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Friday, April 29, 2011

What I did today...

Well hello my family and friends.. Thought I would share my day with you.. I'm pooped out in my recliner now.. What a day.. I got in somewhat early got ready for the day.. Started off with devotion time then got a recipe to post on here..

Decided I was hungry so made some toast..Did some reading and exercise for my ankle and then put some ice on it.. I decided to go out to greenhouse and look at a few things and do some watering.. Then I said what can I do next I hopped to my garden bed picked weeds until I thought I had done enough didn't want to over do it.Than I did a load of laundry and hung it out in the 70's today.. Then I still couldn't sit still so I walked down to get the mail and in case I haven't mentioned it our driveway is 5oo ft one way..Was a little tired once I got there looked around and said branches under  the apple tree need to be picked up so I did that ..Then started to pick rocks off the lawn from the snowplow.. Then I said need to head back to the house got to the house had a small rest in chair outside.. I decided to coil up some electrical cords from the holidays so I did that.. So I still couldn't sit still have some Christmas lights still around some windows outside so I went to garage to get the pole to get them down.. After that was done.. I said OK what now??

I went out back and took clothes off the line and still couldn't sit still.. Came out front the Rooster was trying to get in the dog bed on the steps so I had the pole from the Christmas lights grabbed that and hollowed at the rooster he wouldn't move so I went after him and didn't watch what I was doing caught my good foot in a rope that is hooked on steps for the dog at night.. I went right out straight shoe flew off and here I have a air cast on the other foot I just wanted to cry.. Still had the pole in hand some how through it all I cut inside of my leg with pole and scraped my knees and elbow and hurt my neck...Praise God I didn't hurt foot but I'm sore.. I'm in recliner for a bit now before I have to make supper.. Think I'm done for the day...

God Bless

Ceral Waffles



1 c cold cooked oatmeal or farina
1 c flour
2 eggs separated
1 cup milk
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
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Sift flour,salt and baking powder. Add egg yolks, milk and cold cereal, beating well to get rid of the lumps. Beat the egg whites to a stiff froth and fold them gently into the batter. Cook at once in hot, greased waffle irons. Serve with butter and syrup or honey..

DECEIT

Lies are like potato chips:It's difficult to stop with just one.
The cable networks are filled with informercials that promote healthy living with diet programs, exercise equipment, or greaseless cookware.All that paraphernalia won't help much if you are living a deceitful life.
Dishonesty is very detrimental to your health. When you live a long time with deceit, it begins to take its toll on your body and your mind.You become frantic and depressed as you must constantly create more lies in order to cover what you have already said and done. Guilt begins to eat away at you. It's a tough way to live.
On the other hand, when you confess the lies and begin to live in truth-when honesty becomes your policy-you will experience a joy and a level of freedom you never thought possible. The world asks you to lie and suffer the detrimental effects. God asks you to live honestly and enjoy the benefits.
The Lord hates those who don't keep thier word,
but he dilights in those who do.
PROVERBS 12:22

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Light As A Feather Doughnuts

How many out like donuts? I just love them... so here is a recipe for my family and friends...


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An Amish woman from Ohio sent me this recipe, sounds like it makes a delicious doughnut so I thought I'd share it with you. You'll find this recipe and others like it in some of our upcoming "travel cookbooks."  The woman - Mrs. Raber, from Berlin, Ohio - called these "light as a feather doughnuts."  Yum!
LIGHT AS A FEATHER DOUGHNUTS
1 1 /2 cups milk, scalded
1 /2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 /2 cup margarine
1 1 /2 cup warm water
1 /2 tablespoon sugar
2 packages of yeast
2 eggs
8 - 10 cups bread flour
Add sugar, salt, and margarine to hot milk.  Cool to lukewarm. Add yeast and sugar to warm water. Let rise for 5 minutes. Pour both liquids together plus eggs and add flour,  After last flour has been added knead for 10 minutes. Let rise 1 hour and knead again.  Let rise 1 hour and punch down and roll to 1 /2 inch and cut.  Put on floured pan, let rise and deep fat fry at 350.  Glaze while still warm
GLAZE
8 cups powdered sugar
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Enough warm water for a mdeium thickness
http://www.oasisnewsfeatures.com/recipe/light-feather-doughnuts?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theamishcook+%28The+Amish+Cook+from+Oasis+Newsfeatures%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

Granddaughter Hat~ Farm Update


My dear granddaughter Haley she is seventeen and loves her hat.. Miss Haley I think its time to give up the hat...She is an outside girl loves archery ,field hockey,and so much more..  We have 65 and cloudy here today not much snow left in the woods and the grass is turning green.. I've put some things out in the greenhouse .. The weather is great..I'm in hopes the garden will be tilled next week... Just went to the greenhouse and bought two tomato plants in (3"  pot) sweet 100 and yellow taxi... In the next few days I well be listing the plants and vegetables I will be putting in the garden... God Bless

Currant Brakfast Bread

1 1/2 c. flour
2 t. baking power
1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. lard
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1/3 c. currants
1 t. cinnamon
1 T. sugar
Sift together flour,baking powder and salt. Cream the lard and gradually add the sugar. Add egg and beat well. Add dry ingredients to this mixture, alternating with the milk. Pour into greased bread pan. Mix together currants,cinnamonn and sugar -sprinkle over batter. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Break into pieces and serve with butter.

