High Button Shoefarm updateOctober 29, 2007..good morning. We have much welcomed sunshine this morning, but strong winds and cold. Definitely fall weather. Most days, if not all rain, we have some sunshine, then rain...and so the day goes all day long. I have been raking leaves, a futile chore at best, as the leaves don't all fall at the same time. What I clean up one day, has more a few days later. But my leaf raking theory is it is better to get them in stages and several days or, the alternative, wait to rake them when they are all down, and perhaps risk not getting them at all, because we ARE after all going into November and in this region that most often means snow. If you have read my letters for any winter letters you know I merely tolerate (and poorly at that) snow. Yes, I do marvel at the beauty of snow covered trees, but not roads to drive on, not having to wear boots and mittens(and who KNOWS where my old red disreputable, but warm wool hat got to in this move???) and it would seem the list is endless of my 'nots'. My only winter task I enjoy, besides mumbling and complaining about snow, is shoveling snow. I know. Probably the last task you would rank on your list of winter joys. I like nice evenly cut paths thru the snow. As much as Ronnie is clearly the organized part of the farm couple, and I surely am the not, you would question our reversal of snow shoveling. He merely shovels snow and throws it anywhere. I, on the other hand, cut it just so with my shovel and make very well defined paths. And my piles are also defined. I prefer to do it before he does, as his paths drive me crazy. His forte is with the snow plow and he plows up most of the lawn and driveway areas for the pure joy of merely running the snow plow.Ok, enough on that subject. Not only does the mention of snow bring the wrath of Mother Nature heaped on me...but you will be subjected to my complaints of snow in probably every newsletter until May, so there is no sense in dwelling on it now. You will be sick of it, as I will be by then...I took advantage of the day yesterday afternoon, which was quite pleasant, after raking up AGAIN a spot I had done 2 days before, to wander back with my tape measure past the back hayfield, to acreage planted with Christmas trees. We have planted trees for years. Something in Ron's genes, that farmer trait, apparently urges him each year to plant trees. While loving trees, I don't seem to share the same enthusiastic gene to PLANT trees. But, that matters not, and I am the reluctant assistant. Reluctant cannot be emphasized enough. Like my complaints of snow, tree planting complaints fall on deaf ears. I have, in the past years, at least gotten the number of trees to plant down to a respectable 100-150 rather than the 500 or so of all the previous decades we planted trees. Tree planting is hard work. Generally the trees come in April. We plant by hand, as opposed to the tree planting machine pulled behind the tractor. The reluctant assistant gets to ride on the planting machine while the head tree planter drives the tractor. Have I mentioned that trees are planted on ground usually not suitable for crops because it is too steep. Un-huh. So why are we there with that same tractor on those slippery wet slopes to plant trees??? That method was used only ONE year, the year the reluctant assistant was bounced WAYYYYYY up in the air, and back to ground several times before the tractor driver realized how high the assistant was IN the air...or possibly finally heard the gut wrenching screams that probably farms two sections over could hear quite audibly.Trees are usually delivered to be planted when the April winds are not from the south, but rather the north and are fairly howling, spitting freezing rain or equally freezing snow squalls. I stumble along on uneven ground with the trees in my bucket (one of several buckets) and hand him a tree to plant in the hole he has just dug. My method would be to just plunk it in there, cover it up with dirt and move on. HIS method, the correct method of tree planting 101, is to carefully wind the long roots around and get them placed just so in the hole, carefully cover with dirt, and then gently pull it up slightly ( I have no idea the purpose of that, but it is ritual). So you can see we are at opposite ends of the correct tree planting process. I do believe, however, as the farm is WELL planted with trees of every species, that we have come to an agreement that maybe we don't NEED to plant any trees for a while. Yeah!I regressed here.. my purpose to wander over the hill was to check out those trees for a suitable candidate for my Christmas tree. We plant Colorado Blue Spruce trees for this purpose. We have not had a live tree in 4-5 years in the old house, as it was too full of my primitive furniture and collections. I did have grapevine trees, and small table trees, but not a live tree. The farmhouse does not have much more room for a live tree, but I am determined this year to have a tree. So, with tape measure in pocket, as it is reputed (by that rascal Ron), that I have NO sense of height of a tree in the field, and he always ends up having