Winter pictures

Hi Mary and Jeni,

I took some pictures on the way home last week and here are a few of them

November Sunset

Meeting another car

Getting close to home

Through the Woods

Junco tracks like lace in the snow

Hoar frost on the Amur Maple

A cold Purple Finch

That's all for now.  How is the snow in your street doing?  Still there?  Frozen?  Melted?

Love,

Nancy

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

The ChettheDog.com Quilt

Doing the final binding with help from AbbietheKitty

Hi Mary and Jeni,

As you know I have been working on the quilt for ChettheDog.com.  It kept me busy during my recuperation time.  Otherwise I tended to brood about the transplant.  I am almost done with it and thought I had better post about it before I send it off.  

Blocks were made  by Rio, the Evil Pug, Wookie's Mom (aka as Debbie LM), Kirby T. Penworthy, BStover, and me (aka Staff.)

Bloggers sent in their photo's and Debbie LM and I made picture blocks for them.   

This is the top left quadrant. Rio, the Evil Pug, and below him is BlueCat and to her right is Wolfie WW.

Up in the left corner is Rio, the evil Pug.  His friend made this block using fusible appliqué.    According to Rio it was quite a learning experience for her.  Rio is the one who started this whole idea.   It is all his 'fault.'

This is the top right foursome.  Isn't Siber-H (in the right corner) a doll?
Gus is the grey tabby and BooBear is the orange tabby

This is the banner in the center of the top.  Wolfie WW, Rio and Gus and BooBear

In the row below the top three we have Sam the princess on the far right.

Sam needs lots of glitter and shine

Below Sam on the right side is Kirby T. Penworthy.  This is a very good portrait of him although I think I got a little excited about those eyes.

Kirby T. Penworthy

Next to Sam on the right side of the quilt are these two foursome's.  

Wookie and AbbietheKitty
Cosmo and Macy the MinPin

Rio's business card, Alice Johnson,
Buford and Molly, a Black Poodle 

Next we have the bottom Row.  First, in the Left corner we have the Blog Motto.

Our Motto

And just above it on the Left side is Dawson, from Canada.

Dawson, A Tigers fan...grrrrr

Next to Dawson and the Motto are these two foursome's.

FattyKitty, Mollypop
Grace's 12 puppies and all the other Newfoundlands and family.

This is the last block on the lower right.

Rio's BedBug advertisement, Jasper, a green eyed Poodle,
Maggie, AKA Magpie and BStover's embroidered "B".

Here is the finished quilt.  I made it a big file so you can see all the details.

Love,
Nancy
I guess this is a PS.  Here is the label from the back just as (almost) Debbie LM wrote it out.

This is really the end.

Nancy