sassenach

hi!

Ordered Russet seed potatoes for spring planting.

Will order blues, yellow or gold and red's later.

Snow, only just less than an inch, but soil wasn't frozen so as dry as its been except a recent rain storm, its absorbing some of it as it hits the ground but been a light snow all day , should end in a couple hours.

Made bread dough , set to rise for now.

It's going to smell so good!

Was up early anyway and prepped rooms with carpets to be cleaned professionally today. I have no idea when they will get here either. Only thing then is put Miss Macy in her big cage so she is safe and sound from being able to get out a door that may be left open by the workers.

When they show up.

Surfin' for a few knit patterns. Finally found one for a cowl that won't overheat my neck or take too long to make. It is already cold out and I was meaning to get a simple one done , like two years ago!

Have been doing really well on knitting my knee high sock, first in a pair.

I know Annarchy, cant afford a new laptop just yet , squeaking by til I can. I still have no idea if they will fix windows 10 problems or not and that also makes me hesitate because all I see is windows 10 laptops offered for sale these days.

well , for some reason, its working this evening! When I checked the devices in the control panel , I just clicked okay when it said it was working fine, and was not disabled according to that.

Tried to see if it would work on one website I listen to a podcast on and it worked finally, some hours after I had the problem..... weird.

I will look at that link though, Cat! Thanks!

I sort of tossed and turned last night but I got more sleep total!

My temperamental laptop ( windows vista) is doing it again and its been so long I don't know how to turn my sound back on , nope it is NOT muted. I checked. Says its not disabled via computer control panel to devices .... too.......

HALP!

I appreciate it.

I hope your back feels better, this kind of pain does that messin' with the thinking that is for sure~

Links are fine!

Studying seed potatoes. I want to grow some blue ones. I also saw some onions of a red variety ( all non gmo seed/bulb/tubers) that I would like to try.

I am wondering if one can successfully re-hydrate seeded Anaheim peppers, slit and seeded first before dehydration. I do have half pint jars though that I could can them in if I grow enough. I love anaheim peppers for mild spicy quesadillas.

I also saw lots of mini container, non gmo fruit trees and even blueberries and other berries.... it is interesting to see the newer plants being offered now. I might do a small container garden area and well, if its in a container I can take it with me when I move again some day, It is portable that way.

It is warmish in the 50's F , and a good steady rain. Giving this dry ground a very good soaking here in South Central NE. I have been studying heirloom non GMO vegie seeds and seed potatoes, non gmo varieties. Hope I can get some soon!

Me, Ambergris? No.... there do seem to be various old wall materials and newer ones in this place. B, one of the men who did help with plumbing and such will do more wall fixes as there was cracked plaster and painting is needed. I am in no shape to be running up and down ladders or doing work using my shoulders like that. There is paneling up in other parts of the house, though and some wall paper that is in good shape and not bad colors so it will remain.

I have to figure out my gardening to make it possible in bits and small sections of time and space out there and hope I don't get terribly ill or fatigued when it's ready to start, and I also have to depend on the owners when it comes to getting more fill dirt in the spring after all this digging work and what it has now done to the levels of the yard. The soil is very fine stuff and it may be considered loamy but it doesn't have much matter in it, and it settles compactly, if the surface doesn't get blown away once it's loosened. Some of it drifted onto the old driveway which is uneven from tree roots and age and I swept a lot back onto the dirt again.

So, sweeping that and shovel work and finding smaller pieces of cement broken from the cement dug up, I moved it ( tossed that, it wasn't big pieces) , for an hour and a half yesterday afternoon. This was good exercise to do slowly for lots of tight tendons and weak muscles. I can probably finish the rest of the leveling later today.

Took a hot bath, have to use a silicone jar lid remover thingy to stopper the tub since the mechanism doesn't plug the tub correctly. Luckily I had one.

Was tired and went to sleep at reasonable time but woke up at 2:30 am and can't get back to sleep.

Irritating.

I can never count on a good nights sleep. Regularly. Start thinking I have a good routine going but it cycles over just a few nights. This is part of my general strength issue. Stamina, whatever, as well as ability to just get going good on a daily basis. There are no easy fixes to it. I already have all the tips in the world for a good sleep routine but it doesn't matter. Still, I will do what I can.

I hope to get some walking in. Weather should be good.

