WEEKEND RAMBLINGS DECEMBER 20, 2014

We've had a lot of foggy days this past week with 4 straight days of freezing fog and then again yesterday.  This was a picture of our tree this morning.  It's absolutely beautiful to behold.  This freeze was slightly different last night in it frozen like shards on the limbs.  It normally looks more like moss growing on the limbs.

The skies have been grey and overcast all week.  I wish we could see a bit of sunshine.  It's just been downright gloomy!

My crazy work schedule for the past three weeks has finally been fixed and I'll be working my requesting 12 to 16 hours per week at my second job instead of the 24 they've been giving me.  I honestly don't know how some of them do it.  There are several that work 24 or more hours on top of their full time jobs.  I was overwhelmed with just three weeks of it.  It felt like I did nothing but work with no breaks.  I have three days in a row off this week!!!!  I may go into shock at all that time off! Granted I'll be busy two of those days cooking for Christmas but I won't be at a cash register or computer.

I finished my Christmas shopping and have everything wrapped and under the tree except for the stockings.  Hopefully everyone will like the gifts I bought. I wrapped everything Friday night after Matt went to work while watching A Christmas Carol (1938 version). It's the only free one on Amazon Prime. I'll have to dig through my DVD's and see which ones I have.  I'd like to watch the one with Patrick Stewart. It's my Christmas tradition to watch as many versions as I can each year. I use to watch A Christmas Carol and Scrooge movies with my Grandma and Uncle Keith. I can remember staying up Christmas Eve after we got back from church watching some version until I fell asleep. I finished all our family and friend holiday cards last Sunday and finished doing the cards to my Mary Jane's Farm friends today so I think I can safely say that I'm done except for cooking.  

Today I made some minty biscuits for the pups to help their bad breath.  The biscuits are cooling in the oven now so they haven't tried them.  Took them outside and when we came back in the wonderful smell of mint filled the kitchen.  Oreo has been whining since they went into the oven so I suspect she knows there are treats in there that she wants.

CRAFTING:

I started a 10-Stitch baby blanket this week for a girl that I use to work with.  Since Matt's flying back to Michigan after Christmas to visit his family and friends, I plan on using the time to do some intense knitting and cleaning.  My friend is having a baby girl so I'm doing it in a solid pink.  Hope it turns out.

READING:

Dark Wolf by Christine Feehan. This is a continuation of a large /vampire/shifter series she has. Both characters have been appearing throughout the series so I was interested to read how they finally came together. Skye, the female character, was a child when she first appeared in the series so it was interesting to see glimpses of her growing up in other books and now to have reached adulthood. I have lost interest in the series as it seemed to be the same thing over and over.  This is book 25 so there are a LOT of books in the series.  I really liked this one and I'm glad I bought it on my Kindle to keep.

RV Boondocking for Beginners by Steve Plant.  Short book that was free on boondocking but has gone up to $2.99.  Great beginner resource.  If you've considered getting an RV and/or boondocking this might be a good starting book.  

Plain & Simple Traditions: Amish & Mennonite Holidays by Sarah Price. This is a new release as of this past week that was $2.99 on Kindle. I had pre-ordered this after she posted pre-order information on her Facebook page last month.  It was interesting to read how they celebrate and there are a ton of recipes. A lot of the recipes I've tried but there are some new ones. The one thing I didn't like was her putting the lyrics to Christmas hymns in. I understand that some people may not have heard of the hymns but I would have preferred more information and examples.

WEEKEND RAMBLINGS DECEMBER 14, 2014

Oven baked I-Tail-ian Meatballs from Three Dog Bakery Cookbook

I-Tail-ian meatballs were made and given 3 paws approval from the pups.  I used a 1" cookie scoop to make them. I think they are too large for snacks so I cut them into quarters after I baked them.  The recipe had them cooked in a pan the entire time but I thought it would be better to bake them so I put them in the oven for 20 minutes after browning them in a pan.  I did keep out 3 whole cooked meatballs and frozen them for the pups Christmas meal.  The recipe I believe is intended for those that cook their dogs food daily and if you used these for a meal I would probably use a larger scoop or feed them several depending on the dog's size. I also found these to be extremely moist.  The next time I might use only one egg to bind them and see if that helps.  As you can see they sort of flattened into patties when I flipped them.

My baking today also included 4 mini loaves of banana bread.  I used a new recipe that I found on Not Quite Amish Living.  The pups got a bit of a loaf end and gave it 3 paws up too.  Oreo loves bananas so it's no surprise she likes banana bread and Tip loves bread of any type.  I added pecan chips to it, although not the cup they suggested.  I used a small bag so it was probably approximately 1/4 cup of chopped pecans if that much.  I think I bought the pecans for salads and hadn't used them so it was a good way to use them up.

