Sunday Happy

This week has definitely gone by really slow except that it has flown by super fast, you know what I mean? It’s probably because of all the up and down weather and my overall crazy brain that is pulling me all over the place New seasons do that to me, make me crazy.

The week started off with Easter. We went to my moms (half the family didn’t show up (butthole reasons), did some lunch, played outside, and that was that. Then I came home to continue yarding (yarding is a new word I invented that means to spend time in the yard doing yard stuff)

The rest of the week went. We worked, the mr finished putting the floor down in the porch (I forgot to take a picture) He moved the camper and created a new workshop, applied large stickers to doors, made me 6 more raised beds (4 are TRIANGLES!!!). He has been doing all sorts of stuff. Me, I have been spending as much time outside I as I can, in between the piles of papers that I am trying to deal with, working at the studio, throwing pots, thinking about fixing my bike, and all around trying not run through a wall. I am in that head space where everything needs to be done and I am trying to do everything. All at once. Thats my spring brain. All of a sudden and BAM, my brain is awake, the world is awake, and there is a ton of shit to do.

On one of the nicer days (it has been a little chilly and rainy all week) we spent a few hours with Megan her littles and I grabbed the other littles. We took them outside, into the world, away from screen for a little jaunt in the woods, some time on the playground, and a bagel sandwich lunch. Fresh air, stick collecting, and see sawing was the highlight of the afternoon and a highlight of the week. I mean, gown ass people and little littles on the see saw, well you will see. Haha.

Saturday morning, 8 am, grocery store. If you need to grocery shop, this is the time. Yesterday I got to the store and no one else was there except all the stockers who had nicely stocked everything that I was looking for. I got to it before all the other people did and was rewarded with the best cabbages and apples! After that I went home, the mr took off to work with his work guy and I ended up staying home for the morning, cleaning house, doing laundry, and trying to organize the unorganizable. After that the mr came home we went and hung out with the littles for a few and got texted $5 each of store credit to the hardware store which in turn turned into a bunch of new seeds. Yay free seeds!

Today the mr and I were planning on hitting up the Kingdom to watch some jumping trout, but with the weather being as it is (raining and cloudy) we are going to hold off on that and just find a nice little, not too flooded stream for the mr to fish in and for me to sit nearby and spend some time reading. With all the coffee my can cup and bring. It’s gonna be great.

Some stuff you might find of interest from the internet.

-Our Grocery Stores, Ourselves. Loyalties to the grocery store are deep. I know I have mine, kind of. (I shop around and I am more loyal to the farm then any grocery store.) But I do think there is a definite quality difference to stores, at least around here. You get to know which store sells local. Which stores have the crappy greens, or which store charge and extra $2 for the same exact thing you can get at a different store for that much cheaper. Straight to the farm . Always best.

-Always water, mostly because it is free and I hate having to have stock or broth on hand. WHEN WATER CAN BE THE KEY TO MORE FLAVORFUL SOUPS

I am pretty into these murals Maybe i’ll try not do something like on one of my walls. Interior Murals by Camille Javal

-I could, and should, and dang it I am going to make something like this A frame. Simple and sweet. Now were to put it?

-Just in case you don’t know. What’s the Difference Between Jam and Jelly?

-Wait, I Should Clean My Fridge *How* Often?. Yes folks. And I tell you, clean the stove every time! It’s one of the best habits I have ever created.

-I wish I could embroider like this. Pretty freaking awesome. Graceful Figures and Shimmering Peacocks Embroidered on Tulle

-Can Nothing Change Your Life? Essence of flower is a thing and it might just be what you need in your life.

-Trees are magical. Trees by starlight… Whoa. See the world’s oldest trees by starlight.

-I am very excited to find this pattern for this FRENCH MARKET BAG. Now I just need to learn how to crochet………Yeah.

And pictures from the week.

-C

Sunday Happy

I think we did it, we made it through the winter. That little bit of snow the other night, well that was it. Until next winter!!!!! Now lets all just do all the spring things and enjoy the niceness of moderate temperatures and the sight of green things growing. We are in it and it is wonderous.

