today's project ~

I am about to embark on a very long overdue project.  It shouldn't take long; but I truly want to do a good job on it ~ because of the precious memories it holds for me.

About 35 years ago I was given two beautiful, hand crocheted table cloths that Dear Hubby's Great Aunt Irma made when she was in her 20's.  These table cloths are over 100 years old!

Both table cloths are of the same pattern.  They measure 6 feet by 7 feet each.  The only difference between the two is one of them is just a mere shade darker in coloring.  I imagine because of two different color lots of cotton thread.

The workmanship and dedication in making these just blows my mind every time I see them.  When they were given to me I was asked that I never just throw them in a drawer and forget about them, or her.   So on special occasions I use them :)

They have been used and laundered with love ... but there are a few stitches pulling away on  parts and I HAVE to do right by them and fix them up!   Also, I'm thinking that my "using them" days are coming to an end because I would like my daughters to inherit them someday from me and cherish them as I do.

Here's a picture of the one I'm working on ... this is the one in the worse condition.  The other one only has one little spot that needs fixing.

Amazing!  I know!!

So how many 20 year olds today do you think are sitting in the parlor in the evenings crocheting table cloths???

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel

back in time ~

My head is having a brain freeze and I can't think of anything of interest to post about.  I really do live a boring life some days!

So .........

I decided to share an oldie post with you ~ from back in 2009.  Some of you may have seen this before :)

8/15/09

the fest~

If there was ever a place that I wanted to be at, in the worse way, it was Woodstock! What a stir that gathering caused.


I remember being glued to the television set just waiting for Walter Cronkite to give his "we interrupt this broadcast to bring you updates of the happening of Woodstock." 

By the way my parents were talking you'd of thought the world was coming to an end ... or heading straight to hell.

I also recall Mom saying something on the line of all that loving couldn't be good ~ that was for sure . . . and I was thinking . . . are you nuts woman! That's what this world needs is more love. But I wouldn't of dared expressed myself like that to my mother! 

I do remember telling my parents that if I was just a few years older there was no way they would be able to stop me from going. That was when I was sent to my room to think about it... and was told that I couldn't watch the news anymore.

I was 11.

The early beginning of my radical years.

Oh the good ol' days...

It's still so funny to this day how my nieces and nephews call me the "hippie aunt". LOL

~~~~~~~~~~~

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel

Up to the Mountain ~

I LOVE this song!

Until next time ...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel

1st snow ~

It's snowing ... and it's not pretty little snowflakes coming down ... we're getting dumped on!  By the looks of it ... I think it's gonna stick.  I'm really NOT READY for the long winter months to be upon us yet.

I still have a few apples left on the tree that I didn't get picked.  Oh well ... I guess the deer will get a treat when they fall.  I've already put up all the applesauce and sliced apples in the freezer and dehydrator that I'll be needing.

Thankfully, the wood shed is filled ~ almost.  Dear Hubby wanted to get one more row in under the roof part and at least one more row in the outside section. He has a big yellow birch tree downed already in the yard that should finish up the rows ... but now we'll have to deal with the snow on the wood to get into the shed.  Hopefully, this snowfall is a fluke and will melt off so we can finish up some of this work in better weather.

The woodpecker doesn't seem to mind the snow ... but I'm not a woodpecker ... and I'm not ready for it yet!

Until next time ...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel

words to live by ~

Words to live by....

Advices from An Old Farmer 

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong. 

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered… not yelled.

Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight. 

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads. 

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you. 

It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge. 

You cannot unsay a cruel word. 

Every path has a few puddles. 

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty. 

The best sermons are lived, not preached. 

Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway. 

Don’t judge folks by their relatives. 

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. 

Live a good, honorable life… Then when you get older and think back, you’ll

 enjoy it a second time. 

Don ‘t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none. 

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance. 

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’. 

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get not. 

The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches 

you from the mirror every mornin’. 

Always drink upstream from the herd. 

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad 

judgment. 

Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in. 

If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody 

else’s dog around.. 

Live simply. 

Love generously. 

Care deeply. 

Speak kindly. 

Leave the rest to God. 

Don’t pick a fight with an old man. 

If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you. 

Most times, it just gets down to common sense.


