A Carport Gets A New Home

I thought bartering was an old fashioned term that didn't happen much in this day and age.  I was wrong, it recently happened to us.  In a previous blog I wrote about our youngest daughter buying an old farmhouse in need of an update.  They didn't want to own two homes, so they are quickly getting the farmhouse ready to move in and at the same time getting the other house on the market.  They had a carport that they wanted to take down before listing.  It was agreed that we would take the carport in return for work on the farmhouse.  Truth be known, we would have done it for free. My husband fixed and replaced drywall, taped it and got it ready to paint. 

Before we could begin the dismantling, we had to prepare our space.  It doesn't really match the rustic setting we have, so one stipulation was that I couldn't see it from my kitchen window.  We chose a place for it.  First we had to bring in someone to clear the area and level the space.

Here is where more bartering comes in.  We needed some gravel brought in.  The person who did the Bobcat work saw that we had a nice long extension ladder.  We hadn't used it for a long time because it was very heavy.  So we traded him gravel for the ladder.

After the gravel is spread out,

 the supports and the base had to be leveled.

Now it is time to take down the carport.  It was easier said than done for me.  Every piece had to be unscrewed and marked so it could go back up in the same configuration.

First the roof panels had to come off.

Then the framework came down.

Many hours later, we loaded the pieces on to our truck and headed home.  After a couple days of rain delays, we were ready to put humpty dumpty back together again.

And so we begin

UGG!

Framework is nearly complete.  Notice our resident supervisor.

Now the roof goes on.

Some of the pieces didn't fit well.

It was kind of a struggle to put this thing back together.  We had to hit all the same screw holes.  I laughed when I saw my husband using this strapping and a stick to align the holes.  As he twisted the strapping, it shortened and moved the braces into position.   He told me he learned how to do this from an Owen Wilson movie.  I guess some of the mindless movies he watches actually served a purpose.

We are almost done.

All finished except for a few finishing touches and a little extra gravel.

 
We do have some gravel leftover.  I wonder what we can barter for that.  This canopy or carport will be a nice cover for some of our things, but it isn't very pretty and I'm glad I can't see it from the kitchen window.

Cherry Salsa

The summer of 2012 we visited Traverse City Michigan.  Our only niece lives there.  It is a beautiful area in Michigan.  There is a reason songs are written about it and famous people live there.  It is also famous for the cherries that are grown in the area.  If you are familiar with Door Country in Wisconsin, it is much the same.  It seems that latitude must produce the best cherries.  While visiting, I purchased some Cherry Salsa for my family at home.   I didn't get a chance to taste it.  This summer my sister brought me some salsa from Traverse City and a bag of cherry tortilla chips.  I gave my husband and my dad a little taste, and I ate the rest all by myself.  There is about two tablespoons left for when I need a special treat.

I thought maybe I could make my own cherry salsa.  I have made other salsas in the past.  I asked my sister if she had a recipe, and she sent me this one put out by one of the cherry growers.  This recipe calls for cherry jam.  At first I was going to make my own cherry jam because the cherries are in season.  Then I thought better of it.  I wasn't going to waste perfectly good jam on something I had never tried before.

These two 12 ounce jars cost less than $5.00 for both compared to the little jar which cost a least $8.00, maybe more.

 

Fresh Cherry Salsa

Ingredients:

1 Jar Cherry Jam 8 oz.
2 Cups Diced Tomatoes or 1 - 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 Cup Diced Onions
1/4 Cup Diced Jalapeno Peppers (or to taste)
2 TBSP Tomato Paste
1 tsp Garlic
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Oregano



Put all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 2 minutes and put in jars. Invert the jars lid side down for 5 min and then cool to room temperature. Makes 3 - 8 oz. jars of Cherry Salsa.

