Thankful...

It was a busy week.  I had plenty of little projects to do around the house.  Nothing big, just a little here and a little there.  Our nephew from Minnesota spent the week with us deer hunting.  We enjoyed his company.  My only regret is he didn't harvest a deer.  

 My first project was to make more caramel apple jam and homemade bread.  It was just too hot this summer to bake.   I also froze two pans of apple crisp.  Our apples were outstanding this year.  Ella will attest to that.  Every time she heard one fall off the tree, she raced over to play with it.  In the end she would eat it.  I guess she figures an apple a day will keep the vet away.  I know I already shared photos of the Camp Robbers in the crabapple tree, but this week was so beautiful I couldn't help but take more pictures.  

Project two required some time with the chain saw.  I cut two birch slabs and then fished my grouse out of the freezer.  The poor bird had hit our window several years ago.  I couldn't let such a pretty bird go to waste, so I froze it until I could come up with something.  Then I saw what I wanted, a grouse fan on birch.  I have pinned the fan in place, after cleaning the tail, and covering it with Borax to dry.  In two more weeks I can complete the project and attach it between the two birch slabs.

Project three was to plant some lettuce and spinach in the greenhouse.  While I was at it, I found a few more things in the greenhouse.  A head of cabbage and some short little carrots.  Looks like coleslaw to me.  I'll let you know how things turn out.  

Project four was making a holder for all of our fishing poles.  This is a bit of a pilot, as I just wanted to try an idea.  Again I went into the woods with a chainsaw and came out with two slabs of pine.  The middle piece was already in the garage.    I drilled, sanded, and ground.  The end result worked pretty good.  The only thing I would change is I would move the divots for the bottom of the rods back a bit more.  Still, it worked and they are now all in the same spot and easy to find.

 The fifth project was to clean out the worm composter and save the castings to mix with water and fertilize my houseplants.  As you can see, Ella was interested in this project.   My sister gave me this composter probably 5 or 6 years ago.  They stay in my basement and I take them scraps about once a month.  I clean out the castings and give them a new bed of scraps, shredded paper, and some old potting soil every spring and fall.  

The sun is setting on a perfect week.  I got a lot of little things done and one big thing.  Kelly and I celebrated being married half my life.  I am very excited about that.  This week made me thankful for many things... an amazing husband, another year of living, a beautiful home, a wonderful dog, our families, my health, beautiful weather, and a good life.