Am I a Hoarder?

 Wow!! It has been an eon since I updated here.  So long ago that all the stuff that I had out of the bedrooms when the new rugs were laid was still on the long dining room counter and all over the floor (hence the title, which I'm keeping even though the stuff is all sorted, downsized and filed away)--I figure the title is attention-getting.
I thought that if I start a draft for a post and just add key words, it would help me to remember what things might need updating, and since it's started, might help me post more frequently.  Not so on the latter assumption.  So now the updates, following the list:

Addilyn:  The baby is now 9 months old, a beauty, and advanced even if I say so myself.  Since 7 months she has been walking around furniture.  This week she discovered toilet paper and the water cooler.  The first photo is of her in a dress I crocheted 32 years ago for my baby (her mom).

This sweater (how perfect is a leaf-yoke sweater for playing in the leaves?) was also made by me many years ago.

Her big brother Goofy, her sidekick, will be her chauffeur when she is finished with the educational toy.

The greenhouses are covered with new plastic.  When we used to do this ourselves, we pulled the 48x100'  sheets of heavy plastic along the roof ridge, with a rope.  This year we decided to hire the job out.  These boys walked along 3/4" pipes, one on each side and had it from one end to the other in no time.

 The greenhouses are all cleaned, the trays are all washed, the plant orders are in, some seeds are ordered, the soil has been delivered, only pots and remaining seeds to order.  February will be here soon enough.

The new flooring was installed and except for one room of crown moulding and one room of baseboards, the renos are finished.  We do plan to re-do the bathroom (new tub, high toilet and new sinks) after Christmas or next summer, but will hire it out--helps to have a son-in-law who is a plumber.

My experience with having sweaters published and my work on the Master Knitter Program have led me in a new direction.  I've been tech-editing patterns for other designers.  I prefer that over test knitting, because I get a preview of their patterns, and don't have to knit all these projects.  I appreciate all projects for their creativity and how stitch patterns are used/chosen, but not all the designs are to my liking for personal use, so tech-editing gives me the benefit without the work.

I had some custom orders for baby blankets.  The customer provided RH Super Saver in the Black Lights colorway, and wanted a black border.  My first attempt was this:  smaller rectangles with black strips between.  She didn't like it, so I made a new one in the Grandma's Dishcloth Pattern (no photo) and she liked that one.

 She also provided me with the concept of the photo with baby, and sent me colors of the nursery, and the lower chevron blanket is the result.  (Baby photo from a Ravelry Pattern page)

Oops, the photo of the nursery came out sideways.

For the Master Knitter Program (they are not compulsory, but helpful), and just for the fun of it, I bought five of the Barbara G. Walker books.  They are mostly awesome, but the 4th one (green) is not so useful for my purposes

For the theatre's spring show of Arcadia, I made this Spencer jacket and added the trim to a shawl for which knitted yard goods had been provided, and  to that I added the trim in Kid mohair.

The jacket was made of one strand of fingering yarn from Ancient Arts Fibre and one strand of kid mohair, the sleeve trim, collar and lace inserts in sleeves being only the mohair.

Also from Ancient Arts Fibre, I made a cowl using Planned Pooling, in the Flame Point Siamese colorway.  This involved planning carefully so the color sequence made a planned color pattern instead of random as space-dyed yarn can do.

 Our well, which was at the west edge of the garden, failed this spring.  So we had a new one drilled--turns out that galvanized cribbing has a life of about 20 years (it can rust out), and we were nearly at 30 years.  We had a great water supply, so the driller tried to drill fairly close to the old well, but at 30 feet down, it caved in, in spite of using hydraulic pressure to prevent that--we have a deep layer of very fine sand.  So that well was closed up, and the new spot chosen was at the south-east corner of the garden--which meant the rig had to park on the garden, severely compacting the soil. The rototiller couldn't break through.  It will take time and  a lot of busy earthworms to fix that situation.  So because of that compaction and a summer with no rain, and my not getting the sprinkler out soon enough, the garden wasn't very good this year.

 We had good tomatoes, and a good crop of small onions besides what we ate during the summer, and the garden was cleaned, and next year's garlic planted under straw (see black arrow to find garlic patch).  I planted lovely red/purple garlic.

