The Last Flowers

Hello, friends.  Last week, I harvested peas, lettuce, winter greens, rosemary, and thyme, plus greens for the chickens, on the days I was home.  I recently noticed something has been eating the chicory down.  Sigh.  Well, it's now taken care of.  The temperatures have been getting colder, and is supposed to hit the teens in the next few days.  On Thanksgiving, J and I covered the lettuce and chicory with row cover, to protect it a few more degrees.  Peas can thrive below freezing, but not once it hits 25 or so, so I harvested the last picking of peas on Thanksgiving.

More goods not seen in the foreground L & R, and a room to the left

Other than Thanksgiving, my week was spent shop sitting at the gallery.  I think I've mentioned in the past that this building was originally a livery.  The wood is just lovely.  Things I brought to do during lulls included paperwork, the peas to shell, thread and needle to mend a sweater, and Christmas cards to write.  I also brought reading material, to have some relaxing time.  During the time I was home, I made golden paste for the pups, and suet for the birds.  Before it got into the low 20's, I cut a couple remaining roses.  Joseph was so helpful, and did a great job of preparing simple dinners each night.

Enjoying the last of the flowers

Back home Sunday, I worked to catch up a bit.  Two loads of laundry were hung on the line.  The peas I'd shelled were canned, along with a pint jar of lima beans I'd recently shelled.  Joseph had baked extra sweet potatoes Saturday, so I made a pie with most.  A jar of cashew parmesan was made.  Broccoli Pad Thai was made, using our broccoli and garlic.  J picked up items to do an oil/filter change on my car.  He asked what deals they were having, and ended up saving about $20 overall, which was great.  I'm very much looking forward to spending this week at home, other than running a few errands.  I hope your week is a good one, spent doing just what you like.

Bucket List Express

Hello, friends.  Joseph came up with a name for the bus, and hired a local man to paint it, on the front visor.  He removed a fuel line, and had three new hoses made, one for that line, and two for the new transmission cooler.  He changed the fuel filters, and replaced the priming pump.  

I assisted Joseph in connecting and purging the lines for the mini split.  He completed the wiring, so it should now be operational, which we'll be testing soon.  He put protective covering on the water lines, as well as more support.  He connected the drinking water tank line to the faucet, which is the last of the plumbing.  The punch list is getting shorter all the time!

Many Wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving

Hello, friends.  Last week, I strained lemon balm and cat's claw glycerites, and bottled them.  From the garden, I  harvested cherry tomatoes, green beans, peas, eggplant, kale, chard, and rosemary.  We had our first killing frost, so the tomatoes, eggplant and green beans are done.  I tried a new recipe for pea hummus, which was good.  I enjoyed it for several lunches.  It called for frozen peas, but as I had fresh peas on hand, I used those, which worked well.  

I'm working at one of the gallery's all week.  I began on Saturday, and will work through next Saturday.  I've been working on prepping what I could for the week, for our home, and what I could take with me to work on.  There are simple dinners planned, and J is helping with those as he can.  I haven't had much time to work on a post, so this one will be short and sweet.  I send good wishes for a very happy Thanksgiving, for all who are celebrating.  

November Peas

Hello, friends.  Well, the mystery regarding the drinking water has had another piece solved.  Though the gunky gutters didn't help, we realized there was another issue, after we got 3/4" of rain, but didn't have enough to use.  When J went to check the pipes, he found my ex-husband had never glued the PVC pipes together, and they had separated at some point, which allowed much of the rain to pour on the ground, rather than into the tank.  I'm very thankful J cares more about the quality of work he does.  I was surprised to learn that it appears a third of the weather stations reporting data in the UK and to the NOAA in the US do not exist.  The "data" was fabricated, which of course skews the data.  It's disheartening at times, to learn of all the corruption, but also hopeful that so much of it is coming to light in these times.  I believe, brave souls that we are, we signed up for this, knowing a great shift would be taking place.  Bravo, us!

From the garden, I harvested cherry tomatoes, eggplant, green beans, peas, and chard.  With veggie bags threatening to take over the freezer, I filled two large pots with the scraps, simmered them on the woodstove a day, and canned the broth.  Just after, I canned peas.  With the nice, long Fall we're having, the pea experiment has worked out very well.  I've been able to put some jars on the shelf, for the first year ever.  Sadly, the third orchid dropped it's buds this week.  Still, I'm considering the one that's blooming a definite win.  Before I went out of town, I gathered sweet potato leaves for smoothies, froze ripened tomatoes, and froze the excess chard in muffin tins, to use over winter.  The night before I left, we had rain (~2/3"), and J was able to get the drinking water turned on for the house. Not enough yet for the household water, but we're hoping soon.

