Room for the Tree - November 18, 2021 @goldenoakfarm

I took Saturday off and just read, cooked, and slept. Sunday I repacked all the boxes and got the books sorted out and listed. Monday was crazy, lot of people in and out, and the electrician got the phones working throughout the house. I set up a route to go look for carpet for the bedroom on Tuesday.

The carpenter is off Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and I’d just have his helper. He and his helper worked all day on Monday planning wood and getting it ready to stain. On Tuesday the helper drove me around the route and we found carpet.

The carpet is a remnant of very high quality. I was able to get it for less than ordering something and it was the perfect match to the old carpet. Plus it could be installed on Friday!

My cleaning helper was here on Tuesday and the office shines! On Wednesday I’d planned to move things around in the dining room and living room with the carpenter’s helper. But he had to stay home with a sick child so I started it by myself.

We get the Christmas tree on Saturday morning and I needed to have the space issue sorted out. First was to make the living room much smaller. I pushed the couch over 3’ towards the TV and moved everything behind it over too.

I had started emptying the china cabinet when a helper I used to have called. He had fallen and broken his arm over a month ago but was mending well and wanted to come help. Of course, I said Yes!

So we got the china cabinet moved and the leaves in the dining table before he had to go. I set up the puzzle tables and there’s enough room for them.

Then I got the high chair and another chair down from the attic. We only put 1 more leaf in the table as there are only 8 for Thanksgiving. The tree will go in the corner by the window.

I’d also run a cord from the phone jack by the chest to the corner of the kitchen wall and hung up the corded wall phone with the 25’ cord. It’s easier to talk on the phone holding the receiver with your shoulder as you work. Plus I will have a corded phone to answer in the addition when the power goes out. The cord is old and tends to tangle so I ordered a new one, supposedly tangle free. We’ll see…

The carpenter’s helper and I decided to give kefir a try. I’d had problems about 2 years ago, and with all that was going on, stopped making it. But I’d like to try to deal with the problems now and so I’ve started again. This was my first batch of kefir cheese, made from generations of my old kefir grains that a friend has kept in continuous production. It is celery salt, chives and paprika, all of which I grew and made.

My bodyworker and I were discussing Thanksgiving and she said she’d planned to be on her own this year, having a lobster, campfire stew, a spicy cranberry sauce, and perhaps a lemon square for dessert. I asked about the campfire stew.

Her dad, who died in August, used to make it and she decided to have it in his memory. It’s pork and beans, hot dogs, kernel corn, and onions. I had all of those things so I made it. I think I’d use a fancy sausage next time. I’m not fond of hot dogs. The ones I used were organic ones and they just didn’t do it. I also used my Walla onions I’d dehydrated, to soak up a lot of the beans sauce. It was surprisingly good!

On Thursday, it’s to be perhaps the last warm day, in the 60’s before getting very cold by Saturday. The helper has to build out the closet wall so the carpet installers can work at 11AM on Friday morning. My husband built it at 5’ wide instead of 4’ wide and the bifold doors won’t fit. It has to be sheetrocked, mudded and painted by then.

I hope to get a lot of mulching done in the Big garden once it warms up and my cleaning helper is coming to help, and maybe the one with the broken arm. I also need to get the Christmas stuff out of storage and get the lights checked so they can go up on Saturday or Sunday.

The carpenter will be back on Friday and it will be the usual Friday chaos scene. My helper friend will be here and hopefully we can do the Christmas stuff.

My mom and brother are coming to stay on Wednesday for Thanksgiving, so we need to get the bedroom in order and a bed set up for my mom by then. So I’m going to be a busy bee for the next week or so.