 From purchased cabbage, I made sauerkraut for the first time:  28 lbs cabbage bought, 22 lbs (after cleaning and shredding) salted, and yielding 13 quarts of sauerkraut.  It's very good.

I also picked five 5-gal pails of apples so have been putting lots of apple goodies in the freezer and dehydrating lots of apples for winter snacks.

And lots of baking (muffins above) from the last big zucchini.

During the spring and summer I altered dresses for weddings: for a June wedding, 5 bridesmaids and the bride's dress, then for a Sept. wedding, one bridesmaid and the bride.  Now I have a teenager from a neighboring farm coming for sewing lessons.  She is a horsewoman and is sewing herself a long black cape to wear in parades.  She is so keen and a quick study.

We have had our first snowfall, but it quickly melted, and now we are enjoying a lovely, warm, long fall.

Our 15-year old Dazey passed away this summer (she is the black dog).  We were worried that Sparky, her "twin" sister (from same litter) would pine for her, but Sparky is very bonded with several of our 15+ farm cats, so she has been fine.  But she is also old, so we have to prepare ourselves for the inevitable.

Addilyn's daddy ordered a Yoda hat before she was born, and I had planned a Baby Yeti hoodie, which was a perfect little Yoda robe.  Here she is, all decked out for Halloween.

Now on the agenda is her Tinkerbell blanket, which I am creating starting with this coloring book page:

And her Eeyore (crocheted from a Leisure Arts pattern) is in progress.  Also more baby blankets for clients, and one more lap afghan (I made one along with the neon baby blanket, but have no photo--it was a grey/black chevron crochet pattern).

Notice my Knit-Meter in the column on the right--my knitting/crochet yarn use is over 20 000 m so far this year ☺

Well, my typing fingers are getting tired, so I'll leave you with this thought, but instead of "Wise Men", please read "Wise Men and Women"

Cabbage Rolls à la Madame Kubota

 This post was drafted a couple of weeks ago, so some of the tense is off.  Updates are in different-colored font.
The day before Thanksgiving.  Lots of the kids and grand-kids are coming for dinner.  They keep offering to bring something, but I guess it's my own quest to stay independent and "able" that leads me to decline those offers (mind you, some of them bring stuff anyways).  Our menu will consist of (* items are a must or I will be put out onto an ice floe this winter):

 --Turkey, Kubota Man's Mom's stuffing with pork sausage in it, also a roaster of stuffing besides what's in the bird (Our new SIL doesn't eat pork, so the stuffing in the bird will have no sausage),
--*Cranberry-Tomato sauced meatballs,
--*Cabbage rolls,
--*Broccoli salad (small bowl minus the bacon),
--*Raspberry cream cheese dessert,
--store bought pumpkin pie,
-- if our son comes (eats no land animals) he will get some steelhead trout,
-- and scalloped or garlic mashed potatoes.
So I have to put my mind to making the cabbage rolls.  The roaster is about 10" x 13"x 3" deep.  These can also be made with sweet cabbage:  The leaves are removed the same way as I did for sour leaves, and then leave them in hot water till they are roll-able. My neighbors make them with beet leaves also.   My sour leaves are very pliable.  The veins have been removed.
Ingredients:  Cabbage leaves, pearl rice, water, lots of onions (2-3 cups and then another 1-2 cups, chopped), oil, chicken broth powder.

Now I cut the cabbage leaves into triangle/trapezoid shapes.  I can make very small rolls, but generally aim for pieces that measure 3".  If they have holes, I "patch" with smaller pieces.

 The nearest thing I can come up with to describe the knack of rolling little cabbage rolls, is to compare it to rolling cigarettes by hand (I used to roll them for my dad). You have to snug as you roll.
Once the leaves are drained and cut, I prepare the onions for between the layers, and the rice.
For the onion layers, heat about 1-1.5 c of oil in a saucepan, and sauté the larger amount of onions until clear and soft, if they become a bit golden it's OK.  Put aside.