Your Aren't Stuck With "Plan B"

The only reason God hates divorce is because of what it does to us.
For many people,divorce has occurrred in their lives. Are they doomed to experience less than a good life because of thier failed marriage? Are they stuck with living in an inferior "Plan B" world because God doesn't like what they have done?
God does not reserve His love only for those who follow His intended "plan A"(and aren't we glad of that,because every one of us has stepped outside of God's "plan A"for our lives in different areas).We have a God who is in the business of restoring relationships. God may hate divorce because of how it tears apart what He has put together (Mal. 2:16),but He is always ready to forgive and receive us back into fellowship with Him. He never abandons us. He never quits on us. He never gives up on us.
"Since they are no longer two but one,
let no one separate then,
for God has joined them together."
MATTHEW 19:6

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Growing Zucchini: {Gardening Tip Sheet}

Well its that time of year we have to start thinking of gardening.. Some of know all about how to plant and there are some that are just starting out..So I would like to share with you..
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Zucchini is a great plant for beginners to start with since it’s pretty easy and grows quickly…though fair warning: it will make you feel like quite the farmer when you see the abundant harvest each plant produces ;) . Part of the squash family, this vegetable looks similar to cucumbers and is more commonly known as “courgette” in the UK and other areas of Europe. It is a vegetable, but the zucchini being produced is regularly referred to as the “fruit” of the plant.

Tips For Gardening With Zucchini

The Plant's Bright Yellow Flowers Can Be Eaten & Used In Cooking
The Plant's Bright Yellow Flowers Can Be Eaten & Used In Cooking
When to plant: These fellas are sensitive to chilly weather, plant after danger of last frost has passed: Early summer for cold zones, Spring for more mild zones and year round for warm climates. Soil should be at least 70°F before sowing since the seeds won’t germinate in a cooler environment.
Where to plant: Choose a sunny location with some shelter (8 hours sunlight per day). Make sure the soil is well draining, this plant doesn’t like its roots sitting in water.
How to plant: Easy to grow from both seeds and seedlings (to extend the growing season a bit, try starting the seeds indoors about two weeks before moving outside, make sure to harden off before planting).
To get started, dig the soil approximately 6″ deep so the area is nice and loose, mix in a good amount of compost. Sow seeds about an inch deep, approximately 3 feet between seeds (plants can grow and spread about a meter wide).
Zucchini needs a lot of space, but there’s a trick to getting primo produce: Start off by planting 3 seeds together in a mound of soil (planting them just a few inches apart since you’ll be thinning them later). After they germinate and begin to sprout, thin out the plants when they’re 3″ to 4″ tall, keeping the strongest, healthiest looking plant from the bunch. Water immediately after planting seeds then every other day until seeds germinate. Top soil with mulch to keep foliage off dirt and to help maintain the soil moisture.
How many to grow: Each plant will produce lots of zucchini so two should be more than enough for an average size family, one would likely do it but two is nice in case production is slow for some reason or a plant just doesn’t seem to thrive. It’s the gardener’s way of having an “heir & a spare”.
Watering conditions: Water deeply once a week or when the top 1″ of soil is dry, avoid splashing leaves and stems and avoid evening waterings…wet foliage can attract disease. Responds well to an occasional drink of compost tea. If the ends of the fruit turn brown, this is a sign of not enough water.
When to harvest: Once your plant begins to flower, watch and it won’t be too long before it starts bearing fruit. Harvest when the zucchini is about 4 to 6 inches long and the skin is soft, making sure to check under leaves for any hiding. Small is best though you can grow the zucchini to an enormous size, they just won’t be as tasty. Pick them quick because they grow to monster-size lickety split! Quick picking also means the plant will produce fruit more rapidly.

