Back in Time

Some days I think maybe I'm out of step with this century.   My desire to learn the skills of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers certainly keeps life interesting here on the farm.   Seriously, how many people do you know that want to learn how to take raw milk from a cow and make their own butter, cheese and sour cream?   Well, I hope to do all those things and more sometime in the near future.  And believe it or not, there are a lot of folks doing just that with an eye toward eliminating chemicals and processed foods from their diets.

But, I digress......giggle.....sorry, that's easy to do.   I've always had an interest in functional objects from the past that no longer seem to have a place in our busy, techno-electronic, hurry up lives.   You know, cool things like a spinning wheel, a butter churn, a hand coffee grinder.   Well, a few days ago I was directed (yes, I was on one of those techno gizmos....the computer) to a website where a very enterprising lady gathers and sells objects from a century ago.   Her name is Carrie and you can check out her wonderful collection at www.CopperandTin.com.......she's got some pretty cool "stuff". 

I was scrolling through the pages of her online shop when I saw the neatest glass thingey....and it sits on your desk.....and the patent date on it says 1892!   Well, I kept scrolling away from it and then back again and finally decided I just had to have it.   So I ordered it and yesterday the mailman delivered it right to our door.

 When I opened the box, my new treasure was neatly wrapped in tan tissue paper and tied with brown and white twine.   How pretty!   It was like getting a present from a stranger.

And my new treasure even came with the original box!   And it's called a Moistener.    Mr. Keeler must have been tired of licking envelopes so he invented the Keeler Moistener.   How very clever of him.

And this is what it looks like......very heavy glass with a heavy felt "wick" that goes down in the glass bottom.   You fill the jar with water and it wicks up to the felt where you simply pass your envelope over the moistened felt instead of licking the envelope.   Ta-da!   How clever is that?   No more nasty tasting glue on your tongue.   Not to mention, exactly what are we licking when we seal those envelopes????   Hmmmmm????
 
 I know it's just a romantic notion, but I love the look and feel of desk "appointments" from days long passed.   Remember when I made the walnut ink back in October?   I'd like to continue practicing with the old fashioned nib type pen like the ones used in the 1700's and 1800's and my walnut ink for writing letters.   And I think that this newly acquired remnant from another century will make a pretty addition to the nib pens on my desk.

  I've taken the little secretary desk we had up at the river and have decided to use it for my watercolors and for letter writing.    It's just the right size for both and it gives me great satisfaction to sit there and either paint or write.   The desk is situated on the sewing porch with a great view of the valley below the farm.    Talk about inspiring!

There are cubby holes just right for all manner of collectibles and the drop down desktop is just right for writing letters or working on one of my paintings.   I painted the acorns on the top of the desk after collecting a sample of different acorns our oak trees dropped last fall.    Can't wait till I have more free time to paint again.

One thing I still need to check, though, is if the walnut ink will "run" if an addressed envelope gets wet.   Hmmm.....guess I had better do some experimenting before I mail anything with that ink on the outside of the envelope.   I'm having too much fun, can you tell?    So many new experiences to be had make me wish for 40 hour days instead of a mere 24.


Channeling my inner Jane Eyre,
Debbie

Winter, really?

This morning I woke up to the most beautiful day.    This is winter?    I guess it's not all snow and ice and temperatures in the teens here on the plateau.   We've really been enjoying the brisk weather, especially since it doesn't seem to stay that way for long.   And today the forecast is for sunshine and temps in the high 50's. 

 The sky is the most achingly beautiful blue this morning and there are birds singing all around me.  The earth is muddy from all the snow melt and I can hear the cows from the next farm, mooing as they wander around their pasture.  There's a light breeze turning our little wind vane around and around.

Hmmmmm......sometime in the very near future, I think I'll need to spend a couple of days repainting all the white wood around the farm.....like these swings, and the grape arbors, and the wood around the pavilion.

