Me Buddy's Brew Shop (Among Other Things)

Today seems like its two days long. Lord Lipton. Seeing as we were supposed to have snow and the wind was no longer at hurricane strength I started some burning at about 7. That took a couple hours. And an old poppy stopped by to see what my egg sign was all about. He seemed nice. He was out for a walk. But he was a close talker. You know, they keep backing you up as they try to keep a twelve inch space between you. He'd never seen green eggs before today.
We didn't get any snow out here. A bit of drizzle and then the sun came out. The chickens decided they would lie in the sun. They look dead when they do that sprawled out wings all akimbo.
When Himself got home I booted it to the postal shed but they had closed 45 seconds before I arrived. So off to Bay Roberts for some supplies. Went to Me Buddy's Brew Shop. Its the best spot to get supplies. Cheap! And friendly. And I get to barter. Today I got 10 dozen caps and a 1.2kg bag of corn sugar for a dozens eggs. Can't go wrong. Then off to Price Choppers which is in the process of becoming Food land. Which is great if you like air miles but not so good if you are trying to find stuff as they set up the new store in amongst the old. I might not have spuds but at least I can make beer.

The Old Shack & The Knitted Shawl

Exciting goings on here at the Compound today. Holy jumpins! But we need some background...why is it the Compound? When I bought the place I knew it needed a name. Nine acres...the size of Jericho...two houses and a shed. On one of the old surveys the house we don't live in is called The Old Shack. So the name The Compound fit and stuck.
So Himself got a new quad today. He has wanted one since we got here so he's like a youngster Christmas morning. But its new and shiny and needs a place to sleep at night. So the retrofit of The Old Shack began. We use it for storage. Recycling, seasonal items like the pool and stuff. And junk that came with The Compound. Good thing we laid the floor last week because that's where the boards had been stored. But now I understand why it was finally laid.
It was gutted today. And the phrase put the side back in the house is apt. So while Himself was doing all that I was completing a shawl for myself...another check on the bucket list.
Just as the rain came, Trikey (I know I know) went to bed in his new home. The snow blower will join him tomorrow.
Phew! I love my shawl. Its alpaca and soft and a lovely greeny mossy colour that doesn't show true in the picture. But back to proper homespun wool and knitting other stuff now....after supper...we are all gut founded.

Full Sail to Birch

Today I finally bottled the beer that I made from the kit my sister sent me. Its been a while...relatively speaking...since I bottled beer. Mostly wobblee pops and wine the past little while. Its the first beer I made using grains and hops. It seems like it turned out pretty good...we shall see in a couple weeks. Its a Full Sail clone. I have never had Full Sail so I won't be able to compare it. But it was fun to make.
After a super speedy bottling session compared to what I'm used to, I went up around to see how the spruce is making out. No new tips on the branches yet so no making spruce beer for another little while. Soooo I decided to start a batch of birch beer.
Last year I started my brewing again after about a fifteen year hiatus with a batch of spruce beer. Now it wasn't very good compared to modern kits. I did it ole timey way with bread yeast and a raw potato. This year it will be awesome. But while I wait for spruce its birch.
So I went up and started harvesting new birch shoots that are everywhere. The chickens came with me. Of course they follow me everywhere. Once I had a pot of branches I pulled up a bucket of water from the well to rinse them and brought my potful into the house.
Boiled the branches for a couple hours...threw in a cinnamon stick for fun. Drained the must through cheesecloth. Sloshed some cold water over the branches. Added sugar and molasses. Checked its temperature and added the brewers yeast. And now we wait. Five days or so and I'll rack it and then wait another week or so...then prime and bottle. Hopefully during the waiting I'll start the spruce. And then we'll be having a garden party.

