Friday, February 27 2009

Friday . . . The second best day of the week, with Saturday being the best of course (at least in my opinion)!

Hb will be late tonight so we will have pizza for dinner instead of our typical dinner out.  Living out in the country, the options for dinner out are limited, and somewhat, well, let’s just say unique.  Our favorite place is a small bar about 15 minutes down the road in the nearest town.  This town is an old steel town, and was actually one of the first planned communities in the country.  The steel mill, while smaller than in the past, still thrives.   There is a main street, surround by older homes in nice condition, a post office, a couple of banks, a few restaurants including a small Chinese place and several churches.  Our favorite bar is A.J.’s, located across the street from the steel mill, and recently remodeled with about 15 tables in the dining room.  Most of the customers live within walking distance, and have known the owners since childhood.  The food is excellent, a good variety and reasonably priced.   A place where “everybody knows your name” is a fact, not just a tv show.

However, staying home and having pizza suits me just fine.  By Friday, I am ready for a quiet evening with no real cooking or cleaning.  I will plan several projects for this weekend, and catch up on emails and phone calls.

TGIF!

Thursday, February 26 2009

A nice break in the weather today, temperatures all the way near 50!  I took the opportunity to shovel out Homer’s (the rabbit) coop.  Homer was litter trained so he tends to use one corner of his coop for a potty.  This afternoon, I cleaned out the small mountain of bunny poop, added it to the compost pile and then added a new full flake of straw.  Homer was so happy!  He raced around the coop, laid on the new straw and chewed on it.  I also gave him so lettuce so he is one happy bunny.

Last evening, Isabelle and I had dinner together.  She is most comfortable in her home territory, so I went there.  She is doing very well.  The ankle that she broke last year has mostly healed, although still causes her some pain.  The farmhouse that Isabelle was born and raised in burned to the ground in an electrical fire nearly 40 years ago.  One week after the fire, the family put a trailer on the property, then added an extra bedroom a few years later.  This has been her home ever since.  There is a small gas heater in that extra bedroom, so Isabelle stays warm and comfortable.

I love my visits with my friend.  We enjoyed a wonderful meal, exchanged local news and happenings, had lots of interesting conversation and as always, time flew by too quickly.

Monday, February 23 2009

Still winter here . . . snow, blustery winds and very cold temperatures.  Even me, the lover of all things winter, am ready for spring now.   Darn groundhog was right again.   I drove to the eastern side of Pennsylvania this past weekend for a weekend with the girls.  We stayed at a bed and breakfast (Settler’s Inn) and spent Saturday antiquing and at a spa (Utopia Spa).  The meals at Settler's were amazing. I had a spinach and swiss cheese omelette Saturday morning, grilled trout for dinner Staurday evening and 6-grain oatmeal Sunday morning. Nice!  Such wonderful weekends make Mondays even rougher.

Puff has been spending these past few days inside his coop.  The weather has been so windy that I think he does better on his roost, then running around the orchard.  When the wind is strong, he sometimes gets enough lift to clear the 6ft fence.  Today I let him out late in the afternoon for a few minutes while I refilled his food and water.  I chased him around some and then put him back in the coop.  He seems to be ok.  I am hoping the wind will ease up tomorrow or Wednesday so he can be out and about.

The chickens are well but also seem to have spring fever.  They have been inside their coop as well.  Each day when I collect their eggs, they gather hopefully by the chicken door, only to be disappointed. 

Mama cat has been spending some time inside each day, although she always is anxious to return to the outside.  Her sinus issue is better this year and she really loves her heated cat bed.   I am sure she misses Blacky’s company (we all do) but Mama has endured the winter better than I expected she might. I brushed her coat last week and she looked great!

We all need more sun, less wind and some days with above freezing temperatures!

Monday, February 16 2009

Twice in this past weekend, I have forgotten to put Puff inside his coop before dark.  Sigh.  Both nights, I found him roosting on top of his coop, sound asleep by the time I remembered.  Usually, he will wake up when I call his name and start to walk around on the roof.  I have to encourage him to jump down because he has grown too large for me to lift off.  A sleepy, confused turkey is a funny sight!

