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Monday, September 12, 2016

KITCHENS, KITTENS, AND JURY DUTY

Hello dear friends!   Sorry that I'm a day late.  Just didn't want to post on 9-11 because I would have felt obligated to say something about the day.  This week I had jury duty and convicted a  man to life in prison, I did not take any pleasure in doing it, it didn't seem like justice prevailed. Quite the opposite actually, I felt that in a way I had helped lead a man to his downfall.   Oh, he was definitely guilty by the guidelines of the court, but I felt he didn't have the mental capacities to understand the consequences of his actions.  So to make a long story short, I've been going about with a heavy heart the past few days and just didn't want to focus upon any more doom and gloom. 

When the world gets too burdensome for me, I always find solace and peace in my home.  It was such a joy to go out into the garden and pick herbs, the strays keeping me company.  For some reason, Ran and I have become a refuge  for ailing cats.  They just show up on  our doorsteps.  First it was a couple of kittens with a bad respiratory infection and something wrong with their eyes.  We washed out their eyes with an antibacterial and put silver in their water and they got better.  Next came a kitten with a large wound on its face.  Really nasty with maggots burrowing into it. My dear Ran dug out the maggots and we treated the wound with various concoctions until it got better. The sore healed and now the sweet little kitten looks normal again.  I really didn't have much hope for that one.  A result of saving their lives, the kittens have become the most loyal and loving animals ever.  Never in all my life have I seen such affectionate cats.  When I go for a walk, the little black one we call Binks, keeps vigil on the sidewalk in front of our house, when I'm within his sight, he comes running at break-neck speed, to have me swoop him up in my arms.  The little one with the face wound we call Jolly, always puts her little paws on our face and stares into our eyes when we hold her.  Perhaps they were sent to me, not for me to mend, but to mend my broken heart.  It has been a very rough year for me emotionally.  Most days I go about feeling like I'm made of the most brittle glass.

MORE THINGS MADE FROM FREE PALLETS

Well, enough boring you with personal things!   While I'm writing about cats, I thought I'd show you the cute little shelter Ran made from free pallet wood and cedar from the Christmas day find.
The bin next to it was also made from pallets.  We use it to hold all our tinder.  We also used one to prop up our peach tree.


They are so heavy with fruit this year without a prop, they would be uprooted.

Aren't they beautiful?   We've picked over two bushels so far. 

KITCHEN TOUR

Cat shelters aren't the only thing Ran has been building.  He built the countertop  in our kitchen from maple.
It always amazes me what this wonderful man can do!  We're a good team, I think up the ideas and he executes them. Ha!  The new undermount sink needed replumbing to fit and he did that also.  BTW, if you are in the market for a new sink, check out the restaurant and bar supply companies, you can get a better quality and more affordable one than those you'd find at a Lowes or Mennards.
He also installed this weathered barnboard type flooring.   I used a method to paint the walls to mimic old plaster.

I know it's not the style, but I don't care for modern grays and light teals that are en vogue at the moment, so I'm content to be out of fashion. 
A shelf that I found at a garage sale holds some of my dried herbs and concoctions. 
A view of the kitchen from the other direction.  It's a small room, only about 13 feet long by 6 feet wide, but it serves it's purpose.  Sometimes I have to laugh when I watch those house hunting shows and the people always say the kitchen isn't large enough or doesn't have a professional cook's stove.  I cooked enough food to serve over twenty people in my little kitchen and you all know how much canning I do.  I wouldn't trade my sweet little kitchen for the world!

THRIFTY THINGS WE DID THIS WEEK

Harvested peaches, peppers, and tomatoes from the garden.

Ran froze about a gallon of peaches while I was on jury duty.

Made a gallon of peach juice, that has yet to be canned.

Painted the kitchen walls with paint we had on hand and some that we bought for a dollar at a garage sale.

Dried more peppers.

That's about it for this week.  It wasn't a very frugal week, as we were so busy.  It takes time to be frugal! The weather has been lovely here this week, hope you are experiencing the same.  Always remember to find something beautiful in each day!