The past week flew by so fast. A lot of being everywhere at once and alll over. Now that spring has sprung there has been much to do. Besides working and the usual (the little apartment projects are just piling up) we have looked at not 1, but 3 different cars. The one van on Sunday was a bust (the guy was crazy and the car was dead. Craigslist. A definite miss there), and two others. Those were not good either (but not nearly as bad) so the hunt continues, as does the back and forth car sharing situation. We are definitely getting to our limit with sharing one small car but I have faith we will find something soon. Our poor car. It’s getting trashed.

In between the work and life stuff we got to spend the most magical raining morning harvested wood from an apple orchard for future spoon projects. That might have been the highlight of the week, especially because I have now realized that I am suppose to live and work on apple orchard. I think it is my calling so I got to get on that. Other fun things included an evening of egg dying with Qui, Adrianna, and the littles which was fun and gross and I actually hate the whole real eggs and dying them thing, but the mr was all about it so….We also got to spend (babysit) an afternoon with So where she basically spent the entire time to beating on the mr and feeding us unicorn jellybean soup. Good times with that one.

And then there were taxes. I spent ever single free minute attempting to finish the stupid taxes and learn all about tax laws and try to be component. It got to the point where I was almost in tears… then I gave up. As of Friday morning, I now have until October to get those stupid things done. And I think we are just going to find a new accountant because really, I don’t want to spend all my time learning tax law. Not my thing. I mean, when it takes me twenty minutes to figure out that the form won’t summit because I am entering the wrong date (2018, not 2019), well, I should just leave it to a professional.

Saturday was the gem. Woke up to temperatures in the mid 50’s, went for a nice walk, spent the morning throwing pots, and did some light cleaning. For the afternoon we met up with all the sisters, the littles, Mom and had lunch. The boys went away (they hung out at the park being dangerous) while us ladies went to the theater…..Mamma Mia. Us girls bought the tickets for Mom’s birthday present a few weeks ago. Not exactly my thing, but I was game.. And it was better then I was expecting, although I was’t sure what I was expecting. I don’t think I would have gone if not for many other circumstances, but it was fun and my mom had a great time. My biggest complaint was it was really loud and there were a ton of people. Oh, and that I have a Dancing Queen ear worm. But other then that, not bad.. After the show, the mr picked me up, we rushed to get some more things done before going home to finish cleaning. That might not sound fantastic but it was still light out, the world was still warm, the doors and windows were open and it just felt so good. Oh yes. Spring is finally here!

Today is going to be good. I plan on spending most of it out in the yard doing yard work. I am going to lather on the sunscreen, grab the tunes, the rake, hoe, and the shovel and get to it. Then hopefully I’l be able to throw some seeds into the ground which I am already getting concerned about. The squirrels have come out full force and are looking hungry!.

Let the garden battles begin!

Some stuff I read on the internet from the week.

Again, I filed an extension. Why do they have to be so freaking hard? Another thing they have right in the Netherlands. Filing Your Taxes Is an Expensive Time Sink. That’s Not an Accident.

-So my kind of home. This 650-Square-Foot Family Home in Ohio Is Off-Grid ‘Country Minimalism’

-Day hikers are the most vulnerable in survival situations. Here's why. We have lost the trail before and it was actually kind of scary. Luckly we were on a small mountain and we knew there was a road at the bottom. We just kept going down until we hit the road. Ever since I stay very away of the trail.

-Genius. Pure genius And they are Vermont students too!. SheFly: Answer Nature's Call

-How to Get Out of Your Own Head. I spend a lot of time in my head but that is where I feel the least crazy.. Or is that crazy. People make me crazy. They can’t get me in my head.

-I exclusively clean with vinegar. Even my hardwood floors. Vinegar Is the Only Floor Cleaner You Need (Even for Carpet!)

-Oprah Bought an Avocado Orchard Because Grocery Store Avocados Were Too Expensive. The lady has got her priorities straight. For real, I would buy an avocado orchard too if I was Oprah rich too.

-Are Plastic Bag Bans Garbage? We (humans) just need to stop making more and reuse all the junk we already have. Reusable bags made out of all the old clothing and shit has no purpose anymore.

