Oh! My! Goodness!

James is slowly disintegrating due to over 13 years of living in the elements. Bees live in him. Birds peck him. I am facing the fact that that soon he will endure his end and I want it to be in a certain manner. I have called the fellow, "Razor" who carved him for me as "The Spiritual Guardian of Cabin Tranquillity" in April of 2010. He is carved in the image of my Great Grandfather, James Marshall Folkner, but in a whimsical manner. I have left several messages to Razor for a consultation about how to handle James's last days.

Surprise! This morning Razor showed up. Unannounced. I looked out the window and saw him stepping back quickly and then realized that he was trying to avoid being stung! After several applications of bee repellent sprayed into every hole by my yard guy, they are still there! I quickly went out and invited him in to have a talk and develop a plan. Maybe, just maybe he can save the front with James' face and I can keep it indoors. The rest would be taken away. 

Razor, as he left said he had to go to the truck for a minute and he soon came back in carrying a replica that he made. The thoughtfulness and preparation for this gift overwhelmed me. It was so unexpected. It is so beautiful!  LONG LIVE JAMES!!

(October 1, 1914 was my mother's birthday. James was her maternal grandfather.)

Oh and I finished my clothespin angel picture! Her name is Pauline.

please tap image to view larger

Easter Saturday Later.....

Some BUNNY has been in my Easter Basket andlookie what I found!

There was a sheet on top hiding a nice surprise when the person who does my laundry brought the basket back today.

Easter Saturday

Help! I'm stuck,

and I can't get up! 

Hanging In

I'm hunkered down and looking out. It is snowing - not a surprise. The weather is predicted to change to a wind and rain event and then a big drop in temperature. I lost all ambition to bake again...

BUT! Yesterday a box of four varieties of cookies and even éclairs arrived with a bright red ribbon. Somebody went to a lot of work to create these beautiful and tasty special treats. I have never made éclairs. These were made with lots of love and then placed with care in the holiday presentation box.

Thank you Santa's Jolly Helper! Gingerbread, Pfeffernusse, Spritz (decorated too!), Raisin-nut, and Éclairs all received a taste and they passed admirably. 

Red and Wonderful

I received my first real Poinsettia as a gift last evening and it took my heart up a few notches. You see, my yard guy and his wife gave it to me, knowing that I don't like cut flowers and having no idea that I never had a live poinsettia plant before. 

I took many photos of it at different angles as it sat on the counter with the early morning sun. I tried no flash, flash, and all kinds of angles. Actually I had a good time shooting. Well, after culling most, I did keep a few. The next step was to create a digital image to send to my e-mail friends as I only sent out 21 "snail mail" cards this year. After a couple of hours I was satisfied and will now share with you. First, a selection of subject matter for experiments!

Then I cut, pasted, skewed, and made the creative piece. It took time. I didn't use any application except the Preview which came on my computer. Result below.

Next was to incorporate it into a greeting card for e-mail distribution. Finally I was satisfied, and sent them out.

This is for you, my friends.... I wish you all the very best!

P.S. BIG SNOW predicted tomorrow. Camera is ready!

Early Christmas Gift

Someone from across the Pacific Ocean has sent me a wonderful box full of cheeses and meats. The word must have gotten out that I'm the mouse slayer in the area. Well this is staying indoors and only being eaten by hungry humans. Wonderful surprise! There are also chocolate covered almonds, crackers and olives!  I sure love cheeses and these are soooo special.

I've been working on Christmas cards. I first created an image. I had to be sure to only use colors that would be functional by my failing printer. It only will print colors - no black. When I proceeded to change the empty black cartridge with a new replacement - it failed. I put the empty one back in and the color would print! I ordered another black cartridge and it too, wasn't recognized by the printer. Well, the color would work so that is how I created my card image. Would you believe that the XXX old printer then would print only 4 pages (4 images each one) with my brand new photo paper! Then it absolutely refused to print on photo paper and made lots of rattling noise. I finished off the project by printing a few sheets of 'regular paper' and am finished with this project. Yes, I know I need a new printer. Maybe.....after the holidays. This one has functioned fantastically for many years and I should NOT complain! I still can print all other documents on plain paper if I make the text be red, blue, or green. I'll use up the color cartridge and then decide what to do. The scanner still works fine! Never a dull moment down on this farm! My hand had a workout writing to and from addresses on the envelopes. 

"Make it do or do without!"

