The 'Creek's 2013 Year In Review

Well, here we are again on New Year's Eve.  I hope everyone had a nice Christmas.  The sun is out, the birds are singing... well, at least the indoor ones.  It's really windy here in paradise (central Ohio) as the snow was blowing sideways.  The hens gathered at their gate to be let out, but though I love my ladies, they aren't terribly smart.  The grass may be greener outside their pen, but it's a lot colder in the wind!

Though the Christmas season was a week shorter, I think the media has made it up by making New Year's longer...LOL!  They started airing those sad tributes to those who have passed (reminding me of "Hunger Games" how they flash on the screen with sad music) last week, along with several shows dedicated to wrapping up last year.  So, I may as well do it too.

Thanks to you, the 'Creek is nearly at 20000 hits!  I welcome suggestions on what you would like to see more (or less?)  As I have stated before, I can't be all things to everyone, but I try to rotate topics enough so something may interest you.  I hope you more recent readers will try out the "Index By Topic" and find something either informative or humorous.  I previously tried to keep a regular posting schedule, but if I don't think I have something worth your time to read, I don't just post willy-nilly.  So, likely it will be only 2-3 times a month.

I heard on the news that this is the first New Year's Eve with a New Moon since 1995.  According to the  "About Astrology" website:

"When the moon is new, the sun and the moon are aligned in the same sign and a powerful energy portal is opened.  New moons are a great time to set intentions for things you'd like to create, develop, cultivate, make manifest."

So maybe resolutions will stick this time????  

It's also going to be the Chinese "Year of the Horse" starting January 31st.  I would love to have been a horse, because what's not to like about them?  But alas, I'm an Ox.  For more info and an app that will tell you what year you were born under check out Travel China.  

Some things that folks have to look forward to in the new year-- apparently Prince William announced at Christmas they are having another baby.  We can watch the Winter Olympics (if the Russians can stop the daily terror attacks.) Ohio State is in the Orange Bowl this Friday.  I have friends that are going to be grandparents for the first time.  My son will graduate from high school and my daughter will be a senior in college.  If nothing else, for those of us in North America at least, the days are getting slightly longer.  In Ohio, we can go for weeks of gray days and the sun is an exception, not the rule.  

The kids and I will be watching movies and eating Chinese food in tonight, but if you are going out be careful but have a great time!  

BTW, try to catch the footage of the Dubai New Year's fireworks.  They are touting it as breaking the Guinness record for most fireworks ever used at once.  Should be neat!

See you next year!

Gale

P.S. Guess I should name posts after I write them.  Not much of a review, more of a preview of 2014! LOL!

Merry Christmas 2013!

Long time, no see!  I plan to have a post for you by the weekend, but I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and safe travels.  While we were driving to Grandpa's house, we came across what I thought was unusual enough to pull off the road and snap a quick pic of part of it (sorry it's a bit blurry.)  Someone dressed up a lot of mannequins as 19th century Christmas carolers, which is unique and kind of cool (and apparently for sale.)  You've got to give them props for the eye-catching sign...

Until next time,

Gale

Two Dewclaws Down! New TV Network Not Only Dumb, But Doggone Dangerous!

Mark and I were scrolling through the DirectTV guide last night and came across a DogTV network free week (channel 534.)  We thought it might be a network about dogs.  Nope, it's a channel for dogs to watch.  Allegedly, they are to watch this when you aren't home, but with English subtitles (in case you don't understand dog or maybe your dog can read?) people are expected to watch as well.  The films are shot at ground level so the dog will have the feeling of "being there."  What if your TV is up on the wall????

The programs change every hour on this "pay for a subscription" network.  One hour is relaxation, where your dog listens to soothing music while they watch other dogs frolicking in a field or  underwater watching fish swim.  Next hour is stimulation, where the music changes to perk them up and they put either dogs playing or project an object such as a bone on the screen and move it around for the dogs to chase.  (Right now our TV happens to be at dog-eye level and Mark and I can only imagine if the dogs went for the bone how many snoot marks or ruined LED/Plasma screens there would be...and no warranty covers them.)  We couldn't force our dogs to even look at the TV much less chase the bouncing bone.  All they want to do is be on the sofa napping.

My personal favorite is training hour.  ROFLOL!  I don't claim to be a dog training expert, but I'm pretty good and I don't believe for one minute that a dog is going to learn by watching TV!   Really?  We have had a handful of really intelligent dogs over the years, one of them being a JRT named Tucker.  I said "What would Tucker think of this?"  Mark said "That's it's the dumbest thing he's ever seen, then he'd take a nap."  Tucker did occasionally watch TV, but he chose the channel...

During the training or "exposure" shows, the dogs are supposed to watch repeatedly until they learn to deal with any situation.  For instance, one segment was "a visit to the vet."  Some dogs don't like going to the vet and this will ease their fear because they will see vets are nice and it will be alright.  We would have been laughing except it shows people letting their dogs run up to strange (and/or sick) dogs and sticking their nose up their butts.  Really bad form and if someone would've done that to Tucker, Patrick or Jordan, they would have had their noses handed back to them on a platter.

Your dog watching is supposed to learn that people in white coats aren't going to hurt them.  Unfortunately, shots hurt and so do other procedures.  But now I'm talking like a person who thinks watching this will really effect a dog anyway....LOL!  Well, we need to set the people straight.  It is also not a good idea to force a dog on a down-stay command to allow a baby to crawl over them and pull on their hair, etc.  They taped this for the dogs to watch and learn that babies aren't bad.  Once again, many dogs would not be safe with babies in this situation, so why encourage it???  That dog was desperate to leave that baby, you could tell by his eyes and facial expression.

