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Merit Badge Awardees - Woo-hoo Sisters!:  Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 1:05:03 PM
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Jill Yelland-DeMooy, (Jill Yelland-DeMooy, #6748) has received certificates of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning the Beginner and Intermediate Levels of the Spinning Merit Badge!
“I have a fibre business. My husband is a sheep shearer, he purchases good fleeces for me. I wash, dye, and card them and then sell them to other spinners. For my business, I use an electric carder, for some of my own projects, I use hand cards to get the specific results that I want. I learned to spin when I was 17 years old as a 4H project and have been spinning on and off ever since. I use both a spinning wheel and drop spindle. I'm currently working on my Master Spinner Certification from Olds College, Alberta and am on year three of six.
I have a 4H Fibre Arts group as part of our local 4H sheep club and have taught probably about 15 members to spin over the years. This past fall I also taught a beginner spinning class to ladies from our Spinning and Weaving Guild. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and love of fibre.”
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MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 2:51:53 PM
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Kristin Sievert, (Kristin Sievert, #6020) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner Level Civics Challenge Merit Badge!
“I took the test. I failed!! Apparently school house rock didn't get me as far as I would have thought!”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 2:52:40 PM
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Kristin Sievert, (Kristin Sievert, #6020) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning an Intermediate Level Civics Challenge Merit Badge!
“I took the test. I only got one wrong so I was pleased with myself!”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 2:54:04 PM
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Kristin Sievert, (Kristin Sievert, #6020) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning an Expert Level Civics Challenge Merit Badge!
“I took the test. I got 81%. I was miffed I got the chief justice's last name wrong.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 2:57:16 PM
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Kristin Sievert, (Kristin Sievert, #6020) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level Green Energy Merit Badge!
“Researched my energy sources with Xcel. Posted on chat. It was very interesting because what prompted me to earn the badge today was a post on Facebook about Minnesota Power Initiative. I followed the link but something seemed kind of off. I ended up reporting the link but since I had already done some research, I decided to finish it up.
It's too bad there isn't a dedicated chat topic for each badge that requires a posting. I was reviewing some of the older posts which made me realize we haven't come very far in 5 years.
I think it's interesting that even the lingo is changing. It's not sustainable or renewable- it's carbon neutral.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 2:58:35 PM
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Kristin Sievert, (Kristin Sievert, #6020) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning an Intermediate Level Shopping Green Merit Badge!
“My research showed how bleach, baking soda, ammonia, soap and alcohol can create any cleaning product you can purchase.
I created a soap scum remover and foaming hand soap.
It went great. The soap scum removed when left overnight worked better then any purchased product. I was truly amazed!! However it doesn't work that well on vertical surfaces.
I did purchase a foaming hand soap. After it was used up, I purchased a sample size of castile soap to make my own. Loved it. After using the sample size, I bought a large bottle.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 2:59:55 PM
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Kristin Sievert, (Kristin Sievert, #6020) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level My Fair Farmgirl Merit Badge!
“I finally got around to making a product—lip balm.
I was working at Bath & Body Works at the time. If they hadn't started discontinuing my fragrances, I might not have taken this step. But in research process, was horrified to discover how many "bad" things were in the product.
I learned there was a big difference between organic and natural.
I have been saving my Blistex tubes for years. I used a "thirds" formula of beeswax, almond oil and coconut butter. The product is harder than Blistex but it's a better trade off in my opinion.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 3:01:07 PM
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Kristin Sievert, (Kristin Sievert, #6020) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning a Beginner Level Know Your Food Merit Badge!
“I kept track of my food intake using FitBit. I read the book. I tried 10 different things to increase fruit/veggie consumption. Looked more closely for eliminating oils & sweeteners. Grew sprouts. Prepared my parents dinner meals which were high in veggies.
I was surprised at how many calories liquids contributed.
Of the 10 different things I tried, keeping track of veggie increased recipes was the best & most long lasting.
I get a stomach ache from a lot of artificial sweeteners so there aren't that many in my diet. 2nd, don't eat a lot of processed foods that have those oils. I did look at some of my favorite snacks (aka Doritos) that I eat at my parents and shouldn't!