We had a simple Valentine’s Day this year.  Hb took me to the city to one of our favorite Chinese restaurants for a sushi lunch.  Yummy!  We did a little shopping for basic supplies, picked up three movies on dvd then headed home.  Originally, we planned to see a movie in the theater, but there were not any out that appealed to me.  On Saturday we watched “Something’s Gotta Give” with Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson.  A super funny and pleasant movie, just the sort I was in the mood to see.  We laughed a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the plot.  On Sunday afternoon, after working on taxes, we watched “Giant” with Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean.  Another excellent film!  I thought it would be too long for me to sit through without being bored (over 3 hours) but the movie was extremely well done and the plot so interesting that the time flew by.  Giant is definitely a new favorite of mine.

KC has been re-integrated fulltime with the boys.  Since she injured her leg a few months ago, I have been keeping her isolated when we were not home and during the nights.  Her leg appears mostly healed, and the boys do not seem to play/attack her as much these days.  She and Murray still do not get along at all, so as soon as the weather warms up, Murray will become an outdoor cat during the days.  I have started giving KC and Mama a second feeding of can food in the afternoon.  I call it the girl’s snack time . . . the boys just get hard cat treats.  I hope to strengthen KC and keep Mama healthy, and they both seem to enjoy the extra food.

Thursday, February 12 2009

I want a dog.  More specifically, I would like two female dogs,  a Rottweiler and an Australian Cattle Dog.  The rottweiler will be my guardian while the acd will help me herd the turkeys and goats I want to raise. The last three of my dogs were all beagles.  And although beagles are awesome companions, a better option for me now is a dog who wishes to herd me into the house or protect me from harm, not one that insists on running endlessly through the fields.

Rudi was my first beagle.  She was a premier hunting dog who spent much of her first eight years outdoors.  Rudi could chase a rabbit like nothing else, all you could see was the white tip of her tail cutting through the field grass.  She enjoyed being outside, but as she aged, I encouraged her to become an indoor dog.  The transition was relatively easy.  After marking the house as her own space (sigh), Rudi settled down and really enjoyed her later years in warm, cozy luxury. 

After Rudi, I decided to have a pair of beagles join me, Porter and Layla.  Both were exclusively indoor pets, except for their beloved doggie door that opened to the fenced yard.  Porter was from show-beagle stock.  He was a large dog, with pure white legs, a dark brown and black saddle and beautiful pink paw pads.  He was forever a puppy, hard to train and always wagging his tail and jumping on something.  Layla on the other hand, was built exclusively for hunting.  She was a short, round dog, all wiggly, soft and squeezable.  Taking Layla for a walk meant standing in one spot until she had sniffed every inch of ground within reach.  Then racing 50 feet to the next wonderful smelling patch of earth.  If another animal had by chance left a scent, Layla would writhe in excitement and start howling with joy.  That memory always makes me smile!

A number of years ago, I decided one of my life goals would be to build and run an elderly beagle rescue facility.  In this area of the country, many beagles are used to hunt until they grow old, then they are abandoned.  The shelters are filled with old beagles.  I want to provide a facility where these wonderful dogs can spend their twilight years in carefree comfort.  I really love beagles! I really want a dog!

Sunday, February 8 2009

A break in the weather, finally!  I like winter, and this year has been exceptionally blustery, with temps not being above 32 since December.  The gravel driveway had a 2inch base of ice that absolutely refused to melt.  Twice I salted the walking path from the driveway to the house.  And twice, the ice would start to melt, only to re-freeze as nightfall arrived, just making a bad situation worse.  Today, not a sliver of ice or snow was left on the entire driveway.

Hb and I made the best of the spring-like 50 degree temperatures.  We trimmed the trees in the orchard and turned the compost piles.  All of the fruit trees look spectacular, they are finally gaining girth and height.   This might be the first year we get apples and pears.   We also did some chicken coop maintenance and burned the paper trash.  Late in the fall, I noticed a mole problem in the front and side yards.  So I bought some organic grub seasoning.  Really!  This stuff is completely safe and chases moles away by making their food source, grubs, taste nasty.  The ground has to be wet so today I sprinkled two containers over the infected areas.  Hopefully the moles will find better sources for food and move on.

