A beer bottle

Gary used his very scientific method of using a beer bottle to measure the amount of snow we got. 10 inches.

The second snow

It's been snowing since around 10:00 this morning. The kids wanted to go out to play, so I made a trip to the attic. Coats, boots, and snow pants came down.














The leaves aren't even all down yet.










A little cabin in the snow.






Sledding down the driveway.

Really?

It snowed tonight. Not a lot but still. I had to sweep off the steps. It even started sticking to the ground. Josh asked if it was winter now.

An opossum

While in Honesdale for our CSA pickup, it became clear that the kids weren't going to make it until we got home for dinner. We ate pizza at the local pizza place and brought home the extra.

In not wanting to make extra trips up from the car, I had my hands full, so couldn't stop at the basement to put the pizza box in the fridge down there.

After the kids were in bed, we cleared the table and Gary put the pizza box on the porch for me for when I went down to put it in the fridge.

I didn't go right away. But all of a sudden I heard a scraping sound on the porch and I jumped up and flung the door open. In the dark, I heard a creature started scurrying. I quickly shut the door lest it scurry into the house by mistake. But since I wanted to know what it was, I went back out. The light came on and I saw an opossum lumber down the steps and take off once it hit the ground.

It had passed by the leftover pumpkin head and tried to get at our pizza. We believe it was the pumpkin killer. We also believe it was the one to leave tracks on the porch several nights ago. The little brazen thing.

Note: Not my photo. Ours didn't stick around long enough.


Second note: I did get the applesauce and pie made and both are delicious.

Making applesauce

I think I am finally going to make applesauce today. I've talked about making it for a month now. I've procrastinated because I want to keep the skin on (less work and more nutritious,) but I don't have a mill. I have been trying to think of way without using one. Haven't come up with one. So, no applesauce.

When visiting my parents, I forgot to bring my mom's press back with me.

Today I bought more apples. Today I bought a food press. Today I am going to make applesauce! And I might as well throw together an apple pie while I'm at it.

Just after I take a shower and make a fire.

Poor pumpkin head

When visiting with my parents this past weekend, the kids and my dad carved a pumpkin. Ellie drew the face on, and Poppop cut it out.

Once back at the cabin, we proudly displayed it on the landing of the steps up to the porch. And there it sat for almost two days.



Sometime between 3:30 and 5:15 today, some creature decided to snack on the face of the pumpkin. This is all that's left.









The kids and Gary devised a trap to catch the scoundrel should it come back to finish the job.

New links

I have found three new sites that have transformed the way I want to parent. Teach through Love, Aha! Parenting, and Positive Parenting.

Check them out.

The first fire

I was cold.

So I made me a fire.








He agreed to a photo, if he faced the fire.

49 inches, I think

Gary's mom came up for a visit and we drove to see an old saw mill. It is powered by the creek next to it. It was nifty to see it in action. You could have too if my battery wasn't dying.

I don't know all the history of the mill. It was a chilly day and I didn't pay much attention to all the specifics.




I did hear that the saw has replaceable teeth. It is powered by the creek running along side the mill. I thought the water moved a wheel thing, but it doesn't. It is diverted through a pipe to a potbellied turbine, which then pumps the water through a pipe up, over to something else, when the operator turns a wheel level thing. He (the lumber man saw guy) then pulls another lever to move the device the log is on. He pulls other levers to move the log around to properly saw it. He also uses another groovy tool to spin the log, quite effortlessly. At least it looked effortless.


And like I said, you could have seen for yourself if I had a charged battery. You'll just have to use your imagination.










I did, however, get a video of the lumber man saw guy using the groovy tool.



And I also heard that the saw can saw logs up to 49 inches, or close to that anyway. And the belt that moves the saw blade is 12 inches wide. There was also a machine to trim off bark but that wasn't working. The thing that moves the saw dust out of the way wasn't working either.

Sorry if my use of technical words is confusing.