Construction Destruction...

February 22, 2017

During our last couple of days at the farm, we officially began the demolition phase of the kitchen renovation.  Yay!  Charming’s first step was to take down the drywall so that he will be able to install a new electrical panel box, move and/or add some electrical outlets, and then put up new drywall.  I’m sure the process will go much slower than expected as Charming is painstakingly meticulous when he works on anything, but he knows his stuff and that’s why I’m always thrilled with the work he does.  He wants to do the job once and do it right.  I’m perfectly happy with that.

While Charming took down the drywall…which was a real pain in the butt because quite a bit of it was glued (yes, glued!) in place…I alternated between carrying out the old drywall, sweeping up the debris, and pulling staples out of the studs.  It took us the better part of two days, but we got most of the drywall demolition done.

When we weren’t working on the kitchen, we spent time working on separate tasks.  I started work on clearing out a thicket of overgrown bushes on the north side of what I like to call “The Frog Pond”.   Although our neighbor once casually referred to it as “The Mud Hole,” I pride myself on being somewhat creative and will find a way to make it a pleasant farm feature.  I also started knitting a new pair of wool socks for myself.  Since the farm is almost always about five degrees cooler than where we currently live, I believe the more wool socks I have the better my toes will feel.  Charming spent his “down time” tidying up the tool shed.  He took all the tools out of the shed and then covered the dirt floor with four horse stall mats that had previously served as flooring in Jax’s kennel.  (Since Jax rarely spends time in his kennel, it will probably be re-purposed into some form of chicken run at a later date.)

Since spring appears to be arriving early this year, we felt we needed to turn the garden early as well.  After Charming completed some work on the used Ford plow that we purchased last year, he was able to make quick work of plowing the garden.  All of these baby steps are going to pay off in the long run and we are really having a great time while turning the farm into what will be a wonderful place to grow old(er) together.

Our lovely kitchen (with fabric-covered windows) prior to demo.

My Charming...a master at demolition!

It took 2 days to remove the original stapled & glued on drywall.

Here are a few (of many) staples that held the drywall onto the studs.

My job was to remove the 10-bazillion staples.

Front view of "The Frog Pond" before I started whacking limbs.

Front view of the Frog Pond after pruning...it does look a bit better.

 

Side view of the Frog Pond prior to pruning.

Side view of the Frog Pond after pruning...still got a ways to go.

Charming tidied the tool shed & covered the dirt floor with rubber mats.

And I started knitting a new pair of socks...browns & greens...my favorite colors.

 

A bit of work on the plow before the garden could be turned.

The tractor makes quick work of turning the garden. 

It is my opinion that nothing smells better than freshly turned earth on a warm spring day!

This ‘n’ That…

February 15, 2017

So far this winter has been pretty mild here in our neck of the woods.  We’ve managed to spend a night or two at the farm where we spent our time planning inside renovation projects.  We’re concentrating on the kitchen since that’s where we’ll see the most impact.  After all, you can’t really do much to a square bedroom.  So we finished disposing of some of the old cabinets that we couldn’t re-use elsewhere. 

At our current house, I’ve used a couple of the warmer days to prune our fruit trees and work on getting my herb garden under control.  When playing in the herb garden, I started to pull out a rather large pokeberry bush that had gotten out of control.  (I had just been cutting it back for the past couple of years, thinking that would kill it…um, no.)  I had to use the shovel in an attempt to dig out the root of the darned thing.  The root turned out to be bigger (around) as a softball.  I had to ask Charming for help to get it out and he was only able to remove part of it.  I’m beginning to think that root goes all the way to China.

As I mentioned in my last blog, I’ve discovered Tunisian crochet and found that I really like it.  I started working on a rug for my bathroom just to see if it was worth pursuing.  I made the rug in strips using various shades of greens and purple.  Although it didn’t turn out perfectly, it looks fairly decent and has given me the motivation to try new designs with this type of crochet. 

On another front, I’ve also been working on re-upholstering one of two matching chairs that my brother gave me years ago.  The chairs were nice, but our cats and dog liked lounging in them often.  This resulted in my having to vacuum, brush, and pull animal fur off of the fabric.  So I got the bright idea that the chairs should be covered in something that would be easier to clean.  This was not one of my best ideas.  Months ago, I enthusiastically and painstakingly removed the brads, staples, fabric, and old foam from the chairs.  Then my enthusiasm dried up and the chair sat in a corner of the living room until this week when I began working on it again.  Although it’s not yet ready for presentation, I’m hoping to have this first chair completed in a week or two.  I will definitely post the final results for you to see.