They had a segment with dogs crossing intersections to get used to the noises of the city.  If a dog hears enough of something, it might get used to it, but unfortunately, living rooms aren't intersections with actually scary cars going through so a dog would still be afraid (with good reason--cars kill!)  Maybe they should make it in 3-D and we can put the little glasses on our dogs...that would make them feel more a part of it.

We've told puppy owners to leave on the radio or TV to keep their dogs company and I would choose a calming music, not hard rock.  But it's only for "white noise" not lessons.  All of the information for this post has come from watching less than an hour of this total.  I can't bear to watch any more!  Take a look at this channel while it's still free!!!!

Until next time, let a sleeping dog lie....

Gale

Why Yes, I AM A Bird Brain!

and proud of it!  It's apparently an inherited trait as I am the fourth generation that I know of.  My mother, grandmother and great-grandfather all bred canaries.  My mom still does at age 82.  I love the song and variety of color/styles they come in.  Though I have published several articles on their breeding and care (that I plan to attach to this blog soon), I don't have canaries as they are pretty fragile for our family lifestyle:)

So, I have a 50 year old Mexican Red-Headed Amazon parrot named "Rex," short for "Memorex."  The bird has never said one word and I've had him/her since 1984.  Audra has a pair of Lovebirds and has apparently inherited the "Bird Brain" gene.

There will be several posts with stories about all of the above, but right now I want to write about "The Care of Backyard Chickens" because people ask me how I take care of my girls and work weird hours.

This is Penelope, a White Cochin hen who is 2.5 years old.  She stays looking like this without ever having had a water bath.  (They don't like them!)  Believe it or not, they take dirt baths and should always have a "dirt pool" available with a special mix of dirt (see below.)

I only have nine hens, so they aren't much trouble (or I should say work, they can get in plenty of trouble!)  They have minds of their own, albeit chicken minds...

First, I don't really care about the eggs.  They are a nice by-product, but the main reason I have them is because they are funny, pretty and way easier to take care of than even one dog!  I don't add extra light in the Winter to get them to produce because I want them to use their reserves for toughing out the cold.  I will turn on a regular light during the day if it's below 20 degrees to help heat their house enough for the water to not freeze.  I have an anti-freeze tray, but it's too big for the spot and gets in the way.  You could also get a waterer that doesn't freeze.  I bring the waterer into the garage at night because they don't drink in the dark.  That way I am forced to change it every morning.

Most chickens can winter just fine if they have unlimited access to water, a wind break and are kept dry.  They often snuggle at night, sometimes off the roost in piled up straw "nests" or in the nest boxes.  The worst thing you can do is shut up the coop tightly and heat it.  Heaters cause fires, and if not that, the shock of temperature changes is very hard on them if the power goes out.  Mark made an air vent pipe that runs across the top of the inside of the coop.  It has some holes in it, but they are never subjected to direct drafts.  I do shut the window, but I put up the back door for them on all but the very worst days. They don't seem to mind walking in snow.  I shut that door at dark to keep the heat in.
The coop itself is insulated just like a house and the floor is up off the ground several inches.  There are lots of photos of The Chick Inn in earlier posts if you haven't seen it.

During nice days when someone's around, we let them out of their run into the backyard.  They love running around and foraging.  I always have a waterer out there as well.

Summer care isn't all that different.  They have a shaded pen and house during the heat of the day with a fan if need be.  Clean water is always available.  They don't take water baths, so I have a big pan full of untreated topsoil mixed with fireplace ashes, diatomaceous earth and some sprinkles of poultry dust and they go to town diving into it and dust bathing.  It keeps them clean and mite free.

I feed my ladies the best food I can.  It's still cheaper than dog food!  I use an Omega-3 organic pellet that already has grit in it.  I toss oyster shell in when they are laying heavily.  I try to give them a treat everyday as that is what they live for.  I feed them plain yogurt, bagged salad greens, watermelon, pumpkin, cottage cheese, rice, cut up noodles, cereal, cheese leftover veggies and once in awhile junk food like bread, crackers, cookies, popcorn, etc.  (Shame on us, but they love it and it's rare.)  I only give a little "scratch" grain as a snack as it's fattening.  We call it "crack" around here because they love it!  We also grow apples, strawberries, pears, grapes, raspberries and peaches which we either give them or they steal.  I always give them some kind of green if they aren't able to be out of the pen that day.  I put a tablespoon per gallon of apple cider vinegar in their water because folks swear it's good for them.  Can't hurt!

These are just a few tips as I could go on for pages.  There are many books and magazines available to give you more in depth advice or you can ask me and I will try to answer your questions.

Isabella Cruella, an Appenzeller Spitzhauben and Bonnie Blue, a Cochin, braving the wind to help decorate their coop.  They are glad they aren't turkeys!

Have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving from everyone here at the 'Creek!  Stay warm!

Gale

I'm Not Dumb, Just Intermittently Intelligent!

I don't know what got me started thinking about some of the less than brilliant things I've done over the years.  I've had a lot of years to pile them up, so you can bet there are lots!  Hopefully, I'm repressing memories of the worst incidents...

The way I see it, there are two categories:  The first is doing something where you had no idea what the consequences would be and second, the ones you do--but choose to proceed anyway.  Unfortunately, I'm smart enough to know most of mine are the latter, but time, money, lack of ability or energy drew me to the "dark side" thinking I could get away with it "just this once."

Suffice it to say, I should never be around any sort of dye.  When I was in my twenties, I used to "highlight" my own hair.  When I decided to go natural, I went to a stylist and the chemical reaction of drugstore vs professional products turned my hair green.  I didn't get home until midnight from a 7:30 p.m. appointment and my hair had to be dyed black to compensate.  I could never learn my lesson about buying more yarn than I would need (same dye lot) and more than once, I have had to dye something to salvage it.  Did you know that even if you start with two shades of white you can dye it another color until the cows come home and it will never even out?