While I was baking, I cleaned the shelves and drawers of the fridge.  I had some fruit go bad in the fruit drawer and wanted to sanitize the drawer and ended up cleaning the whole thing. It's a good thing to clean it out every couple months anyway so it was due. I'd like to get some drawer and shelf liners to make future cleaning easier. Unfortunately I didn't get the freezer inventoried like I'd hoped. At this point I honestly have no clue what's in there.  With Matt on a soft diet for the past several weeks we haven't been eating out of the freezer.

I was hoping Jordon would help me decorate the tree but he took off after I picked him up from work. Matt was working tonight. This year I chose to put it in the living room.  To protect the carpet from the needles I put a flannel bed sheet under it to catch the needles. I put the tree skirt over the top of the sheet in the front.  I decided to go simple this year on decorating and left 75% of my decorations in the tubs.  The tree looks a lot prettier in life then it does in this picture.  I had to take down and put away all the fall decorations and then reorganize the living a bit to clear that corner. Hopefully Matt doesn't get too upset.  He hates me reorganizing rooms.

While I was working I  watching Cranford on Amazon Prime.  I really like this BBC series and was disappointed to discover it only has 8 episodes total.  I finished season 1 today and unfortunately season 2 isn't free.  There's 3 episodes left of the series so I'll probably break down and pay for season 2. I may check the library to see if they have it before spending the money.  My other recent favorite was Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries on Amazon Prime.  I finished up with the series last weekend.  Matt and I referred to as the "flapper mysteries".  I wanted to watch some Miss Marple mysteries but discovered the one I wanted is now no longer free.  Why is it everything I like has gone from free to rent for a fee?  After I finished watching Cranford I decided a Harry Potter marathon was my choice for relaxing so I popped a DVD in.

WEEKEND RAMBLINGS DECEMBER 13, 2014

This week has been busy.  This was the first of my three 64 hour weeks and I have survived it although by Thursday I was pretty tired.  This too shall pass as the week of Christmas my hours at my second job drop to 16 and then the next week to 12.  Feast or famine it appears. I'm going to open my schedule up to working in Lawn & Garden to help ensure that I get hours.

We're still adjusting to Matt's schedule but things are starting to settle.  The one issue I'm not sure about is how we're going to work out is lunch.  By the time he gets up around 11, I'm starting to get hungry and he only wants his coffee (his breakfast) and isn't interested in eating until about 2.  As I typically take Jordon to work about 11:45, having my lunch after I get back makes more sense then starting work again and then taking another break.  It doesn't look like our idea of having a "family" lunch is going to work at this time.

Our weather has been warmer this week.  Temps this weekend are expected to be around 40'F.  Hopefully the snow will melt. The warmer temps are causing fog at night and in the morning.  I have a beautiful view of white covered trees out my window by my work computer from the fog freezing on the trees. Matt took this picture from outside.

Last night when I went to get Jordon from work there was a light mist and frozen ice on my windows.  Jordon went to take the garbage out for me and nearly fell on the deck from the freezing mist so although it can be really pretty, it can be dangerous as well.  This morning when I took him to work there was a thick fog and everything was still slick.  Thankfully the main road was not slippery.

I ran out of the peanut butter treats so I made up a new batch of biscuits for the pups.  This time I made Pumpkin Pie Biscuits from You Bake 'Em Dog Biscuits Cookbook by Janine Adams.  They smell divine! I made three dog shaped cookies and frozen them for Christmas Day for their dessert and the rest were bone shaped for daily treats.  There is a good amount of cinnamon and nutmeg in them so they smell just like a pumpkin pie.  These don't rise so you have to roll them thick to have a good thickness of biscuit.  The pups give them a thumbs up too.  My weekend baking plan is to make I-Tail-ian Meatballs from the Three Dog Bakery Cookbook.  I have the turkey thawing so hopefully these will get made up tomorrow.  I may see if I can get another batch of biscuits done too.

Weekend Ramblings December 7, 2014

I've been super busy.  The hours I'd asked for have not been honored and they're giving me 20-24 hours a week, making my work weeks between 60-64 hours, which is WAY to many hours for me.  Unfortunately I'm not getting anything done because I'm working so much.  Instead of enjoying my Sundays I'm rushing around trying to get everything done.  I hope to get my schedule fixed soon or I may have to give up the idea of the second job.  When I feel overwhelmed like I did this week, I try to remember to breath deep and to remind myself that this is only temporary and it shall pass.

