Turkey Tracks: Honeycomb Hand-Sewing Project

Turkey Tracks: May 21, 2014

Honeycomb Hand-Sewing Project

Well, isn’t this fun?

This piece will be finished when I complete the circle of white English Paper Piecing templates–which I bought from Alewives Quilting in Damariscotta, Maine.

Lucy Boston pioneered this “honeycomb” quilting. A “honeycomb” is a hexagon, but with an elongated top and bottom side.

Here’s the “how to” and inspirational book by Linda Franz.

And here’s some ideas of how the honeycombs can be combined. Lucy Boston used combinations of 24 honeycombs ringed by 24 white honeycombs. I started with the top left version.

I’m probably only going to do four of these in shades of red and green and link them into a four-patch. Or, as a banner.

The “blocks” are joined by a series of squared. And if one wanted to make something bigger that gets squared off, one needs a series of templates that will “square off” the blocks. You can order those or make them yourself as the patterns are in the book.

I am joining the pieces with the method Leah Day demonstrated on a utube video. I posted that link on this blog earlier, but you can google Leah Day and “English Paper Piecing” for the series of three videos. I like this method because it does not show the whip-stitch stitches on the front.

Turkey Tracks: Beaver Dam 2014

Turkey Tracks: May 16, 2014

Beaver Dam 2014

Camden, Maine

I put up a video of the beaver dam just below my house about a year ago.

Here’s a little video showing how this dam has developed over the past year. What used to be a stream is now forming into a small pond.

Also, the fall after we moved to Maine in June 2004, I planted a lot of daffodils around the property. They have done the best in the little postage stamp meadow below my house. They are naturalizing so nicely. This year was the best yet. (Clearly the camera focused on the trees, but you get the idea here anyway.)

Turkey Tracks: House Projects

Turkey Tracks: May 12, 2014

House Projects

With spring, I’ve sprung into house projects–with a lot of really good, cheerful, help.

First, Stephen Pennoyer replaced the rainguard over the front door. Isn’t it nice?

It’s pitched to run rain off into the garden.

I would be way too embarrassed to show you what lived there before now…

Stephen has now finished the new fence panels that hide the propane tanks and generator. (See the garlic up in the garden? And the strawberries?) And you can also see the new gutter coming down the back of the fence panel next to the garage.

And another view:

Busily coming up in these little gardens are the white lily bulbs that Bellevue High School friend (class of 1963) Kay Rood sent me when John died. I planted them last year, but they didn’t “take.” Now, here they are like a lovely spring surprise.

Stephen also rebuilt the clothes line–and I had clothes on it yesterday!

Stephen had to dig through all of this rock–and he dug down about 4 feet or so–to install concrete that will hold these new fences and the clothes line steady through winter ice and spring heaving.

He also dug a long trench between the generator and the back post of the clothes line to sink the new gutter that’s on the drive side of the garage–our effort to redirect water away from the garage floor. (I had real flooding issues this spring when it rained and the ground was frozen.)

Now I have to get the generator rebalanced–it’s looking a bit tilty. That generator runs all the power in my house when we lose electricity–and has made life pleasant many times and saved me this winter when it was so cold and an ice storm took out all power and cable here for days and days, including Christmas Day.

Stephen bought a power washer and kindly power washed all my moldy decks and rails and trim. This whole house is shiny clean outside at the moment.

Plumber Ben Larner was also here installing the new sink. We first discussed this project back in the fall of last year.

And now, here’s the new real cast-iron sink and faucet. (The old sink was a composite porcelain–not cast iron–and was badly chipped.)

Meanwhile, I made a dump run to take all the old lumber from the fence panels and the clothes line–where the nicest Camden, Maine, dump employee unloaded the whole lot for me. That part of the dump was ankle deep in mud, and I had on “good” shoes. I had determined I’d have to go home and put on boots when he said “No, back her up right here, and I’ll take care of it all.” LOVE MAINE!

Penny is on the front seat, sucking her blanket and waiting to “go in the car””

Meanwhile, I have installed the temporary chicken fence I use in the summers AND extended it’s height up to about 6 feet. The whole thing is held together by those plastic ties where you slip one end into the apparatus on the other and pull it tight. Once on, those ties have to be cut off, so dismantling all in the fall will be…fun. The chickens are staying put, which means I am winning this round and fox can’t get them.

