Today, and Busy Weekend Coming Up

[helwen]

Fiber Pushing:

Webs' annual tent sale is this weekend, May 17 & 18, 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

For those interested in local stuff, Saturday is the day local sheep and alpaca growers will be their with some of their offerings.

Spinning wheels, equipment and fiber on sale 20% off both days.

***
Peas are soaking overnight and will go in the ground tomorrow. Also want to put stakes in the ground indicating where trees will go (and also so I know how many to look for).

We have a busy weekend ahead of us... Saturday morning it's off to Hadley Garden Center for some fruit trees and strawberries. Then over to Webs to see what interesting yarns they have (esp. discontinued ones). Then over to Awen Tree to register and pay for attending the AODA's Grand Archdruid's and Archdruid of the West's June lectures. Depending on how we're doing, we might stop by at Historic Deerfield to see a bit of the open hearth cooking, but I'm not betting on that last bit. There will be other days for that this summer, no doubt.

Sunday we have to make a trip to the transfer point in the morning. Then hopefully plant at least one of the trees. We'll see how far we get, since no doubt William will need help with a few things, one of the black walnuts may be coming down, etc.

And then of course there's choir practice at Eli's Sunday evening!


***
Today we went to Adams, to the Adams Stove Company and looked at Vermont Casting wood stoves. Had a good long conversation with the owner and learned more about the various parts of the system. Quite useful, as before I'd been thinking the Defiant was the model we needed, but now it looks like the Encore would be a lot more appropriate. He told us that he's kicking off a sales event starting tomorrow too, so that's something to take into consideration as well.

Hm, before a stove goes in we have to have the hearth in place... we'll have to make a trip to Home Depot for materials first...

Comments

Fruit Trees

[islenskr.livejournal.com]

I have not purchased any trees from Hadley Garden Center, but have given up buying plants from them. Several times, the veggie plants I bought ended up not being the variety on the tag. THere have been some other thing, too, that caused me to look elsewhere.

In any case, Wanczyk's down the road (on rt 9) is worth checking out. I've been completely happy with everything I got from there.

Just my two cents.

Re: Fruit Trees

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Interesting to hear.... I've never had trouble with my purchases there, but I've also never bought veggies there. Some herbs, the strawberries and blueberries last year, scotch broom, two coffee plants (one died but I think that was my fault), and two apple trees.

Got pansies there once and they were okay, but the best pansies I've ever gotten were from Laurenitis in Sunderland.

Have you gotten fruit trees from Wanczyk's?

Re: Fruit Trees

[islenskr.livejournal.com]

I have not got fruit trees from Wanczyk's. We've got two pear trees from Miller's Nursery (mail order). They're doing as well as can be expected.

Laurenitis is THE BEST I've ever found for plants in this area. They have real quality stuff. I hope they're open on Sunday, because I want to get over there on my way home from grocery shopping to get some flowers and more veggies.

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

my parent's hearth is concrete poured on a swimming pool liner, and asbestosboard with thin brick veneer over it as the back and side walls.

Woodstove would be a lovely addition to your comfort.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

That's a possibility... we were thinking of putting in a couple of layers of duro rock and then a layer of ceramic tile -- we have to work around the feet of the radiator that's in front of the chimney.

Or if the floor doesn't have to be solid, I wouldn't mind just getting a bunch of firebricks and laying them in next to each other...

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

I'd be nervous of ash falling between the bricks, they are tender and fragile, ash is unpredictable.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Hm, good point. Oh well.

Defiant

[harpnfiddle.livejournal.com]

We had a 1980 Defiant in Maryland. It heated the whole house (2000 sq ft) from the cellar. Of course not evenly - 2nd floor was chilly, cellar was hot. I looked at the new Defiants at Olde Hadleigh in So. Hadley a few years back. They are really pretty. Ours was just plain black cast iron. I used to make a mean beef stew on ours.

I would think the Defiant is too big for your flat. Is that why they recommended the Encore? It's better to burn a smaller hotter fire, than have a larger stove damped down most of the time.

Re: Defiant

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Nice to know it worked well :)

Yeah, Lyle mis-figured the square footage of the apartment and I didn't double-check the figures. Even the Encore might be a bit much, but because we have the challenge of pushing the heat down the hallway it might work out about right. I want to run a diagram by the stove guy and see what he thinks.

Unfortunately the next size down in the Vermont Castings stoves isn't a good choice because it has a much higher EPA emission, and only burns for up to 5 hours. But he also carries DutchWest, and their small one might be all right for us.

Wood stoves are definitely more attractive than they were in the '70s, I have to say. My mom had a cute little one in her basement study, but some of the new ones are really stylin' :D