Saturday, December 31, 2011

The end of 2011

It seems like yesterday everyone stressing about the Y2 panic. Sure that all computerized activity would cease.
2011 has been a year of highs and lows.

It was a very dismal and sober Christmas last year.
My two old dogs died within 2 weeks of each other. Gypsy, my little pal died at 16 years, and Rover at 14. He just gave up the will to live. The Vet said there was nothing the matter with him except he was depressed.
After that, the whole house was depressed and so quiet. We had to borrow Johns Elk hound to make us feel normal.
January was exceptionally cold. I really think I should be a hot
house flower.
Things did take a turn for the better when Chris sent my
birthday present. 
A little Chi-Chan girl.
It wasn't long until she had us all
trained and the house arranger
the way she liked it. She is quick and smart and very funny.
The best times come when she visits from her family. They are very alike and incredibly different.
Her best friend is John’s Elk Hound.
You would not think two dogs of such different size could have so much fun.
Then in February, Ewan crashed his truck going to Mt Washington Skiing. He was unhurt, but it was a bit of a toss whether they would write the truck off or
fix it as the damage was over $8000. They ended up fixing it but the lender he had was not a Mountain car so he could not finish the ski season. He hopes for better this time around.


Mar 3 was a day I remember well, I was going to Salt
Spring Island with some ladies from the guild when I
slipped down my front step at 6 AM. I couldn't seem to wake any one, so crawled on my hands and knees to my car and drove to Monike’s . After due course I was in the hospital for a few days with 3 broken ribs and a lung hemorrhage. Things sure don’t heal like they did when I was 20. Especially with hospital food  
I got out of hospital in time to help with the Make up with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, doing the Mikado. I was on big time pain killers and the cast was super doing what they could of their own make-up.
March and April are my busy time for tax preparations but this year, I had to cut back because of my injuries. I am raring to go and save taxpayers more money this year.
May was really terrific. Duncan 
and his wife Corine and their two
children Gabby and Caitlin came down from Fort St John for a week. Gabbie was competing in an Irish dance competition and I was
there when she took her gold.
We crammed a lot into a week. It
was the first time the
children had seen the pacific coast. Gabby had seen
Atlantic Canada.
For Earth Day, Ewan built me a garden bed. Raised and
with a small fence so the dogs don’t destroy it. I have planted Raspberries and it yielded a few things this year and hopefully, as we build up the soil it will yield
more.
The squirrels and the birds started coming in the spring and we added gold fish to our outdoor pond.
June and I was busy getting back into spinning. We had a demonstration, on flax making.

Spring was late and with Spring came rain. We had the wettest summer in history.

In June, my friend June came from Edmonton. Her granddaughter was making wedding plans, and her father in law had moved to a new care home so we had a good visit. She is a snow birds and goes south in the winter. A lot of my friends do now. It makes it a bit lonely in the winter.

Saanich Historical Artifacts had its usual Fathers day weekend and some of our Spinners and Weavers Guild put on displays of some of the old time skills. Skills that are being revived.

In July, they had a promotion at a local casino and I was one of the one selected to have my picture taken with Gene Simmons and family of “KISS” fame. The kids were quite amused that mom was a rocker.

We had a two week visit from Chris. It seemed so long since we had seen him. It was a really good visit. Sad to see him go and little did we know it would be soon we would see him again.
In August, our old friend and mentor to all the boys, Dr. Benny Lowe passed away. He had been like a surrogate dad to Chris. It was very sad indeed. Chris flew down for the funeral and we said goodbye to our old friend.

September is the three day Threshing weekend At Saanich Historical Artifacts.
All systems are go. Lots of demonstrations, hands on events and of course threshing with steam power. |This included our Sawyer Massey that is 104 years young. It was well attended, not quite breaking old records, but trying.
October was a wonderful month. Middle son Duncan and family have sold up the trucking business and moved to Smithers. A lovely small community in the Buckley Valley, where his Great grandmother came as a war brined after the First World War.

They had decided that it may be a long time till so many of the family are together again in one place. So they flew Ewan, Chelsea, our little dog, and myself up for thanks giving.
Chris was already up there and Chelsea was able to see her mom, brother and sister.

We stayed in Duncan trailer first at Cameron and De-anna’s and family then at Duncan’s and family. What a great time we had. And such an easy flight except that Chelsea is getting to big for the flight cage.

November gave a bit of a scare. I had a minor transient ischemic attack.
Most of the symptoms left within 3 days, but there is a bit of paralysis on the right side of my face.  Nothing that really bothers me. Just one more pill in the handful I take a day.
Now we are into Christmas. Soon I will be taking pictures for 6 nights at Christmas in the Village and hope to get all my presents finished. Mostly hand made this year.

