Sunday, June 14, 2015

Our flag means Freedom.

Many have fought for it, but not every country has it.

The Star-Spangled Banner

O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream,
’Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a Country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with vict’ry and peace may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto - “In God is our trust,”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Guess where I went on Saturday?

 It's always great fun meeting up with friends and heading to the local quilt shop.
Fabrics Galore recently moved to Blairsville, Georgia
 So if you're in the mood for cool mountain breezes, glorious batiks,
 yummy prints,
 or even hand-dyed wool, this is the place.
They also have a phenomenally well-lit classroom.

So if your hubs wants to go trout fishing, you can tell him where to drop you off, LOL.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Boring Tuesday Farm Report

I've decided to take photos of the garden on Tuesdays in order to document pumpkin growth.  This is primarily so I can adjust garden work as needed next year.
 This particular seed volunteered and stayed in place.  All of the other volunteers were moved to new sites.  It is by far the tallest and measures 13" after our big rainstorm last night.
 Just ignore the weeds, this is 9 loads of manure after all.
 I'm fairly sure this volunteer, which is located at the end of the garden, is a pumpkin.  It currently measures about 11 inches high.

If anyone knows how long it takes for pumpkins at this stage to start blooming, I'd love to know.

I also planted more seeds on Sunday, including pumpkin, watermelon, and many types of flowers.

All of the volunteers are from the ones I grew last year and left in the compost pile.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

Thursday, June 4, 2015

This, that, and t'other . . .

 These photos were taken at the Mennonite Market . . .
Wanted to show my pal K.C. just what she was missing by going off on adventures without me.
 Yesterday, was a slow work day so I managed to finally get the taters and onions in.
as well as the last of the pepper plants.  Every year I vow to get started early.  And it seems every year I get set back.  The potatoes and onions should have gone in in March.  Sigh.

Here's the porch floor, first coat of paint.  We'll wait for the rain to stop before adding the next coat.

However, today work was light again, so I took time to finish the second coat on the inside spokes and got a bit more of the first coat done on the outside spokes.
Life in the country, doesn't get much more exciting than this.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

The behemoth comes to town.

Saturday started out in a quiet manner, putting the second coat on several porch spokes and a third coat of paint on the railing.

Then I went to pick up the monster tiller.  It comes on it's own trailer, requiring driving 45 mph all the way home.  It took 2 hours and a long nap to bolster my courage so I could run this thing.

It weighs more than an elephant and is twice as cantankerous.  How many times did it shut down, perhaps 144.  After that I lost count.  How many times did I have to pull the start cord, about 287. After that I lost count.

How many times did it get TOTALLY STUCK in the new garden that is covered by 9 loads of alpaca manure, TWICE. After that I pretty much gave up.

The good news is I lost 13.2 pounds just pulling / pushing it up and down the yard and making U-turns.

You can imagine how much expostulating occurred when I returned it.  Explaining just which garden area I tried to till and how it would NOT do anything.  Thankfully, they refunded my money.

And  . . . as the big strong fellas lifted it up off the trailer when it was running, guess what came pouring out.  You guessed it, a ton of #%&*.

Turns out the tiller mechanism was clogged and the only way to tell was to lift the darn thing all the way up.

Sorry fellas, I did not take my superman pills this week.


The moral of this story is, find a tractor / tiller guy who will actually show up and pay whatever they ask, it's worth it!

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .