Passing Time: Another Doily

Sorry I can't figure out how to rotate photos in blogger.
I've been working on this doily for the last week or so. It's from a Magic Crochet magazine that dates back to my infant-years.

 Finished size is supposed to be 8-3/4", but mine will probably be closer to 10" after starching.

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Hauling trees

My cousin sells firewood. The trees he uses are ones that have fallen down on the farm, or have storm damage.

Last weekend I was "helping" Dad haul trees. (In otherwords, I ride on the tractor fender and hand dad the chains.) He wanted to take down a leaning tree in the bottoms (the fields at the bottom of the big hill that our farm is on) that was leaning over the fenceline.

Have you ever wondered what a fence post looks like after a large tree comes down on it?

 No, that fence post isn't broken. Five feet of the six foot post is down in the ground. Along with the finned anchor at the bottom of the post.

 Dad was making fun of me because I was standing about 40' away from the treeline. It's because I didnt' want to end up like the fence post.

This rut was made with the new tractor tires. Deep enough for ya?

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Our new "Baby"

I know, you probably opened this expecting to see an ultrasound. That is a ways off, my friends!

 

Last weekend the Hubs sent me a text message (didn't call, mind you, because that wouldn't have been a very friendly call...) telling me he had purchased another Corvair. This is a 67 four door. Our neighbor a couple doors down had a friend who was on the way to the crusher with this gem and asked the Hubs if he wanted it. For $300, we have a new car. 

 I would totally drive this. I don't think the four doors are near as ugly as the two doors. (We have a 68 two door.) But that's opposite what the Hubs thinks. But, this will just be a parts car.

It has a couple dents. A little difficult to see in the above photo, but the rear panel between the rear tire and the back of the car is dented. Also on the passenger side, the rear door has a pretty deep scratch/dent.

 Overall though, it's in pretty decent shape for it's age. It sat in a carport for who knows how long.

 At the moment the trunk is not able to be opened (trunks are in the front on Corvairs since the motor is in the back) because it is locked. For all we know, there's a mummy in there.

 That paper on the front passenger seat is the Owner's manual!

Some critters decided the engine compartment was a nice place to build a nest. They also chewed the wiring harness so we don't know if this motor runs.

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Life Cycle

A couple weekends ago as I was waiting for Dad to move hay bales around to accommodate the calves moving into the barn, I was distracted by the lady bugs on the fence posts in the barn lot.

Check out this website for more information on lady bug lifecycles: http://everything-ladybug.com/ladybug-life-cycle.html

Adult and larva

Pupa

Eggs (upper right) and a freshly molted lady bug. I touched it and it was still a little sticky!

I think the larva look like little alligators. The first time I saw them in my garden, I was afraid they were some kind of pest. Luckily, I looked up the bugs online before I squished any of them!

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Family Recipe: Fruit Cake

Every year for as long as I can remember, my Grandma Ettling has made fruit cake and given it as Christmas gifts. She makes it a couple months before Christmas, and then soaks it in brandy for two months.

A couple years ago for Christmas, Grandma and her sisters compiled binders of family recipes and photos in cookbooks and gave them to kids and grandkids. This was one of those recipes that I was hoping would be in the cookbook, but wasn't. 

I don't think I've ever eaten store bought fruit cake, but if that's the only fruit cake you've ever eaten and you didn't like it, you need to try this fruit cake.

For as long as I can remember, this tin has sat on top of Grandma's refrigerator. 

Little did I know it holds a majority of the fruit for the fruitcake.

The ingredients:
2 - 8 oz boxes of Dates
about a pound of Currants
about 3 cups of Pecan halves
3 lb Red Cherries
1.5 lb Green Cherries
1.5 lb Pineapple
12 oz regular Raisins
8 oz golden Raisins
about 48 oz Fruit Cake fruit mix
Brandy

The batter:
2 sticks of butter, partially melted, or at room temperature
18 eggs, at room temperature
8 c flour, added 3 c at a time
1-1/2 c sugar
1-1/2 c orange juice
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

First off, we prepared the pans. Grandma uses disposable aluminum loaf pans and lines them with paper grocery bags. Then she sprays them with Pam.

After the cake batter was mixed, all the fixings went in:

 Then Uncle Joe mixed everything up.

 The batter was ladled into the pans, and baked at 300 for an hour. Then Grandma rotated some of the pans around and baked for another 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes to rotate and remove pans that were finished baking.
This mix made 6 big pans and four small pans.

Then came the brandy. Grandma wraps the fruit cake in cheesecloth and saran wrap after pouring a couple shots over them. In a week, she unwraps them and adds more brandy. Then they hang out in the fruit cellar until Christmas.

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Music Monday: Gone Country by Alan Jackson

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Garden Report 11.11.11

Well this makes me a little sad as it's one of the last garden reports I'll have from this house... But once I start helping with the garden on the farm next spring all that sadness will dissipate quickly!

 Since my coffee maker is at the farm, I'm drinking instant coffee. But I made sure to get the "good stuff", Maxwell House Hazelnut.

 The cover crops are coming up really well. So well that they're drowning out the onions and garlic. I spent some time weeding this morning.

Leeks

Garlic

Onions

 The lettuce mix is rather large. There are several salads worth of greens here. I'll probably pick them and take them back to the farm.

Parsnips

Everything in the greenhouse is looking ok. The Hubs has watered the plants once since I left. They're all going back with me.

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