I had a scare with Tip right before Thanksgiving.  Walked in the door after getting home from work and noticed blood all over Tip's flank.  I'd thought to save a few pennies by buying cheap treats and Tip had a reaction which caused a really bad hot spot that he kept chewing.  I tried treating it myself but he won't stop chewing on himself so I took him in to the vet the Friday after Thanksgiving.  Thankfully the antibiotics and steroid taper she put him on has worked.  He's been stumbling a bit so I talked to her about that too and we may start some type of med after he finishes up his steroid taper for arthritis to help him.  There's a definite improvement in his movement since he's been on the steroids.  Oreo needs to go in for hip issues too so I'll be seeing the vet quite a bit.

Since my dog treats have to be carefully watched now, I've started making my own dog biscuits so I can control the ingredients.  This batch is peanut butter flavored.  Simple, but they definitely liked them.  I had bought several cookbooks and dog bone cookie cutters in various sizes with intentions of making their dog treats but never carried through with it.  I made bones in 1.5" and 2' sizes".  I liked the amount of rise I got from this recipe.  The one time I made them before they stayed really flat.



Peanut Butter doggie treats

Thanksgiving day we set a record low at -29 degrees beating the previous record of -14.  Those temps are without wind chill.  I'm a bit worried to say the least about it plunging so low so early in the season.  I might have to go visit my son down in Texas to thaw out! We have also gotten several inches of snow.  The pups were so excited when they went out in it the first time this winter.  It was snowing when I got home from work that night so the pups and I did a late night walk in the snow which is an annual ritual.  I thought I had some time to get them some boots to protect their paws but with temps so low already I'll have to get some ordered.  Thankfully the weather has been warmer and today we had some melt off.  The pups and I actually got out for a walk today it was so nice.



Lacey walking the perimeter



Lacey checking out tracks through the yard

As you can see Lacey is checking out the tracks in the yard.  She's been very skittish since the skunk incident.  She watches the direction the skunk ran every time we're outside.  Who would have thought she would have become such a guard dog!

WEEKEND RAMBLINGS NOVEMBER 23

Part of my fall decorations in my living room

Update: I have fixed the last post.  I'm not sure what happened with part of it to make it unreadable but I played with a couple things and the portion that was unreadable can now be seen.  It's not perfect but it's readable.

It's been busy here.  The last couple days have been beautifully sunny and temps have ranged in the upper 30's, downright balmy.  I noticed this morning the dusting of snow we'd had has totally melted. Temps otherwise have been ranging from teens to low 30's with frequent windchill readings below zero, which makes it cold to walk the furkids.  It was really cold one night when I was walking the pups and a guy getting out of his truck said he thought it was too cold to be out walking.  I laughingly told him I agreed but the pups thought otherwise.  Oreo was shivering so bad I broke out her fleece coat and put it on her and she hates wearing coats but she quit shivering.

My birthday was Friday so I had the day off.  Matt took me to see Mockingjay.  We're both looking forward to the last installment of this series.  After Jordon got off work we went out to eat.  I'd been craving pizza so we went to IDK for supper and then my request was to go bowling so we did that.  I really need to bowl more, my score was horrible!  I didn't break 100 either game although the last game was close.  Matt gave me a gift certificate for Duluth Trading.  I love this company for great clothing.  I bought Matt and I shirts from them last year for Christmas and we both really like the quality and warmth.

I decided to pick up a temp job, at least through the holidays and possibly through spring.  I desperately want a camper this year and I don't want to take a loan out for it so another job was needed since all overtime at my regular job has been cut.  I'm working 20 hours at the temp job and I'll have them drop it to 16 after the holidays are over. My schedule now is 8 hours on Saturday and 2 to 3 four hour shifts during the week. Yesterday was my first 8 hour shift and I am definitely feeling it in my back.

Matt has been working at his new job for about 6 weeks.  I think we're doing pretty well with working around schedules so far, especially with adding my new schedule into the chaos.  Our biggest problem so far has been Lacey of all things.  She has taken to really creating a disturbance barking and growling when Matt comes home at 3am and again when he comes to bed.  I'm not sure what is causing this and it's so out of character for her.  It's taken 8 years to get her to bark and I'm not sure how to stop it so as not to cause her to stop barking totally again.

READING:

I'm sure I've finished several books since my last post but these I finished this week.

