September 29, 2013

The weather was nice this weekend, so we spent most of it getting ready for winter.  We got potatoes dug, finished the gardens and mowed them, drained the pool, cleaned the camper, and got topsoil moved from where we're going to build our barn.  I drove the tractor for a while with the boxblade, too.  We're trying to get topsoil back where we had the swingset, and fill in the trenches our silly dog has dug.  She seemed thrilled, though, about the new dirt she could dig in.

September 28, 2013

The nearby airport had an open house today so three of us swung by.  I was surprised at how small the emergency helicopter (blue and yellow helicopter) is on the inside.

September 27, 2013

We dug potatoes today.    We filled up our little wagon and nearly filled dad's wagon. My younger son got to drive the big tractor.  It may have been a dream come true for him.

September 26, 2013

August 25, 2013

This is our first pear harvest.  Most of the pear flowers were frosted and died, but these ones in the middle of the tree must have been protected and we got some pears.  They are nice and big and sweet.

September 24, 2013

I made some apple jelly today from the cider.

September 23, 2013

I got a mini cupcake at the parade.  I've never seen these little cups before, I was impressed and showed it off for a couple days before I finally ate it today.  It was pretty good, too.  I don't think I've ever been this excited about getting something at a parade.

September 22, 2013

We made apple cider today.  We got a little over 13 gallons. 

September 21, 2013

It rained on the parade today-quite a bit of rain, everyone was soaked despite raincoats and umbrellas.  The kids got a lot of candy though.

September 20, 2013

I haven't heard of this type of vandalism before.  Yesterday we noticed someone pulled the plastic cover off the copper grounding wire on the electric pole, cut it off at the ground and about 6' up and stole it.  We saw a few neighbors with the same problem, although it's not something most people would notice is gone.  We wouldn't have noticed if the plastic cover would have been taken too.

September 19, 2013

It finally happened- one of my kids needs glasses.  I was hoping they'd inherit their dad's eyesight and not need them.  She failed her eye test at her physical last month, so we went next door to the optometrist and made an appointment.  Today she got them.  I can remember getting glasses and being excited about how much better everything looked, and she is like that too.  She really only needs them for class and to see details at a distance, but for now she's wearing them nearly all the time.

September 18, 2013

I got a little help canning apples.

September 17, 2013

My younger son getting on the bus.  My oldest gets on in the dark, the middle child at dawn, and the youngest in broad daylight.

September 16, 2013

I got a new pair of shoes today.

September 15, 2013

The Cuyahoga Valley park had a steam train visiting this weekend so we went to see it.  We didn't have tickets to ride and so couldn't get too close, but could see it well anyway.  It's probably the biggest one I've seen that is actually running under it's own power.

September 14, 2013

My parent's apple trees are loaded with apples this year.

September 13, 2013

Milling out some aluminum.

September 12, 2013

September 11, 2013

September 10, 2013

September 9, 2013

The tomatoes have been small this year.  The carrot my son pulled up, though, is as big as I've ever grown.  The top went to the guinea pig; it took her the rest of the afternoon to eat it.

September 8, 2013

He got the hay baled today.

September 7, 2013

My pressure canner didn't have a weighted gauge so I ordered one.  Using the alternative makes it a little too easy to blow up the kitchen.  This one is so shiny!

September 6, 2013

My daughter and I checking on the sunflower growing in the potato patch.

September 5, 2013

Farmer Mike has returned!  Good thing, too, the field was looking awfully weedy.  I'm just glad I don't have to mow it myself.

September 4, 2013

I looked up what kind of bug this is: Pennsylvania Leatherwing (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus).  Apparently, it's a beneficial bug.  I just think it looks good on a sunflower.

September 3, 2013

Goldfinch eating seeds.

September 2, 2013

Spaghetti sauce

September 1, 2013

My oldest painting some miniatures

August 31, 2013

We juiced tomatoes today.  He said he was tired of turning the handle and got out the drill.

August 30, 2013

The kids say they're riding a new bus this year. 

August 29, 2013

His first locker.

August 28, 2013

My computer's hard drive stopped working.  It's taking a while to get all my stuff going again on the new hard drive.

August 27, 2013

The first day of school!  They all ride the bus at different times.  There is a road just north of us that the bus has always come down, so we watch for it to go by there, and they have plenty of time to walk from the garage (out of the weather) to meet the bus.  We were standing in the garage watching that road for the first bus when suddenly, it was at the end of the driveway.  The high school bus is coming from the other direction.  Turns out, the third (elementary) bus does as well.  Kind of a bummer, I always liked having that early warning system going for us.

August 26, 2013

For the last day of summer break, they got to husk corn.