Tips:

  • Have more zucchini than you know what to do with and friends and neighbors are hiding? Try freezing it for later use.
  • Did you know: The plant produces both male and female flowers…the females are the ones that produce the fruit (males have straight, thin stems while females are large with short stems and have the baby fruit swelling at the base).
  • Troubleshooting tips: If you never seem to have any luck with your plants producing any zucchini, you might have a pollinating problem. Make sure to keep some male flowers growing since these are the bee attractors or you can try hand pollinating the plants yourself (Backyard Farming the Natural Way has a tutorial here for hand pollination, click on the pictures to view a larger size). You could also be over-fertilizing if no fruit develops.
  • Zucchini responds well to container gardening, just make sure to use a large, deep pot and don’t forget to water. My Urban Garden has some tips here: Container Zucchini-ing.
  • Just make it stop: Are you at the point that you can’t stand seeing another zucchini growing on the plant? Pick the flowers, they’re edible (considered a delicacy in some parts of the world) and no fruit can be produced since there are no flowers. Some recipe ideas: Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms, Classic Fried, Cheese Stuffed and Blossom Fans and Emeril’s Sauteed Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Crab and Goat Ricotta Cheese.
  • Did you know: Select a new spot each year to grow zucchini for best results, this will ensure the soil nutrients are optimal and not depleted from the previous year.
  • http://tipnut.com/growing-zucchini/

Cutting Quill Pens from Feathers

Thought this would be fun.. Enjoy..
This is a document written in flux. I'm still experimenting even as we speak (1 June 1999), and as I figure more things out, they will be reflected on this page. Quite a lot of this material is an attempt at reconciling conflicting reports on how to cut a quill. People are of many opinions, but the material's the real test. This is just another account of experience and materials.
This is a page about how to cut feathers into useful quill pens. It attempts to go into most of the tradeoffs and possibilities that are possible with one of the most flexible writing instruments ever made. A practical guide to making feathers into something that writes.
I won't say that if you follow The Instructions Here that you'll get a working pen to your liking, half the battle is really knowing what you like. The other half is getting a feel for how your knife goes into the feathers of your choice and how the various things I'm going to talk about will affect what you really want to do. I will say up front that it's probably going to take a number of tries, it won't be perfect the first time, but with practice it can be really statisfying.
I'm going to cover equipment, prep, cutting, and then re-cutting of nibs in this page.

Equipment

This is the stuff I use to cut quills.

1. Feathers

First, a bit about feathers. How many people have actually held out the wing of a very large dead bird, measured the three or four longest feathers and pulled them out? Any takers? I know I have never seen a dead goose or turkey wing with feathers still on it. So the old adage about taking the longest three feathers off the wing is all very good when you're Thomas Jefferson and can raise your own geese simply for their quills; but for us modern types there is a much simpler way to gather feathers.
I buy my feathers from local Hobby Lobby, Ben Franklin, or even Michael's; and whatever hobby shop that's filled with odd baskets, dried flowers, leather lacing, candles galore, and beads is the place to hunt down feathers. I've seen these kinds of shops all over the Seattle area, the San Diego area and the Denver area, so I'm assuming that they're accessible from all over the U.S.. I have no clue what international equivalents are, but would be glad to list them here if someone tells me.
Usually they have bags of 'Indian Feathers' (made in China or Taiwan or whatever) with about six feathers for about a buck and a quarter, so they're about a quarter apiece for usable quill feathers. The usable ones don't have a crushed tube and do have a significant portion of nearly transparent tubing underneath the plume of the feather. I've actually had some bad luck finding a majority of usable feathers in the packets at Michael's, so try the others if you can, first.
Above is a picture with one of the average feathers I've found by a ruler so you have some idea of minimum length and tube thickness. I usually go for almost a foot long feathers and the tube is usually 3/16 to a 1/4 inch thick. I don't like using stuff that's much smaller than this. Tales of raven feathers and the like being usable are true, but these are a good, standard, cheap starting place. Next to it is one of the feathers with a crushed tube, and you can also see that the tube is significantly smaller than the regular feather.

2. The Knife

Above the crushed tube is my knife. It's a Benchmade 875 with the blue titanium liners that Trip gave to me for a birthday. It's the knife I use for pretty much all my quill cutting. It's got a 3.75 inch ATS-34 blade of 59-61 HRC hardness with a .12 inch thickness and a plain edge, no sawtooth. It fits my hand well and, surprisingly, does the fine detailed work very easily. The edge is magnificent and cuts very nicely without any slippage or misses.
I also bought one of the 330's, because I wanted something small, but it just doesn't have the stability the bigger knife has, the only differences are that it's .8 inches thick and far shorter. So I have no idea why it doesn't cut raw quill material as well. It does cut, but my control isn't as good with the smaller blade and with all the microscopic adjustments I like to make, I prefer using the larger knife. The 875 goes through the stuff easily, the 330 makes it a bit more work. I have some hope that the tempered tubes may make the 330 more useful.
I have used a little, tiny Swiss Army pen knife (funny how pen knives are good for cutting pens), you know, those tiny pocket knifes with a toothpick and tweezers that always get lost? I sharpened it with a diamond knife sharpening stone, and it's good for getting the membrane out. It even has a built-in scissors to start the shaping of the tines and to finish the tip with, so it's actually a fairly good thing to use if it can be sharpened enough to cut neatly. It is harder to use than either of the above knives; however, it is significantly cheaper.
The knife should be clean, extra sharp to prevent slippage and accidents, and have a flat, none-edged back near the handle for scraping certain bits clean. I'm fairly sure that even a good kitchen knife should be able to do the job, but make sure that it has smooth edges, not serrated. A XACTO knife, straight razor, or a scapel can also work; but they're all much harder to control because of the lack of control surface.
They say that in the old days, folks kept a penknife solely for the usage of cutting quills, and that it was kept wicked sharp and never used for anything else, even scraping parchment to erase a mistake. Some say that the curved tip is shaped to make cutting the curved edges of the tines more easily, but I've never used anything but the base of the edge because I've found the tube material too tough to just press and cut, I've mostly had to just carve the tips into the right shape.

