Right now that's how it feels. I don't feel motivated to get out in the greenhouse or garden. I don't want to start any new projects. I force myself to write and keep up with this blog and my other blogs.
Why?
Because retirement is right around the corner, just days away. I know life is about to change drastically so to keep up with my everyday activities--well, they're just overshadowed. My mind is elsewhere, planning ahead, making sure everything is taken care of, working on budgets, etc. I worry that we won't have enough money. I wonder if we'll really be able to make the ends meet.
In the midst of all my worrying, Larry has a few things going on like reassessment by the Veteran's Administration. PTSD and Agent Orange have had huge impacts on his life and now the VA is looking into that. This could be a good thing but right now it's another layer on top of the other things I'm trying to assimilate and deal with.
So if I haven't been writing about home things, now you know why. Soon, very soon, the layers of worry will begin to shed like old skin. And then, I hope, I will be able to focus on the things I love once again, and to laugh about how I was so worried.
So stay tuned. We'll return to our regularly scheduled programming on May 11--the first official day of retirement.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Last Saturday: A Few More Finds
I never got a chance to post the rest of the photos from our junking trip last Saturday. It was quite a day. Here are a few more of the finds from that trip:
Prettily shaped silver pitcher and a beaded purse made in Japan were two of my favorites, and won't be on eBay :). The little purse is covered in fake pearls that have mostly lost their covering but it has such a nice heavy feel to it, and it's lined in satin. I'll use it for an eyeglass case.
This guy I could use some help with. I think he's just been made to look old and is probably plastic or resin. On the bottom he's marked KINA. I really like the way he looks and feels, and I would like to know a little more about him. I think he might be a Japanese figure? If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them. I am pretty sure he's not ivory, but it would be cool if he was made of bone. I tried the hot pin test but it didn't even begin to melt a little hole like it should if he was plastic, but still I don't really think he's old. Any ideas?
What else did we find besides the Shenango china? A mustache cup that's already sold on eBay, some lovely linens, a little lusterware pitcher, a silver cake server, some books that I'll be selling in my Amazon bookstore and a few other things. It was a good day.
Prettily shaped silver pitcher and a beaded purse made in Japan were two of my favorites, and won't be on eBay :). The little purse is covered in fake pearls that have mostly lost their covering but it has such a nice heavy feel to it, and it's lined in satin. I'll use it for an eyeglass case.
This guy I could use some help with. I think he's just been made to look old and is probably plastic or resin. On the bottom he's marked KINA. I really like the way he looks and feels, and I would like to know a little more about him. I think he might be a Japanese figure? If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them. I am pretty sure he's not ivory, but it would be cool if he was made of bone. I tried the hot pin test but it didn't even begin to melt a little hole like it should if he was plastic, but still I don't really think he's old. Any ideas?
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Yogurt
I started making yogurt again a couple months ago. Years ago, when we had milk cows and the boys were all home, I made yogurt by the gallon for a couple of years. Usually we had it with granola and added homemade jams for sweetener. I stopped making it when I started working, and the cows were gone around the same time.
A couple people asked about how to make it. There are several tutorials online for the process. I can show you, though, how I do it.
First step is to heat the milk to 180-185 degrees. I use 2% milk, but you can use whole and probably skim too. I use a candy thermometer for measuring the temperature, and I also use a double boiler because milk will scorch quickly if it's not stirred constantly while heating. I was lucky enough to find my double boiler at a consignment shop for a couple dollars, and I have also seen them on eBay for reasonable prices. Put water in the bottom of the double boiler, milk in the top. I use about 2 quarts of milk for each batch.
While the milk is heating, the jars need to be washed and sterilized. I heat water to boiling and pour it in to the jars. I put the lids in a pan and bring them to a boil too. I have a variety of small jars I use, including jars that once held things like marinated artichokes. These have to be very, very clean--any residue of pickling liquid or spices will ruin yogurt. For this batch, I just used my half-pint canning jars. I re-use old lids, since they don't have to seal, they just need to keep the yogurt for slopping out.
I stir the milk off and on while I'm getting the jars ready, and as the temperature gets higher, I stir it almost constantly, probably the last 2 or 3 minutes. When the temperature has reached 180-185 degrees, I take it off the stove, remove the bottom part of the boiler and pour off the boiling water. Then I refill the pan with cold water and put the top part back on it so that the milk will cool more quickly.
