Surviving My First Nor’ Easter

Can’t say I’ve ever been in a blizzard until today! Every time I asked what a Nor’ Eastah was, I was told to just wait for it. When we went to bed last night it hadn’t started to snow yet and I was a little nervous since we had taken wagers on how much snowfall this blizzard would bring. My guess was 12 inches, which is about an inch of rain. Since I have never experienced an extreme snow storm, I took a chance and listened to the snow chart on the weather channel with fingers crossed.

When I woke up this morning and looked out the window there was about four to five inches of snow on the ground and we had one thing on the brain: snowball fight!  Hope anyone else experiencing winter storms is having a snowy fun time, and keeping safe.

 

 

Christmas Checklist…Naughty or Nice?

Only 15 more days until Christmas and I’m not ready! Are you?

I’ve never been an early shopper despite not liking to deal with busy stores and hard to find parking, but this year I’m steering clear of the mall. Most of our gift giving is handmade this year, or purchased from small businesses. To be honest, I much prefer shopping from the couch in my pajamas!

Here’s a little checklist to help your Holiday shopping go smoothly!

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Lovely Link Ups: Craftberry Bush

DIY Fabric Dog Rope

 

My Australian Shepherd mix Luna has always loved her rope. When I adopted her at the animal shelter they told me she was 6 months old and wouldn’t grow much more. She was about 35 pounds then. As her first year with me came and went I found myself with a 65 pound puppy who would chew through sandals, sweaters and just about anything else left lying around. The solution to the problem was her rope.

As a puppy she used to tug the rope really hard, so hard at times it was hard to keep my balance because she was so strong. She’s not too keen on fetching balls, catching Frisbees or doing tricks beyond sit and shake, but when she wants to play she’ll bring her rope and not so gently nudge the nearest human leg. She will fetch her rope when asked to bring it and knows to leave it at the back door because it is an outside toy.

Although she still loves her rope I see her carry it around less and less. Since she and her teeth aren’t as strong as they used to be I figured she needed something a bit softer to play with. I had some old t-shirts lying around and thought they would make an awesome soft rope for old dog Luna.

Take your t-shirts and cut them into 1 inch thick strips. I just cut the length of the shirts and then cut each strip at the two existing seams. I used 12 strips total, 6 green and 6 yellow, so my ropes aren’t too thick. The more strips, the thicker the rope! I made a twist rope and a braided rope to see the difference and if the pups preferred one over the other. So far they don’t seem to care, but the braided rope is much thinner and is stiffer than the twisted rope.

Braided Rope:

Bring all of your t-shirt strips together and tie a tight knot at one end. Split the strips evenly into three sections and braid. I had my mom hold the knotted end while I braided which made it easier and neater than when I tried to hold the end myself. Leave enough room at the end for a second knot and make sure it is tight as well. Cut off extra long pieces from the ends and play!

Twisted Rope:

Again, start off by combing all of the t-shirt strips and tie a tight knot at one end.  Divide the strips so you have two equal sections and twist them tightly. At the end make a second knot to secure the strips. When let go, the twist will loosen up so make sure to twist them tightly. Cut off any extra long pieces and now you have another rope.

I love these fabric dog ropes because you can make them long, short, thin or thick, and with as many colors as desired. Oh, and it’s cheap! I just used 2 shirts that were in the Goodwill pile. My dogs usually rip apart a new toy 10 minutes after it enters the front door, so having a toy that is affordable and quick to make works for me.

Hope your pup enjoys their fabric dog rope as much as Luna and the rest of our pups did!

 

A Place I Live: Founder’s Park

Take a tour of Founder’s Park for a trip back in time. Relive Anaheim’s past by visiting some of the city’s oldest buildings filled with relics and photographs. Knowledgeable docents dressed in period clothing greet visitors throughout the park and are available to answer questions along the way. From the South of the park visitors are greeted by the 130 year old Moreton Bay Fig tree. Walking through the park visitors pass a water pump, clothesline, grape vines and vegetable garden. Children can learn what 19^th century life was like with hands on demonstrations in the park.

 

The Mother Colony House is one of the oldest wood framed buildings and is an example of a vineyard home from the mid 1800s. The plaque outside of the home reads that the home was built in 1857 by Mr. George Hansen who was the promoter for the colony of Germans that originally founded what is now Anaheim. In 1885 a grape disease destroyed the vineyards which led Anaheim into its citrus age. Along the way Polish actress Helena Modjeska lived in the Mother Colony House with Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz. The Friends of Libraries Literary Landmark reports that Sienkiewicz wrote Letters From a Journey (Lity z podrozy) and two short stories about Orange County called A Comedy of Errors and Orso: An American Hercules which is set in Anaheim.

 

Inside the small wooden house is a living room that doubles as a bedroom. There is a Murphy bed that when raised is a beautiful armoire complete with mirrors. There are cases filled with clothes of the time period, including very intricate dresses with lace and fabric buttons. One of the docents commented that the clothing was not washed regularly due to having to remove the buttons and other decorative pieces from the clothing to wash them and then be sown back on after dried. There is an addition to the house that includes a kitchen and washroom. There are lots of neat gadgets in the kitchen. My favorite is the metal piece that looks like an egg on a stick – be sure to guess what it might be then ask what it was used for. I bet you’ll be surprised.

North of the Mother Colony House is the Woelke-Stoffel House which was built in 1894 and is one of the last Queen Anne homes in Anaheim. The name of the home comes from the family who built the home (Woelke) and the last family to live in the house (Stoffel). The two story home shows beautiful architecture on the outside including a big porch out front. Inside there is much to look at; clothing of the period, furniture and fixtures, and historical photos.

Some changes were made to the home from 1953 until 2006 when the home was part of the American Red Cross Anaheim Chapter. Through fundraisers, the Anaheim Historical Society is helping to restore the Woelke-Stoffel House to its original condition. Earlier this month AHS reported the completion of the restoration in the entry hall, nook and stairway.

Behind the Woelke-Stoffel house is the Carriage House, Pump House and Windmill. The Carriage House features tools, crates and photos of Anaheim’s citrus boom. In the middle of the space is the vintage postal carriage that delivered much of Anaheim’s mail.  It was actually built by a postal carrier so he could do his job better. Outside is a small grove of oranges sitting under the Windmill.

Founder’s Park is all dressed up for the holidays so be sure to visit on the Saturday December 1^st or 8^th  from 9 AM to 12 noon. Tours are open the rest of the year on the first Saturday of the month.