-"Do Skunks Like Their Own Smell?" And Other Stumpers! I always thought that skunks deals with their stink kind of like a person deals with their own farts… They just deal. HA

And pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

I think we are pretty much out of the clear. Yes I woke up yesterday morning to a light coating of snow on the ground, but I feel like that was it. It has got to be because I have to wash my winter jacket that is as of now, covered in dirt and concrete so it needs to be washed. And once it is washed, it is getting packed away with all of the other winter stuff. So you see, we really cannot have any more winter jacket weather because I won’t have a jacket anymore. It must be sweater weather or warmer and that is that. Are you listening weather?

The week good, if not a bit hectic and all over. There was work, paper work, the “must not be mentioned” and no they are not done yet but must be by next Monday or else. The mr has been running around all over town doing this and that which has been a slight pain because when he is super busy and I am busy and we only have one car and my bike needs a good tune up before it is safe… Well it makes things some what difficult. But so far we have managed and there wasn’t too much arguing over car. We did manage to take a nice walk down by the lake, I also was able to sneak in a warm afternoon of clearing out the garden and picking up yard trash. The back porch is almost ready for summer living and green things are popping up all over the place making me ache for more more more. Think of it, trees with leaves. I am getting more excited every day.

Friday was a crazy day. Woke up, went to the gym with no plans other then work at the studio and having the littles over for dinner. By the time I came home I had plans to quickly make a cake before work because the littles pizza party turned into a family birthday party for Megan. So I made that cake, ran to work, moved 700lb of clay and loaded kilns. The mr picked me up with littles in tow, we ran home in time for all the family and partied partied until I kicked everyone out of the house at 7 because I was exhausted and plus Megan needed to go to Costco so she needed to leave anyway. Ha.

Yesterday, after a near sleepless night due to a racing mind, we woke up (again, to snow. BLAH), I bundled up and out we went to spend half the day pouring wet, heavy, cold concrete. I must say, pouring concrete usually isn’t the worst, but yesterday, well it was. First off, we were working in very tight quarters making moving somewhat difficult.. Secondly, I was sore from all the clay moving the day before. And I was freezing. And tired, so so tired. By mid morning my fingers and toes had tuned to ice, I was covered in so much dirt and concrete, the mr was basically rolling around in dirt (reference picture above) so was trashed worse then me, but we were getting it done. The mr was brilliant and saved us so much time and hassle by coming up with a tarp and jostle concrete mixing technique so that was good. Anyway, the concrete was all poured and it is over. (Now we wait for it to set to finish porch construction) The rest of the day was short and went by with cleaning the house. I don’t know how my family does it but there were sprinkles from the cake EVERYWHERE!

Today, after a quick romp to the gym, the library, the grocery store, and all the other little chores I need to do, the mr and I are going for a drive to look at a van. We need a work car. The life car is getting trashed, we have been having to get materials delivered (which costs money and stupid time) because we cannot fit wood and big stuff in the car, and it is just not practical for us to share. So van. A van for work, A van for cross country travel. A van for sanity. Hopefully this van is the one. Wish us luck.

Some stuff from the internet that you might care to look at.

-Thinking real hard about buying these Birkenstocks…but not sure. Any opinions?

-Stop Asking Kids What They Want to Be When They Grow Up The question forces children to define themselves in terms of work. And really, what do you consider grown up?

-Gluten sensitive? Try sourdough. Why Some Gluten-Sensitive People Can Still Eat Sourdough Bread.

-Kitchen spices look startlingly different in the wild. So pretty

-Brown is one of my favorite colors

-Got a power drill? If yes, you also have a oven cleaner. I Cleaned My Oven with a Power Drill

-All Right. Some Cats Do Fetch. Only never fetched. That would have been beneath him. But he did respond to his name. Cats Might Not Act Like It, But They Know Their Names As Well As Dogs

-I very much like this house.

-Will Kevin Costner be my neighbor? Floating cities could ease the world’s housing crunch, the UN says

-10 Things Nobody Tells You About Plywood. I love a good application of ply wood. We have plywood floor tiles in the pantry and our kitchen cabinets are plywood and they are great.

And some pictures from the week.

