Dragon Grill More Viking age fun..

Dragon, rough, fresh from forge.
I just finished this nice little Dragon Gill for a member of our Sons of Norway lodge, Grieg Lodge. Dan and I joined our local S.O.N lodge because we liked the people, and they didn't chase us away after we did a Viking age blacksmithing demo. Neither of us are Norwegian, maybe by invasion back in the Danelaw, but we both love Nordic culture, and Viking age history. Thanks to my many awesome Norwegian patrons I have done several of these dragon themed projects. Gates, fireplace screen, the one above , and now this grill.


Laid out on table, over original drawing
I draw out the design, on paper, or plywood, or the floor of the shop. Then I forge and sculpt the steel to do my bidding. I try to design with the limitations of steel and the laws of physics, but sometimes I forget and get carried away. This project was thankfully, easy, fun and creatively satisfying to build.




Close up
Since my clients family name is Thorsen, Son of Thor, he wanted to honor the God Thor some how. The central hammer reads, in English, but written in Old Norse runes, "Thor Bless".
I also wrote up a house blessing, and carved it into the dragons bodies with a chisel. It reads=
"Name sake Asa Thor, bless our hearth fire burning bright"



"Namesake" in runes





Heating Steel for Applying Finish
Using the torch to heat the steel so beeswax and oil can be applied. I use a mixture of bees wax, linseed oil, and turpentine for my finish. You heat the steel so the mixture will soak into the metal, leaving a warm, velvety finish.

Making sparks!
My awesome ability to measure twice and still screw it up, I had to grind off 1/8 of an inch to make it fit the space.



Finished Grill, all Done!
It turned out so nice, and I wish it was in my house! It is about three feet long, 6 inches high..I think..could be 9"..


Finished Grill in It's New Home
So, here it is, all nestled into it's new space!

Yorkshire Pudding

The Pudding In Situ
Most of you (all 5 of you out there) know that I love to cook. I love cooking traditional folksy food, the kind that fills you up. Makes you warm, contented, whole.
The kid of food my grandmother made, and her mothers made before her. For me that would include food from Croatia, Ukraine, Germany and England. I'm a typical American Mutt, a little of this, a little of that.
So, as part of my attempt to connect with my culinary heritage, specifically the English side. I set out to bake a Yorkshire Pudding. No buying those horrid little frozen ones at the local Brit import store. Ohhhh no.
I scoured my cookbooks, looked online, Delia Smith had a good recipe, so I ued that but added an egg. It's all very touchy making the batter..Is the right runniness? Is it too warm? Did I beat it too much? Is the sun in alignment with Venus properly..There is alot to factor in, and honestly I was scared I'd screw it up. What if it doesn't rise, and just lies there in the beef fat, smoking and looking flat. Mocking me...You just have to go for it sometimes when trying out something new.
So I set the roast to roasting, and went for it.


TA DA!
I'd like to say I took lots of preparation shots, but I didn't, I was busy trying to not get eggshell in the batter, and keep the cats off the counter.The Hubbinator, who was out in the forge, kept coming in occasionally to look hopefully at the oven door and ask "Is it done yet? It smells amazing!".
No. Not yet, the roast isn't done. Now go on..I'll call you when it's ready..Repeat this pattern for several hours. When it was time, I called him in to watch the pouring of the batter into the hot fat. Other than my hair smelling like roast beef for the rest of the evening, it all went fine.
I poured the batter into the hot fat, it flowed like white lava into the pan. I shut the door and waited..
Okay. Everything is a go, now we wait...
Tick tick tick....Then it was time.
"My God you could ski down those peaks!" He exclaimed as I pulled it from the oven. I grinned. Success was mine!!!

