Friday Favorite: Das Boots
I’ve been needing a pair of winter boots for a long time. My favorite Keen rubber boots just don’t cut it when there’s snow on the ground or the a chill in the air. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve almost broken my neck when wearing them up the chicken coop or I come back in with frosty toes (even with thick wool socks on). After much research, I decided I to buy a pair of L.L.Bean shearling lined boots.
For one, they’ll last forever; for two, they’re lined with all natural shearling; for three, they’re leather. No thinsulate, nylon, or other stuff that’s going to wear out in a year or two. The shearling lining and the leather exterior on these beauties will last for a LONG time and it’s super warm.
The zip-up style was also a must, taking time to lace up boots several times a day was not something I wanted to do. These aren’t as convenient as my slip-on rubber boots, but they only take a few seconds to get on. The knee high version was also a must, the snow I have to wade to on the way to the compost pile is at times almost over the top of these.
They’re pretty pricey though, so I waited patiently for a sale. With the sale and some saved coupons I ended up getting them for almost 50% off. Low-and-behold, it happened back in mid-December. Somehow, they were accidentally shipped to Ohio; thank goodness for great neighbors who will package them up and forward them to you along with some wonderful homemade soap.
I couldn’t be happier with this purchase, they have been wonderful for all my outdoor chores (as you can see they’ve already lost their shine). The addition of ice stabilizers and I’m able to head outside without fear of falling on my face and dropping the eggs.
Have you found any new favorite garden tools recently?
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Making My List
It’s that time of the year to start ordering my seeds. Every year, I go through my seed stash and figure out what I need for the upcoming season. Since I start all my onions from seed, I do this in early January. Each year, I choose a different company to order from, I like trying seeds from different places. This year, I purchased a seed share from High Mowing Seeds in December (you get 10% off by doing it this way). Now it’s time to sit down and figure out what I need for the upcoming gardening season.
I have a lot more room than I have had in the past, but I’m not 100% positive on how much. Cover crops will be used in any areas that aren’t filled with veggies. There are a few new vegetables I’m excited about trying, celeriac is the one I’m most eager to grow. There’s something so great about this activity, so much hope and promise.
When do you typically order your seeds for the gardening season?
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It’s Puzzling
Mr Chiots and I love working on puzzles. Perhaps I should say that I love puzzles and Mr Chiots helps out. Usually I clear off the table and put out a puzzle at Christmas, this year we had guests so we waited until last Saturday.
This year, I found a nice puzzle at our local game store, it’s the White Mountain Puzzles Best of Maine. When it comes to puzzles, I find it’s rather difficult to find ones that aren’t cheesy or strange. I’m not sure why puzzles are like that. I have a few in my collection that we redo over and over again. Monet’s Waterlillies is one of my favorites. Last year I got the 2000 piece Springbok seed packet puzzle that was HUGE and loads of fun, I can’t wait to do this one again in a few years.
The Ravensburger Road Trip USA 1000 Piece Puzzle is also on of my favorites that we’ve completed a few different times. There are also a few others on my list of puzzles to add to our collection. While I love redoing puzzles we’ve done in the past, it’s still fun to get a new one every now and then!
There’s nothing better than having a puzzle spread out on the table to put a few pieces in when you walk by. It’s always a lovely way to spend an evening with your loved ones. Puzzles can be a great way to entertain yourselves while still allowing for good conversation! Mr Chiots and I really enjoy spending winter evenings working on them.
What’s your favorite way to spend an evening with family?
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A Dream Come True
On Sunday afternoon, Mr Chiots had a dream come true. Many years ago, Mr Chiots discovered the sport of curling and fell in love. Ever since then, he’s been watching it on the internet, during the Olympics and talking about playing some day. Back in Ohio, the closest curling club was pretty far away. While we were researching our move to Maine he discovered the Belfast Curling Club (the only curling club in Maine).
Lucky for us, it’s only about 25 minutes away. We’ve been driving by it every week when we head in to town and kept saying that we need to check out their schedule so we can go watch. Mr Chiots checked their website last week and they were having “Learn to Curl” classes on Sunday. We called to sign up and grew ever more excited about the possibility.
It just so happened that there were two classes scheduled for Sunday. The first was one full, but they told us they might be able to squeeze us in. If not, they told us we’d be in the second class. Since we were recording our podcast, we ended up heading down just for the second class. It just so happened that no one else came to that class so it was just us. We got a private curling lesson then we were throw into a game with a few members. All-in-all, we curled for three hours on Sunday.
Mr Chiots is a natural at the sport. If we weren’t heading out of the country for a few weeks this spring, he’d be playing on a team this season. He is excited about the fall and will certainly be on a team! I’m not sure if I’ll be on a team quite yet, I need some time to think about it and hone my skills before jumping in that quickly. I’m quite happy that Mr Chiots fulfilled a dream this week!
Have you been able to fulfill any dreams recently?
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Cultivate Simple 13: More Better Toast
Calendar Winner: Debbie B
Geeky Corner with Brian
Rehash of Last Week’s Topic
*Sometimes you have to buy old items to find good quality
*Often you need to think outside the box. My toaster is a 90 year old cast iron skillet! Toaster, sometimes it’s not as convenient. Sometimes you burn the toast – but it’s a good lesson in being mindful. It forces you to slow down and enjoy what your doing, because eating isn’t just about eating…
*When you buy high quality items you often value them more and take better care of them than when you’re buying lots of cheap stuff.
*Finding things that don’t use electric can save you lots of headaches and expense like the Chemex Coffee Carafe
*Think about the future cost and waste that is produced when you’re buying. Buying used eliminates lots of waste as does simply not buying.
John Steinbeck in Travels with Charley “American cities are like badger holes, ringed with trash- all of them- surrounded by piles of wrecked and rusting automobiles, and almost smothered with rubbish. Everything we use comes in boxes, cartons, bins, the so called packaging we love so much. The mountains of things we throw away are much greater than the things we use. In this, if in no other way, we can see the wild and reckless exuberance of our production, and waste seems to be the index.”
Our lovely coffee maker that we keep talking about
Book Recommendations
Do you have any quality companies, brands or products to recommend?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:28:07 — 61.2MB)