Today, finally, yard is quiet, won't get any serious re-do work til spring and it's not windy out but chilly, so bundling up to go use a shovel to try and level out the hills and hollows left by the digger work for the drain line in the back yard, after I do dishes. Had my meal.

I found some , Cat! Thanks!

I made a face!

I had my first smoked elk ( thick slices of a roast piece) on Thanksgiving. I did not care for who's method about cooking the turkey at their place ..... don't recommend their method at all...... but the elk, done by a hunter family was excellent, and they gave me two big pieces to take home!

I discovered they want to do heirloom seed gardening and another old friend here does, big garden, and a newer friend does so maybe we can exchange seeds over time! I will be teaching my neighbors, where I had TDay dinner at, about basic gardening.

I will be shoveling loosed up dirt from the dozer, ditch digger situation in the back yard today as its sunny and not windy. Will bundle up , its cold.

I started my knee socks, knitting so working on getting some knitting in this morning, before dishes and brunch since I did not eat breakfast yet, then will do dishes, and go dig dirt. Going to collect some too for potting soil mixing.

Well, we may just have a painting party in the springtime... one of the guys who did some of the work here suggested it, it would get three rooms done pretty fast!

Thanks everybody!

So, almost back to normal household living! In the spring we can replace the kitchen flooring and do the bedroom, hall and living room painting. It is sort of being prepped these days part of the time lately. It's not good for a house to remain empty, things happen! Especially to plastered walls!

Oh, and P called back the ditch digger guy... who is one cantankerous fellow..... he left big old chunks of cement ( old septic system lid?) that were dug up for sewer drain line replacement he was supposed to remove that day and even left two huge ones right under the clothes line spot....... I may be short but it was a real hazard, so that's all clear. I just have to rake the soil , the high spots, and let it settle over winter. In some spots all that digging and scraping stirred up the soil good so it actually is good when you are just going to put in a garden in the spring!

That should take care of the more obvious tripping hazards for the winter. Luckily its still in the fifties this week.

Now I feel like I can actually unpack and sew some curtains for the most needed windows.... and hang a mini blinds in the bathroom. When it was rented, you should see how the past renters 'hung' curtains, and well, the kitchen ones, small, luckily can be seen through too, and for me, as I value my household privacy, I want to replace, but first the bedroom curtains.

I have French doors leading out two different walls, too and those will be rod pocket curtains but have to order the hardware and some material I like. For now I just want a better window covering for privacy and have a flat sheet I can use for that in colors and tones I can live with. I need to repaint the French doors first, but the bedroom window is priority and I need to winterize it better than the old stuff still on it.

Have to replace dining room curtain rods, and M will get second set of black out curtains to match the ones she provided, since I need double what she had already had. 102" rod.

Over time I can get some area rugs for the living room and dining area that actually will be more of a library for me, and writing area for me.

Finally, the drains were replaced and repaired and that nasty old garbage disposal removed. M and I get 'skeered' of those things! The drain lines were all flushed, so kitchen and bathtub now function drain wise. I just have to put on new shower ( wand style) which is good cause if I need to I can get a shower stool and sit down--- there have been times of illness where this would have been helpful!

Yes back to at least 20th century living again! You cannot scrub stuff and get the dirt out when you can't do use drains these days for proper sewer drainage of disinfectants and such! And its not that its nasty dirty but everything needs a good hygienic scrub down!

One fellow is going to neatly work with the plumber and do new piping and do it insulated properly as the back porch is enclosed walls and windows and outer door entrance but it isn't normally heated. Any smokers can sit out there and smoke though so a portable electric heater works for that in winter weather.

If I am just washing stuff, could leave kitchen door open and house heat can go into porch area to work, as I also want to set up a work table out there for projects that are slightly more industrial than inside crafting.

Got the bed frame, old antique , set up finally with M & P's help, and its properly made up.

Started casting on 80 stitches for my knee highs I will knit and then everybody showed up so distracted , but got bed set up , now its so high I need step stool! There is one! I think I will set it by the foot of the bed or on the other side for Macy. She is going to find this is weird as high as it is!

I can easily put roll under keepers under the bed though! Yahoo! 9.5 inches clearance!

ah , sounds like the pipes are going to drain now..... being flushed good now. Yippee!

It rained this morning with a bit of thunder in the distance.

Still overcast and wind is damp snow quality today , or this afternoon. Mebbe flurries tonight?