From my house to yours, I wish you a wonderful  the New Year.



Saturday, December 24, 2011

The night before Christmas.

Well the time has evaporated as usual. The clock seems to work double time around this time of the year.

Not all my plans came to fruition.

John will get a couple of stocking stuffers and an IOU for the rest of his sweater.

Chelsea's new coat  may be finished for tomorrow to go under the tree.

Ewan's presents are wrapped and all John's grand kids have a parcel.

The girls got a blank page book with a hand felted cover. This is intended as a recipe book. I included a recipe box and printed out all our favorite family recipes.

Sadly Chris will not get a present under the free. I sent him 2 parcels  with Canada Post. I checked the tracking number and find one has been routed by error of Canada Post to White Horse. And it has been there for 4 days.

The second one has been sitting in Dawson Creek for 3 days due to a routing error. All were sent to Fort St. John.

I sent the by expedited post for $33 for a small box, and they get left in some wrong town and apparently  no one deals with them. Canada Post, I am not impressed.

I am finishing up some gifts for friends; a loaf of raisin bread, a jar of homemade peanut brittle and a set of dryer balls.

I got my wish for a fresh Christmas tree. My son got me an 8 inch high tree. So I got some coloured pompoms at the dollar store.hot glued some threads on them, and hung the miniatures balls on my miniature tree.

All the rest of the gifts are, much to my surprise, done.

I will look forward to hearing from my family members tomorrow.

Ewan will phone his Gram in New Zealand tonight ,and wish the family there Merry Christmas.

I have a gift list of over 20 people and I have spent less than $150.
 Having crafts and skills certainly pays off.

I like the home cooked food for seniors, it is not something they have to store.

My Daughter-in-law, sent packages and the usual very handy calender with family birthdays on the appropriate dates. I score double on this gift, because she put family pictures on the months pages.

It is nice to have a choice of what I want to do. I do not like deadlines. Each year I tell myself I will start sooner.

I wished you could smell my house right now. It is really yummy.

If I can keep out of the goodies, I may fit my clothes in 2012.

It is supper time now, then a quick clean up, a glass of something cheery, the fire going, my son in his chair and Chelsea snuggled up close to me on the couch.

So I guess there is only one thing to say;

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Final Night at Christmas in the Village

What a hectic 6 days. Two weekends, Friday, Saturday, Sunday! We did Santa pictures at Heritage Acres. Our mission was promoting family pictures. So many times a family has lots of pictures, but one member is behind the lenses.

We had some of the cutest kids. And most had a very definite idea of what the Man in Red should bring to their house.
 It was encouraging to hear that some were asking for things for grandma, or an uncle. One asked for her daddy to be home for Christmas, from Afghanistan.

The CribAnyone who didn't get back in time to pick up their photo's can pick them up from the office on Monday.

The line ups to get in were right down the road, and at $10 a carload, it is a good family treat.
The miniature trains were a hit as usual, with over a mile of decorated track.

Even the weather has been cooperative. Tonight is the last night www.shas.ca

Thinking of family pictures makes me think that we should slow down and look around at those of us that have families. Give thanks for those people that we are related to, and while we are at it, make sure we spend some quality time with them, too.

Don't get so busy, that you don't have time to start or continue  family traditions. A popcorn night and watch the Christmas Carol together, or one of the new Christmas Specials.

Bring the tree home from a local tree lot where you can chose it as a family and not part of the groceries. Then  the tradition is started and includes the young ones, as well as supports local businesses.

I see more and more people caught up in a desperate frenzy of committing time, money and energy to what was supposed to be a time of renewing love, family, and friendships. They seem to have forgotten the simplicity and joy of that first Christmas.
Photo: Santa's Toyland Window Display, 1953

Toy land windows courtesy of Santa's Toyland window display (detail), 1953
Reference Code: F 229-308-0-719
Archives of Ontario

Cut down on the dizzy whirlwind. It isn't a competition. The most important thing to share is your time, and with those people who are important in your life.

 Make time to share preparation with your children or your mother and grandparent.
Have them pick pictures with you to make a collage of pictures to share with absent family members.
Share family recipes and make sure you start a recipe book for your children.Someday they may share those recipes and the stories with their grand children.

Lighten up on the gift wrap that will clog the land fill. Use  newspaper with coloured ribbon, or white paper and have the kids decorate the wrapping paper.
One year |I bought some cheap material and made reusable Santa Sacks with draw strings, or if you have a snooper, sew the end closed. My kids are still using theirs. It sure saves time on wrapping too.