Since my main hobby for years had to do with dogs I have done many dumb things.  Not once, but several times at dog shows I would have a brand new bottle of "Sticky Ticky" (liquid hairspray) open on the grooming table while doing a topknot only to have the dog or me knock it over just before going into the ring.  I have to take the dog to the restroom, hose off feet or whatever and stick them under the hand dryer.  The same goes with knocking over Diet Cokes on the grooming table...only that's an even bigger mess.  But I never learned (and will still likely attempt it again...)  I hate hauling large grooming tables, but I probably should!

I also learned that you must put your grooming sprays/liquids in distinctly labeled and different containers.  Once again, I was ringside misting my dog with anti-stat when I discovered it was actually the spray oil (used after showing to protect coat.)  Off to the restroom....(you also have to have separate brushes and they should be labeled too!)  I could've finished the championships on a lot more yorkies, but Barb and I refused to dye our dogs...98%  because it's unethical and 2% because I would suck at it and get caught!

I've written several stories about Mark's Jack Russell terriers where I have given them the benefit of the doubt and wound up either hunting for them or breaking up fights or dealing with stuff they ruined or cleaning up a mess or worse, running to a vet.  Trusting a JRT is like handing All Capone the keys to Alcatraz.

I could kick myself for, get this, throwing away gold necklaces because they were knotted or kinked.  (This was decades ago.)  I also gave a handmade quilt to my golden for a bed.  I moved so many times I lost some of my jewelry like an opal ring, a tiny antique diamond ring and others because I wasn't careful.  When moving in a u-haul to CA I had to get rid of stuff which included the best ruby slippers for a Dorothy costume ever.  I still kick myself for that!

There isn't enough cyberspace for me to list my vacant moments, but I will leave with one of my most not-so-divine inspirational moments...

I had a very rusty old '69 Cutlass (could write a whole post on it alone) that had a black vinyl top.  Well,  most of it flipped back while I was driving on the freeway.  The car was beyond help and I had no money, so what to do?  I noticed kind of a soft rubber stuff around the roof trim and thought it was like roof tar.  So I spread the stuff all over the roof and frankly, it didn't look bad from a distance.  I got away with it through the winter and it didn't even leak (which it had before---I used to scrape ice off the inside of my windshield.)

However, one 90 degree-ish day, I walked out to the car to find the tar oozing and dripping down my windows.  What a mess.  I sold the car for $50 and bought some makeup with it.

Until next time, be smarter than me...

Gale

Gale's Gallery IX: It Doesn't Get Easier Than This! -- Ornaments

Hello,

I am a bit craft A.D.D., so anything I can finish quickly without a lot of cleanup is my kinda craft!  Everything I do isn't what one would call art and it's fun to do something in a few minutes sometimes.  If you have some floor cleaner, cheap glass ornaments and some glitter you can crank these out.  It is especially good if you are in charge of crafts for a youth group.

The other thing I like is that the glitter is on the inside of the ball and will not be shedding all over everything, ever!  You can decorate the outside however you like, but a ribbon hanger will suffice.  I got this idea from watching "Crafting At The Spotted Canary" on our local PBS station.

Now the floor cleaner must have "future" in it, not always easy to find.  I should have looked at Wal-mart first, but I rarely go there.  You can get a huge bottle Pledge Wood Floor Finish with Future for under $5.  It will last forever at the rate it is used on this project.  Guess I could actually use it on my hardwood floors...Nahhhhh!

Fine glitter looks best.  Here I experimented with coarse glitter, mixed colors, etc.  If you screw up, they can always be painted (or pitched because they cost next to nothing!)

Don't throw out the boxes the ornaments come in because the finished ones can be stored in them.

For this project you will need the floor polish, ornaments, glitter and some little Dixie cups.  If you have a tiny funnel or two that would be helpful.  Any adornments are up to you.

Make sure the ornaments are clean and dry.  Pour a couple tablespoons of floor cleaner in the ornament and gently swish around.  You don't want air bubbles!  Make sure the whole interior is coated, then flip over a Dixie cup and let the remainder of the cleaner drip out.  This can be reused in next ornament, so there's no waste.

After the ornament has dripped out, but not dry, dump (a technical term) in glitter(s) and shake a bit.  Mix and match colors if you want, it will never be perfect, but that's what will make it different!  Make sure interior is covered, but it will never go opaque (nice because it will let Christmas lights through.)  Then tap out gently the rest of the glitter into another Dixie cup for reuse.  Let them set for a few minutes, but they really don't have to be dry because you are going to pop the ornament cap on anyway.

Viola!  In minutes, you have an ornament either to embellish or leave as is!  Tie with a ribbon, add any do-dads you want to them and you are done!  Very little cleanup is needed unless somebody spills the glitter or cleaner LOL!

This snowlady is just thinned out white craft paint on the inside instead of floor cleaner.  I did let it dry overnight as the paint is thicker then floor cleaner.  Then, I decorated her with glitter glue, painted the hanger black and made her a felt hat.

More Galleries to come for the holidays...

Until next time,
Gale

'Ween Scenes From The 'Creek

Pumpkins outside entrance of Marie's Candies.

Yesterday my friends Barb and Whitney joined me on a trip to Marie's Candies in West Liberty, Ohio.   If I make the right turns, it's about 25 minutes from home.   I know I've mentioned them before, but if you are in the area (near Bellefontaine) you really ought to stop in.  They always have festive decorations, great candy and samples!   We learned something as we pulled up.  Did you know that October 30th is National Candy Corn Day????

Barb and Whitney!

