A Hop of Robins

About half of the snow melted since yesterday and today there were hundreds of robins in the field.  I do not know what you call a  flock of robins and but I call them a hop. 

January Sunset on Music Mountain

Sunset 23 January 2012 

Icy Cold Morning

 

Morning sun sparkles the ice encased branches as it rises high in the east.

Fresh Snow

It is a cold day.  The sun comes up and wakes up the trees.  Their shadows stretch  across the  fresh snow that fell in the night. 

Me and My Shadow

 

This morning I looked up from my desk and thought that I saw a Blue Jay and a Crow sharing breakfast at the feeder.  But it was the jay's shadow cast on the screen by the early morning sun.  

Snow Globe

I don't have a snow globe and I don't need one.  All I have to do is look out the window and I don't even have to shake it.  

A Snowy Day

Miracles do happen on Music Mountain.  In spite of a heavy cloud cover, snow, and wind blowing snow horizontally most of the day, I am on the internet!!!  I still have power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It's a cozy day to spend in the house  and I made The Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Yogurt Cake for a friend.  It is taking all the willpower that I have not to eat it myself.  Tonight the temperature is going to drop to somewhere that I don't even want to think about. 

The Black Walnut Trip: Log blog--Part 5 of 5

NOTE:  This is a five part blog and due to the nature of blogs, it would make more sense if you move down to watch Log Blog--Part 1 of 5 , then move up to 2 and so on.  That way it is chronological in the order that it happened instead of the reverse!

Rich is using a cant hook to position the log on the sawmill.  The logs will be sawn into slabs of 1 and 1/4 inches and the center will be cut into a 4 inch slab of lumber. 

This is the log that was in the back of the truck.  Does it look familiar?

Observe the beauty of the grain of the black walnut board.  

 Rich removes one of the newly sawn boards from the mill.  It has a unique pattern. It will be fun planning the future of these beautiful board. 

The Black Walnut Trip: Log Blog-- Part 4 of 5

 

It takes a long time for Black Walnut to dry and it is a procedure that is best done slowly.  After cutting the slabs, a wax-like substance is painted on the ends to keep the boards  from drying too quickly.  That could result in checking or cracking.  In the picture above, small uniform boards called stickers are drying in the kitchen and they will be used between the boards so that air can circulate freely around the boards.  A lot of weight is put on the top to prevent the walnut from cupping, warping or twisting.  

Shown above is the platform that Rich built to hold the boards that he is cutting.  It is sort of bed and is in our pole barn.  The boards will be placed on this bed, stickers put between the boards, and weight on the top.  It is dry in the barn but still outdoors.  Many people who love wood believe that this slow  drying  for a couple of years brings out the beautiful rich grain of the wood whereas kiln dried lumber may bleach it out.  

The logs are ready to go to bed now.  Cracks in the log on the left occur sometimes when they are being cut on the mill. 

The Black Walnut Trip: Log Blog--Part 3 of 5

We went to sleep listening to the calls of a Great Horned Owl hunting nearby in the moonlight.  We were both awake very early and decided to get an early start in order to miss heavy traffic.   After a really good cup of coffee and some apple cake,   we hit the road at 4:45 AM!!!

The sun came up and cast a pink glow on the Catskill Mountains.  The traffic was light.  The load of logs in the truck and trailer rode easily and presented no problems. 

 

 

After several hours of driving, we were back in Vermont.  This is an interesting view of Birds Eye as we came in on Route 7.  Since we did not have much breakfast and it was lunch time when we arrived back home, we decided to have scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes and coffee for lunch.  I made brunch for lunch while Rich unloaded the logs alone.  Hmmm   Unloading must be easier than loading and I think he used the fork lift on the tractor.

The Black Walnut Trip: Log Blog-- Part 1 of 5

A call from relatives in New Jersey was the inspiration for this trip.  Some trees had fallen on their lot  and as a result,  had to be cut.  One of the trees was identified as a black walnut  by the tree service who cut it and now it was cut into logs and laying on the ground.  Who do you call?  Rich "Treetrunk"  Lunna! 

After some thinking and planning, he was prepared to go and pick up the logs with his new Toyota Tacoma pickup and a trailer.   Calls had been made to our insurance guys at Washburn & Wilson Agency;  to White River Toyota about the weight limits on the truck;  to check tire pressure recommendations for both truck and trailer;  and several to New Jersey to make sure of the length and diameter of the logs in order to calculate their weight.   All the required documents, inspections, directions,  tools, etc. were loaded  and we were ready to go.

