Merry Christmas 2017

A very Merry Christmas to everyone.

Nearly another year come to an end.

Bear and Lily helping me sand a walking stick. Yep big helps lol NOT.

Grandson came up and helped work on the farm truck, it needed new glow plugs. It didn't look like they were EVER replaced. One got stuck but it is fixed and the truck starts so much easier and in colder temperatures than it ever did before. yes we paid for the parts and gave him some extra for the work and help.

I even managed to get some Zucchini dried for winter soups and so on. After it was all dry it all fit in 2 quart sized bags that I put in vacuumed sealed bags.

Eleven Years in the Making

Yes, something we talked about 11 or so years ago was about building some kind of greenhouse for some of our crops like tomatoes and etc. We have such a short growing season we can hardly get any to the ripe stage before frost hits us again. Then we try to ripen other ways and some do and some don't and we lose a lot.

So with the sale and incentives at Home Depot for 18 months same as cash we went ahead and bought the stuff needed to build it. We do this from time to time, get it paid off and then get the next project going.

The south back wall of the garage will be its back wall.

We hope Thanksgiving went well for all. We went to a son and daughter in laws J and J's down in the valley. Not as many came as normal but at least we got to see a few of the grown children their spouses and some of the grands and great grands. Here is 5 generations. (I look at myself as the great grandmother and say: Oh gads is that me lol)

Oct 30th 2017 Almost Nov. Already

Here we go already to another day and it is November. Almost another year said and done with. Dh has spent the last week pretty ill but is a bit better today. Of course he is lamenting all the work he has missed getting done with being sick and we haven't even gotten down to the post office to mail out a birthday card toa grandgirl whose birthday is Nov. 1st.

The week before we did manage to get some more jams made, peach, plum and blueberry.

Last week dh also got a couple of our burn piles burned while it was wet yet. We are supposed to have another change of weather this Wednesday. Rain, colder and then snow/rain for a few days. It was 26 deg. F at 8:30 am and the highs will be in the 40's today. Else everything has been on hold.

Winter is Upon Us, Grandson Married and Turkeys in the Freezer

It snowed on us two days last week but melted off, but the cold temps and snow made the trees start giving up their leaves but good.

The guest mules went home to be pack mules last week. 

Our next to oldest grandson and girlfriend got married on the 4th. She was so nervous she started laughing. Cute to say the least. A very small ceremony at the courthouse.

Granddaughter was up here the week before as school was out for 2 days. Her and grandpa made a birdhouse  and they put it on the side of the lean-to off of the garage. Then she painted it.

They also found a garter snake under the house which she thought was great.

We had a fire not far from us last week as well, we think they were just burning the underbrush.

Also the cattle were moved on down the road from the upper pastures.

We helped son D to can his apples into applesauce and canned apples. Made 38 quarts worth from one of his trees.

He was a great help to his father and helped his dad put particleboard on both sides of the deck to keep the snow from blowing in and around unto the deck.

Then they filled the wood rack back up. He was only here one evening and a day.

The turkeys made their way into the freezer this last Saturday morning. The neighbor came over to help.

He also helped put the tables away.

The turkeys were 37, 41 and 47 pounds.

Applesauce and Sun Pictures

DH and I have been canning applesauce. We made 23 quarts from our apples. He does most of the work.

 This was the first batch below.

I wanted to show some of the pictures I took last month with all the smoke in the air.

 Our guests. The horse has now gone home. He sure loved running from field to field.

 A friend gave him their extra shop lights and so he added them to the lighting in the barn.

 This will be great over his tool section when he is looking for something, he is still getting it arranged.

Table Finished

We finished urethaning the table and benches, we put several coats on them and they turned out great.

I also decided to clean up the old homemade bread box with the back of my mom's old mirror from the 1950's. It was time this got some TLC. I did one more coat after this one dried.

All we have done the last couple of days is stay out of the smoke, work on family history for another member of the family and clean up what is needed on a couple more walking sticks I am going to be working on.

We have some apples to pick off of the very old apple tree but trying to wait for a cooler day. Of course there is more wood to split and stack, but that is a given.

Hubby got a step fixed going off the front deck that the screws stripped out of, very nice to feel sturdy now when going to hang clothes.

Slow but sure we will get a few more things accomplished. I feel like the tortoise in the old book The Tortoise and the Hare. I have to do things in increments.

Then there is the smoke from all the fires all through the PNW, Montana and the B.C. of Canada. It is really bad again today. We have lived in smoke for weeks now. My heart goes out to all those who have lost homes and in danger's path.

Sanding And Urethaning the Table We built in 1981

This table has been used by quite a few in the family and many a school project was built and or painted on it. It was time to re-sand it and put some coats of urethane on it and the benches.

I put a third coat of urethane on it earlier today after it cooled off a bit outside and will do another in an hour or so. Hubby did a third coat on the benches and I did the fourth. I think that is all the benches will need. There are also two short benches for each end.
As you see the wood rack behind the hubby is all filled and waiting for cold weather. The wood shed is also full to the brim.

 Stacking the wood on the last row and it is filled to the top of the woodshed.

Been hot the last couple of days and I guess this is the week of the last of summer as it is supposed to be mostly 90's for the next week.
I sure hope and pray we get rain soon we are very brown and the grass crunches when you walk.
The turkeys are really turning into some big boys.