Five on Friday - Our week!

Five on Friday....

So I went through my pictures to find Five things that I wanted to share...and I found that If I don't take pictures, I don't share! 

And I forgot to take pictures at the

Purdue employee/retiree/quittee luncheon that I attended this week. 

There were about 20 of us there and it was a good time.  But I did not get one picture!

And I also forgot to get pictures of crochet group for the last two weeks. 

So here is what I did get pictures of.....

ONE

I worked in my beehives for 2 1/2 days. 

I started feeding the little hives that we split over the summer some sugar water, to help them build up some winter food stores.

And my cousin, Vickie, came over and helped me on Monday, Labor Day, and we "labored" all day extracting honey.

(here I'm looking through the hive to see what honey is fully capped, and if there is a laying queen)

If you click on this post, extracting honey, you will see the honey extracting process.

It's a lot of work and I appreciate Vickie's help. 

I've been trying to find my mojo lately, and I'm not sure I'll be a beekeeper next year. 

First, I'll see how they do this winter.  That will tell me a lot.

TWO

(I am also sharing this on my house blog)

My Shug has been doing some 'clean up' gardening. 

I've showed you these pictures before of the tornado damage.

That pole WAS a bird feeder.  A very nice bird feeder btw.

 

One of the first things I did after the tornado was go look for my "bird girl!"  We moved her up here, from the basement patio, THE DAY BEFORE!!!! Actually, the EVENING before.  Our neighbors stopped by the night before and the guys went and got the neighbors tractor and moved her up.  (any excuse to get out a tractor right?)

See that opening behind the pole in the picture below....

PHEW! 

I still get choked up when I think about the damage that did NOT happen.

My parents got me this statue for my birthday a few years ago.  I love her.  She reminds me of a wonderful vacation we took in Savannah, GA.

Robert (Vickie's husband) and My Shug cleaning up the mess in this area.

 

 

THIS (below) was the view outside my kitchen window last Saturday. 

Moving all of the debris from everything Robert and MyShug cut up.

 and now!

VOIL'A!  (prounced Vwah-lah)

 This is the view outside my kitchen window NOW!  My Shug is the true gardener.

THREE 

 I helped weave the end of the warp, on the weaving looms, that was leftover from our spinning group, demonstrating weaving at the fair.  Now that was a long sentence so I sprinkled in a few commas.  I hope you understood what I was saying.  Either way, I will do a separate post on this, and show you everything I wove!  Is wove a word?

FOUR

 I have a few spider plants, which will get a post of their own as well, and I got them all replanted this week.  They were babies last summer.

Here they all are in the window sill.  One of them has babies already!  I'm trying to decorate with a few plants here and there throughout the house.

FIVE

I started another crochet blanket (which I talked about in the post before this one)

And that's about it besides housework, cleaning up extracting equipment, and sorting stuff in the basement.

Joining Amy's Five on Friday! 

Click to see what everyone else has been up to.

Cindy Bee

PS. Thanks Amy, for giving us a little time on Saturday to join in!

Crocheting and Reading

It's been awhile since I've done a 'crafty' post, so I think I shall do one....

or maybe two!

 Back in March, of 2015, when I was still living in a basement room, I dug out some yarn from my stash (which I will not even attempt to show you!)  See that material...well I love those colors.  I was hoping to find some stash to match that material....and I did!

Since that 'digging out of stash' yarn, I have made that material into pillows for

 these chairs.

 I narrowed down the colors, consulted with my crochet gurus, and decided to use these colors to make a blanket....which I do not need.  How many crochet blankets does one household with two people need?  Here's the thing....you have to make a blanket while in crochet group because you cannot chit-chat the entire time you are in group and THINK.    You need mindless blanket work.

Which left this pattern out because I made three of them whilst paying attention, and only one came out halfway decent!  Too hard to make a whole blanket out of this, which is what I had originally thought.  Because....and I say this with granny square love in my heart....I feel as though I cannot make one more granny square blanket and change colors on every row. 

No...can... do.

 I could change colors every couple of rows....maybe

 So I've come up with this so far, and herein lies the problem with this, besides that it is a little wonky, and I'm hoping it will straighten out.