3. Other Stuff

The other two items are make the process much easier. I use the tweezers for pulling the dried membrane out of the center of the feather, and I use the scissors both to shape the nib and to finish the very tip. For the initial shaping, to make sure that I don't completely mess up the tines by pushing really hard on them with a knife, I have to have a pair of very sharp sewing scissors to snip away the worst of the extra material on either side of the tip.
Resharpening doesn't really need either of these additional tools, as the knife tip can take a bit of membrane out of the center and the knife edge is very good for doing the relatively small amount of material removal needed to just reshape the tip, rather than re-cutting it from scratch.

Preparation

Preparation is not totally necessary, you can just go and cut the tube of the feather without either of these techniques as outlined in the cutting area. But tempering will give the nib a longer usage life as well as certain properties that dictate how you can cut the pen further down the tube. It is also a fun and weird experiment in materials science. The stripping portion simply gives a more usable shaft that also looks good and is easier on the hand.

1. Tempering

Tempering gives the tube resilience and toughness. There are two paths that I've gone down with this technique and the two of them give different results and different material strengths. They also alter cutting technique on the tube, and I'll outline the difference for the different tubes when I get down there.
Both methods involve putting a can full of sand into a toaster oven (or regular oven) at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about fifteen to twenty minutes and then pushing the shaft of the feather as far into it as it will go. I presently use a soup can filled with sand, as that will cover all the bare area of the feather shaft. I leave it in until the sand gets cold. I used to use a tuna can, the idea is the same, the full, sixteen ounce cans allow me to do this just once, instead of once for the tip and once further up when I get that far up with the cutting.

The methods of splitting and cutting that I first outline are for a shaft that has been just heat treated. And what happens is that the transparent tube goes opaque from the heat and it gets both harder and more brittle, so that the splitting technique outlined below works really well and the point stays around for a good four to six pages. The top shaft, below, has been just heat treated, and the bottom one is how it looks before it's been treated at all. The tube should shrink a little, feel more solid than the untreated tube. It also allows recutting by simply splitting the split a bit further and recutting the tip.

The second technique for tempering involves *first* soaking the bare shaft in water overnight. The transparent tube goes opaque with the soaking. Then stick it in the hot sand, and it will go transparent again after the long heat treatment in the hot sand. The tube from this treatment will be just as tough as the just-heat treated tube, but it will be less brittle and more flexible. It also becomes nearly impossible to split in the normal order of cutting.
This actually lines up with historic data that indicates that only four or five good points could be gotten from a quill, as without being able to just further the split, the split has to be restarted *opposite* the original tip. So re-tipping this kind of tube has an entirely different set of steps once the original split has been used up.
The flexibility of the tube, though, after both water and heat treatment is marvelous for writing, and the tube material seems to take as long to wear as with the more brittle just heat treated hardness without sacrificing flexibility. It's a trade off in many ways. The one thing is that with the heat-only method, I've had a fairly significant number of tube just shatter when I tried to cut them. That might more than make up for the length of tube that gets cut for points on the more reslient tube.
There are a few other methods of tempering that I've heard of or tried and discarded. One is putting a can of sand on a burner on the stove, and that's one that I haven't tried or wanted to try or even feel there's a need to try. As the person who does do this regularly says that it's imperative to watch the feathers so that they don't burn. It seems non-useful and more dangerous than I need. The tempering that's done just in the hot sand *out* of the heat source seems to be plenty and there's no risk of burns or burning the tubes. I've also avoided fire, ashes, and direct applications of fire or heat sources.
I have tried tempering nibs after they've been cut, but every single one had the tines split further from each other, rendering the tip pretty much non-functioning. Another I've tried is using a hair dryer, but the heat isn't even enough and the tube shrinks unevenly. Not a good thing.

