Miss me?

I know I have missed writing this blog!  Roger and I have both been so busy that we haven't had time to work at the farm the past two weeks.  I'm just going out to water a few times a week.  We haven't even walked as often as we like!

So -- that means no changes at the farm....unless you count the fact that I have FIVE apricots on my little tree!!! Except for the poor excuse for tomatoes I tried to grow in a trash can last summer, these little apricots are the first fruit from the farm - yeah!  I have two little citrus trees up on the hill where we live right now but the damn wind blew all my blossoms off.  Fear not - I think I have three Cara Cara oranges (about the size of my thumb nail right now) and maybe 20 MEYER lemons (pinky nail size).  I will be exceedingly happy if they grow up and become edible.  Meyer lemons are one of my new obsessions.  Deuce gave me the trees earlier this year and I planted them in pots so I can move then under shelter when it freezes next winter.  Mom says I absolutely cannot grow citrus here.  I plan to prove her wrong.

Are you positively bored yet?  (I'm filling space again.)  If not - read on.  If so - I will try my best to make the next post more substantial!

Something about living here has awakened a culinary spirit in me.  I seem to have a NEED to cook or bake.  I just love it - and nothing from mixes!  I'm making pizza from scratch (including the sauce), tons of different pies and desserts, some really good green chili and eating lots of fresh stuff from Barbara & Jay's and Mom & John's gardens and farm.  Asparagus, beets, broccoli and fresh eggs - to name a few.  I'm growing my own spices and have become quite enamored with basil.  I planted lavender and chocolate mint.  MMMM.  If you've ever rubbed lavender flowers in your hands to release the scent - you know what I'm talking about.

I have one more story to share and it does tie to the farmhouse.  When we owned Artistry and we were in the old location on Rural, a woman brought in a stained glass lamp wrapped in a hand pieced quilt, circa 1933 (educated guess).  The lamp and it's protective packing (the quilt) had been rolling around in her trunk for a few months.  That did neither item any good.  The quilt was filthy and the lamp was just in too many pieces to repair.  The only story I remember is that the lamp belonged to a relative that had died that year (father in law?).  The lamp was his and clearly she wasn't attached to it but had promised to check into getting it repaired.  I explained to her it was just too far gone, but gave her a bid anyway (to rebuild it).  Predictably, she was horrified and declined.  I asked her about the quilt.  She said she didn't know anything about it except that it "had come from the house" and had been used to wrap stuff in for years.  It made me heart sick.  To me, it was the most beautiful quilt I had ever seen.  I asked her if she would consider selling it to me.  She looked shocked (again) and said something to the effect of "It's a filthy rag!".  I explained I was a quilter and it really spoke to me.  She said to throw the lamp away and I could keep the quilt if I wanted.  So I took the quilt home and put it in my washer and let it soak for a few days, agitating it every once and a while by hand.  It washed beautifully.  It is one of my favorite things. When I look at it, I think of the months and months of some woman's life it represented while she was making it.  There's lots of love in that quilt.

No worries - there is a point to this.  The quilt is all hand pieced and hand quilted with 30's fabrics and lots of white.  It has a few wear spots and the binding has separated on one edge.  Other than that, it's in great shape for it's age.  At almost 80 years old, the threads have begun to get brittle.  It needs to be handled with love but it makes me so happy to look at it.  I decided to make one just like it so I can throw it on a bed or curl up in it or cuddle with a kid in it.  That's my project at the farm these days when I go out in the evening to water.  I have never seen the pattern before so I'm really winging it.  Deuce is going out in her RV later this month and I'm sending fabric swatches with her in the hopes that she can be on the lookout for more 30's retros to add to my quilt (although she doesn't know yet).  The fabrics need to be just right.  To maintain the joy the original quilt has - it really does have to be just right.

Famous last words:  The picture just doesn't do her justice.

I'm looking forward to Memorial Day weekend.  I heard a rumor that part of the Posse may ride in.  It's always a good time.  If you're not doing anything - come join us.  There's plenty to get in to at the farm!

Hammered, Nailed and Screwed

What?  That's what we did this weekend -- removed nails and screws from a pile of 2 x 4s.  What were you thinking?

This will be a short post, I promise because the wind hasn't let up.  Hunnyman came home on Saturday and said "What are Gale Force winds?".  I didn't know.  I guessed it's any wind over 50 MPH.  He wondered if it's some guy in the weather service that got to name a wind.  This, I do know:  Gale Force wind(s) will lift the lid off a plastic trash bucket that was securely snapped in place;  it (they?) will blow heavy steel sawhorses over.  I know it will knock down any yard implement neatly stacked at the side of your house.  And it will make a tin roof that was previously flat look like someone just used a giant curling iron on it.  I know Gale Force winds suck.  GF winds.  I'd use different words for those initials -- first word is Giant......

We went out to the farm on Sunday after a nice breakfast at Mom's with Dale and Janet (Bro and Superhero).  We intended to build the little room that will go around the new water heater, which is outside the house (or will be).

Roger came upon a pile of 2 x 4s of varying lengths that someone had thrown at the side of the road a few months back.  In our never ending effort to be green (and make progress sans cash), he hauled them home.  We're going to use them to build the water heater house.  Before we used them, however, we had to remove 17  4" nails and 527 drywall screws - some which were really bent and had to be hammered straight first.  Hence the title of this post.

It wasn't really blowing much when we started but after about an hour, Gale Force showed up and it got pretty miserable.  So we finished the pile and decided it was a good time to break for lunch.  We left the water on the trees and went to have some lunch.  Hman was going come back after lunch and get on the ladder to fix the tin roof on two of the buildings but I vetoed that.  It was all he could do to get out and get the water turned off -- seriously.  He had to wear a dust mask just to make it to the two faucets.

Like I said - a short post, and I forgot my camera on Sunday.  But I took one this evening when we went out to walk and Hunnyman doctored it just a little so you could see us in action in GALE force winds on Sunday.   My man - full of many things.  I'm just glad one of them is talent.