We Have A Plan

Hello, friends.  Last week, to replace some that didn't come up, I replanted a few seeds of yellow squash, tromboncino and eggplant.  I transplanted two sunflowers that had volunteered near the bird feeder to a better spot, and planted the wintersown borage, near the tromboncino squash.  There was a happy surprise, when I went to plant out the hydroponic basil I'd bought.  It was actually multiple plants, which I planted one evening with a 100% chance of rain in the forecast, followed by rainy and cloudy days.  Unfortunately, none of the rain panned out, other than a handful of drops, and there was lots of sun, but it looks like four may survive, which is more than I thought I had, so I'm considering it a win.

A $25 GC I'd gotten through Swagbucks was used to get dog beds at Marshall's, one a marked down bed, which almost covered them. McNibs has begun dribbling urine, so I need to have plenty to rotate.  He'd never tolerate a diaper, and always scratches around before laying down, so the pads wouldn't work either.  This seems the best solution.  I'm also looking into natural remedies to support him.  When we moved into this house, we had the small trailer we'd been living in moved into the woods.  J turned one side of it into a small workshop, gutted the middle for an outdoor work area, and I've used the rest of it for storage.  The majority of what was in one of the two rooms was boxes, saved from the time I was actively selling my friend's antiques on ebay.  There was such a variety of shapes and sizes of items, it was an attempt to have what I needed on hand.  As it's been a while since I've worked on that, I cleaned out all the boxes, and a number of other things.  This decluttering project has been long overdue, and I hope to get back to it soon.

I was looking forward to making tortillas for bean burritos, as I liked them so much the first time.  For whatever reason, this time the same recipe did not turn out at all, only stuck terribly to the pan.  After several attempts, with two different ceramic pans, I gave up, and had all my burrito fillings as is for dinner.  I put the batter in the fridge.  I harvested leeks for potato leek soup, at J's request, and thought I'd try again, to have tortillas with the soup, this time trying a little spray oil.  Same challenge.  It's a mystery.  Ah well, the chickens and pups have enjoyed them.  I gathered  a bouquet of peonies and roses for the house, white and pale pink.  A neighbor stopped by the next day, with a gorgeous bouquet of the loveliest pink peonies.  Over the weekend, we finally came up with a plan for our first skoolie adventure, nearby this time, to check how everything works.  It's a ways off, but we have a plan now!

A New Curtain & Some Metal Additions

 

Hello, friends.  Here's the other curtain tie back, repurposed as a bathroom hand towel holder.   There's such a small amount of wall space, I think this is a good solution, for what we have to work with.  I've been gradually stocking the bus, with toilet paper, filling soap dispensers, and putting shampoo and soap in the shower caddy.  

Joseph fabricated a latch to secure the fold down door, to ensure no one gets hurt, by pulling it down on themselves.  This is secured to a piece he mounted on  the wall.  He did a great job on it.

I've mentioned before that I love vintage linens, and have picked up some, without knowing how I would use them.  While going through them one day, for another reason, I noticed this one, and wondered if it wouldn't be the right size for the kitchen window.  Sure enough, it fits perfectly.  There was some light staining I worked on, and a number of holes in the lace, which I mended to the best of my ability.  I like that it's unique, cozy, and one less curtain I need to sew.  Neither one of us liked the fabric Joseph bought for the curtains in the kitchen and living area.  I suggested he pick up a drop cloth, which I'll use for the final, dinette curtain.  Almost there!

Spring Happenings

Hello, friends.  We've had what is likely the last fire in the woodstove, until the Fall.  The weather has been lovely.  I harvested asparagus, lambs quarters and parsley.  I pulled out some soapwort, which was overtaking the oregano.  I'd known that it got it's name, due to the saponins which make it soapy, and decided to try a batch.  Soapwort flowers have one of my favorite scents, and I could smell a milder version in the leaves, stems and roots.  Sadly, it did not make it through the simmering process, and ended up unscented.  First, I used the liquid in a dark load of laundry.  I didn't measure it, but poured something between a cup and a cup and a half in.  It was then used to wash J's work clothes, half and half with laundry detergent.  I haven't used it on whites yet, so not sure how it does with stains, but the clothes all smelled clean.  I used some on the bathroom baseboards.  It's nice to know an alternative to bought items.