Hugs
Jane


30 comments:

  1. Wow, the counters are beautiful. as well as the new floor. Your cottage is adorable, inside and out. I LOVE your exterior shingles! It's all so cozy.

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    1. Thank you Isabella! Wow! What a lovely way to start the day, with such a sweet compliment!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  2. Dear Jane,
    I love those plates I spy drying in the dish drainer. So pretty! They are similar to my own (Spode Blue Italian) just a different color. I do like that style.
    I'm sorry you had a hard week. The legal system is not really set up to consider things that fall outside of its own parameters. It can be rather disheartening to only consider things from a legalistic point of view when a more humane, wholistic one is what we are naturally drawn towards as children of God. I'm sure you will keep that man in your regular prayers and it will do him much good.
    Also, your husband sounds like a real keeper! He is so talented. You are well matched. God bless you.
    Sincerely,
    Dana

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    1. Hi Dana! I have a collection of Spode Blue Tower, Spode sure knows how to make some beautiful transferware.

      Thanks for your kind words. If I had been a better Berean, I wouldn't have been put in such a situation. Next time, I will refuse duty on grounds of religious convictions, even if it means I'll be thrown in jail for contempt of court. I'm praying that the young man will come in contact with a caring prison ministry, perhaps prison will do him good. Without going into too many details, the conditions he was living under, weren't much better than a prison cell, so I'm hopeful.

      Every day, I thank the Lord for bringing me Ran, he's my anchor! Hope you are enjoying this fine Fall day!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  3. Hi Jane! What a beautiful job your husband did on your counter top. I like it so much I showed your picture to my husband. It's really pretty. Did I say that already? lol Love the floor and walls, too.

    I've been tapped for jury duty twice, but each time it was postponed (thank the Lord) so I didn't have to serve. If I'd had to go I had in mind to tell them I could never find someone guilty in a trial like that. I'll be praying for the man. Who knows, it may turn his life around. I hope so. Seems I remember a scripture about all things working together for good...

    Your peaches have me drooling. :)

    Have a great week!
    Toni

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    1. Thank you Toni, you're prayers would be appreciated. Yes, perhaps it will work out to be the best thing for the young man.

      I'm always amazed how Ran can just make something out of a few boards. When he told me that he could make the countertop, I was like, "yeah right". But I should know better by now.

      Wish I could send you some peaches. We have more than enough. I still have a half bushel to do "something" with. I'm thinking about drying them. Have a great week, also!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  4. Sorry this has been a difficult year for you and a stressful week involving jury duty. Love your kitchen counters and floor. It is much more appealing to me than the "dream kitchens" I see so often. I prefer more of a cottage style than the granite/stainless steel/10'+ ceilings, etc. I still have bisque color kitchen appliances and I still like them. To me, your house seems very cozy. So glad you were able (and willing) to care for the stray or homeless kittens. Please show photos one day. Hope this will be a better week for you!

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    1. Thank you Shirley. I'm looking forward to a new beginning in the Fall. For some reason Fall always feels like fresh beginning to me.

      I love the bisque colored appliances. They are so much warmer than then plain old white and definitely cozier than stainless steel.

      I'll post some pictures of the kittens. They are adorable. And getting fat! Those strays are one of the best things to happen to me this year. Hope you are enjoying these fine September days!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  5. Jane, I'm sorry it has been such a rough year for you. I do understand as it has been like that here also. (((((HUGS))))) Thank you for sharing the story of your kittens...they sound so sweet and I can see that they simply adore you for saving them. Things like that just give me such hope when there are so many bad things going on in the world.

    Your husband is sure talented! That counter top is gorgeous and I love the shelter and bin he built also. My husband was a carpenter and has also done so much remodeling on our home. I'm also the idea person and he brings my vision to life. :)

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    1. Thanks for the hugs Debbie, they are much appreciated.

      Thank Heavens for handy husbands! Guess we were very wise to choose them. Wink!

