Hello and welcome!
Vehicle Shopping
In a recent post I told you all that we were car shopping, wanting find a reliable, used vehicle to replace our minivan. After countless hours of searching online, researching different types of vehicles, test driving a few vehicles, and not finding what we are looking for we have decided that having some repairs done on our minivan with the hopes that it will continue to serve us for another year, or more, is the best thing to do.
So, we have suspended our car shopping and are moving on to other things. Forgive me, but I am going to repeat that in hopes that the internet will hear/ see or detect it and stop bombarding me with vehicle advertisements. We are no longer shopping for a vehicle. I doubt that will help but worth a try. 🙂
Spring
There is not much to be done at the farm as we wait for spring to truly get here but we’ve observed a couple of the earliest signs of spring, the buds on the trees are swelling which means the sap is flowing. This is something I learned to watch for several years ago when we were collecting sap and making maple syrup. We haven’t done that in a few years since we no longer have a source of inexpensive wood to burn for boiling the sap into syrup. The process uses a lot of wood and can be quite expensive. 🙂
The other sign is that our hens are laying eggs again. It was back when we were tapping maple trees that I noticed that the chickens begin laying eggs again around the same time that the sap begins flowing. In the past two weeks we have gone from getting one or two eggs every couple of days to getting as many as 13 eggs a day. I am grateful that I was able to get eggs from my sister throughout the winter while our hens were resting. Her flock are first year layers who didn’t take a break. I am even more grateful that our hens are laying again.
Projects
There are projects that need to be done in the house, however. One that we have tackled this past week is painting our kitchen. I had planned on doing this in November, but those plans changed when my dad got sick. It feels good to finally be back on track.
My husband also changed the wax seal in the toilet this week. I love that he is able and willing to do this job, so we don’t have to pay a professional to have it done.
Health
Last year I got into a routine of exercising at least 30 minutes almost every day. Exercise is said to be the best thing a person with Parkison’s Disease can do. I also altered my eating habits, so I was eating less and including more fresh fruits and vegetables in my diet. I ate few desserts and limited them to just a few bites when I did indulge. As a result, I lost 30 pounds and felt good.
In November and December, when I was busy taking care of my dad’s affairs, I had slacked off on my exercise routine and got off track with my diet plan. I gained about 3 pounds back. In January I got back on track with my exercise and I am again to doing at least 30 minutes a day on either the recumbent bike or the stationary bike. I do feel better on the days that I exercise than if I miss a day. I am also working on getting back on track with eating right. If only I didn’t like sweets so much.
Crafting
I completed a few craft projects since the beginning of the year. I’ve made three more of the reusable shopping bags like I had made for my daughters for Christmas. I also made two hoodie style shirts. One for my sister and one for myself. The picture below is the one I made for me. The one I made for my sister went together well and she loved it when I gave it to her. When making mine I apparently wasn’t paying attention when I sewed the hood on backwards. After realizing what I had done I said “OH NO!” shook my head and decided to take a break because it wasn’t worth getting upset over.
I vacuumed the house and after lunch and a nap spent about two hours using a seam ripper to remove all of the stitches that held the hood in place. The next day I pinned the hood in place and held up the shirt to make sure it was right before sewing it on. Believe it or not I again had the hood backwards. Thankful that I checked, I unpinned the hood and repinned it the right way. Lesson learned!
I am also in the process of crocheting a baby afghan. I expect to have that finished in the next few days.
Last week my husband took me to Joann Fabrics to do some shopping. They are in the process of closing their stores and liquidating their stock. It was early in the process, so the sale prices were not great, but I wanted to get some things before they were sold out. We still have two other craft stores in the area that sell fabric and yarn, but their selections are not as good as Joann Fabric. It is sad that they are closing. We will certainly miss shopping there.
Looking Forward
Our weather forecast for the upcoming week shows a dry week with temperatures in the 50’s Fahrenheit most days, so I am looking forward to getting outdoors. I expect to see daffodils and garlic poking up through the ground and that robins and red winged blackbirds have returned to the area. Perhaps I will even hear frogs singing. Just a few of the things I love about spring.
Thanks for visiting.
What are you enjoying about spring?
Don't Eat It! Soap and Skin Care 
Our chickens are laying again, we were worried about that too. Now we get so many eggs that we are sharing them with the neighbors. I can’t wait for the frogs and fireflies in the evenings too. That is so sweet that you and your sister share things with each other, eggs and pretty hand made items. I love what you made.
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I so happy we heard frogs for the first time today. Years ago my mom told me that the frogs had to freeze 3 times before it was spring. I assume that means we will have two more freezing spells. (not sure where my mom got that info from.)
My sisters are my best friends – I am blessed to have them.
