View from the farm

October 11, 2010 Mending Wall

One of the most interesting and different stops on the tour is the wall building site run by Ken Ely.

 

This is the new wall being built over the three day weekend.

This is the wall from last year.  Note that this is not just flat rock on flat rock.  The wall has a variety of sizes, shapes and textures, and lots of visual interest in the little fill-in rocks.  It also has a beautiful slab with fossils in the top layer for serious visual impact.

The necessary tools.

The able-bodied workmen.

Here Ken is explaining what is going on to some visitors to the site.

The interesting thing about this plastic hammer is that they head is filled with metal shot.  All of the force of your blow is transmitted into what you are hitting.  And he told us where he bought some of his tools – Harbor Freight down in Scranton.  What do you know?  I’ve been in that store.

Doesn’t that make a great entrance to this property?

Let’s see.  I’m going to need hammers, levels, a chisel – no make that two or three chisels ….

With apologies to Robert Frost, he should have written:

“Some thing there is which does love a wall…”

Later.

March 21, 2010 Mom's Flock of Chickens

Good evening...from the farm.

I spent last night down in Scranton, with my Mom, after our tour of the Loch's maple sugar farm yesterday.  This morning I helped her finish a "flock" of chickens she had knitted.  I'm proud to say my Mom is a volunteer knitter and makes hats, booties, and lap robes which are donated to various organizations.  She was recently given a copy of knitted directions for chicken egg covers.  So, she knitted up a flock.  I helped her attach a little knitted "beak" she designed and I glued on the google eyes.  They're cute and will brighten up some Easter baskets.  I'm going to try to download the pictures she took.  I had to borrow her camera, so I'm not sure how easy it will be.  Mom is also going to fax me a copy of the directions, and I intend to post them here.  If you do not see pictures and knitting directions, please be patient and come back.  They will be here in the very near future.

Instructions for knitting an Easter chick egg cover

Use orange, yellow, lemon, or red colored yarn, and size 10 needles

1.  Cast on 24 stitches and knit 2 rows.  Increase 1 stitch at the beginning of every row until 36 stitches are on the needle.

2.  Knit further 2 rows and cast off 11 stitches at the beginning of the next two rows, making 14 stitches.

3.  Knit 12 rows.

4.  Knit two together across the row.  Cut off yarn about 12 inches long.

5.  Using a darning needle, draw through 7 stitches.  With the remainder of the yarn, sew the chick.  Leave the bottom open to insert the egg.

6.  Decorate the chick with two eyes and a beak.

These directions came from St Wilfrid's Hospice, in Chichester.

Later.