Sunday Projects

Happy Week!

No agenda today, but plenty to do!

Today was just a day for projects. We don’t get too many days where most of the family is home, and today we did scatter eventually.

Woman hot tea — Not me, but it sure feels like me!

My day started with a steaming mug of, yes, Sleepytime Vanilla Tea I don’t know why I drink nighttime tea in the morning, but it does give me a gentle start. I can’t do caffeine–on the rare occasions when I take caffeine, it’s in the pill form for a migraine, and I hate how it makes me feel. I prefer a soothing herbal tea to get my daily rolling right. It’s my current favorite, but that changes from time to time.

After a good worship and breakfast together, the boys hit the books while Greg headed to town to bring back his skid steer. Michael arrived at 7:45, ready to hop on the excavator! And that he did!

It’s hard to show in pictures, but they are cutting a steep road behind our camper up the hill. Trying to actually decrease the grade, so we can drive up there, where he made a garden terrace. I secretly plan to build a little cabin up there with a log bench just to get away to immerse myself in nature. I hope nobody notices!

Skid steer making road — From the top of the band looking down

The boys headed out for the church work bee, which we all had planned to help with. But the excavator fix happened, and the rental company delivered it back here Thursday, so we can’t let it set while we go do other projects. I stayed to putter in the greenhouse, and, anyway–someone has to feed these hard-working men!!

I keep Michael hydrated with Sweet and Spicy herbal tea, sweetened with Stevia. He usually begs for coffee. One time when I swapped out the coffee for the tea, he asked for more, so he’s now getting a healthy drink! He’s already had at least one serious heart attack, so I hate to give him something that’ll put more strain on his heart! But he loves the tea and asked me for the recipe 😉.

Since I was on a roll with the healthier substitutions, I made him a sandwich with the Aldi (vegan) chicken patty. He hates Mayo, so I used red pepper hummus. I’m not one of those people who’ll tell you the veggie version tastes just like the real deal. But it’s what I have, and it’s what I make our guys. We’ll see what he thinks. 🤫 I’m serving it alongside a scoop of Adam’s vegan Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie that he made us. I know Michael loves potatoes, so at least there’s that!

Update: he ate all the food with no comment. No idea if he loved it or hated it, but it’s gotta be better than going without!

As for me…I’m planting beets in the greenhouse. First a yellow variety, then a red. I really enjoy getting out there with my hands in the dirt!

Years ago (like maybe 15?) Greg bought a bunch of these Impress-O metal tags to mark plants. We like them. 😊 They won’t fade and the writing impresses into the soft metal, so it won’t wash off either. I think they’re best for perennial plants so we can reuse them!

Today I don’t have a migraine. 👏🏼 It’s terrible to say, but Andrew asked me what was wrong with me today, and why I had so much energy? That’s pretty pitiful that a normal day seems strange. But when I have a migraine (and I’ve had one for at least 3/4 of the time the last several weeks) I’m pretty much a bump on a log. Not much good for anyone.

Cutting in the Terrace

So to explain, the terrace is located very high up the hill. It’s about 3/4 of the way up to the ridge behind the camper. In my soon-to-approach elderly years, I have no idea how I will climb that hill! For now, it’ll keep me spry!

Where there used to be a forested hillside, we now have a flat table space. I honestly love it, even though I loved the quiet forest. Now the possibilities are so many more than before! Greg just wants more garden space, and we sure have it! In the form of terraces on the hillsides.

The day was gorgeous, in the mid-60s all day! The guys dug and pushed dirt! I enjoyed watching them, and my body complained, but will eventually smile at the fact that I climbed that hill more times than I care to count! It’s good for my heart and legs. Oh—and since I was already 3/4 of the way up, I climbed all the way to the top of the ridge. And there I sit. It’s dusk now, and I’m starting to hear a lot of rustling in the woods I’m thinking it’s time to descend, because we have seen a bear here. And cougar tracks. And I’m running down the hill now! I’m pretty sure nobody down there would hear me scream over their machines and ear plugs. On second thought—if I see a bear, THEY WILL HEAR ME! And you probably will too!

Update : after hiking to the ridge, I’m changing my fraction. The garden terrace can’t be more than halfway up to the ridge it just looks closed from down there. Once you hike it, you’ll realize that there’s way more to climb! But who’s counting? Actually—I am. Climbing (or should I say, sliding) down the hill with a bear on my heels—I noticed just how far it is down to where the people are! It’s far! Thankfully, I don’t think that vegan girls make good bear snacks!

So another update: turns out, my way down was not the way I climbed up! It was too dark for me to tell, but I totally bypassed the road and ended up back by the camper. No wonder it seemed like such a long road down! I only slipped once, and landed on my back end. Not bad for all those loose rocks covered with dry leaves. Enough of that.