USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Foxfyre]

Hedge Apples over in the Hoosier... While there may be close to 350 to 400 miles between our stomping grounds our bringing's up are very similar... Hedge apples are not very useful unless you are warring with the neighbor kids... Oh you can sell them on EBay also... You can sell anything on EBay... Hell I sold a Railroad spike on EBay one time and didn't even have one... Had to go for a walk on the ole PRR tracks to find one...

View attachment 153674

I have heard the story regarding spiders but never tried it

Ya gotta love someone who can sell a railroad spike then go forage for it!

The wood of the Osage orange is a beautiful lemon rind yellow. I know some local woodworkers who prize Osage orange to make little boxes from. Glued up next to strips of black walnut, the effect is something like a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform.

Luthiers (lute makers) use it for fret boards. Very hard and durable wood

Wait, a lute has a fret board?

It does.

 

[Foxfyre]

The Osage oranges are falling! For those of you unfamiliar with the Osage orange, they are commonly called 'monkey balls' and, legend has it, if placed in your fruit cellar they will ward off spiders. They are neon green, typically about the size of a baseball, are firm but not hard and have a skin that looks like the creases and crevasses of the brain. They are inedible, so don't try to make monkey ball jelly. Besides, there are apples and pears and grapes to make your jelly from at every farm stand between here and Cleveland.

At Thompson Park there is a row of Osage orange trees right by Pacillion No. 1. They grow nearly thirty five feet tall and have a dark green tear drop shaped leaf. These particular trees are set along part of the parking area for the pavilion which could easily sit three hundred people for a family reunion or a Fourth of July picnic.

The trick is knowing not to park under the Osage orange trees in October when the monkey balls fall. This year's crop of monkey balls are the largest I've ever seen. As I said, they are typically the size of a baseball. But this year, they have blown past softball size and are bordering on the girth of a volleyball! They are musher as a result and as they crash onto the pavement below, they explode and turn into a pile of a slimy green, stringy vegetable matter like pumpkin guts.

Meanwhile, around the bend and down by the amphitheater the black walnut trees are giving up their fruits. Black walnuts grow in a husk that is a bright green like the monkey balls. But inside is the black walnut itself. You have to handle them with latex gloves unless you don't mind your hands getting stained black for a day or two. You can't use a regulation nut cracker to open the nut. Methods usually run toward the hammer.

I've had black walnuts in fudge and someone mentioned black walnut ice cream which sounds delicious. Mom made black walnut bread once, but we couldn't decide if she did that as a joke or a manner of torture. She has had uncountable baking successes, but black walnut bread is not numbered among them.

One of the other dog walkers saw the bounty of black walnuts and filled the plastic bag she would have used to pick up her dog Peanut's poop and instead filled it with black walnuts. "$3.95 a pound at Giant Eagle!" she said as she stooped from black walnut to black walnut.

Squirrels have been gathering acorns, car roofs have been collecting dents from falling monkey balls and my friend Mary is collecting black walnuts. It's autumn and we haven't strayed far from our hunter/gatherer instincts. We canned jelly, stored it in the fruit cellar and now put spider bane in the form of monkey balls to complete our efforts to make it through the coming winter.

I have a solution! Osage orange and black walnut are much sought out for their lumber. You could cut them all down, transport them to a sawmill and ship me half the lumber in return for the business advice.

Just use the osage orange. The black walnut is such a grand and beautiful tree and it does produce edible nuts.

 

[Montrovant]

Hedge Apples over in the Hoosier... While there may be close to 350 to 400 miles between our stomping grounds our bringing's up are very similar... Hedge apples are not very useful unless you are warring with the neighbor kids... Oh you can sell them on EBay also... You can sell anything on EBay... Hell I sold a Railroad spike on EBay one time and didn't even have one... Had to go for a walk on the ole PRR tracks to find one...

View attachment 153674

I have heard the story regarding spiders but never tried it

Ya gotta love someone who can sell a railroad spike then go forage for it!

The wood of the Osage orange is a beautiful lemon rind yellow. I know some local woodworkers who prize Osage orange to make little boxes from. Glued up next to strips of black walnut, the effect is something like a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform.

Luthiers (lute makers) use it for fret boards. Very hard and durable wood

Wait, a lute has a fret board?

It does.
View attachment 153784

Duh, I was thinking of a harp.

