This month has been about snuggling indoors in front of the fireplace and tasseling. I'm technically a passementier as tassels are passementerie. I've been doing this all my life. As a child I started by making pompoms out of leftover yarn for shoes, ice skates and jacket zippers. I moved on to basic tassels. Life got busy and I didn't sit quietly to do hand work of any kind other than an occasional pen and ink drawing or needlepoint. I picked it back up six years ago and haven't stopped. It gives me a sense of peace and takes my mind off of any physical discomfort. In other words it's a direct path to my happy place. Oh go ahead, roll your eyes.

Like any artistic pursuit, I've slowly improved on my craft to execute more refined products. I started making the cords and skirts rather than relying on passementerie from sewing stores. I like being able to expand on the colors I can use. I have a micro-lathe to turn the forms as well.

These are for upcoming birthdays of Eric's sisters. I hope they enjoy them as much as I did making them.

No, I'm not getting a goat but if you've been following the stories here you know that I've named all the outbuildings. The goat shed has been on the my lists of to-do's for conversion to a greenhouse. A huge job requiring carpentry skills. It sits there looking a little forlorn in its disrepair but built strongly with a concrete floor and power. A yard hydrant sits right outside the door and the side with big gapping holes serving as windows faces southern sunshine.

Well, the goat shed is turning into a greenhouse without my even lifting a hammer or saw. Eric took the project on himself as a Christmas present to me. I'm not allowed inside but he took some pictures for me so I could put it on this site. The windows and door were standing unused and new, albeit a little dusty. He's been hard at work and I'm sure I see a little smile on its face.

My daughter gave me some liquid B12 complex to be taken under the tongue. If you've never taken a direct hit of B12 then be forwarned. High energy and unbridled list attacks are the result. Around 7:00 this morning I put a dropper full under my tongue. It took effect fairly quickly so that by 11:30 I had the windows washed inside and out, the new insulation plastic reinstated on six of the single paned windows and new curtains hung in the living room. It was kind of like being smooshed, spread eagle on the front of a train. There was no stopping the activity.

I had hoped to get the two single paned windows in the kitchen and the one in my room replaced with new double paned ones but I ran out of time and money. Okay, so it meant installing the shrinkable insulation plastic. I didn't have to think about it as my body was charged up and doing it before my mind had a chance to procrastinate even a smidgen. The two large windows in the great room needed new plastic and cleaning. Now we can clearly see what those horses and mule are up to. I had no idea they could square dance.

One can hardly tell the plastic is there but the difference in room temperature is amazing.

This isn't a how-to but I discovered today how to make four hours feel like one by having a yard burn pile. I think it has something to do with my compulsion to find just one more tumbleweed or fallen limb to put on the fire. This is the last of the yard clean up and work outdoors. The weather is changing and my desire is to stay cozied up indoors with creative projects.

I have Christmas wrapping to do. Yep, I'm done with shopping for this year. Last year I had an unhappy, uncomfortable Christmas so I'm determined to really enjoy this one. Amazon has been my partner in all this planning. No malls, no crowds, just the quiet little click of the keyboard and mouse in the early morning. Shopping online is also a way to make time fly. Yet, when I think of having had surgery last year at this time it seems like a long time ago. Time and its passage....weird.

The bookshelf is done and the books almost all installed. It seems to me to be a natural addition and I really like it. Finishing the back (bathroom side) and adding a couple of vintage serape are the next steps to completion.

Eric has loaded up the young gelding and the camper for a trip to the coast. He'll spend a few days with his trainer, Bruce Hall, at the academy doing some fine tuning of Shrek (the gelding). He's left the ranch with the pellet stove loaded, more bags of pellets on the porch and me to enjoy a few days of solitude. I'll be entertaining to my hearts content so I'm back to the kitchen to cook for the weekend.

The back of the wall goes up and the braces of quarter rounds for the shelves are nailed into place. The braces are painted and stained.  Eric is very precise with his leveling so I'm left to applying product.  He's been getting ready to leave yet finds the time and energy to get this project done.  It is so appreciated by me.

Eric is back from his trip so the wall construction continues with application of product onto the beams and rear wall. It made such a difference. A pleasant difference. I wanted to avoid wood stain that was too dark and have that look of a 70's water bed frame. I think we achieved the right mix of linseed oil and Special Walnut stain from Minwax. The shelves and bracing will be stained with the same mix. The back wall is Autumn Sunset from Ace.

I was alone on the ranch this weekend and filled it with the completion of many small nagging projects not necessarily on the list. The bathroom trim painted, furniture rearranged, a new front porch light installed and the bird table moved. Best of all was the installation of a water filtration system in the kitchen.

I had the cistern and well water tested. The cistern is in dire need of cleaning as the water from the well is clean and bacteria free. It's on the list of big projects but one I'm dreading. I don't want to go down into that big dark wet space. Seeing what is going to come out of the bottom is a scary thought also. The hole created by mice so they could drop to their deaths wasn't repaired soon enough before the little critters had fouled the water. The filtration system keeps the crud out of my food and drinking water but I still have to get rid of the body parts. Ick. I do feel better now that the kitchen water and ice cubes are free of cysts, bacteria and mouse toes.

We extended the pasture out to the driveway not only to give more grazing room for the horses and the mule but to access a yard hydrant for filling the stock tank. Wow! no more hose to drain this winter. The handy and protected water source is going to make filling the tank in the frigid temperatures a piece of cake. It can snow, it can freeze, it can rain and it won't be a problem.

I never liked the idea of the bathroom being visible from the dining room. Just bad feng shui all around. The great room is big and boxy so I got an inspired idea to build a wall blocking the view into the bathroom and my bedroom. Adrianne's Erik completed the idea by suggesting bookshelves for the dining room side of the wall. This weekend we started the process.

I had purchased Mexican styled corbels online from Grand River Supply. It's hard to find pre-made columns that are 6"x8"x10' so we constructed them by adding lengths of 2"x4" to 4"x6"x10' beams. The bathroom side will be a solid wall and the dining room side bookshelves. It's going to be perfect.

We ran out of materials as this wasn't the project we had planned to complete this weekend. The extended fencing is still top of the list so it's back to the lumber yard for plywood, sheet rock, and shelving.