First Snow for 2018

This is the first time we had snow before thanksgiving here in the  Ozarks.

Very cold and rain made snow. We got about .5 inches where the rest of the area got up to 3-6 with ice. 

We fixed our wood stove ourselves and the cats love it. Our boots and gloves stay dry and our cats stay warm.

The barn cat and the dog want in as well. It  did get below 17 degrees so we let them all in for the frigid evenings. My dogs have thick winter coats and they pant all night near the wood stove. So we do not let them in until the fire goes out. Our oldest shepherd was shivering and got to spend more time inside. But our dogs are working dogs and they smell. So we keep their inside time to a minimum. And they have a hug straw bale filled kennel and heated dog bed outside as well.

Restoring Ann

                    
This is the doll as I received it from the client. She washed it before giving it to me. Washed in a normal cycle then thrown into the dryer. It was pretty much a ruined mess when I got it.

The new eyes in place.

The yarn hair needed to wait until the last part of the restoration. This knotted yarn mess was a challenge.

Re-stuffing the body. Lots and lots of stuffing.

 New eyes in place.

How I got the original doll from the client.

The newly de-tangled yarn hair. It took 3 hours to get this hair put back and sewn into place. Impossible to find the exact match of yarn, so I used what was left on her head.

They still have the vintage sewing pattern for these larger Ann dolls. I used McCalls #4268 from the 1970's for this 36 inch Raggedy Ann. After restoration I was able to sew up a new set of clothes for this doll. With proper care and staying out of the washing machine it will last a very long time.

And the Wood Stove Won't Even

We went to clean out and get our wood stove winter ready and this was discovered. A broken ceramic sleeve for the metal tube that takes the smoke up the chimney.

Yes this is broken and not safe to use.

This was caused by our house settling. So we have no one around us who can fix this. We have called and no one wants to drive 3 hours to get to our place in the Ozarks to repair this. And the cold is coming next week. Around here people just do it themselves. But I am not a chimney sweep. So we called the guy who originally put this in for his advice but that answer will have to wait until tomorrow. Supplies we got and the store 45 minutes away has the fireplace cement. So it is looking like I am going to do this myself. Will have to post what happens in the next few days.

And while this is happening, we also have a leaking new pressure tank. The guys who put it in have not returned to fix this leak. This is the 3rd plumber who has not returned to our place in the last few years. Apparently, this is a common thing with some repair people in the Ozarks so I have been told by several locals.

Scary Halloween

My husband was having bad headaches last week. Then one day he got up, picked up the cat and almost fainted and dropped the cat. Then the headaches got really bad and affected his sleep. Nothing else seemed wrong with him but the episode with the fainting got us in to the our doctor the next day, Halloween. We then were told we needed to get a CT of his head stat. So we drove a hour and a half away to the imaging center that was under our insurance. I got to go in the CT room with him as he got to stick his head into the big magnet. Took only a few minutes to see it all, then go home and wait for the doctor to call. And I got a copy of his scans on a CD for my Christmas cards this year. That Halloween night the doctors wife called us and all looked fine. But the next morning we talked about the next step involving contrast and possible side effects (Chuck Norris wife had some). The headaches were subsiding and nothing was seen by the radiologist nor the doctor. We think after lots of tooth work from the dentist might have caused all these problem. He has not had as much dental work as I have. And I am used to living with many forms of pain over the years. We think his jaw nerve might have triggered these spasms of pain and fainting. As of today no more headaches and no more fainting. He is much too young to have these problems. It was a good scare and I prayed for everything. I am grateful nothing was found and happy he is no longer having pain issues.

Restoring Raggedy Ann

 A friend recently took down her old house to make room for her new one. In the attic she found her long abandoned childhood 36 inch Raggedy Ann doll. The clothes were gone and the doll was in a bad state. So she threw it into the washer and it got worse for the doll. She knew I restored quilts, furniture and bones and asked if I could restore her doll. Sigh. The only good news was the eyes are still made if you hunt around for them. The bad news is that the fabric is very fragile now.

The face stain is from the original cardboard behind the eyes. It was also a metal ferrule under the  wet cardboard.

Eyes are sold in lots and not pairs.

Looks better with the new ones.

Hair is matted up thanks to her dryer and pulled into a knot.

Opening the neck to pull out stains.

Had a tear on the face as I worked.

Moth holes covered with black tulle and fabric bond.

Eyes are now in, tear is stabilized and now I am working on the hair and stuffing. After that the dress needs to be sewn and fitted.

Amphigory

One night it was hot and muggy and rain was on the way. All the amphibians decided it was date night and got out and got busy.

This is a ringed salamander and quite rare to see these days.

This is one of many feisty frogs.

Very large and heavy toad.

Under Pressure

Last week our water alarm went off in the basement. Water was coming from our 16 year old 32 gallon pressure tank. We drained it and released the pressure in the house. I decided to use up the rest of the auto epoxy and fiberglass we had to repair the UTV. It was dry in 10 minutes and holding pressure. So we applied faux cork and then a truck strap to hold the patch. It worked for three days when the plumber could come out.

After he removed the tank we found a 2nd pin hole under the strap. The tank was rusted from the inside and needed to be replaced. But the auto epoxy with hardener and fiberglass worked. It smelled and we had to open windows until the smell left. But we were able to use the tank till it could be replaced.

October Harvest 2018

These are purple hull peas I planted in August ready to harvest green and dry. Very nutty taste, fast growing bush pea that can handle poor soil. I got about 5 pound of green fresh peas and dry beans for next year grown on a 20 ft by 4 ft plot. I bought a vintage pea sheller that needed a lot of cleanup but works for the green peas not so well for the dry pods.

Puff is here helping with the harvest.

Surprise self sowing tomatillos found in and among the beans.

Fall Beans

This is seven quarts of  bush green beans from just the first harvest last week. 

My canning pressure pot and hot water canner. Been a very busy September of canning before winter comes.

Basil and Thyme Jelly

When you grow a lot of basil you can make some jelly.

 I made several batches of basil and thyme jelly. It is great on a biscuit or sandwich.

Filtered and pretty.

Fall Harvesting

What my neighbors grew this year.

Biggie Squash

This is a volunteer Cushaw squash that grew over a bent cattle panel in my garden. I have three veggie gardens and this grew over the bunny yard. It weighs 34lbs. The boots are for pasture work and snake protection in my gardens. Jeans are a must even in church.

Not the most flattering photo of me on a Monday but that is farm life. No makeup, no mirror time just jeans, boots and go. Had to get milk, drop off eggs and cartons and pick up pumpkins for baking out of the field.

My farmer friends who weighed the squash for me. 

Yes, we live very rural here. This is how we roll in the Ozarks. The squash seed has been requested to be saved by fans who want to grow one like this.