Loose Ends

Fall is the time to clean up those loose ends of summer, so they aren’t blowing around in the winds of winter. I’ve been busy with my task list, preparing for the cold, snowy Iowa winter that people keep saying we are due for.

One of our tasks is to renew our firewood supply. The woods are full of opportunity; we just need to cut, haul, split and stack it! Thankfully our son Nathan came home for a while and wielded the chainsaw for his dear old parents. A winter day doesn’t get much better than sitting cozily by the fireside and looking out on the cold and snow.  The “Gathering Room” at Iowisota is such a great spot to work on projects by the fire, so we’ve added opportunities to the calendar for you to come join us here!

Another loose end task was to take down all the screens and wash the windows. I like to tuck the screens away for the winter, so that they last longer. And we get more light inside and can see out better without the screens on. And we cleaned the chimneys of the woodstoves and fireplace. And we drained and put away hoses. So many winter prep tasks that needed to get done before the weather turns! I’m sure you have your own list.

When I participated in the Lansing “Makers on Main” craft Market in early October, I came away with several orders for pottery mugs with the Blackhawk Bridge on them. Making those mugs was another item for my “loose ends” list; I’m looking forward to unloading the kiln this afternoon to see how they all turned out! I have enjoyed getting back into my pottery lately. People ask me about teaching, but I’d rather connect people with an expert teacher. That is why I’m very pleased that George Blair is going to teach a 3-session workshop at Iowisota in January. Check out the Iowisota events schedule for that opportunity.

I’ve also been busy preserving the bounty of the harvest. Although that is ongoing, some big tasks are specific to Fall. I beat the squirrels to quite a few acorns that I am cracking, leaching out the tannins and preparing into acorn flour. I also gathered black walnuts, washed them, and dried them. I have about 15 gallons of black walnuts “squirreled away” to crack by the fireside this winter. I’m still processing the great spray-free apples that I was able to buy from Wildwood Orchard into dried apple slices, apple breads, pies, and such. Nathan and I were able to tuck some harvested lotus root away as frozen and dried slices. Still to come is processing venison form the deer harvest in December. These “loose ends” of food processing take so much time, but they taste so good throughout the year. It makes me appreciate the abundance around us. What a great “Thanksgiving” thought!

I also have some loose ends leftover from my working days. There are a couple of projects that I want to make sure get carried through to completion, so that the value of the lessons learned can be captured for posterity. One of those projects was an “operational trial” of American elm seedlings, which was planted in 2013 and 2014 by the Army Corps of Engineers, WI DNR, IA DNR, and MN DNR. We collected early data, but I wanted to get one last measurement of the sites to document which methods worked well and which didn’t work at all. So I went to the field with some of my former colleagues this Fall to gather that last bit of data. We still have some writing to do, but it is nice to be wrapping things up rather than just letting them wither and blow away.

Many of my loose ends are kind of like my shoelaces: they don’t stay tied very well. Perhaps that is because there are many recurring tasks on my list, so they keep coming back. I guess that means I’m still moving forward in time, so that’s a good thing. Wishing you the same forward progress, and a heart of gratitude as you proceed!