Nettles and comfrey were harvested, and dried.  I made potato soup on a cool evening, and used lots of fresh parsley as a garnish.  J turned on the outdoor shower for the season.  I intended to bathe the pups over the weekend, but all the weeding drew me in.  I'll get to it this week.  I'm happy the carrot bed is weeded, and work done on several flower beds.  The potatoes are doing well, including the ones in the grow bags.  J planted out pepper and tomato seedlings in the garden, and I fed all the indoor seedlings with fish emulsion.  I did the big chicken coop clean out, and gathered mint growing where it shouldn't, for the nest boxes and floor.  The scent doesn't last long, but it's nice while it does.  On Easter, I prepped asparagus and potatoes for J to grill.  We had a little "pond sit" afterwards.

We had a bit of excitement midafternoon Friday, but not the good kind.  As J was working in his shop, a highway patrolman and fire fighter came walking up, asking if he knew about the car that had wrecked in our woods.  Apparently, a man with an open case of beer careened across a lane and our ditch, went into the woods, knocking down a tree, and got stuck between two others, deploying all the airbags.  When law enforcement arrived, he took off, into our woods.  I mostly stayed inside, but anytime I went out the rest of the day, J was with me.  The HP wandered our land a bit, but didn't find him.  We figure the man called someone to come pick him up, further down the road, at some point. 

The first wild Atamasco lily bloomed the day before Easter.  It's typical to first see them here right around Easter, so they're right on time.  I hope if you celebrate Easter, yours was lovely, with good food, good people, and the beauty of the season.

Curtains & A Pup On The Skoolie

Hello, friends.  The bedroom curtains were washed, ironed and hung.  I finished sewing the bedroom door curtain.  It's rather wonky, but it will be pulled open the vast majority of the time.  The only time it will be closed is when one of us is up, and the other is sleeping, so we'll be the only ones to see it.  As long as it serves its purpose, I'm going to call it good enough.  Joseph hung the tieback for it, which I purchased on Etsy.  It came as a two-pack.  We'd been needing a small hand towel holder for the bathroom.  Joseph suggested we change the orientation of the other one for that use, and I think it should work just fine.  I'll try to show it in use in an upcoming photo.

 

I've started trying to get the pups used to coming in the bus.  Though they came and went early on, ever since the door placement was changed, and the steps were made steeper, they've been less than enthusiastic.  Treats can help though.  I got them both in a few weeks ago.  On this day, McNibs came in, but Guinness said nothing doing.  We've tried a ramp of sorts, with burlap on it for traction, but it's a less than ideal solution.  McNibs actually came up the stairs as they were, knowing there were treats to be had.  I also encouraged him to check out his bed.  When I bought a shower caddy, for shampoo and such, my main concern was it have the minimum depth, as the space is so tiny.  When it arrived, it was too long for the space.  Thankfully, Joseph worked his metal fabricating magic on it, and it fits now.  That punch list is getting shorter by the day!

April This & That

Hello, friends.  On two of the cool days last week, I canned black beans and vegetable broth.  The local wildlife has been notable.  First, the hummingbirds arrived.  J noticed one Sunday evening.  I quickly made up some food, and was rewarded by the first one at the feeder on Monday.  A pair of wild turkeys were seen on our walk one evening, and four deer were playing on our pond dam another evening.  Two of them skirted the asparagus patch we recently fenced, so we were happy that had been done.  I've been concerned, being many of them were munched off last year, so they weren't able to make ferns, and put energy back into the roots.  Many of the plants have sent up asparagus so far.  Though some are very skinny, they're alive, and can put energy into growing future years.  

I made an online purchase, using a 30% off code, and got another 5% back by going through Swagbucks.  The majority of the Swagbucks I receive are by going through them for online shopping, which can add up.  That purchase got me 275 Swagbucks, equivalent to $2.75, and is a company I regularly buy from anyway, for food, toiletries and supplements.  I  started cucumbers and eggplant, and the cucumbers were jumping up the next day.  Vegetable soup was made on a rainy day, with our canned veggies, one of the recently harvested small cabbages, a jar of black beans that didn't seal, and the soup container of bits of leftovers in the freezer.

I harvested asparagus and the last of the chicory.  Some of the bolting collard stems, and dandelion greens were gathered, to chop and use in the pup's dinners.  Catbrier tips and violets were added to a salad.  Laundry was dried on the line.  Compost and biochar were made.  Paper and cardboard were shredded, which will be added to the compost or the chicken coop.  Shopping on senior day gave me 5% off my grocery bill.  Herb seedlings are pretty expensive.  When I saw a hydroponic basil plant, around 10" tall at the grocery store for $3.95, I decided to get it.  I'll use some, and plant it when it's warmer, and have a head start on my basil.  It's been nice being outside on warm days, planting, harvesting and weeding.  Wishing you a lovely week.

A Quick Skoolie Update

 

Hello, friends.  This is one of the paintings I mentioned purchasing last week, and I absolutely love it where it's hanging, above our little couch.

