Post Holiday Activities

Holidays are hectic, but I am always grateful for the opportunity to see family and friends. My sister, Annie, was in Ohio for nearly two weeks, visiting her daughters. We were able to get the sisters together here at Camp Colegate for brunch. Annie's daughter, Clarie, joined us, too. We had a Camp Colegate brunch, roasted butternut squash (homegrown) soup, steamed broccoli (thank you, Krogers), and sour cherry (homegrown, love that freezer) sauce on French yogurt lemon cakes shaped like birds nest (Williams Sonoma - sp?) with whipped cream. Although the snow was melting outside, we were still able to gaze out the windows at a snowy winterscape. Camp Colegate worked its wonderful relaxing, peaceful magic. Perfect for after the holidays.

Sara, Susie, Annie

Annie, Clarie



I've made a mad rush on the crochet projects, finishing hats for the boys down South, a scarf to go with AKs hat and sweater for her, and now I'm taking a slight break. I'm working on some new projects, probably for me, which will stretch my ability to interpret and utilize new patterns. My friend, Peggy, tooke me to two yarn shops in Cincinnati which were so inspirational. I was dazzled by all the different yarns and garments that were on display. Ann has graciously mailed Mother's old knitting/crochet supplies to me, which I can't wait to receive. I often think of her, as I pass the long hours of winter creating something.

   

We had a great snowfall in December, followed by freezing temperatures and periodic snow. I was able to cross country ski for days on end. We have frozen ground now which offers the opportunity to walk around without sinking into the mud. We have really wet ground here. The hens did not care for the snow at all, but don't seem to mind the cold. It's fun, watching them respond to changes in their routine. The native birds have been working on the pyracantha berries, and enjoy the suet ithat Bruce replaces in the birch tree.

Snowy December

Who would have guessed? Weather forecasters predicted a warm winter, and look at us now. The photos I'm sharing from yesterday's xc ski outing reflect three snowfalls within two weeks without much melt off. I was a little concerned to make my first solo outing, as my first trip out last year was disastrous. Last year I was stunned as I fell multiple times and had issues getting back up on my feet in the deep snow. Thank goodness I was skiing with my fitness buddy, Wilma. So I called Marsha and Mike before I headed out yesterday, and carried my cell phone with me. It was nice to know that support was there, but I didn't experience any loss of the balance or skills over the warmer seasons. This year it was not an issue. Maybe all the walking, biking, and kayaking paid off, although I've spent the last few weeks sitting with my crochet projects in hand.

Please enjoy our Winter Wonderland!



I'm holding my poles to the left of the photo of the Hedgerow Trail



Bonfire photographed from back of property

Adirondacks Buried!

Layered Bonfire Area

Cedar Trail near Mediation Area

Kayaks Sleeping in the Snow

Quiet Pond - See the iris seed heads bordering dock?

 

Nature's Animal Shelter

Just heard the weather forecast: we've received hlaf of our usual snowfall for the year.

More snow is predicted for Tuesday, then did I hear her say a White Christmas?

About Those Hens

Where to begin on the history of this journey? Probably at the end of the summer, 2009. Bruce and I had stopped by one of my hippy/friend/instructor's home to see her menagerie. Karen and her husband Denver were going back to the land on 1 1/4 acres, and were well on their way to self-sustainability. We're talking about egg layers and roasters, goats for milk and cheese, rabbits for meat, and a large vegetable garden. We were blown away. Maybe it was my upbrining on Forest Glen: the garden, the fruit trees, the canning cupboard, the butchering, and the freezer. We also had milk delivered to the back door when that was still possible. My how times have changed. Bruce and I have so enjoyed eating from our garden, so why not raise hens?

Perhaps we took the first step because Bruce was home alone and I thought he needed a project  to keep him busy. Most of my creative 'ideas' ultimately result in keeping Bruce busy, intentional or not. We also have adopted a philosophy of taking advantage of where we are while we are here. When we move South in a few years to be near the girls, we won't tackle another 5 acres. We will probably live in some sort of suburbia, and will no longer have the advantages we do here, so we want to partake in every opportunity that comes our way. That is why I took up cross-country skiing, kayaking, building garden frames from harvested wood and grapevine, and coming up in January and February, building twig furniture.

After searching the internet, checking out our very cool Amish-built shed outdoor store, and visiting our local farm store, we embarked on the process of building our own coop from scratch. This way our structure would blend with our landscape and take advantage of the building site. We thought we had plenty of left over material here at Camp Colegate to do it inexpensively (hah!), and that it basically was a simple process. Yes and no.We worked through the fall, neither of us really knowing how to do this. When we got to the roof, I told Bruce he was in charge of that, as I had no clue how to proceed. Bruce enlisted the knowledge and help of our neighbor, Mike, who had it done in no time. The coop withstood 50 mph winds in a late autumn storm and never blew over, although Bruce did go out an replace some shingles on the roof. We were both delighted and amazed. We also realized our coop was more water tight than our Amish built garden shed. We have had to make adjustments over the seasons, as doors freeze and thaw, but overall, we did it. Mike had leant us his circular saw, which was a godsend, but for the most part, we used Bruce's grandfather's beautiful old hand saw and a hammer. Oh, and I did insist that Bruce buy a level, since we had none in our collection of cast off tools and materials.

