Rafters and Swatters…

August 19, 2016

The trusses on the shed are finally in place, so now it’s really beginning to look like a real farm building.  Although building the shed seems to be taking a long time to complete, we are saving a ton of money by building it with our own “sweat equity” (as they call it on the home renovation shows).  Actually, to give credit where credit is due, Charming’s sweat equity is what is getting the shed completed.  I fill the “go getter” role…as in, “go get me the drill” or “go get me more nails”.  I willingly do whatever I can to help out as Charming is definitely the brains and brawn part of this particular task.  I’m certain this shed will last for the rest of our lifetime and probably a lot longer than that as Charming would rather over-engineer than take any short cuts.  He really impresses me with his work ethic and talent.

While Charming has been putting up the trusses, I’ve tried to find projects that keep me busy and still allow me to stay close by in case he needs me for anything or to provide Band-Aids when he gets injured (so far one smashed thumb and one whack on the forehead by a C-clamp that was attached to a truss…Owwwweee!)  Except for quick trips to the camper to fix a meal or fetch Charming a snack or something to drink, I stay as close as possible.  Being the fair-skinned Irish lass that I am, I try to find the coolest and shadiest spot possible where I spend my time reading, knitting or killing flies.  Due to my enthusiastic attempts to rid the entire farm of any type of flying or crawling insect, my fly swatter had gotten to the point where it was almost torn in half.  Because I found myself falling asleep while reading and I had brought the wrong size of knitting needles with me to start a new knitting project, I decided that it was time to repair my sad-looking fly swatter.  You might think that repairing a forty-seven-cent fly swatter is ridiculous, but keep in mind that the farm is at least forty-five minutes and one big, curvy mountain from the nearest Wal-Mart.  So I decided to repair the old raggedy one.  I used about four yards of a plastic-type twine that came from a huge ball of the stuff that charming had bought at a yard sale for $4.00.  Although it did take me about an hour to repair the swatter, it works better than ever.  The bugs now live in fear of me and my funky fly swatter!!!

A few weeks ago, I noticed some jewel weed growing under the back deck of the house at the farm.  I decided to pick some to make jewel weed soap.  Finding a patch of it right under my nose is much better than having to get in the car and scout out the area for jewel weed as I do at our current house (or grow my own in a flower pot as I’ve also done).  Anyhow, I pulled some of the jewel weed and brought it home to make soap.  The soap is now ready for use and it turned out wonderfully well.  I changed my soap recipe to include a bit of coconut oil, which makes the soap lather up much better and the color of the soap is a rich tan color.  I’m not sure if it will work as well or better than my original recipe, but all that lather makes me think that it will work better…and that’s what counts.

To give you a quick update on our diets.  As you may recall, Charming is on a vegan (almost no fat) diet and I’m on a vegetarian diet (Mountain Girl can’t seem to let go of her butter, eggs, and cheese).  Earlier this week, Charming had a routine appointment with his doctor.  We got lab results yesterday and they were excellent.  Total cholesterol level was 119, triglycerides were 73, and glucose was 84.  Six months ago, his total cholesterol level was 164, triglycerides were 338, and glucose was 96.  So that’s quite a change considering he has only been on the diet for less than three months.  The doctor was also impressed that Charming had lost 29 pounds since his last appointment.  These lab results are the lowest he’s had in years…possibly ever.  The best part is that we are eating plenty of food that is actually good for us.  I guess Charming’s lab results are proof that when we eat the food that God intended us to eat, then our lives (and labs) improve!

