Tuesday, March 9

Enough snow has finally melted to reveal the power cords to my Christmas lights.  Into the second week of March and I just took down the lights today.  Amazing!  Actually, I felt a little sad putting away the lighted snowflakes hanging from the red bud trees and the icicles dangling from the Tetons.  Evenings will not be the same without the decorations to look at from the kitchen window.  But I suppose the farmette was one of the last homes in the area to have lights on every evening!

I spent the last several days visiting my daughter in Boston.  We spent one day antiquing, ate lobster and crab legs for dinner and then spent another day on projects.  We installed a new kitchen faucet, replaced the garbage disposal guard, hung a kitchen chandelier with a dimmer switch and replaced the hallway light in her condo.  Fun to do such projects with my daughter! 

Today, I saw the first crocus popping up in the yard.  Sissy and I were out for a walk when I spotted the bright orange color next to a tree stump.  Spring is almost here for sure.  Crocuses are always a good sign of warmer temperatures and longer days.

We had to buy fuel oil for heating the southern farmette. For now, the house is heated with oil from a 500 gal tank.  We are so used to the free gas in Pennsylvania that the $800 cost for the oil was very painful.  Wish we could share that gas line between the properties!  I am anxious to visit the new farmette again.  I want to walk the property and look for deer sheds.  The bucks will probably shed earlier in Virginia.  I also want to see if the pond has fish in it.  Since the climate is warmer there, I have been shopping for magnolias and other such perennials for my new garden.   Once I spend some time getting to know the land, my ideas for the gardens will start to become clearer.  Creating gardens is always a lot of work, but this will hopefully be my last, new garden.  My hope is that the southern farmette will be my forever home.

Sunday, February 28

Today is Sissy’s one year birthday!  She has been with us here at the farmette for one whole year.  She is like a brand new dog compared to when we found her just 12 months ago.  Hb and I gave her a small party.  The cats did not feel like celebrating so they did not attend, which suited Sissy.  She is not overly fond of their company anyway.

We had planned to spend the weekend at our farmette in VA, but the snow and wind on Friday kept us here.  I was really looking forward to walking around the property, looking for the perfect spot for my tree stand (for watching, not for hunting).  Of course the weather in VA was beautiful, sunny and temps in the 40’s.   Here in PA, another 8 inches of snow fell with high winds and not even one ray of sunshine.

Thursday, February 25

During the week, temperatures have been above freezing enough to thaw about 50% of the snow pack.  But today, another storm is blowing through threatening to dump more snow.  So far, the high winds have stopped anything from sticking to the ground.  The remaining snow pack has frozen solid so Sissy can climb up and walk on top of it.  She seems to enjoy the view.

Amazingly, the compost pile is hot and steamy!  I cleaned Homer’s pen yesterday.  When I added the bucket of bunny droppings to the bins and stirred, there was steam rising!  Very nice to see our hard work saving those kitchen scraps and collecting coop dirt generating fertilizer even in the depths of winter.  The garden this summer will do well.

Saturday, February 20

Finally, a sunny day with the high temperature almost to 40F.  The snow has been melting steadily, but not without leaving behind some damage.  This morning I noticed that the snow and ice have pulled of most of the gutters along the front of the house.  Looks like those are the only ones pulled away, from those that I could see.  There are still a number of heavy icicle packs on different roof sections, hopefully the gutters are hanging on.

We discovered another snow damaged item later in the morning.  The garage door was inoperable and upon closer inspection, broken.  I think what happened was when the snow and ice froze the door bottom, we tried to open it, breaking the arm broke loose from the door.  We succeeded opening the door in manual mode, gathered the loose screws and removed the dangling connector.  Fixing the door will have to wait until we have more of a thaw.

Hb ran errands in the morning while I stayed home and organized and straightened up.  Something I need to do every now and then for my own sanity. I put away paperwork, washed the covers on the guest beds, threw away old magazines, put items back in the attic and did a few small repairs. When hb came home, he offered to help fix Puff and Junior’s gate.  Resetting their gate was a summer project that we never got around to doing.  And now, with the frozen earth covered by multiple feet of snow, the gate has lifted almost completely off of the hinges.  I worried that the project would be too difficult in the cold and wind, but life would be so much easier having that gate operational.  So we decided to get it done.  Happily, the task only took an hour, and went very smoothly.  We reset the hinges three inches higher and moved the latch down on the gate to fit.  Good to have that done.

