Weekend Adventures

What did you do this weekend? I enjoyed one of the most incredible weekends! We went Drag Racing. For those of you who know us, you understand, for those that are just getting to know us...well let me tell you a story. Long ago and far away, in another time, we went drag racing. It all started with my husband Dave and his friends in High School. We would all run out to Dragway 42 or Norwalk to race cars. Nothing fancy, just the cars they drove everyday to school or work. Sometimes we did well, and sometimes we had to tow the car home. Skip ahead a few years, and we were racing a Top Alcohol Dragster. It went fast, very fast. Both Dave and his brother drove over 300 mph in about 6 seconds down a quarter mile track. We did this all over the Eastern United States and Canada. We would hurry home Friday after work, drive to the race track,some were 12 hours away, race all day Saturday and Sunday, and then drive home and be at work on Monday morning. We did this before we were married and before we had children, then we did it after the children came and took them along. We took friends and relatives to help us drive and work on the car between rounds. We slept in strange hotel/motels and sometimes in the truck, but it was fun. We did this for about 20 years in all. After Dave's bypass in 1998, we slowed down a little. We still went, but the kids were growing and everything was getting more expensive. So we parked the car and trailer and went on to do other things. But our love for racing didn't stop there. Instead of a participant we became spectators. One of the best things as former racers, we knew a lot of folks that still raced and we were able to stay behind the scenes, so to speak and still to this day, we enjoy talking and interacting with the drivers and crews of some of the most famous drag racers today. I love to have the drivers sign my t-shirt or hat and have my picture taken with the drivers. Well Dave is not a photographer and he often chops my head off. Saturday was no exception. So instead of me having my picture taken with a famous driver, he only managed to have get a picture of me and Mike, the CAT salesman.

We travel out of state just to see races. Except for this weekend, it was right in our own backyard, Norwalk, OH! Even the drizzle couldn't keep us away. If you have never been to a drag race, it is very hard to explain. First two cars line up side by side, and wait for the Christmas tree to go from yellow to green, sort of like waiting for the stoplight to change. Then comes the thunder.It is awesome. If you have ever had Life Flight fly over your house and shake the China cabinet, multiply that times 10! When you are in the stands, it shakes you to the bone. The sound and the smell of burning rubber and nitrous is indescribable. But the day was cut short by rain, so we headed home, tired.

On Sunday, Mick brought home his new travel trailer. This was his $500 bargain. He said it was the next step up form his previous trailer/camper the Redneck Special.He was very excited and is getting it ready to go camping this weekend.He will go 4 wheeling with his friends in Wellsville.

On Sunday we visited the farm, and help Grandpa with his Farmall tractor. I took pictures of the cows at the farm and all the tractors and equipment to get some practice. We went to Mount Eaton to pick up a barn beam and then we ended up at Chris' house to help him with his barn. When I got home I threw a load of laundry in the wash and ran out to the chicken coop to pick eggs and close up the doors. When I got back into the house, Dave was comfortable in his recliner watching the highlights from the race on TV and all I heard was this sound like a squealing pig! I ran downstairs to find the washer smoking the belts. I shut the thing off and went upstairs to find out that Dave never heard it or smelled it! So needless to say I spent today at the laundromat, washing as many clothes as I could carry, in case there would be a delay in the washer replacement. After the laundromat, I was right on the hunt for a new machine. The old one served its time for 17 years and 2 boys and a farm, so I picked out a new energy efficient water saving model and carried it home. It has already done 2 loads tonight! Sorry for being so winded on this post, but I just had to share the exhausting weekend. I am sure I left something out.

If the photos are to small, just click on them and you will get a larger image.

The Cows

Chris and Tommy on the Barn roof!