The deer are starting to roam again.  We saw a few in the morning and more this evening.   Nice to see them in the fields.

Both of us suffered a twinge of spring fever today, not a good thing since that darn ground hog saw his shadow.  Way too early to dream of spring! 

Thursday, January 29 2009

The farmette and all attached critters have successfully survived the latest winter storm, of a winter that has been exceptionally snowy and cold.  This past week we had snow, then ice, then rain which immediately froze and then was topped with more snow.  Since the driveway is solid ice, I am always pleased to have snow added on top.  Otherwise, I would have to park next to the studio and walk to the house.  50 yards can seems very far in 10 degree temperatures, and below zero wind chills! 

Another fun adventure of country living happened last night, the electricity went off.  For most rural households, this not only means no lights or heat, but also, no water.  The deep well requires an electric pump to get the water to the house.  So, no electricity leads to no water which leads to no potties . . . yikes! 

I first called to check on my neighbor, Isabelle, who had already contacted the electric company, and informed me the electricity would be off for most of the evening.  She has an old gas heater in one bedroom so was sure to stay cozy.  I gathered candles, shut the doors to the bedrooms upstairs to conserve heat loss, unplugged electronics in case of a power surge and lit the small gas log fireplace in the living room.  Hb and I used the burners on the stove to heat a simple dinner in candlelight, and enjoyed quiet conversation without the typical distractions of tv news and computers.  All in all, a very cozy evening. 

However, Mama cat was quite annoyed by the whole situation.  30 minutes after losing power, she appeared outside of the door.  Honestly, the look on her face was saying, “Shouldn’t you be plugging something in , or throwing a switch?  The temperature in my cat house is dropping, you know!”  I gave her a bowl of warm milk (the kind made just for cats) and tried to explain why her light, space heater and warmed cat bed were not functional.  She was not pleased. 

Fortunately, things were back to normal before the house chilled off too much.  This morning, another inch or so of snow had fallen, nicely covering the now very thick layer of ice underneath.  And the trees look just amazing, so white and fluffy.  I love a good winter!

Tuesday, January 27 2009

A fine meal on the farmette (Tuesday dinner).  Hb is the main chef here, I just have never enjoyed cooking or baking, so I continuously sport dishpan hands! (A farmette rule: Whoever cooks, the other does dishes) .

Sunday, January 25 2009

This was an indoor weekend for us.  We decided to rearrange furniture, swapping the living room and study.  Of course, this meant rewiring the satellite tv cable and the phone lines.  I finally bought a replacement carpet for the living room.  We had an old, yucky remnant there that had long outlived both it’s usefulness and appeal.  I spent a long time deciding on what type of carpet to purchase.  I had already decided to paint the wood floor a cayenne color and with the cats, durability was critical.  After considering all options from new wool orientals to plastic patio indoor/outdoor rugs and finally settled on this Fern Border rug from llbean.  The customer comments on durability sold me on it.

After we cleared out the old living room of furniture, I washed and painted the floor.  While I typically prefer plain wood floors, the dust and mess that results from the sanding and refinishing is not what I wish to undertake now.  So the floors are painted, while all of the cats wait impatiently, locked safely away in upstairs bedrooms to avoid adding cat tracks to the new décor.

By the end of yesterday, the living room (previously the study) was all set up.  We are very please with the new arrangement.  The furniture fits well, and the wall colors are very soothing making the room super cozy.  Perfect for relaxing on cold winter evenings.
This morning, we moved the study furniture into place.  Again, very pleasing arrangement.  We should have done this a long time ago.  The new fern rug looks perfect, and will hopefully hold up to many Spooky hairballs.

I really enjoyed the indoor weekend!

Monday, January 19 2009

What a great weekend, assuming you like arctic temperatures and football, of course!  The low on Saturday was -9, the snow absolutely squeaked underfoot.  And speaking of snow, on Sunday at least 8 inches fell.  The fields and trees were beautiful.  Hb took amazing bird and squirrel pictures which I will upload and post soon.  

