Comments on: 12/20/10 – Ripeness defined http://www.littledee.net/?p=867 Mon, 06 Jun 2016 05:11:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: christopher http://www.littledee.net/?p=867&cpage=1#comment-545 christopher Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:01:57 +0000 http://www.littledee.net/?p=867#comment-545 @War Pig, leaving out the strings for birds and such is a great idea. I can't remember if we did that or not. @Brian Dunbar, for large parts of my childhood we didn't have a television, and for the times we did, we were rarely allowed to watch it. This meant that every night we had to entertain ourselves. Reading, drawing, playing cards, stringing cranberries. But it is not fast, and there is really no MAKING it fast. You do it to do it, not to finish it. Doesn't matter if it only goes around the tree once, it still feels good. :) @War Pig, leaving out the strings for birds and such is a great idea. I can’t remember if we did that or not.

@Brian Dunbar, for large parts of my childhood we didn’t have a television, and for the times we did, we were rarely allowed to watch it. This meant that every night we had to entertain ourselves. Reading, drawing, playing cards, stringing cranberries.

But it is not fast, and there is really no MAKING it fast. You do it to do it, not to finish it. Doesn’t matter if it only goes around the tree once, it still feels good. :)

]]> By: Brian Dunbar http://www.littledee.net/?p=867&cpage=1#comment-544 Brian Dunbar Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:26:03 +0000 http://www.littledee.net/?p=867#comment-544 "Although I usually keep to stringing cranberries and popcorn." A practice that I'm convinced was invented by people who had servants to do things like cooking, cleaning, child-rearing, horse-holding, and snow-shoveling. Leaving them hours and hours free to sit in front of a fire, snow falling outside, gossiping and this and that and tossing bon mots around like candy. I watched my wife do this last night and it took fore-ever to get a strand long enough to around half the tree. Is there a trick to make that berries and popcorn thing go faster? “Although I usually keep to stringing cranberries and popcorn.”

A practice that I’m convinced was invented by people who had servants to do things like cooking, cleaning, child-rearing, horse-holding, and snow-shoveling. Leaving them hours and hours free to sit in front of a fire, snow falling outside, gossiping and this and that and tossing bon mots around like candy.

I watched my wife do this last night and it took fore-ever to get a strand long enough to around half the tree.

Is there a trick to make that berries and popcorn thing go faster?

]]> By: War Pig http://www.littledee.net/?p=867&cpage=1#comment-543 War Pig Mon, 20 Dec 2010 08:34:24 +0000 http://www.littledee.net/?p=867#comment-543 Our kids made ornaments every year, and we always strung cranberries and popcorn. After Christmas, we set the popcorn and cranberry strings out on the fence for the birds and squirrels. Now I also add bowls of mixed nuts, peanuts, suet, ear corn, black thistle oilseeds, sunflower seeds and leftover hard pretzels from Thanksgiving as I have a hefty population of overwintering birds and the squirrels come out when it's not horribly bad. I also set out hay for the deer out in the woods and salt blocks w/vitamins for them, too. When I make the rounds I occasionally spook an animal who has burrowed into the bottom of the big, round hay bales set out for the deer. They're trying to keep warm, too. Still ten degrees below normal, snowing tonight and later on today with a threat of ice pellets Tuesday. Thinking about dragging an old cattle shelter into the woods and putting hay in it so the deer can get out of the worst of it. Barn cats are snug in the straw bale forts and I'm putting out dry food and water for them Our kids made ornaments every year, and we always strung cranberries and popcorn. After Christmas, we set the popcorn and cranberry strings out on the fence for the birds and squirrels. Now I also add bowls of mixed nuts, peanuts, suet, ear corn, black thistle oilseeds, sunflower seeds and leftover hard pretzels from Thanksgiving as I have a hefty population of overwintering birds and the squirrels come out when it’s not horribly bad. I also set out hay for the deer out in the woods and salt blocks w/vitamins for them, too. When I make the rounds I occasionally spook an animal who has burrowed into the bottom of the big, round hay bales set out for the deer. They’re trying to keep warm, too. Still ten degrees below normal, snowing tonight and later on today with a threat of ice pellets Tuesday. Thinking about dragging an old cattle shelter into the woods and putting hay in it so the deer can get out of the worst of it. Barn cats are snug in the straw bale forts and I’m putting out dry food and water for them

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