When the milk has cooled to 110 degrees, I stir in some already-made PLAIN yogurt. This is the culture, and if you use store-bought yogurt make sure the label says something like this:
You need that active culture for your yogurt to thicken. I use an old hand mixer for this, but a whisk or fork would probably work too.
Then the yogurt is ladled into the sterilized jars, the lids are put on and tightened, and I put them into a pan of very hot tap water.
The next step depends on your house. I am able to use my oven to culture the yogurt because my pilot light is always on and the oven stays at the perfect temperature--around 110 degrees. So you need to find a place that works in your house. I have heard of people using crock pots with hot water in them, and just turning it on every so often to keep the temperature even. Keeping the jars in a pan of hot water works for others, but you'd need to keep the temperature even. A sunny window on a warm day might also work. I've wondered about a heating pad--putting it under or around the jars. I'm sure there are many other creative methods of doing this.
The yogurt needs several hours to be thick and ready to eat. I usually make mine in the evening and by the time we get up in the morning it's ready. Generally expect it to take 4-8 hours to thicken.
When it's ready we put it in the fridge. I like mine sweetened and usually add some homemade jam to the jar before eating (this jar has pear conserve added--yum!). Larry prefers it plain, and says it reminds him of buttermilk.
That's all there is to it--a lot of hurry up and wait, as my mother would have said. But the end result beats anything you will get at the store, hands down.
A couple people asked about how to make it. There are several tutorials online for the process. I can show you, though, how I do it.
First step is to heat the milk to 180-185 degrees. I use 2% milk, but you can use whole and probably skim too. I use a candy thermometer for measuring the temperature, and I also use a double boiler because milk will scorch quickly if it's not stirred constantly while heating. I was lucky enough to find my double boiler at a consignment shop for a couple dollars, and I have also seen them on eBay for reasonable prices. Put water in the bottom of the double boiler, milk in the top. I use about 2 quarts of milk for each batch.
While the milk is heating, the jars need to be washed and sterilized. I heat water to boiling and pour it in to the jars. I put the lids in a pan and bring them to a boil too. I have a variety of small jars I use, including jars that once held things like marinated artichokes. These have to be very, very clean--any residue of pickling liquid or spices will ruin yogurt. For this batch, I just used my half-pint canning jars. I re-use old lids, since they don't have to seal, they just need to keep the yogurt for slopping out.
I stir the milk off and on while I'm getting the jars ready, and as the temperature gets higher, I stir it almost constantly, probably the last 2 or 3 minutes. When the temperature has reached 180-185 degrees, I take it off the stove, remove the bottom part of the boiler and pour off the boiling water. Then I refill the pan with cold water and put the top part back on it so that the milk will cool more quickly.
When the milk has cooled to 110 degrees, I stir in some already-made PLAIN yogurt. This is the culture, and if you use store-bought yogurt make sure the label says something like this:
You need that active culture for your yogurt to thicken. I use an old hand mixer for this, but a whisk or fork would probably work too.
Then the yogurt is ladled into the sterilized jars, the lids are put on and tightened, and I put them into a pan of very hot tap water.
The next step depends on your house. I am able to use my oven to culture the yogurt because my pilot light is always on and the oven stays at the perfect temperature--around 110 degrees. So you need to find a place that works in your house. I have heard of people using crock pots with hot water in them, and just turning it on every so often to keep the temperature even. Keeping the jars in a pan of hot water works for others, but you'd need to keep the temperature even. A sunny window on a warm day might also work. I've wondered about a heating pad--putting it under or around the jars. I'm sure there are many other creative methods of doing this.
The yogurt needs several hours to be thick and ready to eat. I usually make mine in the evening and by the time we get up in the morning it's ready. Generally expect it to take 4-8 hours to thicken.
When it's ready we put it in the fridge. I like mine sweetened and usually add some homemade jam to the jar before eating (this jar has pear conserve added--yum!). Larry prefers it plain, and says it reminds him of buttermilk.
That's all there is to it--a lot of hurry up and wait, as my mother would have said. But the end result beats anything you will get at the store, hands down.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The Glory of Spring
The flowers on Joe's Run are coming out in full beauty right now. These photos are from my morning drive out of the hollow to work.
Creasy Greens gone to flower, mixed with phlox and vetch make a pretty palette:
I do not know what this shrub is, and have not noticed it before. Can anyone idenyify it?