All of the farmette animals are faring well in the cold and snow.  Homer the Bunny’s water bottle froze, even though it has a heater inside.  The water in the spout as well as the container was solid ice, so I put a bowl of water in his coop twice a day and gave him lettuce and carrots to compensate.  Puff spends a good deal of time inside his coop, even though the door is open.  I added an extra layer of straw and stuffed straw into the air vents where he roosts.  Frodo the pheasant dances around so much chasing the songbirds and squirrels that I am guessing he is hot regardless of the air temperature.  And I have been keeping the chickens inside their coop, and their egg production is near normal so they are happy as well.  Although the chickens are eating a lot . . . I suppose out of boredom, which I can relate to.  Murry, the indoor/outdoor cat, has suddenly decided to become a full time indoor cat.  He gets so wound up with energy but runs and hides when we try to toss him outdoors for a bit.  So far he seems to have given up picking on KC.  Also, KC’s leg has healed so she may getting strong enough to discourage his threats.

The snow eagles we added to the roof last year, seem to be working well.  Before we had these, the warmth of the house would melt the snow on the metal roof, and the snow would slide of in great clumps, slamming loudly onto lower roofs and leaving huge piles on the walkways.  The danger lying in either being unlucky enough to be standing under a snow slide, or the gutters being ripped off.  Neither would have been pleasant.  But so far this winter, the snow is being held in place by the eagles long enough to melt properly into the gutters.

Sunday, January 11 2009

Last evening, the temperature rose to 32.5 degrees, and the beautiful snow turned to rainy, ice pellets.  Thankfully, only a few inches of the snow on the ground melted, and just a thin layer of ice was added before the temperature fell below freezing again.

This morning, a little more snow fell so hb and I were able to ski again.  Sweet!  After about an hour, hb suggested taking off the skis and getting out the sled.  What a great idea, I was tired but excited to try the sled.  Two long, downhill runs later, there were no injuries and we were both laughing hysterically.  The first run went very fast but smoothly.  However during the second, we gained so much speed that the sled became airborne for a short distance, sending us rolling in opposite directions.  I love winter.

I added a new section on the lifestyle page.  Our kitchen is brand new, yet somewhat unconventional.  I deliberately do not own either a microwave or a dishwasher.  We heat leftovers in a toaster oven, or on the stove and I really did not want to give up more counter space for a microwave.  The daily dishes we use are my grandmother’s daily dishes, too old and fragile to be put in a dishwasher.  So using the 1940-1950 refrigerator containers as I describe fits our lifestyle.

The Steeler’s won their game today, beating San Diego in a very good game.  WooHoo!!! Growing up and living in Pittsburgh is analogous to being a football fanatic.  Even transplanted people become Steeler fans after living here for a few years.  Football is in our blood and a Steeler win, especially a playoff win, puts the whole town in a great mood!

Saturday, January 10 2009

A nor’easter blew through yesterday.  Finally we had a lot of snow, about 5 inches, which is enough to cross-country ski across the fields.  We are fortunate that Isabelle lets us ski across her fields.   The day was perfect skiing weather with temperatures around 29 and the snow light and fluffy.  I love cross-country skiing, not only is the exercise nice but the sport is so peaceful, like taking a walk in the woods.  Today we saw about 10 wild turkeys in the pine trees bordering the fields. Of course, there were deer trails everywhere.

Frodo’s wild friend is still hanging around.  I put down a few piles of corn for him yesterday.  He likes to hide between the pine tree and Homer’s pen, using their straw bales as cover.  On Thursday when I was feeding Homer, I accidentally flushed the poor guy out.  He flew all the way across the driveway and into the trees behind the studio.  I felt bad but he came back the next day.

We have been working on the farmhouse nonstop for quite awhile.  There are two first floor front rooms, one on either side of the house.  When the house was built in 1902, one was probably the parlor and the other the living room.  Currently, we use the parlor as a study and have the tv in the living room, and this room needs the most attention.  Because the living room connects to the dining room, there are two doorways which limits wall space and furniture placement options.  On the other hand, the study only has one doorway.  So, last week, hb and I decided to switch rooms by making the original parlor the new living room and use the current living room as the study.