I've been working on sewing curtains.  The door curtain is finished, except for the fact that when we hung it, the fabric above the rod flops over.  I'm waiting on long pins to remedy that problem. 

It turns out we confused ourselves, and in fact, the blackout backing for the window curtains does fit them.  There was quite a bit more curtain than blackout fabric, but when I factored in all the seams I'd turn over to sew, and the fact that I stopped the blackout fabric at the bottom of the large seam for the rod, as instructed, I realized that it was indeed what we had intended.  These are the first two hung, and I think they will work.  I'm a little concerned that there may still be light around the edges, but we can discuss ways to remedy that.  I plan to wash and iron them, so they'll hopefully hang better, once that's done.  

The skoolie had her first outing.  There was a large fundraiser in the community for a little girl with leukemia.  There was a lot going on to raise money, and one of them was a vintage car and truck show.  One of the organizers asked Joseph if he'd bring the skoolie, so we spent part of Saturday there.  I didn't think about taking a photo, until I was walking back to my car, but you can see us on the far right.  The car show was the first thing on the agenda, and many of the vehicles had already left.  We heard they raised over $60K for the family.  We were happy to be a part of it, and realized one little tweak we need to make.  Instead of grabbing the handrail when coming and going, it seems people want to grab the dropdown door on the other side of the steps (to keep us and the pups from falling in the hole when we're inside), which is only held in place by a magnet.  J plans to make some sort of latch for it, so no one gets hurt when touring the skoolie.  That's the latest.

Planting & A Small Harvest

Hello, friends.  Last week, I redeemed 2150 Swagbucks for a $25 GC.  Cabbage, chicory, and a few more broccoli shoots were harvested.  J had a birthday, and I made him German Chocolate brownies, as layer cakes are not a skill I possess.  I transplanted 10 peppers to cells for J's business partner, and started squash seeds... tromboncino, ronde de nice zucchini, and yellow straightneck.  The wildflower seeds gifted by my stepson have begun blooming.

For whatever reason, none of my lettuce germinated, so J picked up lettuce seedlings, plus cabbage and broccoli.  J planted the cabbage and broccoli, and I got the lettuce in the ground Sunday evening, before the rain.  We're hoping for a nice long spring, so we'll get to harvest them all before they bolt.  I repaired a boot with shoe goo.  When renewing a magazine, I used a $5 off coupon code.  My car received it's first washing of the year, prompted by all the pollen.

My camera will no longer transfer photos to the PC, and is acting wonky in general.  M used it for work several years, then gifted it to me.  It's over 20 years old at this point, so I surely can't complain.  J checked, and the software is no longer supported.  I've looked around a little, but gosh, new ones are expensive, and I'm clueless as to what would work best for me (simple, with minimal bells and whistles).  For now at least, I'm just sticking with my phone camera.  Wishing you a peaceful, light-filled week.  Update:  I just remembered, Food Lion is having BOGO on Lindsay organic olives, which are some of the few without citric acid.  Though they're not inexpensive, that's what I've been buying for a couple of years, without ever seeing a sale.  You can bet I stocked up!

Starting To Come Together

Hello, friends.  Progress slowed on the skoolie while we were sick, but it's picking up again.  Joseph purchased and mounted shades for the windshield, and two front side windows.  I've been working on curtains, but it's been a bit of a struggle.  I'd mentioned I'd gotten blackout fabric at the thrift store, and though I had enough, it required piecing each of the four panels with three pieces.  When I finished sewing the bedroom curtains, and placed the first one together with the blackout piece, I found I had been working with the wrong numbers, on the blackout portion.  That's all I'll say about that.  J has bought more blackout fabric, but it's literally on a slow boat from China.  It'll eventually get here.  I've begun working on the bedroom door curtain.  I'm using fabric remnants from the bedroom curtain project, which required piecing.  I've got the main curtain sewn together, and the backing picked out from my stash, but we need to come to an agreement on what to do about all the seams from piecing it.  I'd like it to have the look of a quilt, using matching fabrics.  We'll see.

Joseph added a louvered panel to the genset access door, and added another louvered section for the bus engine's air intake, and riveted them in place.  He feels improved air flow will be a plus.

He fabricated a mount for a spare tire, and mounted it to the front of the skoolie.  I helped by holding it while he cut excess rod, and tightened bolts while he held the nuts.  I was excited to find two local small paintings this week, for great prices, along with a small bowl for the skoolie.  I'll share the paintings once they're hung.  It feels like it's starting to come together now.  Though our long hoped-for date of late March has come and gone, we're getting closer all the time to our maiden voyage.