Crazy Dog

Shep has his hair cut for summer. It costs $55 so I hope he likes it.

"Tobloggan"

Tobloggan: a vehicle for reporting on Snow Days, closely related to "toboggan" which is a long sled for riding down snow hills.





We have had snow falling (with brief interludes of "snain", sleet, and "snunshine") for three days now and expect it to fall for at least one, if not two or three, more. This means: 1)NO SCHOOL! 2)Snow Shoveling contracts; 3)Snow Forts (also known as "quinzee" snow shelters--we build them in the banks of snow heaped up from shoveling the driveway); 5)Snow Men; 6)Snowballs; 7)Gallons of homemade hot chocolate; 8)Indoor blanket forts and the silly games we play inside them. Whoo hoo! Photos (top: snow forts, middles; snow fort, snow fort topped with snowmen, tree house in snow; bottom: blanket fort, the dog--"Can I go in now?") courtesy DCB.

Darning socks

Bad dog. Shep found J's sock lying on the floor. Socks on the floor are a no-no in our house, but "some" "occasionally" land up there. The floor is the realm of Shep. Anything that is on the floor belongs to Shep. He won't take food off the table, but food on the floor is his. It is in the realm of Shep. When the dog found J's sock in the realm of Shep, he began to love it. He gently caressed it with his teeth until he had a small hole in it. No one noticed, but slowly the small hole became a big hole. When J found the sock it was a sodden mess with a terrible hole in the toe. She quietly hung her head and began to sob. No one noticed at first. It was just a sock. But no. This was the cherished lady bug sock. This sock has history and is loved. The sobbing grew louder and something had to be done. So Tatay got out his trusty red sewing kit, found a darning needle, and began work. JJ supplied some wool. Now the stinky sock (stinky from dog-spit) is ready for washing and wearing.

Summer Summary (so far)

"It only takes a spark..."

In mid-June C spoke on "The Power of a Woman" at a Nazarene Women's Retreat in New Hampshire.

A roaring Acts chapter 2-like wind picked up on campfire night, scattering sparks everywhere.


Late June: As a family we attended the Nazarene General Conventions and part of the General Assembly in Orlando, FL. ) We connected with several old friends --a reminder of the many people who have invested in our lives. Thank you! The kids made themselves at home in the exhibit hall where they collected mementos. High points were NYI worship led by the Aussie group "By Grace" and the "valedictory" sermon of Rev. Nina Gunter (Sunday night) which culminated in a parade of flags carried by Nazarenes from 155 world areas (We missed the GS elections). The kids enjoyed their first experience of Cici's Pizza, the buildable, raceable toys at Downtown Disney (the closest we got to the Disney parks) and the pool at the condo. The family favorite recreational activity was an airboat ride with Boggy Creek Tours in Poinciana, FL. After the swamp boat ride, we all got to hold this alligator (above).




Early July: On the way home from Orlando, we had time to enjoy rellies and the beach in Daytona, and a day on the Mall and in the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. An international festival was underway on the Mall featuring artisans and performers from various countries. The potter, weaver, stone carver and boat builder from Wales were amazing.


Mid-July brought us Boys' Camp in Windsor, NH., S as counselor, Ja as CIT, D as camper, the female family members as program assistants. Camp featured swimming, boating, archery, Bible Quizzing (D learned over 60 verses to win the first place trophy) , worship and a pine car derby (D's pine car pictured below). Ju. caught moths and a teeny frog at camp, but we failed to snap a photo. Sorry, Phil! On the way down the mountain we stopped at the Franklin Pierce house where an artisan fair was underway. Our first time to watch a pewtersmith in action. Next week we head to Girls' Camp at the same place with C as speaker.


Other new experiences this summer included geocaching with friends in Fitchburg (after S. preached there) and the kids' discovery of mica (shiny, mirror-like flakes common in the granite rocks of north central Mass. and New Hampshire).


The very latest excitement is that A. lost her first baby tooth.

Sea Mast

A. was reluctant to move up to the next size bike (which someone discarded), although her pink one has a broken pedal and is difficult to ride. So she decided to paint her new bicycle yellow. She cleaned it carefully, and sanded some trouble spots, then painted it with a yellow spray can (with help from dad on the painting). After the paint dried she peeled off the "Tiger Shark" stickers, which exposed the red paint underneath in the shape of sharks. Then she took some black paint and painted "Sea Mast" ('sea master' wouldn't fit) to continue the marine theme. We are all very happy with the results.

1970 VW Beetle

J. is looking for a VW Beetle to invest his time and money in. We looked at this $500 possibility today. The car is complete, although the engine is out (did he say it was a 1600 cc from another year; 1974?). Car has been driven from San Diego and was driving eight years ago when it entered storage. The last winter it has been outside.

Cranberry Crate

Cranberries are part of our heritage (hence the website name), from skating on the cranberry bogs, to free cranberry juice in the drink machine at the bank. Grandparents still receive crates of fresh cranberries. We got one of their recent crates and made a replica (using rough sawn pine wood salvaged from a pallet). We used galvanised nails, unlike the original, and drilled some of the holes to prevent splitting. The stencil on the original is illegible, but Grampie has another box which is clearer and the stencil reads T & B Co. Our stencil was made by cutting a cereal box with a box cutter, then stapling it to the ends, then spraying black paint from a can. We chose the AB brand (from great grandfather blacksmith James... the "A" is not known to stand for anything), plus the year (2009). A. did most of the nailing and thinks of the brand as her initials.