No waiting or graces
So powerful was the allure of this pudding that the Hubby broke out his knife and started cutting a hunk out of it. Who could blame him? It was deeeeeelishcious, we managed to get the roast on the table along with the veg to enjoy it with, but to be honest, it was all about the fried dough.
The pic above shows it after the carnage had begun, and it's peaks had deflated.
Still. It was amazing, and I felt triumphant as a cook.
I think it might be time to do up another roast with pudding, this is making me hungry just looking at the pics.
Here is a great website, Historical Foods, they have recipes from every era, and taste.
http://historicalfoods.com/1033/roast-beef-lunch-recipe/

New Year

Wow! I have not blogged in...oh...ages. Mostly I just have don't have enough to write about..
Only a few people read it, yes they are my freinds, and wonderful. Not for reading the blog, but for being awesome people. I have to admit wishing people liked my blog, and found me interesting enough to read it regularly, but pagan lady blacksmiths who swear and drink ale aren't popular.
Well, onwards.
We were in our local newspaper back in October, The Oregonian, here is the article.
Very fun, it brought us some new commissions, thank the Gods, but it isn't enought to keep us alive. Dan is hunting jobs in his field, archaeology, and Iam just trying to not be depressed 24 hours a day while I forge steel, working on the jobs we do have.
Life teaches us strength by trying to break us down, that's what I have come to learn. Either you completely break apart, or you rebuild yourself, stronger, wiser. It isn't easy, nor is it pleasant.

One of the "teachers" out there, for me, is an amazing woman who writes the blog "Milkweed and Teasle". Jennifer and her husband are survivors and thrivers, literally. I love reading about the life she shares with her husband as gamekeepers on an English estate. She and he have been through it, they make do and mend fences. They work hard and love their lives, exhausting as it can be. Iam grateful that she shares it with all of us, because it inspires me to not just give up on my dreams, and that yes, life is hard. But also wonderful.
She also has a cluttered house which I can relate to. :) No time for being Martha Stewart when you have work in the shop all day thanks..
Anyways check her out.

Road Trip, Fall rites..

On The Road, The Gorge
Well, after a fine tour of these Great United States, well okay, just the Western bits, through to Nebraska..I return to write of the excursion. It was loads of fun, exhausting, but fun.
My father died this May, and so my Mother is alone out there on the prairie. We decided it was a good time to drive out and visit, make sure she was okay. Help out, etc..
We had planned on attending the Baker City Oregon Highland Games, and since we were already on the otherside of the state, well hell, why not just keep going?
So we did.


The Cabin, at Rancho-Costa-Plenty
Our amazing friends Devon and Rachael graciously offered their cabin for us to stay in while we visited. They lived in this amazing cabin for 11ish years, until they finished building their own house. Yes, they built the house themselves, with their own hands, tools and love. The Big House is wonderful, don't get me wrong guys.
But I love the cabin. I would live here always if I could I love it that much, cozy, nestled in the aspen, with it's herd of security turkeys ever alert to danger..

Blurry "Action" Shot of Turkey herd..they move damn fast..
The birds sleep high in the trees behind the cabin, safe from predators.
The above was taken as they made their way up the trail to the hill beside the cabin. Where, once they reached the proper high spot on the hill, they launch themselves in a flurry of feathers into the roosting trees. Smart fowl I say, working with gravity, not against it. It's a herd made up of several adult females and their young, long legged gawky teenage birds.

Off to Bed They Go..
Fast little hens, I barely got this shot with my crappy camera..


My Bonney Man and His Pipes
The Highland Games were great fun. We arrived late friday and had to set up during the start of the games, I was worried we would be a problem, but everyone there was just happy we came. The wonderful Marna sent the Boy Scouts out to help us set up. Devon and Dan helped the lads get our smithy set up while I put the forge together.
When my nose started running and my hands turned blue I realised I might need that sweater I had brought just in case. In Eastern Oregon in the high country winter can come in Sept. So people understand how to live with cold, but this was Labor Day weekend, late August.
It had been hot and sunny earlier in the week. High 90's there in Baker, so people were not quite ready for the shock. A cold front had rolled in, rain, snow in the mountains, temps. in the 40's. Were had a fire so we stayed warm, and everyone had a good time anyways. After all, this was more like weather in Scotland.


His Nibs, The Piper
Dan was invited by the Pipe Major of The City Of Trees Pipe and Drum Band to play during the parade..I have never seen my husband more excited or happy. I was very proud of him. They were a great group of folks. Thank you guys and gals, you made my Hubby very happy!