The refrigerator went belly up last week. The new one is being installed as I write, and I am glad as it’s a long trip to the garage every time I want a slice of lime for a cup of tea, not to mention any serious cooking. The good news is that the new refrigerator is gorgeous–French doors and a slide out freezer drawer below. I HATED the side-by-side GE Profile–it had to be designed by someone who never cooks or stores food.

Here’s a frig for someone who cooks, puts up food, and has a lot of visitors:

Look at the amazing inside:

It has two icemakers. One in the fresh food section that is attached to the controls on the front of the door–for cubes or crushed. And one in the freezer for heavy-duty use–such as I have in the summer.

As hard as it was to absorb the sticker price, I feel like I’ve died and gone to refrigerator heaven.

And, look at what got its borders on and is ready to load onto Lucy the Longarm:

I think I should have made the borders 9 inches–as called for. I did 6 inches.

The backing fabric is cut, matched, and ready to be ironed and sewn together.

This quilting project from Material Obsession 2 has been so much fun and has provided many lovely hours of hand-sewing at night. For me, it’s all about the work of the hands…

And, now, the grass is dry, so the lawn will get its first MOW. And the black flies will try to feast on me. I’m not swelling up much this year, so it must be true that one builds up a certain immunity over time.

Books, Documentaries, Reviews: Jennifer McGruther’s THE NOURISHED KITCHEN

Books, Documentaries, Reviews: April 29, 2014

The Nourished Kitchen

Jennifer McGruther

WOW!

Here’s a terrific new cookbook that’s playing off of Sally Fallon Morell and Dr. Mary Enig’s book Nourishing Traditions. Morell and Enig are part of The Weston A. Price Foundation organization.

My friend Rose Thomas, aka “Chicken Rose” to my family as there are others named Rose in my life, dropped by the other day for a cup of tea. I told her that I had just gotten a really nice new cookbook, and as soon as I picked it up to show her, she said “I just got it too. On my Kindle.” But she had a lot of fun actually holding the book in her hands and said so.

So, it’s a book that’s “in the wind” on a number of whole-foods sites.

The author is from Colorado–in the mountains–and seems to have a kind of rural setting. So there are discussions of foraging for strawberries, wild greens, and cooking wild game. We might not be able to get elk, but we can get deer and rabbit here in Maine. And our berry gardens are superb.

There’s a terrific chapter on cooking and fermenting ancient grains. And a resource section that tells where to buy them.

There’s an exciting chapter on fermented foods–with some exciting combinations of ingredients.

Indeed, what’s piquing my interest the most are the different combinations this cook is using in her every day foods.

The section on desserts have some healthy, interesting, delicious looking combinations.

This one is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

PS: Those are salt-preserved Meyer lemons on the cover–an “asset” I keep in my refrigerator all the time. I cover with a film of olive oil that is delicious drizzled over any kind of baked fish. A tablespoon of the chopped lemon and oil put into smashed potatoes with butter adds a delicious sparkle to the mixture.

Turkey Tracks: Spring Peepers

Turkey Tracks: April 26, 2014

Spring Peepers

I’ve been really busy with spring projects and spring clean-up.

So you have not heard from me much this week.

The amazing Stephen Pennoyer has taken on many of the projects neglected for the past five years. He is a meticulous carpenter and all-around building expert. And he’s been the most wonderful gift in my life as he has taken on jobs that most people would shudder at doing–things like digging drainage ditches for underground pipes and digging big and deep holes to sink new fence posts in–all into earth covered with gravel and littered with land-fill stones. Always, he is cheerful–no matter the frustration. And, always, he figures out a way “to do it right.” I’m “the helper” and am called on to hold posts steady. Or, help lift something that needs more than two hands or just a big more carrying poundage.

I’ll start posting pictures as he finishes the many jobs we have underway.

Meanwhile, Melody Pendleton was here painting a big downstairs room.

And Riteway Rugs picked up the big Karastan downstairs. It’s been over 11 years since it has been cleaned.

