Ken did things here that I never did. Well, I never did them here. When we met in 1990, I had a house in St Paul and I mowed my small level lawn with a push reel mower. I used to joke it took anywhere from a half an hour to three hours – depending on how many of the neighbors stopped to chat. But here Ken mowed. First with a sickle mower attached …
Today the mechanic came back with the second of three tractors. Both Massey Fergusons now work. I have yet to decide whether or not I will sell them. But a tractor in running order sells more quickly than one that isn’t working. And I need to have them working so I can decide if they will work for me. But I know this FarmAll B crank start is not something I want …
Well, between yesterday and today I have sorted about ten boxes of rags. I have barrels out in the rain. Once it stops, they come in and get dried and these rags will go in one or two These boxes need buttons, sleeves, and seams cut off the garment. Home stretch Here’s the before and … …here is the after. Progress!
Well, after dismantling and moving the shelves to the front door, I realized there are boxes piled up on the south wall. And the remaining barrels have grain in them. And I have fewer chickens so grain is getting eaten up more slowly. What to do? This morning a before gallery owner came to take some pots, I was scouting for the rest of the shelving in storage to add what is by …
In 2014 Ken bought tubs and built the shelves so I could store rags for rugs in a more organized manner. I filled tubs and people gave me more and more rags. I started saying no to more rags. Part of my mourning Ken’s death, and starting a life without him is sorting and cleaning. I find I want to clear the house and then introduce things back as needed or wanted. Space has become …
Right now I need privacy. This is a dramatic shift from decades of having an open drive and people coming at all hours to buy pottery and produce. Examples include people choosing a wedding gift by car headlights for the next day, people arriving at 7 a.m. for pottery shopping because it is the last hour of their vacation and they need to drive several hours to get home, a man coming at 7 p.m. …
I have wrestled with how I will do many jobs alone that I used to do with Ken. One is emptying the compost toilet. I would prefer NOT to have to ask for help on this one. People helped me with the full barrels twice. And a friend helped me when he untangled my pulley with brake. Today I worked with a half full barrel. I did this alone. I am happy
Ken left me some sourdough starter. I had baked bread with commercial yeast several decades ago, but never sourdough. Sylvia kindly showed me her method of baking with sourdough, and I have been experimenting. Yesterday I tried a new recipe with rye. My tasters approved!