Bellows Boy
We both did demonstrations, meeting the good people at the games, and teaching the craft. We had a young man who was perfect at running the bellows. It is a tricky thing to do, and he caught on quickly. I wish I could recall his name, Thank you Little Boy Scout dude! You were a big help!



I'm too Sexy for My Kilt...
For those of you out there who care this is NOT my family tartan. We are Stewarts, and this is not. Donna our good friend and amazing bagpiper, gave me this kilt as a gift. What is hard is when members of this clan come running up to me arms thrown wide exclaiming how thrilled they are to meet another member of the clan. I just play along, as I don't have the heart to tell them the truth, it has only led to trouble in the past..
Stay tuned for Part Two of this saga..

Since arriving home I have been making apple butter, and canning it..

Before..
Fresh apples from my orchard. Lots of apples, the Wassailing back in January worked ! I ended up with three 5 gallon buckets from this dwarf mystery variety alone..


After!
Yes it looks like sludge, but it's really yummy apple butter..ready for canning or eating on fresh toast with melted butter.. Devon cream would be awesome with this..Sadly, some of us can't get proper Devon cream here to go with..sigh..some folks have all the luck.;)

Beets Two Ways

On the road to babushkahood...
This years long cold spring gave me a fine beet crop. So yesterday I made two Ukrainian salads using fresh veg from my garden. Beets, carrots, onions, and potatoes. I got carried away, as
I tend cook enough to feed a small warband, even when Iam not trying. Both salads were yummy, although the grated beet was the favorite.
Smoked chicken from our favorite German deli Edelweiss, some braised kale, and cold hard cider to drink. It was perfect. The days have been hot, as it's nearly Lughnasadh, or August if you prefer the Roman naming. The feilds of grain shimmer under the hot sun like gold, ready for the farmers scythe..

This time of the year is hot here in Orygon, upper 80's to 90's, Not stifling hot like it was back in PA, we just don't have that humidity hell. It's a get your jog in early or you will roast to death later hot, but after this years endless murk of rain I am embracing it like it a lover.
So beet recipe, I owe this recipe to this nice woman and her blog on life in Russia. I was hunting for beet recipes when I found her page.
When I read the combination of beets and mayo I was dubious..but honestly it is delicious, addictive and Iam about to go get some for breakfast..

Shredded Beet salad that feeds several..=
4 medium /large beets boiled until they are just tender, a fork will just pierce them. You don't want them cooked to mush, just not raw hard crunchy. Allow to cool.
1 raw beet
Grate all the beets up in a bowl. Admire lovely color of shredded beets. Then pick off the flicked out bits of beet off the walls, your hair and the toaster.
Wash hands.
Then get=
Three tablespoons of good mayonaisse. Trader Joe's makes a damn fine organic mayo..or make yer own if you want. I don't.
1 cup of chopped walnuts, chop into small bits, not quite ground but close.
2 teeth of garlic(cloves) these you want to mince fine..
I added one Tablespoon of cider vinegar.
Pepper to taste, in my case that was about 1/4 of a teaspoon.

After you have grated the beets add all remaining ingredients, mix well. It should all sort of congeal together, and turn a nice lighter shade of ruby. It should not be a creamy mayonaissey mess, the mayo just binds it together.
I chilled it, and it was fabulous with the chicken. We ate until we could eat no more. Iam poor in money but Iam rich in good food.
Nastrovye!

Changes..

Me in the May snow, in Laramie Wyoming after out running a tornado..no Im not kidding.