Plain Jayne by Hillary Manton Lodge - Excellent Amish read.  Jayne is a journalist for a newspaper in Oregon and gets put on forced leave so she decides to go check out an Amish community and see if she can do a story on it.  I enjoyed this book so much I'll be buying the next in the series.

Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris by Sarah Trumbull - Another good read about an Australian woman who is traveling and meets a Frenchman.  She goes to France to visit him and then returns.  I've heard it can be really difficult for people to learn to live in France and she gives a glimpse into the problems of learning to live in a new country as well as having a relationship with someone from another country.

CRAFTING:

I bought some fabric to start a quilt with.  It will be a star pattern with dark red, natural muslin and dark blue with star fabric. I've got the fabric washed but it appears I may have to re-wash one of the pieces as it appears one of the cats (Moo) has been laying on it and it now has a coating of fur. Maybe this week I'll start on this project. I'd really like to try using my treadle machine to sew this quilt top and then I plan to hand quilt it.

Tip and Oreo hanging with me while I work

I finished my second rug on my frame this week!  So excited.  Now we have matching rugs by each of our chairs.  I really like how much better this one came out using the fabric to warp the loom with instead of yarn.  No breakage of the warp threads and the rug is a bit thicker.  I also didn't use the artist tripod with this one and instead sat on the floor and laid the loom across my lap.  It could get a bit rough on the tush and back.  I bought the black pillow pictured above to sit on but Oreo claimed it so I need to pick up another one.  It was much easier to work on this way while I was watching TV at night.  The pups seemed to like it since I was down on their level.  It wasn't uncommon for Lacey to have her muzzle resting on my leg while I worked.  This was taken just before I took it off the loom to finish up the last couple rows.

HOUSEKEEPING:

I forgot to pick up bathroom cleaner and didn't want to run out Wednesday night (my night off) so I decided to try some new homemade cleaners.  I went to Clean Mama's website and tried her Lavender and Lemon Bathroom Disinfectant Cleaner, Soft Scrub, and Lemon and Clove Floor Cleaner.  I really liked all the cleaners.  I'd love to get the glass spray bottles she recommends.  In the soft scrub I used my Bonner's Peppermint Soap so it had a nice peppermint scent.  The soft scrub worked great on the soap and oil buildup around the tub from when I soak.  I plan on trying her daily tub and shower spray next.  I need to get another spray bottle though. If you don't like the essential oils she suggests you can always use different ones.  I decided to try them and liked them.  I may try Orange and Clove for the next floor cleaning.  I have a caddy in my master bath with cleaners but need to make up a second caddy for the other bathroom so I'm not having to carry things back and forth.

WEEKEND RAMBLINGS: October 4-5

Unbelievably we had SNOW flurries here Friday!  It was so dark and dreary that I opened the blinds by my work computer.  They volatile weather we've been having has been causing cluster migraines and I've kept the blinds closed due to light sensitivity.  When I glanced out I thought it was raining until I happened to glance at my neighbor's roof and notice the white blowing across it.  Thankfully no accumulation. Saturday when I took Jordon to work the Jeep said it was 36' out.  Brrr.  Matt thankfully turned the furnace on Saturday morning before I got up. Next week temperatures are expected to be in the 50's with winds up to 40 mph so I think we're safe from any snow for a little bit yet.  Hopefully we get a nice weekend yet so we can clean the windows and possibly power wash the house before winter sets in.

PROJECT:  

I was determined to get the table set done this weekend and I did it!  It took me all of Saturday and left me exhausted but I did it.  I think it turned out really nice.  I painted it antique white.  The antique white is a little bit more white than I'd planned but it looks great. Matt and Jordon carried the table in from the mudroom and Matt put it back together today.  The paint is still a bit tacky today so we weren't able to use it for supper tonight.  I stained in the mudroom to have better ventilation.  I'm asthmatic and I didn't think the stain fumes would be good to be breathing all day and night while the chairs and table dried.  Total cost for this project was somewhere between $40 and $50.  I think it was still a good deal.  The new set definitely brightens up the dining room.

My second project this weekend was putting up the fall/Halloween decorations.  This is my favorite holiday and I'm so disappointed that it's hardly observed here.  We've gotten no trick-or-treaters in the two years we've been here.  I'll have candy on hand just to be safe but I'm sure we'll end up eating it.  Thankfully Jordon enjoys Halloween as much as I do so it made it more exciting to get everything out this year.

Matt and Jordon took our old table to our storage unit and I'm giving it to Jordon to use once he gets his own place.  They also took Jordon's kayak to the storage unit since it's doubtful he'll be using it again this year.  