One final thing that I think is cute.  Our dog, Jax, loves being able to roam freely at the farm.  First thing in the morning, he goes for a walk by himself around the property…down the road to visit the neighbor dogs, into the woods to chase anything that moves, and up the hillside across from the farm.  He does all of this in about 10 or 15 minutes.  Afterwards, he always comes trotting up the driveway with his tail bouncing in the air.  It reminds me of a small child who has just gotten off of the school bus after a good day at school.  Unfortunately, at our current home, we have to confine him within our small town lot.  A while back, Charming installed an “invisible fence” type of system and Jax has to wear a special collar that “reminds” him to stay inside the fence.  We remove this collar whenever we leave to go to the farm, but we keep it in the truck so that we can put it back on him when we return home.  Otherwise, we risk his getting loose and being hit by a car.  Well, at some point during our trip to the farm, the collar must have fallen out of the truck and onto the ground because we couldn’t find it anywhere in the truck.  So we had to use his regular leash to take him from the truck into the house.  We also had to take him out several more times on the leash before bedtime.  The following morning, we were shocked when Jax picked up the leash in his mouth and brought it to us.  What a smart dog…not to mention absolutely adorable!  

Front side of the shed with finished trusses.  Yay!

Side view.  We've also added more of the T1-11 siding to make it stronger.

Opposite side and back of shed.  Doors & windows will be cut out later.

Hmmm...looks like Charming left blocks of wood scattered on the floor.

Then I realized...He attached the blocks to the floor on purpose...

to hold each truss in place so they would all be the same...such a smart man!

.

My poor raggedy fly swatter prior to my repair.

The string I used...handy to tie up tomato plants, repair fly swatters & other stuff.

So attractive the flies don't even mind being swatted...at least I've had no complaints.

Our intelligent boy, bringing his leash and asking to go outside.

My latest batch of jewel weed soap.  Silicone molds provide cute shapes.

Our home-grown tomatoes.  Grown from heirloom seeds.  No pesticides, no Miracle-Gro.

Even though I've not taken care of the garden, the tomatoes are heavy on the vines.

Seedling markers got displaced on the drive to the farm, but I think this is a "Mortgage Lifter".

A Fungus Among Us (Well, More Like A Virus)…

August 9, 2016

Since my last post, Charming and I have both suffered (and I do mean suffered) with a bout of some kind of flu virus…or, as we have come to call it, “The Crud”.  I’m blaming this virus on Wal-Mart as that seems to have been the likely place that I picked it up.  While we were at the farm, Charming needed to make a thunder run to Lowe’s to buy more lumber and, since Wal-Mart was in the same shopping center, I ran in Wal-Mart to pick up a few food items that we needed.  Because we no other contact with any other humans in the six days we were at the farm, I’m assuming someone with this bugaboo passed it on to me and hundreds of other unsuspecting folks.  I will never again laugh at my sister (who just happens to be a nurse) for her fixation with wiping shopping carts with Clorox wipes.

I laid around for about a week moaning and whining about how sick/tired/awful I felt.  As I started to feel a bit better, Charming started the same moaning and whining about how sick/tired/awful he felt.  Luckily, I could walk him through all the stages of the virus like on the second day after he realized he was sick…”Don’t plan anything for tomorrow because all you’re going to be able to do is sprawl your poor self on the couch.”  And on the third day, “You need to take some Ibuprofen right now to head off the inflammation that’s going to clog up your head.”  Then on the fourth, fifth, and sixth days, “Be sure to sleep with the cough drops on your nightstand because you’re going to need them during the night.”  I must say that I was right in every instance and Charming was dutifully amazed at how well I walked him through the illness.  I just love being the bossy wife!

Due to the Crud, we haven’t gotten much done at the farm.  Charming got two more trusses put on the shed and he got the field mowed with the tractor.  I managed to dig potatoes in between bouts of residual coughing.  (Luckily, though, the exercise of digging the potatoes made my nose run so it actually helped to clear my head congestion.) 

We are both steadily getting better so I hope to have more pictures for my next post.

End trusses & two inside trussed, plus two sheets of T1-11 siding in place.

 

Not a bad haul considering how few potatoes we planted.