2. Stripping

There are a number of ways to strip your feathers. This is mostly the removal of the plume to get it out of the way of the writer's hand. The bare minimum is to strip off the lowest barbs and as much as is necessary to clear a space for the hand. Just use the edge of the knife and carefully scrape the bits of plume away until the shaft underneath is smooth.
There's a cool company that makes quills for Pendemonium that I would actually recommend. They do a stripped Elizabethen/Shakespearian quill that is a marvel of construction. The problem with the ones I recieved, though, were fairly minor, but I had to fix them a little to get them to really write without splattering ink everywhere. I had to broaden the tip just a bit. They weren't tempered as much as I temper mine, which may not have been an oversight as what they did is adequate for one time use; and they'd actually cut the tip the wrong way for the way the feather curved. At least for how I'm comfortable holding, using and writing with a quill. The slit, however, was really nice, and the curvature was a very good thing to study of how they'd cut the tines. The beauty of them, though, was in the stripping of some really strong feathers. They'd taken one side completely off. The other side has this magical cut edge that's very smooth and strong. Every time I cut the plume just away from the shaft, I can never get it that smooth. I would definitely recommend these quills if you really don't want to cut them yourself, and at $10 for two, it's cheap compared to anything else I've seen.
I also did a thing where I left the narrow edge and just used scissors to cut along the line of the rib to take off the majority of the larger plume, just to get it out of the way. I've also just stripped of all of the larger half of the plume, it's clean and neat. It is easier to cut from the tip of the feather towards the root/nib end using scissors. It is easier to go the other way when using a knife to strip it clean. The picture shows the minimum in the middle, the commercial prep on top, and then my ragged utility quill on the bottom.

Where the plume starts has a vein that runs a channel into the tube, so nearly everything in the area where the plume starts is unusable for nib work and pens. So it doesn't really matter too much if it gets scarred or if it even gets cut off. So long as the remaining length is comfortable for your hand.

