It is usually cloudy here in the fall so we try to get outside when the sun is shining. The midday sun is very low.
This makes for great shadow fun.
What simple things are you enjoying this fall?
Happy Halloween
Today was the long awaited day,
the day to wear the fairy wings and go to town and get candy.
When I was growing up we went trick-or-treating AFTER dark. Here, they have special trick-or-treat hours from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. When the weather is nice, like today, everyone sits on their steps or in their yard to give out treats. It is like a big huge block party in town.
Popcorn
When I was growing up we had an electric popcorn popper, you know, the kind with the big plastic dome so you could watch the corn pop. We loved that thing. I don't remember how we made popcorn before we got that fancy popper. Never mind that the outer layer of popcorn got soggy because there was no way for the steam to escape. It just built up in there and dripped down the sides of the dome. We would pop popcorn and take it to the family room and watch The Waltons, The Rockford Files, or the Disney movie of the week on television.
I also have wonderful memories of the neighbor mom who lived across the street. She was the mother of five boys(!) and seemed to know everything. The first time my mother left us home alone, my sister stepped on a bee. Our neighbor knew just what to do. She got something from her kitchen cupboard and put it on my sister's foot. Meat tenderizer. Who knew?Another time I heard an unusual sound coming from her house. I ran over and peeked through her kitchen door. Her table was covered with fancy glasses all with different amounts of water in them. She was making music. I had never seen anything like it.She was the mom in the neighborhood who always had fun packed birthday parties for her kids. We played games like pin the tail on the donkey and drop a clothespin from your nose into a Mason jar.One time I visited and she asked if I wanted popcorn. Yes, of course. I love popcorn. We went to her kitchen and she got out a regular pot, put a little oil in the bottom and then the corn. Then she put a wire mesh screen over the top and slid the pan around over the burner. It was like magic. So old fashioned. She didn't need a fancy appliance to pop her popcorn.
I think the saying "It takes a village..." is very true. All of our experiences go together to form the people we become. Every time I pop corn in my big pot on the stove I think of Mrs Baker, my childhood neighbor, and smile.
Happy
Things that make me happy today:1. We live on this road.
2. I drove down the above road to get to M's last cross country meet of the season where he made his season goal of finishing the 5 K race in under 20 minutes. (19:56)3. P is up and feeling better after a day of and naps and fever on the couch.4. P. talking with a woman in a reproduction 1860's dress last Sunday. Why does hers STAY out?
Each year we work at "Pioneer Days" at Waterloo Farm Museum I demonstrate tatting and how to make handkerchief dolls. B works the horse drawn wagon ride area, and for the last three years M has played music there with a few friends. It looks like P will be getting a special dress for next year's event. I will try to make one with a deep hem to let out as she grows.5. P saying in her sleep, "Where is my embroidery?" (she calls these her embroidery)6. We are having another beautiful sunny fall day today!
Wardrobe Remix
Here is P's wardrobe remix outfit for the day.
Popcorn sweater knit by mom, pink hand-me-down shorts from a cousin, hand-me-down snowflake tights from a friend, lavender socks, and slippers knit and felted by mom. (under the sweater is an Arthur t-shirt that used to belong to her brother.)She has got a style all her own.
A is for Apron
P has enjoyed her first week of preschool. They are starting the year with a unit on farm animals. Monday there were two baby pigs in the class. Wednesday they had chickens. Monday they will have a sheep and I will go in and demonstrate how to spin wool into yarn. They will have a cow visit after that.Fridays, however, are letter days. Yesterday was "A" day so each child brought a show and tell item that starts with "A." P, of course, took an apron.
I, too, have been enjoying her first week of preschool. Yesterday, I went to the beauty salon and had them fix my long neglected hair. I had let it get so long that I had enough to donate to Locks of Love.
I hope that eventually I can play in my sewing room while P is at preschool.
Milestone
We reached a milestone this weekend. We saw our rows of cloth diapers on the line for the last time.
Although P has been day time potty trained for about a year and a half she has still been wearing diapers at night. Last week she decided that since her diaper was dry most mornings she did not need to wear a diaper at night. I washed them and hung them out for the last time. Some of them definitely have gotten a lot of wear.
It was time for her to move on. The diapers will see a second life as rags to clean up spills, scrub floors, wash cars, and whatever else rags are used for. We will see them on the line again, mixed in with other laundry after picking up dust around the house but never again all crispy white in rows on the line.P is proud to be a "big girler!" Now, she says it is time to put away the little potty!
The Last Day of Summer Vacation
We are enjoying our last day of summer vacation before school starts tomorrow. Those blue flowers are some of what is currently blooming in the prairie.M will run his 500th mile today at a cross country cookout at the lake. He will be happy to take it a bit easier now. He has really been working to meet the 500 mile goal he set for himself.D is busy doing his summer homework. As usual he has waited until the last day. He assures me this is not a problem.P is playing with the girlers. She has another week and a half until her school starts.
21 years
Twenty one years ago B and I were married at Mountain Lake, VA.We started our day today with chocolate muffins and peach milkshakes! It has to be a great day now!B also gave me these super earrings made by a local artist out of old typewriter keys. The perfect gift for me, I think. He reminded me not to put them on the other way or I would go around saying OX. Not the message he had intended.Have a great day!