      Hope you have fun on your trip!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  6. Poor you! I'm glad your jury duty is finished! Your peaches are beautiful, and again you are richly blessed. Ran is a perfectionist. My grandma, the one that was the best cook, and had 9 children, had a tiny kitchen. Great memories. She had a sink connected to a long cabinet like they used to sell before built-in kitchen cabinets, on one wall with a top small cabinet on each side. And a refrigerator and stove on another wall, and a little table on the 3rd wall. (no room for anything on the end wall). And just enough room to walk past everything in between. You know what, I think it would be convenient to be able to reach from here to there just standing in one place! Cute about the kitties! (That is my husband and I and our squirrels....but we wouldn't touch them.) Hugs,Andrea

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    1. Your grandma sounds like a wonderful person Andrea. Bet her little kitchen was busy from sun up to sunset.

      If you ever need to nurse any ailing squirrels, silver in their water is a magic cure-all. I hate to see animals suffer. Growing up I never even liked cats, now I've become the crazy cat lady! Hope you are enjoying your last days in your garden!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  7. Sorry you had to go through the court experience. Many people languish in prisons(or psychiatric hospitals)because the justice system does not know where to put them. Perhaps this man will meet Christ in prison and be forever changed. Good can come even out of the saddest circumstances and God's love can shine even in the darkest places.

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    1. That is my prayer, Theresa. Thank you for the comforting words!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  8. I love your kitchen, and the countertop is wonderful. As always, your husband did a fantastic job.

    Have a lovely autumn with hubby, son and critters.

    Love, hugs & prayers ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Thanks Rainey! Hope you have an enjoyable time with your visitors.

      Hugs
      Jane

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  9. Oh Jane I'm so sorry you had to go through the type of case you had with jury duty! In my career I have been put in the position at times to terminate individuals from their employment (without any choice on my part)and it never fails to send me into an emotional tailspin because I know what it will do to their lives and the lives of their families. As for your year: "Tie a knot and hang on" as the old poster with the cat from the 1970's used to say. I had a long conversation with my 101 year old great grandmother about a year before her death and she told me to always know that life happens in cycles and if you go through a bad time to trust that it will change.

    I liked your kitchen remodel. It has much more character and feeling of comfort than those who spend the money for a contractor and a standard remodel and your husband did a wonderful job. I always wonder why people are so attached to the "stainless steel appliances and granite countertop" look that everyone else has. I also laugh that people like you and me who cook and can a lot but have a small kitchen (mine is just a small galley kitchen) yet people like my sister and also one of my closest friends who do not cook (my friend decorates her stove with a vase of flowers) have giant kitchens with expensive Viking stoves and huge Thermidor refrigerators.

    Have a wonderful week and I'm jealous of your peaches. I always go to war with the raccoons in my yard to get very many. -Sharon

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  10. Thank you for the wonderful advice Sharon! I'm very hopeful that the worst is behind me now. You sound like a very sensitive person. Some things in life are not meant for sensitive people (like terminating people's employment and jury duty). It didn't seem to bother most of the jury, who were more interested in getting the verdict over with so they wouldn't miss yoga and Wheel of Fortune. Thankfully there were three other jurors that had a heart or we wouldn't even have deliberated. I even scolded several of the people for not wanting to listen to any arguments, which was way out of my comfort zone.

    Oh yes! I know several people with those top-of-the-line appliances and granite counters that wouldn't dare think of dirtying up their kitchens by cooking. That's so funny about the vase on the stove!

    Right now I'm wondering if so many peaches is too much of a good thing. Hope you are enjoying your week!

    Hugs
    Jane

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  11. Hell-o, Jane!
    I have a friend who goes through the names for possible jurors. She's already told me i will be called next year sometime. I do not look forward to it. I like to believe that everyone deserves another chance.
    I've been looking to replace our cherry tree with a peach; love peaches! Maybe the bits won't get to them as badly as the cherries.
    I wish you a better week.
    Debbie in the U.P.

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    1. Hello Debbie!

      Having a much better week, thank you! I'm convinced that some people just weren't cut out to be jurors. Hope you can get out of it.

