Two Tubs Today

  It turned out that I was having a tired day. No particular reason, just tired. Nevertheless, I managed to make some progress. Here is what the west wall of the well pit looked like yesterday.

I cleaned the wall, wet the seams as I worked, and mixed and applied two tubs of mortar and now it looks like this. Some of those larger gaps are going to take several applications to fill. I know it doesn't look great. This task is not one of my best talents, but in my defense I will say that the wall was built very poorly to start with. The blocks are not even-apparently laid that way, not shifted. Places where the old mortar is dried in globs that stick out from the surface are impossible to deal with. OK- I could chisel them off and work at this forever, but it's the inside of a well pit, eh? My only goals are to keep the wall together and keep the large vermin out.

Tomorrow I have to go to the store before I can continue. I need some things for my gate across the water pipe egress.

I also made pear ginger scones. These are frankly incredible. Yes, I ate two. I could probably eat another one. But I'll try not to.

In other news: I wrote one more chapter in The Lonely Donkey. Hope I have a higher energy level tomorrow.

See A Dirt-y Beginning

A Dirt-y Beginning

  Today was the day. I got myself down in that well pit to begin the first of the two big projects that have to happen this fall. There was still the dirt you can see behind and under the ladder to move out, even though I spent many hours earlier this year, in June. Please note that the ladder is sitting about 6 inches higher in the first picture. I don't think these images do a good job of showing how much dirt I moved.

It only took me an hour and a half, but that was enough dirt-lugging all the way up and down the ladder.

I read the directions for mixing the cement and I have the tools. Tomorrow, I start re-pointing the walls. And I have an idea to exclude the ground hog from the access hole for the water line. This part of the job shouldn't be too horrible. I've just had a hard time talking myself into it.

Then I MUST tackle the second part of this project- to create an actual cover for the pit. I think I've finally chosen a compromise plan. All of my plans have at least one flaw, but it's time to pick one and run with it.

In other news: I wrote a chapter in The Lonely Donkey. And... and! Bell Choir practices started up again. We have to wear masks, have our temperature taken at every rehearsal, etc. But we are playing. After that, there was a Zoom trail meeting with the National Park Service, the last of the virtual presentations we've had instead of a North Country Trail conference this year. Oh yeah, and I spent way too long trying to ID one of the plants from the place I hiked the other day. I think I've got it. If I'm right it's nothing unusual at all, just growing a little differently from the norm.

See The beginning of this story

North Carolina Candy Roaster

  I bought only one thing for me at the Vendor Event. It was this squash. This one is small and somewhat boring compared to the ones I saw leaving the premises with other people. Some were really large- over 2 feet long- with curly tails.

I went and asked the man with the produce stand (who was very local to the show, and who had a lot of yummy fruits and vegetables, and jellies too) what it was. He said it's called North Carolina Candy Roaster. Unless they are grown in Georgia. Then they are, you guessed it, Georgia Candy Roaster.

I asked him if they were sweet, based on the name. His answer wasn't definitive. But I bought the littlest one. Here's what it looks like when you cut it.

Shockingly, this is what it looks like cooked! Now this is intriguing. Maybe a great Halloween color. But it didn't taste like much of anything. It had the squash texture, but I didn't think it had hardly any flavor at all. This is my complaint about the "new" varieties of acorn squash. They are so mild they don't taste like anything. So, it's a novelty, but I don't feel like I need to buy another if I see one.

The best oddball squash I've had was a Blue Hubbard that someone gave me. I wish I could show you, but this was before I began blogging. He was growing different varieties to try them out.

This past weekend, Sylvia was busy preserving a lot of the bounty from their garden. It's a ton of work. She is an amazing Energizer Bunny. I haven't done much canning or freezing of late. But I've done my share over a lifetime.

In other news, I got off to a slow start this morning. I was tired from the weekend. But then I wrote a chapter, walked to the post office, and came home and assessed beginning one of the big fall projects. I think I may actually be able to beat myself into starting tomorrow. Stay tuned. The weather is in my favor. BR>

See The Cucurbitas

Doug is Doin' It

  After the event was over today I had a chance to get a hiker started on a few miles of trail. The North Country Trail, of course. This is a hiker-friend, Doug Seaney, and he has spotted me a couple of times, so it was only fair. It was a little hard to turn him loose into the woods and not be going along!
He's really close to finishing the entire state of Michigan, and when one has done that about a quarter of the trail is done!

In other news- the vendor event went really well. A much needed boost to my finances right now. And I booked a seminar via Zoom!

See Baker Sanctuary

Baker Sanctuary

  The vendor event went really well, and I found a place to take a short hike just a few miles from there on the way back to Chuck and Sylvia's. This is the Baker Sanctuary, through a prairie area and near a marsh. The trails were wide mowed paths This is a nice prairie landscape. Lots of asters and goldenrod The best find was trumpeter swans in the marsh. But what is that gray lump? It's a juvenile swan! Only two miles, but just a perfect way to stretch my legs. This is just north of Marshall, Michigan. One more day for the event.

See Twelve More Miles