I'm thinking again!
What color to use
What pattern to use
How many rows of double
When do I add the yellow and green (the brightest colors)
And then it makes it hard to chit-chat. 
I'm thinking because I have no plan for this blanket.
I have a lot more colors to use.....and I'm winging it. 
I need a plan!

Oh...and I'm reading A book by Susan Wittig Albert called Bittersweet.  If you love herbs, and you love mysteries, then you should read this series of books.  It's about an herb shop owner named China
Bayles who is always solving a mystery with the help of her friend and business owner Ruby Wilcox.  Start with the first book, Thyme of Death.  They're a lot more fun to read that way.  You will learn about herbs, and she always puts a few recipes in the book as well.   They are fun reads with interesting herbal facts.

And lastly, I'm joining Ginny from "Small Things" blog on a yarn along.  Click to find out what others are knitting, crocheting, and reading.

Cindy Bee

Logansport, IN

There is this little town called Logansport, IN.  I was born there, but moved to Kokomo when I was only five years old.  My parents are from Logansport and they each come from a family of seven children!  So, we spent every single weekend in Logansport when I was growing up.  Here are some fun facts about Logansport, IN.

1)  They have a couple of very large rivers which are great for canoeing or kayaking. 

 In the canoe is Dad, my niece, and my Sister.

 See....nice river.  
Think...Riverboat rides.

2)  They have this carousel at Riverside Park in Logansport that has been there since before I was a kid.

 And you can buy bricks around this carousel.  And do you think I ever knew that my parents and Grandparents have a brick?  No, I did not know, until I went to the carousel festival the other day!

 This would be our parents standing by their brick, in front of the Denzel carousel.

 This carousel is now housed inside a very nice building

 and you get to reach out and try to get the brass "golden" ring.  If you do, you get a free ride.

 And it's fun for all ages!

 Family reunions can be held at this park in the summer time.

 3)  They have some yummy fun food places that I don't even need to tell you about if you are from Logansport.  But if you aren't, here are three faves.....

 Sycamore Drive-In custard.  Oh em geeeeeee.....YUM!  I want one now.

B&K Spanish dogs or Spanish buns (I get one of each) and root beer. 

(we call them Coney dogs in Kokomo, but I was quickly corrected the last time I was there!)

Bruno's pizza.  I pick one up every time I go to Logan whether we need it or not.

3)   These houses are not far from downtown and a river,

and this area used to be called Banker's Row. 

Now, go back in time with me. 

Close your eyes....

think summer....

colorful flowers blooming everywhere, garden parties, tea parties, walking to town on a Friday evening.....

 Think Christmas....
with decorations and snow and Christmas trees and Santa's and such.

 Think "Fixer Upper"!

 These homes are in need of TLC in a bad way.

 One of them has been purchased and is getting a make-over.

 Think Bed & Breakfast.

 These pictures were not easy to take from the car window.....some of them I got out and stood on the corner, and quickly snapped the pics before another car came up to the stop sign...but you get the idea.

 Huge....old....historic....homes....

4)  They have trains....lots and lots of trains....(no pics...sorry,)  When I was a kid, there was never one time that we did not get stopped by a train when on our way into town to visit relatives.

5) And they have architecture in some of their old downtown buildings.  They even have a State Theatre that has been re-vamped and they have 'events' that you can attend!  Henry Lee Summer is going to be there next weekend!  Click here for State Theatre concert events.

This is what I think....

Think along with me if you don't mind!

This town used to be a booming riverboat running, train trackin', hustle bustle town. 

Imagine if you will, the downtown turned into quaint, fun, places to shop, and eat.

Imagine the trains giving rides...one hour...half a day... dinner rides....polar express rides.....

Imagine River boat rides on the river....same as the trains....dinner rides, weekend rooms on a riverboat, now wouldn't that be fun?

Think tourist town....

And those homes....oh....those homes....restored to their glory as bed and breakfasts! 

What do you think?  Sounds like a tv special waiting to happen to me.

Who's with me?


I'm hooking up with Amy at Love Made My Home.  Five on Friday!

Click on Love Made My Home (above) and pop over and see what other bloggers are up to.