I put it in two 12 oz. jars.  The jars actually sealed.   I think it turned out great.  I didn't have fresh tomatoes so I used the canned variety.  Mine had garlic and onion in them, but I still added the recommended amount of garlic and onion.  Next time I will use fresh tomatoes or a can of plain diced tomatoes.  I may also cut back on the oregano and try 1/4 teaspoon.  Overall, I think it was a success.

 I'm going to the store right now.  Fresh cherries are $1.99 a pound.  I'm going to make some cherry jam. 

Training For The Big Adventure Or Not

Yesterday was another busy day.  In the morning Mike and I worked on a big project that we have been working on for quite a while.  It takes us longer at our age.  I will write about that in a few days.

First a little background.  Our daughter Sarah and her friend are signed up to do an eight hour adventure in Michigan.   http://miadventurerace.com/epic-edition/race-information/  One part of the adventure is canoeing, and they have been training to improve their skills.  Neither of them are experienced at canoeing.  Our daughter thought since it was such a beautiful day she would like to canoe with her family.  They came to our house to use our canoe.  Of course, everyone was on a different page.  My husband Mike wanted to work on his project, Melissa our granddaughter didn't want any part of it, Sam, middle grandson wanted to go fishing, and I would just go with the flow.  Finally we got organized and hooked up the trailer with the canoe and headed for the boat landing.  Sarah and family minus Melissa followed.  When we got there, they unloaded the canoe.  Sarah, her husband and youngest son Jack were going to canoe.

After they were on their way down river, we headed to the destination boat landing.  It is easier to paddle with the current, so we drop off in one place and drive to the next for pick up.  Since Sam wanted to fish and I am the only one in the family who can bait a hook, it was my job.  I had to go down to my little worm farm and take a few worms to fish with.  Jack was not going to fish at this point because he was sad that I was going to kill my pet worms.  That is why he decided to canoe with his parents.  When we arrived at the pick up boat landing, we saw many other canoeists, kayakers and this big Voyageur canoe.

This voyageur canoe trip is giving a history lesson to a group of young people.

This canoe trip is run by some local Princeton residents.  The trip explores the Fox River the way Father Marquette and Louis Jolliet did.  It teaches about river travel and exploration. 

To read more about it, here is the website.
 http://foxoftheriver.weebly.com/

This particular blog that I wrote a while ago mentions the same people who run the Voyageur trips.  http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/05/legend-of-cross.html

Ok, back to our day.  We parked the vehicles and Mike set up away from everything.  I think he needed to regroup from the chaos.

Soon he joined us at the river bank.  I baited Sam's hook and set the bobber.  Soon he got a bite and was so excited his sunglasses fell off, and he stepped on them.  He smashed them and didn't even get a fish out of it.  Another time he got such a bad snag that we had to cut the line and start all over.  I was praying for no fish, but he didn't know it.  He mentioned having his catch for dinner.  I am also the only one who knows how to clean a fish, and I wasn't really in the mood.

 
Before we knew it the rest of the crew arrived safe and sound at the boat landing.  They paddled in, and we loaded up the canoe again.

Now it was time to go home.  Everyone was starving so I had to come up with something to eat.  Thank goodness it wouldn't be fish.  I don't know how much of a work out Sarah got, but I think everyone had fun.  That is the important thing, after all.

An Update To My Zote Soap Laundry Detergent

Today I'm doing an update to a previous post.  More than a year ago I wrote how I make my own laundry detergent using Zote soap.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/01/what-on-earth-is-zote.html

This method works great, but Zote soap is a little difficult to grind fine enough.  It is a very soft bar soap so it sticks to the grater or blender blades.  It has to be ground up with the borax and washing soda to keep it from getting sticky. Once incorporated, it stays as dry as any powdered laundry detergent.

