Sophie and her Birthday Gift

A couple months before her 9th birthday in June my granddaughter made a nice wish list and placed it on my fridge, just in case I needed some ideas. At the top of the list was American Girl doll clothes. I am aware of how expensive those are, so I let her know that I would probably (definitely!) not be getting those.

But then I thought, "Hey, she could learn to make some!" So for her special day I gave her a pattern and a coupon to go get fabric and have sewing lessons and make clothes for her doll.

Well, she chose great types of fabric for the projects and she cut the first outfit out: a sundress. I had her do every step herself, from pinning to cutting to gathering to making (and picking out mistaken) seams and even hemming. Plus she did handwork, including putting in a snap and sewing down the facing. It turned out pretty cute!

A few weeks later she mentioned casually that her mom had had her enter it in our county fair--I was surprised! "I'm not sure how well it will do, Sophie. They are very strict in their judging."

When I got to the hall to do some of my own pre-fair work I sneaked over to check out how her little dress did and was overwhelmed with happiness when I saw her very first ribbon: blue! A friend said that it was great feedback on her meticulous work and a wonderful way of motivating her to keep doing high quality needlework in the future.  I can't help but agree.

Amaryllis Belladonna Revisited

A few weeks ago I was gazing at the wreckage that is my backyard garden and noticed a strange straight growth coming out of the ground. I couldn't figure out what it could possibly be--and I asked myself, "Can it be one of those ridiculous Naked Ladies I got from California that never did bloom???" And sure enough, it was! We had the hottest, driest summer on record, and that one bulb had survived and given me the rare treat of its blossoms. How cool is that?! 

I still believe that gardening is a great activity of hope. 

More on that later. (If you'd like to see the original post, check this out  http://lorrainesleanings.blogspot.com/2011/10/naked-ladies.html)

Mystery Solved!

We have enjoyed an unusual sunny and mild winter this year. I have loved walking around my yard and checking out all the early growth. I have 5 places where my rhubarb is doing really well, so I decided to check the old bed, from where I relocated all the rhubarb to see if any was left.

The old, unsuccessful rhubarb patch was on the south side of the house, which can sometimes be a dumping ground for various objects and plants. It's where the mint beds are, as well as the asparagus. Plus, when the shell flew off the truck last year, it was set in the area for storage.

And that's where the mystery begins. As I looked over the past rhubarb bed, I noticed some wildlife between the truck shell and the old bed: a small tortoise, about 4 or 5 inches long, with brownish tones. I just stood there staring at it and thinking over how in the world it got there, or if I was hallucinating. It was just sitting there, not moving at all. I simply made a mental note and walked away.

Later I went to that side of the house and the space between the truck shell was empty. No tortoise. Whatever.

Thanks flickr and  margaretglin for the photo.

Several days later I went back to check it out, and, there was the tortoise again!! I tossed some pebbles at its shell and it moved its head slowly. Hmmm. "Where is that tortoise living??" I asked myself. "How did it come to be in our weedy side yard?" I did notice some disturbed soil nearby, but didn't really want to pursue the issue much further. Of course when I mentioned it all to Allan, he went to check it out, but it was gone.

A third time I went in search of the little tortoise and it wasn't in the usual spot--it had crossed the little stone path and made its way into an empty mint bed. That was quite a climb into that garden bed!! As I walked back to the house I thought I might ask the neighbor boy across the street if he knew anything about it, but I didn't have the energy. Later Allan went around to check it out, and the little thing was still in the mint bed. Allan DID ask the neighbor boy, Zach, if he knew anything about a small tortoise that we have in our yard. He hung his head a bit. "We lost one last summer." Zach went over to get his mom and dad, and his mother was overjoyed to have her Russian tortoise returned.

Here is what Zach's mom Rachel said: "I let them out from the backyard to the front yard (there were 3) to enjoy some dandelions in the grass and when I turned around this one had run away!!!" (We've been laughing about the runaway tortoise ever since.)

In finding photos of these I have learned that the Russian tortoises (Testudo [Agrioemys] horsefieldii) love to eat broad-leafed weeds; they don't need much water; they hibernate for much of the year in the wild; "adept at digging to escape; hide in objects and burrow into substrate (according to Petco fact sheet);" great roamers.I think it may have been very happy in our weedy, dry, dirt-filled, protected-by-the-truck-shell, spacious side-garden area. This type of tortoise was also the first animal to leave the earth's orbit in the 1968 Soviet Zond 5 mission. Who knew?!

Can you finish this riddle? Why did the Russian tortoise cross the road??

Some Fruits of Enjoying Family History Work

One of my volunteer jobs is working in the Silverdale Family History Lab for a 4-hour shift each Tuesday. Some days there are a number of visitors needing attention and some days my companion, Ann, and I don't see another soul darken the doorway. This gives me plenty of time to work on my own family puzzles.

And puzzling it can be to discover where we come from and who we are.

