End of the Day

I'm pooped.  Tired.  Done for.

I'm sitting here in the sunroom, cup of hot Yogi Tea on the arm of the couch, one flat cat (which is how they look when they're flat-out asleep) on the gently swaying hanging bed, and the fire quietly flickering away in front of me.\


I got a good bit done today, considering my late start.  Didn't get as much progress as I'd hoped for, but that seems to fall under the 'Of Course' category.

I spent a good bit of time outside in the afternoon as the temperature dropped.  Cutting a part of the overgrown grass in the front yard when my breath comes out in steamy puffs is MY kind o' lawn mowing!  ;)  (Remember, I . . . hate . . . heat.)  Also got a small pine tree cut down that had died earlier in the summer and had been glaring at me, all brown and crispy, for TOO many weeks.  Moved some rocks and spent a bit of time hauling some firewood into the house.  Did some pre-wood-burning-season maintenance on the outdoor furnace, too, and started cleaning up some of the scrap piles around the big wood pile.

I'll insert the picture once I'm at work tomorrow (the photo's on that computer), but I got another load of firewood:  six cords of maple, this time.  There's an old bachelor who's lived here his whole life who tends to "look out for" the single women in the area.  He's been logging maple on the Rez for a couple of years, and he gave me a ridiculously good deal on 6 cords.  Another friend (Bundle of Joy's papa, for those of you long-time readers) was the middle man for the transaction and explained to the almost-an-old-timer that, due to my divorce / financial situation, I wouldn't be able to pay him until later in October.  Word is that he blustered, "Hell, I don't give a sh*t about that!"  What can you say that properly encompasses goodwill like that?  :)

Speaking of Bundle of Joy's daddy, I've had a couple of sneaky little wood angels steadily working on the many cords of wood waiting out there to be cut up.  Twice now, J has come with a 2nd in tow and chainsaws sharp (when they thought I'd already be at work) to attack the 8-12' lengths.  

. . . I've been sitting here, fingers on the keyboard, trying to figure out how to properly explain what kind of person J is (and not having much luck).  The problem is, I don't know how to describe him in this day and age.  Were it 150 years ago, I'd have no problem.  He and his wife would be the farmers who put their own crops on the back burner to come harvest yours when you were in dire straights.  No, correction:  they'd come to help BEFORE you got into a tight situation.  J is an old-fashioned kind of guy.  A blue-collar, honest-as-the-day-is-long kind of guy.  To him, family is #1.  Hands-down, no arguments.  And, somewhere along the line, he and Bundle of Joy's mama decided that I was family.  And family comes first.  I know that NO MATTER WHAT EVER MIGHT HAPPEN, I can call on and count on them.  Flat out, no questions asked. 

I know Tom's and my divorce has been hard on them.  They are devoutly religious.  Not devoutly in the "zealot, can't-have-any-non-Christian-friends" way, but their every belief is founded in a deep trust in the teachings of the Bible.  But, they balance that (disappointment in our divorce) with the understanding that, #1, the decision to divorce was not an easy one for us NOR, more importantly, one we took lightly and, #2, we are all different (in our beliefs and principles).  While they are sad that we're no longer together, they also find comfort in the fact that we are determined to stay friends.  Matter of fact, Tom and I have often been invited to their house on the same night to visit . . . killing two birds with one stone, if you'll pardon the pun.  Although, we've also visited just as many times (more, probably) on our own.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this . . . I wasn't meaning to bring it back to Tom and me.  I'm just trying to express what incredible people J and H are.  They have taken us (me) into their hearts and, as a direct result, into their family.  And I do NOT take that love and relationship lightly.  It's one of the most meaningful and treasured friendships I have.  You know?  We need to invent a new word!  I know they say that "friends are the family you choose", but I want a word that means MORE than "just" friends.  What should it be?

Well, I feel like I've really strayed off on a tangent tonight, but, rather than pull it back to whatever intended path I'd sent out on, I'm gonna sign off.  Like I said at the beginning of this, I'm tired!

P.S.  Very much NOT incidentally, my "adopted daughter" is J's baby sister . . . .  ;)  Although, we have very much separate relationships:  mine with her vs. mine with them.  Weird, huh?

Firewood Delivered!

I've really missed blogging!  

But, since a week ago last Sunday,
I've been home only long enough to sleep (briefly) at night
and do the barest minimum of chores around here.

I'll explain why just as soon as I'm done and CAN write a proper post.