Spring arrived, and after a trip South, I made the rounds of our feed stores to purchase an ecclectic mix of breeds: 2 White Leghorn, 2 Golden Comets, and 3 Barred Rocks. Chicks arrive at the feed stores by mail, almost immediately after hatching. I was able to receive my Golden Comets directly from their mailing box, before they were mixed in with the flock in the bin in the middle of the store. We kept them in a cardboard condo in the basement with a brooder lamp for 3-4 weeks, and moved them outdoors once they feathered out. We have been so fortunate, as we have had no mishaps, and have been blessed with a bounty of white, beige and brown eggs that we share with family, friends and neighbors.



Hens in summer, have yet to plump out.

 Now I'm the one who is home alone for hours on end, and I truly enjoy watering, feeding, checking on and collecting eggs from our hens. Everything you've heard about hens, all those old-fashioned sayings, are absolutely true. The hens provide us with the most outstanding eggs, and a sense of mothering and caretaking for me. Even in extreme weather, which we are experiencing in Ohio early this year, it is interesting taking care of them, as every day presents a different problem that needs to be solved.

Still scrawny

Some surprising benefits for us is the wealth of chicken compost. Although not entirely intentional, the coop is adjacent to our compost pile. We buy bulk bedding, similar to what one would use for their hamsters, and after a few weeks, it's time to dig it out and replace it with fresh. On Saturday, I attended the lovely brunch presented by Antioch Church, came home, changed clothes and shoveled the shit (forgive me) out of the hen house, and wheeled it 10 steps to my compost pile. A delightful efficiency. Then I showered and changed back so that Bruce and I could catch a movie ("The Tourist" - outstanding) and dinner. What a diverse lifestyle. The combination of wood shavings and nitrogen rich debris (thank you, Susie), works down my raked and composted leaves quickly.

Another benefit is that the hens have loved our garden debris. My understanding from an article in Mother Earth News is that when one turns the little vultures loose in the compost pile, they scatter it all over. We choose to bring the fall gleanings form the garden to them. We roll back the chicken wire on the top of their run and drop it in. These roly poly vultures devour it in no time flat. Not only do the gifts from the garden provide them with added nutrition, but the leftovers provide the hens with entertainment as they peck through anything that comes their way. Bruce was stunned when he was working on their ramp, set some screws down, only to watch the hens in horror as the hens immediately began to root through the screws, throwing them in all directions as they sorted through something new, looking for something to eat.

And who would have thought that we would have timed our hen experiment to coincide with the salmonella outbreak? Our hens are totally enclosed, be they indoors or outdoors, to prevent any cross contamination with other birds. And as people were concerned and throwing out their store bought eggs for safety's sake, we were providing them with natural, healthy eggs from hens that are lovingly cared for. Then there is the fascination the hens provide for the grandchildren, who made endless trips to and from the hen house to check on the daily production of eggs. Also, our grandchildren are understanding the source of their food.

Lovely Church Activity and Brunch

For the past few years, my good friend Pat has invited me to her church group's wreath making brunch for Christian fellowship and music. It is a truly special holiday event, and I cherish the invitation and experience. The gathering is held at King's Domain, which occupies the hill in the Deerfield Gorge which lies opposite of Fort Ancient, and diagonally from Camp Kern. The magic begins as one winds one's way up the hill on a narrow, tree-lined incline, opening up to a gorgeous conference center nestled in a beech forest. One enters the center to be greeted by the most amazing women who have organized this event for a unique and fulfilling Christian and creative experience.

In preparation for this event, a theme is chosen,  speakers and music are arranged for the program, a menu is planned for the conference staff to prepare, and greens are collected for the wreath making. Pat and her friend Jill decorated this huge center in the theme of caroling, which carried through the entire program. When you enter this huge room in the woods, you are greeted by the hostesses and Pat and Jill's amazing decorations. There is a roaring fire in the fireplace, work tables loaded with greens, and beautifully decorated dining tables.

The gal who leads the wreath making used to live in Lebanon on 6-8 acres (sound familiar?), but moved to Monument, Colorado, a few years ago to be near her son's family. Each December Donna and her husband return to Ohio to visit friends and family and participate in this event.

Lin the organizer, Donna the wreath maker, and friend



Candles wrapped in carols, red carol placemats, and rolled caroling favors.
Some of the women added the rolled carols to their wreaths - lovely!



Donna and Pat in action

The sun had come out when the speakers and musicians began their program, which resulted in a lovely shadowed effect. The speakers were all young women engaged in teaching, either in the school systems or volunteering in the schools. They were so inspiring in their messages regarding the three carols the group chose. The musicians provided flute, violin, vocal, and keyboard music, as they led the group in the carols. They presented the music in a slower, more haunting tempo than I had ever experienced.