 I do news letter instead of cards for people I won't be seeing complete with pictures, And those I will see will get a cheery Merry Christmas.

My daughter-in-law makes me a home made calender every year with the family birthday, anniversary and other important dates on the appropriate pages. I get a reminder and family pictures as well.

In this digital age, we take lots of pictures, but they live in our computer. I found a neat key ring this year. It contains a display for up to 100 pictures. The price? under $10.

You don't have to spend big bucks for meaningful gifts. Homemade baking, last minute slippers, a page of return address labels for a  senior to use, are not big stressful purchases, but will make life easier for a senior.. add a roll of stamps too.

Remember that some catalog sales outlets will deliver your catalog selections to an outlet in a town where your distant  family lives. This saves you postage and time,  and they were doing this before Online marketing was thought of.

I am getting a rag rug making course, that  I wanted to take, from my son. So not all gifts are under the tree.

And the best gift of all, a few minutes of your time, when you don't try and sneak a peak at your watch.

Here I will add my little soap box.
 If you know someone on low income, and I am thinking senior here, could you find them a small tree or green homemade wreath.
Some times, they don;t have the funds to buy things for their loved ones, can you include them and help them get a gift for their love ones?
 I do this with one friend by having her untangle wool and I make an extra pair of slippers for her effort, that I suspect goes to her daughter.
We share time together, and she entertains my family with stories about Christmas pasts during the war.

Christmas is a time for warmth, and loved ones, and a sleepy baby on your knee. Listen to tales told from year to year. The smell of mince tarts and cinnamon scenting the air. Familiar tunes and Carols in the background.
These are the Christmas's I remember. Not hitting big box stores and being towed around while other people walked on my toes.

Photo: Santa's Toyland, 1953Make sure you have time to tell your family about their grandparents and great grand parents, and your own memories of this time of year. Not all the data they need to feel complete is on a data base.

Photo: Santa's Toyland window display (detail), 1953I remember driving around and seeing the pretty houses. I can recall coming to Victoria and seeing Eatons and The Bay windows with their animated displays. At midnight, the curtains were closed on the windows.  
Santa's Toyland window display (detail), 1953
T. Eaton Co. fonds
Reference Code: F 229-308-0-703
Archives of Ontario
I can almost taste a malted milk at the Bay or going to the cafeteria and getting a Rum Babba. surrounded by cream.
Then we would go to the fish and chip shop on Cloverdale and eat hot fish and chips on the way home

Can you recall when we watched the TV specials and the cast would have their families on the programs and we would watch .
Do you take for granted that your children know the things you learned as you grew up? Do they know different customs in other countries? Like Black Peter and Father Christmas, kris Kringle, can they name the reindeer? Do they hang a stocking, or put out their shoes?
Do they know the origin of the Christmas tree?

In our house, Santa filled the stocking, but mom and dad bought the special big gifts.
 Thank you letters were a family task that was made fun not obligation by my mother inventing double meaning phrases and have us laughing like crazy as we worded our letter.

If there is a choice between a family dinner hosted by a loved one and a pot luck supper with strangers, choose the family. Who knows, it may be your last Christmas together. Changes happen, people move and sadly some chairs are empty when the big day comes.

I have heard of three of my friends who are fighting a battle with Cancer and may not be able to share another Christmas.

Try and keep in mind why you celebrate  and Who is the Reason for the Season.

And most of all, look after you... it is a season of joy, peace, warmth and good cheer.

Please leave a comment




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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Sensible Christmas.

Well, I am referring to my Ms. Minimalist post about Christmas.

I am having a guest or two for Christmas dinner. one who will bring me the jolly bird.  I will do vegetable, stuffing, gravy, smashed neeps and mashed potatoes for the main meal. As will as buns and butter, fresh cranberry and orange sauce, and beverage.
For desert I always ask do you want a pud or a trifle? Every year it is the trifle, hands down.
I do mine in  the Derbyshire manner.
First the sponge cake. A hot milk sponge works well here. Line the bottom and sides with thinly sliced cake.
Next dribble the juice of canned fruit salad. Then spoon the fruit up the sides and let it slide to the bottom.
Birds is the only custard powder that my mom would consider using. This is cooked quit thick, and then poured gently over the cake, spooning it up the sides.
In the fridge it goes over night. It has a lemon jello and a raspberry jello setting to keep it company.
Next day, each jello is mashed up to broken glass texture and put over the set custard, one colour, followed by the other... Now we whip cream Only a pinch of sugar goes in the cream  to give contrast to the  sweetness already in the bowl. THAT IS A DERBY TRIFLE.
Any whipped cream left can be handled in two ways. Whipped cream freezes amazingly well and used up to 2 months later. Being as my birthday is January, it is timely to save it for a classy dessert for me.
The other purpose is to whip it to butter and using it for the base of your short bread.