to cut the bottom off, as I insist in field the tree is too small, THIS year, I know the height of the tree. Ha. And after meandering around thru several spots of likely candidates, I found the perfect tree. You are perhaps thinking it is a tad early for tree selection, but you must realize this is deadly serious business. I used to start looking in August. And of course, changed my mind on occasion. It is also MUCH easier to walk thru the trees with no snow on the ground as opposed to uneven ground and trees being planted in a plow furrow. It may also come as no surprise to you that my choice of tree, generally is not a tree that others might choose, and one Ron would NEVER choose. He does however, tolerate my choices, sometimes with some underbreath muttering, but still tolerated. We do not paint ours green or trim them, so they are wild. With that he has no problem, and actually is his choice along with mine. Ron would take a tree that is symmetrical shaped, while I don't care about the amount of branches. Holes don't bother me either. I tend to lean toward trees with 'character', and often that means only a few branches, and preferably hangey down ones. I really like dead trees, with no needles, but there was absolutely NO way, I could get that one past him. No way. But my tree choice of this year, is a perfect tree in shape, perfect grey/ blue color that is the signature of Colorado blues, has lots of limbs, all in perfect spirals, AND with my trusty measure tape, it measured 6' with me standing in the furrow with it. I marked it with a piece of weed, having used all my marking string on some other candidates, and as he will probably not be able to define which tree is which, with my perhaps not the best marking method, I will definitely have to be there to point out which tree. It is 3 down to the left of the old crab apple tree, where one old cedar fence pole is down farther to the left and left of the line fence where he has the deer coop.. See. I know exactly where it is..amongst ALL those trees. Even if my weed falls out.I am hoping to go to at least the Nashville Michigan show this weekend and perhaps run down to Quincy to visit the Old Granary. But it depends on weather.The Old Granary's Christmas Open House is Sat Nov 10/ 10-5 and Sunday November 11 noon to 4. They are CLOSED Friday. Primitives at their best.And a shop you will enjoy. If I go this weekend while down to Nashville, I won't make the Granary Christmas Open House, but still be able to see their great shop. Neither Joann or Robbi has seen me since my weight loss. And I haven't seen the shop in 2 years since I was there last.If you are close at all to Mt Vernon Ohio, you surely MUST go to Candy and Max's Simple Goods show. www.simplegoods.net gives you the information on it and the list of vendors. Some of the BEST of the best are showing there. THIS Saturday November 3rd!! It is primitive antiques and folk art. Lots of extra thought put into this show and put on by 2 of the nicest, most genuine old soul women you would care to meet. Tell 'em Tilda sent you! Bring money! You will surely have LOTS of booths to spend it in!!I never could activate my account with crow soup for the 15th, so I never got any pictures up. Razzle-frazzle.... But unless another computer catastrophe for Kathy, I am activated for 10 pictures for November 1st. In the meantime, Beulah put some new things up on the website that we will be showing. They can be found at www.highbuttonshoe.net/recent.htm ( i think..) if that link doesn't work, click on "newest" and they will come up. Some one of a kinds..We are offering the last of Mrs Seeleys mittens, so don't delay if you are interested. I have always hung mine for years across my fireplace mantle on jute with aged clothes pins. Another great place would be a window pane or across a chair back. We have only a few pairs of the reds left, and more of the whites. Just a thought..We also are showing the Christmas photograph card taken at the old Gundrum Mercantile with fresh snow on an evergreen wreath against the backdrop of this magnificent old building door. The cards are high quality card stock, with a hand lettered simple Christmas message inside. $2 per card. Minimal shipping charges.updates on the shed and my face...face is almost healed.the shed remains in pieces blown here and there in the back hayfield while I deal with the insurance company. And the baler ( the sold one) didn't sustain any damage. The roof and walls never came 'down', they blew away....So life is getting back to normal on the farm.I hope you can make a show or two this fall. When things get a little more normal and I can begin to find things in all these boxes, I will be making more folk art. And also sharing more of my Tilda Collections.Thank you for asking to be a part of our farm. Should you choose not to, just let me know with remove and it will be done.in fond regard,Tilda ( & Beulah)www.rantingraven.com/Exhibit95.php remember on ranting raven to check out the work of PineBerryLane, my chum Miss Elsbeth (Wendy) and also Bittersweet Susan (who will be showing at the simple goods show this weekend..) Very talented gals.