 

[Foxfyre]

One more picture of the farm store. They make the most awesome apple cider there and also donuts. I don't usually like plain donuts because they are too dry, but the donuts they make here are so moist and delicious and tasty, especially along with a glass of apple cider! Yum!

Back in Virginia all one had to do was drive to the Shenandoah Valley and all those little farm stores were everywhere. Some of our local grocery stores bought fresh produce from the Shenandoah farms so driving out to the Shenandoah wasn't always a necessity for fresh fruits and vegetables though the drive was always picturesque.

Lots of them along the Blue Ridge Parkway too. We used to spend long weekends out there exploring and would pick up fresh fruit, cider, etc. at the roadside stands.

 

[Ernie S.]

Hedge Apples over in the Hoosier... While there may be close to 350 to 400 miles between our stomping grounds our bringing's up are very similar... Hedge apples are not very useful unless you are warring with the neighbor kids... Oh you can sell them on EBay also... You can sell anything on EBay... Hell I sold a Railroad spike on EBay one time and didn't even have one... Had to go for a walk on the ole PRR tracks to find one...

View attachment 153674

I have heard the story regarding spiders but never tried it

Ya gotta love someone who can sell a railroad spike then go forage for it!

The wood of the Osage orange is a beautiful lemon rind yellow. I know some local woodworkers who prize Osage orange to make little boxes from. Glued up next to strips of black walnut, the effect is something like a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform.

Luthiers (lute makers) use it for fret boards. Very hard and durable wood

Wait, a lute has a fret board?

Ummmmm Luthiers don't get a lot of lute orders these days, so a lot of them make GUITARS!!!!!

 

[Ernie S.]

The Osage oranges are falling! For those of you unfamiliar with the Osage orange, they are commonly called 'monkey balls' and, legend has it, if placed in your fruit cellar they will ward off spiders. They are neon green, typically about the size of a baseball, are firm but not hard and have a skin that looks like the creases and crevasses of the brain. They are inedible, so don't try to make monkey ball jelly. Besides, there are apples and pears and grapes to make your jelly from at every farm stand between here and Cleveland.

At Thompson Park there is a row of Osage orange trees right by Pacillion No. 1. They grow nearly thirty five feet tall and have a dark green tear drop shaped leaf. These particular trees are set along part of the parking area for the pavilion which could easily sit three hundred people for a family reunion or a Fourth of July picnic.

The trick is knowing not to park under the Osage orange trees in October when the monkey balls fall. This year's crop of monkey balls are the largest I've ever seen. As I said, they are typically the size of a baseball. But this year, they have blown past softball size and are bordering on the girth of a volleyball! They are musher as a result and as they crash onto the pavement below, they explode and turn into a pile of a slimy green, stringy vegetable matter like pumpkin guts.

Meanwhile, around the bend and down by the amphitheater the black walnut trees are giving up their fruits. Black walnuts grow in a husk that is a bright green like the monkey balls. But inside is the black walnut itself. You have to handle them with latex gloves unless you don't mind your hands getting stained black for a day or two. You can't use a regulation nut cracker to open the nut. Methods usually run toward the hammer.

I've had black walnuts in fudge and someone mentioned black walnut ice cream which sounds delicious. Mom made black walnut bread once, but we couldn't decide if she did that as a joke or a manner of torture. She has had uncountable baking successes, but black walnut bread is not numbered among them.

One of the other dog walkers saw the bounty of black walnuts and filled the plastic bag she would have used to pick up her dog Peanut's poop and instead filled it with black walnuts. "$3.95 a pound at Giant Eagle!" she said as she stooped from black walnut to black walnut.

Squirrels have been gathering acorns, car roofs have been collecting dents from falling monkey balls and my friend Mary is collecting black walnuts. It's autumn and we haven't strayed far from our hunter/gatherer instincts. We canned jelly, stored it in the fruit cellar and now put spider bane in the form of monkey balls to complete our efforts to make it through the coming winter.

I have a solution! Osage orange and black walnut are much sought out for their lumber. You could cut them all down, transport them to a sawmill and ship me half the lumber in return for the business advice.

Just use the osage orange. The black walnut is such a grand and beautiful tree and it does produce edible nuts.

Walnut is a prized wood. The nuts stain your hands and break windshields. They are nearly impossible to crack. English walnuts are much tastier

 

[Ernie S.]