Cracking the Code
P has been surrounded by books and folks who love to read her whole life. She has seen her parents and brothers read. Everyone but her reads books with no pictures! This fascinated her when she first picked up one of the boys books and noticed that the pages were filled with very small letters. She would sit hunched over one of their open books and study it until she found a letter she recognized. This was usually one of the capitol letters at the beginning of a paragraph. We would watch her concentration peppered with "there is an E." or "I see a P."She has progressed to doing a little writing.
And even some reading!I love that she is not afraid to try reading! She will run her fingers along the words and read aloud what she sees. Recipes often say "You must eat all your dinner before you have a cookie."The other day I gave her a little tea set that used to be mine. She set out a little tea party right away.
As she was feeding little "ploopy" she noticed that there was writing on the bottom of the tea cup.It says, "I need more tea."Can you read it?
Laundry Day
I am thinking of adopting some sort of days of the week plan for housework. This is the plan laid out on my vintage dish towels:Monday - wash clothesTuesday - ironWednesday - sewing/mendingThursday - marketFriday - dusting/cleaningSaturday - bakingSunday - rest/look out the windowI definitely would not need a whole day for ironing. I can't imagine the electricity that would use. Perhaps I could substitute catching up with my favorite blogs. Nor would I need a whole day for market but restricting it to one day a week would be good.We do seem to need a day for laundry. In warm weather the schedule would need to be flexible enough to take advantage of the clothesline. P enjoys laundry day and goes out to hang the clothes. She has her own line strung at half height.
And she now has her own bag for her pins.
She used to keep them in an apron but the pin hanger is more convenient when you need to run over to the swing after hanging the clothes.
Maybe I should let P set our schedule. These are the things she likes to do- laundry, sew, bake, and scrub floors. I hope she will enjoy these things when she is an adult as I do. I get a certain satisfaction from hanging laundry on the line, scrubbing the floor on my hands and knees, and baking things from scratch. Sewing and knitting are different. They are relaxing, creative, and use a different part of the brain. When doing needlework I feel like I am creating something lasting. Clean laundry, a clean house, and fresh baked goods don't last but I hope doing these things with my children is creating something that lasts.
Catching Up
We have been quite busy lately. Last Wednesday evening we had a big storm blow through and knock out our power again. We lost two of our very old apple trees and several other trees on the property.
M ran his 100th mile since starting to run with the cross country team on summer vacation. D, P, and I went out and met him for the 100th mile.
He was "really trying" not to let P get home first.
P and I did some sewing on her SewHandy as it was so handy when the power was out. We made a doll apron, a doll pillow, a doll blanket, and a clothespin holder/hanger for HER clothespins. She likes the old fashioned round ones not the "tricky" ones with springs that I use.The power came back just in time for me to make a strawberry rhubarb pie to take to the neighbors for a Fourth of July cookout. There was a beautiful sunset on our walk home to put P to bed.
This weekend, in addition to helping clean up tree limbs, I made three jewelry pouches for the shop.
I like these little pouches.
The boys have some of this design that they used to keep marbles in. P now wants me to make one for her- she has lots of little treasures. I told her we could make one on HER sewing machine. I have also made some with silvercloth lining. I use one of those for my silver jewelry. It works great; the jewelry says shiny and the pieces don't scratch each other.
Hansel and Gretel vase
I have a lot of odds and ends that I have saved from my childhood. Occasionally, I'll find one in a drawer and wonder why I saved it. Over time, when cleaning I have let some of them go. Some things I save because they trigger a fond memory or make me smile when I run across them. Some of the items I still use.
This vase is very special to me. It came from my mother but I don't know the history of it. I don't know where she got it. I remember picking flowers for it when I was small. I liked using it but was a little afraid of it at the same time. That little cottage in the dark woods reminded me of where the witch kept Hansel and Gretel. I always gave this vase the respect it deserved. P now uses it for her bouquets. Almost every time she goes outside she comes back with a flower from the yard. She likes them with almost no stem so this is a good vase to use. We put the fresh ones in and pull the old ones out to keep the arrangement fresh and always changing.
Sew Handy
O.K. Call me a softy. I saw this toy sewing machine and had to get it for P. It would have been silly to get it for myself so I say that it is for her. We gave it to her last night and she said she did not want to go to bed; she wanted to sew. The poor dear. I know just how she feels.
She has a real sewing machine; one that I think will be safe for her to use. It is hand crank powered.This morning she got right to work.
She made a pillow with fluffy stuff inside and a smaller "bean" bag filled with rice.
Later, I found the pillow on her bed in her room, right where her head would be.
She has plans for more projects. She wants to sew a hat, a sweater, and she says her doll needs and apron that can tie in the back. I may not have a problem with scraps building up any more. I noticedthat P knew just were to go to get the squares she used to make herpillows.The Singer Sewhandy sews with a chain stitch. I think I may be trying it out myself. We can try it with different threads, or sew from the back so the chains end up on the front, or maybe even try some quilting on a doll quilt with it. Oh, the possibilities.