Wednesday, February 17

Hb and I have decided to begin a new adventure.  This past fall we started searching for a farmette with more useable land and yet closer to basic amenities.  Sure enough, after picking a target area and looking at a number of properties, we found another project.  Our new farmette is south of the Mason-Dixon line, on the front range of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Of course, there is an old farmhouse, circa 1799, that sits on the 35 acre property.  With two smaller mountains to the east and the Blue Ridge mountain range to the west, the views from all of the windows are amazing.  We decided Virginia would suit both our lifestyle and hobbies very well, with the Shenandoah National Park just 20 minutes away and milder winters.  In the immediate future, our plan is to begin renovations on the southern farmette while still living in western PA.  Having lived through several old farmhouse renovations, neither of us are anxious to live through another.

The 35 acres more than doubles the size of the northern farmette and includes both a pond and a small stream on the land.  The pond is about 1 acre in size and the land is primarily fenced pasture with about 5-7 acres of woods surrounding around the pond.  One of my favorite features is the black wood rail fencing that divides the pastures.  There is a small, tobacco barn with run throughs on either side, perfect for storing equipment.  For the animals, there is a nice 8 stall stable that opens into one of the front pastures.  The house sits towards the back of the property and there is a tree lined lane leading to the front walkway.

The house is amazing and in very good condition.  The oldest four rooms of the house, two on the first floor and two on the second, were built in the late 1700’s.  There is an L-shape, two story addition built in the late 1800 and/or early 1900’s.  The exterior was originally wood slats, but was stucco-ed in the 1930’s.

Front of house	House from back field	Pond with old dock	Stable

Hb and I have made a number of weekend trips to the southern farmette, trying to determine what to renovate, restore or replace.  For sure, the exterior color will change and the yard is in desperate need of flowers, trees and general care.  I can not wait to build gardens, flower beds, plant trees and make paths.  All in view of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains!

We are both excited!

Sunday, February 7

Finally, all of the snow has been shoveled!  The cars are cleaned off and we can get out of the driveway with relative ease.  Hb finished the driveway this morning while I tackled the front walk and steps.  The UPS guy and mail lady used the front steps for deliveries so keeping those clean is a priority.

Yesterday, we walked some through the woods on the lower 8.  I discovered that trekking through 25 inches of new snow is really hard work.  With no plowing done between our homes, there was no way I wanted to walk the half mile to Isabelle’s house, except of course in an emergency.  I called her first thing yesterday morning to check, and she was fine, and said her chickens would be ok as well.

By this morning with our driveway finally cleared adn the dirt road between our places having seen one pass of the plow, hb and I took the jeep and headed to check on Isabelle.  I packed two shovels, chicken food and a gallon of water.  The son of one of her friends had made it to her place yesterday, driving his truck to the start of her lane and then walking the remaining distance to the house.  Hb and I followed the same path, leaving the jeep near her barn where the snow had drifts reached well over 3 feet.   At least the walk was through broken snow, somewhat easier than fresh 25 inches. 

Half way up the lane, we ran into Isabelle, making her way to her chicken coop to take care of the hens.  She uses ski poles for balance and puts treads on her boots but still, the 40 yards from the house to the coop is a lot of effort for her.  After feeding and watering her hens, I walked back to the house with Isabelle while hb shoveled a nice path for her to the chicken coop.  We visited for an hour or so, and then her son showed up.   He planned to extricate the tractor from the pole barn and plow the driveway.  After giving him a hand shoveling a path to the barn, we headed home.  I will stop by again tomorrow to help with her hens if the weather stays cold because the path to the coop will be slippery. Although, if I were to place bets, my money would be on Isabelle taking care of the hens herself. Even at 91, she is such a cowgirl!

Last night, hb took these pictures of the Tetons and the nearby bush, still sporting their holiday lights.  Except last night, all were covered with several inches of snow.  Looks like some kind of outer space landscape!

More pictures from this huge snowfall are on the bird portfolio, scenery portfolio and of course, the Sissy portfolio.