--Cooking rice for this goes against everything I learned in Junior High Homemaking class.  In my 7-qt Dutch oven I put about 1/2 c oil and fry the second quantity of onions (some folks use chopped bacon, not draining all the fat, and fry the onions in that).  Add 4c of raw rice and stir while frying until some of the rice begins to turn lightly golden. This gives the rice a nice flavor.

Add cool water to cover the rice mixture.  Add about 1.5 Tbs of chicken broth powder (taste and adjust).  Cook on high till it comes to the boil, stir often, then turn down to med-low.  Do not cover.  When water is mostly absorbed (it will look gelatinous), add some more water, but just enough to moisten, not to make it liquid-y--keep cooking and stir often.  It should be very sticky.  When the rice kernels are mostly cooked but the center is still hard, remove from heat.  Stir a couple of times while cooling to let the heat out of the center of the mass.

Line roaster with parchment paper, allowing enough length to cover the top when it is full.  (I forgot to do this, and everything worked out fine)

I'm right-handed, so will describe it that way.
When the rice is cool enough to handle, place a piece of cabbage in the left hand with a tip pointing away from you.

Scoop up a generous teaspoon of rice and "smoosh" it at the base of the cabbage.

Fold in the sides, and begin to roll towards the tip (the rice should be manipulated into a little sausage inside the leaf), tuck as you roll.  A worker to whom we once served cabbage rolls, approved mine since he said, "good cabbage rolls don't come apart if you throw them at the wall". 

 I make them roughly finger-size.

Arrange them in the roaster in an even layer, all oriented the same way.

Make a second layer in the opposite direction.  Spread half the reserved oil/onion mixture evenly over the rolls.  Make 2 more layers in opposite directions, spread remaining onion mixture over the last layer.  Fold parchment over and place lid on.  If I make them ahead I freeze them, but they have to be thawed before cooking (I put them in the spare fridge 5 days before the dinner, along with the turkey which I thaw in the fridge for 5 days).  I allow them 3 hours to bake to finish cooking the rice and soften the cabbage since it is still tough after souring.  When ready to cook, open the parchment and pour in 1/3 cup water, close up and place roaster lid on.  Bake at 300 deg F for about 3 hours.  Some people pour tomato juice instead of (or maybe in addition to) the onion layers.
This is food for the gods, but not for dieters.
Leftover sour leaves can be re-frozen.
3 cups of raw rice will make an aluminum foil lasagna pan of 3 layers.

Lazy version:  Prepare rice as above in a quantity according to your pan size.  (As I re-read this I realized you can just cook regular rice for the lazy version, seasoned with chicken broth or bacon. It doesn't have to be the sticky method at all.)  My daughter uses bacon in her lazy version. Sauerkraut can be used in place of the chopped sour cabbage parts that I use.  Layer the rice, sautéed onions and sauerkraut/cabbage pieces in a baking dish.  Add a bit of water, cover and bake.  If using sauerkraut, it only needs to cook until the rice is soft, if using cabbage pieces, it needs longer.

I've been very busy with other endeavors since the cabbage was packed away.  First of all, there was a wedding dress to hem, bustle the train, and make a few minor modifications, also a flower girl dress to alter.  Of the 5 bridesmaids, one dress was a perfect length and fit, one had only the hem to do, and 3 had hems and alterations in the bodice.

Besides that, on Sept 15 I received yarn to adapt this 1940's style sweater for Theatre Calgary.  The new sweater will be a different yarn weight, have a v-neck, long sleeves, a slightly different stitch pattern as well as a stitch pattern instead of embroidery in the decorative panel.

The play takes place in Holland during the Liberation.  The designer is the same designer who worked on Spamalot at the Edmonton theater,for which I knit all the chain mail.  He chose Christmas red for the sweater with buttons that look like deer antler slices.  I can't reveal close-ups, since I received permission to publish the pattern and am offering it to a magazine, so it cannot be shown on-line.  If it is declined I will self-publish it, then I can show it.  I have asked the theater for some good photos of it on the actress.  See how nicely the tulips play with the red sweater.

Our anticipated grand-baby is developing right on schedule.  Momma has requested a marshmallow quilt (aka biscuit quilt, or puff quilt) in rainbow colors.  And I have my own knitting agenda for that baby.

Master Knitter Level 3 is on hold for the time being.
There will be no Christmas knitting this year (maybe).

