Pine Cones

My little Jake

Yesterday afternoon I had been gone, and I was having mom guilt. You know. The dogs look at you with those pathetic eyes and make you feel like you have been depriving them of all attention. Yeah, that look. So for the second time that day, I put their harnesses on and we went for a walk. This time I took them on a new path system very close to the house, around the new YMCA.

The path wanders around the edge of several acres, close to some older homes with lots of pine trees. I am in Christmas craft mode of late, so I decided I would gather a few pine cones to use in some projects.

I am an idiot.

I just want to clarify that. Never pick up fresh pine cones full of sap. I now have pine tree sap on both dog leashes, the handles of my car, and probably my jacket that I was wearing at the time. The only way I removed this sticky substance from my hands so I could drive us home was with alcohol swabs, which I carry in the console of the car along with band aids because I am constantly getting injured. That is another story. I ended up placing the 3 cones in a clean doggie poop bag provided by the park.

Realizing that I couldn't use the pine cones in their present state on the craft I had in mind, I googled how to dry pine cones. There are 3 methods: line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place the cones in a single layer on said sheet. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and bake the cones for up to 30 minutes, watching constantly for fire and smoke. Really? Constantly? I kind of like my house.

Second method is to soak the pine cones in water with a cup of vinegar added for 30 minutes. This will also debug the cones, leave them dull and smelling like vinegar. Attractive. Third method is to soak them in a 50/50 solution of bleach and water for 8 to 9 hours, then dry them in the sun. This will also debug the cones, bleaching them in the process, and removing the sap. THIS is what I am trying today.

For future dog walks, I need to carry plastic disposable gloves, a grocery sack, doggie poop bags, and my cell phone. Or maybe, just maybe, I should just walk the dogs and not worry about anything else. But I've been itching to take some fall photos, too. The camera is damn heavy.

Thanks for stopping by.
Linda