Today's Project

Most people know that I love to do crafty things. I am not limited to your usual craft store type crafts, but I go for the unusual and different craft. Some time back I was introduced to POWER TOOLS! Yes, my first tool was a cordless drill. Then Dave got me a chop saw, a table saw and a saws all. I was in heaven. I learned by trial and error and with my dad's guidance I learned how to use the tools properly and safely. I drool at Home Depot and I am a card caring member of the Craftsman Club at Sears. I am always waiting to see what new tool Dave will bring home for me. I love to have the latest tool on the shelf. Christmas presents always involve tools. Along with Dave, my son's friend Tommy brings me an unending supply of scrap wood from the job. I have an innate sense and ability to look at something in a picture or at someone else's home (yes, I steal ideas) and I make it. Sometimes I modify it to my needs, and sometimes the projects work all by themselves. I also have done some of the remodeling projects at home. (Some not finished yet) With my Dad's help I have built a chicken coop from recycled materials. (Casa de Pollo) I have built benches and flower boxes, nesting boxes for the chickens, and roosts. Today I made solar light posts. I saw them somewhere and decided that I could make them too. The challenge was finding the right materials. After finding materials that I thought would work, I had to recreate them from memory, and sometimes that is a little fuzzy. I remember taking a picture of them with my cell phone but that was a phone or two ago and who knows where that picture is now. And just in case you are wondering, no I do not sell my projects, I usually give them away to family and friends.

As a side note... I got a most welcome call from my friend Cindy in North Carolina. Cindy and I started off as pen pals more than 30 years ago through Teen Magazine. Some people say they have a twin somewhere in the world, and if you were to see Cindy and I together you would think we very well could be related. How can two people be so far apart in miles yet have so much in common? Cindy and I married out high school sweethearts. They are both farmers! So is her dad. We were married just a few years apart, and we have children all about the same ages. She has two girls and a boy, I have two boys. Cindy has one up on me...she has adorable grand babies! Any way, her call today brought the most wonderful feeling of joy to my heart. There will be months that we don't have any kind of communication, and when we happen to get together or call, it is like we never have been apart. So now the plan is in the works. We will both be 50 this year and I think it is time for another get together. I talked to Dave tonight and I will be working on a plan for a trip to N.Carolina in September. I can't wait to see her and her family.

Garden Update

The rain has really perked things up around here. The Potatoes in a Bag are growing out of the bag. The tomatoes have really taken off in the bucket. They are doing better than the ones in the garden.I even have a few red cherry tomatoes that I have been eating. Todays project was for my daughter in law, Tiffany. A few years ago I saw a potting table/bench in a magazine. It was advertised for $150.00. The measurements seemed small for a potting bench, so of course I thought I could do one better. I figured and measured and Dave brought home some recycled wood. I sawed and drilled and screwed and I made the bench. I painted it with house paint and used it lovingly for a few years. Tiffany saw it and said she would like one. Well, I didn't use treated wood, and the weather took it's toll on my bench, and when I went to move it up to the barn to copy it for Tiffany, it fell apart :( I was sad, but I knew the next one would be better. This time Dave brought home treated lumber and something called Trex. It is recycled plastic wood. Cuts like wood, sawslike wood, but it doesn't rot. I set to work this morning, taking careful measurements of the old bench and began putting the new one together. I finished it about 4:00 this afternoon. And it is beautiful. Better than the first one. Now Tiffany and Chris can use it as a potting bench or Tiffany thought it would make a nice drink station on the porch when she BBQ's.

After all the rain on Sunday, here is what we saw as the sun set. It was the most awesome pink and purple sky I had even seen.

Jam, Jam, Jam, Everywhere

Today I finished making some more jam. I made a batch for Gail and her family, I helped Tiffany make some for gifts, and then Buehler's had Blueberries on sale, so we just had to make a few batches of Blueberry. In all we made 95 pints of jam! We were really on a roll. If I had more fruit I would have made more.

Nature's Bounty

My friend Gail and I went to Yoga Class today. We have been away too long and we sure felt the bones creak today. The best thing about class is the relaxation and stress relief we get. We also get to see all our other Yoga friends. After class we went to Buehler's for lunch. Then I got the CALL! Mr .Bill had located 96 quarts of fresh picked strawberries for $1.75 a quart. He wanted to know if I wanted them. I told him I could do about 50 quarts but that was my limit. He said he would call when he got closer to ome he would call. He brought home all 96 quarts! I took 24 quarts, my friend took 24 quarts and he managed to get rid of the other berries to friends and family. So now I had my work cut out for me. Get home, straighten the kitchen and start freezing! and that is what Idid. But after a while I got tired of freezing, so I decided to make jam!