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Sounds to me as if you are having a busy and productive Spring!
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Indeed – a good busy. 🙂
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You are a busy lady Ruth! I envy your will power to eating and exercising, I could learn a few things from you!
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Last year when I started the exercise routine I began with the recumbent bike. It had been sitting, collecting dust for a couple years and I decided that if I didn’t ride it for at least 20 minutes three times a week I would get rid of it because it was just taking up space. I gradually increased my days and time on it. I wouldn’t say that I love the exercise, but I do love that I feel good on the days that I take the time to do it.
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Funny how life doesn’t seem busy until we write it down and see it all on paper. It has been a long and lazy winter for me ( truthfully it was nice to get some of my indoor projects caught up ) . But I am definitely ready for spring. Our weather has been glorious this past week and the dogs and I have finally returned to our longer walks. A beautiful new shrub followed me home from the Lowes garden center and will stay on the front porch until the ground is warmer. I have so many garden plans this year and I am itching to switch my crafting/sewing addiction for my greenhouse one 😅
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You lazy? I don’t believe it!
Funny how those plants will follow you home. 😉
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You are very industrious Ruth and now you will go full steam ahead as more and more work needs to be done as to planting at the farm and eventually any flower planting in baskets and pots at home. My car will be 16 years old in September and I hope to have it for a long time. I’m not keen on all the bells and whistles the new cars have anyway.
Back when I sewed, I remember the frustrations of making mistakes sometimes and you had to just put it away until you were ready to deal with it with a calm presence of mind. I was sad to see Joann Fabrics was closing their stores. Over the years, I was there often for crafts/sewing projects.
Funny you mention the sap and maple syrup time – one day I aim to take a trip to one of the Metroparks for their maple syrup time (Oakwoods has the maple tree/syrup tours), but today as I was walking to the Park, I noticed a long and skinny branch of a tree was hanging down into the sidewalk and was dripping. It wasn’t raining and I realized that the drop was sap. The drip hadn’t moved by the time I came home and I thought of going and getting the camera, but decided it could have just as easily looked like water in the photo. Nature is amazing. You only gained three pounds with all that stress and slacking off on exercise – you are to be congratulated Ruth. Isn’t it great that we are finally turning a corner on this weather?
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Thanks, Linda. I am looking forward to gardening season.
Taking a break is the best way to handle those mistakes and come back to it with a clear mind – something my sister taught me.
I’ve seen that happen before when a tree branch breaks, and sap leaks out. I wonder how many people would have know that was sap if they saw what you did. It does look just like water – I guess because it mostly water. 🙂
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I know I got frustrated many times when I sewed my own clothes back when tall-sized pants and jackets were not available. I once made a big boo-boo with plaid wool shorts which were all the go at the time. Well, it taught me after that not to be distracted. I wore them anyway, mismatched plaid … wool plaid shorts and corduroy shorts were all the style back then.
That drip on the end of the branch is still there Ruth – amazing … just perched on the end of the branch. Again, I was tempted to go home for the camera and, at the Park today, I saw sap running down a tree but high up. I couldn’t see any breaks in the tree, but there must have been one. The things we learn and not necessarily from school either. 🙂
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Some mistakes you can live with and some others never notice (but you still know).
Interesting about the sap. Sap flow usually continues while daytime temps are above freezing and nighttime below freezing.
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My mom was a perfectionist with her knitting and she tried to teach me several times. I probably told you that when you did your crocheting projects, especially the tablecloth a few years back. I would drop stitches and she would have to repair my mistakes. As to the sap …
Interesting you said that about the sap Ruth because I probably knew that from school when we learned how maple syrup was made, but forgot, so today, I took the camera to take the two pictures of the sap at the Park tree and the sap drip. The drip, after three days was gone, the tree trunk was bare. So much for that. Look how much colder it was today than it’s been the last three days. Yesterday there were lots of seagulls buzzing around the Creek for shad and today there were none. The camera stayed in my pocket.
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Wow! You’ve been busy! About the maple trees—could you tap them and sell the sap to someone else who might want to make syrup? We’re still buried in snow so fingers crossed for spring!
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I don’t think we would have enough to sell. In the past we collected enough to cook down into a few quarts of syrup. Our snow is gone 🙂 I hope spring finds you soon!
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Although our weather is not warm, Joyce’s daffodils are blooming.
I always read carefully when you mention Parkinson’s disease. My sister-in-law has it and is fighting valiantly. My prayers are with you.
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Parkison’s effects everyone differently, so things that work for one might not work for someone else. Even under doctors care it seems to be trial and error. I have been blessed that I do not seem to be progressing. Keep fighting it and prayer are most important. 💖
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