Back to Work

Several months ago I had purchased a box of frozen Black Angus beef burger patties. There were 8 in the container and each weighed 5.3 oz. I fried two in my new little electric pan and they were tasty but I still had quite a cleanup. I do not like to clean up after cooking now. I have even forsaken use of the big heavy cast iron fry pan because it is simply too heavy for me. It takes too many steps in and out of the cabin to the gas grill on the porch to keep an eye on them. Grilling is out. Oh what to do with the 6 that are left? Six times 5.3 oz. = 31.8 oz. —just about 2 lbs. of frozen meat! Then I remembered that in 2021 I had used the old 1915 Buffton slaw slicer on a nice onion and had frozen the results. When I went looking for that bag, I came across another bag of a chopped red pepper from 2021. Well.......MEATLOAF came to mind! After thawing the patties overnight in a large bowl, I added the onion, red pepper,  two fresh eggs, a sprinkle of garlic powder, a shake or two of parsley flakes and black pepper, some Italian-flavored bread crumbs and a dash of milk. Left out salt on purpose. Hand Mix! Mix! Mix! I lined my ancient aluminum pan with foil and put the meaty concoction in. I pressed down the edges so the juices and fats would have a groove to fill and put it in the 325° oven for about two hours! You should know that the internal temperature has to reach about 160° before meatloaf is considered thoroughly done! After pouring off the liquids, I proceeded to slice this loaf into slices and then froze each one individually. (Had one for lunch.)

While I was enjoying the aroma of a meatloaf baking, I took the last of the Oxheart tomato seeds that had been fermenting for a few days, rinsed them and dumped them on newspaper. It took about 1/2 hour to separate each as an individual with my tweezers and they are in the drying process now. 

It is a good feeling to be productive. (I forgot that I was going to make French onion soup with those onions! Oh well.....

My friend just dropped off some pink and purple Cleome seeds from her garden.

She also saved some pink poppy seeds for my flower garden project next year! Now I have high hopes to see lots of color next summer as I have a good supply of seeds! 

Back to Thimbleberries

Surprise! My granddaughter had this shipped to me and what a surprise gift! I didn't know it was available! Just today I took pictures of the 3 cuttings I made last week from the large bushes here and now I shall have a taste!

Product Details

The Copper Country of Upper Michigan is well-known for our beloved thimbleberries that only grow in the woods along the old railroad grades and logging roads of the northern parts of the U.P. Thimbleberry jam has a robust, rich flavor that is a old-time family favorite on toast or muffins. Try it drizzled on top of your favorite baked bars or as a topping on some fresh vanilla ice cream. You'll love it! This Wild Thimbleberry Jam does not have any added Pectin, additives or fillers.

• Brand: UP Foods
• Measurement: 9 ounces (255 grams)
• Country: Sourced in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Made in U.P. of Michigan
  
  

New Spring Surprise

My neighbor and his daughter stopped by last night with a gift of Spring for me! I have never had so many indoor plants! I do like watching them develop and grow into their destined shapes and colors. Join the gang you three youngsters! I will care for you.

What colors will you show me?

I am aware that you come in many, including white, cream, pink, rose, apricot, lavender, cobalt blue, deep purple and wine red!

Your blooms also have one of the most powerful garden scents of spring! 

You are the flower of the sun god Appolo and are a symbol of peace, commitment and beauty but also of power and pride. You are special. The gift and the anticipation of your approaching blossoms have made me feel grateful for everything that I have. 

This is a very sweet surprise and inspiration.

please tap on image to view larger

Changed Her Name

Joyful Red is now Tickled Pink! She fooled me all seven weeks of watching her grow and develop. I am not at all familiar with this plant and assumed she would come out of her closet as red. NO! Today she showed her true color. After some research, I learned all of the different colors this plant can produce. Actually, I believe she is the "Apple Blossom" variety and am so pleased because that is one of the fragrances my mother loved.

I'm now going to call her "TICKLED PINK" because I love the surprise she gave me! See?

More buds to open!!!!

please tap image to view larger

 

Joyful Red Progress Report

She shows promise of becoming a fabulous beauty. I'm unsure if I'm giving her enough or too much water, though. This is a first for me. 

Joyful Red

She is reaching out for the sun! Let the beauty shine!

She is only 1 week old!

After I took her picture the day turned grey and cold... brrrr! except for Christmas gifts and lights.

Here we GO!

Welcome to Joyful Red, a new member of the Home Sweet Home Window Team! She’s currently hiding but will soon show off her redhead and long limbs and delicate arms. It will take time. Maybe even eight weeks! I plan to follow her growth and you may be privileged to tag along with me. Loving care is the key and I’ll do my best to keep her nourished and as warm and bright as necessary. She arrived as a wonderful, delightful and challenging gift from dear friends across the big pond.

On a completely different note, I now know why the mouse who got into my paper towels died! He was wire poisoned. Darn! Need some electrician help here! We had a four hour scheduled power outage and it seemed the perfect time to haul out my old treasured ceramic tree and decorate! Not today! 

please tap photos to view larger