The original pallet wood was the right width for the four bottom staves (3 1/2 inches; 89 mm). The three staves per side were ripped with a table saw to 2 1/4 inches; 70 mm. The length of the box is 21 1/2 inches; 546 mm. Staves were already ripped to the right width (7/16 inch; 12 mm). End pieces needed to be thicker (3/4 inch; 19 mm) and came from an old shelf, ripped to length on the table saw (14 1/2 inch; 368 mm X 8 3/8 inch; 213 mm). The left over worked for the handles, although the original has handles a little thicker (16 1/2; 420 mm X 1 3/8 inch; 35 mm). Also needed for the outer supports: 1 inch; 25 mm sticks from the 7/16 inch; 12 mm stock. Two pieces 16 3/8 inchs; 416 mm; Four pieces 8 3/4 inchs; 223 mm.

The bottom staves go on first, evenly spaced and flush with the edges (2 nails each end). Next go the side staves, evenly spaced and flush with the top, and with the bottom of the bottom staves. Next go the sticks to support the sides (flush with top and bottom; three nails each). Then the sticks to support the bottom (flush with sides; four nails each). Then the handles (three nails). The points stuck through a bit so we angled these in (stronger anyway).

If we were really keen, we could buy an authentic cranberry crate label to glue on the end, see http://www.thelabelman.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_82&products_id=7146&osCsid=138973cbdb13578ff429da8c984465f0 Judging by the labels, crates came in 1/2 barrel and 1/4 barrel sizes (a barrel is 36 English gallons, but only about half that size for the cranberry barrel, see below). Our crates must be half barrel. Some labels specify 50 pounds. Wikipedia lists dimensions for a specific cranberry barrel (this came from US Congress in 1915):

• US barrel for cranberries 5,826 cubic inches (~2.71 bushel / 95.47 litres)
  • Defined as “length of stave 28.5″, diameter of head 16.25″, distance between heads 25.25″, circumference of bulge 58.5″ outside measurement; and the thickness of staves not greater than 0.4″.”^[1] (≈ 724mm, 413mm, 641mm, 1486mm [Ø ≈ 18.62″/473mm], 10mm) No equivalent in cubic inches is given in the statute, but later regulations specify it as 5,826 cubic inches.^[2]

Farm Dogs

This is the only photo I have of the farm (except I took a photo of it now, covered in maize). The dogs are Scott and Skippy. The last dogs before the farm was sold. Reynold and Alice are on the 1950 Massey Ferguson, the tractor they bought new and the only one they owned. It is burnt out in the bush at Piha somewhere now. I have never found it nor seen it.

J.'s Stamp Album for Christmas

My stamp album is blue. I don't only have stamps in my album . I also have first day covers. One of the first day covers has a picture of Santa Claus on it!That one is my favorite. Some of my stamps have pictures of people on them. Some people have long hair, some have short. My stamps also have pictures of flowers. I only have two flower stamps. One stamp has a red flower and one flower is yellow.
Not all my stamps are new. Some are already used. Some are from Austria, some are from Kyrgyzstan, some are from Germany, some are from Russia.
posted by J.

Between the woods and frozen lake...

the coldest evening of the year (Robert Frost).
The town pond finally froze over. I took the kids skating this morning on a bright sunny day (and cold (-6 deg C; feels like -14 deg C). A. tried to drill a hole with an antique auger to measure the thickness (100 mm should be thick enough). The auger didn't work that well because the screw part did not grip in the ice (in wood, the screw would pull the blades down). The auger came from Ralph Osterc's barn, Fishkill, NY.

Music Stand for Christmas

This is a flute, trumpet, and sheet music stand that I made for the boys' Christmas present. It is screwed to the wall in their bedroom. The wood came from a dresser that someone threw out. The trumpet stand was a baseball bat that I carved with a draw knife, a little bit of rasping and sanding. The curves of the shelf are made on a band saw and sanded with a belt sander.

A.'s Stamp Album

A.'s Album
I love my stamp album. It is green. It has many interesting stamps in it. I have first day issues. I also have many foreign stamps. Some stamps have animals on them. Others have pictures of people on them. I have Christmas stamps too. Some stamps I have have already been used.
I like to trade and collect stamps. My stamp album is lots of fun. It has lots of stamps.

posted by A.

On Christmas Eve I'd ....

I finished working on the smoke chamber of the fireplace yesterday. It was one of the most unpleasant jobs I've ever done in my life. I had to lie on my back with my head in the fireplace, and reach into the 100 mm slot above, sometimes with both hands to operate the drill. I put seven pieces of tin in place to replace the rusted metal. It had to go up in pieces because of the small gap for access.

Today it seemed worth it as the snow turned into rain and the fire crackled. We hooked up an aerial to listen to Christmas music on the radio.

A. contributed to the advent mood with a picture and story:

"On Christmas Eve, the last [day of] advent. I decorate the tree. I light a fire. I have fun. The end."

The picture shows the fire in the fireplace with a Christmas scene on the mantel piece. She is next to the fire with her mouse slippers on, stringing lights onto the Christmas tree. It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Shopping List

Little A decided to make me a shopping list today--fully illustrated! It has two items on it, "korn" (corn) and "cat-tilop" (cantalope).

That's a range (stove) on the left, shopping cart on the right. and a grocery store fruit case at the bottom.