-C

Sunday Happy

We are having the worst mud/pothole season ever. I don’t know how many times I think I have blown out the tire on the car or have gotten just about stuck on a dirt road. Picking up farm share this week my car almost sank into the mud. Like it was literally about to be swallowed up into the earth. All the good fun of living here in Vermont. Gosh I am such a Vermonter. First thing I have to say is about potholes and weather. But that is life here isn’t it.

The week has been more or less productive. We both have been busy this week and have been trying to plow through projects (taxes me and the mr with the porch). Blah. Doesn’t that just sound annoying. Doing the taxes. I gave myself until the end of the month a few weeks ago and then last week I gave myself the entire week, made no plans for anything or anyone, to get them done. That didn’t really happen because well I started a weaving project and maybe have a tendency to read a little too much when I am procrastinating (I started reading 4 different books…) and can’t forget about the garden planning that needed to be done. So now I am giving myself the rest of next week to finish because those things are not going do themselves and the deadline is looming. Yeah. Besides half assing tax stuff, reading and weaving, I worked at the studio, took some nice long walks, packed away most of the winter stuff and stock piled cabbage. 20 heads because it was on sale. 20 heads might seem like a lot but it will be gone within the next 2 weeks and I will be sad and wished I bought 20 more heads. Hey, don’t judge me. The mr, when not working on porch or other apartment related stuff, has spent a good chunk of his free time carving away at spoons which means I have also been spending a good amount of time vacuuming up wood chips all over the house. Who has time for taxes?

Yesterday was the perfect example of Vermont. I woke up and there was like 6 inches of fresh snow. Cold, windy, just not looking like much of anything I wanted to deal with. But then all of a sudden around late morning, after doing all of our chores (recycling center, stores, compost, tenant stuff) we came home, the sun came out, the temperatures rose, and the snow started melting fast and furious. It was a completely different, so very pleasant and lovely day. We got to enjoy a nice long walk, pull the kitchen island out onto the front porch so the mr could give the top a good sanding, and we even got to eat dinner out on the porch! It was oh so nice. And to top it all off, I didn’t even crawl into bed before 7pm. I was awake when it got dark out which is like whoa. Spring. It is a happening here. Finally.

Today the mr and I are hoping to take a nice stroll down the bike path, maybe get good cup of coffee, stop in and see the little and maybe even pop in on Barb. I miss my people. And then back to the stuff I really don’t want to think about. Taxes. This is it. I am going myself the rest of the week and that’s that. So I will probably open my computer, get out the calculator, and then start reading a book again….. Oh boy am I in trouble.

Reads from the internet to read. If you want.

-I have been having the weirdest dreams ever. Just last night I dreamed that I was eating soup made of tiny staplers. What the F? Bad Dreams Are Good. Your night life prepares you for what’s to come

-Watch what you eat friends. Kale Is One of the Dirtiest Vegetables, According to the EWG's 2019 "Dirty Dozen" List

-This little cabin should be mine.

-Misophonia: When Life's Noises Drive You Mad. Oh how can I relate to this. Sometime a certain sound makes me want to smash my head against a wall.

- I Love Pink Tiled Bathrooms. Maybe in the next house.

-The Stigma of Choosing Trade School Over College. I often times wish I went to trade school instead of college.

-Cool ass paper DINOSAURS and check out these Under-Cats.

-MUSIC JAR. Such a great idea. I think I am going to start one for the littles.

-I think I should have a seed vault and all the pretty x rays. The mr just said I should start digging in the backyard….These x-rays of seeds turn biology into art

-What Makes People Heed A Weather Warning — Or Not?. Living in Vermont we get weather warning (mostly for snow) all the time and it is defiantly interesting to hear and see the people who listen and don’t. Needless to say there are a lot of cars sliding off the road.

And some pictures from the week.

-C

Sunday Happy

Hey there lovely peoples. So nice of you to stop by. Hope all is well and dandy with you. Well and dandy.