We were up at 5 AM and left at 6:15.  It is a 300 mile trip and because we were pulling a trailer, we took it slow and easy.  We only passed one car all the way down!

Sunset Over Sable

Technology does not let you get old and refuse to change. You have to constantly learn new ways of doing things. Getting used to the way things are is not allowed!!! And so, every time I drive my car or use my camera or my computer or my cell phone or facebook, I learn something new. I am also learning patience--most of the time. This week I posted videos on MMMusings--that's a first. Today I placed some writing on a photo.  Sometimes it's fun.  Sometimes it's frustrating.  And sometimes I just need to get outside and go for a walk.  

Thumbprint Jam Cookies

Today I made thumbprint cookies using a recipe from Stonewall Kitchen.  I love visiting the store in York Maine when we are up there--or is it down there?  Stonewall Kitchen is  one of those stores that has a LOT of free samples.  

Here is the recipe for the cookies--with my additions:

Ingredients:

1 cup  unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 and 2/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup very finely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup on jelly   Stonewall Kitchen recommends their specialty preserves:  I used their Wild Maine Blueberry Jam for the batch in the picture.  


Directions:


1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  (Even though they say this--don't do it now.  You will see why later.)  Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.  I used parchment paper and it saves a lot of clean up on the cookie sheet.

2.  Cream butter using a mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed.  If you are like me and you do not have that attachment, just use a mixer.  Add sugar and beat until smooth.  Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla one at a time, mix until incorporated.  I don't think that this is a legal issue;  I think they just mean to mix it really good.  

3.  Combine flour, salt and ground walnuts in a separate bowl and whisk until uniform.  Slowly add flour mixture to the butter.  Mix until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.  Knead a few times, wrap in plastic or wax paper and chill dough for 1 hour.  Now you see why if your oven was pre-heating, it would be on for over an hour!  


4.  Roll dough into 1-inch balls.  I use an ice cream scoop that measures about an inch diameter across the top and that works well.  Then I squeeze the dough out of it, roll it in the palms of my hand and squish them so they are flat--no longer balls.  Then I made the indentation on the top with a round teaspoon and filled it with a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of jam.  Yow will see at least one cookie in my photo with a whole teaspoon and it  is too much.  


5.  Bake until edges are golden brown about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow cookies to rest for a minute before transferring them to a rack to cool.  


6.  Have a good book nearby to enjoy while the cookies are baking.  When they are ready to eat, have yourself a nice cup of tea or cold glass of milk.  


My thanks to Stonewall Kitchen for this recipe. If you are ever near York Maine, definitely visit their store--lots of good stuff including kitchen gadgets and a cooking school. 

Taking Back Route 107

 

There is still a lot of work to be done even though Route 107 in Stockbridge opened last week.   As we drove to Bethel earlier today, it was  quite a sight to see how the road has been  reclaimed from the river. The giant trucks bring new meaning to the phrase "you can't get there from here" because they can and do.    They are going through meadows and rivers to get huge loads of stone from the railroad to wherever they need them.  It is worth the wait. 

Baby it's cold outside........

The sky is blue and the sun is bright  but the mercury in the thermometer is lingering at zero degrees farenheit. There is a cold wind whistling around this old house.  I've got three things on my mind:  bed, blanket and book.  State of Wonder by Ann Patchett is the perfect read for a day like today.    It begins in Minnesota--one of my favorite places in the whole wide world--and then moves on  to the Amazon--nice and warm and steamy.    I am going to read fast so I can get to the Amazon.   But first I better put another log in the wood stove.  And then I should start  supper and pay some bills and work on my bird blog and vacuum.  The Christmas tree is still up and there is a lot of laundry and .................oh dear, what to do?  
 read read read read read cook work??????

Snow on the Road

An unusual snow fell this afternoon on Music Mountain Road.  It was only a flurry but accumulated on the road covering the gravel with a blanket of white.  Where it fell in the hayfield, it sifted through the grass and onto the ground where it was barely visible.  If you flew over the area very low beneath the cloud cover, you would have seen me walking to meet some friends in the falling snow.  

2011-- A Good Year for Apples

A profusion of apple blossoms last spring made good on their promise of a mast year.  By autumn, the branches  bowed under the weight of their bumper crop;  some boughs broke from the burden.  An early winter storm blanketed us with snow but the rosy Macs held on tight for as long as they could and made the perfect picture for our 2011 Christmas Card.

Tonight, the first night of the new year,  the snow has melted and it is raining.  Many wild apples lie rotting on the ground where they will  provide food for wild animals.  In our cellar, several carboys of cider are bubbling.