      We have a very large cherry tree, but rarely get any cherries from it, but the birds seem to leave the peaches alone. I'd recommend Reliance for your area, it ripens early. Bet it's getting cold at night your way!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  12. Dearest Jane... I feel your sadness.... Jury duty is tough because one is an ordinary person with compassion and the ways of the court are not always our ways. We have no choice, when in that service, but to follow the rules and do our best. Knowing you, you did both. Sending a hug!

    Cats... they know good people when they see 'em! To be loved by a cat is different from a dog. They make a decision to be loved. Dogs just love... :)

    Love love love your kitchen. It suits you to a tee! In our part of the world we call it a "one a** kitchen" just enough room to work well and alone! :)

    Hope this week is smooth sailing, dear Jane!

    as ever.. m

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    1. Thanks for the hug, Matty! As you know very well what has gone on this year behind the scene, you'll understand that one more emotional upheaval was the last thing I needed this year. Oh well! I'll get past it and look at all the wonderful people that have now prayed for the young man.So I'm glad I shared.

      Yeah, I do not care for having company while working in the kitchen, so my little kitchen is perfect for me.

      Hope you are finding some fun this week!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  13. Your Ran is truly an amazing man.
    Justice - I know everyone wants it but there really isn't such a thing. It's so hard on how to punish crimes when truly nothing can repair the wrong. I'm no bleeding heart liberal and I'm not a hardnose conservative. Trials are necessary but no matter what police, attorneys and judges do, they don't repair the damage the crime caused.

    Now that I've been Debbie Downer, I'll close and just wish you a great rest of the week.
    I really do enjoy all your posts.

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    1. Good to hear from you Rhonda! Don't think you're a Debbie Downer at all! I love that people feel free to write what they think. The young man in question is a repeat offender, all petty larceny, things that cost less than a few dollars or nothing at all. That is why I worry that he didn't have the mental capacity to know the consequences of his actions.But the jury couldn't take that into consideration. Having a child with a learning disability, it was difficult for me. I always think but for the grace of God, there go I.

      Yes, my dear Ran is amazing! I am very blessed.

      Hugs
      Jane

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  14. love your kitchen. Most of our pets have been strays or hand me downs. The last one turned up on the doorstep a few years ago and has cost us thousands of dollars in vet bills, but he is worth it. He is now a very large boy but is terrified of our other cat who looks like she is anorexic.

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    1. Bless you Meg, for taking in the strays. They always end up being the most loyal animals. There's been a very big one hanging around here lately. I must say for a stray, he certainly looks like he's eating good!

      Hugs
      Jane

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  15. I think I can, I think I can hopefully finally post...don't you hate computer troubles.
    I'm sorry that is has been an emotional year for you. I do hope that the rest of the year will be better. So sad about the jury duty case. I had to serve on jury duty once, but it was a dui repeat offender, so I didn't feel bad when we found him guilty.
    Glad your home is a refuge! I LOVE your maple countertop!! Absolutely beautiful! Your husband did an amazing job, and your painting and flooring are great.
    Aww what sweet kitties! I think He knew you and the kittens needed each other!
    Great uses for pallets; what a cute little cat shelter.
    Your peaches look so good.
    Hope your weekend is going well. Sending hugs to you.

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    1. Yes I do hate computers, er, problems Kathy! Thanks for trying so hard to comment! I appreciate it.

      I would probably be merciless with a dui repeat offender too. If you want to drink, stay home!

      Thanks for the hugs! They are always welcome. That's why I always send one out with each comment. Who doesn't need a hug?

      Hugs
      Jane

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  16. I thought I had left a comment when I first read this--who knows what interrupted!
    I always enjoy your posts--the thrifty projects you and your husband take on, the canning, etc.
    It is true that a great deal goes on in our lives that doesn't appear in blog posts. Knowing that you are feeling fragile from a year with upheavals, I am the more appreciative that you always share those things which are encouraging and uplifting.
    I hope the rough places will begin to smooth out and your battered spirits are revived.

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    1. Thank you, Sharon. I'm hopeful for the Fall. The beauty of the season always is uplifting.

      Our little remodeling job must seem like child's play to you and your husband. I think this was the last room to be redone. I'm going to miss all the excitement.

      HUgs
      Jane

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