Sun peeking through the trees and the lake barely visible in the morning light:
Wild geraniums crowd this hillside:
And phlox make a display of their own. These little flowers have such a sweet perfume:
Here the phlox mingle with henbit and wild purple larkspur:
And finally out to the highway and on the road to Charleston:
Lots of traffic, isn't there?
Monday, April 25, 2011
Stormy Weather
Can't post tonight due to this wild weather. I have to unplug the computer when lightning threatens--one hit was enough for me. That happened 2 or 3 years ago and took out the motherboard and the satellite modem. So, tomorrow night maybe the skies will settle enough for me to write a real post.
For now, check out my cousin's blog. John lives in England and just started blogging: By Star Good and Hanglands.
See you tomorrow, if the fates (and the skies) allow!
For now, check out my cousin's blog. John lives in England and just started blogging: By Star Good and Hanglands.
See you tomorrow, if the fates (and the skies) allow!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Dilemma
So here's a question for you:
Yesterday we went junking--it was pouring rain pretty much all day and it was a good day to mosey around and see what we could find.
We were driving along the Ohio River between Point Pleasant, WV and Pomeroy, OH when we saw a handwritten sign that said, "Flea Market." You know what I said, right? "Turn around!" Which Larry obligingly did. It didn't look promising at first glance. A wizened old man stood in his muddy gravel driveway, and there was a shed with the doors standing open and piles of junk that had probably been there since he was a lot less wrinkled. Grime pretty well coated it all, and the old man followed us around pointing out the great value of items that honestly should have been in the trash long ago. Back in the corner, though, I found a dirty cardboard box with these inside:
I recognized the dishes as restaurant ware and I have learned recently that this is a highly collectible area these days. I thought the dishes were pretty too, so, "How much?" I asked. I had a few other things in my hand--a Fire King coffee cup, a Pyrex coffee cup, a stained glass ornament--and the old man scanned them all and said, "Ten dollars for the lot." I counted 13 sandwich/dessert plates, 4 dinner plates, 7 cups and 7 cream pitchers. Could I sell them for more than that? Would it be worth the trouble?
Well, I bought them. And washed them up. I think they look stunning.
The gold and green bands against the shiny white china are just so pretty. They were made by the Shenango China Company of Newcastle, PA, and I learned after doing a bit of research that based on the "B-41" mark on most of them, they were made in 1983. Shenango was bought in the 1970's by Anchor Hocking, then sold to another company who liquidated the company in the late '80s. Although I spent a couple hours looking, I did not find this particular pattern anywhere online.
I like them so much I'm thinking I might keep at least 4 dinner plates, 4 cups and 4 dessert plates. But I already have plenty of dishes and don't really need any more. I could sell some of the ones I currently use, though--like this set here:
These dishes were made by the Atlas-Globe China Company of Cambridge, Ohio, in the early 1930's and were part of their Broadway Rose line. The company folded soon after, probably due to the depression. I have enjoyed these dishes for their shape, their pale pink color and the pretty daffodil pattern. But it would not break my heart to sell them.
So, what do you think? Sell the all of the Shenango china and keep my daffodil plates? Or keep the 4 place settings of Shenango and sell the Broadway Rose and remaining Shenango? What would you do?
Yesterday we went junking--it was pouring rain pretty much all day and it was a good day to mosey around and see what we could find.
We were driving along the Ohio River between Point Pleasant, WV and Pomeroy, OH when we saw a handwritten sign that said, "Flea Market." You know what I said, right? "Turn around!" Which Larry obligingly did. It didn't look promising at first glance. A wizened old man stood in his muddy gravel driveway, and there was a shed with the doors standing open and piles of junk that had probably been there since he was a lot less wrinkled. Grime pretty well coated it all, and the old man followed us around pointing out the great value of items that honestly should have been in the trash long ago. Back in the corner, though, I found a dirty cardboard box with these inside:
I recognized the dishes as restaurant ware and I have learned recently that this is a highly collectible area these days. I thought the dishes were pretty too, so, "How much?" I asked. I had a few other things in my hand--a Fire King coffee cup, a Pyrex coffee cup, a stained glass ornament--and the old man scanned them all and said, "Ten dollars for the lot." I counted 13 sandwich/dessert plates, 4 dinner plates, 7 cups and 7 cream pitchers. Could I sell them for more than that? Would it be worth the trouble?