Failed at sprout farming. Don't like them anyway so I wasn't hurt. The few I did get to grow I put on an egg salad sandwich instead of lettuce.
Found out that my mother doesn't consider corn an appropriate addition to veggie up anything.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 3:02:25 PM
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Kristin Sievert, (Kristin Sievert, #6020) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning a Beginner Level Bread Making Merit Badge!
“I knew the difference between soda & powder as a home economics major but looked up the chemical NaHCO3 for S&G's.
Made banana bread, homemade cheddar bay biscuits & chocolate cherry yeast bread. All products were made with whole wheat flour which gives a courser texture.
Using soda & powder are typically for quick breads. So the texture of the banana bread & biscuits were a courser texture by design.
The yeast bread is typically finer, but using whole wheat flour does give you a courser product. In addition, the recipe was a no-knead recipe which doesn't really develop those silky gluten strands.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 3:03:39 PM
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Kristin Sievert, (Kristin Sievert, #6020) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning a Beginner Level Apples Merit Badge!
“Did all my research—quite a bit for this badge! Stopped at an orchard & picked up a couple different varieties. Posted a couple of tidbits on the chat board.
It went great.
Lots of research which was fine, I found it very interesting. It lead me down the rabbit hole on the topic of heirloom varietals.
Last fall when we had so many apples, I briefly wondered if I could try making my own apple cider vinegar but those 5 seconds passed & I returned to sanity.
Stopped at an orchard while we were coming back from a vacation. The Mississippi River byway has lots of orchards so we planned on stopping on the way home. I didn't get any of my favorites (Honeycrisp) but were able to try 2 different MN varietals. I picked up 2 more at the grocery store. Wasn't impressed with any of them.
Posted about the University of MN Extension Service because they have developed some of the most famous varietals—Haralson & Honeycrisp just to mention a couple top ones. Also posted about the heirloom tree hunters.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 3:04:56 PM
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Kristin Sievert, (Kristin Sievert, #6020) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a Beginner Level Gaining Ground Merit Badge!
“I already had a compost site when I started Farmgirl Sisterhood. However, when I moved into an urban setting, the need to RRR became apparent really quickly because lawn waste was a household cost I didn't want to incur.
There was an overgrown weeding spot in the back that had been used for years as a parking spot. I've been dumping leaves & grass clippings.
The hope is that it will eventually become humus enough to put grass back in.
It went great! When I found a dead blackbird in the middle of the yard before mowing, I had the perfect place to bury it!
It's slow going but watering it, having contractors drive on it & the sun, it's getting there.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 3:05:44 PM
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Kristin Sievert, (Kristin Sievert, #6020) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning an Intermediate Level Gaining Ground Merit Badge!
“DBF & I started a compost site. Set up cinder blocks as a back for it & started with some not-ready-yet cow barn goo. The dairy neighbor had brought over some good black gold when cleaning up the cow pen, but some wasn't ready yet. You could still see the components. So that was what we used to start the compost site.
All communities I've lived in have compost sites. I thought this project was for 3 years not 3 months so I found out a lot!
DBF doesn't understand that if you can identify the components of the compost, it's not composted!! Heat & water are needed to really get that stuff hot enough to truly break it down. He won't water it so it doesn't work.
He didn't like critters getting into the pile. So he did buy a tumbler for fish guts. With an accelerator, that does get hot enough to make soil. We add that to regular compost pile to help speed it up.
It's hard to say how many gallons it produces because he uses it before it's ready!! But the tumbler produces about 5 gallons.
Interesting thing about community sites, it demonstrates how rude people are.
I reused plastic totes for my first community site. Once I weeded enough to fill up the tote, I brought the tote to the walk-in dumpster type container. People wouldn't walk to the front to deposit their matter. Leave plastic bags no matter how signs were up. All they had to do was empty the bag & take it with!
2nd community site was better because there were piles for different yard waste.