I pruned our 3-year-old pear tree.  It's lopsided because I cut out some dead wood on the right.

This peach tree is 4 years old and is shaped better than the pear tree.

Had a mass of branches in the wheelbarrow...this is about half of them.

Decided to try to propagate a few trees from the branches, so I cut off side shoots & put in water.

May not work without store-bought rooting hormone, but...God didn't create rooting hormone.

My Tunisian crocheted bath mat in place in my very, very tiny bathroom.

Tea for Two...

January 29, 2017

A belated Happy New Year to all!  I’ve been out of commission for what seems like forever.  Shortly after Christmas, I came down with a cold/respiratory thing that lasted for about two weeks.  Directly after that, I developed some stomach issues that went on for another couple of weeks.  After a trip to the family doctor, a CT scan, and a gastroenterologist appointment, I’m finally starting to feel like my old self again.  While I was feeling badly, I didn’t really even think about knitting, spinning, crafting, cooking, or anything else.  I was content to let Charming wait on and spoil me as I normally spoil him.  (It’s that “for better or worse” part of the marriage vows that I’ve never once regretted taking.)  Thankfully, over the past couple of days, I’ve been slowly ramping back up to my cruising speed.

Before I got sick, I crocheted a cute little bright pink purse for my great-niece’s 3^rd birthday.  I had found a free pattern on Ravelry (a website for knitters, crocheters, spinners, etc. that I regularly troll for pattern inspiration) and I knew it would be perfect for her.  (If you’re interested in a simple, adorable purse pattern for a young girl, check out:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCfdtHAusB0&t=537s)  Although my purse is slightly different in that I wanted to make it as colorful as possible to hold a child’s interest and I made a change purse to go with it, the pattern designer did a better job at making the purse look “polished”. 

Today, while washing a load of clothes, cooking a pot of vegetarian beans, steaming a pan of rice that I will later make into gluten-free vegetarian burgers, intermittently working on our income tax returns, and charting a new design idea for a Tunisian crochet Christmas tree skirt, I decided to whip up some home-made tea bags. 

Charming and I have been drinking herbal tea on a regular basis for a few months now.  (No caffeine or other harmful ingredients and we rotate our stock to include blueberry, orange spice, chamomile, chai and others.)  I’ve grown and used my own herbs for years now.  I’ve used my herbs in cooking, teas, and soap-making.  When we move to the farm, I plan to have a bigger herb garden and make more of my own teas (like peppermint, chamomile, and comfrey…you can no longer buy comfrey tea because it contains “tannin” and the Food and Drug Administration’s position is that comfrey contains carcinogenic properties…they classify sassafras in the same way.)  I used to grow and dry comfrey when I was a teenager because it helped to settle my sensitive stomach.  My daddy used to drink sassafras tea in the spring because he said it “purifies your blood”.  I love the taste of sassafras tea and comfrey tea really does help to settle an upset stomach.  Although I wouldn’t drink any tea every day, I think the old adage “everything in moderation” applies as a common sense gauge to any food or drink that we put into our bodies. 

Getting back to our current day tea drinking habits, Charming had suggested that we purchase loose-leaf herbal teas to expand our options.  I’ve found that there are entire businesses built around loose-leaf teas of every flavor you can think of.  However, these teas usually come with a high price tag.  However, when we were in Costco a couple of weeks ago, we found some loose-leaf tea in a flavor called “fruity pebbles”.  The 16-ounce bag was only $4.97!  I came home and looked the tea up on the internet and the same bag sells for $29.99 on the tea company’s website.  After digging out my old tea balls to brew the tea, I found that the balls didn’t hold enough for both Charming and I to have tea at the same time.  Making my own tea bags will definitely come in handy when we move to the farm.  They’re cheap, simple, and a bunch can be made in a few minutes.  Making the tea bags ahead of time will also make it easier for Charming to bring me a nice cup of herbal tea when I’m feeling under the weather. 

The crocheted purse that I made for my great-niece Hannah.

I also made a little tiara for her...looked better on Hannah than on this cabbage.

I recently learned Tunisian crochet and I'm making a rug for my bathroom.

Here's a closer view of the Tunisian crochet stitch.

 

For the tea bags, I cut coffee filters in half.  (In future, will use unbleached filters.)

Folded the half filter in half again and machine-stitched with nylon thread.

 

Sewing the bags in one continuous "chain" makes the job quick & easy.