I had a great weekend with my niece.  She had found a women's build with Habitat for Humanity on Saturday.  Though not actually hurricane relief, when the family moves into this home in January, it will free up their current housing for someone else, which is sorely needed.  This was in a Habitat neighborhood of around 20 residences, including several duplexes.  There were two other teams working, in addition to the women-built house.  I worked on setting up scaffolding, and we both did painting, on window frames and a door.  It's obvious at least someone in the family is excited.  This plaque was up, in one of the rooms I was working in, which gave me a smile.  It was very organized, and nice to meet all the other workers.  It was my first time working with Habitat, and I'd definitely do it again.

Guinness keeping me company while picking peas

Though she had worked a previous Sunday with the group we planned on helping, they're apparently no longer open Sundays, so we had to come up with a plan B.  I'd seen several mentions of a distribution center not far from the college she works at in Swannanoa, so we dropped in there.  They were happy to have us, and set us to work organizing a container of donations.  After lunch, we worked as pickers, which meant as the cars drove up, a team leader would get their needs, then send pickers to gather all the items.  I told J I definitely got my steps in that day.  It was all outdoors, a beautiful day, and a fantastic group of people to work with.  Though it was satisfying to finally get there and help, I'd love to do more, and am hoping it works out to go back.  I've already got the OK to park our skoolie in their parking lot, which might be wishful thinking.  I'm sure needs will change as the weeks go by, but expect help will still be needed in some form.  It would be great to be able to have the ability to help more than a day or two.  Most of the workers I spoke with were from other parts of the country... TX, IL, New Orleans, S. Carolina, and were staying for a time, all good souls.  Sending you wishes for a good and peaceful week.

Drinking Water

Hello, friends.  Joseph purchased and installed the faucet for our drinking and cooking water.  It's the faucet on the right side, where the sprayer would have been.  We'll use campground water to bathe and wash dishes in, but don't want to drink it.  We have a separate tank for our drinking water, and will run it through a Berkey water filter.  Joseph continues to work on bodywork, and is close to finishing.  He's pressure washed half the bus, in preparation for painting.

I forgot to mention it in my last post, but I'm heading to the mountains today to assist in hurricane relief efforts, so my usual Monday post will be late.  I'll get one posted as soon as I'm able next week.  Until then, take good care.  

A Little Drama

Hello, friends.   It's been quite a week in the US.  I'm thankful to have my sanctuary here, as a buffer from the drama.  I just hope we can take this opportunity to come together.  Speaking of drama, while working with the Fall plants in the pond garden, I moved a seedling tray, and found a fat and sassy black widow spider underneath.  I watched it for a bit, then it went and hid again.  I made sure to tell J about it, when he came to the garden, and we left it in an out of the way area.  It looks like they hibernate over winter, going dormant.  It wasn't the least bit aggressive, and I'm sure it didn't want to bother me any more than I wanted to bother it.

Early in the week, I canned peas.  I used a 10% off coupon code for soap supplies, and went through Swagbucks several times for cash back offers on needed things. A $25 GC was redeemed from Swagbucks.  I found .99 pomegranates at Aldi, and got two.  We didn't need heat for several days, but once the woodstove was going again, I simmered small sweet potatoes for the pups, and melted soapmaking oils on it.   The orchid I recently shared is still going strong, but I sadly found the largest orchid bud "slimed" one morning, with the buds dropped and a chunk out of the stem.  So, I suppose a snail or slug came by.  The third orchid is still intact, so I'll keep hoping that one blooms too.  

There's been no rain this week, except for a light sprinkle.  There is a chance tonight (Sunday) and tomorrow morning.  The well water clogged up our shower head so much that J couldn't finish his shower, without shaking all the particulates out of it.  I've harvested cherry tomatoes and green beans, a few roselle calyces and calendula flowers.  The chicken coop was cleaned out.  Summer clothes have been swapped out for winter in the dressers, and the closet rearranged, to better access the winter clothes.  One of the mornings without heat felt cool in the house, so I made a pear pie, to warm things up a bit.  Thank you to all who have and are serving our country, this Veterans Day.  Wishing you a peaceful, cozy week.

Little Steps

 

Hello, friends.  Joseph got the front visor primed and painted, and has it in a protected place, until the bus itself is painted, and the visor can be put back in place.  I attempted to follow a Youtube video, to macrame a cord for the bathroom window, but gave up after working on it a couple of hours.  Her hands blocked it some, and she was moving too fast to see it all, despite stopping and winding back multiple times.  It was not pretty, lol.  I've done more research, and found another design that looks a little simpler, and has instructions, in addition to the video, so I'll try that another day.  

Joseph finished connecting the propane pipe to the generator.  The skoolie kitchen sink was cleaned, the counter wiped down, and I've cleaned the windows, inside and out.  There's a lot of construction residue on the windows, mostly polyurethane.  He's worked on them some, with a razor blade scraper.  Once we get most of it off, I'll go over them with acetone, and clean them again.  Little steps.