3rd community site was a fee based. You pay for a sticker & in return get black gold. Since I don't really need the end product, I'm composting at home right now.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 3:22:24 PM
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Jennifer Ettlin, (MsKathleen, #7128) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning an Intermediate Level Going Green Merit Badge!
“That awkward moment when you realize you've completed a bunch of badges, but haven't turned any in yet...
We started off with making laundry soap with Fels Napa and Borax and used the entire container before we made our decision. Shredding the Fels Napa was super messy and the second youngest tried to eat the soap when it started to look like shredded cheese. Mixing with the borax, lavender crystals and some scents (we used citrus orange) was entertaining and had some very interesting scents on the laundry. However, the laundry soap lasted a LONG time, so we didn't have to buy as much.
Next, we made soap. For the soap, we found a recipe on Pinterest when we were trying to use up the goat milk we just started to produce (and there is a lot more than anticipated!) and we ended up using a stencil kit for forms. We decided to go the cold soap route so not to endanger wee ones who love to help. We used about 1 cup of coconut oil, 2 cups of olive oil, a cup and a half of palm oil, a quarter cup of lye and a cup and a half of goat milk, 1 tbsp of honey and 5-10 drops of orange essential oil. I say 5-10 drops because the youngest was counting and he tried to count super fast so we may have skipped a few numbers.
Next, we made the all-purpose cleaner, window cleaner and floor cleaner this last month when we got caught up in the flooding and since our farm was like an island (surrounded completely by water), we decided to use the time to do some spring cleaning…But we ran out cleaning supplies! So…yay to Pinterest (And woe to the rest of the family that thought they could play the Nintendo Switch for the rest of the day instead)! We found several recipes that contained just the ingredients we had on hand and got back to cleaning. I stuck with recipes that only had ingredients that were safe for human consumption if ingested on accident since we have a new addition in the family. I don’t want him to play in a bucket of ammonia when my back is turned washing the floors. So, cleaning products have to be in the safe for all age ranges right now.
To be honest, I wasn’t happy with how the laundry soap turned out. While it cleaned up colored clothes nicely, the whites quickly got a dingy tan color due to how hard our water system is. And with a septic tank, you’re not supposed to use bleach to fix it (bleach can apparently crack the rubber seals on your septic tank). I couldn’t really find a good recipe to fix that either. So, I went down to the laundromat with all the whites and got them bleached.
The all-purpose cleaner worked really well for flu season and general clean up things like mold, but was not good for the windows.
So, we tried to use the window cleaner and it just left streaks. Turns out, plain old vinegar works best. Got the dog nose prints right off!
The floor cleaner worked wonderfully…for children (yay!) but not for animals (boo!). The cat tried to drink most of it. She put her paws in the water, played in it and drank from it. She smelled like a pickle for a few days. Note: You do have to do a rinse of the floors with clean water afterwards or you'll get streaks. But it sparkles nicely and the laminate was unaffected. Yay!
We used 1 cup water, 1 cup, vinegar, 3 tbsp of lemon juice and 15 drops of peppermint oil (the youngest started to sneeze uncontrollably at the lavender and was taken out of the room by grandma) for the all purpose cleaner. For the window spray, we used 2 cups of water, a quarter cup of white vinegar (the recipe called for apple vinegar but we didn't have any) and half a tsp of dawn soap. For the floor cleaner, because we have laminate, used a quarter cup of vinegar, 1 tbsp of dish soap, a quarter cup of baking soda (add the dish soap first or you have a volcano!) and 2 gallons of hot water.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 3:24:12 PM
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Jennifer Ettlin, (MsKathleen, #7128) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Sew Wonderful Merit Badge!
“I already had a sewing kit, something my mom made me for my first apartment when I moved away from home, so I decided to make one for my seven year old niece since she has just started to learn to sew with Grandma (mom is teaching her embroidery during Covid). She and grandma have been working on making doll clothes and blankets since we can't go out anywhere, but she didn't have a sewing kit of her own. She just uses grandma's.