In the meantime,

enjoy these pictures of next winter's 12 cords of birch that were delivered,

after all, last week.

I

My Wednesday

I'm so in love with the new look of the blog & the header that it's not even funny!  Maybe this will help me blog more!  Truth be told, blogging more was one of my New Year's resolutions.  I enjoy doing it, and I love the idea that I'm doing the modern equivalent of journaling.  Kinda.  And, being able to blog wherever, whenever I want (now) really makes a difference, too.  For example, these last couple of nights I've taken the laptop to bed with me, and right now I'm snuggled underneath my heating pad (it's part of the family) in complete darkness (save the glow of this screen) with the window open just inches behind my head (listening to the breeze through the pines).  Granted, I'd rather have a happy hubby in bed next to me, but, for now, I'm taking advantage of being able to do this.  If life hands you lemons . . . get out the tequila, right?  ;)

Whew, hot flash.  Heating pad . . . OFF!

So, today.  It was a GORGEOUS one!

As I wrote this AM, I'd heard the loggers working, so I made a batch of Jam Dandy Muffins with strawberry jam.  Then, as soon as they were out of the oven & cool enough to pack in a tin (the muffins, not the loggers), I threw the dogs into the truck and away we went.  

Here's a picture of the road they (the loggers, not the muffins) cut thru the trees to their current logging site.  When I got back there (the road's about 1/2 a mile long), one of the guys (they're identical twins, so I had no idea which one I was talking to) was loading / unloading in the staging area while the other could be heard cutting in the woods.

As he climbed down from the rig and pulled off his ear protection, I said, "I brought treats!"  He smiled and said, "It's a good day for treats!"  (I'm sure ANY day would be a good day for treats for them!)  


Anyway, I asked about the chances of getting a load of birch from them this winter yet.  And, whether it was coincidental or not (i.e. if "the word's out" about Tom and me), he said, "Yah, we were just talkin' about that - like, a week ago!  We been lookin', and we got some birch over there at that other cut.  How much?"  I said I wanted 8-10 cords (that's about a year's worth), and we talked price.  It seemed a little higher than last year, but I haven't looked that up yet to compare (last year's price).  Still, it was a decent price for 8' lengths delivered right into the yard.  And, I'd much rather give the money to them, who are working right here, than to someone who would haul it in from farther away.  Plus, they're good guys.

When I was leaving, brother #1 asked if I'd "plowed in".  I was surprised that he would ask:  usually, loggers don't care much about the shape of their logging roads as long as they can navigate them.  I collected myself and said, "Uhhh, no, but I will on the way out" . . . just thinking I'd help them out.  He continued on to say that they'd just gotten a pickup this past weekend but that it didn't have a plow on it yet, and he'd "opened up one side of the road with the cat but that was it".

It wasn't until I was halfway back out to the road when I realized, "He was talking about the ROAD road, you dummy, not the logging road!"  Duhhhh.  So, instead of heading directly home once I got out of the woods, I took a right and continued plowing.  I only had to plow about 2 miles because it's there (midway in on the road) that the other loggers are working, and they've kept those first 2 miles of the 4-mile long wintertime driveway as wide as an airport runway!  (Beautiful!)  

When I drove out last week and saw the impact their (big!) operation had made, I was surrrrprised!  I'll have to take a peek at the plat map to see how many acres this job was, but it's HUGE (relatively speaking, of course)!  Here's a shot taken out the passenger window while I was out plowing today.  It sure has made that part of the drive look COMPLETELY different!

When I came to the river on my way back home, I stopped & got out to take a couple of pictures.  I haven't posted any images of the river in quite some time (stay tuned tomorrow).  What was funny was that at that point in the road, there wasn't much snow and I figured I was just doing what I call "clean-up plowing" . . . and I wouldn't have much snow in front of the blade.  HA!  Look what I saw when I turned back to the truck!  (The blade's 9' wide and about 30 - 36" high.)  And, yep, I still gotta get that headlight fixed.

Finally, I thought I'd show you the little you can see of Swamp River Ridge at this time of year (in the summertime, it's completely hidden).  This is just as you come down a little hill to cross the bridge over the river.

Finally, here's an aerial shot I took in September of 2005 while we were building.  It's basically the same layout as the above picture (although taken from a more southerly direction).  From left to right:  the house (pad), the solar panels, and the garage.

Oh, and last but not least, my new work gloves.

I got them for Christmas.

I dunno:  do you think I'm working hard enough?