I really don't know of anyone that actually eats the stuff, but according to their signage (and I'm sure extensive research...LOL) it is said that 35 million pounds of candy corn is produced annually.  (I'm guessing 34.95 million pounds of it is thrown away....)  That equals 9 billion pieces which would circle the moon almost 21 times.  There are only 3.57 calories and no fat in this little morsel.

Other Halloween Fun Facts: courtesy of Marie's signs...

* Halloween introduced to America in the 1940s.
* 2/3 of Americans buy decorations, 2nd most decorated holiday
* 90% of parents sneak candy out of their children's treat bag
* Three billion dollars a year spent on Halloween merchandise.
* 99% of pumpkins grown become Jack O'Lanterns  (nearly 998 million pounds of them)

Back to Maries....

The friendly gals do a great job of beautifully decorating the store and their products.  You would think you were in a big city shop instead of a little store out in the country.

My favorite candies are the dark and light chocolate peppermint chews.  Audra likes the chocolate carmel pretzels and Taylor likes the light peanut turtles.  It's all good though!

In Ohio, we celebrate a holiday between Halloween and Thanksgiving called Michigan Game Day.  Marie's even included a little maize and blue for the two or three Michigan fans around...

The hens were lazy this year and didn't decorate their house or ours.  But we do have some photos of the celebration!

Taylor's 2013 Pirate Pumpkin

We had a pumpkin decorating contest at work.  This is our appliance/cabinet dept entry.

Though Taylor carved his pumpkin, I cheated with Mr. Potato Head parts!  The hens will get to enjoy these after the holiday.

A  not-too-happy Sylvia Scarlett dressed up as a Bucket of Chicken and we stopped into where I work.

We did have one trick or treater come a bit early....

Until next time, have a safe and Happy Halloween (hopefully a storm-free one too!)

Gale

If You Like Sandwiches, You'll Love This Post!

If you find yourself in South Columbus, you definitely need to try the Ohio Deli .  We don't live anywhere near there, but a few times a year we take the 45 minute drive.  I don't normally do restaurant reviews, but this one deserves mentioning.  I will occasionally tell you about other really good places in case you are ever in the area.

Though known for the "Dagwood Challenge" and featured on the Food Network's "Man vs Food" show, this deli really wouldn't catch your eye going down the street.  It's not at all fancy and not in the best of areas.  But, I've never had a bad experience there and that says something for a restaurant.  The food is not only good and reasonably priced, but you get a lot of it!  I always wind up taking a half of my sandwich home and have yet to buy a dessert, though they look great!

If you take the challenge, you have 30 minutes to eat an enormous sandwich and a pound of french fries.  If you do it, the meal is free.  We watched a couple guys try, but they gave up and didn't look too well...

The last time we were there, this is what Taylor ordered.  He brought half home.

They also serve many different platters and hot meals, soups, etc.  But I'd say go there when you are really hungry for a big sandwich!

Until next time!

Gale

Gale and Gang Go Gambling!

I finally made it to the Hollywood Casino in Columbus, Ohio.  Today was the first anniversary of this very controversial establishment on the west side of town.  The reviews are mixed, as is mine.

We went last Thursday afternoon and I will grant that is probably not their peak time of the week.  My friends and I were surely among the youngest there among the blue hairs, walkers and wheelchairs.  (I actually saw someone in a wheelchair, dragging a walker...)  It was right after they got their social security checks and apparently they were feeling flush enough to gamble.

I may go back sometime, but I will try the "racinos" that are nearby first.  I think if I hadn't been to Vegas several times, I might have been more impressed.  When you first walk in it's a bit disjointed.  They have a few tables, but mostly its a whole lot of slot machines.  They have an initially confusing registration program way over to the side.  We "won" our introductory $5 credit which was gone in a couple of minutes.  The rewards program is a joke for amateurs.

One of the gals with me aptly described the place as a "Chuck E. Cheese" for adults.  That's exactly what it felt like.  Not a posh entertainment mecca.  There are some "Hollywood" references, but the theme doesn't carry through that well.  There is no entertainment, no hotel and the only free drinks are from a self-serve Coke dispenser with Styrofoam cups tucked away in the back.

In Vegas, you normally asked the waitstaff in your section if there's a machine they think is good and you tip them well if it works out.  Here you can't find an employee to save your life.  I walked all around.  Once I stopped a fellow and realized that the staff just wears jeans and t-shirts or whatever and all they have to identify themselves is a tiny badge.

Now I realize my friends and I weren't big spenders and perhaps there is a whole other realm we weren't privy to, but you would think they would at least wear uniforms and serve drinks to us commoners.  They would've sold a lot of prune juice spritzers that day!  LOL!

I have never had much luck on slots and that continued to be the case.  Even on the 1, 5, 10 and 25 cent machines, you could drop several bucks a "pull."  These new-fangled machines are way more complicated than the traditional ones and half the time, you wouldn't know why you won or lost.  Nobody wants to take the time to read all of that, so you stick in your cash and hope for the best.

It didn't take me long to move over to the hidden handful of Black Jack machines mixed in with the Draw Poker ones.  The minimum bets were something like $2, so I could play a lot longer than slots.  I at least know the rules of it and was ahead for a bit until the machine mysteriously hit Black Jack after Black Jack.  If you go to a casino to actually make money, play at the table!  I am just too shy, LOL!

After we dumped most of our gambling funds, we decided to get a dessert.  They have a nice looking buffet and bar, but we stopped at the snack shop (where they sell the same Cokes that are free a hundred feet away.)  The desserts were good and quite a bargain at $2.95.  No complaints there.

