Oh Christmas Tree

Last Friday, the 29th, I tromped out behind the orchard and found this pretty little tree. I had brought Mark's sawzal and away I went...and I drug this baby plus having to carry the saw back to the house. Drag marks in the snow all the way up to the porch. Luckily it snowed like crazy last night, at least 6" so that covered that up :-) Mark put in stand and he always puts on the lights and then I did the rest. I think it turned out real pretty. I just love a Christmas tree, its a Spruce or they call them Jack Pines up here. Anyway, I love it!!!!

Dinner last night

Two onions and my Purvian Purple and Rose Finn Apple fingerling potatoes with frest ground pepper, a tough of soy sauce and andouli sausage. Makes the kitchen smell so good.

Here it is all plated up and ready to eat :-)

Pics from tamale fest

This from second day of tamale fest...only 8 cups of meat leaft...the hanger is for the cut string. I

use string to tie my tamles. I dont trust to just fold them....yeah, right!!!!

Here they are, all steamed and ready to bag up and freeze. They are so yummy!!!!

Tomorrow is again tamale day

Spent the day prepping for the making tamales. The red sauce turned out great and had lots of it. Put all of it in the meat...total of 16 cups shredded. I got 75 tamales done and am too sore to continue today. Sooooo...............tomorrow I will finish the other 75 or so. But Mark says they are really good. After handling them all day long I am not in the mood to eat any tonight. Ah....tomorrow :-)

Tomorrow is Tamale Day!!!

Well, the meat is cooking and will be ready to be shredded and chopped when I get up later this a.m. it is pork and beef, found this is great combination.
I have three types of dried peppers to roast, devine and deseed, then rinse and soak.
Lots of masa dough to make
Make the red chili sauce that goes into the meat
My corn husks are soaking
I will be pretty pooped out by tomorrow evening but will hopefully have about 140 tamales package and in freezer.
Will take photos of progress and post later today.............

Woke up to heavy wet snow, this will melt but more snow in the next day or two. Luckily for me, Mark, is buying my 4 new tires for my car. The ones I've had for the past three years have been a nightmare. Bought at Sears they have no grip on the raod at all, last year it was like ice skating, very scarry. But tomorrow all will be changed :-)
I've been doing a bit moe quilting of late, even this past summer when I spend most days outside in the garden. I taught two "Wheels of Wonder" classes using my accuQuiltGO. When I first say this contraption at the quilt show down in Madison about 5 years ago all I could think of was how lazy can you be...but since my arthiritis is kicking my butt and is ravisihing my hands I thank god for this wonderful invention :-) BIG SMILE!!! This is one of my favorite blocks, but as you may or may not know, it is 12 curved pieces that make a square and one of the keys is accurate cutting. I can still cute with rotarty cutter but would take me about a week to cut out, now in a matter of minutes or an hour i have all the peices I need. Then I taught a "Tube" dyeing class and this was wildl successful. I just love to teach especially to first time dyers, they are stunned that "I made this beautiful fabric all by myself".
This top was made with one great tiny striped batik I've had for years plus one pack of three 1/2 yards cuts of my hand dyes. It really turned out awesome! I am trying to upload more photos but computer not cooperating so I will end this for now. Stay tund for some neat projects. Aloha for now...........

The day after the sweat lodge, on our way home from Bond Falls I found this fledgling Broad Wing Hawk on edge of road...just a few steps from being road kill. I gently walked up to it, placed a towel over it and was able to pick it up and bring home. Mark, Laura and I all on our cell phones and I got ahold of a licensed rehabilitator of raptors and he basically told me to find the exact spot we found bird, walk into the woods and let it go ?!!....Mark remembered exactly where we had stopped, there was a drive way?...found the spot, parents circling overhead. Climbed up and down the ditch and into the woods, gently placed bird on ground and he was able to flap up to a branch about 10' above the ground and wait for his parents. When we got back in the car, a small feather floated down right onto the car....the nest was right above us. I see these birds when I drive to Iron River. A Ojibwa elder told me, it is probably one of my helper spirits :-)

My sister was here for two glorious weeks in August. We went to a PowWow and got to dance together and the next day had been invited to a sweat lodge...so inspiring. Hadn't seen Laura in about 6 years. We had a blast. This day we are at Bond Falls and was a great day. I am trying to get her to move up here :-).

My bountiful garlic harvest...learned alot this year. Still have to order garlic to plant very soon. It is getting cold fast here but have plenty of time before the ground freezes. Not as big as garlic you buy in the store but so much more flavorful!!!!

The weather was odd this summer but got lots of snap peas, pole beans, zucchini, cukes, pickle cukes, and a variety of hot peppers. The carrots were great! The cabbage immense and Mark make hot pickled cabbage out of most of it. The tomatoes made a poor showing. The potatoes are not quite done. Got four crops of radishs to Marks delight. Of course my raspberries pumped and made lots of jam...this year I found a wonderful citrus pectin so could use way less sugar. Now Mark loves the jam I made...I thought it was too sweet myself although Victoria told me she diffenately wants my sweet jam. Transplated three of the pepper plants and brought them indoors.

Mark totally redid inside porch (air lock), pulled out walls, insulated, drywalled the ceiling too and redid hard wood flooring and painted...it is awesome, a year round "plant room" Yipee!!!!

Just baked Mark three dozen peanut butter cookies with reeces peanut chips plus two loaves of zucchini bread. I think it is okay but the men who have tasted it go nuts, rave about it...wonder if it is that Vietnamese cinnamon and fresh ground nutmeg that affects men so...............