Saturday, February 6

25 inches of snow!!!  The biggest snowfall I have ever experienced.  This morning when we first went outside and measured, there were 23in.  By the time the snow stopped falling around  noon, two more had fallen.

First thing this morning, I had to shovel a path to Puff and Junior.  They were shut inside their coop with food, but no water.  It took me an hour to shovel a path, free the gate and then shovel a path to the coop and  a path for then to reach their water.  The snow was way too deep for a turkey with only 10 inch legs and an even shorter rooster.

While I made my way to the boys, hb started shoveling out the sidewalk, and a path around the patio.  Eventually, we realized that Frodo’s roof, made from sections of chicken wire, had partially collapsed.  Fortunately, Frodo did not escape.  Once we shoveled a path to his coop, I cleared off the mountain of snow that had fallen from the pine tree above and done the damage.  Then I grabbed a handful of plastic zip ties and reattached the panels together.

We shoveled paths to Homer and the chickens and then spent the next three hours shoveling out the driveway and the jeep.  Sadly, the tractor was unavailable because the shed door had frozen closed. 

By the time we completed the shoveling, the snow had ended and the sun came out, blue skies and all!  So, we took a short walk in the woods and then cross country skied for a little.  Both were difficult given the depth of the snow.  But hb really wanted to cut our skiing path for tomorrow, when the skiing should be perfect.

Of course, we took pictures through out the day . . . here are a few,

Friday, February 5

The snow began around 2 this afternoon and we have about 3inches so far with no end in sight.  However this is Friday night, so no immediate need to shovel or clean cars in the morning, yahoo!!!  The snow is beautiful, and the forecast is now calling for over 10 inches total accumulation by tomorrow evening.  Hb and I are hoping to get some sled riding in tomorrow and then skiing on Sunday.

Mama cat is like a new cat.  She can groom herself, even on her belly and legs.  She is eating 200% more food, and seems to bounce instead of walk.  I  even think I saw a smile on her face today.  The cut on her belly is healing very well, with no redness or swelling.  And she seems to have forgiven me for that unfortunate incident.

Tuesday, February 2

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, which was no great surprise.  I just knew we were in for 6 more weeks of winter.  The cold and snow has been continuous since December, there is no end in sight.  Winter has always been close to my favorite season, but this year has been difficult. Having to deal with bitter cold and snowy mornings five days a week gets harder as the years pass, I suppose.

Finally, I managed to wash my car this afternoon.  I had to use the self washing station because the dirt was so thick the automatic drive through would not have done well.

Mama cat is doing very, very well.  Better than I had expected, hoped or imagined.  Not only has her wound started to heal well, but she is loving the shaved fur hair-do.  She has been grooming her belly and legs, something she has not been able to do for years.  So my horrible guilt of cutting her during the shave is somewhat relieved by her happy demeanor.  I have been brushing her everyday in the morning and evening.  Mama looks like a new cat!

Sunday, January 31

The sunset last night was amazing!  I can not ever remember seeing the sky so pink.  Hb took a couple of pictures, maybe the cold temperatures had some affect on the beautiful colors.

This morning, after a really good breakfast of steel cut oatmeal, with fresh blueberries, I was determined to catch up on tasks from my to-do list.  Number one was to shave Mama cat.  Mama’s fur was a mess and she had started to shed, making her terribly uncomfortable.  She always wanted outside, but then would want right back inside.  I think she was too hot indoors, and too cold outdoors.  Her fur was so matted that all trimming or combing was hopeless.  Each spring, I trimmed her back and sides, but her backend, belly and legs remained 100% matted and yucky.  A month ago, I bought a premier trimmer with a just-for-fur blade.  Today was the day I would rid Mama of those horrible fur clumps.