Snip the connecting threads and you have a stack of tea bags ready to be filled.

Adding the tea.  About 1 1/2 tablespoons works for me.

After filling, the rounded edges are folded to the back side of the tea bag.

Tea bags are stitched closed, in a continuous chain then connecting threads are cut.

Tea bags stored in a pretty jar or tin until ready for use.

Joy To The World...

December 15, 2016

December is such a busy month for everyone…holiday parties, get-togethers at work, present exchanges with neighbors, and other types of celebrations.  As we have gotten older, Charming and I have found that we prefer low key celebrations.  Because both our birthdays are in December, we have found that going out for a simple supper is the best way for us to celebrate.  That way, we each get a special meal, nobody has to cook or clean up, and (best of all) you don’t have to find a place in the house to store the birthday gift because it’s already in our tummies!  We celebrate Christmas in the same way.  After all, we already have the best presents that we could possibly ever get…each other!

One thing that we do not skip is the feast on Christmas Day.  I always bake a turkey or ham and cook the customary foods that usually accompany the feast…mashed potatoes, green beans, dressing, gravy, etc.  Although this year the December holiday and birthday celebrations are in direct conflict with our current vegetarian diet, we will break that diet in favor of tradition.  (In between the celebratory meals, we continue to eat vegetarian meals.)

Because December seems to revolve around food, I’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen recently.  I came across a recipe for gluten-free sourdough bread and it has rapidly become my favorite bread.  I’ve read that sourdough bread is better for the digestive tract than regular bread and, since I have gluten issues, my digestive tract needs all the help it can possibly get.  Sourdough “starter” is made from almost any flour (I use white rice flour) and warm water and “fed” over the course of several days.  (Remember the “Friendship Cakes” that were all the rage years ago…someone made the “starter” and fed it for about 10 days, then passed a cup of the starter on to several friends.  Those friends then fed their starter for 10 days and passed a cup on to their friends.  As I recall it was a very good cake.)  As the starter sits on the kitchen counter and ferments, it attracts the yeast that naturally floats through the air.  The fermenting starter also generates healthy microbes called lactobacilli that help promote digestion and, thereby boost the immune system.

As one might guess, the typical American diet of highly processed food is extremely hard on the digestive tract and can do a lot of damage over time.  This, in turn, can weaken the immune system.  To counteract this damage, fermented foods can help to ease digestive problems and strengthen the immune system.  You may not realize it, but many foods that you may already have in your kitchen are fermented…coffee, cocoa, and wine for example.  You can also whip up other fermented foods like sourdough bread and fermented vegetables easily and economically right in your own kitchen. 

As you may remember from a previous post, I made sauerkraut and it turned out great.  A couple of weeks ago, I also experimented with other fermented vegetables.  I sliced up a small head of cabbage, finely chopped a few small pieces of fresh broccoli, and grated a few fresh radishes, carrots, red onion, and a bit of ginger.  To that mixture, I also added a very small amount of caraway seeds.  I put it all in a really big bowl with some unrefined sea salt and started smashing it.  (My “smasher” is a pint jar, filled with water, with the top tightly screwed onto it...this makes quick work of bringing the juices out of the vegetable…or you can simply massage the vegetables with your hands.)  The rule of thumb for salt is about 1 ½ teaspoons of sea salt per pound of vegetables.  Charming (who is my taste-testing guinea pig) said the vegetable mixture tasted great even before it had started the fermentation process.  We have since taste-tested it every four to five days and it is really starting to taste nice and tangy.  The tummy-taming type of sauerkraut is not the same as what you purchase in jars at the grocery store.  The canning process destroys the beneficial microbes.  So if you absolutely cannot make your own sauerkraut or fermented vegetables, purchase the type that is kept in the refrigerated section of the grocery store (usually alongside the smoked sausages).

I would encourage anyone with any kind of stomach issues to read several books on fermentation and to at least try a few recipes.  It is one of the easiest, cheapest, and best things you can do for your health.

I wish you all a merry, happy, and healthy Christmas!

My sourdough starter...I now cover it with a coffee filter for better yeast collection.

I bake the dough in my biggest, heaviest sauce pan (from Costco).

As you see, the bread turned out tall & lovely!

Lovely browned crust & light on the inside...YUM!

My fermented vegetables weighted down with a small container of water.

Holiday decorating idea!  Use computer to type a Christmas message in large font & color.

Cut letters out in a circle, oval, square or whatever shape.