Raising The Roof…

July 21, 2016

I am happy to report that the flooring for the upper floor of the shed was put down this past week.  The hardest part of that project was getting the 4’x8’ sheets of flooring up onto the rafters.  My poor Charming did several of these by climbing up the ladder while pushing the heavy thing up as he went.  I, of course, was of no help at all.  Afraid that he would pop out a hernia while he was doing this, I was constantly nagging him to take a break and brainstorm with me so that we could come up with a slightly easier way to get the flooring onto the rafters.  He finally agreed and we came up with the idea of lifting a couple of sheets of flooring up onto the scaffolding.  We then rolled the scaffolding to the spot in the ceiling that was left open for the ladder/stairs access to the upper level.  From here, Charming was on one side of the sheet and I was on the other.  We could then easily push the sheets to the 2^nd level without risking bodily harm to my Charming.  Although there were more steps involved and it took a bit more time than it took Charming to heft them up the ladder, it was safer for him and gave me something to do that would keep me out of mischief.  Another win/win situation!

Charming made such good progress on the flooring that he was able to start constructing the trusses for the 2^nd level.  He decided to tackle the hardest one first, which was the one on the back side of the shed.  It has about a 1’ overhang to help shed the rain and gives more protection for the shed overall.  He designed, built, raised it into place, and fastened it to the shed all by himself.  I must say that I am continuously amazed by his crafty ideas to build things this big with almost no help from anyone.  He has a true gift for problem-solving on any level.

I can also report that both Charming and I are still in the weight loss mode.  Yay!  So far, Charming has lost 25 pounds and I have lost 14.  Our exercise plan (work) and vegetarian diet seems to be working well for us.  I have gotten quite creative with trying to keep fat out of our diet.  Whenever something needs to be “fried”, such as a stir-fry, I simply add a little home-made vegetable broth to the skillet and quickly sauté the vegetables.  These are decent when served over brown rice.  I also use the vegetable broth to make different kinds of soups, such as vegetable soup or vegetable stew.  I also make “veggie wraps” for Charming using fat-free flour tortillas.  I mash pinto beans (or any kind of bean) that have been cooked in plain water with various spices to spread on the tortilla as a sauce, then layer tomato, lettuce, and cucumbers.  I add some home-made salsa and fold the tortilla.  Two or three of these for a meal gives him that full feeling without a lot of calories.   

I’ve found that the key to eating vegetarian/vegan is really all about the spices and flavorings.  Rabbit food certainly tastes much better if you have something to spice it up.  We eat gluten-free pasta with my home-made spaghetti sauce, without meat.  The vegetable soup that I make is usually served with two small whole grain rolls, layered with slices of tomato and lettuce with a touch of fat-free bleu cheese dressing.  (Being gluten-free, I can’t eat these, but Charming loves them.)  Now that the garden is producing, we have entire meals composed of only green beans cooked with potatoes, onions, and garlic or salads with corn on the cob or baked potatoes.  We also eat lots of lightly cooked vegetables, rice, corn, dried peas and beans.  All of these foods provide that full feeling that is missing in many diets.  Although we don’t limit the amounts of any of these foods that we eat, we usually eat only one serving.  Our attitude towards food has also changed somewhat.  We find that we are now eating to live, not living to eat.  Since the pounds are dropping off and we’re seeing definite health benefits, I’ll call that a win-win situation as well!

The 1st sheet of flooring was pushed up the ladder then nailed into place.

After we improved our process, the rest of the floor was added fairly quickly.

A side view of the flooring.  The opening is for the ladder/stairs.

Charming designed and tested the lay-out of the truss before moving it to the roof.

Jax helps Charming to ensure that the measurements are accurate.

After the overhang is added, Charming moved the truss into place.

 

A back view of the shed...as well as a back view of Charming.

I planted onion seeds at the farm.  I'll re-plant some of these "sets" & use some to eat.

Food for Charming...thick veggie soup w/tomato & lettuce on multi-grain rolls.

Vegetable stew made with vegetable broth, potatoes, carrots, peas & corn.