Recently a friend of mine (Barb I.) sent me a link for another method for making detergent.  It is the same recipe I use for powdered detergent, but this process is easier for me. Here is the link that prompted this blog post.  It gives complete specific instructions.  She uses Fels Naptha soap which works very well too.  Zote needs a little more water to get smooth and creamy.

http://www.budget101.com/myo-household-items/5-minute-no-cook-laundry-detergent-recipe-4075.html

The first thing I did was cut the pink Zote into cubes.  I put the cubes into 2 one quart jars.

 
Then I filled the jars with hot water and let them sit for several hours.  Actually I let them sit overnight.  This softens the soap cubes even more.

For those who don't know this, some blender blades fit on a mason jar.  I learned this from reading an article about making your own smoothies without buying a fancy Magic Bullet.  It works with the regular mouth jar (shown on the left).

http://www.primermagazine.com/2011/learn/homemade-magic-bullet-using-a-mason-jar-with-your-blender

Then add the borax and washing soda (1 cup of each total) and blend.   It makes a soft fluffy soap that dissolves in the washer.  You can leave the soap in the jar and use it that way.  If you don't have a blender blade that fits on a jar, then you will have to transfer the soap into your blender.  It works fine but the creamy soap isn't easy to get out of the blender jar.  I did one of each and much prefer the method that stays in the jar.

The only secret is DO NOT PUT SOAP IN SOAP DISPENSER.  PUT SOAP DIRECTLY IN THE TUB.  I have a front loading washing machine, and I put 1Tablespoon of fluffy soap directly on the clothes.

The finished product looks like fruit fluff.

I love the smell of this soap and it cleans very well.  Next time I will only make a half batch.  One quart jar of this soap lasts my family a very long time using only 1 Tablespoon at a time.  I hope you like it too.  I still use the soap nuts but switch off using this.  White clothes get clean with the soap nuts but they seem a little dingy and need brightning up.  The Zote soap does that.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2014/03/soap-nuts-for-your-laundry.html

My Lucky Day (I hope)

The day is still young, but it may be my lucky day.  For what, I have no idea.  I can't win the lottery because I never have bought a ticket in my life.  My theory for life is that you never ever get something for nothing.  I won't find a great deal on something because I don't plan on shopping today.  Maybe it will be a simple thing like not choking or not falling down the stairs.  My dream luck would be seeing the beautiful Whooping Cranes hanging out in the area.  If I could look out and see one, that would be like hitting the lottery for me.  By the way, the 2014 class of baby cranes arrived yesterday.  There will be seven of them training with the ultralight aircraft about three miles from our house.  http://www.operationmigration.org  Four of the year old cranes from last years class have been spotted in the marsh near the training ground.  Keep your fingers crossed they will venture this way. 

The reason for my optimism is that I just went outside to fill the hummingbird feeders.  In the short trip from my door to the feeders, I found 5 four leaf clovers.  Yup, I said FIVE.  I don't pick them anymore because I want others to find them.  I just take pictures.

This is number 1

#2 and #3

#4 and #5

As you can see, we can't grown grass but we can grow clover.  Maybe that is why it is easy for me to see them.  I wrote about finding four and five leaf clovers in a previous blog.  Maybe my luck will come in doing something more exciting than this little sport of finding clover.  I will keep you posted.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/06/my-second-childhood.html

Impossible Pie

This week I made a pie that I hadn't made for a very long time.  My husband isn't crazy about coconut so I didn't make it much for us, but my mom made it very often.  My sister reminded me of this fact a few weeks ago.  I dug around in my old recipes and found it.  It is very easy to make so I imagine that is why mom made it so often.  I asked Dad if he remembered it.  He said "No".  I couldn't believe it.  Then I realized that mom made her main meal at noon like they did in the olden days.  Dad would come home from work for "noon dinner" as they called it.  They turned on their favorite soap opera called  "All My Children" and both of them watched as they ate.  Dad would get so wrapped up in the story, he probably didn't even know what he was eating.  This is basically a custard pie that makes it's own crust. 

Impossible Pie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

4 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup flaked or shredded coconut

Blend all the ingredients for 1 minute.  I used the immersion blender.

