Bloused Trousers

Sunday when I was getting ready to start the work day at the cabin a memory just jumped right in.  It was at the point of putting on my work boots and tucking my jeans into them.  It was a flash back of watching my dad get ready for work at Messer Oil.  He would put a wide band on his boots around the ankle.  Then lace them with rhythm.  One lace in each hand seesawing them up the hooks until the top and then tie them off with a double tie.  He would pull the band up on his trousers and blouse them.  I always thought why bother but now I know.  They looked the same when he came home from work or the barn.  For my tuck them in my boots means all day long I am tucking them back in.  Every time I bend my knees out the jeans would come making for an uncomfortable feel.  Next winter if I remember, the blousing technique will be put to the test. 

As usual I had to google blousing trousers.  It started with military dress attire.  I have pictures of my dad when he was very little wearing jodhpurs.  They were pants that were very tight from the knee down and bloused out at the hips.  English Equestrians wear this style.  I often wonder why they had all the extra material around the hips so I googled that too.  Made sense, it is to give extra room when riding a horse.  From the knee down they were tight to keep the pants from getting caught in the stirrups.  So, if you have been wondering all your life as to the reason for breeches, jodhpurs and knickers now you know.  To think one little memory of 60+ years ago created a blog.  As always my mind is like someone that loves to travel, it just keeps wandering in all directions.

An update on the cabin.  It really is starting to look like a cabin!  The left over tongue and groove was taken back to the garage and room was made for the sheetrock.  As of last night we had hung 10 sheets of it.  The kitchen walls are all sheetrock and the living room has tongue and groove up 4 ft. with 4 ft. of sheet rock up to the ceiling.  Next we do the bedroom and bathroom with sheetrock.  My work will begin once that is done............plastering the screws indents and seams.  I can not stand the smell of it but am the only one patient enough to do it and it does take patience.  Ya can't hurry plastering.  It works out ok because I don't have the patience for painting walls and Dick does.  He is really good at it too.  Works out fine around here, each has their own specialty that the other can not or will not attempt.

Quincy just want a chipper to run by.

Saturday is usually designated for pizza night.  The best way to bake a homemade pizza is on a stone slab at 410 degrees on a low rack.  The bottom is crispy and the dough evenly cooks through.  We like thin crust but thick crust bakes just the same........good every time.  Toppings depend on what is in the refrigerator.  Last Saturday it was onion, mushroom and green olive toppings.  I have a feeling in the next couple weeks the pizza will be topped with fresh wild leeks.  As with adding them to fried potatoes, spaghetti, cheese spread and what ever else sounds like it needs a boost of leek flavor.  My friend from NM sent me a great idea.  Deep fried leeks!  Of course we will be trying them. Besides leeks it calls for my favorite...buttermilk to dip them in first.  Remember buttermilk makes deep fried foods extra crispy.  I have no idea why but it sure does.

Yum and we didn't have to leave the house. 

The next two pictures are proof that Dick and I share everything, work, fun, fights and injuries.  When you are working with tools there is always a good chance there will be some kind of an injury.  Nothing that requires seeing a doctor but that moment when the whole world gets dark and our words are less than to be desired.  Dick was on his last section of putting up insulation when he hit his thumb with the hammer type stapler.  Very lucky the staple did not go in the thumb and even more lucky for me, I was not there for the action.  Yes, it seems we get careless the closer we get to finishing a job.  As with my left hand.  We were up about 4 boards of tongue and groove.  It would not slip in place because it was warped in the middle.  Dick said, wait and I'll stand on it while you nail.  I was nailing anyways because of being closer to the ground than a 6'1 guy.  I always take the low jobs by choice.  Much better than working off a ladder for me.  Ok, so he was standing on it, I started to nail and the damn board slipped completely off the other and came down on my hand.  Board weight, 2 lb.  Dick's weight 205 lb., 207 on my hand.  Doing the dance, squeezing my hand and talking to myself out loud with Dick chasing me around saying, "let me look at it."  Again, hell no! I am not going to let go of it!  I knew it wasn't broken and tried to tell him that.  Five minutes later he was able to assess the damage, all was well and back at it.  Different board and went in like it was suppose to.  Lesson #111,111,111............don't try to make something work when it starts out too difficult.  That is a sign of things to come.

It should be a goner within a few weeks, eek.  Glad it isn't my thumb!

So many beautiful shades of green, blue and purple for about a week.  Happy I don't wear my rings when I work!
The top of my hand looked like a horsestepped on it.  Aw, the joys of living at Cook'n by the Creek.