Fraunk-en-steen

Thanksgiving went well, everything was quite tasty. Had 9 for dinner, but only 7 at the table. A 14 lb turkey, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, green beans with Asian dressing, cranberry sauce, stuffing and sweet potato rolls. There were a lot of deserts.

 The Traditional table cloths.

You can see the purple tone of the walls in this light. You can also see the new Dining room rug and the resting dog. I gave her an 8 out of 10 for behavior.

Short Term Slipper Salvage:
Wore a hole through the soles of my double soled slippers. I've started a KickStarter campaign to acquire a new pair, but for now I have solved the problem.

I used contact cement to adhere some pig leather(from an old backpack) to the slippers and to get a slight buzz.

Then used Freesole Shoe & Boot Repair to finish the edges.
I still have the pair that these replaced and I had always wanted to glue a pair of rubber soles to them and make them outdoorsish. We'll see how long these last before I embark on that quest.

Beers in the Fridge:
The Stella Cider got 2 thumbs up yesterday, it is none too sweet and very pleasant. Have always wanted to try it and it was the same price as the brand of cider I usually purchase, so I did.

Harpoon Winter Warmer 5.9% ABV 23 IBU. Not sure about this, too much going on? Not the right temperature? In a poor frame of mind? Maybe the second bottle will change my mind.

Harpoon Vanilla bean Porter 5% ABV 27 IBU. A hit, the vanilla is not too overpowering, not too bitter or sweet. It is a seasonal so I may never get it again.

Brooklyn  Brewery Insulated Dank Lager - 5.6% ABV. Initially felt it was just like a Guinness, but then its complexity became clear. Very good, but I probably won't get it again.

FU2016

Leaves

First Leaf raking of the season netted 1.5 paper yard bags of shredded leaves.

I always take care of my property, I've got over a foot and a half on this side of the garage. I mow that strip too. The neighbor on more than one occasion has raked her leaves against the garage. Did I mention what a nice person she is?

Last weekend the hall got screened and re-coated.

 New border and old border strip. A 4 foot section was replaced. The original cross section of the border strip was rectangular with a concave bottom, but the damaged section was more of a right triangle. I ripped down a piece of oak to width and stained it with Old Masters Wiping Stain, Rich Mahogany #15404.
The adjacent parallel wood strip was also damaged in a similar way, but only for about 8 inches. I used slivers of wood to level out the strip and packed underneath it with dash patch. I then fitted an oak filler strip where there was too much damage.

 The filler strip should have been stained, but I was hoping the poly would take care of that. It really is not that noticeable in real life with the hall light off when you're in a rush for the turlit. Gunther would have done a better job.
I also finished under the marble saddle, I fitted a piece of oak, prior there was exposed mortar.
Overall, the hall came out fine, biggest problem was having to go out the front door to get to the kitchen while we waited for it to dry.

Current Blooms:
I haven't seen the Cyclamen this year (Estate Stock Photo below) yet, last year they popped up in October.

The Peonies seem to have grown bigger this year after removing all other plants from their patch of soil. The Cyclamen live in the same garden so I hope I didn't remove them by mistake.

Beers in the Fridge:

Brooklyn 1/2 Ale, Sixpoint Sweet Action and Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout.

All recurring favorites.

I gave 2 Sweet Actions to the co-worker who provided me with Oktoberfest beers.

Mr. Bittas

Bitters are mainly known as being used in cocktails, Manhattans and Old Fashions spring to mind, with the most famous Bitters brand being Angostura Aromatic Bitters. It was Developed in 1824 by a German,  Dr. Johan Siegert living in Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar) Venezuela.

Some history of Bitters here, here(Angostura) and here(Smithsonian).

 I mainly use bitters to flavor water or seltzer, as I rarely make cocktails. Though I have added them to Cube Libras, Smoky Manhattans and Smoggy Beijings*. You can add them to leftovers to change things up, soups, oatmeal, poultices and even warm drinks.

 The Orange Bitters were a more recent 2008 addition to the Angostura line-up.
They have a good website containing history and recipes for cocktails and quite a lot of food recipes.

 Bittermens  A Christmas gift from the Youngest. I use it to mask the taste of a supplement I take to prevent leg cramp.

Scrappy's  Bitters from 2 Sample Boxes

 Chocolate, Cardamon, Grapefruit, Lime

 Orange, Celery, Aromatic, Lavender
Did I ever tell you my family was famous for producing celery seed?

Fee Brothers  A Pre-Prohibition company.

My favorite it the mint, the Cherry tastes like the liquid in the Maraschino cherry jar.

*- I made this up, well every cocktail is made up, but in this case I did not actually make up a drink, just the name.


 Gunther Befestigen, handyman extraordinaire, just back from a Blacksmithing convention finished up the Dining Room yesterday, he did a screen and re-coat using Minwax Ultimate Floor Finish. Ultimate is a Water based floor finish, ready for a second coat in 2 hours, no sanding if second coat is done in less than 24 hours. Minwax recommends application using a synthetic pad, Gunter followed instructions. Light foot traffic after 24 hours, furniture back in 72 hours. We selected a satin finish.

 Transition between hall(unfinished) and Dining Room(finished)

 Far away shot to hide all blemishes.

Corner detail.

Gunther is also making some repairs to the hall floor border strip and tidying up under the saddle of the hall bathroom. Hopefully more on that next weekend.