Britesea - Living the good life in rural Oregon

[Britesea]

Firewood... That's what 26 year old sons are for! LOL

I ran out of yarn to finish my sweater Luckily, it doesn't have batch numbers so I can just order another skein, which I have done. In order to keep myself sane in the meantime, I started a sweater jacket. This should go faster, as I'm using chunky yarn (#5) as opposed to the fine yarn (#2 or 3) that the sweater is made up of. It will have to be set aside a couple of times though- once to finish my sweater when that last skein comes in, and again to re-do DS's sweater. I made a sweater for him a couple of years ago that he really loves, but he unfortunately washed it in hot water and used the dryer. This didn't shrink it, because the yarn was not wool-- instead it relaxed the yarn and so a sweater that fit him perfectly now hangs down to his knees and the sleeves are at least 6 inches too long. He still insists on wearing it, and will even brag to strangers that I made it for him (which makes me cringe-- I can't help wondering what their thoughts are when they see him wearing a sweater that looks like it was made for Andre The Giant). So, once he comes home from this latest housesitting job, I am going to wrestle it out of his hands and pull it apart and see if I can re-use the yarn to make a smaller sweater, or will I have to buy new yarn and just make him a whole new sweater.
Oh, and DH is whining about wanting another pair of nice wool socks, too.

It's snowing again. I have friends that are already starting seeds in their living room. Everyone is getting tired of the snow. I'm just hoping this snow will be deep enough to cover the ice well. Yesterday was crazy trying to get out of the driveway- The weather has been warmer, and the snow has been melting. I did the slip-and-slide out of the driveway and ended up getting stuck in a snowbank. DH had to help me get out. Even the ducks spend most of their day either under the coop or in it.

Tonight is comfort food: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and green salad. My blood sugar has been a bit high so I probably shouldn't make dessert.

 

[Denim Deb]

MH, you think that was bad, last year I was using a battery operated chainsaw to cut down small, dead trees then drag them home. I can't use a gas powered chainsaw because of the fumes, and this was the only way I could get into the woods to get wood!

So far, we haven't had any snow. What a difference from the last 2 years.

 

[Britesea]

I'm very happy; I found a tutorial on making cables that will fit my Boyle interchangeable knitting needles. We bought the materials today and I will work on making a nice long one for sweater making, and maybe a couple of smaller sizes as well.

We also bought a woodstove today, and I got the name of a good contractor. I need to go back in to buy the hearth and the pipe later as I didn't bring enough cash with me. We got a stove that had a few small scratches (purely cosmetic defects) and between that and my Veterans Discount, we saved $120!

I have decided that while I like snow, I do not like thaw. The weather has warmed up a bit, and we had rain all day. The snow has been melting and freezing, and it's really nerve-wracking trying to get out of the driveway. I also nearly took a fall this morning because it was so slippery in front of the door, and spilled the warm water I was bringing out to the ducks. That made it even more slippery, of course.
We are looking at highs in the 40's for the next few days, and rain. I guess the snow will eventually go away and we'll have better footing.

 

[Denim Deb]

A caution w/buying wood. Make sure that what you get is nice and seasoned. Most of the wood we've bought over the years is still partially green. I hate buying wood since I have no control over what we get. I normally end up cutting some and splitting most anyway. Plus, what we've been getting lately doesn't have much wood w/higher BTUs in it. I hope to start cutting my own wood soon.

 

[Britesea]

I know I want to talk to some of my friends that have woodstoves or fireplaces and find out where they buy their wood, etc. We have mostly pine around us, but there is some juniper, which would make good hot-burning firewood. There is some birch here too, but I haven't heard that this is a good burning wood?
I figure we will buy most of our wood at first, and slowly build up our supply (and our muscles!) by cutting our own.

The snow/ice is absolutely treacherous right now. I can't set foot outside without my YakTracs or I will do a pratfall. DS is home finally, so he and I will do a few outdoor chores together- like adding fresh litter for the ducks especially.
It feels like Split Pea Soup weather. That and some biscuits for dinner tonight.

 

[Denim Deb]

Depends on what kind of birch you have. Some birch is better than other. Are you sure it's birch and not aspen? The bark and leaves from a young tree can look very similar.

As for the juniper, that can put out a lot of sparks. I'm not sure how that is in wood stoves. We have a type of juniper around here, and I won't burn it in the stove. If at all possible, try and find wood that's not an evergreen. The evergreens normally burn hot, but don't burn for long. Plus, they don't put out as many BTUs as oak.

 

[Mini Horses]

We have a lot of holly around us and it burns as hot as oak. Splits easier, too.

 

[Denim Deb]

We have some holly, but not a whole lot.

 

[Britesea]

I lost one of my ducks! A youngish hawk went after her- must have been starving to try for a duck as big as he was. I chased him off and did what I could for my girl, but she died within the hour. Now I have to figure out what to do to keep the rest of them safe, as he may come back and I have to be gone most of tomorrow.

 

[Denim Deb]

Can you keep them locked up some how?