MENUS:

With my overtime starting to disappear I'm needing to watch my pennies more closely and that means I have to meal plan.  I haven't been doing weekly menus for a while so I'm bringing them back.  Matt looked at the menu plan for the week and informed me he really liked the look of it so this menu is stamped Matt approved.

Sunday: Maple chicken thighs, loaded mashed potatoes, country style green beans and carrot salad.

Monday: Jambalaya

Tuesday: Sausage patties and mac & cheese

Wednesday:  Chicken tortilla soup

Thursday:  Tacos and home canned refried beans with homemade salsa

Friday: Cube steak & pepper sandwiches and steak fries

Saturday: Tortellini and sausage with 3 cheese sauce and asparagus

Sunday:  Homemade fried cod, fried potatoes and cole slaw


READING NOOK:

The Art of Imperfection by Veronique Vienne
This is another little book by author Veronique Vienne.  I really like her little books and grab one whenever I find one I don't have.  This one covers our needing to embrace not being perfect and rejoicing in our imperfections.

The Amish Cook's Anniversary Book - 20 Years of Food, Family and Faith by Lovina Eicher with Kevin Williams
I've really enjoyed reading The Amish Cook since I discovered it a couple months ago.  Kevin Williams worked for a newspaper and wanted to add an Amish recipe section to it and searched and found a woman to write the column.  Elizabeth Coblentz was the original Amish Cook.  Her daughter Lovina Eicher took over on Elizabeth's death and in this book Lovina's oldest daughter, Elizabeth who was named after her Grandmother, would occasionally pen a column for her mother.  The first one she wrote was at age 11 and she even included a recipe for no bake cookies with it.  Besides the newspaper column, they also wrote several cookbooks together which are a wonderful combination of recipes, news about the family and life in the area. They give an interesting glimpse into the Amish life. It's amazing to me to read how people would drop by unexpected for a visit and she'd feed 40+ without much thought.  Reading the work involved with an Amish wedding was fascinating too.

WEEKEND RAMBLINGS - September 27-28

SUNDAY MENU:
Breakfast - store bought cinnamon rolls and apple cider
Lunch: turkey sandwiches
Supper: Pecan crusted chicken breast, yellow rice, and green beans

READING:
The Alchemist by Paulo Coehho
A Prairie Christmas Collection by various authors
Dark Witch by Nora Roberts

PROJECTS:
I can tell it's fall as weekends are jammed with things to do before winter sets in.  Unfortunately my house cleaning hasn't gotten done this weekend either because of it.

Two weeks ago I bought a tile topped table with 4 chairs for $10.  It was a fantastic buy but needed a bit of TLC.  This weekend I've started the restoration.  I'm not a fan of the blond wood and it was in bad shape anyway so after a lot of reading I decided to use a poly stain and darken up the seats and the wood around the tile.  From what I've read I need to let the stain cure for 30 days and then put a finish coat on to keep it from chipping.  Needless to say Matt is impressed with the improvement so far.  Hopefully next weekend I can freshen up the white portions by painting them antique white and I'll probably distress them a little bit.

Before - it had some type of gel paint or fingernail polish on several of them and lots of scratches

After first coat of stain

After 2nd coat of stain

Table before - thankfully all the tile were intact and none were broken

After first coat of stain

EVENTS:

Saturday we went to a rodeo up at the Civic Center.  After attending my first outdoor rodeo over the 4th of July weekend I'm not as big on the indoor ones and it was such a beautiful weekend it would have been great if it had been outside.  It just wasn't the same standing above the arena watching as it was standing next to the fence this summer.

I did enjoy it though.  One of the broncos apparently opened it's chute gate and came strutting out and pranced around the ring for several minutes showing off before they were able to get him back into the chute again.  There were several of the bulls too that decided they wanted to strut some after they'd thrown their riders and didn't want to leave the arena.  One bull rider was knocked out after being thrown and was carried off on a backboard but thankfully was okay.  I took the pictures with my phone and even with the sports mode some of the action photos turned out slightly blurry so I apologize.  I need to remember to take the camera.

bronco threw his ride and thankfully jumped over the rider so he wasn't hurt

women's barrel racing

waiting for steer roping

WEEKEND RAMBLINGS

I've been focusing on our trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and haven't updated on what we've been doing since we got home.

Two weeks ago I bought a bushel of tomatoes at the Farmer's Market since our tomatoes aren't producing well and canned 7 pints of salsa and 7 quarts of spaghetti sauce.  I also frozen 4.5 pints of tomato sauce.  While I was cooking and processing the tomatoes, I chopped up 50 green peppers I'd also purchased for use this winter.