I took Mama into the bathroom, shut the door and set her on a towel.  Amazingly, all went very well at first.  She seemed to enjoy getting those matted, dirty fur clumps removed.  About 30minutes into the session, I started shaving her thighs, and Mama became restless.  As I was attempting to hold her and trim clumps, something went terribly wrong, and I cut a 1.5in tear in her thigh, close to her belly.  I knew the cut bad as she started to bleed immediately, not a lot of blood but enough.  I felt sick, and called for hb.  He took a look at Mama’s wound and said, “She needs a couple of stitches, the cut is not deep but the wound has to be closed.”  He grabbed a needle and thread from my sewing box.  By then, Mama actually went to sleep from the stress, so hb and I were able to get 4 stitches in to close the wound.  We topped the stitches off with a generous amount of antibiotic ointment.  I was a wreck from the guilt of hurting Mama but Hb was so calming and matter of fact, I could have not done that alone.  Mama seemed better after about 5 minutes, so with hb’s help, we finished the shaving job.  After another 30 minutes, every single fur clump was gone, except on her legs.  Job done.

Before:

After:

Obviously, I closely monitored Mama for the rest of the day.  She ate well and seemed to move around without any pain.  Actually, she is really loving being clean and free from all of that fur.  I will keep the wound clean and put the antibiotic ointment on regularly.  What a start to the Sunday, for everyone!

After the Mama incident, I again had to ask for hb’s help in cleaning out Puff’s coop.  Actually, I do the cleaning, while hb keeps Puff from pecking or spurring me. 

With that done, I turned my attention inside where I used the amazing new Miele vacuum to clean all of the rugs.  Then I gathered the laundry while hb hit the kitchen to make spaghetti sauce to freeze for week day dinners.

Mama is now sleeping peacefully on her bed beside the baseboard heater, and I am having a glass of wine, trying to focus on the positive of getting Mama’s fur shaved, and to not feel guilty about hurting her.   Hb tells me to relax because Mama is fine, and now I have the experience to be able to stitch up any future pet incidents.

What a Sunday! 

Saturday, January 30

Check out the picture hb took of Slick. The view was from hb's chair at the dinner table, with Slick was sitting on my chair, looking hopeful. Sadly, Slick was disappointed, no dinner at the table for him just a photo shoot! There are a couple more pictures on the cat portfolio page.

Today, hb and I went shopping for supplies. We hit Sam's club, Walmart, Tractor Supply, Giant Eagle and the wine store. We had not done a decent supply run in several weeks, or maybe even longer, so the cupboards were nearly bare.

For dinner, we bought two tuna steaks that hb marinated. The outside temperature never rose above 18 degrees today, so he decided to grill them indoors. I made risotto with mushrooms and asparagus, and cooked the remaining asparagus on the side. Nice meal, so I took a picture!

Wednesday, January 27

I managed to clean out the chicken coop and bunny cage on Monday.  Neither had been cleaned out since before the holidays.  Homer is too funny, he just loves new straw.  I put half of a flake on his potty spot, and another half scattered around his space.  He jumps around in the fresh straw, pushing his head under and practically rolling in it. 

The hens were pleased with their fresh bedding as well.  The poor things have spent so many days inside I have almost lost count.  Even this week, they have been in the last two days.  The temperatures are still below freezing with strong, biting winds and snow flurries. 

Frodo, Puff and Junior are all outdoor guys.  Frodo only sits inside his coop when the wild birds are bothering him.  Otherwise, he is out in the weather 24/7.  Junior and Puff hang out inside their coop during the day, even with the door open.  Neither likes the wind and I suppose keep each other company.  Birds are amusing.

I was out of town this past weekend leaving hb in charge of the Farmette.  On Saturday, he decided to drive to a nearby John Deere dealer to look around.  Across the street was an appliance store, so hb stopped by to check out vacuums.  Guess what he brought back to the Farmette?  A new Miele canister vacuum cleaner!!! How cool is that, and it is even blue, my favorite color!  We have been using those horrible, cheap vacuums for years.  Finally, the Farmette has a chance at having fewer dust bunnies and cat hair tumble weeds.  The thing works so well, practical sucks the carpet off of the floor.  And it is so quiet, the cats hardly move, even Sissy does not seem too afraid.  The canister is super lightweight, making cleaning the hardwood stairs easy.  Honest, I am completed thrilled with that new vacuum cleaner . . . funny! 

Hb and Sissy never quite got in step over the weekend.  With the cold weather, Sissy spends as little time outside as possible.  Unless you pay attention to her, dog logs are likely to end up on the tile floor of the mudroom.  By Sunday, hb described her as a four legged salad shooter.    Thanks goodness for tile flooring and Clorox wipes. 