My daughter -in - law stopped by and brought 4 more quarts.

We made 47 pints of jam.















And today's good news is the hens started laying again. Several of them thought they were on vacation and stopped laying, some went broody and hatched a few chicks, but now they are back to work.










I can't wait to see what tommorow's adventure will be!

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary. It was 27 years ago today I married my high school sweetheart. Today we spent time at the Cleveland Clinic with the Cardiologist. Dave has Coronary Artery Disease. It is hereditary and he had bypass surgery at 40 and stents at 50. We plan on holding onto him for a long time. What better way to spend an anniversary than with the one you love and helping him maintain good health. After a few tests and several suggestions from the Dr., we will adding some changes to his diet and exercise and he is going to try Yoga to reduce his stress level. After the Clinic we enjoyed lunch together and then came home for a relaxing afternoon. We are looking forward to another 27years together.

Another Day in the Garden cont......

OOOPS, sorry, no text with the photos, new blogger mistake. Well I got the new camera, so I included the experimental gardening projects I have attempted this year. Tomatoes on a Bucket, Potatoes in a Bag, (regular and sweet potatoes) and Straw Bale Gardening. All seem to be successful. The last picture is of the new peeps. I could only take one picture because the hens are hiding them.These new peeps will go to my sister in Milan,OH. She has a grub and mole problem, and she heard that the chickens will eat the grubs and then the moles will move on to someone else's yard. So as soon as she gets her chicken house built, off they go. I also did a lot of container gardening with the annuals. i could add splashes of color without doing whole flower beds. The flowerbeds are mostly perrennials now.

Another day in the garden

Stampin'Cats asked who are the people in the photos. This is The Wedding picture. Taken at Buffalo Creek Retreat, October 2007. I am on the left, next to me is my oldest son Chris, his new wife, Tiffany, my husband Dave, and my youngest son Mick. In the cow photo, Chris is to the left with his prize winning heifer Bess, and Mick is on the right with his prize winning heifer Sweetie.

Wednesday's Adventure

I didn't get to the garden today. We went on an adventure. My daughter in law Tiffany, my friend Gail and her husband Jim and I drove to Mount Hope for the auction. (Thanks for driving Jim!)Although we keep telling ourselves we are done planting for the year, we brought home more plants.... tomatoes, peppers, ornamental cabbage and some more flowers. We just can't help ourselves. Gail bought 10 dozen fertilized eggs so now Jim will set them in the incubator. We didn't learn our lesson last year with 100 chicks, so here we go again. Tiffany decided that she needed plants for her garden. A new husband, a new house and all summer off (she teaches kindergarten) she decided she needed a garden too! And since my son Chris tore up the yard this winter with his building project, she has the perfect spot to put in a garden. We just have to keep the bunny rabbits out.
Tiffany's dad was at a different auction and brought home 52 quarts of strawberries. So Tiffany and I froze them tonight. It was a busy day. I think I will need to rest tomorrow.

What a welcome rain. Everything here was parched and needed a good drink. hoses and watering cans are OK, but a good soaking is better. No damage from the wind, but the rain sure made the weeds pop!. I guess I know what I'll be doing this afternoon.

Welcome

This is my first entry to my blog. As soon as I figure out the specifics, I will update photos and such. Although my children are grown, one married, the other still at home finishing college and looking for his life's direction, they provide me with constant entertainment. I will include some photos as I go along, but someone else always has the camera. I think I need to get my own digital camera so I can update regular posts.

This is Our Family. This is probably the only time we are all together, cleaned and dressed up.

This is what we do. Farm. Cows, chickens, grain, corn and hay.

So this is my first attempt at making a blog page. Hopefully I can do better next time.