And it Turned out Nice Again After All

Fall is back again. Within 2 days the snow melted, the sun shone and shone, the trees knew they still had time to show their colors,













and my garden and flower bed weeds are calling me again.














The deck rails are all finished--big deck view.














North side view.














East side view, with Kubota Man.














I finished the alterations for a blog friend from Edmonton: total( not all done today) of 2 jackets to shorten the body and one of them, the sleeves, 3 skirts to shorten, and 1 pair of pants to take in and shorten. She'll be happy they're done.

Today we went on an annual "date" to the nearby village of Andrew, Alberta, about 70 miles NE of Edmonton, 13 miles from our place. This is significant for many reasons which I am about to reveal. I would guess the population of the village might, at best, be 300 people--if we include the agricultural trade area around the village, maybe 500 souls.














Andrew has one of very few remaining grain elevators. In the last 15 years almost all these Prairie Monuments to Agriculture have been demolished in favor of huge concrete silos to which farmers have to travel farther to deliver their grain. The Andrew Historical Society has purchased the elevator and is operating it as a museum.














Main Street of the bustling metropolis of Andrew, Alberta.














Andrew's symbol is the Mallard Duck. This is the largest mallard duck in the world.














Since the area around Andrew was first settled by Ukrainian and Romanian pioneers, and whose culinary arts depended heavily on garlic and other members of the allium family, there is an annual GARLIC FESTIVAL. This is an autumn celebration with a wonderful array of activities. We were welcomed to the arena by these citizens:




























There is a farmers' market, where we forget the "Sensible Eating Plan" and buy ourselves home-baked treats.














And a bench show, where Kubota Man, myself and another guest are the judges. The entries in the bench show have to be fall-oriented, and garlic has to be incorporated into each design.

The winner of the Novelty category, Junior level. That magazine in the side of the chair is a 1946 Eaton's Catalogue.














Scarecrow Category: Junior level.















Three Heads of Garlic-Seniors level. (I don't know what I did to activate the underline feature).















Novelty Category, senior level--this is a misshapen kohlrabi, with chains of garlic cloves connected for legs. That one got a lot of chuckles.















And the evening ended with a wonderful buffet of garlic-flavored and traditional Ukrainian dishes: Beets and mushrooms with garlic, Garlic Roast Beef, Garlic Meat Balls, Green beans with garlic, pickled garlic, Navy bean porridge with garlic (my favorite), Holubtsi (tiny sour cabbage rolls), Headcheese (laced with garlic), Nachynka (cornmeal porridge), salads, and a big bowl of crushed garlic to spread on the bread (I passed on this one, as I didn't want to sit by myself at church tomorrow), and for dessert: pumpkin cheesecake and lemon squares.














This wonderful meal was followed by a dance with a talented Ukrainian band. But, alas and alack, the only "downer" of the wonderful weekend is that Kubota Man does not like to dance, and for the first time we hardly knew anyone there so he couldn't visit, and I love to dance, but we went home early. So, in consolation, I went downstairs, uploaded pictures and blogged, which can sometimes be considered better than dancing--definitely better than moping about 44 years of dance-deprivation (that's my only major complaint about the old boy).

Till next time: Each day provides its own gifts. (Marshal)

Writer's Challenge for Thanksgiving

Lori E has posted a Writer's challenge for Thanksgiving.

The Nicest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done for Me
I am lucky to be blessed with many friends who are always doing nice things for each other, but my first thought for this topic was my neighbor, Molly.

We have known Molly and her husband for over 30 years, when they welcomed us as neighbors after we purchased our land across the road from their farm. This being a rural area, of mostly Ukrainian origin, food and congenial hospitality are important parts of social interactions.

The "nicest thing" that Molly did (and keeps on doing, like the Energizer Bunny) is to feed us. When we are working in the greenhouse we often receive "surprise" food prepared by Molly. When I thank her, she always says, "Oh, it's just leftovers". When she pops over for coffee, so I can help with her knitting or crocheting, she always brings the homemade goodies. No-one makes peroghies or holubtsi (cabbage rolls) or paska or kuffles like our Molly.

The amazing thing is that she seems to sense just when we need her offerings the most. It's not about not having food in the house, it's about getting too busy to take the time. And it's about a friend who is there just at the right moment.