Well, I bought them. And washed them up. I think they look stunning.
The gold and green bands against the shiny white china are just so pretty. They were made by the Shenango China Company of Newcastle, PA, and I learned after doing a bit of research that based on the "B-41" mark on most of them, they were made in 1983. Shenango was bought in the 1970's by Anchor Hocking, then sold to another company who liquidated the company in the late '80s. Although I spent a couple hours looking, I did not find this particular pattern anywhere online.
I like them so much I'm thinking I might keep at least 4 dinner plates, 4 cups and 4 dessert plates. But I already have plenty of dishes and don't really need any more. I could sell some of the ones I currently use, though--like this set here:
These dishes were made by the Atlas-Globe China Company of Cambridge, Ohio, in the early 1930's and were part of their Broadway Rose line. The company folded soon after, probably due to the depression. I have enjoyed these dishes for their shape, their pale pink color and the pretty daffodil pattern. But it would not break my heart to sell them.
So, what do you think? Sell the all of the Shenango china and keep my daffodil plates? Or keep the 4 place settings of Shenango and sell the Broadway Rose and remaining Shenango? What would you do?
Into the Woods, Part 2
Last Saturday Larry took some of our teenaged grandchildren to search in a new place for morel mushrooms. They didn't find any but they did find several other things of interest. These are the photos Haley took of their hike into the woods.
Larry and Clayton take off in one direction, while the girls
went on an adventure of their own.
They found a cave, far down in the woods. Grace went in to check it out and found out she was not alone.
This little fellow was just hanging around, apparently a little sleepy.
The effects of the 2003 ice storm are still visible and still make walking in the woods difficult.
Grace gives an idea of how big this cave was. I wonder who or what else has taken shelter there?
I also wonder if there are fossils in this cave. We often find them in the sandstone around here.
And even though the cave and the bat were the big excitement for the kids, they still took time to notice little things, like the fiddlehead ferns coming up.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Into the Woods
Morel hunting requires close examination of the forest as you search because the mushrooms can be difficult to spot. The added value of this kind of careful mindfulness to the task is that you also see many other things almost as interesting as the elusive morel.
Tomorrow I will post photos that Grace and Haley took when they went venturing with Larry in search of mushrooms in another location. They didn't find any, but they certainly saw some neat things.
Have you been in the woods this spring? What did you see?
Here are a few of the things that caught my eye last Saturday as we scoured the woods:
Creasy greens blooming just behind the house
Someone's little home--could it be a fairy house, or perhaps just a fairydiddle's house?
A rock pile signaling the past--long ago wheat was grown on this steep hillside.
Do you see that tiny hole in the ground just below the tree? George spotted this; I am sure I would have overlooked it. But in this little hole were
two tiny baby rabbits! So snug they were in their little nest. Even though we knew we'd soon be chasing them out of our gardens, we left them to their slumbers.
And finally, back home over the hill to cook the day's haul.
Have you been in the woods this spring? What did you see?
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Vintage Thursday
I'm learning something new: how to not only buy but also sell on eBay. Some of you, I know, are old pros at this. I have been meaning to learn because I seem to accumulate stuff and I needed a way to de-cumulate (is that a word?). I have a hard time passing up a bargain!
Then there are all these office clothes I have that I will no longer need in retirement. Some are going to Goodwill, but others I think I need to sell to recoup a little of my costs in buying them. So, here I go to eBay.
I found that it's not too difficult to list items, but it does take time. For example, almost everything needs to be measured. I did not include measurements on the first clothing I listed and of course people sent messages, wanting to know them because sizes vary so wildly that they are almost meaningless. Even the vintage dishes I have listed really needed measurements so people could get a good idea of their size. The title needs to be right too--it needs to capture what the item is and have enough descriptive words to attract attention. Here are a few of the things I've listed or will list soon:
A set of papier mache coasters made in Japan, in a matching box,
a set of 8 Candlewick salt cellars,
small moon and stars cannister,
an oval Diamond Point butter dish in its original box,
a pretty deep blue pottery sugar and creamer set,
Michael Simon dress I bought for storytelling--but it's too small for me :(
a milk glass ring or soap holder, and so on. Nothing is too big or complicated to pack and ship, thank goodness. I will also be adding some of my books too, as I have time to take the photos. I won't get rich at this but I'll be clearing out some things I no longer use and that's worth almost as much as the money.