I think I have like, oh three readers and that's counting my Husband. Im just not a prolific writer, but this months abscence was not my lack of material. May was actually coming along quite wonderfully for things to share. We had a great Beltane/May Day, then went to the Oregon State Draft Horse ploughing competition, so I will write about that, as I got some cool pics.
One day I would love to learn more about handling a team, and actually own a pair, but that's not yet.
All was May, birds were singing, the garden starting to really take off.
Then what I had feared was coming finally came. My Father died from his lung cancer.
He lived long enough to celebrate his 77th birthday on the 3rd. It was almost as if that was the time marker signaling the end. The next day he failed hard, and I was called to come home ASAP. Now I had been begging to come home before this, and indeed we, the Hubby and I, had gone back in Feb. to visit. Iam so glad we did, because that was really the last time he was "all there". The illness started dragging him down after that, and by the end he was not the man he once was. No even a shadow.
My Mother is doing fine, given that her best friend and soul mate has just died. Me, well I cry, but most of the time I'm just getting on with life. That's all I can do, miss him, but live on well. He would never want any of us sitting about being maudlin, he hated that.
The Hubby and I drove back, through raging storm and snow, across the Rocky Mountains, over plains, saw plenty of antelopes, hawks, Golden Eagles, and cows. Lots of cows.We agree, cattle should be the national critter, as they are everywhere. Thought about Pa all the way, but it wasn't until I got home that it all came crashing down emotionally. I sat in my living room looking at daddies picture and just bawled my eyes out. All the the worry and stress of nearly two years of him being sick with cancer washed away with those tears..time to start a new chapter.

Dragons

Iv'e got a dragon by it's tail
It's Ostern and I'm enjoying my morning with some coffee, reading my favorite farming, homesteading and archaeology blogs and updating mine. Ludwig the cat is sitting in my lap having a bath. It's all very cozy, as the weather is still cold, dark, and stormy outside.
Crappy weather and all the Ostern hare has been by, as there are colored eggs and chocolate bunnies to be had in the kitchen..MmmmMmmm!

Been working on a project for a friend from the Norse Hall, it's a fireplace screen, with a nice happy Urnes style dragon on the front. The above is the start of the tail, or part of it's tail.
This is 5 feet of steel, and when it's done it it will loop around the body. I love this kind of work, it's what I really enjoy about smithing, taking steel and transforming it into something useful or beautiful, or both.


Happy Dragon
Here it is laid out on the board, I have to get pics of the tail bits..Dan is building the frame,and the runic inscription that will surround the dragon, a passage from the Havamal, which I need to go get and post here..as shamefully I can't remember the exact words..Bad heathen..no mead for you.

Nature, and Healing

Bleeding Hearts


Well, today Im making the attempt at working the garden. It's just too sunny and gorgeous to stay inside and be sad. The apple trees are blooming, and it might just be warm enough to lure the bees outside and into my garden.

Yesterday was truly a suck day, today is better, only in that the sun is helping, nature is helping. I forget that, and get caught up in the tailspin of depression. I forget that when I was a kid growing up in the country the only place I ever felt truly "me" was outside. Up a tree, climbing the branches to a place I could sit, and simply be. Gaze out over the pastures, and fields, watch the swallows coming and going from their mud nests in the barn eves. Hidden from everyone, safe. I was just me, and the land understood.

When I was sick I would beg to go outside, just so I could lie on the ground in the sunshine, smell the clean air, feel the earth beneath me. Once when I was deathly ill my Hungarian pediatrician told my Mother the best thing for me was to let me go outside and sit in sunshine, lie on the earth, feel the clean air, the antibiotics were not working, so maybe the sunshine would..it worked. Smart man.Old world wisdom.

So today I decided until the pain lays me low or paralizes me I'm going to dig in my garden, plant my veg and soak up Mother Earths life. It's the only thing I know that helps.

Elf-Shot

The Austrian Oak's back, not mine. Mine is much smaller, and hurts like hell.
I suspect the cause is thus, I have been Elf/Alf shot!

‘Elf-shot’ is a concept which will need little introduction to students of Anglo-Saxon
culture, and the thrust if not the words of Singer’s statement in his British Academy
lecture of 1919, ‘Early English Magic and Medicine’ (1919–20, 357), will be
familiar:
a large amount of disease was attributed … to the action of supernatural
beings, elves, Æsir, smiths or witches whose shafts fired at the sufferer
produced his torments. Anglo-Saxon and even Middle English literature is
replete with the notion of disease caused by the arrows of mischievous
supernatural beings. This theory of disease we shall, for brevity, speak of as
the doctrine of the elf-shot. The Anglo-Saxon tribes placed these malicious
elves everywhere, but especially in the wild uncultivated wastes where they
loved to shoot at the passer-by.