We picked out two new chairs, one a leather recliner for hb and a chair and a half for me.  I found an amazing fabric for the chair, woodland colors of green, brown, tans with birds hidden among the leaves.  I am so excited!  We rarely buy new furniture so this is a real treat.  Of course, before the furniture arrives, we need to paint and fix up the living room.  The floors are the original painted pine wood so I will paint the floor a new, lighter color.  The walls are plaster with a beadboard wainscoting.  I plan to make the plaster light tan and the beadboard a shade darker.  Then we will move the bookcases, desk and other study pieces to their new locations, and the tv, tables and living room items to their new locations in the parlor.  Lots of work but the design feels right . . . this will be nice!

Wednesday, January 7 2009

Look who was waiting for me when I arrived home today . . . Puff . . . on the patio wall.  The weather was very windy all day and based on the amount of food left in his dish, Puff had been out of his coop area most of the day.  The snow had started to fly by the time I got home, as you can see in the picture.  Puff was so happy to see me, he walked right up and practically begged me to put him in the coop.  Usually, his food and water are on the edge of the fence in a little hut that we built but I put them inside his coop with him for the night.

Monday, January 5 2009

No more Monday night football . . . sigh . . . thank goodness for hockey!  I love sports and always wish football season lasted longer into the winter months.  Usually, I am so busy in the early fall months that I do not really settle down and enjoy the weekend games until mid-November.  The season seems so short, I wish the regular season games didn’t start until October and lasted into February. 

We had our third venison meal of the season, venison stew.  Hb found a recipe that used venison shank, potatoes, turnips, carrots and parsnips.  He added a few of the juniper berries that we bought just for use with game, bay leaves and rosemary.  We served the stew over noodles with crusty bread, what an awesome meal!  And the best part is that there are enough leftovers for two more dinners.

The hens are starting to lay eggs again.  I have been turning the light in the coop on every day, and also letting them free range when I am home.  So far we are getting 2-3 eggs a day.  The eggs are nice and big this year.  I think my hens are at their prime laying age.  If I add 6-8 new chickies to the flock this spring, I might be able to start selling a few dozen eggs a week.

I have been battling a seemingly enormous mole population in our front yard.  Each day, the moles seem to tunnel further and further throughout the yard, leaving large mounds of dirt at their tunnel entrances.  I bought a natural mole chasing spread that is supposed to make the insects that the moles eat taste horribly, and then supposedly the moles will leave.  Although I remain hopeful this will work, I am also somewhat skeptical.  Besides, the container I bought was not only expensive, it also only covered 30% of the infested area.  I keep encouraging Murray to stay outside and hunt but the temperatures must be too cold for mole hunting (at least I think that is why he is always in the house, spending hours lying on the radiator in the living room!)

Friday, January 2 2009

Happy New Year!

Finished another project today, the fireplace and hearth in the study (hearth project).  Several years ago, we removed the cement that filled the opening in hopes of restoring the fireplace to working condition.  Sadly, the chimney was filled with fireproof piping and was used as the furnace exhaust.  Around the piping were old bricks and chunks of cement.  We covered the hole with cement board and there it stayed until this week. 

We found the original fireplace cover in one of the out buildings, removed the rust and painted it matte black.  I found a 20 piece tile mural online that would fit perfectly inside the fireplace cover.  The hearth was wood flooring so first I laid down a piece of cement board then tiled with 12x12 dark colored porcelain floor tiles.  I was hoping to find black stone tile, but settled for a dark color from Lowes.

When the hearth tiles were set, I measured the center of the cement board that covered the opening and laid the mural tile.  I used a level on the first row to ensure the mural was aligned correctly.  After the mural tiles were set, I set the black iron fireplace cover in place, holding it in position with a screen door retaining clip.  With hb’s help, the edges were caulked for added security.  Hb does amazing caulking work . . . I usually end up with more on my hands than on the work piece.

The last step will be to paint the entire mantel, which I hope to complete this weekend.  Always a good feeling to complete a long overdue project!