Thursday, January 21 2010

I have been so consumed by various happenings these past two weeks.  Hb and I drove to Virginia last weekend, and I am going to be away this weekend to spend a couple of days with my oldest daughter.  She and I plan to go on a day hike on Saturday, do some antiquing and then have a nice dinner out.   We both want to be back home before football on Sunday.

Being gone two weekends in a row is hard.  The chicken’s and Puff’s coop both need cleaned, the old straw removed and new put down.  As does Homer’s pen.  Looks like I will be spending either Sunday afternoon or Monday evening cleaning coops.  The new 5 gallon chicken watering container is working very well, and will provide water for the hens for at least 5-6 days.

Baldy is still hanging in there.  A month or so ago, the other hens had begun pecking at her head, drawing blood around her skull.  But that behavior seems to have stopped, her head has mostly healed and Baldy continues to be a normal hen.  Well, normal except for her looks.

Monday, January 11 2010

Yesterday, the temperature at 7am was -4F.  When I went to Puff’s coop to let him and Junior out, the snow under my feet was crunchy.  My fingers momentarily stuck to the metal gate and my breath nearly froze on the still air.  The moon was high in the sky and nothing was moving.  On these bitter cold winter mornings, I am glad to have a reason to be outside so early.  There is something magic about a quiet, snow-covered morning.  Then I am equally glad for a hot cup of coffee when my chores are done and I am back inside, looking out.

By mid-morning, the temperature was near 20, so hb and I grabbed our skis.  We followed our trails from yesterday, making the skiing faster and more challenging.  At the bottom of a downhill, I took a fall when I lost an edge turning but did not do any serious damage, just a sore shoulder.  We had too much fun!

During the hideous, pathetic football games Sunday afternoon, we made nachos with our canned jalapenos and yummy, unhealthy cheese.  To makeup for such a poor lunch,  Hb made an awesome chicken soup for dinner. 

After more bad football, we watched the very first episode of SNL.  We were intrigued by the entire show, it was just like watching a time capsule from the 70’s.  We are watching the next episode tonight.  Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are the hosts.  The music is beautiful, the clothes and political satires era appropriate and many of the comedy acts really funny.  What is so also so amusing is that hb and I sit there watching a SNL episode with our computers open on our laps.  So whenever we have a question like, “Whatever happened to Art Garfunkel?” or “Who was Janice Ian?”, we Google it!  Sort of like interactive movie night.  I am so glad we bought these!

Saturday, January 9 2010

Finally, the sun came out today!  After another 6 inches of snow over the last 48 hours to add to the previous 10 days of constant snow, we finally had a nice day today.  Of course, the temperatures stayed in the 20’s, but the blue sky and warm sun made the day very enjoyable. 

Hb and I started the day running errands.  Hb had ordered new tires for his truck at Sam’s, so while they were being installed, we went food and supply shopping.  Then we stopped at Petsmart and bought a spring collar for Sissy, some dog food, treats and milk for the cats.  Whiskas makes a special milk that is good for cats.  Mama’s lack of teeth makes it a good meal every now and then.  Actually, all of the cats enjoy it.  Best Buy is next to Petsmart, so we stopped in to look for a cd hb had been hunting, Delbert McClinton. We came out with not only a cd, but also dvds of the first 4 years of SNL! I loved Gild Radner and John Belushi.

After getting back to the farmette, I let the hens out of their coop for some fresh air.  Everyone was happy to play in the snow. 

Then, happily, hb and I grabbed our skis and went cross-country skiing for a couple of hours.  The first loop around the fields was slow because we were cutting our trail, but the second loop was great!  The snow was powdery, the temperature cold but not bitter, there was no wind and the sun stayed out all afternoon.  Cross-country skiing is one of our favorite pastimes.  The work out is good and low impact, and being outside on a peaceful winter day is fantastic. 

Amazing how my outlook on a snowy day changes depending on the day (Saturday versus weekday) and activity (cleaning off my car at 6am versus skiing)!

Our stealthy visitor has been cleaning the food bowl I set out every night. I caught a glimpse once and think he is Bob the Cat but I am not really sure. I am just happy that whatever cat is eating the food, he or she is getting much needed nourishment during a very cold winter. One morning last week, I captured evidence of a visit. Cats are so funny, they will always walk where a path has been cleared whenever possible.

