Being home is expensive

Some people may think that staying home is a low expense entertainment, but I know otherwise. Staying at home gives you time to see all the stuff that needs to get done. And some of that stuff costs lots of money.
This weekend we did some "home improvement" shopping. We had talked about it for a year, but the time had come as we sat in our cold house, rain tumbling outside. We went shopping for a fuel efficient fireplace insert.
Background is important here. We have a regular furnace in the attic. It is the forced air type. But I can't stand the smell and dust it blows about. So it has never been turned on. I don't see any point in trying to cut off rooms with inefficient vents, then heating the ceiling. Most SoCal housing it not designed for fuel efficiency or effective heat and cool control. The weather is mild and utilities used to be cheap.
The weather is still mild.
So, we decided (or I did) that an efficient fireplace would make the living area warm and friendly for three months a year, and the other rooms could be heated with small electric space heaters. Then we could sleep in the coolness I like. I am still working on warming up Eduard in the mornings. I may put a small electric heater on a timer so that he can get dressed without shivering.
So for the living room fireplace we bought a wood burning fireplace insert- which is a free standing firebox that is fuel efficient and meets the epa standards for emissions. It has a blower to warm the room and seals off the draft from the chimney. The door closes so there is no CO2/Co or smell blowback. It is recessed into the fireplace so that little hands have a harder time touching it (even though we don't have any little hands). It recycles its exhaust until it is thoroughly burned so there is no smoke blowing out the chimney. It costs $3000 installed. Ow.
And that's not all.
We agreed on new windows- double pane. One side is a bay window with seating, and the other is a sliding door into the garden. Fluffy approves of quick access to the garden.
But that is not all.
Books cases. Yes, built in bookcases and entertainment unit. All around the window will be bookcases and the entertainment unit so that we can sit on the couch and see the fire, window, and TV. The other wall will be floor to 12ft ceiling bookcases with a rolling ladder.
But that is not all.
Carpet. We may finally get new carpet in that room. It was the only carpet we saved from the original purchase of the house. Coarse and bumpy stuff that wears like steel. Much of the house is tile floor, but the floors we crawl around on are carpeted. I like to crawl around in front of the fire.
And one more thing, the old brick around the fireplace might have to go- we are still thinking about this. I kind of like the brick, but not the plaster facade that goes with it. There is no mantel either. I have always wanted a mantel, but I don't know why.
At this point I have identified about $25,000 worth of work- on one room.
Did I mention we also went car shopping?
Fluffy needs the spring now! I must get back to the dirt so that I quit spending money. Seeds are cheap compared to staying home.

Fluffys been distracted

It has been quite awhile since the last post.
I have a new (well not so new) computer. My Sweet Guy got a really nice new one and I got his really nice old one. It needed some work, but it is very nice. We be Mac'n now, at Fluffys.

But that was only one distraction. I have discovered socks. "Of course," you say. "It is cold outside." but that is not what I mean. I am knitting socks. I started spinning wool (a fluffy thing it is, too) about 1 1/2 years ago. And I have crocheted some things like blankets and such, but then I decided to make socks. I got some double pointed needles (dpn) at a thrift store and looked up instructions online- Socks 101. But it wasn't very good. SO I bought a book- sensational socks- that I read about online. That was very good. Now I am making lots of socks. Baby bootie socks, demo socks, my socks, his socks, girl's socks- almost all from wool washed, combed, and spun by Fluffy herself. And dyed with food color. I am about to venture into the chemical dye world, as the Koolaid and food color dye is quite inconsistent. The Koolaid smells great, though. And the commercial dyes have a better color selection. Then a friend gave me a pattern for leaf socks- way cool. Embossed Leaves pattern, from Interweave Knits Winter 2005/6.
So I haven't done much blogging. I have been learning about my not quite new machine. I have been writing a Muffin Book, and I have been spinning, coloring and knitting.

Of course there was also Thanks day, chicken issues, car trouble, and the girl's new boyfriend. All very exciting and time consuming.
You may have noticed that there is no gardening right now in Fluffysgarden. Well, I have pruned a couple of trees, netted in a bed to keep the chickens out, and hired a group to install a new fence at the back. I have drawn plans for the Fireplace/living room remodel and started back at the gym 2 times a week.
I have only baked one batch of holiday cookies, but have been sending little instructions to China for others to bake.
I have also cleaned out things to donate, worked on a baby quilt, and cleaned house (rarely, but it does count).