Using a 6x6 piece of cloth with the corners trimmed off to make a circle, I used a running stitch around the edges. In the middle, I filled the cloth square with batting (I used the wool kind) and pulled the running stitch to close around it. I slid the metal disk of a mason jar in and tied it off. To finish the lid, I glued a piece of felt on the bottom and stuffed the puff through the metal ring. In the jar itself, I placed thread, mini scissors, buttons, straight pin and needles (I found a needle case at Walmart so she won't prick her fingers), and safety pins. Then we closed the lid and voila! Sewing kit she can use with grandma.
I think it turned out pretty well, though I had some extra fabric around the edges I had to press in to get the lid on. I'm not sure if she'll like it, though. I used Elsa colors, but recently she's shifted to Twilight Sparkle colors from My Little Pony. Otherwise, I think she'll like it.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 3:56:52 PM
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Rosemary Sissons, (BeachGrilLakeGal, #8082) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning a Beginner Level 'Out There' Women Merit Badge!
“Our main home is in Long Beach, CA, but we have a vacation home in Hayden in the Panhandle of Idaho. I'm very familiar with the plants of Southern California, but didn't know much about the plants of North Idaho. I spent several days online researching various plants and their uses. I also spent a morning acquiring all the items necessary for my day pack.
In July, my husband and I visited Farragut State Park and Heyburn State Park. I was able to identify Douglas Firs, Ponderosa Pines as well as Western Larches (Tamaracks). At Heyburn, I was especially excited to see cattails as I had learned that every part of this plant is useful for either food or medicine.
My best girlfriend and I will be leaving later this week on a road trip back to our homes in CA. We plan to do some hiking along the way and my daypack is ready.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2020 : 3:59:23 PM
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Hannah Frankowski, (GinnyBelle, #6994) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Sew Wonderful Merit Badge!
“I made a travel sewing kit out of felt. It has a flap for straight pins, a pocket for a thread card that also holds needles, a pocket for buttons with a flap that holds safety pins, and a holder for scissors. It buttons closed, and the kitty face on the front is slightly stuffed and doubles as a pin cushion.
Oh my goodness, I was beyond pleased! The pattern I found on Pintrest was easy to follow and I had fun picking out my felt colors. I plan on keeping this lil guy in my purse from now on! Never know when a gal might need a needle or a safety pin.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 05 2020 : 11:19:44 AM
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Miranda Pace, (Miranda Pace, #7800) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Aprons Merit Badge!
“I made an apron with the most adorable fabric over the weekend. I added the ribbon trim along the bottom of the waist band, stitching by hand. It's so cute, and it even fits! Ha!”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2020 : 2:32:39 PM
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Jennifer Ettlin, (MsKathleen, #7128) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner Level Public Service Merit Badge!
“I’ve been working on this badge for a while now, so I apologize if the dates seem a bit long. I started this badge two to three years ago, around March 15th, 2018 when I voted for the local representative for our area. I voted again on November 8, general election, the April 4, 2019 county election, the November 5th county election, the postponed June 2, 2020 general party election and the August 4th primary election. The voting part was easy. Finding out the different ballot initiatives was easy, as they’re posted online for a majority of the time (though in Covid-era, it’s more often posted the night before instead). Paying attention to ballot initiatives have allowed us to vote for a new library, an increase in teacher and police pay, fix our roads and shoot down discriminatory practices such as district line drawing based on political parties. I wasn’t able to attend an in-person session due to Covid-19, but I was able to attend a live session online with our state representatives (I still had to sign in like I would if I was there in person, so that was fun). I gave a report about my findings at the state session on August 2, 2020. Here’s the link: http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/snitz/topic.asp?whichpage=1&TOPIC_ID=90035#1001987
I think it turned out well. I learned quite a bit, but I was extremely nervous to post what I learned on the board, because the three things we were always taught to never talk about in public are politics, religion, and ex’s. However, it turned out well. I do want to give a shout out to Krista who gave me a nice message. Thank you, Krista!”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2020 : 2:33:30 PM
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Jennifer Ettlin, (MsKathleen, #7128) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner Level Get 'er Done Merit Badge!
“ Our Farmgirl group has been working on many projects, in groups of three to avoid Covid, but I have been participating primarily in three major projects for the last three months.