Elves were thought to be invisible or hard-to-see creatures who shot their
victims with some kind of arrow or spear, thus inflicting a wound or
inducing a disease with no other apparent cause (elfshot). They appear to be
lesser spirits than the Æsir (Odin, Thor, Frigga) deities, but with similar armaments in spears andarrows. … This attack by elves was eventually linked with Christian ideas of
demons penetrating or possessing animals and people, who then needed
exorcism."
Ohhhhh...So That's what's going on with my back! Well at least that's what it feels like..I guess I better make right with the Alfs/elves so they knock this shit off.

So yesterday I wrote of my heinous back pain, I went for a nice massage, which helped calm me down, but still the nasty little spear man was jabbing me to death. I tried to watch the tube while not thinking about how uncomfortable it all was just trying to relax, but gave up. Chronic pain is exhausting, if you have experienced it you know what I mean.
It sucks all life and energy and hope out of you. It's like being hunted down, chased for miles and never really getting to rest. Or at least that's how I see it.
So I ate a handful of ibuprofen and laid in bed wishing I could die.
Finally after a crappy night of not much sleep it was time to go see The Dr. and see what could be done. I explained to her the situation with my back, and ribcage, the pain etc..Did I have a slipped disc? Did I need an MRI I can't afford? X-rays? A shot of tiger tranquilizers maybe..

'No," she explained "that I needed a good rib crunching, to put the ribs back into position, cold packs, REST, and a deep massage from the lovely and Mighty Alicia." So crack me she did.
I have to say Iam sore, but the truly deep evil pain is subsiding, just like she said it should.
She stressed the REST part, not even light yoga, certainly not laundry shlepping, blacksmithing, bodybuilding, or lifting anything heavier than a cup of tea or a cold beer.
She was even dubious about me doing dishes.
So the amazing Hubbinator has been handling the heavy stuff today, like mucking out the cat boxes, hauling the heavy laundry basket, bringing me tea..it's all very swell.
He is being very wonderful through this whole ugly episode, while I watch a Time Team marathon and drink green tea while lying on a frozen hunk of beef roast.
Pain relief and dinner thawed in one! Amazing!
Okay time for more cold pack, and another cup of tea. Here's hoping this all starts mending up, and I can get some damn sleep. I will also be sure to honor the Land Spirits more often and generously, being Alf shot sucks.

Hail the Growing season springtide comes..

"Erce, Erce, Erce, Mother of Earth,
May Thor Almighty grant you, the Thunder Lord ,
Fields sprouting and springing up,
Fertile and fruitful,
Bright shafts of shining millet,
And broad crops of barley
And white wheaten crops
And all the crops of earth. "
Ahh happier days in the garden, just a few weeks ago.
Note how warm it was, me in no sleeves...and the sexy new tartan wellies..a fancy gift from Marta the Honey Voiced. My back not in it's current state of excruciating..

The Hubbinator and I decided the ugly raised wood beds had to go. Mostly they were home to a zillion slugs and snails, and too small to grow "enough' of anything really. That and we also were sick of trying to mow the lawn between them.
So, one truckload of bedding dirt later, there you have it. We laid down woodchip for paths, made lovely earthen rows for veg. I did NOT shovel, he did. I raked, and fussed and planted beets and peas. Heirloom English shelling peas, and Oregon sugar snap. mmm peas...
I have lots of plans for the garden, but if I can't get my back pain under control it's just gonna be beets and peas I fear.

My usual back issue is my lower back. The discs between L3 and L5 are trying to escape and shrink, and this causes great pain and a cramping of my normally active style.
BUT I have learned how to "deal" with it. Painful yes, but nothing compared to the latest adventure in pain.
One of my ribs is "out", the muscles just under my right scapula, and the surrounding muscles of my ribs are strained. The muscle spasm squeezing the hell out of a nerve in my mid back.
It is nonstop. Nothing helps.
It feels like (I would imagine) a red hot spear being shoved into my back, and then drawn across my ribs..All the damn time.
There is no escape, no amount or shifting, stretching, lying on one side or the other will stop this agonising pain. It has brought me to sobbing tears. Honestly, I wouldn't wish it on anyone, well, except a few people, like Hitler.