Signs of Life

What a warm and humid day here on The Compound. The sun is thinking about coming out but even with cloudy skies its warm. Was knitting this morning...and getting distracted by the knitting needles that had been lost and were discovered yesterday. So I need eight sets of hands for what I want to be at. Oh the rain has started...let's go inside.
So anyhoo I was stirring up the compost heap. The chickens were helping with the stirring and making a meal of earthworms while they were at it. I was also raking up the piles of dry grass and leaves and sticks that the Chicken Chain Gang has been scratching out from under the rose wall. They are always helping.
Speaking of the girls...we had three fatalities in the last little while. A murder by Peregrine Falcon and complications from a murder attempt and then last week one keeled over after the Hickeys truck with the wrong address came barrelling up the driveway and decided to turn around on my grassy lawn. They won't be back. Ever. So I am down a few girls. But one of the girls decided to take matters into her own wings. She's sitting on a clutch. So in a couple weeks we will hopefully have some baby chickens. Waiting...I hates it as much as Smeagal hateses nasty hobbitses. So stay tuned.
The leaves are almost out on the roses and lilacs. The gooseberry bushes' leaves have unfurled and the rhubarb leaves are about the size of cereal bowl. Yay! Early spring consists of more of that *grrr* waiting. But April is almost over so we are that much closer to planting time. Hmmm another bonus of knitting is that it fills all kinds of waiting time...that's another reason to love sticks and string.

Success is Relative

A nasty raw day it was. Foggy and chilly and rainy to start. Morning was spent knitting Republic pot covers and drinking tea ans watching Frozen Planet on PVR. That's some show. Its worth watching. The Inuit quest for mussels is death defying. But every episode has amazing stuff. Loves it.
But then the precipitation cleared off. And I decided it was experimental pottery firing day. I only made one pathetic pot and three sets of rune stones (25 to a set). Now I have never gone to the beach firing. Never fired anything. I was a bystander for a Thule pot firing. But I had my plan. And if anything survived the inferno I would be pleased.
Yesterday I covered my burnables and my pit with plastic to keep the wet off. Good planning me. So I got my base fire going and when it got to coals I layered on a mixture of sawdust, moss and little bits of wood. Then quickly I put in the pot and rune stones. Sprinkled it with salt and pennies for potential colour. Another layer of sawdust mixture and then wood. While the base fire was going I had the pottery pre warming in the wind blown heat from the fire.
So smouldering smouldering till the fire started and then the waiting. My pot survived from a firing perspective but my pot making wasn't so good. And I think I might have less than 20% success rate on the rune stones. I have a while to go till I get to the Thule success rate of ~50%. But something survived and I had an awesome time doing it. So I will make more and fire em a little bit different. What fun!

What the? April?

Bys oh bys. What a weekend! Was it May two-fer? Seemed like it but no its still only April. It was a fine time.
Weird though. Not only the weather. This morning a regiment (a whole lot anyway) of military folks went marching by. In full kit and guns at the ready. When they went by the first time they were in good formation but on the return trip some were in hard shape. But a half dozen read the egg sign and a few called out to Duke who of course was barking them on.
Yesterday during our 14 hour flooring marathon we had a float plane zoom over a few times. I even ran down to the pond to try to get a picture. But I was too slow. But the floor is laid but not totally painted.
Who got some colour? Mostly everyone I'd say. I was out in the sun yesterday while lugging lumber back and forth. Today I sat out and watched the creatures. Grouse...chickens...chickadees taunting Spider at their new feeder. It was nice.
I also had my rune stones out drying in the sun. I can't wait to fire them. Just need the weather to cooperate. If they work out I am gonna whomp up some more. But bottom line it was a deadly weekend and I dare say everyone's beat to the proverbial snot.

A Large Day

What a day it turned (turnt) out to be! I had to run down to Bay Roberts for brad nails and a broom and sugar and what not. Wore jeans and a jacket and was cooked by the time I got back.
Today is put down the floor (finally) day. T&G spruce...my fav. Its been in the old shack for a couple years now aging. So I am the cart the wood over and lean it up person while himself is the cut measure ans nail guy. In between my lugging I put up my new eggs for sale sign and hung out laundry and had wobblepops.
I also hung out some chicken proof bird feeders. Poor little birds have been suffering since the chickens and blue jays started their war. I am down another hen because one of the older ladies keeled over yesterday in between the meter man and the Hickeys truck thinking they were making their delivery here.
Of course himself is inside going off his head because he whacked his skull off the shelf for the third time. Really? Three times? Of you don't learn your lesson after the first time...well no sympathy from me.
But what a day! Its like May two-four. Everyone is at their cabins...as far as I could tell coming back to The Compound from Bay Roberts. A convoy of ATVs just zoomed past. Noisy buggers getting dust on my line of clothes. Had a float plane do a couple fly bys on the pond...went right over the house...low too. I tried to get pics but no luck. I did however put my feet in the pond today. Not swimming temperature yet but close. And tomorrow is going to be wicked weather wise too!