Purling Oaks

Approaching the end of May and.....

.....What have I been doing?  This photo may explain some of what I've been doing.......

I've also been getting acquainted with the new-to-me lawn tractor and have been remembering to duck under the low branches in the orchard.  

I found the sock-in-process.............  

.....that I started two years and one month ago.  Crazy.  Oh well, sometimes life gets in the way of life.  At least I'm ready to start a relaxed Summer of Socks 2013 with a project at hand.  

I've also been re-reading a number of J.D.Robb's stories.  Last night I enjoyed reading an on-line novella from Wen Spencer in her Elfhome universe.  I do so wish she would write more in the A Brother's Price universe...but that is unlikely.  Sad.

This weekend's largish project is to build new vegetable garden beds.  The wooden boards of the garden boxes are beginning to break down and the boxes really aren't spaced properly for the newish mower.  Not to mention ..... they  likely suffered a similar two years and one month interval of not much attention.  So, I'm experimenting with the cardboard/hay-grass/soil method of layering a (slightly raised) garden.  Our soil is so, so rocky that digging in is not a viable option.  I've got the cardboard, saved from earlier this spring.  I've got the hay-grass, mowed yesterday, that I only (!) need to rake up and transport.  And the soil.  That's my next decision, which I think will result in shoveling no matter what.  More muscle burns more calories, right? 

 

Have a safe and relaxing weekend!

 

 

Leading indicator noted*

Although I see snowflakes drifting down from the skies this morning, I must say that I know spring is coming.  How do I say that with such certainty?  What's my evidence?  Our number one predictor at Chez Purling Oaks......Blue is shedding at his "spring is almost here and I must get rid of this heavy coat" rate.  Any dark clothing must be worn with extreme vigilance and lint rollers close at hand.

My mother, Cousin Kim, and I were inspecting the Jung Seed catalog yesterday and speculating on what seeds and plants we would plant this year.  Mom and Kim are planning on some nice big pumpkins, there's a new cherry tomato from Jung's that has a strawberry shape that Kim wants me to start, and they both requested some longkeepers, although Jung's no longer offers them in their catalog.  Longkeepers will do just that---if you store them on a shelf, you may have home-grown tomatoes into January.  Nice.  Dan's requested some of the mini eggplants for this year.  So, I think I better start hunting for those seeds!

Happy Friday!

*Geek title

Bloomin' and Blue

There's blooming going on here.  I documented blossoms, blue sky, and feline on Saturday morning before the gray skies and rain (thank you, thank you, thank you) rolled in.

Lilacs are starting

Cherry and apple blossoms are almost stepping aside for fruit but not quite yet.....

And Blue is admiring our new gazing globe.

 

Other than that, the weekend seemed to be full of laundry and paperwork but I did manage to make a loaf of sourdough.  Have a great week!

Getting the broom out and....

*Brushing away the blog cobwebs.....*

I've found that getting adjusted to a new travel schedule, setting up and moving to POE, and a seemingly heavier work schedule took some, well, adjusting.  More adjusting than I thought but after a few weeks the schedule has been smoothing out and the psychic adjustments that DH and I have had to make are also smoothing out.  We are continuing to make changes and find more time together, quality time.  Maybe more than before, which is nice.  We didn't know we were missing that.  Anyway, I thought I would check out the blog and show you a few things that are interesting at Purling Oaks Central this weekend.

Lamb's ear has spread around my garden.  I've been harsher with it this year to contain it but I still love it for the texture and color of the leaves and the pretty lavender flowers.  

Lime thyme is flowering....along with all the other thymes.  This one does have a citrus aroma, leaning toward lime, but I think the color of the leaves may have as much to do with the name of "lime" as the fragrance.

 The black raspberries are just beginning to ripen.  Fortunately for berry production, we've been getting rain.  As I type this it is raining---of course, I am also wondering what the rain will do to my flight schedule today.  No big worries though.  I'm reading Nora Roberts' Kindred in Death in paperback and have a book or two available on the iPad.  