And, looking at my Knit Meter, I am way behind in metres of yarn knit this year.  I will have to hurry and make a couple of blankets to get that up--or hurry up and do some Christmas knitting--my mind is devoid of ideas for what to make.

 I'm way behind with the outside work due to the wedding sewing and theater sweater.  So I have to get at that.  The garden and berry patch are top priority.  Then Kubota Man can take off the rototiller.
I'm done he garden and the berry patch, and KM took off the rototiller.  The weather is holding nicely, so I will continue to work on flower bed weeding for as long as I can.
We had a great tomato crop, so there is salsa made and about 75 lbs of peeled tomatoes are in the freezer in 5 lb. bags for good soups and sauces in the winter.  The potatoes, root veggies and onions are tucked away in the basement, and the greenhouse stock plants and some spikes that are being wintered over are needing constant watering downstairs.

Teaching the weekly religion class at the elementary school has begun again--I am teaching Grade 6 this year.
On Friday I am going went (as a volunteer) with Nursing Home residents on the Handi-bus (some with walkers, some with wheel chairs) on a shopping trip to a mall in the city.  I'm looking forward to that. That was a great experience.  Pushing a wheelchair makes walking the ceramic tiles of the mall much easier for me.

Last winter I sat around knitting too much and seized up a lot of muscles in my hip and groin area and legs.  I started to visit a deep tissue massage therapist, and she has done amazing work--but she is moving for her husband's job--that is sad.  I also started physio since my hip is showing signs of arthritis, and the soreness of the muscles has left me weak.  So the physio and exercise I do at home have greatly improved my range of motion, strength and reduced my pain.  That makes me happy, because the more I can move, the better off I am.  It's really important to me to stay off pills and be an active participant in my health.  Tomorrow I am seeing a nutritionist to help me sort out the newest info about healthy fats and oils, as well as what nutrients I have to be sure to ingest to stave off further joint deterioration in that hip.  I am also working on eliminating from our pantry most foods that have unpronounceable chemical words on the labels.  And for 8 Tuesdays I will be attending a basic yoga/walking for fitness class. The yoga will mostly emphasize breathing and stretching, not full yoga.  I won't be continuing with the yoga since many of the poses involve movements that are not allowed with my artificial hip, and for those that require balance I have a problem with the nerve damage in my feet from the 2007 automobile accident.

Today I will leave you with the theme of the current religion lessons:
Till next time:  His love is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. (Psalms 

Time to drop the resolutions

I'm dropping the resolutions, because I just keep plugging along, doing what needs to be doing.
Greenhouse:  still cleaning--it's been so hot for weeks that, even with fans on, it's unbearable to work in there, so I'm way behind.  Today was cooler, and the next few days, too, so I hope to finish soon.  I did finish washing over 5000 trays.
Gardens:  the vegetable garden is very productive in spite of no rain (and no watering on my part), some weeding didn't get done till very late, so it may be too late for some of the squashes.  Will have to buy squash this winter in that case.  Flower beds--still a disaster except the shaded ones--did those in the heat.  Berry patch only about 20% cleaned--got too hot, and without rain, the ground was like cement. Important to do these before fall and spread some Casaron in fall to prevent weed germination in spring.  Everything is ripening too fast because of the heat.  We have shared corn, cucumbers and tomatoes with anyone who will take them.
The peas weren't ready one day, the next day, over-ripe, so I'll pull them.  The onions are nicely keeling over on their own--they keep better if they fall over on their own.

Knitting: Working on Master Knitter Level 3--all reports and reviews done, working steadily on swatches.  Hope to finish these by end of Sept.  That will leave the hat and sweater to be designed and knit by April.  Will there be time for any Christmas knitting?  I made these  Teeny Tiny Socks for the new grand-baby that's expected in February.  The parents are not likely going to ask the baby 's gender, and I'm finding "gender neutral" leans towards masculine--that's why one pair got a bit of lilac in it:

Each pair took just under 10g. An Old Shale blanket is in the works and I'm dying to start this car seat/stroller cover:  Sleepy Monkey Blanket.  I have to buy some flannelette to make good quality receiving blankets.