What did I do to cause this ghastly injury?
I reached back behind my head to brush my freakin' hair is what.
Yep. I reached behind my head when "WHAM!' the muscle felt like it had been hit with a hot poker under my right scapula. everything seized up.
I think I said"You have to be freaking kidding me!!! Noooooo! before collapsing onto the bed in agony.
I probably strained it doing squats, and the lifter muscles under my shoulder blade got so strained, but not enough to become a full blown muscle spasm. Then when I asked them to do something simple like brushing my hair they said
"NO."
So off I go to the chiropractor to get things reset. Mmm can't wait for that special popping a rib back into place pain tommorrow, but it has to be done.
BUT first I get a deep tissue massage this evening I hope it helps.

Life and blogging

Hey? What are you doing in there?

This blog is a bit of conundrum for me. I'd like to write more intimate details of my life, and thoughts, like a journal, but I always think I sound whiny when I do. I mean sure life is hard, but I'm not in hell. But still.

As for a strictly technical blacksmith blog, well...I'm really not nerdy enough to prattle on and on about crucial temperatures for forge welding, which fancy steel to use, or other terribly geeky things. I'm coming at this craft as a sculptor. Technical stuff bores me to tears for the most part. I do love good working tools, just not chatting on and on about them. When Iam around other smiths who can prattle on and on and on about such things I tend to drift off.
So, I need to think about what I want to do with this blog.
hmmmm..think I'll go feed the cats..

Hard week

Things are kinda hard around these parts. Dad's been in the hospital with pneumonia all week, he's home now.This is good, but Ma is not unpacking his overnight bags just yet. He originally went in monday, came home tuesday, and promptly went back in the next day. possible heart failure, lungs chock full of fluid, it was scary.
They also got his cat scan results. Unfortunately the lung cancer has spread to his liver. This is a bummer to put it mildly.
There isn't much I can do, just be there for my Ma when she calls, and think positively.
It's a bummer, but the earthquake in Haiti is a horrible.
I have tried to avoid tragedy overload all week, but finally watched the news last night. Crumbled buildings. Masses of bodies, throngs of survivors in the streets of Haiti. I watched and tried to not cry.
Then they showed a small boy with a broken leg, and head injuries. Both his parents dead. The medics began to set and wrap his leg, he began wailing his heart out, a cry like I have never heard in my sheltered life. A cry that I hope I never hear again because I know what sort of pain it means now..I wanted to reach through the screen and hold him.
It was then I burst into tears.
No more news for me, Iam full.

So today Iam focusing on getting things done here that need doing. Like splitting wood, spreading wood chip on the garden paths, doing the mountain of dishes in the kitchen. Cooking, and making the Hubbinators lunch, he's teaching all weekend, so I get a little time to catch up on haus verk.
Listening to Polka also helps me slog through the chores. I like all sorts of music, from Ancient to Viking metal, but Polka has a special place in my heart. So off I go to scrub some pots..

If you want to help the people of Haiti=
The Red Cross and
Doctors Without Borders are a great place to start.

Stuff

Pennanular
One of the nice things about working with iron is making things for friends. The above pin was made for our friend Dawn Russell.
She gifted me with a gorgeous set of deer bone runes, in a buckskin pouch, all handmade for Yule. So, I forged out the above pin. She loves clothes, be they buckskin or Renaissance, so I thought she could use a pennanular for her cloaks.

Yuletide is still lingering around here, and until we wassail the orchard on the 9th of January, it's still feeling sort of "in-between" or like we are holding our breathe.





The tomte's gifts
On Christmas eve Dan set out a gift of risengrot and whiskey for our tomten.
Our tomte lives in the smithy and looks after things all year, so if a nice bowl of extra buttery rice pudding and a shot of hooch make him happy, that isn't much to ask for in return for his keeping things safe and sound.


Bavarian sign, finished and hung
After we hung it I honestly felt it could have been bigger, but budgitary constraints kept it smaller. I am proud of my German shop signs, they are fun to build. I get to sculpt, and that's what I love.



Hand painted by me.
Dan forged the frame, I forged the hops, stein, and the barley.
Not much else to report, the hubbinator needs the computer, so I have to cut this short.
Hope everyone had a good Yule, and I hope this secular new year doesn't suck as hard as the last one, to put it roughly.