This project is one reason I haven't been blogging every day as usual. As I figure out the ropes, list items, pack and ship sold items I find my evenings speed by--along with trying to keep up with the NaPoWriMo challenge on my poetry blog, Mountain Poet. But once I get the listing process down to a routine, it should go much more quickly.
If you want to see everything I'm listing, click here for a quick look. Nothing earth-shaking, but it's been interesting to learn how to do it, finally.
Then there are all these office clothes I have that I will no longer need in retirement. Some are going to Goodwill, but others I think I need to sell to recoup a little of my costs in buying them. So, here I go to eBay.
I found that it's not too difficult to list items, but it does take time. For example, almost everything needs to be measured. I did not include measurements on the first clothing I listed and of course people sent messages, wanting to know them because sizes vary so wildly that they are almost meaningless. Even the vintage dishes I have listed really needed measurements so people could get a good idea of their size. The title needs to be right too--it needs to capture what the item is and have enough descriptive words to attract attention. Here are a few of the things I've listed or will list soon:
This project is one reason I haven't been blogging every day as usual. As I figure out the ropes, list items, pack and ship sold items I find my evenings speed by--along with trying to keep up with the NaPoWriMo challenge on my poetry blog, Mountain Poet. But once I get the listing process down to a routine, it should go much more quickly.
If you want to see everything I'm listing, click here for a quick look. Nothing earth-shaking, but it's been interesting to learn how to do it, finally.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The Chocolate Festival
What a neat idea! A chocolate festival just before Easter is a great marketing tool, and vendors turned out in droves with chocolate of every kind. It was a wild, windy, rainy and even flooding day, but McCoy's Conference Center in Ripley was packed. What else was there to do anyway? No one could cut grass, work in gardens, go fishing, play ball or golf or any of the myriad of other springtime weekend activities. Might as well eat chocolate, right?
Thank goodness we'd eaten a big breakfast at the Downtowner before heading to the festival, or we might have been in serious diet trouble. The first thing I saw when we went in was this booth:
Oh my. Chocolate in every color and shape imaginable. Carrots, hatching eggs, rubber duckies, you name it. I am not sure I could eat a chocolate cross, though--there is something that seems sacrilegious to me about that.
The place was packed:
I'm sure the vendors were happy about the crowd, and everyone seemed to having a good time. We heard some chocolate songs,
saw some royalty
and even the mayor got into the act.
These were the biggest hit with our family:
If you're thinking these look like dog....well, you're right! These are peanut butter filling, shaped to look like you-know-what and covered with chocolate. The Humane Society was selling them and they were going fast. My daughter-in-law bought several to give to her Sunday School boys, and you know they'll love 'em! I actually bought one for Larry too; he gave it back to me to give to the guys at work--who have yet to taste it. Chickens.
This was one of the most surprising booths--tables filled with inedible chocolate and other foods. It all looked so ready I had to touch it to be sure it was fake, er, faux. This, according to Abby, is the ultimate diet chocolate.
Chocolate-dipped potato chips, anyone? These were being sold by the Jackson County Anti-Drug Coalition but after tasting them, I'm pretty sure these salty-sweet treats could be addictive themselves.
The facepainter at the festival was amazing, turning out an array of faces that were works of art. These young people posed for a photo with their mother's permission:
There was much, much more. My camera battery decided to die about this time, and we were chocolated out anyway, so we went home with our bags of treats and a sweet taste in our mouths from this fun festival.
Thank goodness we'd eaten a big breakfast at the Downtowner before heading to the festival, or we might have been in serious diet trouble. The first thing I saw when we went in was this booth:
The place was packed:
I'm sure the vendors were happy about the crowd, and everyone seemed to having a good time. We heard some chocolate songs,
and even the mayor got into the act.
These were the biggest hit with our family:
This was one of the most surprising booths--tables filled with inedible chocolate and other foods. It all looked so ready I had to touch it to be sure it was fake, er, faux. This, according to Abby, is the ultimate diet chocolate.
The facepainter at the festival was amazing, turning out an array of faces that were works of art. These young people posed for a photo with their mother's permission:
There was much, much more. My camera battery decided to die about this time, and we were chocolated out anyway, so we went home with our bags of treats and a sweet taste in our mouths from this fun festival.
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