Tuesday

All around The Cottage..

 A crooked smile.
Amazing.
She is one of our new hens that we received in June.
When it looked like her beak was growing crooked, we had her beak clipped.
It's supposed to help.
It didn't.
Her beak just keep growing as crooked as can be.
 We decided that perhaps, she might have to be a meat chicken, and become Sunday dinner.
We watched her, and made certain that she was growing at the same rate as the other chicks.
Watched all the chicks to make certain that she wasn't being singled out, and picked on.
In fact.. she's doing terrific.
She's the same size as the other chickens, perhaps just a tad larger.
She has figured out how to deal with her disability just fine.
She eats mash, drinks water, and is able to eat fresh veggies just fine.
The final decision: she'll probably be a great egg layer.
Besides, she adds personality to the barn.
What name would you give her?? Let me know.

Giant pumpkins growing in the pumpkin patch.
This is a variety that is supposed to reach at least 100 pounds.
They are all well on their way to reaching that weight.
Spencer estimates that they are in the 60 pound to 75 pound range at this time.
It seems that we have about four of them. 
Although, with the vines sprawling everywhere, it's a bit hard to tell for sure.
We also have some 'Jack O' Lantern ' pumpkins.
I guess that there are about a dozen or so of them growing.
The nights are getting cooler.. but I think we need a few more weeks of hot weather during the daytime in order for all the pumpkins to reach maturity.
Amazing to me that such a huge pumpkin grows from such a dainty flower.

We've been working on the courtyard.
The area between the garage, granary and barn and patio will be a wonderful courtyard.
We had a smaller patio poured in the courtyard when they poured the front walkway.
It's about 10x10 and we have an old swing that we are renovating to place on that patio.
We have planted all perennials and a drip line will water everything.


We still have a lot to do to finish up the courtyard.
We still need to rototill some of the ground, paint the fence, build a porch on the granary, and re-install the doorway where it was originally...facing the courtyard.
Plant a lot more perennials, and lay down week block cloth and spread more pea gravel.
Also, the swing needs to be completely dismantled, and boards replaced, and the whole swing painted.
Then .. I'm sure that this will be one of our favorite places to be.
Where it's quiet,and we can enjoy the view of the homestead.
A lot of reading and star gazing will be done in the courtyard.
A bit of singing too.

**To see what else we've been up to.. feel free to visit my other blog... "Cottage On Main"

Attitude of gratitude:
~I'm grateful for a long conversation with a dear friend yesterday.
She is taking care of her husband, while he battles cancer. It was so nice to visit with her, and hear her pour out her emotions. She's really like my sister, and I am so grateful for her.
~I'm grateful that Spencer and my sweet husband were able to go fishing yesterday. They caught some dandy sized fish. Perfect for a late summer meal on the patio. Love grilled trout , with lemon and butter.
~I'm grateful that all of our kids are loving school. They are pursuing their educations and goals.




Monday

Joy

 
Pure joy.
Old barn cupola.
Bullet holes and all.
Galvanized, gorgeous, and now---it's mine.
It took some doing.
Calls to the farmer that owned the field.
 Many calls.
And,  that was after a bit of detective work to find out who owned the property.
The property hasn't been worked for years, and years.
 
 
Finally, after a call on Saturday evening to the farmer, he told my sweet husband that we could have it.
Spencer went out in the field, and dug it out of the dirt.
It has probably been sitting in that field for decades.
I've never seen one like it.
Pie crust edging.. round... and I adore the cone on the top.
I consider this one of my favorite finds.
Joy.
Now.. I need to decide what to do ... either build a base for it and install it on the garage, or display it in the courtyard.
(it's pretty good sized... about 2 feet in diameter, and 3 feet tall)


Attitude of gratitude:
~Grateful that the farmer gave us this great old cupola!
~Grateful that I've been able to get some peaches, and pears dried and in the freezer for winter.
~Grateful that we were able to get Brooke moved in and settled at her new university.

Sunday

Old Stuff

 Old stuff.
New stuff to me.
Yard sales, and garage sales.
One of my favorite things to do... to find old stuff .
Like the old oar.
Great old green paint on it... almost wore off.
Step basket.. to keep things organized that need to be taken upstairs.
 Old oil lantern.
At a yard sale, my sweet husband snagged this treasure up for me.
I'm thinking of putting on a hook next to the barn door.
 Galvanized.
Love.
Old light fixture.
Perfect for the front of the granary.
My sweet husband got all the rough in done for the electrical to the barn, granary, and garage.
I'm really looking forward to seeing this light glowing each night on the granary.
 Old barn.
One of my favorite ones in town.
One day... long ago, it was the heart of the farm.
 Rafters in the old barn (above) and a wooden pulley wheel.
Hard working barn; once upon a time.
 Old side walk.
The hose laid out to give me an idea on how it would look, once the new cement was done.
I knew that I wanted a slight curve in the sidewalk.
New side walk.
Better than I imagined.
Soft curve, welcoming.
I love the perennial beds that my sweet husband and Spencer added.
Fresh paint on the porch, fresh walkway, and fresh flowers and herbs.
Awesome.

Yes.. I love old stuff.
And, old stuff made 'new' .....just for me.

*On a side note... my old blog is open again.  You can access old recipes, renovation pictures, etc..
just click on the link at the top of this blog.