The guys are here, working on plumbing , I might have a draining tub and kitchen sink again, but replacing piping and traps had to be done and hoping the lines will be able to be cleared further.... last thing to do is installing washer and dryer........... it would be so nice to get all these ducks in a row!

An hour later, thunder , lightning and rain. Huh.

WE2 I know the pain on slashed tires. One night some teen hooligans hit 17 vehicles just walking up the sidewalk. I had just put brand new tires on my little truck! I was just visiting friends that night! 3 out of four tires! I couldn't afford to just go get more new tires either!

I am sorry that happened.

That snow storm that spun out of the Rockies just officially put down a few smatterings of flurries. The storms main edge was less than 30 miles from me as it went through. It did get cold though, but it's warmed up a tad.

Still sitting here with main faucet drains not functioning at all. Getting work done by contractor's around here is an abominable task I must say.

My whole opinion I will keep to myself on the matter, suffice to say, I am not at all pleased. I just hope it is all fixed soon.

It's a wee bit cold outside, but not too bad this night past at least.

I am sorry you can't get more done outside , Jeepers!

Can you put that weed n feed out in early spring?

I just looked up how to build a lightweight ( foam based shallow boat) 'mouseboat'.) It only weighs 16 pounds, cut the foam, glue pieces with some light wood edges to reinforce top edges, a small skegg ( whatever you call it, bottom center aft for steering, kayak paddle as its technically a kayak, only 8 feet long and you glue down a solid cotton bedsheet and paint it and can make stowage areas, its' unsinkable, but low cut so you don't use them in high seas, lol, weather, not that I would, but it would be perfect and is light enough to tow on bike trailer or pop in pickup bed if I get a truck for someone as beat up as my muscles are these days or will easily go on car roof.

They are very inexpensive and with care can last a long time. You can make them out of luan plywood if you want but this is a very light version this way and perfect for taking out on the local small lake to do fishing off shore. You can rig a small square sail too, but would have to assure yourself the fixtures for it are solid. I was thinking of plywood top on front of boat for that purpose anyway. Short aluminum pipe , hollow and small sail, its always windy in NE it seems so a sail would blow me back to where I camped , heck the wind would just drift me back, lol.... it's a good project to do with youths or for yourself if you want a winter project. Reinforce the area where you sit, to be able to stand and fish with extra foam layer and three coats varnish over the paint job.... DIY on Instructables and mouseboats on Facebook.

The guy also built a teardrop trailer, but I looked up a plywood trailer teardrop (but rectangular in shape for veterans) who are homeless and you can build those on a 4 x 8 trailer, looked up the trailer kit at harborfreight, which there is one 90 miles from me.... it would be fine for storing stuff in too or hauling boxes, can be towed by a car with a hitch too, which is why it was built small.... the trailer plans are on Instructables , I think its called Vetsmart .... I am going to build one of those if I can remain here a while. Then I just need to save for a used pickup truck or small SUV. Adding a sun, rain awning over cooking area ( roll out when setting up trailer works)... I will have to design that when the time comes.....

I am keeping busy. Right now with this bad plumbing situation that M didn't even begin to realize the status of in the months we planned on me moving here, a full years worth at least, and now winter is coming.... and crawl spaces suck and I have no strength to do this pipe replacement and I hate dark claustrophobic crawl spaces !

I have time to sort out stuff and a very large city trash can I can dump things into each week ... yep, clutter clearing will go on this winter.

This cold weather finally starting to hit has me motivated to work on some wool blend knee socks , Clover Colors is a neat combination of darker colors in Kroy sock yarn and just getting started.... on a new pair .... be handy when the cold comes in harder. Besides it keeps me busy. Also working on reading what I wrote in first book part of the time.

I would love to live in this good sized house and have my garden but you can't do that when the drains dont' work , not too well anyway, these days. If it gets resolved, that would be great. If not, I have to do other options eventually. Only the bathroom sink and toilet drains work at this point. I cannot even do proper cleaning with nothing else draining properly. Makes it impossible.

So, fixing that over the encroaching cold weeks ahead.... hmmmmm.

Yes, it does make one look at other alternatives. Rockhounding pursuits come to mind and so do fishing in the mountains and rivers.

raking leaves and bagging them by myself. 1.5 hours, 1.5 miles.

walking 1.5 hours total ( slow) maybe a mile.

cleaning and digging. 6 hours , 4 miles, it wasn't done in a hurry.

regular house cleaning, scrubbing mostly, 3 hours, 3 miles.