One more picture of the farm store. They make the most awesome apple cider there and also donuts. I don't usually like plain donuts because they are too dry, but the donuts they make here are so moist and delicious and tasty, especially along with a glass of apple cider! Yum!

Back in Virginia all one had to do was drive to the Shenandoah Valley and all those little farm stores were everywhere. Some of our local grocery stores bought fresh produce from the Shenandoah farms so driving out to the Shenandoah wasn't always a necessity for fresh fruits and vegetables though the drive was always picturesque.

Lots of them along the Blue Ridge Parkway too. We used to spend long weekends out there exploring and would pick up fresh fruit, cider, etc. at the roadside stands.

This time of year, I do miss New England, especially cider mills.

 

[Montrovant]

Hedge Apples over in the Hoosier... While there may be close to 350 to 400 miles between our stomping grounds our bringing's up are very similar... Hedge apples are not very useful unless you are warring with the neighbor kids... Oh you can sell them on EBay also... You can sell anything on EBay... Hell I sold a Railroad spike on EBay one time and didn't even have one... Had to go for a walk on the ole PRR tracks to find one...

View attachment 153674

I have heard the story regarding spiders but never tried it

Ya gotta love someone who can sell a railroad spike then go forage for it!

The wood of the Osage orange is a beautiful lemon rind yellow. I know some local woodworkers who prize Osage orange to make little boxes from. Glued up next to strips of black walnut, the effect is something like a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform.

Luthiers (lute makers) use it for fret boards. Very hard and durable wood

Wait, a lute has a fret board?

Ummmmm Luthiers don't get a lot of lute orders these days, so a lot of them make GUITARS!!!!!

I was thinking of harps, just a brain fart on my part.

 

[Foxfyre]

The Osage oranges are falling! For those of you unfamiliar with the Osage orange, they are commonly called 'monkey balls' and, legend has it, if placed in your fruit cellar they will ward off spiders. They are neon green, typically about the size of a baseball, are firm but not hard and have a skin that looks like the creases and crevasses of the brain. They are inedible, so don't try to make monkey ball jelly. Besides, there are apples and pears and grapes to make your jelly from at every farm stand between here and Cleveland.

At Thompson Park there is a row of Osage orange trees right by Pacillion No. 1. They grow nearly thirty five feet tall and have a dark green tear drop shaped leaf. These particular trees are set along part of the parking area for the pavilion which could easily sit three hundred people for a family reunion or a Fourth of July picnic.

The trick is knowing not to park under the Osage orange trees in October when the monkey balls fall. This year's crop of monkey balls are the largest I've ever seen. As I said, they are typically the size of a baseball. But this year, they have blown past softball size and are bordering on the girth of a volleyball! They are musher as a result and as they crash onto the pavement below, they explode and turn into a pile of a slimy green, stringy vegetable matter like pumpkin guts.

Meanwhile, around the bend and down by the amphitheater the black walnut trees are giving up their fruits. Black walnuts grow in a husk that is a bright green like the monkey balls. But inside is the black walnut itself. You have to handle them with latex gloves unless you don't mind your hands getting stained black for a day or two. You can't use a regulation nut cracker to open the nut. Methods usually run toward the hammer.

I've had black walnuts in fudge and someone mentioned black walnut ice cream which sounds delicious. Mom made black walnut bread once, but we couldn't decide if she did that as a joke or a manner of torture. She has had uncountable baking successes, but black walnut bread is not numbered among them.

One of the other dog walkers saw the bounty of black walnuts and filled the plastic bag she would have used to pick up her dog Peanut's poop and instead filled it with black walnuts. "$3.95 a pound at Giant Eagle!" she said as she stooped from black walnut to black walnut.

Squirrels have been gathering acorns, car roofs have been collecting dents from falling monkey balls and my friend Mary is collecting black walnuts. It's autumn and we haven't strayed far from our hunter/gatherer instincts. We canned jelly, stored it in the fruit cellar and now put spider bane in the form of monkey balls to complete our efforts to make it through the coming winter.

I have a solution! Osage orange and black walnut are much sought out for their lumber. You could cut them all down, transport them to a sawmill and ship me half the lumber in return for the business advice.

Just use the osage orange. The black walnut is such a grand and beautiful tree and it does produce edible nuts.