Cutting the First Nib

My main emphasis is on very fine tipped quill pens, things that I can use to write four or five lines of text at a time. With tempering, they can last for several pages per sharpening as well. The main order is make the slit first, then shape the two tines to meet where the slit is. For those that want the reslience of soak-then-heat read this first. For the rest of you this is what I do:
  1. Find pen orientation -- Hold the feather is you would a pen. I've found that the best thing is to follow the curve so that the point curves down instead of up. When it curves up and there's a bead of ink under the nib, if the angle is too low, the bead can touch the paper and spread everywhere. Also, the shape of the quill under the plume may affect how easy it is to hold. So figure out where the top of the pen should be.
    It will actually work with the opposite curve, it's just a bit more awkward to get it to work easily, sometimes, though some folks like the way the tube curves through their grip the other way, so it's worth trying.
  2. Cut to set-up Slitting -- This is an entirely non-intuitive cut. But, starting from the top, if you're holding the point away from you, cut a steep angled cut away from you. Try and make this as centered as possible on where you want the top to be. This should cut all the way through the tube and should be less than forty-five degrees steep. Yes, you're making exactly the opposite cut you would if you were going to make the tip in one cut and slit it. The picture may help. I've marked the 'top' of this feather with a black marker and show the angle of the cut. It is the bottom of the two shafts.
  3. Open the Tube -- A shallow cut along the bottom, centered against the top, it should be fairly long and can be nicely curved so that by the time you get to the tip, you should be cutting off about half the width of the tube in a nice, level line. It's to open the tube up for the next steps.
    It should look like the top tube in the picture above.
  4. Making the Slit -- This is the tricky bit. Take the two 'horns' that are shaped by the intersection of the small cut and the big cut and fold them together and press that part of the tube flat. You should hear a snap and a split should appear between the 'horns'. Try not to make it too long a slit, that is, don't fold the opened section of tube too far away from the tip. You want something that's only a quarter of an inch long, but if it's longer, don't worry. It's easy to just cut that shallow cut further to accomidate the slit length.
    An alternate and even trickier procedure for making the slit is, before you open the tube, put the tip of the knife into the small hole made by the initial cut and lever the knife to make a very little slit in the bottom of that initial round. A good picture for this bit can be seen at this U.K. recreation page, on step three of their process. I've never been able to do this without cutting an inch-long gash in the length of the tube in crazy directions. It may just take practice, but I've also never had a knife-cut split work as well as a split that used the nature of the tube material to make a clean split.
    Museum back up to my method appears on the backs of some pen knives in the shape of a peg that the tip was pressed against in order to make and lengthen the slit by splitting the tube material further.
  5. Shaping the Nib -- There is a tradeoff of angles and strength and how long the nib's tip will last. The answer to the problem is in the curved shape. This is part of why most fountain pen nibs are shaped the way they are, to give strength at the base, strength used to stablize the whole nib and keep the slit together, and flexibility and narrowness at the tip of the tines to provide a narrow writing point.
    If the nib is too wide, it'll dull quickly. If the nib is too narrow, it'll flick ink everywhere and wear down very quickly. So I shape each tine wide at the base, narrow at the tip with my scissors (so I don't push too hard at the initial tine and snap it off by using a knife) and then carve away, slowly, with a knife to make the curve as shown in the center. The one on the left is cut with too narrow a tip and is the commercial one that flicks ink in all directions. The tip on the right is cut too widely and is actually just a tip that I've done the scissors work to but not carved to shape, yet.
    The tines don't have to be identical. I've had a few slits slide to one side on me when split, and I've had one tine larger than the other, but things still worked. I tried to correct on the next cutting and that helped significantly. One thing to be sure of, though, is that both sides end up with material that will hit the paper on either side of the slit.
    The other function of the shape of the nib is for ink flow. The tip needs to be flat, whereas the part of the quill that holds ink needs to be rounded to make best usage of ink's surface tension abilities. If the curve and surface area extends too far down the tip, the ink will flow too quickly to the tip, ending up in blobby writing and a tendency for the tip to drop a lot of ink at once. The picture below shows the shape of the shaped nib from the side. This is the other why as to why the material is carved away from the sides.
    I also try to shape the nib so that the tip meets up right, i.e. both tine tips meet at exactly the same spot on the central slit. This takes some really fine shaving at the end of the shaping and a lot of looking at the result to see if it actually ends up right. With practice, it gets easier to see and easier to judge. In the beginning, though, I had to ink a lot of useless tips before I could figure out the really tiny bits of adjusting that needed to be done to get it to really work.
  6. Finishing the Tip -- I usually do the shaping of the tines to where they meet as exactly as possible at the same point on the tip, which usually ends up being a needle-like tip, with small curls of shavings still attached and when they pull off there's microscopic 'bits' on it still. To remove the bits, I usually put just the very edge of the tip into the scissors and snip the loose or unstable bits off, this is sometimes about the thickness of an eyelash.
    The traditional way, though is to put the tip on some supporting surface, the easiest when I'm holding knife in the right hand and pen in the left is my left index fingernail, and then use the knife to cut off the last infintesmal bit. To make a thicker nib, cut off more. Medium, broad, and even chisel points are easy, just cut them to that shape with the slit in the middle. As another step with the boarder tips is scraping either the top or the bottom a bit to make a smoother tip for writing. This is much like grinding smooth any metal tip, just faster.
    This is really hard to get a picture of because the work is just so close and so microscopic. I actually find it easier to do this without my contacts in because I'm severely nearsighted, to the point where I have such a strong prescription for everyday use that my really close sight gets affected when I have my lenses in. I can do a general shaping with my contacts in, but the occassional troublesome point takes me taking out my contacts to actually figure out the microscopic adjustment to get it right.
  7. Testing Your Point -- The final step is to dip it into ink and try it out on some paper. Make sure that you have good paper, cheap paper will take the amounts of ink that a quill puts down and bleed the ink everywhere, even amounts of ink that shouldn't bleed and are normal for a quill. Also, try to use a fairly light hand, it shouldn't be ridiculously light, but it shouldn't be three-copies-through-carbon-paper heavy, either, as that's bound to split the tips. I've found, though, if the tip is cut correctly and the nib is stable, someone with a pretty heavy hand can still write with a well-cut quill.
    Most usual problem at this point is that it's spilling ink in big blobs everywhere. This usually means that the edges defining the tines weren't curved from the outside to the tip so that the tip are could be flat for enough surface area. What usually happens is that they aren't cut curved, just straight, so that there is curve to the tube as well as more width just behind the point. The width allows more ink flow to the tip than the tip can actually handle, and the surface tension of the ink clings to the curve until it touches down to the paper. Then blob. The fix is to cut the tip so that, from the side it looks like the picture first up from here.
    A less usual problem, but one that happens once one gets the idea to shape the tip thinly, is that of flicking sprays of ink in some direction. Usually this means that the tip was shaped too thinly, without enough support from the base of the tines. So slice just a bit off the tip, to allow it a bit wider a base.
    Finally, if it writes for four or five words and then quits, it's because the feed from the ink reserve isn't working and either the split really isn't a split or the tines aren't meeting evenly on the paper, and you might be writing with just one tine. I know it *looks* like it is, but it's possible that the split slants through the material or something really small isn't quite lined up. Look at it under a magnifying glass or just shave a bit off each side of the tip and re-cut your tip and it may well work better. Another manifestation of this is when one tip is just barely off, and some letters might fade out as your write, but if you change the angle you're holding the pen at, the writing comes back. One way to check the split is to see if ink gets in it when you've dipped it and wiped the rest of it clean. The other, more dangerous way, is to use the knife edge to just gently lift up on the split to see if the tips really do part. If you do this too far, the tips may never come back together and you have to re-cut it anyway; but sometimes it can be a very useful way to see if things are working.
Points about cutting -- The knife isn't a press and cut kind of deal, where the tip is pressed against the tube material and it actually goes through. I usually carve, shaving off bits and curls from the outside in along the tine shaping bits. The first two cuts are also nearly the same as whittling motions, where the knife edge catches on the surface, then slices or carve through material. I do a lot of tiny, little carvings at the end. The shallow cut and the steep cut at the beginning are quick and ruthless; but the shaping is a very fine control thing.
For Soaked and Tempered Tubes -- The soaked and tempered tips need a slightly scrambled order, and the only way to split the tube is by using your knife. So basically, it's do the set-up cut, make the knife split, then open the tube to shape the tines, and finish by cutting the tip. With the more flexible material, the knife split is actually easy to do. Back to cutting start.