Last Saturday we went to the Medina Fall Festival.  Neither of us has been to Medina before so we spent about an hour or so wandering around the town, which is pretty small.  We found a second hand store that we investigated.  I picked up a 3 books for $2.  We had initial thought to go to the beef feed at City Hall but decided to try Medina Cafe.  It was a cozy little restaurant that's only open for breakfast and lunch.  I had a kraut burger and knoephla soup. I wasn't sure about the kraut burger but it sounded interesting and it was delicious!  The kraut was mellow and almost sweet and perfect. I think the cheese was Swiss.  We also discovered a meat market!  I'll be going back to pick up some meat.  We didn't have a cooler with us so I couldn't get any while we were there.

After we got some food in us we wondered over to the Lion's Club to check out the arts and craft submissions.  Lots of vegetable entries.  They had 2 huge cabbages on display.  The best part were the pies.  I tried the rhubarb and Matt went with the blueberry and of course they were served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Then we drove over to the tractor and truck pull, which was the highlight of the festival.  Tractor pulls are something I started attending while living in Michigan when the kids were in 4H and have enjoyed them whenever I get a chance.  We were surprised there were not more tractors entered.  There were several there on display but did not participate in the pull.  There were lots of trucks entered also.

GYPSY WANDERINGS - UPPER PENINSULA - SATURDAY

Saturday was the wedding so we didn't have a lot of time for exploring.  We met up with Matt's sister Mitzi and her family and headed to Sault Ste. Marie to see the Soo Locks.  We had breakfast at a restaurant across the street from the Locks.  Matt tried their pancakes, which they claim are the best pancakes in Sault Ste. Marie.  He felt his flapjacks are better.

The Soo Locks is a way for ships and boats to get from one Great Lake to another. They have a wonderful observatory that has several levels to watch the ships go through.  It reminded me a lot of when I was in the Navy standing on the third deck fantail watching the ships go in and out,

We were very lucky that a ship, the Edgar B. Speer, went through while we were there. The ship was almost as wide as the Lock, I think there was like 6 inches difference.  You could hear the ship scraping the sides as it went through.

While we were waiting for the Edgar B Speer to get to the Locks, a small boat went through.  It was nice that they had a schedule for when ships were to go through. It was interesting to see such a small boat go through such a large Lock. I wondered how much it cost a boat this size to go through.

Before we headed back the guys insisted on going to the Soo Brewery to try out some beers.  The women went shopping.  I decided to tag along with the guys as I wasn't in the mood for shopping. The guys all got the sampler and several bought growlers to take back for later.  I tried the root beer, which was okay but nothing special in my opinion.

The rest of the afternoon and evening were spent at a beach wedding and the reception afterwards at the Wild Bluff Golf Course.  The food was delicious and we had a very enjoyable evening with Matt's family.  The reception was held under a large white tent next to the building.  It had a beautiful view of the pond behind.  Below are the beautiful couple.

GYPSY WANDERINGS - PART 2 - Friday

Willabee Hotel

I forgot to mention that we stayed at the Willabee Inn in Brimley while we were visiting the Upper Peninsula (UP).  The hotel is about 45 minutes from the airport in Sault Ste. Marie.  The hotel was named after the Russian Terrier dog that the original owners brought with them from Russia and the current owner still have a Russian Terrier that hangs out in the office.  

The room wasn't grand, but it was sufficient for our needs.  It was clean, the bed was comfortable, we had a small refrigerator in the room and was very affordable.  I loved that fact that the window could be opened, no stuffy hotel room.  The window was open to air the room out when we arrived.  It was a nice thought for the staff to air it out for us.  Matt's sister felt her room was damp but she was the only one of the family that stayed there that thought so.  

Our room was on the first floor next to the office and we had no problems with noise.  They had plastic lawn chairs outside of the rooms and we definitely used them and enjoyed sitting outside visiting with Matt's family.  There was also a dock behind the motel, between the restaurant and motel actually, that we used for a hang out in the evening.  Unfortunately the hotel was closed but they told us that it had just been bought and would be reopening again.  It would have been nice to have had breakfast without having to drive.  We typically kept our window open at night but after several nights of a group of dogs barking incessantly throughout the night we kept it shut.  It sounded to me like a kennel of some type.  Someone thought it was coyotes but it didn't sound like coyotes to me.

