Not just hatshttp://www.knititnow.com/knit/sizingtable/4/Childs-Size-charts and soakers

I've been knitting vests as of late.  It's been with Tyler in my mind.  BUT it is hard to knit a vest with out the wearer present, esp. one who is tall and lean.

knititnow - gets the size right. 

It's a battle cry

It is a battle cry and it needs to be heard through out not just the USA but the world.  I have always loved reading about the revolutionary war years.  Perhaps that rebellion within me accounts for my understanding of why my ancestors did what they did.  And I've always believed that one day we, believers, will need to take the same stand that they did. They fought for what they believed in.

My husband has been talking a lot lately about the great awakenings and this appeal to heaven.  I think he is on to something.  Nothing original but God is making it real to us.  

It really all started back before we were even a nation.  Back to a time when my ancestors and Doug's too came here to settle.  Germans and Englishmen.  What drove them? - The Klocks were driven from Germany after severe freezing weather killed many trees making it hard to survive

In 1600, the Huaynaputina in Peru erupted. Tree ring studies show that 1601 was cold. Russia had its worst famine in 1601-1603. From 1600 to 1602,Switzerland, Latvia and Estonia had exceptionally cold winters. The wine harvest was late in 1601 in France, and in Peru and Germany, wine production collapsed. Peach trees bloomed late in China, and Lake Suwa in Japan froze early.^[Wikipedia]

^{In fact, there were many famines caused by extreme weather during the 1600's .}

 ^{NASA defines the term as a cold period between AD 1550 and 1850 and notes three particularly cold intervals: one beginning about 1650, another about 1770, and the last in 1850, each separated by intervals of slight warming.  It is of interest to me that in 1850 both the Benson and the Heinrich families journeyed to America.}  

^{The German Palatines were early 18th century emigrants from the Middle Rhine region of the Holy Roman Empire, including a minority from the Palatinate which gave its name to the entire group. Towards the end of the 17th century and into the 18th, the wealthy region was repeatedly invaded by French troops, which resulted in continuous military requisitions, widespread devastation and famine. The "Poor Palatines" were some 13,000 Germans who came to England between May and November 1709. Their arrival in England, and the inability of the British Government to integrate them, caused a highly politicized debate over the merits of immigration. The English tried to settle them in England, Ireland and the Colonies.}

^{With regard to America, the English transported nearly 3,000 German Palatines in ten ships to New York in 1710. Many of them first were assigned to work camps along the Hudson River to work off their passage. Close to 850 families settled in the Hudson River Valley, primarily in what are now Germantown and Saugerties, New York. In 1723 100 heads of families from the work camps were the first Europeans to acquire land west of Little Falls, New York, in present-day Herkimer County on both the north and south sides along the Mohawk River. Later additional Palatine Germans settled along the Mohawk River for several miles, founding towns such as Palatine Bridge, and in the Schoharie Valley.}

^{But I am wandering here, as I listen to the fireworks in the distance.  And I got lost in the Klock genealogy.} 

If there's blackberries it must be cobbler time.

THE BLACKBERRIES ARE READY and Tyler and I just made an awesome cobbler - so simple, quick and easy (follow the link) and already Tyler says it's delicious.

We are blessed, because we don't cut down the weeds, to have several varieties of black berry plants around the farm.  We have :

Rubus fruticosus

Rubus occidentals also called  wild black raspberry, black caps, black cap raspberry, thimbleberry, and scotch cap

 And one that we only have a few of scattered around. 

Rubus chamamorus (possibly)

Waterfalls of Oneida County

July 4, 2015 we visit Little Black Creek Falls.  After driving over back roads where I wished I could live we came to a small bridge spanning a wonderful flow of water falls.  With all the rain we've been having lately, the water was running swiftly.  Tyler, who had been wanting to swim all day,  took his shoes off and waded until he slipped on the algae covered rocks. It was such a beautiful spot and we'd like to come back and plant a letterbox some time soon. And of course explored some more.

WATERFALLS

Waterfall	Waterway	Town
Alder Pond Falls	Alder Pond Outlet	Forestport
Cady Brook Falls	Cady Brook	Trenton
Cincinnati Creek Falls	Cincinnati Creek Falls	Trenton
Crandall Falls	Black River	Remsen/Forestport
Fall Brook Falls	Fall Brook	Annsville
Forestport Dam Falls	Black River	Forestport/Boonville
Graves Cemetery Falls	Little River	Florence
High Falls at Trenton Falls	West Canada Creek	Trenton/Russia
Hydro Dam/ Falls at Trenton Falls	West Canada Creek	Trenton/Russia
*Little Black Creek Falls	Little River	Remsen
Little River Falls	Little River	Florence
Lower High Falls at Trenton Falls	West Canada Creek	Trenton/Russia
Mill Dam Falls at Trenton Falls	West Canada Creek	Trenton/Russia
Morgan Dam at Trenton Falls	West Canada Creek	Trenton/Russia
Pixley Falls	Lansing Kill	Boonville
Prospect Falls	West Canada Creek	Trenton/Russia
Prospect Road Falls	Cincinnati Creek	Trenton
Remsen Falls	Cincinnati Creek	Remsen
Sherman Falls at Trenton Falls	West Canada Creek	Trenton/Russia
Slater Road Falls	Florence Creek	Annsville
Trenton Falls	West Canada Creek	Trenton/Russia