Project 1: Our first project was a rescue project. The road in front of my mother’s house has been re-grated recently, or for those who don’t know about old gravel roads, they resurface the road with the rocks being crushed down into the mud and dust. Normally, this doesn’t affect anything, just spreads the rock flat, but the last re-grating caused the rain water to divert from the culverts and down toward her house. Needless to say, her family room flooded which was disastrous since she was using it as a storage room. All of her keepsakes and photos had to be rescued and placed out to dry. Our task here was to clean up the water, deal with the damaged walls before mold came up and rescue what we could from the boxes. The water clean-up took us several hours for the floors. The next part had to wait for the next weekend, in which we discovered a vinegar solution that dealt with potential mold and took care of the water damage on the walls. My sister and mother took that part on. My father and brother dealt with the culvert issue on the road. My primary task over the last few months was to rescue what we could from the boxes.
We were able to rescue her photos as well as digitize them so even the ones destroyed by water were “restored”. Knick-knacks were mostly saved and I was able to wash anything with cloth. We only threw out a small Walmart bag worth of things we couldn’t save at the end I will consider this a major victory!
Project 2: Our second project was chicken butchering for the winter. I have to admit, the smell was terrible and the feathers sticky, but we managed to put away a year’s worth of roasting chickens (roughly 48) in the freezer since her normal helpers would not be available for the first run. I was on gutting, primarily, which isn’t bad if I don’t know “who” the birds are (her chickens always walk up to us to get food, so I made the mistake of naming them).
I learned something new and by the sixth chicken that I gutted, the bird actually looked like a roasting chicken and we didn’t have to cut it apart to “hide” how badly I mangled it. We’ve been asked to help again for the next round at the end of August. I’ll be fine, but my sister decided that it was not her cup of tea. The scent of chicken now makes her violently ill.
Project 3: The final project was putting in a garden for the spring. We cleared the area, built the garden boxes, planted the seeds and have been weeding. It’s still an on-going project, but I look forward to the bush beans already coming up. We had to take turns with this due to COVID, but we developed a schedule.
The garden turned out beautiful, but we are going to continue to do this one long after we turn in the badge. A tree fell over yesterday in the garden, smashing a couple of boxes and breaking the deer fence, but that’s okay! The only thing we lost was the corn (which the deer ate when the fence was down). I got the fence (sort of) back up since my father was about to push the tree to the side with the tractor, but have decided that I need to earn the Buzzin' Around badge to learn the chain saw very soon. It is a big tree.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2020 : 3:14:16 PM
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Kristin Sievert, (Kristin Sievert, #6020) has received a certificate of achievement in Make It Easy for earning a Beginner Level Carp-hen-try Merit Badge!
“Cut boards for new shelves in kitchen cupboard. My pots and pans cupboard had a lot of underutilized space. I bought a single laminated board to increase my space.
Read the book. Mostly beyond the book so didn't enjoy it.
I learned a lot making 2 cuts for two shelves!!
My father gave me a circular saw for cutting the boards. I've used a circular saw many times before so figured it was ready to go. I never pulled back the guard to check the blade.
My first cut was extremely difficult to cut. I had to really, really push the saw through and filled my workroom with black smoke. The cut edge was mostly black. Now, it was laminated particle board but that result surprised me! After a discussion with my father about the teeth being dull, learned there were no teeth on the blade. It was probably a tile blade. Well, that explains having to really push hard!
Got a different blade. Having no arm strength, I learned the trick to change it out. Again the results were the same!! Terrible time pushing the saw thru, lots of icky black smoke & blackened cut.
I learned yesterday, I had the blade in backwards!! Made another cut with blade in correct position no problems!!”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2020 : 3:15:45 PM
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Kristin Sievert, (Kristin Sievert, #6020) has received a certificate of achievement in Make It Easy for earning an Intermediate Level Carp-hen-try Merit Badge!
“I needed to figure out what to do with superfluous door.
I bought a HUD foreclosure so there really wasn't a thing in the house when I took possession. However, there was one door in the basement that had one half of the hinge still attached.
