Horsefeather Nuggets

06/12/2024

05/31/2024

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

12/29/2022

Blog post 12-29-22

"If at first you don't succeed, try try again." This used to be common sense, but it's been replaced with "Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity."

The trouble is, both can be right in different situations.

For example, if you want to be able to do something that takes time and practice to develop a skill, the first saying is true. If you're just repeating unhealthy or unproductive habits because that's the way you've always done them, the second can be true.

The situation that reminded me of this is the case of writing out a crochet pattern because I don't have a printer anymore, and the pattern didn't come with the kit I bought, but was posted online. I learned how to write in about the 3rd grade, and I always have notebook paper on hand, but my handwriting has degraded a bit in the 5 decades since then. This is good practice, and I'm on page 12 now with a few more to go. Why not just buy a new printer? Well, money's a little tight and I can't afford one at the moment. But it's not a bad thing. Writing out a page or two every morning with my coffee counts as practice as the fine muscles in my fingers get more used to what I'm asking them to do, and those muscles will come in handy as I start learning how to do rosemailing, i.e. German folk art, later this year. If I'm unwilling to practice, however, I won't ever reach my goal, because fine muscle finger control is a skill that takes lots of practice, and if I listened to the second saying, I'd never get there, yet I have confidence I'll get there if I work long enough and practice hard enough.

Have a great day everyone and Happy New Year. Picture taken on the Governor's Mansion grounds in Columbia, SC.

12/20/2022

Blog Post 12-20-22

When you spend a Christmas in the hospital, you find that Christmas comes whether you're ready for it or not. Just for reference, I was so sick that I didn't go home until New Years Eve. That year it wasn't about presents or lights or trees, it was about just surviving the day and getting to tomorrow, but it was also remembering what we're really supposed to be celebrating, not the frills and pretty "stuff" that distracts. It was about suffering with a thankful attitude that I had actually been given another day. It was about cheerfully greeting the phlebotomist who came to draw blood at 4am. (Usually our conversations went something like "Hi, I'm here to draw your blood this morning." "Darn, I didn't run fast enough." The phlebotomist would chuckle, because anyone could see that running was not something I was going to be doing for a while.) It was about being grateful that my kids were able to go to a relative's to celebrate, and not feeling sorry for myself when they had such a good time they forgot to visit me. It was about having cheerful conversations with the people taking care of me, who were also missing their family celebrations. Real conversations by the way, not fake ones. And choosing, really choosing, to stay positive that day.

I don't know why God chose that week out of the 52 weeks in the year for me to be in the hospital, but I've never forgotten the lessons that were learned or reinforced, the choices that I practiced making, or the exceptional kindness of strangers. I've never forgotten the pain, and there was a huge amount of pain with every movement, and simply enduring it because I couldn't have pain meds. And I've never forgotten concentrating on what Jesus and his family were doing on his birthday, whatever day that was, and what his destiny would be. I leave you with this final thought: Peace on earth, good will toward men (people), and God bless us, every one.

12/15/2022

Blog Post 12-15-22

I've had a series of unfortunate events over the last 3.5 years, including losing my career to the virus, breaking an ankle and being laid up for 3 months, becoming homeless due to an apartment fire, and losing my car because of an accident (at least the other driver's insurance paid off the loan). I share this not for sympathy, but simply to explain that I've been without a printer for a while with an inability to replace it. So I've had to resort to some old school habits that were common before printers were widespread, such as notebooks and handwriting. (I should point out that my handwriting, which had deteriorated over the years due to lack of practice has greatly improved lol).

I was reminded of this as I was busy copying a crochet pattern for some yarn that I bought for Amigurumi critters. They used to print those patterns on the inside wrapper for the yarn, but now they want you to go online and print them, something I'm not quite able to do yet. So far I am on page 4 of what will probably be 6-7 handwritten pages of printed (not handwritten, because I want to be able to read it later lol) pattern steps.

I also taped the pictures for the pattern on the first page. I collect/organize patterns with binders and sleeve protectors, which are relatively cheap and easy to use. (Currently I have about 30+ "idea books" full of such patterns/sketches/ideas for projects that I need to further break down into categories). But it makes it easier to sit down with a cup of coffee and peruse through a book to plan my next big project.

That's all I've got today. Have a great day everyone. :)

12/02/2022

Blog Post 12-2-22

One of my little organization chores today is taking needles from 2 ancient pincushions I have and putting them all on a brand new one. They are the old fashioned pincushions that look like tomatos with a little pincushion on the end of a string, and I was taking needles off and inspecting them to see if they needed to be reconditioned before I stuck them into the new pincushion, and it occurred to me that there are some people who do not know what that is or how to do that, so I thought I'd take a moment and explain.

