Thursday, January 26, 2012

Beleive it or not...

Yes, believe it or not, gardening season has just begun  here on the farm!  Today I planted one full flat of Petunias!  Three different varieties, four trays each = one full flat!  I also did my vegetable seed inventory and will now be able to place my see order for this coming garden.

Next thing you know it will be warming up and I will be spending my time outside moving, instead of inside not moving!  This will be a very good thing.

Some of my not moving time has been on the computer doing family history research.  Finding lots of information.  Making connections with people who in one way or another are actually related to me...just amazing!  What we can do in this modern age!

Onward and Upward!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

A catch up and something new...

First the catch up.  Here is the picture I promised of the progress of the Beer.  Yes, the stuff floating in it is suppose to be there, when bottling time comes it will be filtered out. 
This is the beginning of the carbonation and fermentation process.  What is floating is pieces of Hops as well as some Barley and Wheat that all go into making beer have it's flavor.  White foam on top is the Head, but it is no where near ready to consume. 

Right now it is still sitting on the table, only now there is only a "bubbler" on the top, as fermentation has slowed some.  In a few more days, Greg will bottle it and then it will set in the bottle for a time before we chill it and have a taste.  I'll let you know when that happens.

Now for something new, well kind of new...I went cross country skiing today around our place.  For the last 10 days we have been taking the dogs out everyday and letting them run the fields while we walked.  Great exercise for all of us.  Anyway, today I decided it was time to bring out the skis, in place of just walking.

Haven't had the skis on for a very long time, but we used to go quite often around 15 years ago!  I had a good time and didn't fall even once...amazing!  Now I plan to ski instead of walk everyday.  And if I ever get to feeling like I know what I am doing again, I may try something really new...Skijoring!

Skijoring is where you use an animal to pull you along, kind of like water skiing only  on snow and no motor.  Horses are used as well as dogs, right now my choice would be to use Anya to pull me along, we'll see what happens down the line.

Greg took some pictures of me skiing so here they are:


Just starting out.


Ready to ski down...



Action shot number 1, I was going down hill, but not really very fast!



Action shot number 2.


What a pretty day it was.


Like Greg likes to say "That's my House", from our back line.

Here is someone with a REALY big dog Skijoring!
Pleasant day so far, plus I've lost five pounds since the first of the year!  Only about 10-15 more and I will be at my healthy weight.  Yippy!

Time to think about getting dinner...what shall we have....?

Monday, January 9, 2012

Beer and Pasties....

Good title, it gets your attention! 

Anyway, Greg and I  have been busy the last two days.  Yesterday and today altogether we made 20 pasties.  You know the meat pies that the Cornish miners would take to lunch back in the 1800's in the U P.  Yummy good pies.  Not good for those on low calorie diets as they weigh in at something like 1000 calories each, but they sure are good and convenient  when they are all in the freezer.  And they are also better then store convenience food.  Here is what the last four look like just before going to the freezer.





Then on to the beer.  Greg got beer making supplies for Christmas this year, so today he made up the "Goldfinger" honey wheat ingredients.  Right now they are sitting on our dinning room table "working"....

Tomorrow I will take a picture of it when it is all a foam and really working good!  Doesn't look too great right now, that sediment in the bottom is not real pretty either.  That would be the hops and some of the other ingredients settling out.

Winter is year is really, and I mean REALLY strange....NO snow!  We had a dump back in November, but that is all long gone and we  haven't seen much since.  Come on snow where are you?!

Been taking the dogs walking in the field the last four days.  Sure makes a difference in the evening.  Much less rough and tumble at TV time, more just chilling.  This is a good thing.

Christmas stuff is all put away and with this dumb weather I keep thinking I should bring out spring stuff, but our Winter has just started!  I need snow!

Until the next time....Onward and Upward.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Second one today...

Here is a flash back, isn't she cute!

Same cute puppy at 11 months old!
Is it time for another puppy??????

Finally I can show you what I did....

I spent many hours doing Christmas sewing and now I can show you the results. I don't have a picture yet of the quilt I am making for Daniella, but I am still working on that. I made six table runners, the picture only shows five, but that's because I made two of the tangled reindeer.

There was only one that I didn't embroider on and that one is the one in the middle in the group picture.  That one was a quick put together and it's done.  The rest all took sometime to put together.  Each one turned out really nice and I am quite proud of them.  I hope that those that received them like them as well.

Happy New Year to all!

Onward and Upward!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Welcome 2012, may you bring peace and prosperity, good health and good friends!

This is my wish for everyone in 2012.  Updates will be coming soon.