The other doors in the house weren't very good millwork to begin with & they had been painted white at some point. Having re-done enough doors that some fool paints white thinking it's easier than simply maintaining the varnish, I can assure it's not! The paint gets chipped, knicked, dented, etc and you still have to do work to make it look nice. There is probably more work to painting it than maintaining the varnish.
So I made the decision to paint what was painted to help "clean up" the hallway.
I made the decision to include the extra door in the process since it would simply be more work in the future if I decided I wanted to use it.
The door belonged to bottom of the stairway going upstairs so it wasn't really practical to put the door back up just for a 14 yr old boy slam it into the wall everytime he used the doorway. But despite that, I decided to re-do the door.
Sand the entire door (6 sides)
- orbital sander on planes
- steel wool on curves
Fill holes, dents, etc as needed
Clean off then wipe off with tack cloth.
Prime
Paint at least 3 coats on each side
- used brush on curves/moulding
- foam roller on planes
While all the other doors went back up, this one didn't. Still didn't know what I wanted to do with until my dog once again went into the dining/living room while I was gone. That's verboten & she knows it!
Ah—I will put that door there!!
The hinges were missing the hinge pin. Probably got thrown away with the rest of the garbage in the foreclosure process. This is why you always put hinge pins back in the hinge!! That way you don't misplace them! Had to find new hinge pins. The hardware was pot metal and I wasn't willing to even try to find that, so I ordered new satin nickel pins & door knob.
Had to chisel out wood for the hinge on the door. Had to chisel out paint drips on the jam to check the other half on the door.
Because the new hinges had slightly different screw locations, I had to fill the holes from the old hinges with a strong filler to help maintain the wood's integrity with the new hinges. Mixed up a little bit of water based putty. Used a 5cc syringe & needle to suck it up and accurately injected into holes. Let dry.
Mounted new hinges on door jam. Started Get 'er Done Thursday. I needed help moving this door up from the basement & putting it up.
We tried but we both knew it was beyond us. My father came to help. More chisel cuts & lots of plane work to get that door to fit a different location. But it's now up!”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2020 : 3:35:05 PM
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Hannah Frankowski, (GinnyBelle, #6994) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning a Beginner Level 'Out There' Women Merit Badge!
“I gathered the required items for my survival kit and put them in the inner pocket of my backpack that I take with me on hiking and camping trips.
I made a list of ten native plants and their uses.
1. Poison Ivy: Causes a rash. Wash exposed areas within 2-8 hours of contact.
2. Jewel Weed: Traditionally used by Native Americans as a remedy for Poison Ivy. Stem juice can also be used to treat Athlete's Foot.
3. Elderberry: Can be used to treat or prevent colds, flu, and constipation. Also can make wine and dye.
4. Pokeweed: Poisonous although the leaves are used in traditional Southern cooking to make "Poke Sallat" when prepared properly to remove toxins.
5. Wild Bergamont/Bee Balm: Used by Native Americans to treat colds. Also an antiseptic for minor wounds. Also helps treat mouth and throat infections.
6. Snake Root: Poisonous to cows, horses, goats, and sheep. Can cause "milk sickness" if tainted milk is drank. Root tea may treat diarrhea, kidney stones, and fever. Root poultice can be used to treat snake bites.
7. Purslane: Can be eaten raw in salads, or cooked in soups and stews. Contains many vitamins and minerals.
8. Chicory: Used as salad greens. Roots and baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute and food additive.
9. Bloodroot: Has potentially questionable medicinal uses, but mostly considered harmful. Red sap is good for dying cloth.
10. Purple Coneflower: Used in the treatment of common colds.
Most of my survival kit I already had on hand, I just needed to gather it all together. One thing I don't have, nor could I find, was a waterproof container for my matches. I put them in a ziplock baggie temporarily and will continue my search for a proper container.
I had fun making my list of plants. Most of them I've seen often on my various hikes, but did not know all their uses. Some of them, I have not seen before, but will definitely be on the lookout for.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2020 : 3:37:51 PM
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Hannah Frankowski, (GinnyBelle, #6994) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning a Beginner Level Outstepping Merit Badge!