Pins that are used can get dull over time, or in a humid environment (like SC, where I was for the last 2 years), will rust slightly where your fingers have held the needle. They don't have to automatically be thrown away however. On the standard pincushion there is a little "bud" thing on the end of a string, and it's usually filled with sand or flint shavings, which are both great for sharpening a needle again, or for grinding the rust or any rough spots off a needle so it can be used again. You can also use them to put the point back on a sewing machine needle, which is handy when you're in the middle of a project and you just don't have a spare needle.

The way to put a point back on a needle is to insert it into the bud about halfway, then back it out and reinsert it, pressing gently on the sides of the bud if necessary, until it is sharp again. If it's gotten a rough spot on the shaft, insert the needle until the rough spot is in the bud, and then either push it back and forth or even spin it in the bud until the rough spot is gone.

You might wonder why this sharpening bud is even put on a pincushion in the first place, since it's so easy to just go to the store and get another one, and you'd have to look at the history of the pincushion for the answer. The tomato style pincushion goes back at least to the Civil War era, the mid-1850's. Steel needles and pins were very expensive back then compared to today, and also very essential, so keeping them in good usable condition was important. Replacing them could be difficult too, since it could mean traveling many miles to town on foot or wagon if you lived on the prairie or farming areas, and they might or might not have them in stock.

I'm taking care of my needles, such a small thing really, but I have needles for different uses, and I use them regularly. Having the ones I've used before in one place and in good shape is just nice for me to have, and takes so little effort it's worth it, and in this age of supply chain issues and unbelievable inflation, it's a little bit of security to know I can mend a popped seam, thread in a yarn tail, or even sew a button back on. Have a great day everyone.

12/02/2022

12/02/2022

Blog post 11/21/22

Hello! Welcome to the first in a series of blog posts. I hope to share happy stories and practical information, including my two cats and one grandkitty, and stories of family living on the Great Plains and thriving through both the dust bowl and the Great Depression.

Today I want to talk about soup. Most people don't know how to make it from scratch, and yet it's one of the oldest and easiest things you can cook. Necessary skills including being able to boil water and knowing the difference between boiling and simmering, or you can skip the skills in favor of a crock pot. I'm going to talk about the crock pot.

Soup is a good way of taking a bunch of random ingredients and turning them into something amazing without a lot of skill and time commitment. If I'm making soup for dinner, I usually start around lunch time by filling the crock pot halfway with water and starting it. Next I add whatever meat I using today, and just leave it alone for 45 minutes to an hour. You can use beef, chicken or pork, raw or left overs, and what the soup does during this time is cook the meat and create a broth which flavors the entire pot. Then I take all the meat out and put it on a cutting board, let it cool slightly so I can handle it, cut it into bite-sized pieces (a hack is that if you don't have a lot of meat for the pot, cut the pieces smaller so there's more of them), then return them to the pot. Don't worry if some of the meat seems raw or undercooked, we're not done cooking yet.

Next I start adding things to the soup, and this is where things get interesting. I start with a tablespoon of seasoned salt, and I might add more later, when I start taste testing. Then I add whatever dry ingredients I'm going to add. I have some I use in most of my soups, but there's no hard and fast rule, and you can adapt and experiment to suit your taste. I use dried parsley, garlic powder, paprika, and sometimes dried onions, ground mustard, tumeric, cinnamon, or whatever other spices your family already likes. If I'm missing one, no worries, it'll still be good. When I'm adding the spices, I keep in mind that the soup will simmer and the flavors will permeate and get a little stronger as the soup cooks.

Tip: always put the lid on the crock pot after you've added something so it can come back up to heat more quickly. Crock pots do a terrible job of cooking with the lid off. The only time the lid should be off is for adding things, stirring (which you want to do every 30 minutes or so), or taste testing (can do that when stirring).

Next I look at the vegetables I'm going to use, usually carrots, potatos, celery, sometimes onions, cabbage, or greens from the yard or garden. I have been known to dump a couple pounds of frozen veggies into the pot, but not often. You can also use turnips, radishes, brussel sprouts, or experiment with adding something new or left over. I usually add peeled and cut up carrots first, then peeled and cut up potatos, cut celery, chopped greens, onions, cabbage (no more than 1/4 head). I take breaks sometimes between adding ingredients to sit down, and remember if you have chickens or pigs, they'll be happy with the trimmings and peels. Just make sure the chunks of vegetable are about the same size, and that you get the last ingredient in at least an hour before serving.

A few more tips: watch your water level. You want everything covered with water, which does the real cooking. You also want to leave enough room to stir everything. I usually leave at least an inch or so at the top for this. This makes a clear liquid soup, but if you want it creamy like a stew, put a couple spoons of flour in a 1 cup glass measuring cup, add water to the 3/4 cup line or higher, stir until all the flour is mixed in and most of the lumps are dissolved, then add to the soup at least an hour before it's done.

Soup is such a versatile meal, and it can change depending on the ingredients on hand. In this time of empty shelves and high prices, knowing how to make soup to feed a family is both cost effective and satisfying as you develop your own basic recipe. Don't worry if there's a batch or two that's not the greatest, just try again. Enjoy, and have a great day everyone! :)