Walnut is a prized wood. The nuts stain your hands and break windshields. They are nearly impossible to crack. English walnuts are much tastier

I don't argue with that. I personally don't care for black walnuts myself, but they were a coveted commodity in southeast Kansas when we lived there. We had an enormous black walnut tree on our lot and a squirrel who lived in that tree delighted on chunking walnuts onto the fiberglass roof of our carport just beneath our second story bedroom window. It would sound like a rifle shot.

It was a hugely prolific tree that produced nuts every year and yielded huge harvests roughly every other year. A guy who traded in the walnuts paid us quite a nice sum for the privilege of harvesting the nuts. He apparently had a machine who would clean off the thick outer coating and then hull the nuts themselves.

And the wood craftsmen around did make some gorgeous stuff out of black walnut wood.

 

[Michelle420]

Is there a medicine that makes coughs actually stop?

 

[WelfareQueen]

Stopping by to say hi as well. Been way to busy lately.

 

[Foxfyre]

Is there a medicine that makes coughs actually stop?

Your doctor can prescribe cough syrup with codeine but we find that plain old Robotussin from the pharmacy usually works for us. And sometimes a spoonful of raw honey can do wonders.

 

[Foxfyre]

Stopping by to say hi as well. Been way to busy lately.

Always happy when you do WQ. Busy is good unless it is busy you don't want to do.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is there a medicine that makes coughs actually stop?

When I was a kid this was the go to cough syrup around our house. Was OTC back when fluff was a kitten but have to have a script now. Suppresses the cough and breaks up the gottagotta inside the chest... Remember I am not a Doctor... more of a shadetree pharmacist...

 

[gallantwarrior]

Zone 1 and 2 are upper Paradise (I am in North Paradise a mile or two from Magalia). But yes..I will keep updated on this now that I know about it.
Santa Ana winds are non existent right now, thankfully. Last night, 50 mile per hour winds knocked over some electric poles and that is what started it. At least, that is what I just read. Local news channel I missed tonight, so have to rely on google for now.

At least there is no wind tonight. That should help have it put out faster.

Crossing my hooks for you, Gracie.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Stopping by to say hi as well. Been way to busy lately.

Always happy when you do WQ. Busy is good unless it is busy you don't want to do.

Hey, Foxy, how's the auto accident coming along? Did you get your car back yet?

 

[gallantwarrior]

I had to go hunt on the internet. No cell phone service right now.

UPDATE 1:10 p.m. - Though authorities hoped to open the Skyway for travel both ways between Paradise and Chico, they report that they are unable to do this currently. Those traveling from Paradise to Chico need to use a route other than the Skyway. Leave extra travel time, as Neal and Clark Roads have had a lot more traffic than usual due to the Skyway closures.

Under a few of the updates from Tuesday morning, we will republish the Paradise Zone Maps.

---

UPDATE 12:15 p.m. - There is still an evacuation warning for Zone 9 in the Town of Paradise, and for residents and businesses on Lower Skyway. The Upper Honey Run Zone is the only one under an evacuation order at this time. Parts of the Skyway (Lower) and Honey Run Road are still closed at this time and should be avoided if possible.

---

UPDATE 11:30 a.m. - The Red Cross Shelter at the Neighborhood Church in Chico will be closed by noon Tuesday. Everyone who stayed at the shelter on Monday night were allowed back into their homes on Tuesday morning.

---

UPDATE 7:45 a.m. - The Honey Fire is now 40 percent contained.

When we had that fire near my place a couple of years ago the best updates and info were found on the borough facebook page. Same thing when the Willow Creek flooded, if you local municipality/county has a facebook page, you might be able to track fire updates there.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Did that last night. North on Skyway and STAY on it. Head to Oregon, keep going, arrive in Alaska to GallantWarriors house where there is rain and snow, lol.

I just looked it up. It is 2,939 miles from Paradise CA to Willow, AK - 51 hours and 56 minutes driving time with light traffic.

And if you leave now, you'll still make it up the Alcan before the snow flies!

 

[gallantwarrior]

I have a cold and feel terrible.

Must be some kind of bug going around, I felt like crap all weekend, too. Still not firing on all cylinders but I have to go to work, gotta earn money for cat food.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Just dropped in to say hello so "Hello, everybody".

Hello BBD!