I have almost finished my Christmas knitting, spinning, felting and baking. Peanut brittle is an easy and welcome gift as is homemade poppycock.

I make almond brittle because my husband had a peanut allergy.
My recipe is simple and almost fool proof.
My friend Kathy, used to make Almond Brittle for Jim, because he had a serious peanut 
allergy. When she heard he had never enjoyed brittle, she wrote this recipe.It is excellent
 1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs.. corn syrup
1/2 cup nuts
Boil liquids and sugar until brown add nuts before this stage. Pour on greased foil .


I had hope to have a real Christmas tree this year. One in a pot I could bring in each year, but the price puts it in the no critical category list, so I think I will look for some windfall branches and bring these in for the smell of Christmas. The needles will be knitting needles, not pine needles.
So on to those needles to try and finish the sweater I am working on.


Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Last minute slippers to make

If you want to knit a last minute gift. Try thrumming some slippers. Almost any of the simple patterns will work.
Use a slightly bigger size and knit with two balls of yarn knitted together. I wind the two strands together to relieve tangles. I also knit both slippers at the same time on a circular needle.


I use acrylic for the slippers, but they are lined with the comfort and warmth of fleece.


I get a bowl full of tuffs of fleece ready and sort of straighten out. Each is about 1.5 inch wound in a figure 8.
This is the pattern I like. The inside is warm and soft and the outside looks like hearts.You can use white or dyed fleece..



(Thrummed Slippers)

Needles - 4.5mm or size that
 will give you a firm, but not 
too tight tension.Yarn -  handspun yarn or 
any purchased yarn that will
 knit up well with size 4.5 
needles. I sometimes use hand spun wool (when I wash it, I know it 


will felt so I knit with a looser tension).If you knit up slipper with a non-shrinking fiber, have your tension firm, but not too tight. But more often than oft, I use  acrylic for the body, for  their wash ability.


Thrums -  This pattern says to cut sliver or roving into 5"


 sections.  I used wool straight from the sheep (washed, but 


not carded). The staples were naturally 4.5 - 5" so I pulled off


enough to make it approx. 2 or 3 times the thickness of the 


knitting yarn used.




PATTERN
  • Cast on 39 sts. (to obtain smaller or larger sizes, decrease or increase number of stitches by 4's).
  • Knit  one row
  • Purl  one row
  • in every 2nd purl row, thrum, This is the figure 8 into the purl stitch.
Continue rows 1-4 until slipper is desired length (9"-10"


 womens medium). 


At the two I knit 2 together each 4 stitches. This does a nice shaped toe.
If I feel a little extra is needed, I pick up the stitches at the foot opening, and using one strand of wool, I knot a cuff.
To stop slipping on wood floor, you can get the puff paint at the hobby store and put little dots on the ole. This puffs up when you apply heat.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Christ among men




I  was in Victoria one January. It was the bitterest coldest day I had experienced for a long time.

 I was walking down Douglas Street and in front of me was an old man. Obviously a street person. He had a metal walker to aid his walking. His hands were blue as he held on to the only thing that supported him.
The good folks walked around as he shuffled along, most managing to look the other way so they couldn't see his suffering.
Then from one of the office complexes came a young man of about 35 years.
 He was dressed for success. Beautiful camel hair 3/4 length coat, scarf, Italian type shoes and lovely leather gloves.
As he walked towards the old man, he pulled off his gloves, and pausing only long enough to pries the old chaps hand off the walker and  placed the gloves in the old chaps hand.Then he quickly walked away.
I felt for a moment closer to God than I had ever felt in my life.
I had witness Christianity in action with this man's humanity.
He will never know, but he changed my life that day.


Now each year purchase  6 pairs of gloves that fit all. One pair for each of my six children  who are warm and dry.

I pass them to anyone I see with cold hands, street kid, old person, school child. It doesn't matter. If they look cold the get handed a pair of gloves and I whip away as quick as I can.

I try and knit as many toques as I can for the Street Link projects.
I will never be as gracious as that man on that bitter day, but if we all try a little bit. 

He will walk his usual path through life, not knowing the profound effect he had on me. 

