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| Ooops! |
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| Rose hips I picked on Tuesday. |
Monday 8/31. This morning's posting was written this morning while I was still half asleep, so I hope it made sense. I usually write it the evening before, then edit and add to it the morning that I post.
We had oatmeal for the first time in months this morning, and I was tempted to put a fire in the wood stove. I didn't, but I may put flannel sheets on our bed this weekend.
Elsie's and the Gridder's hens have cut back on their egg production also and they attribute it to the smoke. Well, no more excuses, girls. The worst of the smoke is gone, at least for now.
I gathered a couple bags of pine needles today for fire starter. Will be gathering a lot more before we're ready for the cold.
I noticed that the last row I stacked in the wood shed fell over onto the shed wall. It didn't have far to fall and is actually just leaning against it. But there is no way I can re-stack it, so I will just toss pieces into the openings. Next year I am going to stack all the rows across at once, instead of one at a time, so that won't happen.
The sky remained overcast most of the day with a few sun breaks. The wind finally died to a light breeze mid afternoon, and our high for the day was just 60. However, as the sun set, the breeze grew into a wind again and we had a very noisy night.
When we spoke to Larry on the radio this evening, he said there was SNOW on Mt. Stewart! Snow - right now that is my favorite 4-letter word. Rain is good, but snow is better. And the forecast is for the snow level to drop to 5500 ft tomorrow, which means that Mission Ridge could even be covered in white. JB's forecast of an early, long winter could be right on the money.
Tuesday 9/1. It was 50, windy and overcast again this morning. Still too many clouds to see if there is any snow on the mountains.
I picked almost 2-1/2 lbs of rose hips today. As I walked all the way down our driveway to the hairpin corner, I found lots of large, perfect ones. Once down at the corner, I saw a huge rose bush at least 8' tall and 9' wide that was covered with dark red hips. I thought for sure I had found the mother lode. Unfortunately they turned out to be hard and dry. Possibly too much sun and wind, as they are not at all sheltered.
Back at the house, I washed what I had picked and put them in the juicer for two hours. I only got two pints of juice, but I discovered that, once the hips are steamed, I can squish the seed pod out in one piece and keep most of the pulp and skin. It's a time-consuming job, but I think I have enough for several pints of rose hip marmalade that I will make tomorrow. I can use the juice for jelly or other recipes.
I have written a lot about buying used clothing at the Salvation Army thrift store and at garage sales. I am sure many people would never dream of doing that, but I grew up wearing a lot of hand-me-downs from my wealthy cousins. I even bought my prom dresses as a used clothing store, all except for my senior prom dress. And lately I have met very well-dressed women who buy all their clothes used. It certainly saves a lot of money.
Today the sky remained overcast but our high got up to 68. Mt. Stewart remains enshrouded in clouds, so we still can't see if it indeed has snow, but this evening I saw a shower pass over mountains to the north of it which may have dropped some snow. The forecast for Sunday is clear and 80, which means the temperature would only be in the low to mid 70's Up Here and will be perfect for our BBQ.
I am going Down There on Thursday to finally have Jesse get his rattlesnake vaccination and buy a few items at a store near the vet's. Then down again on Friday to do a big shopping for the BBQ.
Wednesday 9/2. It is 46 this morning with wind gusting to 17 and clear skies, except to the west where the mountains are still hidden.
Thought for the day: . . . every time we fall into our comfort zones, it's harder to make dreams happen. We need to coax our brains along with us. Pamela Mitchell, Sept 7/14 issue of Time magazine
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