Cutting Subsequent Nibs

For the just-heat treated tubes there are four steps to cutting the next nib after the first point is worn down and it's good practice for getting the shape right on the tips. Basically, lengthen the split, lengthen the open part of the tube, reshape the tines, and recut the tip.
  1. Lengthen the Split -- First, if the split is longer than the length from the tip to the base of your tines (i.e. the outmost flare of the tines), you may not have to do this at all, just go on to the next step and just sharpen the point.
    If you have to split it further just fold the two tines against each other, folding parallel to the length of the tube and around the insides. There should be a snap and the split should be lengthened. Try to keep the pressure as close to the point as possible, to keep the split length relatively small.
  2. Lengthen the Open Tube -- The shallow cut along the bottom of the tip should be lengthened, just dig the edge of the knife into the tube about as much further on as you've lengthened the slit, and do the shallow cut again. Take about half the width of the tube off by the time you've hit the corners of the old nib. If you haven't lengthened the split at all, just take off as much as you want to take off the point, which may be as little as another shaving on either side, or may be as much as cutting off both shoulders to the tines and reshaping them from that.
  3. Reshape the Tines -- First, following the curvature of the previous nib, cut the sides again, remembering to cut the curve so that the tip is flattened out sufficiently. I usually take the corners off the outside of each tine and then shape up towards the tip from the new 'corner', trying to cut in early and then smooth towards the tip.
  4. Reshape the Tip -- Just as before, when the tines are shaped well enough, then shape the tip by cutting off the tip even to either side of the slit.
For the soak and heat treated tubes, if you don't need to lengthen the split at all, just go through steps 2 through 4. If you have to make a longer slit, it's actually easier to slit the curved end of the shallow cut, i.e. on the opposite side of the tube from the original point than to make a clean split by folding the tube. The split is done as the original split was done, with the knife tip in the tube, but with the edge on the opposite side, and using the leverage to crack what was once the curved edge on the lower side. So, make the slit, then cut a new shallow tube opener opposite that slit, effectively taking off the entire old nib, and then shape the tines to either side of the completely new nib and make the point as usual.
This will make the tube curve the other way in your hand; but it allows for a very clean, quick slit for the new nib. Amusingly enough, this also lines up with some historic data that a large goose feather was only good for four or five nibs before it should be thrown out. With the just-heat technique, I can get nearly an infinite number of tips from it so long as I just keep lengthening the slit in a controlled manner.

http://www.flick.com/~liralen/quills/quills.html

HOLINESS

You can't ge holy in a hurry.
Actually, you can get holy in a hurry. It happens immediately when you turn your life over to God. At that moment,because Christ paid the penalty for your sins, God sees you as righteous. Your sins (past and future)are gone.
But when we say "You can't get holy in a hurry,"we're talking about
practical holiness-the actions and attitudes in your life. Even when you allow God to direct your life, you will still be tempted to act according to your old nature. All of your old undersirable habits and thoughts won't immediately vanish.
While positional holiness happens immediately, practical holiness happens gradually as you align your thinking with God's precepts. As your thoughts change, your conduct will change.You'll find increasing evidences of holiness in your life as you remain diligent in your devotion to God.
But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God-who chose you to be in his children -is holy.
1 PETER 1:15

Ham and Potato Patties

1 1/2 c leftover mash potatoes
1 egg
1 c cooked ham chopped
1T onion
a little pepper
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Mix together taters and egg with a fork. Add ham,onion, and pepper. Shape into flat patties . Dip in a little flour and fry in bacon fat or lard. Serve hot....

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Corn Meal Mush

1 cup corn meal
1 cup cold water
1 t salt
4 c boiling water
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Mix together corn meal,cold water and salt.Pour boiling water into top of double boiler. Slowly stir in corn meal misture. Cook over high heat for about 3 minutes. Cover and steam for about 20 minutes. Serve with maple syrup. If there is any left,shape into patties and fry them up for lunch....