I decided since I didn't go on a vacation, I would spend another $20 beyond my limit of $40 (big spender ehhh?) and went to the ATM.  Holy cow!  They were going to charge me a $5 service fee!  Are they kidding???  This is probably more profitable for them then the slots!  So good friends always loan each other gambling money so I played out a $20 and then we left.  Fortunately, a Huntington bank is at the end of the entrance and I was able to pay her back right away:)

We stopped and watched a few folks at the tables on the way out.  It's probably a good place to practice as it's not as intense as a Vegas table.  There are designated smoking areas, so that was nice as the Vegas of old was smoky and the restrooms were nice.

I heard this casino cost $400 million to build and they were disappointed that it only made $200 million this year.  Perhaps the best way to make money in a casino is to invest in it.....

But for the average person, this place needs ramped up a bit and definitely some entertainment.  I don't know how they thought they could make it without a hotel.  There isn't even a decent one nearby.  The neighborhood is economically disadvantaged to put it nicely and shopping is nil.  They put it there for the tax credit and it's pretty obvious.

Well, this is my 2 cents for the week!  (All I can afford until payday.)   Come back next time!

Gale

Too Much Of A Good Thing?

or "Why Do We Grow This Stuff If We Aren't Gonna Use It?"

Usually, one thing or another goes wrong and we don't get many "fruits from our labors."  But this year has been unusually productive here in Ohio.  When we put all of the trees, bees, grapevines, strawberry beds, raspberry bushes, etc., in, I didn't work full-time and had summers off.  Now I work retail hours that take the prime parts of most days and I barely get the basic chores done!  Mark works out of state often.

A few of the 60 or so trees that make up our orchard.  Usually, the only "fruits" that live here are us!
This year the trees went crazy!

As they say, "when it rains, it pours" and we have had great weather most of the summer.  We didn't have time to spray though, so our zillions of apples are not pretty (with two exceptions) and are either rotting on the ground or might be okay for cider or applesauce.  (One of the exceptions was a picture perfect one that Mark suspects one of the neighbors stuck under a tree to make us feel better, because ours are ugly!)  But that requires desire and effort, neither of which any of us appear to want to spend.

Our pitiful pear trees sagging under the load.

What do you do with Asian pears???

I did go out for a few minutes in July and pick some fabulous peaches that the bugs and birds missed.  Only maybe 10 survived and they had to be eaten right away... so I did.  Then, the grapes came on and I have several varieties, but can't remember which is which.  (It is fun watching the hens jump up and grab them!)  So, it appears only the sour ones made it, but I picked a big bowl full.  Not wanting to waste them, and after several days in the fridge, I fed them to the hens.

Which leads me to another dilemma, my hens produce way more eggs then we eat (pretty much none) so I give them away as they don't keep forever.  I know you can freeze them, but heck, more eggs just keep coming so why bother?  People think I'm crazy when I say they are really my pets and I have no intention of ever eating them.  So what if they quit laying???  I didn't eat my 50 year old parrot who never has laid an egg.  We don't eat our dogs when we are done breeding them either!  So enough of the snide remarks about me stewing the hens!

My strawberry patch went bananas this year and is still producing.  I sometimes can beat the rabbits and birds to them and just stand there and eat them on my way to the mower.  The half-eaten ones go to the hens, as well as apples and pears off the ground.  They like to find the worms!  Speaking of pears, Mark and I have no idea what to do with the dozens we have on the trees (regular and Asian.)  They are either rotten or hard as a rock.  We tried the paper bag thing and that didn't work.

Strawberries in September!

Just when I think I have the fruit under control, I see raspberries!  In September?  Well, a few anyway...  I feel guilty because I don't really want to can anything, so if it can't be frozen, it rots.  To add to my guilt, a wonderful friend of the family surprised me with a huge box of sweet corn!  Well, I did manage to freeze that but it took all afternoon.  It really will be good for the holiday meals though.

Mark's bees have been producing honey for years.  He has about 1500 lbs. of it sitting in the barn at any given time and he just keeps giving it back to them.  We have "harvested" only a few tablespoons in all that time.  But, that is mainly because he wants a certain extractor and they are expensive.

So I guess the moral of the story is be careful what you wish for!  You can have too much of a good thing (and that's a bad thing!)

Until next time, enjoy the harvest!  Come pick some ugly apples or pears if you want!

Gale

Life In The 'Hood: A View From My Front Porch

(If you are new to the 'Creek, I hope will check out the index by topic in the upper right corner for an eclectic mix of stories.  Enjoy! --GW-T)

I sat on my porch today for the first time this year.  I had forgotten it can be a "window to the world."  Since my beloved rocking chair broke, I've been going out back to my swing to visit with the dogs or hens.  Now the swing is broken (author's note--Mark just fixed it for good I think---thank you!) so out front I go. 

Usually, my 'hood is fairly quiet in the afternoon.  The birds, bugs and breeze can sound like a relaxation tape only occasionally interrupted by planes, trains and automobiles/motorcycles.  When the lilac blooms it smells heavenly.  I've done a lot of reading, knitting, cross stitching and convalescing on this little porch.  If it could talk it would tell you lots of unusual things have happened.  

But since it can't, I will.  For instance, my next-door neighbor used to take off and land his ultralight craft in our front yard until he crashed in the field across the road (directly in front of the porch), fortunately walking away with only some cracked ribs, but "totalling" the ultralight.

This is a view from my front porch looking across the road at a double rainbow!

Whenever the winds are right during the All-Ohio Balloon Festival, we hear the familiar hissing of hot air balloons and the eventual landing of them all around us.  One year two landed on either side of us in the front yard.   Today they went over my house in the morning and landed a few doors down this evening.

Last weekend balloons flew over the house twice in one day!  The is taken on the front porch...the center of the universe it seems!

Our county also hosts an aerobatic show weekend. The airport is near and on clear days you can sit on the porch and watch them for free. The one drawback is the somewhat irritating noise of the constant climbing, stalling and diving, then pulling out.