♫ Fa la la la la, la la la la ♫ ♪

Good morning, what?
This is what we woke up to this morning. Only 10 days ago it was 33 degrees (90 F).
This can't be--I'm not finished the outside work!! There are still beets, carrots, cabbages and kale in the garden!! (don't worry--they will be all right, I just know it will melt and we will have nice fall--pray, pray)




























So I will give us a bit of cheer. This is not this year's amaryllis, but it might help.














And a reminder to start practicing those Christmas carols.














I think I have an American spell-checker, because it corrected me on the spelling of practising. If I remember my spelling rules (British), the verb is to practise, and the noun is practice. I guess there more serious things going on than using a c or an s--as long as we understand one another.

Till next time: How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in life you will have been all these. (George Washington Carver)

Catching Up and Still Puzzled

I'll start off with great news. My Baby (26 yrs. old) just got engaged to a sweet young man from Fiji, who is a chef. The wedding is tentatively Labor Day weekend 2010, although they are considering the $$$ advantages of waiting till 2011. She already knows what dress she wants, but since Mom (moi) likes to make wedding dresses, we are going to the bridal shop next week to see if I can copy it. We will keep you updated on these developments. She wants to get married outside at home (which means all the ugly flower beds will have to be cleaned for sure next year.)
Next item on the agenda: the pictures and updates as to what kept me busy2 weeks ago, as per previous blog:
1. Yellow Socks : Mystery Sock pattern for the Sock Challenge on Ravelry. Started Sept 2, Finished Sept 27.














2. Second Pair of Socks: Seaweed by WendyJohnston, also for the Sock Challenge.














3. My nephew's Kilt Hose--I am using these for one of the October Sock Challenge socks: Men's Socks.















4. Honeycomb Sweater #4 in black. I am almost finished the last piece: only the assembly and neck/button/buttonhole band left to do.















5. All the decks are stained. Only the balusters (slats) left to screw on. Will do this when all the cleanup in the garden and the tree nursery are finished. I think maybe Friday I'll get this done. After we go to the dump again. Notice that the flower pots are all gone.















I love the redwood stain, but couldn't face the prospect of that much red on the deck floor, so I chose a more sandy version. For the rails I used up some old semi-transparent, but prefer the look of solid stain, so, for the under-parts I bought solid stain and I will re-do the rails next year.















6. The swing sets are gone. The old play fort is gone. In their place, due to the damaged trees from the storm, I planted 4 Fat Albert Blue Spruces. They will nicely screen off the damaged part, but maybe not in my lifetime.















My Current preoccupation: The Renovations

Here is the new floor--the kitchen/dining area, adjoining laundry room and the main bathroom. It is a high-end lino, but when Daughter #2 came over--she being a porcelain tile advocate--she thought they were tiles. She was so impressed with the excellent grouting. Only when she got down to check the grouting, she realized they were not tiles. The floor is deeply textured like slate. It is a very matte finish--very slip-proof. We really like it.















See the end wall (dining area as seen from the kitchen).--These are my color samples done in primer. I am strongly leaning towards the sage green on the right, since I want this to be the main color in all the common areas of the house. I'm having trouble with what to do with the trim. I want the trim to be ivory--that's a given. I will put fairly wide crown mouldings around the ceiling. I would like to stack mouldings and make the windows look like in older houses, but I don't want to do this to the doors. I don't know if I can get away with that. Also, we have such lovely oak passage doors to the bedrooms, that I don't want to paint or replace them. Right now all the trim is mahogany stained to match the oak cupboards. I don't know how it would look to paint the trim and leave the doors wooden. And I want to widen the baseboards and paint them also. No rush. We can live without the trim and baseboards finished. Before I finally choose the color, I am going to the city tomorrow to choose the ceramic tiles. Perhaps they will suggest a color.
The dated "country" look knick-knacks will likely be packed away.















This is the wall of oak cupboards on the left side of the dining area. I'm toying with the idea of (assuming that the sage green is a go) using a rich chestnut brown in the space where the plates are hanging. These plates will stay, because I love them, and because they were a Christmas gift from Daughter #2 the first or second year she was away from home. I'd like to paint the bi-fold closet door the same color as the wall, so it disappears, but none of the other doors are going to be painted, so I don't know....