Attitude of gratitude:
~I am so grateful that we've had the help of two of our kids all summer long.
Could NOT have gotten a fraction of the projects around here done with out them.
Countless trips to the landfill, and countless shovel fulls of yard debris.
Lawns, mowed, watering done, and of course.... all the roofing completed. 
Amazing, wonderful children. How blessed I am.
~I'm grateful that the nights are getting cooler, and the morning sunrises longer.
A touch of Fall is in the air.
We actually saw some leaves starting to change in the canyon.
~I'm grateful for the gift of two huge sacks of peaches. I'm drying them in 'Ol Harvey'.
How tasty they will be on a cold winter night.

Monday

Look what my friend Katie bought.......

 She and her business partner bought the old Fairview Mill.
How cool is that?
 She's super excited about saving this historic old landmark.
 There's a lot to done.
 But, the 'bones' of the mill are sound.
 I adore these double doors.
I can just imagine them thrown open in the Fall, with dozens and dozens of pumpkins lined up beside them.
I'm so looking forward to seeing the mill renovated, and appreciated.
To learn more about Katie's plans you can visit her blog
http://fairviewmill.blogspot.com/  (click to link)
Katie also owns one of my favorite little shops:
 "The Corner Station"
Click to link http://cornerstation.blogspot.com/
A vintage picture of the station.

Giving credit, where credit is due.
The pictures are from Katie's blog, and from google.
I was over there on Thursday and intended on going back for some pictures today, but I've been down with a stomach ache.
I'll post some new pictures soon.



Attitude of gratitude:
~I'm grateful for "sprite". The only thing I can keep down right now.
~I'm grateful that Spencer and Brooke helped my sweet hubby finish half of the garage roof, this past weekend.
~I'm grateful for the overcast sky, and cooler temperatures. Hope it lasts the whole day long.
~I'm grateful that people like Katie see the value in old building, rich with history, and are saving them... one at a time.

Wednesday

Barn renovation...before, and during.

 Our little brick barn is looking great!
We've been spending endless hours getting it cleaned out, re-built, and re-roofed.

 We've been working on the barn, along with about a million other projects since we first moved to this homestead in March of 2011.
Spencer above, with face mask on to protect his lungs from decades of dust and dirt.
Cleaning out more of the old hay from the barn loft. This picture was taken last Fall.
There was so much to do, to save the old brick homestead barn.
Look at the dust fly.
Also last Fall..    
Working on re-building the North wall that was completely blown out.
We knew that the wall and the roof would not survive another winter of deep snow.
So, the wall was completely re-built.. right down to the foundation timbers.
The roof was tarped to keep it as weather resistant as possible until we could re-roof it this Spring.
Before picture of the North wall.
In this picture, you can also see how deteriorated the roof of the barn was.

 A before picture of the South barn wall. You can see a glimpse of the brick interior of the barn.
In the far right of the inside wall, the brick is adobe.  The rest of the East wall and West wall are fired brick.
In this picture, you can also see , that originally, the barn had canvas covered windows that slid up and down. Completely deteriorated .
After: the same barn wall after it was re-built.
You can also see the new galvanized metal roof.
 A new partition wall was built on the inside of the barn.
A separation between 'the girls' new home, and the remainder of the barn that is destined to be my gardening room.
'The girls' get out of their brooder, and into their new home.
They are quite pleased with their new home.
Hopefully by the end of this weekend, they will have their new nesting boxes and roosts installed.
By Fall, we hope to have the following done on the barn :
~An enclosed outdoor run built for 'the girls'.
~New flip up windows made from corrugated fiberglass panels ... the windows will protect 'the girls' during the cold winter months.
~The remainder of the barn floor scraped, landscape fabric installed and 3-4 inches of pea gravel.
~Tool rack made and installed for all my gardening tools.
~A new potting bench made for my gardening area
Side by side pictures ,a dramatic difference.  So much work has gone into renovating the old brick homestead barn.
It would have been easier to tear it down, and start over.    Less blood, sweat and tears.
 Definitely less money.
However, we have a real desire to preserve things when we can, to not waste, to not be so eager to get rid of the old.
There's a history here. It can not be duplicated.

*The rest of this week, and weekend are being dedicated to hauling off debris from the sidewalk renovation. B.T.W... totally LOVE my new curved sidewalk with it's gentle, welcoming bend.
*Re-roofing the garage.  Almost 1/2 the shingles have been striped off. 
*Lots, and lots, and lots of trips to the landfill to clear away the pile of yard and construction debris that has accumulated on the West side of the barn.
*Squeeze in a date ...maybe to the drive-in with my honey.

Attitude of gratitude:
~ I am so grateful that I was blessed enough to have such a wonderful, remarkable, talented, creative, compassionate father. He taught me so much. He instilled in me a passion for learning new things, saving old things, and being grateful for all things. Even trials. He taught me that the trials in my life were opportunities to increase my faith and testimony, and to bless the lives of those around me, by setting an example and letting others be of service to you and receiving the blessings for their service.
He also taught me that it is impossible to feel sorry for myself when I was anxiously engaged in service for others.  One of the greatest lessons in my life.
When I start feeling sorry for myself,  I know that it's time to get busy helping someone else.
~I'm grateful for my wonderful family. They might not always see my vision, but they are more than willing and able to help my achieve it.
I KNOW that more times than once, they have hoped and prayed that I would find a new house.
Still, they put on a smile, and walk with me through the dust, dirt, and blood.