Hauling Wood

Tom was away this past weekend working on that cabin 2 1/2 hours away (he's since finished up and is now HOME!), but wood needed to be hauled.

We weren't as ready for the firewood season last fall as we could have been, AND we had that cold snap of temperatures below 0° for nearly two weeks. The upshot of all that is that we've needed to get our hands on more wood.

The little cabin we built near town (on my parents' property) has had several stacks of wood leftover from trees that had to be felled when we cleared the cabin site so many years ago. Having that wood sitting there, moldering (it's too big to use in the cabin's little Jøtul) and unused, has bugged me for years. So, inspiration struck the other day: I would start hauling the wood down with the toboggan to bring home by the pickup truckload to burn! Two birds with one stone, and all that rot!

Of course, my dad couldn't stand by and allow his daughter to do that work all by herself! ;)

Here's an illustration of what happens when you combine a cheap, plastic sled and too much wood . . . DAD! (Good thing he doesn't read this!)


My dad's help was REALLY wonderful! Especially since he took on the task of pickarooning apart all the wood. Remember that mid-winter thaw that we had a week or so ago, and the RAIN that accompanied it? Yeah, well it also cemented all the pieces of wood into one, frozen, solid mass. Here you see my dad working in the foreground with our little cabin, the Håfweh Haus, in the rear.


I couldn't believe all the deer activity by the wood piles! They'd actually been bedding down there at night. This picture is a very POOR example of one of the melted, poop-filled ovals that illustrate a long rest. I put Maisy in the picture to lend (size) perspective, but you can see (or not!) that it didn't work very well.


Red-faced and sweaty, Dad and I share a job well done! Tucker observes. ;)



Tom has since unloaded this first of what I hope will be three full loads, and I look forward to things being much neater and cleaner in the woods around the little cabin this coming spring and summer!

Rainy Thursday

It's a rainy, overcast day . . . a PERFECT day to stay in bed! But, alas, that's a pipe dream. Although, Tom and I did sleep WAY in this morning - we were both SHOCKED when we looked at the clock! (And I won't even tell you what time it read - it's that embarrassing.)

Tom and I both had big work days yesterday. The piece of rental equipment that Tom needed for his Trapper Cabin Handyman job in town was not available (even tho it had been reserved for him), so he switched gears. After cleaning out the accumulation of recycling, garbage, and JUNK in the woodshed, he logged and worked on firewood all afternoon and late into the evening.


I, meanwhile, had another pickling day and finished up all the pickling cucs. I got 21 1/2 pints put up yesterday, and it feels GREAT to have that all accomplished! I get a great sense of satisfaction out of working all day and then having the "instant" gratification at the end when I see all that I've accomplished. And, talk about saving money! In addition to only including "healthy" (no preservatives), organic ingredients, all the pickles I've put up this year (10 quarts and 30 1/2 pints) would have cost around $186 . . . and that's the WHOLESALE price that I pay! So, not counting Mom's blood, sweat, and tears that went into planting, nurturing, and harvesting the seeds - and my blood, sweat, and tears in cleaning, slicing, preparing, and canning the pickling cucs - only MINIMAL cost went into the pickles. Maybe $5, $10 total. Now THAT'S a savings! (And a big psychological reward!)

Today I need to finish blanching and freezing the green and yellow beans (which have been languishing on the cold floor of my pantry) and then attack sa-sa-sa-sal-SA! ;)


These two pictures are from the pickling process . . . examples of something that, as a canner, you NEVER really want to see! So, remember when I wrote about the last jar of pickles splitting open as I lifted them out of the water bath? Yup, this is what that mess looked like.


This second picture is from last night and WAY more dangerous! See the jar of pickles on the top right in the group of six? That lid pushing up is what you call P-R-E-S-S-U-R-E! Just as that batch was finishing, I heard a loud POP! and thought, "Sugarjets! Another jar broke open!" (And, okay, I didn't really say 'sugarjets', but you get the jist!) Anyway, no, I'd - apparently - had a bad seal on that jar, causing the pressure of the boiling brine in the boiling water batch to convex the lid out! Not good. So, it was with great trepidation and fear . . . and shielding my eyes as best as I could . . . that I removed it from the water bath. And, as the jar cooled, so relaxed the pressure within. All was well, and now that jar is in the refrig as our "test" jar. (Haven't tried them yet.)

Mmmm, the rain coming down outside is WONDERFUL (we need rain soooo badly). Problem is, all it makes me want to do is make a batch of cookies and then curl up in front of the crackin' fire (eating the cookies!) with a good book!