Since we had to remove the toilet in the main bathroom, and it sits inside its own alcove, and the length of baseboard that fits behind the toilet can't be inserted with the toilet in place, I bought the paint for the bathroom and painted the alcove, and also did the baseboards in the alcove. I will post these pics next time. Scary thing: On Wednesday, I'll have to cut 3/8" off the bottom of the passage door, since new underlay was needed and the new lino is very thick. Lots of Painter's tape to prevent the wood splitting, and a brand new skil-saw blade. Kubota Man has already set up the sawhorses.
Tomorrow's Agenda: Go to the city, meet with the Custom Cabinet Saleslady (we are making a second kitchen downstairs for canning and for extra cooking for family gatherings --4 or 5 times a year, about 30 people come over). Also a visit to the LYS, since I don't think I'll have enough yarn for the kilt hose, and I want some teal alpaca yarn to make my OWN honeycomb sweater. Then groceries--for our Thanksgiving this Sunday. And lastly, lots of building materials: the suspended ceiling for the downstairs kitchen, the crown moulding for the upstairs, the ceramic tiles, some more paint for the bathroom, and some millwork samples so I can play with the window design and possibly the door trim.

Till next time: Sweater, n.: a garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly. (from Chicken Soup for the Soul Like Mother, Like Daughter)

Where in the World is Sigrun?

I can't believe that it has been two weeks since my last post. Would it surprise you if I said that I had been really busy? And I forgot to take pictures of what kept me the most busy--will do that asap. But in the meantime, so my blogging friends won't think I forgot them, I will post other "food for thought".

These are our "All Red" potatoes. Since the blue ones lost much of their lovely purple color when I boiled them, I made oven fries with the pink ones, and they kept their pink color. Then I baked some in the microwave and made potato salad. That was an interesting combination. These strangely-colored potatoes taste like regular ones.
One thing keeping me busy. This is our old kitchen/dining room/laundry room floor. If you glance just below the cupboard at the kickboard you can still glimpse the nice ivory color that it used to be. But there was a reaction between the glue and the linoleum, in combination with light and over the 23 years it has yellowed badly. It has stood up well otherwise.
Preparation for the new vinyl. (Not me--hired help, but I had to supervise, and make lunch and coffee.)
Please don't call the "Messy House" ladies. We have had to"rearrange" a lot of our stuff, including the closets that will have the new floor, by moving it into other rooms. First: the spare bedroom...
And the Living Room. . .
And the front entrance hall...
Knittergran, you were right about renovations. Always surprises. We had no structural surprises, but since I have the house in a mess, and I wanted to paint this winter anyways (did you get the idea that I sometimes do things back-asswards--new floor first, paint next?) It's just that I've entertained the thought of some interesting sage or olive greens for the paint color, but I couldn't tell with just the floor sample piece how the colors will look. I can't make up my mind about the shade either, so here's the plan: Since I haven't painted for at least 15 years, I want to prime everything rather than just the patches. So I'm having several quarts of primer tinted the different shades. Then I'll try them all on different walls, then choose the color from that. It will cost me just 1 quart more than buying a gallon of primer, but there's no time wasted. Because they're all greens or green-grays they will all cover anyways.
But I still have about 1 week's outdoor work to do--so we will live with the mess a bit longer. Tomorrow's trip to the city will see us come home with primer, new baseboards, and crown mouldings, and all the hardware for the suspended ceiling for the new downstairs kitchen . . . (another story for another day).

Now for some other, more pleasant images (by the way, I have some lovely flowers posted on my garden blog). I have never still been watering flower pots so near the end of September. So here are a few juicy tidbits: That spiny green ball is the seed pod of my white "Datura" or "Angel's Trumpet".
These are my 4 whiskey barrels at the front of the deck. I love the silver plants: Licorice vine and Lotus vine. I will not be cleaning these barrels up in the fall, because if I do, the dogs will sleep in them, packing down and scattering the dirt. I leave them be until spring, the spikes will catch snow like tall hats, then the flocks of birds that we feed will sit on these for our enjoyment.
Salmon Martha Washington Geraniums with a blue/silver grass.
Celebrity Red Morn Petunias. My dear, late FIL always planted these, so I do too. They are sooo cheerful and perky.The Purple Ballerina Datura. It just keeps going and going and going.
Castor Bean (Ricinus) Plant. It doesn't get as big as it could when I plant it in a pot, particularly when I neglect to water regularly during a drought.
The seed pods of the Castor Bean Plant.
Till next time: It's my mom's 84th Birthday this weekend. She has Alzheimer's. This quote is from Chicken Soup for The Soul: Like Mother, Like Daughter.
My mom is a never ending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being, I may sometimes forget the words, but I always remember the tune. (Graycie Harmon)