Hazel Lorraine

This past couple of months I have made a small and thrilling discovery about my own extended family. I discovered that one of my grandfather's cousins was named Hazel Lorraine. I didn't know we had anyone with the same name as me, so that was a fun find. Then I received an email from a distant relative by marriage in the familysearch database asking about information on Hazel Lorraine, so we had a little email discussion. He suggested I look at Hazel's obituary, which he said was "very nice." So I did, and it was. [Side note: That guy I had the discussion with, it turns out, isn't even related, due to an error in the middle name of Hazel's husband, but it was a fortuitous conversation anyhow, and here's why.]

Gayle, my mother's second cousin, with grandchildren

I read through Hazel Lorraine's obituary (she died in 2003) and was surprised to find that she was survived by a daughter, Gayle, who lived on Camano Island, Washington. I lived in the Stanwood/Camano area for 13 years in the 90s and early 2000s, so I found that fascinating, and wondered if we had ever crossed paths. I continued reading, and saw that Hazel was also survived by a granddaughter, Becky, from Camano Island, WHOM I ACTUALLY KNEW!! She was active in the community, our children had been on little league teams together, and her husband even coached my son's baseball team one season. What a wonderful family they were! I remember meeting  the cousin-grandma Gayle sitting on the bleachers in the chilly Camano Island breeze during that spring. We all even had an end-of-season barbecue at Becky's beautiful home. 

I sat down to write Hazel Lorraine's daughter a letter, thinking she would be about my mother's age, but discovered as I was searching out her address that she had died a few years ago. I intend to write to Becky, my third cousin, soon. I did facebook her, but I could tell she doesn't frequent the site much.

And there you have it. This was a testimony to me that our work in finding our roots connects us to our family members who came before, enriches the relationships we may already have, and helps us make new connections with people who have our common ancestors.

Now to find more information on Hazel Lorraine's grandma, Ida!!

Clayton's Book

Clayton is turning 2 today and I made him a little book so he can practice different words. All it took was a few magazines and photos, colored card stock, and clear contact paper. I almost hate to give it away!

Clayton!

Clothes.

House. Mailbox. Tree. People.

Big red barn. Cow. Chick. Egg. Goat. Piggies. Bunny.

Food.

My family.

Church.

Birds and animals. (Bad pic; the book is nicer.)

Balls. (Don't google this.)

American flags.

Clayton is 2!

Brownie in a Mug

Today I was not sugar-free. I try to be most days, and I succeed quite often. But not today.

After my work and chores for today I felt like a treat, and of course we had none. I didn't feel like making a big to-do so I settled on our son Justin's desperate measure: Brownie in a Mug. Justin has since changed the recipe, but I find this one satisfactory.

Thanks to Elise at simplyrecipes.com for the photo.

Here's how to make it: put all these things in your mug, mix them up, and microwave from 40 to 90 seconds.
Ingredients:
1/4 C flour
1/4 C sugar
2 T cocoa
2 T veg oil (I used coconut)
1/4 t vanilla
2 T water

Suggestions for serving include ice cream or whipped cream (I didn't have either). I just poured milk in and ate it with a spoon.

Do you have a go-to emergency treat? Please share it with me!

Vermiculture

My 5-year-old granddaughter was lamenting our family's lack of animals: “What happened to your kitty?” “Where did the chickens go?” “You mean you don't have ANY animals anymore?” "No, none, Sweetie." But, alas, I forgot to tell her about the WORM BIN.

For over a year and a half I have had a worm bin so that we can transmorph (is that a word?) transform our food scraps into a healthy soil additive. Worm castings, as they're called, are a great addition to the garden or even to your houseplants. There is no odor, just nice (mushy in our case) dirt.

It doesn't take much to start a worm bit, either. You can keep it outside, like I do, or in the garage or under the sink in the house. Whatever works for you. Here are the ingredients for a simple bin of your own. 

1. Plastic storage bin with ¼” holes drilled on the bottom and up the sides
2. Newspaper, torn into 1” strips (give or take), enough to fill the plastic storage bin
3. Food scraps (No meat/dairy, and it's said egg shells and citrus peels are no-no's.)
4. Red wigglers (worms) available at fishing stores, other people's worm bins, or special wormeries.

Place food scraps at bottom of your bin. Fill bin with dry newspaper. Pour water in until paper is damp but not soggy. Place worms in bin, preferably in the middle of the newspapers about halfway down. They will go toward all the food scraps at the bottom.

To maintain, add food scraps regularly, about once a week. Add newspaper strips and dampen when level of paper becomes low.

To harvest worm castings: Push all materials (food scraps, castings, worms, newspaper) to one side of plastic bin. Fill remaining side with fresh food scraps and newspaper strips. The worms will migrate in a week or 2, when food on the “old” side of the bin runs out.

What to do with harvest: Side dress plants in your garden; apply lightly over entire garden area; add to potted plants for nutritional boost and added organic matter.