Happy Mardis Gras Weekend to ALL!!!!

And what a weekend it has been here at the F&P. Yesterday was a fun filled day of ‘patio pulling up and re-laying’ for me and some serious weeding for Beatrice along with regular yard chores. The patio we laid last year in the wild flowers was over taken by the wild flowers so i decided that it needed to be realigned and made a little bigger. The first attempt made a month ago was a dismal failure due to rushing the project and a lack of sand for the base. This time i had 21 bags of sand (and used it all). AND now the pavers are facing the correct direction and the high spots have been removed. AND the audio connections were completed so the shop radio now goes all the way to the ’Wild Patio’. The rock in the upper right corner is one of the speakers.
Of course lets not forget what spring in the country is famous for…. ‘Manure Season’ or as we fondly term it for the tourists ‘Ode De Spring’. We only got 240 lbs this trip since the poor truck was loaded with 1000 lbs of sand. Wednesday we will pick up the rest and hopefully get it spread and tilled in next week. 
Being Mardis Gras weekend we went to our favorite restaurant



 
“Annie’s, where butter is a food group” for their Mardis Gras special buffet. There’s not many places here on the  shore (none to be exact) where you  can get fresh home made CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE. Now i am not a big CRAWDADDY fan, at least not when i have to suck them out of the shell, BUT Chef Matt’s Etouffee was great. And lets not forget the blackened Catfish, Jambalaya, Gumbo, and Fried Gator. All topped off with some King Kake (neither of us got the baby). As always, i over ate and on leaving told Chef Matt he had to stop cooking as good as we do or i would never loose weight. He said NO!!!!!
Breakfast this morning was our usual Sunday Treat  (as if we really needed another after last night) of pancakes. Today’s were Cranberry  Pancakes. Almost as good as ones right out of the Bogs at Double Trouble NJ.
 
So what is up for today?????? Some serious digesting, reading, relaxing (raining here today) then off to the ‘Y’ and a long soak in the Hot Tub after yesterdays fun, and a quick stop at Wally-World on the way home. Tonight is Chicken Bean Soup, Fresh Spinach Salad, and fresh Wheat Bread. Watch for Beatrice’s post. Hope that your Sunday is a great Sunday.
Grenville

The Answer – Fiber Rush

This challenge proved not so much a dilemma for several folks. The answer is fiber rush.

CONGRATS to Possum, Kjell and Marty for knowing that this stuff is used for the webbing on chairs or footstools. Double kudos to Possum for knowing its name – at least half of it.

We watched a local artists using it for this footstool at last weekend’s Heritage Festival.

Fiber rush is a twisted cord man-made from top-quality and chemically treated kraft paper, twisted and used mostly to weave chair/stool seats. (Sandra you were very close too.)

Note: An on-line search showed 2 spellings: fiber and fibre. It’s also called “creative twist” or “paper wicker.”

NOTE: The information below is from the website The Wicker Woman by Cathryn Peters. Ms. Peters is an expert on  wicker furniture restoration, chair seat weaving and antler basket artistry. More photos and information can be viewed on her website.

Fiber rush was invented in the U.S. in 1904, and emulated Victorian wicker furniture made from imported rattan reed.

In the early 1900s to the late 1930s, it was used primarily in the construction and manufacturing of wicker furniture from the early 1900s to the late 1930s. At the turn of the 20th century, an embargo was placed on the importation into the U.S. of rattan reed coming from the Orient. Since rattan reed was in such short supply, manufacturers of wicker furniture using reed or rattan had to come up with an alternative material.

This new paper material was attractive to wooden chair manufacturers who had woven chair seats with natural cattail leaf rush or bulrush. Both of these products were labor intensive in processing and weaving. When paper fiber rush became available, it was used as a replacement for the natural rush seats on ladder-back Colonial style chairs, mule-ear style chairs, Hitchcock and similar chairs.

What is This? #6 of 2011

The last challenge, a building what is this? was a change of pace. Now, it’s time to get back to the usual challenge of (sometimes) unusual things or objects.

Can you figure out what this is ?

Hints: this was something seen at an event that we recently attended. It’s a man-made item used to make (or repair) other items that come in very handy.

And, it has nothing to do with Grenville’s projects, planting or otherwise. In fact, it’s not even something either of us have used or know how to use.

Maybe this challenge will stump past “winners” Sandra, Rusty, Possum, Ginnie, Technogran.

Check back tomorrow for the answer.

PRIZES ? Glad you asked (or not) since Grenville mentioned needing help with spreading manure and moving some pavers.

Mourning Doves

Mourning Doves are beautiful, gentle birds that often visit our backyard feeders. They usually perch on the utility wires or the back patio. Most times, they forage for dropped seeds on the ground below the feeders.

This couple was hanging out around the feeders today. They had been freshly filled with a mix that included safflower and sunflower seed, two of their favorite food groups.

The Mourning Dove is monogamous and forms strong pair bonds and often remain together. More information can be found at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

More Fun on the Fen

Yes, today was another fun day on Mutton Hunk Fen. The project today was to finish planting 160 Oak trees. Of the 100 we planted today most were Water Oaks Quercus nigra.  The rest were one of my favorites from a wood turning point of view, Southern Red Oak Quercus falcata.