Holy crap am I one tired lady. Mentally and physically but mostly mentally because it has been one of those weeks. It all started off with the mr and I both feeling like absolute crap. Sinus infections and some other fun stuff. Heads and brains super dysfunctional (although we can’t blame being sick for all the dysfunction). I blame the ick on the weather and it not being spring yet. But let’s not talk to much about the weather. It’s a touchy subject for me right now and I just can’t. Anyway, the week started slow. We got a few things done that needed doing then got ready to take off for PA to visit with my dad and go to my grandmothers funeral.

Took off mid week, the mr driving the 6ish hours down and over. A super sunny and bright day it was . One might think that sounds kind of nice but I hated it. Brightness while in a car without sunglasses makes for brain pain, at least in my case. So I had my head under a blanket for a few hours. Got to PA alright but as soon as we pulled into my dads driveway the wave of pain knocked me to my knees and I got a full fledge migraine. I haven’t had one of those fun episodes in years and I can safely say that I hope to NEVER get one again. But after a night of zero restless sleep, I got up and rallied and went about the next day as half a human baking machine. Made the breakfast pancakes, some lunch, a birthday cake, cookies, my dinner, and cinnamon buns for the next morning. “Don’t worry” my dad said. .” We can go to the store and get as much flour and sugar as you will need!” And so we did because I used a lot of flour.

The next morning was the funeral. Early to wake, walked the dogs, fed people buns and headed to the Catholic Church. The one my dad and his siblings went to for their entire childhood. OH boy oh boy, what a hoot. Their mother finally got them to go back one last time. HAHA. And as for me, I can say that was the first time I have ever been in a Catholic Church (for church reasons) and seen a catholic funeral. Very interesting to say the least. And I do go to hand it to the priest. He was pretty cool. Hip, sweet, not a typical catholic church man, and he kept calling my grandmother Ava instead of Eva. That got some laughs. My grandmother would have loved it.

The funeral ended and we all went to a restaurant and did the food thing with the family love fest. It was very bittersweet. Sad because of the loss but we were celebrating a freaking amazing lady and her amazing long life. Oh Grammy. She was the greatest, coolest, funniest little lady ever and I will miss her deeply. So yeah. Then after all the food we topped it off with the birthday cake I made for Teena cause it was her birthday too. My family, we packed it all in because that is how we do it.

After hugs, pictures, Shannon falling asleep in a booth, we headed back to the car and away we went, a long drive home with lots of shitty weather and bad roads. But we made it. And I even unpacked the car and managed to shower off before passing out. And a pass out was exactly what I needed and still kind of do. I told myself I would let myself sleep in a bit, but 430 came and look at me, awake.

So it’s today and I must do some stuff. I’m going to go to the gym for the morning, Run run run until I cannot possibly run anymore. Then I will come home and eat eat eat until I can not possible eat any more. After that it is a bunch of chores that need to be done and I need to go see the littles because I miss them. And I know I will need a nap at some point because I am feeling the even all the coffee in the world will not be enough to keep my brain afloat for a full day. Or maybe I’ll just go to bed at a unreasonabley early hour. (5ish sounds good to me. Ha. But really) Yup yup, looking forward to that.

Until then.

Internet link from the online.

-Greener Childhood Associated With Happier Adulthood. NO SHIT for reals.

-My Library even lends out baking pans and garden tools! 8 Unexpected Perks of a Library Card. And I don’t think the article mentions, but library cards are cool people card to. HA

-Thank a cloud today. Five reasons you shouldn't take cloud cover for granted. OH how I love me a nice cloudy day.

-Nothing like FRESH HORSERADISH ROOT. Might be picking up a piece today to knock out my sinus crud.

-Do anxious owners make for anxious dogs? Yes. There is no question in my mind what so ever.

-I listen to a story about this article on NPR. It’s really crazy how people, especially in our culture, are living to work,n to working olive. Workism Is Making Americans Miserable

-A scientist on the myth of ugly produce and food waste. Interesting, very interesting.

-I don’t need a baby nursery but if I did (or ever do) I want it to look just like this. MARIGOLD’S NURSERY TOUR

-What. I thought they were real. Balloon Birds by Terry Cook Mimic Their Real-Life Counterparts

-Vanuatu Has One Of The World’s Strictest Plastic Bans. It’s About To Get Tougher. We all (the entire world) should be getting tougher.

And some pictures from the week.

-C