Those are only A FEW of the ongoing projects.

Meanwhile, I cleaned out (and repaired rusted out chicken wire) on the chicken coop and cage. That always a HUGE spring job.

I am thankful that it’s a rainy day. My body needs a rest…

* * *

The peepers–tiny, tiny frogs–have had a terrible time this year.

First they emerged out of the icy mud only to have a serious refreeze. Many of us were afraid they had been killed.

Here are some images: Peepers image – Google Search.

And here is a video I did the other night so you could see how LOUD they are:

Turkey Tracks: Mid April Update

Turkey Tracks: April 18, 2014

Mid April Update

I’ve had a busy few weeks, and it’s been fun.

First of all, Rosie, my Copper Black Maran has decided to lay her super dark brown eggs again. Aren’t they pretty?

Rosie is the last CBM I have. Remember that we lost her rooster to the fox last spring…

CBMs are not great layers, but they are big, happy hens and very social.

It might be time to think about getting some more from Tom Culpepper in Georgia…

Along with the beef broth–which is on the blog post just before this one–I made a shredded veggie lacto-fermented mixture, as mine is all gone now. I used cabbage, including a red one which will make the mixture such a lovely red in a few days, garlic, carrots, and a bunch of kale. Here it is in the bowl, all kneaded until it is juicy and ready to load into jars:

I have two kinds of jars I like to use–a regular old wide-mouth Mason jar and a fancier Fido jar with a bailer and rubber sealer. I thought I’d have enough mixture for a half-gallon jar, but no. Thus the quart jar:

Here’s a little video of Pumpkin, my rooster, who is amazing with the hens. You can hear him telling them to “come eat this food,” and if you watch carefully, you’ll see him pick up food and hold it up for them to see that it’s “ok.”

I make a run up to Belfast to the Belfast Coop every ten days or so. The Coop carries the dog food I use: raw ground WHOLE chicken–bones, skin, organs, the works. The girls THRIVE on this food. You’d never know to look at them that they are 11 and 12 years old. Here’s what their good looks like:

I have an old pair of boots that I bought for $10 at a kind of shoe-thrift store back in Virginia over 15 years ago. They are my “chicken boots”–and survive ice and mud in rough weather. I think I’ve gotten and will continue to get my money’s worth. I’m still using heavy gloves when I go out for chicken duty morning and evening:

Remember this rug I braided on the fashioned loom? It’s still going strong…

The wild turkeys have broken up into small bands now. I have one male who is hanging around with his band–probably because they are still feeding on discarded coop bedding and the odd treats I throw to the chickens. At night he roosts in one of the pines just beyond the stream. And he calls to me when I come out to lock up the chickens.

Here’s one video I took of him the other day. He’s perpetually “puffed up” these days:

And one of him with some of his hens. His tail is looking a bit ragged. I heard two males fighting at dusk up on the hill last week–they seemed to be hitting heads/necks/wings. Hard to tell :

Soon the hens will sit on eggs, and I will not see much of them until next winter–except for the odd crossing across a road here and there.

Turkey Tracks: April Update

Turkey Tracks: April 7, 2014

April Update

We are finally getting some warm weather, and near me, the Megunticook River is thawing out fast. I was a little shocked when I went by Megunticook Lake Sunday on my way to see Rose Thomas as the Lake is still pretty frozen. This view is from the top of Barrett Cove, looking north. (This lake is 15 miles around and filled with interesting islands and “necks” that jut out into the water.)

The ice looks bluer towards the middle though, suggesting thinness.

Chickie Diva Queenie has been healed up for some time. I have only been waiting for the night temps to get warm enough to risk her in the coop. She can’t take any more frostbite probably ever in her life.

She did not seem unhappy in her kitchen box, but on a bright sunny day last week, I put her outside. She prowled the yard, scratching and digging, but not getting near the other chickens, who did not seem to notice her. That night, she came to the back door and when I opened it, she came right in, and hopped in her box.

The next day, I put her out again, and she wanted to come right back inside. I had planned to clean out the coop, so I gathered up the buckets and the shovel and started to work.

What followed was shocking!

