CHECKING ON THE FARM

Our CRP contract has come due, so Mike and I traveled to Nezperce this morning to sign papers at the USDA office. It was routine but had to be done.

Since we were within 20 miles of the farm, we drove on in to check on the house and grounds. Today was a calm day – lovely and sunny at 37 degrees – but yesterday a regional windstorm blew through, so we were anxious to see if we had sustained damage. We didn't see much snow, but our rep at USDA said they had had a lot of rain.

Everything looked good at the farm, though apparently the wind blew the bark off the dead tree in the grove, and that’s not a big deal. Perhaps 2021 will see us taking down that huge “stump.” We’ll probably have to wait until after harvest.

We’ve been using pinecones as fire starters, so I filled a crate with them. I packed another crate with more food from the pantry. I used to think it was better to keep the cupboard stocked, but now I see the wisdom of rotating it out and bringing in fresh stuff in the spring.

We had two mice in traps, and those were in the storage closet under the stairs – the same closet in which we found the nest some months back. Obviously, we needed to make another effort to discover their point of egress, and Mike said it should be today. So, we removed enough stuff that he could crawl to the back of the closet where the ceiling meets the floor, and when he pulled back the carpet, he could see holes where the ceiling meets the floor. We had sealant but couldn’t apply it at that angle, so Mike packed in more steel wool. Naturally, we again left traps in the closet.

After a light lunch, we drove back to town, opting to return the way we had come (Hwy 95) and avoid the Gilbert Grade, which would be wet and muddy. KW

DISPEL THE WINTER BLUES

A snowy scene shows the loveliness of winter

January in the great Inland Empire of the Pacific Northwest is best described by the three "Ds" -- dull, drab, dreary. We rejoice if the sun comes out for half a day, or even an hour. It’s too bad that we don’t use Christmas – or whatever December holiday you might celebrate – to help us through the short, dark winter days. Instead, we seem to close the door on Christmas, put away the joy with all the decorations, and then sit in a dark place – mentally and physically – for at least six weeks. We should follow Ina, who liked Christmas because it helps to pass the winter.

We even associate some good winter songs, such as “Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland” and “Marshmallow World,” with Christmas and quit playing them. Even “Jingle Bells” is a winter song. I guess those songs really date me, though, because when I googled “winter songs,” I had never heard of the titles that came up. And during the season, when I asked Alexa to play “classic Christmas,” I was appalled at what she called classic! Whatever happened to Perry Como, Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, and Ray Coniff, all summed up by Lawrence Welk? (I guess I'm becoming my parents -- totally predictable!)

For that matter, Christmas carols celebrate the good news of the Christ child’s birth. If that’s what we do, shouldn’t we do it all the time?

Hallie's primrose

My mother said that putting away Christmas kept it special. As a child, I accepted what she said as a truism. Today, I don’t know about that. It stands to reason that time moves on and as the days grow longer and spring brightens our days, we just naturally move with it. It seems like we could let it happen more gently and allow the light of Christmas to brighten our winter days until the sun brings us the first crocus (or primrose).

[Daughter Hallie planted primroses last spring to which the big slugs of Seattle promptly brought destruction. She thought it was all over for the primroses, but last week she discovered one blooming profusely, a real harbinger of spring.]

NANNY AND THE PRESCHOOLERS

We have a “brass and glass” display stand in our kitchen/eating area where I place my Dept. 56 “Original Snow Village” pieces, now focused on the theme of children and grandparents. With a little tweaking, putting away the most Christmassy pieces, I will leave this display intact until spring.

And this leads me to my favorite Dept. 56 accessory set, “Nanny and the Preschoolers,” one of my first purchases in the "Original Snow Village" series. Now retired, it’s a two-piece set – 1) Nanny pushing a baby buggy, and 2) followed by three preschoolers. In 2017, Nanny and the baby buggy wandered too close to the edge of the display where they were accidentally pushed off the precipice and fell three or four feet to their demise, tragically leaving the preschoolers without supervision. While you’d think the preschoolers might have grieved a bit for the loss of Nanny, they seemed to cheer more than ever, but I missed her and decided to try to find a replacement. 

It didn't happen right away, and I began to look at different options. Last summer, Dept. 56 offered a deal on a mother pushing a baby buggy in the smaller “Christmas in the City” series. Hmmm. She wasn’t perfect, but she was charming and reasonably priced and would do for the time being. Still, I continued my search for the real Nanny, thinking that perhaps someone somewhere had experienced a compensating accident wherein they lost the preschoolers. I felt certain such an accident could have happened, but if so, we seemed to be waiting each other out.

Anyway, this Christmas season I found an Etsy seller offering a Nanny – no box, no Preschoolers – for a price. I mean, this is Nanny, half of a broken set, and she has no box, but this seller was waiting for me and I was at her mercy. I bought her, and it made me very happy. (I could have bought the full set from another seller for $10 less, but then I’d still have a broken set.)