~~~~~~~~~~

I saw this on fb and felt it worthy of a share :)

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel

hornet fly trap ~

It may not be the prettiest thing I've had hanging off my deck all summer and now yet into the fall season ~ but it's the most useful thing I've ever come across for killing those nasty hornets and flies.

This summer the hornets / yellow jackets were so bad.  The hummingbird feeder was really attracting them to the point that the hummingbirds could hardly get to the feeder.  The hornets were chasing them off.

I had mentioned the problem to my brother and he said to put up a soda bottle with some sugar water in it.  I use about 1/8 cup of sugar to 1/2 cup of water.  I've drowned thousands ... yes thousands! of hornets and flies with this little sugar water bottle hanging from a wire.  I had to empty and refill about every 3 days.   Now this fall the flies are going into it by the masses and drowning themselves too.  Happy me!

Last year, when the apples were ripening on the trees, we had a lot of trouble with the hornets chewing on the apples while they were still on the tree.  This year we have zero hornet problems.  I'm convinced it's because of the sugar water bottle.

Now I have to find something that gets rid of those stinking asian beetles.

~~*~~

Look who flew in and took a rest on the deck rug ~ he sat there for almost half an hour.  I didn't see or hear it hit the window, as I was outside on the deck at the time.  I just think he needed a rest and was enjoying the warmth of the sun shining on the rug.

~~*~~

The other day when the leaves were falling some had landed on the truck hood and blown off.  They left an impression of a pollen outline.  There were more but when I tried to take a picture of them I kept getting the reflection of the trees and sky up above the truck.  Here's the only one that sorta turned out:

Until next time ...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel

fungi ~

~ blue dolphin oyster mushroom ~

There's a fungus ... here's a fungus ... everywhere I look there's fungus.  Are you sick of my mycological ramblings yet?  

The Blue Dolphin and the Pohu Oyster mushrooms that we planted in May started fruiting.  Hopefully, within a few more days the totem poles will be loaded with new mushrooms.  

I know I've probably bored you to tears with my post about the mushroom; but this blog serves as a gardening journal for me too.  I can easily look back and see on so many different things over time when we do certain projects.  

Today's harvest of the Wine Cap Mushrooms ... ( I only picked about 1/3 of them):

This has really been a fun project for us newbie mushroomers.  I can't wait until next spring to see the varieties of shiitake mushrooms we inoculated the logs with. 

Dear Hubby is already talking about expanding the mushroom project next year.  There's so many varieties.   hmmm...   I hope he knows what he's going to do with them if they take off.   I might become the bird house AND fungus lady at the farmers market.  Oh well ... I already have a sister that sells pumpkins.  

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel

autumn air ~

I don't know if the air changes that much where you live with the oncoming of autumn; but it sure does here!  I think that is one of the major reasons I love the fall season the best.  It just seems to trigger all your senses.

 ~ barberry ~

~ staghorn sumac ~

I love the smell of the air in the fall ~ the leaves, the grass, the peat moss swamp ...

I love the smell of wood.  I love the smell of the woods.

I followed the guys out yesterday as they took the tractor and jammer out to haul in some firewood logs.

While they were busy cutting up wood ... I walked around to see how many different kinds of mushrooms I could see... and smell.  I usually smell them before I see them.  I think I would of made a good hound dog 'cuz I sure do have a good sniffer on me.

~ a mushroom with pores ... I think it's a Hydnum Imbricatum ... which in Latin means covered with tiles.

~ a gilled mushroom ... possibly from the Russula family?

~ puff ball family ...

~ shelf mushrooms ...

Pholiota Adiposa??? or Agaricus Augustus ~ the Prince???

~ more shelves ...

~ Honey ...

... more puffs

??? maybe Club Foots ???

~ (above) the very poisonous Amanita Muscaria ... but oh so pretty.

~ ???? ~

Now if I only knew how many of those ~ and which kinds were the safe ones to eat!

That's why we planted the mushrooms we did ... so there would be no more wondering if's :)

  I still can't get over the size of these Wine Caps! 

~ white birch ... yellow birch ~

pretty pumpkins by the steps ... 

... and the smell of freshly blanched turnips ready for the freezer.  Now there's a smell you don't get every day!  

Until next time ...

So it goes in my neck of the woods.

~mel