During football season, you can sit on the porch and listen to the bands play.  Our little road happens to be a short cut on the Union County Covered Bridge Trail.  It's not uncommon to watch dozens of motorcycles stream by the house or even bicyclists.  But it is uncommon to watch probably 100 Model Ts go by taking the bridge tour during one of their conventions.  That was cool!  Unfortunately, I've also seen several funeral processions.

Lots of planes go over us because we are on the flight path from Columbus to Chicago.  But sometimes we are treated to large Air Force formations heading to and from Wright Pat AFB in Dayton.  At least once we heard the surreal droning of a B-17 going overhead because it was giving rides for $300 a seat at area airports.

During Summer we've watched fireworks, incoming storms, Taylor and the neighbor boy hitting golf balls or throwing baseballs, the kids playing ball with the dogs and watch fireflies in the evening or find the big dipper...a gal down the road would ride her Clydesdale by and there seems to always be something going on at the neighbor's across the road.  They watch our house from their porch and we watch theirs LOL!

Taylor and Ivy playing in the front yard many years ago.  We would sit on the porch and watch her greet Mark near the end of the driveway, then "race" him back to the garage or porch...cutting corners of course so she would "win."

In the Spring and Fall there is a constant parade of farm equipment traveling our road.  I love to sit and stare at the colorful trees in the woods across the road when we have a good October.  Folks like to watch Mark drive his antique tractors, steam engines and trucks up and down the drive.  A fellow from church said, "Your house is just like Disneyland!"  I replied, "Yep, a lot of goofy people live here!"

The newest occupants of the front porch.  These baby doves have a flighty mama, so I could never get a photo of her sitting in this hanging fern.  Lucky for them, I forget to water the porch stuff, so I didn't drown them!  Did you know that Doves always lay two eggs?  My mom told me that a few weeks ago!

Then there is the life on the porch, well-known for its "Howdy, Now Git!" sign that we love.  We have had nests of finches, robins and others, not to mention frequent visits by hummingbirds when the right plants are in bloom (I gave up feeding them, but several neighbors do.)   I've even witnessed hummingbird fights.  Some bold mommas would nest right in the window boxes which are pretty low.  There are always birds in the ferns, bushes and trees.  Lynard Skynard ("our" mockingbird) sits atop the weeping cherry and sings away.   You can hear the babies cheep when they are getting dinner.  Before a house was built next door we had lots of bluebirds.  Once I opened the front door looking for Taylor's bus and saw a nearly leafless tree FULL of them.  I ran for my camera, but of course they split in the meantime.

So the next time you are looking entertainment that takes zero gas or travel time, grab a drink and sit on your porch.  You never know what could happen!

Enjoy the weather while you can!

Gale

Good Karma...Bad Karma!

I was sitting in my swing this morning while Karma was rolling around and chomping on a corn cob when I realized she will be 14 years old in a few weeks.  Like the rest of the Jack Russell pack, she appeared one day without warning (OK a couple of the others I had a tiny bit of warning.)  Mark firmly believed in the "it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission" way of life.  When he brought Karma home though, it was "She'll only be here a few days until we can find the right spot for her.  She's extremely valuable and everyone is trying to get something from this litter..."  That was nearly 14 years ago, but who's counting????  Me.

"Karma"

Everybody that shows dogs winds up with at least one Karma.  She's the one you keep for lack of a good enough reason to place her.  She is a bit of a clown and you can't stay mad at her even though you really want to.  She doesn't hold grudges either as that would require thought and she doesn't spend much time thinking.  Well, come to think of it, we did have several reasons she stayed--she couldn't live with cats or any other housepet you wanted to live another day; though a  JRTCA Bronze Medallion dog who liked to hunt, she wasn't that good at it and her chest blew too big to be able to get in holes (also ending conformation successes); she has horrible sun and grass allergies (perfect for a working dog...) and once spayed she had no breeding value to anyone else.  Which was fine.

She acts the same as she did as a puppy, without a doubt the most athletic dog I've ever lived with.  She can jump on a grooming table flat footed.  She still runs, but in no particular direction because she can't see anything but shadows.  She's happy that way and at this point why put her through cataract surgery?  Seeing for her wouldn't change a thing.   She sleeps 23 hours a day anyway.

Audra and Karma with one of their many blue ribbons!

Her only real asset (besides being one giant muscle) is that she was the best "show pony" you could ask for.  You could stick a toddler on the end of the lead and she would show like a million bucks.   We know, because we did.  She really wants to please people.  A credible theory in this house is that if you want a great show dog, they have to be dumb.  They are always "happy, happy, happy" and wagging their tails.  We had several super smart dogs that hated showing because they saw no point in it.  Her other asset is she very clean and if you let her out enough, you don't have to clean up her pen.  Often, that is my incentive for getting up in the morning!

Now for the "Bad Karma." Although she doesn't get the title of "dumbest dog ever" because that went to her full sister Credit (who we did manage to part with!) she runs totally on adrenaline.  I once figured out through all the terrier fights over the years we always blamed the other bitch and got rid of them.  She was involved with the barn cat killing and was a perpetual "me too" dog when they took off or whatever.  For a funny story, see "A Hunting We Will Go" listed in the index.

I remember someone coming over to look at her several month old puppies and wanting to see her. While normally decently behaved in the house, she proceeds to grab a pillow off the sofa and destroy it right in front of us.  That went over well...