We too, may change a life. Lets give it a try this year.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Christmas in the Village

I am a volunteer and director of the Saanich Historical Artifact Society.
 This is a museum on Saanich just out of Victoria that is dedicated to **Preserving The Past, To Insure The Future**
We have four major events during the year, but today I want to tell you about" Christmas in the Village".
There are 20 buildings on 23 Acres of land.
 The Christmas event is held on Dec 9,10, and 11 and again on Dec 16, 17 and 18. Gates open at 5 and ends at 8. Just in time to get the sleepy heads home to bed.
A map can be found at www.shas.ca
Different`t clubs and groups from Scouts to Shriners decorate the buildings.
People are given a voting paper when the enter and can cast a vote for their favorite and we award prizes to the winners.
The usual favorite are the narrow gauge trains that run over a mile of decorated track. This is quite wonderful as they go over  bridges and through tunnels. They as for a small donation to help offset the cost of the fuel. They line ups seem long, but soon are service with a train ride in wonderland.
The next stop is usually the walk to visit to the Newman boat house.
 You get there through Candy Cane Lane.This is a project of Tamara. She bring truck after truck load of snow from behind the ice rink and makes sure wealways have a white Christmas.
In the Newman building is an old fashioned candy store with of scales, till, and bottles of sweet. All decorated up.
There is a tiny village with buildings 7 inches high, Then a teddy bear boat, an Angel loft, s story telling corner and the BIG GUY himself, Santa.
For $5 you get a picture with Santa.
We try to encourage the family to all be in the picture, Our theory is that we are building a community, one family at a time. Of course everyone gets a candy cane.
After Santa, then it is a walk through the streets where the Carolers are singing and entertainment is on hand and pick you favorite display.

Next stop the 1913 School House where volunteers offer  coffee, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, hot dogs, soups, and Alex`s famous Chili with bread.
The meal is finished up with a wide selections of sweets.
There is no less expensive way for a family to celebrate Christmas and its magic.
So we see parents, young couples, families and grand parents enjoying that special time of the year.
I will be behind the lens taking picture for Santa. We print them within a half an hour.
When you come it tell me you follow my blog. Merry Christmas for Christmas in the Village

Monday, December 5, 2011

From Fleece to socks


A lot of my gifts are made from fleece this year and for that fleece, I have Dave Wallace, A Peninsular sheep farmer to thank for that.
In a casual conversation I mentioned I was looking for a fleece or two. This dear man and his wife gave me the fleece of 13 Suffolk sheep

I was used to buying fleece in the grease as it is called when it is not washed, but these deer lambs had not been skirted so I had more than the **Grease** to contend with.

I started with a two week soak, till it sort of ferments, then a rinse and a manual breaking of all solid matter that is still attached.

Then after another short soak, I brought it into the house in batches.

I used the usual cleaning method or putting in hot water with some Dawn. Then when it cools, rinse and spin.
Then it is dried. I put it on a rack in front of my pellet stove or in the sun in warm weather.

Now we have to open the fleece with a medieval torture looking device called a picker. It has a swing arm with spike in it to separate the fibres. It is incredible how it expands when it has been picked.

The next step is again labour intensive. It needs to be carded. This is done either with a drum carder or for the purist two brushes with wire teeth that make the fibre all lay the same way so it can be spun.

Now we will introduce the fleece to the spinning wheel and start to make yarn.

This is either knitted, crocheted, woven, or whatever other project you have in mind.

The fleece or the yarn stage the product can now be dyed. Chemical or natural dyes can be used.

I use onion skins for lovely yellows, indigo for blue and cool aid for red. From these I can use the primary colour blends can produce a mired of colour.

Dave in shearing time, I hope you remember my phone number.
 

Saturday, December 3, 2011

It is Getting Closer

The Christmas season is fast approaching, and I seem to be falling behind on all my brave efforts.

I have finished socks, slippers, scarfs, thrummbed slippers and mitts, toques for my charity knitting, a cast sock(ask me if you want the pattern, This is a sock like piece with open front for velcro around the leg.) for a friend who just broke her leg so now her toes won't turn blue.

I have only one more **bought gift** to purchase ( that makes a total of two)

We have decided to buy a live tree in a pot this year, no more Charley Brown Tree.

 I have ornaments I bought as the kids were growing up. One each year and usually related to what the family was doing. I used to buy an ornament for each of the children and put it away for them. When they went out on their own, they at least had a few decorations. The last ornament that goes on out tree is a small drum that came from England with us.

I am having one battle this year. I am knitting a sweater on my bulky machine  with hand spun Jacob yarn.

The yarn knits up well, but I am having a problem getting the tension and the size to work together. I don't have a pattern so I am using Design-a-knit.The fight will continue when I get home.

We are off to The Saanich Historical Artifacts Society Pot Luck Lunch and meeting today.

The Christmas in the Village is a subject for another post.

So we made  home made raisin and cinnamon  bread, and stuffed eggs, and I  am sallying forth in the
 -1 weather.