Showcase your letters on your favorite containers (mine are crocks), paired with festive ribbon.

 Add poinsettias, as I did, or another favorite greenery

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Ready To Hibernate...

November 22, 2016

We’ve pretty much wrapped up work at the farm until next spring.  Last week when we were there, we did get a few projects finished up before the weather turned colder.  Charming insulated the water pipes under the house to help keep them from freezing.  In addition, he removed cabinets from the kitchen so we could put them in the shed.  This will give Charming space to organize and store his tools. 

While Charming was removing the cabinets from the house, I painted the floor of the shed.  It is now a nice neutral gray.  Although it took me two days (and a couple doses of ibuprofen for the stiffness in my “painting arm”) the paint job turned out well.  Charming also stacked three rows of cinder blocks as temporary steps to get into the shed via the side door. 

All in all, we’re happy with the progress we made during the spring and summer.  Although we’ll make frequent visits to check on the place, we’ve decided to spend the winter months trying to get things done at our current house.  For now we’re going to concentrate on paring down by cleaning out closets, the basement, and the shed in order to get rid of things we don’t want to move to the farm.

So for the next month or two, I’ll be gearing my posts more toward crafting and cooking projects instead of building and renovating projects.  I am truly thankful that God has given Charming and me endless opportunities to express our individual creativity…along with the strength to carry them out.

Hard to see, but it's Charming under the house wrapping water pipes.

Freshly painted shed floor (with a crack of sunlight shining through the door).

I think the kitchen cabinets look better in the shed than in the kitchen.

The pantry cabinet will provide lots of room for jars of nails, screws, etc.

 

Spring Forward, Fall Back…

November 6, 2016

I just love the sights, smells, and sounds of fall!  The green leaves of summer have turned into the bright oranges and yellows that set the mountains ablaze with color.  After these gorgeous leaves have floated to the ground and started to decompose, they produce a simple earthy scent that hangs in the crisp November air along with the smell of smoke from our woodstove.  At the farm, I’ve noticed many squirrels high up in the trees jumping from limb to limb and tree to tree.  I’m guessing that they’re “squirreling” away some of the many acorns and hickory nuts that have fallen to the ground.  I guess we’re not the only ones who are preparing for the coming winter.

Charming and I have cut up quite a bit of wood from the back lot at the farm.  We took Charming’s old four-wheel-drive pick-up, along with the wood splitter, through the river and, after two afternoons of cutting, have enough wood to get us through our first winter at the farm.  Since we don’t expect to actually move into the house until next fall, the wood will have plenty of time to dry and be ready for use by that time.  I’m sure we’ll continue to cut more wood to add to the pile as time permits.  I’ve found that I really enjoy helping to cut wood.  Charming cuts the branches and limbs off the tree then cuts up the tree.  After we place the wood splitter near cut-up tree, I carry manageable-sized pieces of wood to Charming and he splits them.  We end up with nice tidy piles of wood as well as having had a good physical work-out. 

In the meantime, Charming has finished working on the shed for the winter.  The shed has been painted, the roof has been shingled, doors have been installed, and the outside trim added.  After we move to the farm, he will most likely go back and install windows in the shed.  This should be fairly easy to do since he had already roughed-in the openings as he built the shed.  He also plans to add a “lean-to” on each side of the shed to shelter various farm implements from the weather.

While Charming was finishing up the shed, I continued to work on my knitted purse.  It is coming along nicely.  The purse has been completed, but I’m still working on the strap.  It has turned out well and I hope to finish it this coming week.

Our next farm project, before we begin our winter hibernation, is to install the wood stove in the house.  We’ll need to install some kind of protective covering on the floor as well as some kind of fire-resistant backing on the wall behind the stove.  We plan to start this as soon as Charming decides what he thinks will work best and temper that with what I think will look best.  In the end, we’ll compromise and come up with a nice-looking, workable solution.  Should have some pictures of this in my next post.  Enjoy the nice fall weather while you can!  Be sure to soak up all the sights, smells, and sounds that your eyes, nose, and ears can possibly stand because it’ll be a whole year before you will experience the fall season again.

Some of the pumpkins we grew on the farm.  Soup, bread, pies...oh, my!

The finished shed.  Will add windows, steps, & lean-to later.

Charming made hooks from rebar to hold the doors open...he's so clever!

My knitted purse, minus the strap which I'll add later.

 

A close-up of the knitted cable pattern on the purse and button closure.

One of many piles of wood that we've cut so far.  Nothing compares to wood heat!