Over the years she has developed a tolerance for my toy dogs.  Carrie thinks it's fun to bounce off her and I am always amazed at the restraint Karma shows.  Of course, I never leave them loose together!  She was a good mother and an easy whelper!  We loaned her to her breeder for a litter (who is a vet) and unbeknownst to her and her hubby, Karma was whelping while chasing tennis balls.  She would get the tennis ball, run to the whelping box, spit out puppy (but I doubt the ball,) hid the pup under newspapers and then took the ball back for another run.  She had two puppies before they realized what was happening!  Karm was staying at another friend's house and went briefly missing.  She was found with her head sticking up through some perfectly manicured bushes she appeared to be sitting in.  Inexplicable how she got there...

So for better or worse, Karma is here to stay and likely for a long time.  So Happy Birthday Karm!

Until next time,

Gale

"A Fair" To Remember

...and one of the best jobs ever!

Whether I like it or not, the Ohio State Fair has woven itself through my life.  I'm not what you call an avid fairgoer and that's why it's so weird.  I've been to a few other state fairs and they aren't the same.  I would like to try a Texas one, because in the past that's the only other state that rivals us in attendance and attractions.  We Buckeyes do football and fairs with gusto.

In typical Ohio weather style, it either rains and is humid or we're in a drought and it's in the upper 90s.  This year, the one I likely will miss, the weather is a perfect 72 degrees with sun and a breeze!  It figures.

My parents would take us to the fair as an all day event starting the hour drive early and getting home really late.  We would have our plastic bag full of the pamphlets and "treasures" collected along the way.  The amount of junk food we ate made us half sick, but it never stopped us from pigging out.  I liked hanging out at the horse show (still do) in friend's dressed up stalls, helping where I could and watching classes.

As luck would have it, the first job I took when I moved home from Los Angeles was as an advertising account executive at an agency with my main client being the Ohio State Fair.  It paid pretty well at the time, but the perks were great!  Bad thing was it spoiled me for going as a regular citizen.  Before the fair it was the usual print, radio/tv, press release sort of thing, but once there it was mostly maintenance, odd jobs, helping the PR staff and running around on a golf cart deciding what to eat next.

Probably the best perk (aside for onsite parking) was full access to all of the concerts.  The concert line-up included George Strait, Belinda Carlisle, Oak Ridge Boys, Beach Boys, Sandy Patty and others.  On Sandy Patty day, we were in charge of security to give the junior fair board a day off.  Surprisingly enough, this Christian singer's crowds were rowdier than the rest and we had to hold people back from rushing the stage.

One of my favorite photos ever!  My arm around Sir George!  On the left is Lisa Hill from the fair PR staff.  I wish I could remember the other gal's name (also from the fair staff.)  Lisa introduced me to future husband Mark, which also lead to more fair involvement through reining horses.

For all the concerts we had great seats if we wanted them, but for George Strait, the governor was unavailable, so darn it, I had to sit in the governor's front row seat both concerts!  Somebody had to take one for the team!

Mark and Audra warming up in the make-up pen on Ohio State Fair Superstakes winner  "Coronas Zingo."  Zingo would let Audra brush his legs and he never took a step when she was nearby.  

So the next few years I would go to horse shows and through my dog life, wound up in the "dog house" doing demos with "Windi" my golden retriever.  I loved riding Zingo around to exercise him, but wish someone would come up with ride-thru windows for grabbing a drink or snack!

Then it was the kid's turn to participate.  For the last 7 years their high school band marched in the fair parade on the fairgrounds that is done every afternoon.  Sometimes I chaperoned.  Of course, those days were 95 degrees in the shade and unbearable humidity!  Nothing else changes much:  I still ate junk food and regretted it!

Taylor and sousa section preparing to start fair parade.  This is in the division of wildlife area.  They had to divert the parade from previous routes because the drumline noise killed many bunnies from heart attacks.  (Not our band... though we have a "killer"  drumline!)

The Ohio State Fair is over tomorrow, August 4th.  If you want to get there, you'd better get going!  If you've never been, it's something everyone ought to do once.

Until next time!

Gale

I Shop, Therefore I Am. Aren't I?

(Although for now we aren't selling the 'Creek, I have been slowly trying to organize and get rid of things we no longer "need."  The idea of the basement, garage and especially barn getting cleaned out is overwhelming to the whole family.  Our house is small and since I can't stand clutter, I get it out of sight.  It's not as bad as it was...but it still lurks...

I wrote this article many years ago and found it recently.  Can you relate to any of this?  The purple lines are updates) GW-T

Many of us work hard at perhaps not our “dream job” so we can buy things we need (or think we need.)  If I had the money I’ve spent for all of my unnecessary purchases, I’d probably be out of debt and maybe even have some savings!  I would also have less clutter in my house, garage and barn.  Here are some examples of what I’ve bought (often even charged) that really haven’t “paid off.”  I am glad to say that I don’t charge things anymore, but it didn’t happen overnight. 

I admit that I am an uninspired cook.  Com’on, I can’t be great at everything!  I can eat a peanut butter sandwich and be done with it.  I think it’s mainly because I hate a mess (meaning doing dishes.)  We got $1500 worth of stainless steel, waterless, grease-less cookware that stacks on one burner to save energy (I never stack it) and is supposed to improve our meals.  All that has improved is I now have the shiniest, most expensive dirty pans soaking in my sink of anybody I know.  What I really need is “cook-less” cookware, because I still don’t like to cook! (Cook even less now!)

Another example of my impulse buying is my two bathroom cabinets filled to the brim with “free gifts with purchase” make-up and nifty little bags from Lancome, Clinique, Estee Lauder…all the great companies.  It looks great in the drawer.  I’ve never tried it most of it on my face.  Usually, it’s an off color for me (or a just plain ugly one) but heck, it’s free!!!! Well sort of.  I only had to buy $45 worth of stuff to get each one.  I have enough skin care products to last me into my next life and I’m only 41.  I don’t dare add up my investment in beauty that hasn’t turned me into a movie star yet!  I was heartbroken to hear they have expiration dates, so now it looks good in my trash can. 