Did I mention that I also had to learn how to take the pictures and upload and all that?
Fluffys little brain is full for now.
Next : beans- I am thinking about Chinese long beans. I am thinking about spring and getting the garden ready. I may be close to done with socks for now- well, soon, maybe.

That Time of Year

Yes, it is. That time of year when I have to put all my jars and dried foods into the pantry so I can use the table top for Thanksgiving. You may think this is an easy task, but I need to get organized first. Everything is dated so the oldest stuff gets moved to the front and the new stuff is at the back. That means taking every thing out and repacking. While it is out, I might as well clean the shelves. Hey, there is some really old stuff in here! I might actually have to throw some stuff out! Or cook it up really fast into something special.
Well, it will take me several days to get it all done. I just made a batch of Granola- enough to last through the Holidays. And I have started inventory for the great Feast. I have started gathering specialty items for decoration and, most importantly, I have a menu plan.
I hear you saying it. "Turkey and what?" No Turkey here. We have duck every year. After years of throwing away nearly whole turkeys, I poled the troops and discovered that no one liked Turkey. So the alternate white meat- duck- gets the center stage at our house.
But the other dishes are still a big hit. Pumpkin pie, sausage and apple stuffing, sweet potatoes, home made bread, and candied cranberries are always on the table. We often try a new vegetable each year. This time, I am going to let someone else come up with a special treat. It is best to off load the side dishes so that guests feel they contribute, so we will have to see what shows up. Mystery dinner.
But I know my part and am prepared to prepare a Feast from nuts to pie. That is, of course, if we can find the table.

Unpacking

Some of the fires are still burning, but not near us. We escaped this time. But the disruption and devastation were unbelievable. Still are unbelievable. Freeways- our arteries- were closed for days at a time. The smoke was so thick you couldn't see the car in front of you at a standstill, let alone at 70mph. And if you can't drive 70mph why go at all. Most of the businesses were closed for a full week. Hospitals were on emergency only basis to have bed room for smoke inhalation injury and burn injury patients.Grocery delivery was cut off to the large stores. Gas stations ran out of gas.
My friends arrived from Oregon while the freeway was still open. Eduard's cousin arrived from Colorado while we could still pick her up from the airport. Then, the fire near us started moving north and we were out of danger. Wednesday was a good day. I started unpacking.
There are things we don't admit to people very often, but I must admit that I am not the best housekeeper anymore. When I grabbed some of my framed artwork, I realized it was filthy dusty. When it was time to put it back, it all got a really good cleaning. It took me just a few minutes to toss all the stuff into the car, but it took hours to unpack it all. Thursday was a long dirty day. And almost all the stores were still closed.
So for fun, my Oregon friends and I washed and spun wool. We knitted and showed off our latest creations. We tried to keep quiet and not exercise in the foul air. We played in our way while the soot drifted slowly down. On Friday we had a very heavy dew which congealed the soot into sludgy mud all over the ground- but no longer in the air.And on Saturday we had a light drizzly rain. Now the air was breathable and the ground was toxic.
I have washed off the cars and as much foliage as I can reach with the hose. I have tried to clean up the walkways to the house. And next, when this has all come to a stop, I will clean the inside of the house. It smells like an ashtray. There is soot in every windowsill. The carpet has a black path. And every surface has some gritty stuff left on it even after I wipe it down.
I will be done by Thanksgiving. But for now I am happy to have dirty carpet and dusty windows. Some people don't have anything left. My prayers reach out to them. My thoughts and hopes are with them. My garage sale will be soon because I need to share with them. Sometimes when you start cleaning you realize how much stuff you don't want anymore.

Environmental Catastrophe

Last summer, my friends in England were under water. Severe flooding cut off their water supply and power for many. Fortunately, my friends didn't lose their homes, but did get a splash of inconvenience. They were collecting rain water so they could flush their toilets. They were gathering drinking water from community water tubs. And for bathing, well let us just say that it was rare.
Now it is my turn to have disaster at the door. San Diego and parts of Los Angeles are burning up. Once again we are at the critical fire season and watching our friends and neighbors evacuate. But this time, we are on evacuation watch also. This may seem hard to understand as we are only 2 miles from the beach. Where are we to go? Into the surf? To the south of us, it is burning. To the north of us it is burning. To the east of us it is burning. And to the west of us we have a coast line and beautiful waves. We also have guests arriving tomorrow and Wednesday. And how can I possibly save all my produce! And my chickens!! and my trees!!!
Well, we have actually started packing the most important things and unfortunately the trees and produce will not get to go. BUT I am taking the chickens!
Most of what there is in the world is replaceable, except our lives. So I will take my loving husband and myself, enough necessities and semi-precious things, and my living buddies (with their food and water). Many people got the call at 5 am yesterday. We have been on notice all afternoon, but it is not mandatory yet. We are very close to the safe zone so we want to wait until the last minute to evacuate. But if the call comes, we will have to go and wait until the danger has passed.
For those of you who got the care package, you might have to send one back.