Pour into a greased 10 inch pie plate.

Bake 40-50 minutes until the middle is set.  Check with a toothpick.  If you like, you can sprinkle a little nutmeg on top.

Growing A Mango Tree

Some of you who read my blog may think I like gardening.  I love other peoples gardens.  I love to look at beautiful flowers and plantings, but the actual process of gardening for myself is low on my list of favorite things to do.  I don't like to sweat or get my hands dirty.   I plant plants that take care of themselves.  However, I do love to propagate plants.  Whenever I prune or trim, it is very difficult for me to throw away the stems.  Many of my plants have started out as a stick or small starter plant.  That brings me to my story for today.  Last Mother's Day, my oldest daughter stopped by in the late afternoon with her family.  They had spent the early part of the day with my son in laws mother.  When they came into the house, they brought some trash from the car that needed to go into the garbage.  They had an overripe mango that I separated out to go into the compost.  As I looked at the fruit, I wondered if I could start a plant from the seed.  I took off the fleshy part and put it in the compost.  Then I took the large flat pit and tried to break it open.  It was really tough and I couldn't do it.  I thought if I planted it, as is, it would probably never germinate or it would rot.  I decided to wrap it in wet paper towels and put it in a plastic baggie.

I put this bag in a dark place for about two weeks or more.

I put the mango pit wrapped in moist toweling away for several weeks, I can't remember exactly how long.  I would check it once in a while to make sure the toweling was damp and look for sprouting.  One day I noticed a small sprout peeking out of the pit.

The pit has softened up and this sprout appeared.

This really is a sprout.  It looks kind of creepy.  It looks like a hairy creature with a leg sticking up.

Inside the pit was a bean type seed starting to sprout.

The mango pit had softened up, and I could remove the seed very easily.  There was a clear covering around the bean.  I tossed the casing, covering and planted the seed.

The pit opened like a clam shell.

I found an old hanging pot, covered the seed with soil and set the planted seed outside.  I pretty much forgot about it.  It was two months ago that I put the mango pit into the plastic bag.  Now it looks like this. 

It will probably turn into a nice house plant for a while.  We can't grow mango trees outside in Wisconsin because the winters are too harsh.  Another problem I see is that they can grow to fifty feet tall  plus who knows what kind of mutant fruit it may produce.  It was fun to see the propagating process and will be interesting to see how big it gets before winter.

A Michigan Lily In Wisconsin

We have a very unusual lily plant.  The first time I saw it, it was growing in my great grandmother's garden.  It looked like a tiger lily but it grew on a very tall straight plant.  She died many years ago but we still own the house.  In order to keep the house in the family, we bought it.  That was a gigantic mistake, but I won't go into detail about that in this blog.  All I will say is that property values have fallen, and we have a renter who has made matters even worse.  No matter how much care or lack of care, these plants survived.   I never had a chance to ask anyone what the plant was called.  When we moved to our home, I dug up some of the plants.  They have done very well here but I still didn't know what they were called.  After an internet search, I believe they are called a Michigan Lily.

These lilies are over six feet tall this year.

Close up of the bloom

Unusual placement of the leaves

When the blooms first come out, they are straight.  Then they curl backward.

Young Baltimore Orioles Are Out Of The Nest

Today, July 3, 2014, I am just going to post some photos.  I like to track the progress of the Baltimore Oriole.  So far this year I have blogged about the arrival of the Oriole, the building of the nest, the laying of the eggs and now raising the babies.  At this stage the young ones are nearly as large as the parents.  The males don't have the brilliant color so it is hard to tell the female from the babies except when they are feeding them.  If you would like to read other blogs I have written on the Oriole, just type 'Baltimore Oriole' in the search box.  I have written about them several times.

This is a new feeder.  We hung it in the window so we can see them up close.

View from inside the house.

They sure can mess up a window but it's worth it.