Plucked from the Past
It is funny, you grow up and hear the same family stories over and over. You think you have heard them all. Then, something happens to open up a flood of new stories from family members.For us, it was getting chickens. Once we had our own chickens it was like we were members of a family club and could be let in on more of the family tales. Either that, or family members were just reminded of things from their past.From my maternal grandmother I learned many new things. She shared the story of when she got married and her friends and neighbors threw a shower for her. It was a "chicken shower" and each guest brought a chicken to start the chicken flock at her new home. She said that one of the chickens was not very friendly and did not get along with the others. It was not long until that chicken went in the stew pot. My grandmother guessed that enough time had passed that she could share that part of the story. She never wanted the original owner to know she had done that.She also shared stories of her mother's chicken flock such as which breeds were her favorites. My great grandmother apparently had very tame hens. I learned from my grandmother how her mother would put a hen in a sleep-like trance by turning it on its back and rubbing her chest and stomach. That is what I have done to this chick.
Doing this before taking the hen to the chopping block supposedly results in more tender meat. At least, it seems more humane.My father grew up on a farm too, although they did live in town for a short time when he was very young (about 5 years old). While in town, they raised chickens in their garage. It was his job to tend to them and collect eggs. He told me that one time he when he put his hand in the nest to gather the eggs that there was a snake curled up in the nest. He also delivered chickens to customers in the neighborhood. He said he would put one in a cage and transport it to the customer in his wagon. After delivery to the kitchen door, the neighbor would kill it, pluck it and cook it for dinner. How is that for fresh food?
I think it is interesting that I had never heard these stories before.I am left wondering what other stories I never heard. What if I had gotten pigs?
To Grandma's House
P and her dad are on a trip to Grandma's house.
She was very excited when she left. She had one of her blankies and one of the "Esthers" in the truck. Esther was going to look out the window. I am not sure how long that lasted.B said she has been asking where the chickens are! I guess he could have taken them in the back of the truck; too bad we didn't think of that. I have to admit, they are missing her too. They are not getting nearly as much cracked corn each day.They took the laptop with them so I will be reporting from the library. We shall see how that goes this week.
Forget Me Not
Every year I get some forget-me-nots. Sometimes I try plants and sometimes seeds. I haven't been able to get them to grow for years.
I used to have them growing all over my iris bed and spreading everywhere else. They filled in blank spaces and kept the weeds down.When my father-in-law would visit, he always worked on projects of some sort. When we first moved here he helped us put in flower beds around the yard and worked on many of our house and barn renovation projects. If we were at work while he was visiting, he would keep himself busy with projects until we returned. He liked to be helpful. One day I came home to find that he had cut the old electric wire to the barn with my kitchen paring knife. Another day, I found he had weeded in my iris bed-- and pulled out everything that was not iris. I have not been able to grow the forget-me-nots since! I learned to leave a list for him.I also fussed at him for using my good scissors on whatever project he was working on. I started hiding them. One year when he came, he brought about a dozen pair of scissors and instructed me to leave them all over the house so that he could find a pair when he needed them.He had alzheimers but I think we didn't really know then.So, every year I try to get the forget-me-nots to grow again. I chuckle to myself each spring when I plant them. I feel that the two of us are having a little battle over them and this is his way of making me not forget. Not that I would. It makes me smile each spring when I plant them.I don't have much hope for these flowers. Yesterday I caught the chickens nibbling them while they were in the wagon.
It's a Perfectly Cromulent Word
I love words that kids make up to fit a particular thing or situation. Yesterday, as P was playing with her "easy blocks" she was also giving a running dialog. I heard her say that her blocks were "betwards" my spinning wheel. Betwards- that would be her new word for between her and something else.
When my nephew was little he coined the word "smurgled" to describe the clean laundry that has not yet been folded.What fun words have you learned from the little people in your life?
Mom
My mom at the age P is now.
There are so many things I would like to ask my mother now that I have a daughter.
I also wonder what kind of grandmother she would be now. How would she have been with teenage grandchildren?What kind of old woman would she be? Would she have been like her mother?
Believe
We have been enjoying the warmer weather lately. I have been sitting out on our back porch to knit and read during P's naps. I even ended up taking my own nap out there one day.
This afternoon, P and I were out enjoying the scents and colors of the flowers. We ended up, as usually happens, weeding on one of the flower beds. I was discouraged by the amount of grass and weeds in the garden. I also had to keep reminding P to keep her feet on the grass and not in the garden. She would respond with, "It's a gard'n, honey." I guess she was trying to correct my pronunciation! After several reminders to keep her feet out of the garden, gard'n, I explained that different people say it different ways. That seemed to satisfy her and she busied herself pulling the yellow (dandelions) out of the white (all the flowers are white in the garden we were working on) garden. A little while later she stood up and said, "You can believe it's a garden if you want," and then walked away.
I will keep believing it is a garden. Maybe one day it will be free of weeds and grass. Maybe I will see that it is lush with foliage and flowers. Maybe I will see it as it was in our minds when we planted it. I just have to believe that it is a garden.