Deerfield

I grew up at the bottom of a hill just two blocks from "Specks" development (yes it was Levittown cape cods) in the town of Deerfield.  And in the center of the development was barn (now a playground) where my great great grandparents James Irving and Lucinda Klock Roberts lived.  Of course, as a child I had no interest in genealogy or history, so this little bit of my ancestry was overlooked.  Oh how I wish I had explored and taken photos of the area.  Interesting tidbit while looking at old maps.  Buchanan Road was named for the family that lived there in the late 1800's

located on the north west corner of Ashland Ave and Riverside Drive in what is now North Utica

In 1773,  George J. Weaver, Captain Mark Damuth, and Christian Reall and their families settled into an area now known as Deerfield Corners. In 1776, these same families, with the forewarning of a friendly Native American "Blue Back," escaped a pending attack by the Brittish on their settlement.  Their escape brought them to Little Stone Arabia, a small fort located in the present day Town of Schuyler.  Subsequently, Captain Damuth lived in Herkimer over the next few years.  George J. Weaver was taken prisoner near Herkimer by the Brittish and Indians and was removed to Canada and then England.  He was later released and returned to the area.

In 1784, all three settlers and their families moved back to the area of their original settlement.  Christian Reall built a log cabin on the bank of what is now know as Reall's Creek.  Soon after the original settlers returned, they were followed by Peter, Nicholas, and Geoge Weaver, distant relatives of the original Weaver family.  George Damoth and the Harter families also settled in the area.

In 1798, both the Town of Deer"s"field and the County of Oneida were formed by an act of the State Legislature.  It boundaries were from the West Canada Creek in the north to the Mohawk River in the south (present day location of the railroad tracks north of Union Station), the Town of Schuyler and Herkimer County were to the east, and the area near the current State Route 12 to the west.  The land within the town consisted of two primary tracts of land known as "Gage's Patent" and "Cosby's Manor."  The former, consisting of about 18,000 acres of land, was granted by King George III of England to General Thomas Gage.  The latter was 22,000 acres of land aquired by Governor William Cosby.  The first town meeting was held at the home of Ezra Payne.

The hamlet of Mechanicsville (Brown's Gulf) was a thriving community on the edge of the Deerfield ravine in the first half of the 19th century, but later diminished due to the growth of a new city called "Utica."  The area later served as a Boy Scout camp.  North Gage was a bustling community on the northern edge of town, and Deerfield Corners remained a center for commerce. The Town of Deerfield also was home to many churches including the North Gage Presbyterian Church (North Gage), Church of the Holy Cross (Bell Hill Road), St. Peter's Church (Deerfield Corners), Deerfield Baptist Church (First Baptist Church, Herkimer Road) and many others.  Deerfield once hosted two Post Offices located at North Gage and Deerfield Corners.

(taken from town of Deerfield's web site)

The Town of Deerfield formed in 1798 from land of two Royal grants. The first, known as Cosby's Manor, amounted to 43,000 acres of land acquired by New York Governor William Cosby. The second grant occurred in 1769 when King George awarded 18,000 acres to General Thomas Gage, His Majesty's Commander of troops in North America. Thus land from the Mohawk River to the West Canada Creek joined to become the town of Deerfield.

it's in the greens

We bought the magic bullet and have been enjoying the fruity blended drinks.  But wanting more in the way of nutrition I got the bright idea of adding "weeds" to them.  I've know about the benefits of "weeds" since I was a child.  But the idea of digging dandelions, as mom put it, is too much work for such a small output.  Dandelions are great for our health.  Besides being rich in Calcium and anti-oxidants they are packed with all kinds of nutrients that might benefit liver issues, diabetes, cancers, gall bladder problems.


Anyway, I ventured out doors for some homegrown goodness calld "our lawn" (it's mostly made of a everything but grass) and came away with a leaf of dandelion, plantain, oxalis, lambs quarter, and a small smidge of burdock.  To that little handful I added some fresh blueberries, black grapes, pineapple, apple juice, and frozen strawberries.

Holy wholly tee shirts

With my ever growing pile of tee shirts I finally decided to make yarn.  Tee Shirt Yarn - it's all the rage and fits right in with my desire to use what I have.  I even found that old cotton sport socks make great family cloth when cut in half.

Callaloo Soup has a great tutorial on how to cut up a tee shirt to make a single ply of yarn.  Because I decided to try my new yarn on my twining loom I found that I didn't want any seams so I adjusted this method a bit. When twining I use an invisible join so it lays flat.

My strips were cut about 1 1/4" wide but I think the next time I will try a wider cut.

Calllaloo Soup used scissors but I found my rotary cutter much more practical and easier on my thumb.
when using tee shirt material make sure the warp is pulled tight.