Billings Diary; Day: whatever

Before I tell you the shocking news about Billings' snow removal, here are a few more pictures from home:

Jeni's treats from left to right: cookies filled with dates; Victorian toffee, almond shortbread, ginger snaps. 

Jon kept dropping off brussels sprouts for us to eat.  Where did he get them?

Picture taking erupts in laughter.

Forcing our spouses to join us.

Oooo, netbooks!  We all want to be connected.

Cousin Mike and Jeni messing around in the kitchen.

We arrived home Monday to find that snow had fallen in Billings on Sunday.  Quite a bit of snow.  In fact, this November Billings has recorded the second highest amount of snow in its history.  Sorry I didn't take any pictures of the six to eight inches of snow which is nowhere near the record in any of the other places I've lived.  You can look at the Billings Gazette's Winter Weather gallery here - they seem partial to dog pics.

The remarkable thing is this: snow fell before we left for Thanksgiving.  They didn't plow any but arterial streets.  Today (Tuesday) as our car floundered from rut to rut, getting pushed all over the street by the 21 inches of snow that has fallen in the second half of November, I wondered what the plowing schedule was.  Reading the Gazette, I found out:

"If you're wondering whether the street you live on is going to be plowed, the answer is almost certainly no...for decades, the policy in Billings has been to clear the main streets, spread some sand and calcium chloride de-icer where needed and hope the city's frequent chinooks do the rest of the work."  (Ed Kemmick)

Meanwhile a related article tells the citizens of Billings that they'd better have their sidewalks cleared or face consequences.  So you can walk around the block but you can't walk across the street.  Arrrgghhh!  Can you believe it?  I thought about it for awhile and it has made some fiscal sense.  After all, it usually doesn't snow much here.  A friend who lived in Billings for 12 years told me I'd be able to ride my bike all winter.  However, I am imagining that this winter will be the Mother of All Snow Years.  Where is that chinook?

One last picture: the Knitty Brambles beret is being blocked:

A visit with everyone

What a visit!  I can't wait to come back.  Maybe Christy can come too, next time.  But for now, it will have to be enough that all the siblings were together:

Jon, Mary, Nancy, Jeni, Chris

Even Cousin Mike made it.  Most of our spouses came as well.  Here we all are:

 Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2010

The cooks wearing their aprons.  In order, the Martini apron, the Hot Chili apron,
the Chocolate Cupcake apron, the Yellow Cupcake apron and the Apron apron.
Also two Stuffies, (stuffed animals) were present.

 Thanksgiving was a good time.  We had lots of help cooking and way more help eating.   We had some Watermelon Pickles which I had never eaten before.  They were very interesting.  I would have them again.

Watermelon Pickles and some nice olives.

We got an assortment of olives from the Co-op.   My favorite ones are the light green ones.  YUM!

4 different Cranberry Relishes.  The pink one is Susan Stamberg's with horseradish.  

We had a difference of opinion on the Cranberry Relish and ended up with four different ones.  I liked them all except for the one by Mama Stamberg.   I don't mind hot but I don't like horseradish.   Dad loves it.

Pear Cheese Cake with Ginger Snap crust was the favorite dessert!

Jeni had to hide it after she made it the night before.  My brother Chris went looking but she hid it too well!

One person, un-named, had cheesecake, apple pie and pumpkin pie with a 'little' whipped cream.

A good time was had by all.   Jon won the first game of Hand and Foot and Nancy won the second one.  

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

My FREE Sewing Machine

Free Parlor Cabinet Sewing Machine from 1916

This is the Sewing Machine I bought from Peggy McBride at the River Rat Toga this September.  When I started working on it I found the manual and also this 'raffle' ticket in the inner drawers of the machine.   The ticket was the top part of an advertising flyer dated Saturday February 19th, 1916 from Weyrick & Evans of Traer, Iowa.  It was number 1297.

Guarantee for Free Sewing Machine Co.

Raffle ticket No. 1297

Serial Number for this Free Sewing Machine.

The person holding the ticket didn't win the free Free Machine because on the inside back page of the manual was this notation.

Paid  37+ old machine (unless that is a 9)

 Here is the manual.  It was all crinkled up and torn.  I ironed it flat and used some tape to reinforce it.

Free Sewing Machine Manual

Close up of machine head

It stitches very nicely

The front doors open up and become the support for the flip top cover.  They also hold  the attachments, an oil can and thread.  The oil can that I 'liberated' from Mohn Electric more than 20 years ago fit perfectly in a little round divot on the right side inside door.  I just knew I needed that tiny little oil can.  I bet it came from my first husbands grandmother.  She was a quilter too.

Right inside door drawers 

The tiny oil can fit perfectly in the cut out circle

Left inside door showing attachment box

Attachment box with 5 more bobbins and attachments that look unused

I really like this machine.  It is in my living room near the front door.  I hope to do some sewing on it for the Christmas block exchange for the MN/WI Junkies Christmas Party.

Love,

Nancy

Visitors at the Farm

Buster and Dylan

We had visitors on the farm a week ago.  Jill and Cary came out to look at some land and with them came two of their three kids, Dylan and Megan. 
Also came a new member of their household, Buster the dog.  He is quite a wiggly little puppy.  He is only 6 months old.

Buster - on the move

Megan was happiest in the kitchen with a 

full box of crayons.  

Megan and Crayons

Dylan went for a ride with Uncle Jim in the tractor.  He drove it for a long time.  Maybe next time they can go for a trip down the road.

Dylan and the John Deere

Love,

Nancy