone with him, but his SUV was in the garage, and he couldn't get the door open...and he was cold!  Jeff got a fire going in the woodstove in the TV room while we exchanged details with Wally on what we had learned about the outage.  The guys busily anticipated how long the outage would/could last and Jeff offered Wally the couch next to the woodstove if it continued overnight. (Wally accepted!) 

   After everyone had warmed up, Jeff and Wally went back to the next-neighbors-up-the-road and found the road open!  The National Grid workmen were busy installing a new pole and said the lines would be working in 3-4 hours.  Then they went to Wally's to work on the garage door.   They got it open, the SUV out and the door closed again, and Wally headed to his favorite place for a late breakfast and Jeff came home.  

   Jeff went back to tending the fire in the woodstove and the house was finally starting to warm up when he noticed smoke coming out of the ash drawer on the bottom of the stove.  Since neither of us thought it was a good idea to open the drawer just then, he didn't add anymore wood to the fire and kept raking the ashes and coals apart.  Slowly the fire died down, but he still hasn't opened the ash drawer.  We've come up with a couple of things that could be happening (the fan on the back of the stove caught fire because it wasn't working due to the outage, the paint in the drawer could have flaked off and caught fire, a mouse might have made a nest in the drawer and the nest is burning, mice could have gotten into the drawer and died, and we just witnessed their cremation) but Jeff wants to wait until the fire in the box is totally out and the stove cools down before opening the ash drawer.  I think we both imagined him opening the smoking ash drawer and having it burst into flames!!!

   The house smells awful right now, but it is warm, and we do have lights and water.  The first thing I did when I heard the microwave chirp and the furnace come on was ask if Jeff wanted some coffee.  He hadn't heard (or paid attention to) either 'on' signal and was surprised!  Ah, living in the country!  Never a dull moment!!