Yuletide in Oregon..

Happy Yule everyone!
Here Iam, well my hands anyways, rolling out pepparkakor, traditional Swedish gingersnaps. These are rolled out very thin, so the process takes a looooong time. Perfect project for a cold, dark evening. I love rolling and cutting out these yummy cookies. It's very relaxing, roll, cut, bake. They bake in less than five minutes, so you can't wander off and do the bills, or get engrossed in something.
After the baking sheet laden with goodness goes into the oven I take a sip of tea, maybe take another. Then Bam!Time to remove the little nippers from oven. Remove from tray, and repeat. It's all very meditational. I usually listen to the radio as I bake, this year it was the Food and Farming awards show on BBC4




Moose


And Squirrel!
Remember those smashing IKEA cookie cutters? Well they are truly cool. Foxes, hedgehogs, and the moose and squirrel. Of course you must say that with a bad fake Russian accent, like Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle fame...These are such good cookies, perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning.
"The house smells like Christmas!" exclaimed the Hubbinator , as he grabbed a handful of the warm, crispy little cookies and dissapeared back out to the shop.

Yuletide has hit here, and we have put up our tree. It's lovely, but no pics as yet. Today I promise. Speaking of trees,
Ever wonder where all those trees come from?
Well....


Christmas Tree Round Up!
Last week we made a run down to Mt. Angel, a nice little farming town nestled in the Willamette Valley. It was a cold crisp day, clear as can be. The full moon was starting to rise over the horizon as we headed back for home, and it was then the Hubbinator noticed the helicopters.
Yes helicopters airlifting huge bundles of freshly harvested trees. Doug firs, Noble pines, Grands.
All destined for homes the world over.
You see here in Oregon, we produce damn near all the Christmas/Yule/Holiday trees in the world. I know, there are other states who grow them, but for sheer scale, production, and quality, it's Oregon in the lead. We are the land of Yuletide greenery, from holly farms, to wreathes, swags, even mistletoe. Growing plants is the main AG industry, this includes wheat, barley, and ornamentals. Okay and cattle. We do have us some cattle ranching!



The Gorgeous Full moon

The moon rising over the horizon was huge. You can see the Christmas trees as a green band near the bottom of the pic. They await their fate. This spot on Wildcat Rd was achingly lovely, it was killing me that we couldn't just go hiking in those oak woodlands..



Here comes a load...



And another..The moon really was huge and hung like a silver dollar in the sky..







Coming in to the barn.
These were then loaded into trucks for shipping off to everyplace you can think of. All over the valley they have been harvesting trees this way. teams of workers go out into the fields, where they cut , stack and bundle the trees. Then the whirley bird drops a line and off they go!
Check out this little vid of the process...not mine..





Final load of the evening..
Note Mistletoe in oak trees...I wanted to ask the farmer if we could harvest some of it. I chickened out though...We always used a shotgun to harvest it..I know, the Druids used a golden sickle, we always just shot it out, or used a long poled branch cutter if it was lower down, to get a nice big ball of it. for a kissing ball.





Sigh, a gorgeous Oregon sunset, that is Mt. Hood in the distance. It was all so amazing that evening. The area we were in is where I would love to live, but alas, it is not meant to be. Yet.
Okay Santa...

Holy day baking

The Annual Grating of the Kidney Suet
Sunna's day was the big day for making the Yuletide Pudding. After gathering everything up, apples, booze, dried fruits, almonds, eggs, flour, spices and the shortening: good old fashioned beef kidney suet. Hard as marble, and fluffy as snow when grated. I have to go to the "good" butcher's shop to get it. The above is me grating it by hand, which is the start of the whole process. Around this time Madame Sandra arrived to help with the chopping, and prepping. As well as Sunday dinner, which involved smoked hamhock and yellow pea soup..MMmMMm!


Wish I could have afforded something a bit fancier in the rum dept. But we do have organic barley wine, and English stout. It was at this point the Hubby came in for a toast, and stir of the batter. We all took turns stirring and making wishes, pouring some good thoughts into the batter. Did it occur to any of us to take a picture?
No.
So now it sits, the Pud, all steamed and waiting for the Big day!! Flame on!