Yes, iPad.  I gave in to my inner geek and bought one with 32 gig - wifi only.  I really like it and found that I don't miss having the 3GS service.  My back up plan, should I need constant wireless access, is to buy one of the wireless access points I can carry in my purse or pocket so it can be used for multiple devices.  I'm not at that point yet.  I like that the screen is large enough to actually *see* something and I can stream Netflix over the wireless at the apartment.  

Blue on the Rock on an early summer Wisconsin day:

 

Have a great Sunday and a very good week!

 

  

Peachy Monday

Peach blossom!!!  This is a blossom of a Reliance peach, rumored to be hardy enough to stand up to a Wisconsin winter and, so far, the rumors are true.  The winter and rodents were very tough on our crabapple trees, which don't look so good after the darn rodents ringed the bark after eating through the protective paper DH applied last fall.  Oh well....the peach tree looks, well, I won't say it.  :D  Today was a lovely day in Wisconsin, especially after the dreary, wet (but much needed) weekend.  

 

Have a lovely week!  I'm building my apartment-finding mojo for the coming weekend.  I don't NEED one this weekend but I certainly would LIKE to find a nice place to live while in DC and soon.  (key words:  Eastern Market, affordable, sunny, near  Metro, washer/dryer)

Time to sleep fast but here's my hero, Blue:

 
  One down, many more to vanquish.  Good boy!  Maybe the fruit trees *will* live another year.........

 

Beans, and trees, and handsome boys

I had to input my username and password to get into TypePad this morning.  I didn't think I had been gone that long but my sense of time appears to be distorted.  :D

 

I'm making bean soup this morning for consumption during deer hunting week.  The beans looked so pretty after rinsing them this morning, I had to take a picture.  (See, still a blogger at heart.)  I'm using Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean Soup Mix and soaked the beans overnight.  They're simmering right now and I'll add vegies and chicken later.  We'll probably have this for lunch some day when we are processing and packing our catch.  

I've been working on a project at work for the past two months that has just been eating my shorts quite a b**** been difficult for reasons I can't go into on the blog.  Thursday, I completed the major segment of it and now it is off to another coworker for their part.  Fortunately, that project is not normally part of my job duties and that is good because I feel so really good, mentally, today,  that I know doing that type of work all the time would Not.Be.Good.

Of course, feeling good is also because I am on vacation (Whooo!) through the weekend after Turkey Day.  My brother and his two sons (say hello to Dr. E) are at the Farm with our DM.  Wilson and I will be joining them this afternoon.  The Wisconsin gun deer hunting season starts Saturday.  We'll all be in our trees tomorrow morning before dawn on the family farm and with luck and skill have a full freezer by Wednesday.  The weather looks decent in that there is no rain (which I find to be miserable when I'm in a tree) but there's no snow forecast either which would be good for this type of hunting.   Even if you are a vegan/vegetarian, I recommend sitting in a tree in the woods for a day or three.  It is an excellent time for mental adjustment and decompression, even if you didn't think you were compressed.  :D

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I while on the topic of hunting........

I present our handsome and dashing hunter, Blue, and his catch.

Saturday perspective

I really have to share a few moments of the trip to the vet with our four cats for their annual visit.  It makes me laugh and as you'll read later in this post, laughter was a good thing. 

Black Dot and Blue are featured but White Dot and Fuzzle can be heard full voice, as well. They all voice their concern each time we take this trip. At the Vet, they're more quiet; just generally scared and trying not to move. Everyone is healthy although Black Dot should probably join me on WW.

As I noted in my post yesterday, the washer needed repair.  Yes, it did.  In fact, in needed enough repair to cost justify a new one.  O.O  The good thing is, the new one is installed and I can now conquer the laundry mountain. 

However, for me to use the washer, the septic system has to be able to handle the liquids flow.  And, you guessed it,  the septic system had a problem.  Late in the afternoon, Wilson discovered water/liquid on the floor of his shop and the utility room and something *ahem* had backed up into the basement shower.  But it was all fixed with a late call to the plumber, buckets, bleach, and a beer or two.

The laughter earlier in the day and finding out really good news about two friends in the evening and this morning more than balanced out what are truly minor annoyances.  Life is good.

Happy Saturday!