“We went on a camping trip to Lincoln State Park and hiked several of the trails there. One of the trails led us into the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial across the highway. There were some very interesting trails over there as well. After leaving Lincoln SP, we stopped at Harmonie State Park on the way home and explored it.
I was able to find our state tree, the Tulip tree, easy enough. There were many of them in the forest. Our state bird, the Cardinal, was kind enough to make an appearance as well, but was hard for me to get a good photo of. Our state flower is the Peony, which is not native. I did, however, find one planted in a cemetery located at the Lincoln SP.
I actually learned how to make safe campfires years ago in Girl Scouts and have retained that knowledge over the years.
Overall, I had a lot of fun earning this badge. My husband and I have been trying to get out to all the State Parks in Indiana, and this gave us the perfect excuse to visit a couple more. The National Monument was an added bonus that we didn't know about when planning our trip. We would like to return, as Covid had closed down the visitor's center which had some interesting displays about Abraham Lincoln.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2020 : 3:38:44 PM
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Hannah Frankowski, (GinnyBelle, #6994) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning an Intermediate Level Speak for the Trees Merit Badge!
“I looked up several different sites devoted to windbreaks and learned about their different uses. Dense, multi-rowed tree windbreaks are used to protect crops in large, exposed fields. I see that often around here, as we are located in a wind corridor. I also learned that if you plant several rows of varying heights, with the tallest being nearest the house, it will increase the effectiveness of the windbreak by causing the wind flow to redirect up and over the house.
I walked down to our small, local park by the water tower and identified the trees down there. We have several Silver Maples, which are native. Also, a River Birch, which is also native. The last tree was a thornless Honey Locust, which is also native, though not as common in the wild. Most Honey Locusts have thorns, but a few have been found without and these have been cultivated into the variety most commonly found in residential areas.
Our park is extremely small, and I was actually lucky to find three different tree varieties. Most of them were Silver Maples, which are very common in our town. The Honey Locust was hard to identify, as my tree guide did not include the possibility of a thornless variety. After searching and researching the guide for another possible match, I finally turned to the internet and discovered that they could, in fact, be thornless.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16458 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16458 Posts |
Posted - Aug 10 2020 : 3:40:31 PM
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Hannah Frankowski, (GinnyBelle, #6994) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning an Expert Level Speak for the Trees Merit Badge!
“When walking the trails at Lincoln State Park, I took my tree guide along. I identified the following trees:
Tulip
Sassafrass
Persimmon
Sweet Gum
Eastern Redbud
American Elm
Winged Elm
Sugar Maple
Sycamore
Shagbark Hickory
Black Walnut
The mature trees where extremely tall and did not branch out until way up near the top. High up was an extremely dense canopy. The lower levels were much more open, with various saplings near the ground and some low ground vegetation. Several of the trees had vines of poison ivy and wild grapes growing along the bare, straight lengths of their trunks.
Research at home turned up that the majority of the forest I was in was in its third stage which is the stem-exclusion stage. According to Wikipedia, this means the trees grow higher and enlarge their canopy, thus competing for the light with neighbors; light competition mortality kills slow growing trees and reduces forest density, which allows surviving trees to increase in size. Eventually, the canopies of neighboring trees touch each other and drastically lower the amount of light that reaches the lower layers. Due to that, the understory dies and only very shade-tolerant species survive.
I had a trash bag with me, but did not find any trash on the immediate trails. The little trash I did see had been tossed far enough off the trail that I could not reach it without leaving the trail, which was prohibited. I did, however, make sure that all the trash at our campsite was picked up and removed.
Identifying the trees in the forest was harder than I thought it would be. Many of the leaves were too high up for me to see the finer details needed for proper identification. Several of the younger trees were too immature to identify as their bark had not yet developed its full characteristics. I'm quite sure that I saw way more varieties than what I was able to identify.”
MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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Merit Badge Awardees - Woo-hoo Sisters!: Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees |
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Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees
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