Working On Our Shed, Stamina, and Better Health…

July 12, 2016

Over the past couple of weeks, Charming has made quite a bit of progress on the shed.  After the floor joists and floor had been put in place, he added studs for the walls and ceiling.  When we go back, he plans to put down the flooring for the second story.  After that, he'll start making the roof trusses and installing them.  I've been dreading the installation of the trusses as Charming will be working high up.  Although he is extremely careful when he works, I still worry (that's part of my job as a wife).  I must admit that I’ll be of little to no help for this part, because my legs start to tremble when I get on the kitchen step stool.  This “infirmity” automatically limits me to fetching tools and cold drinks for him.  These will be sent up to him with the help of a bucket attached to a rope.

When I’m not helping Charming with the shed, I spend my time tidying the camper, fighting (and losing) my battle with the weeds in the garden, picking and freezing raspberries, fixing meals or knitting.  I also spend quite a bit of time mowing around the work area, around the house, and around the camper.  In between meal-times, we work almost constantly.  However, I do manage to get Charming to take breaks by supplying him with tall glasses of something cold to drink and a light snack.  Otherwise, he’d probably work all day without stopping as he is super-focused on getting this shed completed as soon as possible.

On the up side of all of this physical labor is weight loss.  In late May, Charming decided that he wanted to go on a “little-to-no fat” diet so I agreed to try to cook for him using as little fat as possible.  As a result, our new diet (since May 31^st) consists of many varieties of dried beans, several varieties of rice, potatoes, pasta made from brown rice or corn, fresh and/or cooked vegetables, and small amounts of whole-grain bread.  Since I don’t tolerate gluten/wheat products very well, I make my bread out of my own special blend of millet/rice/sorghum flour. Charming eats whole grain rolls that we purchase from the deli section at Walmart.  Being the mountain girl that I am, I couldn’t give up butter…or cheese…or eggs so I do still incorporate those into my diet.  For meals that call for milk, I use almond milk instead of cow’s milk.  So far, Charming has lost 18 pounds and is down one size from the time that he started the diet!  Despite the butter, cheese, and eggs, I have managed to lose 12 pounds without changing my diet too much.  That’s a compromise that I can live with!

Wall #1 A standard-sized door will be hung near the front. Stairs will be added later.

Wall #2  Charming built the walls and then we lifted them into place.

Wall #3 Starting to look like a real building.

Wall #4 Front of the shed will have a large double door with a window on each side.

 

The open area in the ceiling will let us access the upper level for more storage space.

The lilies I transplanted in the spring are beginning to bloom.

I divided the original plant and transplanted the bulbs to this hard-to-mow bank.

These will multiply and the bank will be pretty & maintenance-free in a few years.

This Just Floored Me…

June 23, 2016

Progress on the shed continues at a slow pace.  Charming assures me that putting in the concrete piers and floor joists were the most time-consuming and difficult parts of the building process.  Last week, we got the sub-flooring put down.  That part went fairly fast as each sheet of flooring measured 4’x8’.  We had 12 sheets to put down, with several having to be sawn in half because the sheets needed to be staggered in order to make the floor stronger. 

After the first sheet had been nailed into place, I used the back of a lawn chair as my ladder and hauled my luxury-sized butt up onto the floor to play the part of “Carpenter’s Helper”.  We lifted each sheet into place and then Charming fastened them down with the nail gun.  Just so you know, a nail gun has “collated” nails that are held together in a plastic casing.  As each nail is shot from the nail gun into the board, tiny pieces of plastic fly into the air and land just about every where.  Because Charming had forgotten to bring knee pads, the pieces of plastic would jab into his poor little knees as he worked across the floor. 