A berry Sunday

It is berry time here.  The red raspberries have lingered, as have a few black raspberries.  The blackberries are ripening, berry by berry, depending on their location and the amount of sun and rain they receive.  

 

This weekend's rain and very warm temperatures, besides making me a bit cranky, lead me to think that this year will yield a very nice berry harvest. 

Breakfasts this winter will be bright with berries, I think.  I've frozen one sheet pan (on a silpat) of individual berries so far and bagged them so I won't need to defrost a whole block of berries.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Blue knows what to do with a rainy Sunday afternoon.

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Tonight, Wilson is making miniature eggplant parmigiana with the first three small eggplants from the garden for dinner as well as sweet corn, ham, and pasta in a light white sauce.  My contribution was to make mojitos with mint from my garden.  Yes, I have it good.

Happy Sunday

Happy Saturday photos

This photo makes me happy.  Blue and White Dot, geranium, my spinning wheel, a comfy chair, and a little Saturday sunshine.  Of course, there are things the photo doesn't show, which are fine, such as:

• Both cats (and their sisters) want to go outside but can't because Wilson and I are going up to the Farm in a few hours and we can't have the kitties running a muck while we're gone.
• The sunshine was only visible for about 60 seconds so far this morning.  The high temperature yesterday was 61 degrees F.  This is July?
• That's the same bobbin I started Tour de Fleece with--it is loaded up a bit more but the time allocated to spinning hasn't been too extensive. 

Speaking of Tour de Fleece/Team Crankypants.........You know the Groucho Marx scene where the phrase "Doctor, it hurts when I do this!" and Groucho says, "Then don't do that!"?  Well, I have to put my spindle on the sideline because I'm aggravating my shoulder and ribs somehow.   I'm taking action to heal up but no spindling for a while.  The wheel is still in action so I'm still cheering for Team Crankypants.  Good thing this was a no-stress event.  :D  I am happy that I've been spinning more, and that's what counts.

Our trip up to the Farm is because Dr. E is there visiting our mom.  He's only here for a short time so we're heading up this afternoon to say hello and meet with other family at the Roxie in Oshkosh for dinner.  He's back from vacationing in Europe with his two sons and will be able to tell us more about running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain ( o.O ) as well as the other fun stuff the three of them did.

The garden is coming along despite my absence. 

Happy Saturday!

Does this look like a woman's undergarment to you?....

I was spreading out the Simple Yet Effective Shawl (in progress in Noro Sock yarn) in preparation for a photo and Wilson asked me what I was knitting.  When I replied that it was a shawl and would probably be a smaller rather than larger one, his comment was "Really?  It looks like a woman's undergarment to me."  O.o  After some study, I do see some resemblance and it just goes to show it is all in a person's perspective. 

Last week's hole was fixed using Cookie's advice and now I can't even tell where it was.  Thanks, Cookie! 

I just have a few random thoughts gripes to share, which is a hint of my state of mind, if I ever find it......

• I would like to meet and speak with the brilliant engineer that designed those toilets that flush while you're still sitting on them, with no action on your part, except perhaps leaning down or over to perform actions that women perform in a restroom.   There are a few things I would like to tell him.  Don't ask me why, but I really think it is likely that my use of "him" is correct.
• I just purchased some barrettes that immediately broke at the hinge.  Argh.  I'm using these hair devices as my humidity defense while growing out my bangs.  I want to go back in time to the 80's so I can purchase some decent barrettes and hair combs, again.
• Don't let me color my hair again.  Highlight, maybe.  Color, no.  Humidity + damaged hair = big mess.

Okay, now for the less than random stuff:

• I tried posting this week from my iPod Touch but something ate my post between my hotel room and the Innernets.
• I stopped by Best Buy to take a look at a couple of netbooks.  It's all Kathryn's doing!  Honest.  :D
• I didn't walk the Mall this week but I did walk to and from Trader Joe's on Monday and spent some time on the treadmill later in week due to all the rain and thunderstorms.  I need to get on the treadmill more often.
• Wilson and I are having pork carnitas or fajitas or whatever you call them this evening with freshly made pico de gallo.  Yum.

Happy Saturday!