I also made 3 Ruffle Scarves (which I strongly dislike, but OK in Edmonton Eskimo team colors, green and gold) for DD2 and DD3 and an elderly lady in the Nursing home who proudly wears her Edmonton Eskimo cap.  I don't have photos of my scarf, but this stock photo from the yarn company will give you an idea:

Aches and Pains:  My right hip is deteriorating and referring pain to all kinds of places as well as making it hard to tie shoes; according to the MRI it is moderately damaged, but there is a protocol that must be followed before surgery, regardless of the fact that it is very painful, and that I am still actively working in the greenhouse and around the farm.  The sequence used to be something like this:  pain management and exercise; when these don't work any more, cortisone shots directly into the joint, and when these don't work, surgery--if I live that long, and am fit enough to withstand surgery.  The process took at least 7 years with my left hip--highly successful outcome from that surgery.  I've been going to massage therapy to keep the muscles from seizing from the pain (and to un-seize them from the sitting-and-knitting all winter), and started physio this week to learn an appropriate exercise program.  Since,when sitting for extended periods of time, you're supposed to get up and move every 20 to 30 minutes, one of the exercises is easy to do and perfect for limbering things up.  Also I figured out an indoor 2-minute walk is:  **[the length of the living room, dining room, kitchen, down the stairs (backwards is less painful and more secure), the length of the basement, back up the stairs and back to the living room]**, repeat from ** to ** once more.
Fruit Flies:  There are so many fruit flies.  I am trapping them very successfully.  Take a clean yogurt container (about a quart size), put bait in (I found orange peels the best, mango second), stretch saran wrap over and fasten with a rubber band. Punch about 10 small holes with a skewer or round toothpick (they will find their way in but few will get out).  Within 5 minutes the orange peel one was full of flies, by the third day, there were very few flying around.  They will go to any fruit trimmings; I was trying different fruits in 5 different traps.  They all caught some, but orange and mango caught the most.  The orange one was just swarming.

Till next time:  Happiness isn't having what you want, it's wanting what you have.

More on Dazey and Sparky and the Orange Kitty

Dazey and Sparky were wondering about the dearth of comments after their mommy posted their pictures. They are happier now that 2 friends posted comments (one of which their mommy lost while publishing the comment). Dazey and Sparky are now 9 or 10 years old. In people years, that means that they are older than their Mommy now. Believe it or not, they are sisters from the same litter.
There is a long (does Sigrun know any other kind?) story behind their arrival at the farm.

I DO NOT LIKE DOGS. No, I really don't like dogs. I value dogs for their capacity to be helpful to us helpless humans: dogs for company, guide dogs, police dogs, drug-bustin' dogs, sheep-herding dogs...... We used to raise pure-bred German Shepherds, and were card-holding members of the Canadian Kennel Club. And then one pooper-scoop, chicken-scatter, and one lamb-eating incident too many, and the bloom was off the rose.

Several years ago, I saw these tiny creatures trying to climb into the sheep pen. I thought they might be baby skunks or some other little varmint. Upon closer examination, I found this tiny, fur-ball-y little pair. Our son 'fessed up. His friends A&M, had plans to move into a house, and had to take the puppies while they were still in the apartment. KMJr. offered to look after them at the farm. Knowing how I felt about dogs, he kept their presence a secret--fed them and played with them in the barn. One day, they went exploring, and that's when I found them. They were precious, adorable, just a bit bigger than a handful, and sooooo precious, and adorable (did I tell you how precious and adorable they were?). So they were out of the "closet", and we openly cared for them, and fell in love with them. Well, A&M did not move to a house, and after the puppies' 2-month spell of farm vacation and freedom, I refused to doom them to apartment-dwelling. So I suggested that A&M give them to us (really, NO $$$ changed hands). KMJr. knew the deal was sealed when he heard me say to them, "Come to Mommy, girls".

They are so clever. They have such personality. Dazey (the black one) is the "Blondest" dog I've ever seen, except I think her "Blond-ness" is a crazy-like-a fox act. Sparky is really intelligent. You can just imagine that she is problem-solving. They love the greenhouse season because everyone adores them and the kids come to visit the dogs, associate dogs with plants, and will probably become plant-lovers in later life.