Now, I should mention that I’m a really bad “helper” unless I’m constantly kept busy.  If there’s much down time during a farm project, I get bored and my mind will wander to other things like knitting designs, recipes, or I’ll wander off to see if there are any wild herbs or berries growing nearby.  In this particular instance, I fought the urge to go to La-La-Land and instead decided to make the task seem a bit more important than was really the case.  I envisioned myself as a surgical nurse (named Nurse Goodbody) performing the vital function of suctioning away blood while the good looking and extremely talented surgeon (Dr. Charming, of course) performed a critical life-saving heart surgery (ummmm…nailing the flooring into place).  I took every opportunity to quickly sneak my broom into Charming’s personal space whenever the plastic fell anywhere near his knees (often to the point of him frowning and giving me “the look” when I’d accidentally hit his belly with the broom) to quickly whisk away those bits of plastic just before he put his bare knees on them.  (I guess this kind of imagined drama is what I get for watching too many back episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” at the end of a long day at the farm.)  In the end, Charming sweetly thanked me for helping him and for keeping his knees injury-free.  The bonus was that, when we were finished, we could’ve eaten off the floor of the shed.  It was just that clean!

Next time we go to the farm, we’ll build the walls of the shed.  We did get one wall assembled yesterday.  However, due to a weather forecast of high winds and heavy rain we decided it would be wiser to wait until we had another wall completed before we attached them to the floor.  By next week, we’re hoping to have the four walls up so we (actually he) can proceed to build the 2^nd floor.  (I can barely reach to the top shelf of my kitchen cabinets without getting a bit loopy.)  As I’ve said, progress is slow, but we’re getting used to the routine and little by little things are falling into place.  The time I’m spending with Charming on the farm is proving to be the absolute best time of my life!

Charming nails the first sheet of flooring into place.

First row of floor is finished!

Second row of floor is finished!  Half way there!

Third row is finished! (Note my ladder/chair in the center background.)

Ta Da!  Flooring is finished!

My brother, Jeff, gave me some snapdragons at Easter...

...these are a couple of them at home on the farm.  So colorful and pretty!

The Lovely Song of the Cicada…

June 7, 2016

As we alighted from the truck upon arrival at the farm this past week, Charming and I noticed the familiar high-pitched song of the cicada.  It was extremely loud and it was everywhere.  Poor little Jax spent most of his visit just sitting around, looking up into the trees and the surrounding woods with a confused look on his face.  He’s young, so he doesn’t understand that locusts emerge from the earth on a regular schedule. This is the first (and most likely the only) time he will hear the cicadas. 

What Charming and I didn’t understand was why we had cicadas at the farm and not at our current house when there is only about ninety miles between the two locations.  Hmmmmm…so as soon as we returned home from the farm I did some research to see what I could learn about them.

I found out that cicadas live all over the world in any place that has a relatively warm climate.  So we in America have them almost everywhere.  As I understand it, there are currently fifteen “broods” (or groups) distributed throughout America.  Each brood emerges from the ground at different times, every thirteen or seventeen years, depending on which brood they belong to.  (For instance, Brood V in West Virginia emerged in 2016, while Brood II in Virginia last emerged in 2013.) 

When the cicadas are above-ground, they lay eggs in the crevices between the bark on trees.  The eggs hatch and the nymphs fall to the ground and burrow to a depth of up to eight feet.  They live underground, creating chambers close to the roots of trees, where they feed on the tree’s sap until it is time for them to dig exit tunnels to the top of the ground.  After they surface, they attach themselves to tree trunks where they shed their papery brown shells and emerge as fully grown cicadas.  The males sing their song to attract females for the mating ritual.  Then the female lays her eggs and the cycle continues to repeat itself.

While Charming and I were working on the shed, I lost count of the number of those empty brown cicada shells I knocked off of the structure.  (I know that it’s fine to leave them where they are, but I find them…well….icky…and would like to get rid of them as soon as possible.)  Since Charming, Jax, and I spend most of our time outside when we’re at the farm, I’m hoping that the event will be over and done with by the next time we go back.  I love nature as much as the next tree hugger, but a little of the cicada song goes a long, long way.

This husk clings to a 2"x6" after the cicada has emerged.

Empty husks fell from trees into the holes that were dug for shed piers.

 

Close-up photo of Charming letting the cicada crawl on his wrist...ick!

The cicada emerges!

 

Jax in a flat-out run...he comes running whenever we start the truck or tractor.