Ahhh pudding time again!

Antique pudding charms... I hope I get the sack of money!!!! Some one bought these clever charms, it wasn't me. I would love to make some out of silver..


It's that time of year again..Yes time to make the pudding for Christmas dinner. We just call the whole month of December Yuletide.
We do our thing, feasting and honoring the Old Gods on the Solstice, but on Christmas day I cook a goose, and have the family over for dinner. The family being my Catholic Mother in Law, who I love to bits. She's very open minded, funny, and kind.
Plus she loves my cooking.;)
Yuletide is one of those times in the year when Christianity and Pre-Christian traditions collide head on. The gift giving, the evergreens, the celebrations of life, the cooking heaps of celebratory food.
Like Pudding.
Yes, I seriously doubt my ancient pre-Christian Saxon ancestors ate puddings like the one Iam about to make for Yule, but my Protestant Victorian ones sure did.
This is a ritual that I take rather seriously every year. I spend time gathering up the ingredients, the right barley wine, Mad River's John Barley Corn for one, and then I gather it in one place and start mixing. According to the great and all knowing internet this Sunday is Stir Up Sunday, the traditional day to get your Christmas puddings in order.
I know what Your'e saying,
"But Heidi, what is a good Thor loving heathen like yourself doing making puddings set to any sort of Christian calendar?"
Well, it's like this, it's tradition. Since half of my mothers side of the family came from Britain and Christmas pudding was part of their celebrations I do it to honor them. Plus it's delicious. AND all those other pudding makers out there in the big world are doing the same thing as I am on that day. All those people thinking good thoughts as they stir the batter, excited children gearing up for the holidays, all that good energy linking us all..Christian or Not. Good old fashioned folk magic is what that is.
It can't hurt to tap into that, and share some of my good will and excitement for the season of re birth too.
This is something we can use around here. As you may or may not know we are barely hanging on financially. Yes we can eat, but that's about it. Being unable to get enough work has forced us to make some choices that are hard, but we have no other options.
Business loans that can't get repaid, mortages behind by three months,..it's dire. I won't go into the misery, or even the details. The crappy economy, our lack of business/marketing skills, my broken back, all contributed.
I know there are people far worse off than we are, no one is shooting at us, or chasing us with machetes, but still,potentially losing my home, business and security is pretty shitty.

"If you are going through hell keep going."
-Churchill
That's what we are attempting to do.

Working along...

The above is the Bavarian sign started oh, ages ago, and along with other jobs trying very hard to be done. Today I cut out 100 little pieces of sheet steel for it. They will become the petals of hop cones. You see each little cut out peice had to then be cleaned up with a grinder, then they get hammer textured, a central hole drilled, then welded onto a pre-forged stem, each petal welded individually, then shaped into a hop cone.
Phew!So I stood in one spot, all the dang day, cutting steel with the plasma cutter, then grinding, grinding, grinding..Man am I tired!!!!
I'll get some pics tomorrow I promise, of what in the hell these things look like when done.
Maybe if I feel brave I'll be in them but lately I'm not feeling too foxy for pics. Mostly I feel tired, stressed out from the hardships of late, and this has translated in me looking like , well a tired, stressed out middle aged woman. Recent pics of me have been sobering, if not sob inducing for their horrible accuracy on the toll age is taking. That and my , umm girth.

Well meaning friends saying things like "No , really, you don't look THAT bad for a woman your age.." or " I think your beauty lies within." - do not help, trust me.
I might be a tomboy, but I do care what I look like.
Iam not ready to look like an 80 year old babushka, not yet anyways, Iam only 44!!! The girth part, well, Iam working on it. I admit to not being one of those beauty treatment mad kind of women, I try to wear sunscreen, I use facial scrub, but Botox? no.
I know, if I had just been more careful, didn't drink, ate only veggies, coated myself in goo each night before bed..
Maybe if I was wealthy lady I would just go get a face lift and have a month stay at some swanky spa to sort it all out.
Oh well, there are plenty of other waaay more important things to be worrying about, but sometimes a girl has to vent.