As always, thank you Pat, for including me in this very special holiday fellowship.
And thanks to Bruce, who brought my camera to me.



Preparing for the Holidays

What a different life from working. I've been busy cooking, lunching, and crocheting. It's been very cold here in Ohio, and without enough snow for XC skiing, I find myself very cold, sipping hot tea, rolled up in my knit throw, crocheting my heart out until my fingers hurt. Now that I've mailed hats off to South Carolina, I must ease off and must make exercise a priority. I must share, that it is so wonderful not to have to worry about commuting to work in the dark with ice-covered roads, and staying up after 9PM to watch different television programs. Thought I'd share some of the scenery in which I've cocooned.

Can you see the snow through the windows?

AK's hat for Lily, and a hat for Serious Reid and Comic Brooks

Thanksgiving for Two

What I love about menu planning and cooking is the challenge. How do you plan dinner for out of town company when you might be working until 4:30 pm? How do you plan an elegant brunch by the pond? And here was my clincher, Thanksgiving Dinner for Two. For years we have shared turkey with Brad and Andrew, here at our house with our parents, and then, after our parents departed or could no longer make the long drive, out in Cambridge, which is the ultimate in elegance. It has always been such fun doing turkey with these two. The boys are so into this holiday with the decorating, the cooking, and the service of this annual feast. We will look forward to joining them again next year, but for this year, how would we manage with just the two of us, and with Bruce as my main and only helper, who is not a cooking afficionado?

My first puzzle was how to keep Bruce engaged in the process. He has been wanting to make a lobster bisque, which he orders at our favortie restaurants when it shows up on the menu. I found a recipe for Bruce to use, and frozen lobster pieces at Krogers which cost nearly as much as the turkey. Bruce took charge of lunch, which we served out on the sunporch with a glass of chardonnay.

What made this Thanksgiving unusual was retirement. I cleaned the house on Tuesday morning, shopped in the afternoon, then did a lot of prep on Wednesday. Also, we had plenty of garnishes still growing out in the garden, which is most unusual. We usually have a hard frost sometime in September which kills the parsley.

My plan was to forge ahead with the table service, so out came the silver, crystal, and finer china. Since there would be no extra hands for all the hand dishwashing, we kept the plates to a minimum. No salad plates nor bread and butter plates. We still had the glitz and the glamour, just not so much of it. Then for the menu - We wanted all the tradition of turkey, dressing, cranberries and sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie. I added a gratin of brussel sprouts that could be thrown together once the turkey was out of the oven. Most everything was done the day ahead. In fact, Wednesday was much busier than Thursday. Gravy is always my nemesis. I start out with so much, but end up cooking it down to next to nothing. The gravy was divine, and Bruce reveled in not having to share with too many people.

Dressing flavoring in Mother's bowl. Brad's candied crabapples in jar on right.



The Host serves the Guest (1)



Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Lull before Thanksgiving

What a luxury it is to be home and be able to dibble and dabble around the house and camp. Yesterday I cleaned up all my mess in the garage and yard that I made during my garden frame project. My neighbor, Susan Case stopped by to see the frames (her husband Ken drilled the handles), and referred to them as lobster traps. Funny, that's my same first reaction as to what would work on the garden. So, lobster traps they are.  As I watched 'Dancing with the Stars' last night, I planned the first twig table during the commercials. Still have a few unknowns there, but at least we have a starting point when the bad weather hits.

Ah, Grace just hit the window screen in the office. A little tardy this morning, especially for a cold morning. Yesterday in the middle of the afternoon, I was putting the drill away in the basement, and noticed a shadow outside the basement window. As I moved in closer, I saw it was Grace, warming in the last rays of the sun against the brick, cement, and glass of the house. This is one of her favorite spots on a cold, sunny day. Of course, she had moved elsewhere before I made it upstairs to my camera.

Earlier in the day I had taken my camera outdoors to snap a few photos that I had been wanting to share with my friends and family. Having purchased a relatively flat, barren field, we are always amazed at our new layers color and pattern. I love it when the leaves drop, and we see the underlying sculpture of the trees.

Pyracantha berries in the foreground

Years ago I watched an Oprah show about 'spirit trees'. She reported that she goes out and talks to some of her very special trees. After that show I went out and identified several of our biggest trees, and then had Bruce make cutouts into the hedgerow so we could better access those trees. Suddenly, we paid more attention to the highlighted trees, which before had blended into the hedgerow. Below is our biggest oak, actually on Todd's property, and believe me, impossible to capture as a noteworthy tree in its entirety (makes it look very small and unremarkable). Our oaks hold onto their bronze leaves into the middle of winter.

Last night was clear and full moon. During the months of October through February, the moon rises directly in front of our house. On a clear night it is spectacular, something that cannot be observed in the suburbs due to the rooftops. Here the moon is just breaking the horizon of trees, which you can see at the bottom of the rising moon. Happy Thanksgiving to all.