The chickens found her and immediately attacked her. Even the rooster. They weren’t trying to dominate her. They were trying to kill her.

I rescued her from where she had wedged herself behind the sandbox and the house wall. Her comb was torn again, and she had wounds on her feet again. She was dazed and stunned and so happy to be put back into her box.

I consulted with the chicken whisperer Rose Thomas, and we formulated a plan to integrate her into Rose’s flock, which is larger and far less territorial.

So, on Sunday, I took her to Rose.

Rose’s chicken house is a lot bigger than my little coop, and there are MANY egg boxes. Diva Queenie put herself into one and seemed quite happy.

Rose has three roosters at the moment–Guy, the father of my rooster Pumpkin; the brother of Pumpkin; and Merlin, a guina rooster who is ferocious.

Rose distracted her flock by throwing them some scratch feed to them while we put Queenie into the chicken house.

I called Rose this morning. Queenie is just fine and is out in the yard with the rest of the flock.

* * *

Look at these–I have 12 out of 15 done and have another one half done now.

Here’s a close-up of one:

This large “hexie” is made from the kite shape you can see with the dark blue. I first saw a quilt made with these medallions at Alewives, a quilt shop in Damariscotta Mills, Maine. The hexies get linked by big diamonds, and the pattern comes from the book Material Obsession 2 by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke. Other blog entries here show their TWO quilt versions using this block. Rhea Butler made the quilt at Alewives.

I’ve finished the red/green quilt, which remains nameless so far. It’s loaded on the long arm. It’s pretty big–I used 7 yards of fabric for the backing–a Kaffe Fasset I bought on sale about a year ago. And I had to piece a column of about 20 inches to get enough width for the long arm–which was fine as I used up a lot of orphan blocks. I really draw the line at buying 9 yards of fabric for a quilt backing when I’m only missing ten or so inches. With the long-arm, I need about 5 extra inches of width on the sides, but I could always put on a temporary outside border that would come off when the quilting was done as well.

I am going down to Manchester, New Hampshire, with Gail Galloway Nicholson this week to the big MQX show (Machine Quilters Expo)–where we will both take some classes. I am taking both pantograph and free-motion quilting classes for the long arm. So…it seems to make sense to wait until I get home to quilt this quilt. The pantograph class may change how I currently quilt with a pantograph. Also I ordered a different green quilting thread as I did not like the color I thought I would use. Funny how that happens…

So, here’s my current project:

I am sewing together colorful 5-inch blocks from my stash. I will put a 3-inch border on this grid and use it to cut out “Lil Twister” blocks. Here’s a clue of what I am talking about:

Lil Twister block images – Google Search.

Canton Village Quilt Works has a very nice tutorial on how to use the Lil Twister tool.

Turkey Tracks: Household Dramas

Turkey Tracks: March 30, 2014

Household Dramas

SMOKE ALARM

The smoke alarm outside my bedroom went off last night about 3:30 a.m. LOW BATTERY. That alarm talks to you in a voice that can raise even a deaf person like me from a dead sleep. Rey Rey jumped off the very high bed (I hope she used the nearby chair) and followed me through the house-check I made to make sure there wasn’t smoke anywhere, etc. And to get the ladder downstairs so I could reach the alarm upstairs on the third floor. Rey Rey ducked into her bed downstairs–a laundry basket with soft old blankets under the table in my office–and had to be retrieved when the drama was all solved and the offending alarm removed from the ceiling for the night–which meant another trip up and down three flights of stairs.

It took me forever this morning to figure out how to open the battery door… Went online for the manual to figure it out, but couldn’t find a clue–which means most anyone with any brains should know how to open the darn thing. Only, I didn’t want to break anything by forcing plastic parts. The little door pulls and kind of swings out. The online ad said one could change the batteries without removing the device from the ceiling. Ha! I’d like to see someone do that. And it’s easy enough to unscrew it anyway.

Now I suppose I should check the other alarms as I suppose they might all have low batteries. But, that will be a task for another day…

Meanwhile, Rey Rey is still a total wreck–made more so when the new batteries went in and the device “talked” again in the piercing, scary voice.