If knowledge came with buying books, I’d be Einstein.  The problem is you actually have to read them. Imagine how great it would be if you could see improvement by just owning self-help books! But, even if you used to skip the reading part in school, real life simply doesn’t have "Cliff Notes" for everything!  (But hey, maybe it's on You Tube LOL!)  I never buy novels anymore, but get them from the library.  Not even so much because they are free, but because they leave by a deadline.

I am a respectable crafter, longing to be an artist.  I walk into art supply stores and desperately wish I could paint, draw, sculpt… anything.  I get all the tools and materials thinking I can “buy” my way into talent that I will never have. Even with my ability, I seldom make anything.  I guess I just expect the stuff to “breed” in the storage box and something will magically appear.

I certainly have to mention my investments in the fitness and diet industry.  Of all the things I dearly wish would work, especially magically, these are it!  (Cleaning supplies/make-up tie for a very close second.)  I despise the “no pain, no gain” philosophy.  Unfortunately, I just keep “gaining.”  I save a lot of money though not buying the latest bikinis and short sets.

Who hasn’t bought a treadmill or weight set only to use it as a clothes rack? The best jogging shoes in the world won’t help you get off the sofa.  But, they are comfier than high-heels for all those trips to the grocery store…

Then, there's the stuff you buy because you might need it someday.   If you need it then, buy it then!  But today isn't someday and it will add to your clutter now!  So, dig into those closets, garages, basements and barns and enjoy the light airy feeling of a job well done!  

Until next time,

Gale

Gale's Gallery VIII: An Easy Blanket With A Surprise

Hello,

I know lots of you read the craft posts and I apologize for the delay.  Seems like I'm always doing that, huh?  

Well, here is a gift that I've made many times for babies.  But this time, I added a twist.  This blanket is always made from cotton (polyester is hot, yucky and will melt!)  It's washable, and if you've been around a baby five minutes, you know that's important.

These blankets do take awhile to make, but are really easy.  I simplified the pattern to not have ribbing because the color changes would hide them anyway, so why do it?  Although I do love knowing how appreciative the parents are, I make these blankets to be used (and abused.)  They aren't museum pieces, that's for sure.  A few of my blankets become the favored "bankie" and are washed until they become a series of strings.  That is great! 

But many parents love keepsakes and they are afraid to ruin the blankets, so I came up with a decent replacement.

I created a Christmas ornament using the scraps of yarn I used in knitting the blanket and filling a plain glass ball with it.  That way at least part of the "bankie" will survive.  Obviously, one could make an ornament "retroactively" by placing pieces of their child's favorite blanket in an ornament as well.

BLANKET 

Since this blanket is a square, you can make it any size.  I do a 36" square.  The pattern is basically an old dishcloth one.  I use 5-6 balls of cotton worsted-weight yarn.  Some people use Sugar 'n Cream but it depends on the color you want.  ALWAYS buy the balls of yarn at the same time, checking for dye lot.  Trust me, I've tried to wing it before and it's not good.  One time I even tried to dye yarn to finish up one little corner as I couldn't find any more of that dye lot.

I'm not going to be able to teach you how to knit here, but there are lots of online sources, books/videos, as well as your local yarn shop.

Cast on 3 stitches.

Row 1: knit 2, yarn over, knit 1.  

Row 2: knit 2, yarn over, knit 2...

Continue knitting 2, yarning over and knitting across until you get to 36" wide.

Then, Knit 1, knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together until you are down to the last 3 stitches and cast off.  This is great TV watching knitting as you don't really have to think much.  It also makes it's own neat border.

ORNAMENT

I will explain how to do the ornament in a different post where I will have lots of other examples of an easy technique.  But, I think you get the idea from the photo!  

Happy Knitting!

Gale

It (Really) Ain't Easy Being Green!

Hello!

Hope your summer is going well!  Normal weird Ohio weather here, but nothing horrible (yet!) and everything is a lovely shade of green...

But there is a little less green here than a couple weeks ago.  I had to work, so the rest of the family went to an annual "frog giggin'" party at what they call the Swamp.  Fortunately, they have a regular cookout before "the hunt," after which I would depart and wait for the great "hunters" to return hours later.  I am not a fan of mosquitoes, ticks, etc.  However,  I do enjoy riding around the property on a Gator though.... Some close calls with flipping or going into the pond...

This year Mark brought the kids home before the hunt disappointed because there were too many people (many drinking) for it to be safe.

I am a queasy coward and don't plan to change.  I have never intentionally killed anything more than a fly (unfortunately, unintentionally much more.)  If you haven't heard of frog gigging, it is, I think, the barbaric hunting in the dark with flashlights and gigs aka "spears" used for the stabbing of innocent frogs.  This is said to be done to "thin the herd" but it is really a sport.  Sort of... except for the lights, spears and now boats.  There is nowhere for the frogs to get away.

They do cook the legs right after the hunt and they supposedly taste like chicken.  But many hunters at the party don't eat them and I think they should.  They are only supposed to hunt the big ones, but in the excitement of the chase, start stabbing anything that moves.  Yuk!  My only hope is they are killed instantly, but I know that is not the case.  

I have heard tales of normal, rational people turning in to crazed Grim Reapers with no fear of ruining their fancy outfits and shoes!  Mild-mannered, bashful, first-timers boldly stab away like bloodthirsty demons.  What is it that makes it so exciting?????  

Many of you are too young to remember "National Lampoon" magazine.  They had a famous cartoon, which became part of their logo...

poor little fellows....

As for me, I prefer frogs of a different sort:

Happy Fourth of July!

Until next time,

Gale