Wordy Wednesday

Linda, I could still hug you for telling me about sizing pictures for posting. I couldn't have imagined posting 10 pictures the old way--I might have even given up blogging in frustration.

Und für meine deutsch-sprechenden Blogleser: es gab bei uns keinen Wirbelwind--keine Sorgen machen. Der Wirbelwind war ich--weil ich so viel rundherum gefahren bin wegen den neuen Küchenboden.

Yesterday, my weekly trip to the city was another busy one. Denturist--getting closer to a great fit on the new dentures. Orthotic Man-getting closer to a comfortable fit with the orthotics. I actually visited my LYS, Wool Revival, to get the yarn for my nephew's kilt hose. Also for several balls of yarn to swatch for the Honeycomb sweater that I will be re-designing for submission somewhere. I have downloaded the submission guidelines for some magazines and for Twist Collective. I'm also thinking about a theme for a book. I am a novice in the publishing department, so that idea may go nowhere, but you'll never know if you don't try.

Greenhouse update: These pictures show the lean-to greenhouse as it looked after the October 26, 2008 windstorm. We didn't get it finished before the greenhouse season began, so we worked without it.




























Now it is all finished. On Sunday morning it was calm, so two of the kids, Kubota Man Jr., and Daughter #2, came to help put the 2 layers of plastic on. Then some touch-ups and clean-up and here we are: I'm almost in the mood to start planting.














Daisy and Sparky are happy, too.






























Blue potatoes from the garden. They should be called purple potatoes. But the next picture tells you why they are "blue".














Blue mashed potatoes. It was sad, seeing the lovely purple water go down the drain. Next I will try doing oven fries in the hopes of preserving the color. I believe that the colors hold many of the nutrients in our food.














The Big Deck being washed. Notice the rails are stained, but the slats are not on yet. Sometimes I wish that I didn't always research my projects and just do them. I'm talking about building and staining the deck. We re-built the deck last year. I did my homework and found out that preserved wood needs to dry for one season before staining, since the preservative is pressure-inserted into the wood, and it is possible that it is still wet inside. I also learned that when you cut preserved wood, you have to treat the cut ends with end-cut preservative, a toxic green product, since the wood is not treated all the way through. So my rails, which are stained with semi-transparent stain, have some dark spots where I treated them after cutting. The floor is getting solid stain (supposed to last longer under traffic), so there the spots won't matter.

Back to the staining. I finished the building of the deck about this time last year, so the next season would be winter. So, the staining is happening now. Over the drying time, the wood tries to protect itself with a gray glaze which needs to be scrubbed off with special wood-prep products. This will help the floor finish last much longer, and protect the wood, since the glaze prevents the oils in the stain from penetrating well. This almost took longer to describe than to do. Notice the difference in the color between the washed and unwashed part.














Knitting report:
Honeycomb #3 is finished. Because of its natural white color, it wouldn't photograph well, so I used the gray tone on the camera to show off the details. The following picture, while not being clear on the details, shows the color of the yarn. The buttons are gold-colored. Honeycomb #4 (black)--one front and almost one sleeve finished.





























Nephew's kilt hose, have started the band at the top of the leg.
Knitalong Socks--almost finished clue 2 on one of the socks.
Have been swatching various yarns for my Honeycomb Sweater submission. Tried a cotton, a mohair-acrylic blend, a store-bought brand of alpaca yarn, sock yarn, and also the kilt hose yarn. None of them give me the beautiful stitch definition that the Alpaca Man's yarn does. The LYS owner thinks it's just the properties of that particular yarn.

Till next time:Having grandchildren is the best of all possible worlds. I don't have any responsibility for them--I just do all the fun stuff. (Mary Beth)