There are other dogs I can easily put up with: the Grandpuppies. Since the Grandkids are grown up or almost so, I look forward to babysitting the grandpuppies: Toby the Pomeranian, and Tundra the German Shepherd cross (KMJr's dog).

This next part is for all you Orange Kitten fans: our orange kitty --all grown up.
PS: Knitting news; The Honeycomb Sweater #1 is finished. I am not showing it yet, in case I decide to submit it somewhere, then I think I'm not allowed to reveal it ahead of time (I'm not sure about that, though).
Still slugging on the bridesmaids' dresses. Will definitely be finished this week (Wedding is on the 8th of Aug.) come H or high water. The tough part isn't the sewing, it's getting together with the girls--we're 50 miles apart.
Garden: half weeded. Had 5 tomatoes ripe off the vines (2 weeks later than usual), the sheep had a feast of swiss chard--I'll get the second cut. Cucumbers next week. Kohlrabi next week. The flower beds that had been weeded, as well as the strawberry bed, all need re-weeding. The other flower beds haven't been touched yet. Also, YEAY!! I managed to kill out 2 major ant hills. Only 4 more to go.

Till next time: Grandmothers are inclined to bring their grandchildren home muddy, sticky, radiant, exhausted and two hours late. Wise mothers say nothing. (Clara Ortega)

Time to Catch Up

Spring is trying to come to our parts:

IN THE GREENHOUSE: (Purple Spider Osteospermum)

ON THE FARM. (This is where I uploaded a picture for 16 minutes, and with one click, accidentally highlighted it, didn't notice, and deleted it).

(Canada Geese and more wool)

GARDEN JOURNAL: here is my garden today. A real 60'x80' "carte blanche". I hear the rototiller chomping at the bit: "Sigrun, time to plant the sticks!", it's calling me. (will explain stick planting when it happens.) It only looks like the garden is under water. It's drying nicely. Will keep posting regularly about the garden for anyone interested, particularly my 2 new gardening blogger friends.

How would you like this perennial flower bed?

I'm always late cleaning my flower beds. I didn't clean them last fall because of the damage to the greenhouses (see further on).

Actually, I hardly ever clean them in the fall, only this yearI had an excuse.

I feel so fortunate: I just came across Grandma's ( my late mother-in-law's) McCall's Needlecraft Magazines from Winter 1945-46 to 1952. I scanned the cover of the oldest one. (disappointing here). Note the cost (35 cents-can't read ut). I love retro garments. Will post some of my favorites later.

What's happening in my crazy life?

a. The Cowardly Lion's head was picked up on Tuesday Morning. Can't show you pictures because the show is not open yet. If the Theatre sends me a photo I will post it.

b. It's income tax time (our deadline is April 30) finished my Mom's, finished the quarterly sales tax report.

c. The large large man's alpaca sweater--knitting is finished, assembly not. I think I will write the pattern top-down. I'm pondering about short-rowing over the back and sleeves, so the front neckline will be quite low to accommodate a shirt collar and tie.

d. Half the petunias are transplanted; we're 700 sq. ft. short of space because we didn't have time to finish rebuilding the lean-to greenhouse that blew down in a severe windstorm in October. (Severe damage--2 greenhouses repaired before the severe cold in Dec.) Thinking we would get it finished, I didn't reduce my planting plans. Yesterday DH gave me the news-minus 700 sq. ft. DH unpacked the wintered-over perennials, and we will be moving the wintered-over trees and shrubs out of storage. Hope they all survived. The new orders come next week.

e. Next Tuesday, I'm getting my winter tires off. You can blame me if more snow comes. But I promiseI won't wash my winter jacket nor will I pack away the mitts and boots (till at least July).

f. Regretfully told the school that I'm not available for substitute teaching till fall. :( Too busy.

I think this is my 10th post. And I'm thinking that this is kind of like having pen pals when I was a kid--only you don't have to wait as long for the mail. And it's kind of disappointing when you don't hear from them for a while, and you wonder if they got the letter (i.e. read the blog), and you're dying to meet them in person.

Till next time: If the old will remember, the young will listen. (Chief Dan George)