Last day of January in the sewing room

An order for 40 vinyl Scripture memory verse packs came in last week.  Today was the day to get them done!  It's cozy up in the sewing room so it was a pleasant job. They aren't difficult, just fiddly - lots of little steps after precise cutting out.  They requested all of them in brown.  Good thing I had lots of brown on hand.

Chain sewing the clear vinyl pocket on the front

I made a little "jig" so I don't have to measure each one.

Front pocket and one side sewn

Both sides sewn

Quality assurance tested and ready for the mail tomorrow morning!

Where I am, there will my cat be also.  Making himself at home on one of the twelve cushions that need reupholstering.  

Sewing done.  Time for some garden vegetable soup for supper.  

Our first OOCAC adventure

OOCAC (Oma-Opa Craft & Adventure Club) was our gift to the grandsons this year.  In lieu of the usual glut of Christmas presents, we decided we'd plan either an outing or a creative craft for each month.  Pete and I had a lot of fun coming up with the adventures and crafts.  On Christmas Day we gave them a calendar with a sealed envelope for each month.  In each envelope is the appointed "treat" for the month.  January was an adventure month (adventure and craft months alternate) and the destination of the adventure was the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.  

It was a lovely day for an adventure - clear and cold.  We arrived at our destination shortly before 11 and discovered that we practically had the museum to ourselves.  

The boys studied the map and quickly picked out areas they wanted to visit - first were ancient Egypt and the underground adventure (where we were "shrunk" to about 1/2 inch in size to see what the soil and its structure and organisms would look like).  

Of course Sue, the famous T Rex, was also an attraction.

We thought the boys might get bored after a few exhibits but they definitely did not!  After a late lunch (which is usually our pre-departure stop) they wanted to visit two more exhibits and then "just one more".  We finally tore them away at 3 pm with the promise of future visits, thanks to our membership for the rest of the year.  It was such a pleasure to take them and they are just the right age to engage with the exhibits.  I wish I knew what had sunk into their consciousness and made impressions on them but those are the questions best left unasked.  Time will tell.  I think Oma and Opa enjoyed the outing every bit as much as the boys.  As my mom used to say, "Let's go make some memories!"

January, you old fooler!

Old man winter has not lost his teeth yet; it is, after all, only the end of January.  But on a day like today he can almost fool me into thinking we've seen the worst of his tricks.  The sun is definitely higher now at noon than it was a month ago.  I looked out the kitchen window and behold, the grass was looking absolutely green!  Needing an excuse to neglect inside chores, I grabbed the egg basket and went outdoors.  Ten eggs (so far) and then from the hen house to the creek trail is only a few steps.

The big bluestem is almost without seed heads now, stripped by birds and wind.  Perhaps this is why I love neutral colors rather than bold bright ones.  Prairie beauty is so subtle.  Except for the skies, that is.  Those sunrises and sunsets are gloriously colorful.

Okay, forget what I said about subtle. 

The creek crossing is shallow but flowing with plenty of water from field drainage.

Close to the ground, new growth!

Now is that green or is it green?  Looks green to me.

 
Reality check.  On my rambles I am still finding and picking up detritus from the tenants.

And on the woodpile, the fresh green of moss.  I took a class in nonvascular botany in college and have always been fascinated by moss, algae and lichens.  

Our newest farm acquisition.  We've needed a small trailer for hauling two sheep or two dogs.  This one is perfect!  Needs a lick of paint is all.

 This orchid has been blooming for months and is still sending out new buds.  Orchids have always loved these south windows in winter.  I think we should say "fresh as an orchid" instead of a daisy.

In the other south window the Carolina jasmine has opened its first blossom.  

One of the joys of retirement is having the time to reflect on and be aware of all the daily beauties.  God surrounds us with constant reminders of his presence, grace and creativity.

January

The world always seems to slow after the holidays. January provides a welcome rest.  It's the still season.  We've had below zero temperatures, snow, January thaw, fog, ice and even a violent thunderstorm with hail.  Weather on the prairie is never boring.

The house feels big after the Christmas decorations are taken down.  We've spent many an evening on the sofas in front of the wood burning stove.  The cat turns into a furry puddle next to the warmth.

Winter is the season of books and reading.  I read all year long but in winter I read compulsively.  

Those are just a few of the recent reads (I've been reading lots of ebooks, too) and my TBR (to be read) pile is tall and tempting.  

The seed catalogs also demand quite a bit of time and I'm finally getting down to the delicious task of starting my list of seeds. This year we are going to try a new system for the garden.  I'm getting too old to wage the constant war on weeds so we're implementing mini-beds on plastic (see thisagrarianlife on YouTube).  I've been researching extensively, ordered the plastic and that was already delivered.  Pete will make the wooden frames I need.  January is the season of dreams, organizing and planning. There's a seed exchange at the county extension office on Saturday and I can't wait to go! 

The hens are laying well and have been happy to have a few warmer days to get outdoors.

Yes, repairing that barn door is on the jobs list for summer.  For now it keeps the cold out.  

I'm also planning for some major planting of conservation plants in the windbreak on the west of the pasture.  The spruces we planted there have NOT done well and I'm going to widen and fill in the space with some hardwood trees and lots of bird friendly shrubs.  It needs to be wilder and much less regimented.  Sumac, wafer ash, hazelnut, Hill's oak, shingle oak, Jack pine, elderberry, red-twig dogwood, pyracanthus, prairie crab.  There.  That should be wild enough.

We've had a Cooper's hawk visiting the bird feeders quite frequently, not to eat the grains but in search of birds to feed on.  Our seed and suet feeders certainly attract the smaller birds.  I'd love to get a photo of the hawk as it lands right outside the living room window.  Unfortunately with the large windows it can see me move and flies off.  

Time to get back to reading and making seed lists.