The Viking/Husqvarna 19E

My neighbor, Kim, texted me a few weeks ago and asked if I would take a sewing machine that belonged to her mother. I walked over to her house the other night and I brought home this lovely Viking/Husqvarna 19E:

I have never tried one of these. Kim thinks it was a wedding present and said that her mom made a lot of their clothes on it. The husband asked me how old this would be, so I did a bit of research. This model is an early 60s vintage. One source I found said that the retail price on this machine in 1963, according to an original receipt, was around $350. That would have made it higher-end machine at that time. It’s solid, all metal, but still compact enough that it would make a great machine to take to classes. The detachable flatbed is fabulous. I am hoping to find some time this winter to work on machines and can tune this one up. It doesn’t need much.

Thank you, Kim!

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The house is a huge mess, which is partly due to canning season when I always have canners and jars and food everywhere, and partly due to us trying to get things organized for the wedding. Going through the house one room at a time is on my list for this weekend while the husband is here to help me move heavier items.

The grapes are starting to ripen. One of our (now former) employees has been making wine from our grapes the past couple of seasons and sharing it with us. The first year, I gave them the grapes. Last year, I gave them grapes and the juice I had canned (just juice, no sugar). I think I’ll steam the grapes again this year and can the juice, and that way, they can get the wine started later in the season. They’re just as overwhelmed with stuff coming in as we are.

We need to pick up the new fridge this weekend. I am glad it will be here in time for butchering next weekend because I want to try an experiment this year. I always clean and freeze the chickens immediately after butchering. Nicole Sauce has mentioned, on the LFTN podcast, that she thinks it’s better to wait about 24 hours before freezing them. Freezing them after they’ve gone through rigor mortis seems to make a big difference in how tender they are when cooked. I usually make soup or stock out of our chickens because they are so tough otherwise, but it would be nice to be able to roast one. In order to try this, though, I need a place to keep the chickens refrigerated before I freeze them.

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I am going to complete the current apron project, finish sashing the Noon and Night quilt and sew the border on, and that may be it for sewing until the wedding is over. We’re moving into that time of year when the husband and I usually sit and watch YouTube after dinner, and I have plenty of handwork to do. It takes me a while to get used to sitting again, because during the summer, I am moving all day.

I may also take a vacation after the wedding and go to Spokane for a long weekend. It occurred to me the other day that I need the break not so much from the physical activity, which I enjoy, but from the mental load of having to worry about all these animals. Do they have food? Do they have fresh water? Are the roosters fighting with each other and drawing blood? Is the lame pullet okay? I am constantly thinking about pigs and chickens and that is almost worse than worrying about children.

And the husband—I also worry about the husband, LOL.

Last year, Elysian and I went to the Spokane Food and Farm Expo at the end of October and had a blast. I wish we could do that again this year but it’s been cancelled. We’ll go next fall.