She retreated to the rug in front of the sink–the next best thing to my lap as it is “my” spot in the kitchen–where she sat shaking with terror and refusing to look at the camera.

BEAUTIFUL DAFFODILS

See those beautiful daffodils on the kitchen counter?

A wonderful friend brought them to me this week–along with a big bunch on the dining room table.

And I have had swollen lymph nodes under one arm, other swellings, an allergy runny nose in spurts off and on ever since. It took me a few days to figure it out–but it’s those flowers.

I started washing my hands really good to get rid of whatever pesticides I had gotten on my hands from the flowers–and gathered up those beautiful, gorgeous, sunny flowers and threw them on a snow bank.

And my nose has stopped and the swellings are going away…

But I will miss the daffodils and will be so happy to see my own bloom in the meadow this year.

Again, maybe this is a lesson in “slow” flowers/food and staying in the seasons…

CLOGGED DRAINS IN GARAGE

So, today is the day that the documentary TOXIC HOT SEAT is being shown at THE STRAND in Rockland, Maine. I had a leisurely breakfast, dressed with care (the pretty blue sweater I save for “good”), and went to the garage to leave. At the last moment, as it was pouring rain, I changed my pretty shoes for sturdy rain shoes.

There was at least four inches of water in the garage.

The drains were plugged.

Water, water everywhere and threatening the bottoms of the refrigerator and the freezer.

I went back to the house, changed into LL Bean tall boots, took off my pretty green scarf (a present from DIL Corinne during her pre-wedding parties) that matched my pretty green raincoat that I treasure but that is at least 15 years old, got a toilet plunger and tried to open the drains.

No luck.

I called my wonderful neighbor Chris Richmond, who came down with adorable and growing-fast son Carleton in about 30 seconds. What a great feeling that was.

Chris had no luck with the plunger either.

Chris determined that the drains were iced up and tried to find their outside outlet–and set about redirecting water flowing down the hillsides into the drainage ditches along the driveway–which had become plugged with too many leaves. (Next year I’ll do a better job of blowing leaves out of those drains–and maybe get Tom Jackson to deepen them again. After ten years, they’ve silted up quite a bit.

Meanwhile, Carleton and I “broomed” water out of the garage doors so that it flowed down the hill. As I only had one big broom, Carleton worked with a snow shovel while I followed him him with the big broom. (I will be buying another broom forthwith.)

Chris had brought some de-icer pellets and put those down the drains, but it may take some time for them to “work.”

And I went to Renys and bought one of their last de-icer bags and put more down the drains. And I will go back in a bit to see if I need to put in more.

Now my mind is busily turning over what kind of treats I might be able to proffer to thank Chris and Carleton!

I am a lucky woman to have such nice neighbors.

Turkey Tracks: Winter Deer Eating Evergreens

Turkey Tracks: March 28, 2014

Winter Deer Eating Evergreens

Here’s a familiar sight from my kitchen windows any time in the late afternoon these days:

Sorry about the blurry picture, but you can see how bold these deer are these days.

They are eating all the junipers along the wall–which had just started growing and drooping artistically over the wall after being planted TEN YEARS ago.

There are eight deer in this group: two mothers and five young ones. Did one mother have triplets???

I went outside and talked to the ones who did not immediately flee up the hill. You can see how healthy they look. Their winter coats are plush, and their eyes are bright and alert.

The junipers have been reduced to nothing but bare sticks. They look like an infestation of gypsy moths had flown through.

And all the small white pines sprouting alongside the creek bed have been munched up to their tops. They look like lollipops.

Critters have to eat…

Turkey Tracks: Look Who Came To Live With Me!

Turkey Tracks: January 19, 2014

Look Who Came To Live With Me!

Isn’t she beautiful?

I’ve thought about her since October.

She’s the sister of the doll I sent my granddaughter for her birthday. And this sister comes with her own baby!

I called Becky Morse of Gallery on the Lake in Greenville, Maine, and she had not sold her yet. Becky packed her up and mailed her to me this past week.

I am in awe of whomever it is who is making these dolls.

This one will stay with me until my granddaughter’s baby sister is old enough for her. Three years, I think. Which means I can have her until then.

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