 

 

About half of my day was on a tractor moving the trees from a pile onto a trailer. Then we took them out to the fields you saw last time and planted them in pre drilled holes. There was a lot of ‘healing’ them in since the wind up there is non stop this time of year. On the up side i picked up 50 discarded tomato stakes made from cedar. They will be great in the garden this year.

On the way home i had stopped and picked up 21 bags of sand (it was 3 for $10 so i was going for a nice even number so the girls at the register didn’t have to hurt themselves figuring what 2 bags would cost) plus 6 bags of cow manure. The sand will be used to enlarge and finish a patio out in the wild flower meadow. The manure will go into the veggie beds to balance them out a little. After loading all that i got home and just parked the truck out near where i will be using all of this.

Next week we get to build a parking lot just to the left of the building near the road. What fun!!!!!

Grenville (looking for the Tylenol)

Hospital - The Answer

It’s the local hospital - Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital in Nassawadox, VA.
Cheers to Rusty for getting it right, even though he was doubtful about his first thought – always go with your first impressions!
Tied in second place were Dogsmom and Christer, although they also were doubtful about their first answer – and who can blame them. This is definitely not the nicest looking hospital facility.

Several folks guessed this was a library, or courthouse, perhaps due to the unusual window design. A friend explained that this was to keep people inside.
This hospital is about 20 years old and plans are underway to build a replacement within the next few years. Good news is it will be closer to the Frog & PenguINN.

Thanks, everyone for having some fun with this and Congrats again, Rusty.

Temp & Time

These neighboring bank signs tell the weather story here earlier today. But, it quickly changed by early evening.

We’re now in the midst of an evening forecast of heavy downpours, thunderstorms and gusty winds. Yes, we know that fellow bloggers with inches of snow on the ground (or more on the way) are hardly sympathetic. Here’s some good news . . .

Spring is coming – if these robins we saw Sunday are an omen.

What is This Building? #1 of 2011

It’s been fun showing objects for the What is This? challenge, but since this is the end of the month, it seemed time for something new – a Building challenge.

 

OK, so you’re probably thinking (and rightfully so) that buildings are difficult if you don’t live in the area. And you’re absolutely right!

However, this building is a place visited by many at one time or another. It’s located some 18 miles from our home and we passed it today, hence this challenge.

NOTE: This challenge is open to everyone EXCEPT folks who live on the Eastern Shore – you know who you are – Possum, Marty, Diana. Since you all KNOW this building, please refrain from participation (pretty please).

Hint: It is a public place, but the architecture does not define its purpose. Alas, there is no information on the building or the file name to give it away (on purpose).

 

Check tomorrow for the answer – you may be surprised!

Heritage Festival 2011

You might remember last year about this time we took you to the Eastern Shore Heritage Festival. Well hold onto your straw hats ‘cause we’re going again.

Two of the best things about this festival is ONE- it is free for artists, and TWO- lunch is free. Now if you want to really snag all the starving artists in your neighborhood i just gave you the perfect bait combo.

Of course the most important artists there were ,,,, well US of course!!!!!

Even though i didn’t sell anything, Beatrice sold some of her photos. Truth be told this was not a buying crowd. But being the first show of the year for most of us it serves as a sort of reunion and ‘catch-up’ day. You get to hear what others did for the holidays, see what new works they have, and hear what shows they will be doing.

The Heritage Festival is held by and at our local Community College. For many of the local folks this is the only time they set foot on the campus other than to complain about their tax dollars being wasted. BUT I'll save that RANT for another day.

As with most artist in a small community, we all know each other. And when a new artist joins in, even if they work in the same basic medium as others they are always welcomed. And what would a festival be without some local entertainment. Here on the Eastern Shore Gospel groups are popular, as are country, blues  and bluegrass groups.

And in case you don’t know, here on the Shore “Everything looks better in Green”. John Deere Green that is. This year the Peninsula Tractor Organization again brought beautifully restored antique JD Tractors. They were also grinding corn and making ice cream powered with single cylinder “hit or miss” engines. Some of these engines and machinery are well over 100 years old and still run like tops. No, i didn’t get any of the ice cream. Actually i ended up gaining a few pounds yesterday. Of course it had nothing to do with the Key Lime Pie that Klick and Klack brought over for desert. Now the left overs of Beatrice's ‘Famous Cheesecake’ that she brought home from this afternoons book swap may be a problem that will be measured in inches.

Sunday Walk

This morning, Grenville and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. Boy, did we need it after pigging out on treats yesterday Festival (Grenville will post about what we did) . I brought along the camera to capture these feathered visitors.

Spring is nearly here – we spied our first robin!

Nearby, a Tufted Titmouse sang . . .

A Red-Bellied Woodpecker posed . . .

A Mockingbird walked along the RR tracks . . .

At the backyard feeders, these visitors stopped in:
Goldfinch, House Finch (male), Junco . . .

Chickadee, Blue Jay, Mourning Dove