Planning Ahead

When we moved to this house, it already had a few fruit trees. That was part of the attraction even though they were not all something we would have planted. So far we have removed four trees that were in distress or completely inappropriate for our climate. And we have added fifteen (two of which failed) which leaves us with nine more than when we started. Sometimes it is hard to know for certain what will grow in your soil and climate. Our soil is sandy, hard packed sand, and ancient eroded beach cliff. There is a high salt content remaining and a scarcity of nutrients. It is a struggle every year to mulch, compost, fertilize, mineralize, and water adequately. But some trees are very happy here if I try hard enough.
I was looking at my Fruit calendar and realized that I have almost a fruit tree or shrub for every month of the year. In January, I get citrus- Lemon and Lime, and could probably have a navel orange. February still has lemons and limes. In March, we get Loquats. In April, there are Loquats and Strawberries (which are not a tree, I know). And in May we get Blackberries and the start of Blueberries (which are a tree or shrub). In June, we have Apples and Avocados. July is Peaches, Plums, Oranges, and Apricots. August is Asian Pears, Oranges and Grapes. September is Figs, Pineapple Guava. October is Pomegranate. And November is more apples. And December, well that month is reserved for chocolate which doesn't grow here. All this fruit, coupled with all that I save from the harvests, keeps us fruity all year long.
You might think that I have enough. But I am always on the look out for another fruit tree. Our Plum tree is dying and will need to be replaced with something that is not a Stone Fruit type tree. Maybe that Naval Orange I was thinking about. And one of the Asian Pear trees just doesn't get enough cold time, so it is going to a friend in a colder climate zone. I could move a grape that doesn't get enough heat. Maybe something exotic and tropical?
Well, if I find a fruit tree to fill in that February spot or one that can compete with chocolate in December, I will keep you posted.

Pestos and Pastas

The Fall season is my party time. I mentioned this before, but not in much detail. When I party, it isn't always having lots of people over and doing loud, fun things. Sometimes it just means that I am doing fun things I like and not spending very much time doing things for other people.
Take socks, for instance. Most of the year I am so hot that I can't wear socks or long sleeve shirts. In the Fall it is cool enough to dress in wooly things, at least in the mornings and evenings. So I have started knitting some nice socks with the wool I washed and spun earlier this year. I have taken my sweaters to the cleaners. I am getting ready for some serious cool time.
This time of year is also good for baking bread and pastries. It is good for roasted meats and chicken. There are things I make ahead so that I have them ready as I need them. I make pestos. Right now, I have harvested the basil and completed "Sun Dried Tomato Pesto" and the regular "Green Pesto". This is great for stuffing mushrooms or tossing with Pasta and left over cooked chicken. It can turn a regular boring meal into something quite special.
Recipe time:
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
1 small can tomato paste
2 oz dried tomatoes
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1 (up to 2) cups fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
5 cloves garlic

I like to cut the dried tomatoes into strips with the scissors. Add all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Some people like less basil so that the pesto is redder.
For regular "Green Pesto" add 1/4 cup more olive oil and leave out the tomatoes and tomato paste.

After you have made this, you need to store it. You can keep it in the Fridge for about two weeks with olive oil covering the pesto and a lid over the top to keep the air off. You can also freeze it in 1/2 cup portions for about 6 months- thaw in the fridge over night.

And you need to use it. The standard pasta with pesto works as a side dish. I mix 2 tablespoons of it with 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 egg, finely chopped veggies and then stuff large mushrooms- bake for 20 min. 350f. Then there is stuffed chicken breast (slice open breast to make a pocket and fill with tomato pesto and a slice of prosciutto or ham. I also sometimes just melt a bit over the top of a piece of meat or chicken. When I get lazy, this is how I make nice dinners with very little fuss. Try it also as an appetizer. Make a little pie dough tart with a teaspoon of pesto and a teaspoon of cream cheese- bake 350f for 20min. Green and red comes in handy in a couple of months. Put a cooked shrimp in there, too. Really fancy. See, very easy and mostly already done.

So now it is party time. Bye- gotta knit some socks.