And I’m sure you’re wondering what happened with the little mother pushing her baby buggy. Well, she looks great on the top shelf of the display approaching JoAnn’s. (The JoAnn’s shop is not a Dept. 56 piece and is on permanent display.) KW

THE FITBIT CHALLENGE -- 10,000 STEPS PER DAY

Looking down the Snake River from the confluence

Last summer, our insurance provider offered Mike a free Fitbit valued at $50. I laughed. I thought it was a joke that anyone as physically goal-oriented as Mike should need a Fitbit. However, he was intrigued and immediately ordered it.

The Lewis & Clark Center at the confluence

So, the Fitbit came, and he enjoyed seeing his activity stats as recorded by this watch-like device, but then he decided he wanted a better one – one that would do more. Probably most of us would just buy the one we wanted – I know I would – but Mike spent several hours on the phone negotiating through both the folks at the insurance company and Fitbit. He would return the original unit, he said, if they would credit him $50 on the one he wanted. Eventually the details were worked out, but if memory serves, he didn’t like that unit for some reason and returned it for yet another model.

Ducks on the river

Meanwhile, he decided I should have one, too. It took some convincing because my life-goals do not revolve around physical activity. However, I now have a Fitbit, and I admit that I’m a bit obsessive over it.

My first goal, assigned by Fitbit, is to take at least 250 steps every hour for my 12 most active hours of the day. You might laugh – Mike does – but my interests are mainly sedentary and I know it’s important to get up and move. The Fitbit buzzes my wrist if I have not completed the 250 steps at ten minutes before the hour. For instance, it will say, “10 minutes to take 148 steps.” I now have a mental list of household errands to help me amass the needed steps – making the bed, unloading the dishwasher, trips to the shed, replenishing supplies here and there, emptying the compost pail, taking recycling to the garage, etc.

Lewiston from 10th Street in the Orchards

The overarching daily goal is 10,000 steps, and many times I fall short of that, but I’m getting better. The other evening, I noticed that I only had to walk 300 steps to reach the goal, so I walked to the corner and back. Then Fitbit goes wild, throwing a party on my wrist, celebrating my victory.

My Fitbit also keeps track of the hours that I sleep. I don’t know how it knows – perhaps inactivity and heart rate. KW

Mike holding a cache

[The photos here were taken Monday, Jan. 4, as Mike and I were geocaching.]

WALL ART [UPDATED]

Several days ago, we discussed here whether or not I should buy a calendar for my sewing room when we have a stack of many freebies. I was encouraged to buy one that I like, and I chose Mary Engelbreit's "Back to the Drawing Board" calendar.

 

It seems like I just ordered that calendar. It was scheduled to arrive tomorrow, but it came today (Monday)! Oh joy!

I like this nice big calendar -- 12x24 when open. Here's a picture of the January page.

 

And I took the folder and tacked it to the wall as well.

 

It's nice color on the wall, and the whimsical touch is just right. 

 

 

[UPDATE: I discovered that the lower half of the calendar -- the calendar page -- includes a depiction of Mary Engelbreit's original artwork
with the date it was published. I like it! It's a nice comparison.]

POST-CHRISTMAS PERIOD OF ADJUSTMENT

See what I mean? -- a real mess.

I took our Christmas tree down on Saturday, Jan. 2. I had intended to wait a few more days because I really enjoyed the tree this year, but I found myself thinking that it was something I could do and then it would be done. I’m trying to move on with my projects and meeting with some mental resistance, perhaps because organizing my sewing room is real work! In a sense I have taken on more than I can do – AND I want to do more! But – I can’t do anything until I’ve cleaned up that mess. “One step at a time,” I tell myself.

If you’re a holiday crafter, especially for autumn and winter, you have to keep in mind that these holidays will again be upon us, sooner rather than later. Chris at “Miller’s Last Resort” says that she received two Christmas kits that she wants to make for next year. Such projects help us bridge the gap into spring – hopefully, maybe.

And speaking of spring, today is springlike – nice sunshine, 54 degrees. The forecast seems to be for moderate temps over the next ten days. Mike wonders if we’ve had winter. Well, an early spring, or springlike weather in the middle of winter, brings challenges, too.

Mike cleaned out his shelf in the back cupboard today, and I’m gathering my collection of yarn from everywhere I’ve stashed it and separating it into categories. I have a lot of yarn and decreasing interest in worsted weights. I either have to donate it or make another scrap afghan. The trouble with scrap afghans is that they aren’t pretty unless the yarn is color coordinated, or to put it another way, the prettiest afghans are those which are color coordinated and for which you have the right amount of yarn, and having the right amount of yarn is where we end up with a stash of leftover yarn. KW