Dancing Crane Coffee House

I think everybody there would say that the Dancing Crane Coffee house was the best hangout place.  Each time we stopped there for breakfast we ran into several other people attending the wedding.  It was a wonderfully cozy cafe with games and books scattered throughout to enjoy as well as a nice variety of products to purchase.  Matt and his sister Bee played cribbage while we enjoyed a lazy last morning there before we flew home.  Everybody said the coffee was superior in quality.  As I don't drink coffee I'll take their word for it.  The wedding couple actually had a special blend roasted and gave away small packages of it for wedding gifts. They had fabulous cinnamon rolls.

Tahquamenon Falls

Tahquamenon Falls was beautiful!  We visited both the lower and upper falls.  Matt wasn't up to walking the 4 miles between falls and back again so we were wimps and drove.  This is a picture of the lower falls.  If I recall right there are 5 falls total.  The path to the falls is nicely done with timbers and made walking a lot easier.  There were several people in wheelchairs that were able to get to the falls due to the wooden paths.

They had some nice landings to take pictures.  This is part of the upper falls.  It was breathtaking.  We did wonder why the area wasn't being utilized for hydro power.

After all our walking we were hungry and thirsty so we checked out the Gift Shop and bought a light lunch.  We were a little disappointed with the gift shop as Matt found a tshirt he liked but they didn't have it in his size.  It takes a genius to put a brewery at the end of a hiking trail and Matt wanted to try  a beer at the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery.  I tried their root beer.  He chose the blueberry wheat ale.  This ale had a really strong blueberry scent although a light flavor to it.  It smelled so good that I actually tried a sip of it.

Wilcox Fish House

After our adventurous day we were both hungry and wanted some fresh fish for supper. Another one of Matt's sisters and her family had arrived so we went out to the Wilcox Fish House for fish dinners with them.  I tasted Matt's whitefish and it was superb.  I ordered perch which was good but after tasting the whitefish I regretted not getting it instead.  Matt says you can't beat fresh whitefish from Lake Superior and I have to agree with him.  Matt and I both ended our meals with a piece of  warm strawberry rhubarb pie with ice cream. It was the perfect ending to the meal.  I haven't had a strawberry rhubarb pie since my grandmother made them when I was a child.  I think I may have to plant some rhubarb or raid somone's patch next spring so I can make some myself.  Every time we drove by Wilcox's I drooled just thinking of their pie.

And so ended the second day of our adventure.

Gypsy Wanderings - UP of Michigan - Mackinac Island

I finally got to do some gypsy style wandering. We just returned from our trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (aka UP). Matt and I attended his niece's wedding. In addition to attending the wedding we took day trips every day to check out the area. By the time we left I was praying for a rainy day to rest a bit.

Our first trip was to Mackinac Island. To get to the island you have to go by boat or ferry. We took a hydro boat which was about a 30 minute trip each way. There are no cars or motorized vehicles allowed on the island. Deliveries are done by horse and wagon. The only forms of transportation are walking, horseback, horse & carriage, and bikes. This was definitely not a cheap day trip although we definitely felt it was worth what we paid. If we were to do it again I'd like to go more prepared with packed lunches,our own water and probably rent or take our own bikes as you can bring them across on the boat for a fee. We did not eat on the island as the prices are pretty high. Fortunately we had a large breakfast right before leaving for the island so we weren't really hungry although we did buy ice cream cones at the Sanders Store as a treat. If you can afford to stay on the island it would be worth it to see things at night as well as having more time to explore.

Many of you may remember the movie Somewhere in Time with Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour. The Grand Hotel that the movie took place at is located on this island. The hotel is absolutely awesome looking. It's huge!  It has the longest front porch of any building. The grounds on this entire island are spectacular and even more so around the hotel itself. We paid to be able to go into the hotel but sadly it didn't really allow us to see much. We did go up to the bar at the top and that has a spectacular view, perfect to sit and sip a class of wine and enjoy. I did purchase some teas in the Tea Shop in the indoor shopping area. The views from the porch are spectacular as well and I could have sat in one of the rocking chairs all day reading and enjoying the view.

The Grand Hotel - Mackinac Island

beautiful shaped bushes on the lawn directly across from The Grand Hotel

Other houses along the cliffs on the island.

We took a carriage tour around the island. I thought it would be the best way to get an overview of everything and then we could go back and investigate areas that caught our interest. We did a combination ticket so we could get into the Butterfly Conservatory. The Butterfly Conservatory was breath taking. I'll admit I've never been in one before so this was my first experience. The cottage that the conservatory is attached to is adorable. I could die a happy girl in the gardens here. On our way back from The Grand Hotel we took a little alleyway and discovered a beautiful garden that had a sign The Secret Garden in it.  The flowers were so beautiful I can't describe it. I thought we'd taken a picture of it but unfortunately not.

