A Relaxing Weekend???

I had a three day weekend, and thought I would be able to putter around the workshop.  The garden beds are asleep, and there isn't much left to do in the yard.  I need to rake out the white garden and the shade garden, drop the mower deck on the tractor, put on the plow blade, and other small tasks.

However, we are now under the threat of Tropical Storm Sandy . . .

I had a few important errands to get done - drag the generator on the porch, fill the gas cans, put in a sump pump (I was going to do it in November), put away any loose items by the creek (in case it floods), etc..  I got them done.

Still, I had time to enjoy the weekend.  I raked some leaves to top off the compost bins.  I noted the tamaracks are changing.

The pots are put away - waiting for next year.

I did find time to work on a few projects in the workshop . . .

I made a tool rest for the 'new' old Niagara bench grinder . . .

Grinder without Tool Rest 

 Grinder with New Tool Rest

I had picked up a simple drop-leaf table a few weeks ago at an auction.  I was looking for a simple table for a fly-tying bench.  The slides for the drop leaves were hard to pull out as the leather handles were missing.  I glued / screwed new leather strips to the slides . . .

The new slides fit fine.  It is easy to pull on the leather straps to get the slides out . . .

 . . . and then you have two leaves for mounting vises.

I also cleaned up an old hand auger.  Sharpened the bit and gave it a fine coat of oil.

I have a few fruit cakes in the oven.  They will need to be dipped in liquor (I use Grand Marnier) and age for at least a month.

Yep, I has been a relaxing weekend!

Woolly Bear

Folklore states that you can tell the severity of the coming winter by looking at the amount of black on woolly bear caterpillars.  More black than brown means a colder winter, more brown than black means a milder winter.

Looking at this little fellow, it seems we will have a mild winter.  We had a mild winter last year.

It seems to me our autumn has been mild.  We have had a few morning frosts, but the afternoons seem warm.  We still have spinach and kale in the garden.  We put our garlic bulbs in over the weekend.  Most of the leaves have fallen, though we have one small maple the is at peak color.

I'll have to watch what happens to see if the woolly bear folklore rings true . . .

Frosty Morning

The days are getting colder. We had another hard frost last nite.

I'll probably mow the grass this weekend. It will be the last mowing for the year.

First Frost

We had our first hard frost of the season over the weekend.

The knotweed is done for the year, but so are the four o'clocks and my lone trillium. C'est la vie. . .

Latest Auction Find

At last week's auction I came across an antique hand-cranked grinder.  A bargain at $10.

It's a Niagara Model 60.  Probably around 1910 to 1920.

These have been around a while.  They were quite popular 100 years ago.

Mine is missing the tool rest.  It shouldn't take much effort to make one.  I have seen a few examples of the tool rest in other photos.

I recently saw Roy Underhill using one of these on the Woodwright's Shop to set an edge on a jack plane.  I'll let you know how well it works.

Pumpkin Coffee Morning

The dry summer has turned to a wet autumn.  It seems we have rain every weekend.  This morning is no exception.  Time to brew some pumpkin coffee and enjoy the soft rain.

I put on the 'Bean boots' and took a walk around the property.

All is wet and quiet . . .

The leaves are dropping more quickly now . . .

I like the sound of the leaves crunching under my boots as I walk around . . .

The compost bins are full.

I could just sit back and let the day flow by.  Alas, we have auction to go to, a book sale, and other fun stuff.  No sitting around today!

Enjoy the day!