Tuesday, January 5 2010

Snow, snow and more snow!  Everyday this week, at least 1-3 inches of new snow have fallen.  The high temperatures have been in  the low 20’s and the wind has howled constantly.  Horizontally blowing snow, yikes.  I have been cold for a week now.

The hens have not left their coop (my decision not theirs).  Their 5 gallon water metal water container with heater has worked well.  Amazingly, the hens have kept the water clean.  I think when they are cold and kept inside, they conserve energy by just sitting around.

Baldy has been getting pecked about the head.  I think the bald skull finally attracted the attention of several of the other, full feather-headed hens.  They have been pecking poor Baldy’s scalp, mostly when she is in a box laying her egg.  She seems fine, but her head looks rather rough.  Believe me, the  “pecking order” is real.

The mystery cat is back again.  I have been setting out a bowl of cat food in the evenings and by morning the bowl is empty.  The tracks indicate a cat, not a racoon and I caught a glimpse of the visitor last night.  I am thinking it may be Bob the Cat, but am not sure yet.

Sunday, January 3 2010

On our recent trip, hb and I watched a fox early one morning. Hb took a few really nice pictures. Here is one and there a more on the wildlife portfolio page.

Temperatures today never reached higher than 21. With the howling wind, the wind chill temperature had to stay near zero. The hens were doing well inside the coop keeping each other warm. I gave Homer a treat of carrots and half of an apple. Frodo was inside his coop, which is very rare as he almost always stays outside. Puff and Junior only ventured outside their coop to get water.

I put away most of the Christmas decorations today. How sad. A full week of work begins tomorrow, guaranteed to be a long five days. I retreived my briefcase from under the guest bed, reset the coffee time for 5:20am and filled my day planner with January's pages. Sigh. We had too much fun these last two weeks.

Saturday, January 2 2010

Happy New Year!

Hard to believe another year has ended and a new year started.  Time certainly flies by . . . faster and faster every year.

Hb and I were away for the last few days.  The place we stayed had no tv, internet and limited cell phone reception.  Very relaxing and a lot of fun!  We took several walks along trails in the woods, listened to music and watched movies every night. 

About three months ago, Hb took the boat to a local boat repair shop for a maintenence check up and to fix an electrical issue.  So, just before our trip, the boat place left a message that the boat had to be picked up as soon as possible.  Seems the boat guy was having some sort of surgery and needed to clear out the shop.  So I headed home while hb gathered up the boat. 

So began Homecoming Event Number 1. When I opened the door, there was no heat on inside the farmette.  The three indoor cats were shivering, staring at me like I had condemned them to life in a freezer. I could see my breath and the thermostat was pegged at the lowest reading, 40F.  After testing the gas burners on the stove, I knew we had gas coming to the house so the furnace pilot had to be out.  Having paid attention to the furnace guy last fall, I knew how to light the pilot.  Success!  Soon the radiators were warm to the touch.  I lit the gas logs in the fireplace for additional BTU’s, and put Sissy’s fleece clothes on her.  I fed the cats canned food in an attempt to make peace with them, which seemed to work.

Now, Homecoming Event Number 2 began to take place.  Take note . . . never pick up a boat in western PA on January 2.  Especially when temperatures are in the teens, there are 3 inches of icy snow covering the driveway, howling winds have dropped the wind chill temperature to below freezing and the towing vehicle has bald tires. 

All of this leads to a long ordeal.  When hb arrived home with the boat in tow, he could not make it up the driveway.  I grabbed the kitty litter and we succeeded in moving the truck and boat only a few more feet before everything got stuck again.  Hb and I decided the jeep would do a better job of towing so we unhitched the truck, blocked the tires of the boat trailer and blocked the back end of the boat since it was on a slope.  Of course, every cement block around the farmette was frozen solid to the ground.  We ended up taking two from Puff’s coop that I use to support his roost.  Finally, with the boat and trailer were securely blocked. The task of unhitching the truck and then hitching up my jeep went smoothly.  Two hours after the boat got stuck in the driveway, I put my jeep in 4L and pulled it up into the yard. 

Welcome home!