Butterfly Conservatory

Matt kept telling me to hold still and I couldn't figure out why until he told me I had this fellow on me. Glad he took a picture so I could see it.

Butterfly that took a liking to me

The roof on this building caught my eye. I've never seen anything like it before. It looked like pieces of peeled bark with the the pieces of stripping across to hold them secure. Really unusual. This building wasn't open so I'm not sure what it was originally used for. It might have been a cottage someone lived in.

American Fur Co Retail Store

 This is where hunters and trappers could bring their furs to exchange for merchandise when the island was first settled. The furs were kept in another building.

This is the view from Fort Mackinac. I wish we'd taken pictures of the office quarters because one thing we both noticed was how grand the living spaces were furnished, especially for the time period. For a layout of the Fort please follow the link above. 

While on the carriage tour we went through Mackinac State Park and got to see the Arch Rock.  There are several theories on how this developed but I like the story of the Indian Princess and the Air God that our driver told. Unfortunately I can't find the legend online so briefly the Indian Princess fell in love with an Air God.  Her father didn't approve of the match so to prevent it he took her to this rock and tied her to it and left her there to the elements. She cried and cried and her tears washed away the stone until this arch was made. The Air God found her and saved her. It is said that the Air God went through the arch and became a human male. I'm a sucker for romantic endings.  As you look down into the water just past the arch you can see the picture below. Nobody knows who wrote it.  

Arch Rock

Live Life Valken

Weekend Ramblings August 16th

Menu:
Lunch: Italian on cibatta roll
Supper: Taco Salad with breadsticks

Wow has it been a busy summer! It doesn't feel like it's been that busy but I've been working on little things here and there and it adds up. I've also been in training at work which has added up time wise. Thankfully after the first week they let us train a half day in the office and then all the telecommuters were able to come home and work. Yesterday and today were super humid for North Dakota.  The low humidity here is something I really appreciate. I hear natives complain about how bad it is and can't help but laugh. Michigan's humidity was the worse of all the places I've ever lived and if they think this is bad they need to experience it elsewhere. Otherwise, our weather has been in the mid to low 80's with night temps in the 60's.

Today we had a nice storm pass through. It rained so heavily that the flash flood alarm went off on the TV and cell phones. I'm thankful that I took the pups for a walk before the storm hit. Matt wanted to go to the store and every time he thought it was starting to slow down it would start pouring again.

Water was so deep in the road that it went up over the sidewalk into the yard.  There's a drop down from the step to the road.  Water was up to the bottom of the rims on both our vehicles.

This was totally flooded over for a bit when it was raining the hardest. 

Unfortunately water was going under the skirting on the trailer.

This pitcher was empty before it started raining.

Crafting:

I finished the rug!!!! It was a great feeling when I finished it. I already have the loom warped and another rug started. For my fall project I've started a knitted sample stitch afghan with super bulky yarn.  I wanted something nice and warm to curl up in when it gets cold.

About a month ago we went to a Junk Expo and Matt found a spinning wheel for me. We picked up this beauty for only $75.  I'm not sure what brand it is. I think it might be a Jenny by Sleeping Beauty, which is no long manufactured.  She was dirty and I could tell she'd been sitting in a barn or shed somewhere.  I cleaned her up last week (finally) and hopefully will get her waxed this weekend.  I bought a maintenance kit and she got a tune up after her cleaning.  She's missing a dowel that the brake cord attaches to so Matt is going to fix that but otherwise she appears to be in full working condition. Now I just need to order some roving. The Lazy Kate that she came with is about $75 brand new so I think we got a pretty good deal.

Reading:

I've done a ton of reading.  My latest read was The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club by Wanda Brunstetter. I lucked out and got a Wish List fulfilled notice from PaperBackBookExchange.com letting me know that both it and the sequel had been posted. I will be starting the sequel, The Tattered Quilt, tonight. I find the books interesting in they talk about quilting and these take place close to where I grew up in Indiana. One of these days I'm going to visit Shipshawana.  It brought back memories when one of the characters talked about going shopping at the mall in South Bend, which is the mall we use to go to all the time. I miss the Amish restaurants that serve family style.

Gardening:

My tomato plants have started producing.  The poor plants have been stunted by this odd summer we've had and never got much above 2 feet tall and the fruit is small too.  My Roma tomatoes are like giant grape tomato size. I was getting ready to harvest my peppermint after moving it by the tomato plants when something ate it.  I'm wondering if it wasn't a bunny as I can't think of anything else that would eat it.