FORGIVENESS

God wants us to be less like us and more like Him.
Forgive us our sins,just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us."Have you ever prayed that prayer?of course you have, hundreds of times,because it's from The Lord"s Prayer (Matt. 6:12).But have you thought about what that means? Does God really forgive us in the same way we forgive others?
God has forgiven us, and He continues to forgive us. He doesn't "constantly accuse us" and "has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west"(Ps 103:9,12).He doesn't keep any records. How unlike us!Yet that's what GOd wants us to be -unlike ourselves and more like Him. As we forgive others, we don't necessarily trigger Gods's forgiveness for us, but we show Him that His forgiveness for us,but we show Him that His forgiveness is real in our lives. Whenever we ask God to forgive us, we should make sure we have forgive us, we should make sure we have forgiven the pople who have offended us.
"If you forgive those who sin against you,your heavenly Father will forgive you."
MATTHEW 6:14

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Blogging..

This is a picture from our front steps... Just a reminder I try not to blog over the weekend... Be Blessed..

Friday, April 22, 2011

Shirred Eggs

Ok this is the first recipe get your copy machine ready this is the start..


SHIRRED EGGS
2 eggs
1 T. butter
salt pepper
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Melt butter in an egg shirrer or any fireproof earthen baking dish. Break the eggs into the dish and season to taste. Cook in moderate oven till set. A little chopped parsley, cheese or a few fried bread crumbs may be sprinkled on top before baking..

HOW TO BE SIGNIFCANT

Greatness is not measured by the number of your servants but by the number of people that you serve.
Everyone wants his or her life to count for something,to be meaningful and to make a difference.What does it take to be significant? Does it take wealth,fame,power,or brilliance? Who do you have to be and what can you do to make your life really count for something?
Real significance is not a matter of greatness, or fame or influence. True significance is found in serving . Jesus was the most significant person the world has ever known,yet He acted like a servant. 
If you want your life to have significance and meaning,then look for ways that you can serve other people .
The he said,
"Anyone who wants to be the first
must take last place and be the servant of everyone else."
Mark 9:35 

Up date on myself and what will happen here... smile

Some have sent emails asking how I'm doing so I thought I would do an update.. things are going very well. I have four more weeks on the walking cast and they will x-ray ankle and go from there.. I now have a wheel chair where I can get around better..

I've been on a few rides gone into a few stores and today I have an outside walker with big wheels I went down and got our mail and its a 500 foot driveway one way so I was happy to make it down and back.. Pooped but I did it.. I've been helping out around the house some and even hung my first load of clothes outside today very windy should dry well.

 Have no idea what happen to the writ ting here.. I will all so be posting recipes from a Depression Era recipe book every day until completed I hope it was written by Patricia R. Wagner..

Well the dog wants to go and need to do a few things I'll be back to post the devotion for today... Blessings..

Thursday, April 21, 2011

GOD IS THINKING ABOUT YOU

God does't let anything in the universe distract Him from thinking about you.
There are many erroneous images of God. Some people think He is a cold and impersonal "force". Others consider God to be like a doddering old man with a long beard (like Charlton Heston as Moses). And those who are enamored with political correctness might consider God to be a women (or at least a supernatural being that is gender neutral.)
The bible identifies God as our heavenly Father. But don't get the idea that He is a father who is too busy with His work that He doesn't have time for you. You are God's work. You are what He thinks about all day long. Since before the world was created,God knew and loved you.
As you go about your hectic schedule today, take a little time to think about God - because He is thinking about you.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God!
They are innumerable!
I can't even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
PSALM 139:17-18

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Final Curtain

Death can't be cheated,but it can be defeated.
As much a we'd like to avoid the subject of death, it's hard not to think about it. Is death the final curtain? Or is it possible to cheat death? Is all this business about living forever a bunch of nonsense, or is it the truth? Many people believe there's nothing after death, but the Bible teaches otherwise(Heb. 9:27).
The biggest authority in the world is Jesus. From the time His lifelong friend, John, was heheaded,to the time Jesus was put to death on the cross,Jesus knew death. Yet He also knew that He would ultimately defeat death, and not just for Himself, but for all who believe in Him. When you put your life in Christ,you can be sure that physical death isn't final. Because of His resurrection from the dead, we can defeat death just as Jesus did.
" I am the resurrection and the life.
Those  who believe in me,
even though they die like like everyone else,will live again.
They  are given eternal life for believing in me
and will never perish."
JOHN 11:25-26


Egg Decorating

For all you that do eggs up here is a great site to check out.. I won't be doing anything this year.. Enjoy Family and Friends.