 

Every morning I watch the wary bluebirds as they hop to the ground from the high branches of the oak trees.   They swoop down to the ground and dart around, picking up bugs and occasionally they bring small twigs and grasses into their birdhouse.   There is a pretty good sized nest inside this particular house.  I wish I could capture the birds on film for you, but they are so skittish I've not had very good success taking a decent pic of them yet.   But I'll keep working on it.   They are the prettiest blue I've ever seen in a bird.   Can't wait to show you.

I'm looking for some lovely colored, empty eggs to put inside this nest on our porch.    You know, like robin's eggs or quail eggs.    I'll find some, just give me a little time. 

In the meantime, welcome to our sanctuary.   Yes, that is a perfect description for what we have here on the farm.......our little sanctuary.    Winter or Spring, this lifestyle suits us.
Country Debbie

Looking More like Home

It seems that Joel and I need to run into town for something or another at least every other day.   And Molly is getting fed up with being left to her own devices for hours on end.   She has decided that my ancient, overstuffed chair is the perfect place from which she can keep an eye on our comings and goings.   Whenever we pull the car into our lane we can see Molly faithfully keeping watch for us from her perch on the arm of the lace-clad chair.  

At least now the majority of boxes are unpacked in that room, which is the long sewing porch, and she can maneuver herself into just the right position to soak up some sun and keep an eye on all the birds in the yard.  It feels good to have established some order from the chaos of moving.   I can even sit down and sew now!   Woo-hoo!   That's something I haven't done in almost a month and I was starting to go into withdrawal.

Here's a peek at our back porch......which, by the way, is the main entrance to the farmhouse...... complete with 2 slamming screen doors.   I don't believe anyone has used the front door to this house in 60 years.    Somehow it just feels right to use the back door, walking thru the sewing porch first and then right on into the country kitchen.  It's going to be interesting to see how the use of our furniture evolves from the way we used those pieces in Florida to repurposing them in the farmhouse.

I'm so glad we had these rocking chairs from our place at the river.   They look like they really belong on this screened in porch.   And the view from the chairs of the pavilion, woods, barn and bluffs leaves nothing to be desired.  As the weather warms up, I intend to spend most mornings on one of those rocking chairs with my cappuccino....watching the bluebirds build their nests.

One of the pieces that has found a new home on the screened porch is the antique door that used to hold the signage inside my shop, Pink Florida Threads.   The chalkboard paint already existed on the sign when it was at the shop so all I had to do was find my chalk (always have some of that around for the grandkids to use on the sidewalk) and pen a winter sentiment.  I think this chalkboard is going to get a lot of use in the future.

At least we removed the huge stack of cardboard boxes that found their way onto the screened porch before I took these pics.   Oh, yeah, and the bags of garbage....you see, there is no garbage pickup out here.   Nope, now that's a first for me!   There are locations around the county where you can go and recycle and unload your kitchen garbage, too.   It's just one more change that we are embracing as we learn about our new life in the country.

As I finish up rooms, I'll try and post more pics of our progress.    We got the call today that our stove should be delivered next Tuesday.   Now that's something to get really excited about!

Till then,
Debbie

Let's go Digging

So here's the scoop regarding the following pictures.   Last Sunday, Joel was taking a shower when the toilet in that bathroom started "burping" huge bubbles.   Hmmmmm, what does that mean, you ask?  Joel knew immediately and cut his shower short.   Pronto!  Then the water in both toilets started to siphon out and they emptied completely.   Uh-oh, this isn't good.

We called a couple different plumbers and ended up with Rick.   Boy, were we ever lucky to find him.   He came out Tuesday and diagnosed what he and Joel thought was the problem.   On Thursday he came back with Mike as his helper and the two of them shimmied under the house into the 18" crawl space and tore out the lines leading from both baths and the kitchen and replaced them.  You see, somehow they had "slipped" and were no longer draining into the septic tank.  I don't even want to think about it.   There were other issues as well but now they are all corrected and we're set for a long time to come. 

They worked tirelessly all day, in the cold, crawling around in the mud, and did it with a smile!!!   Seriously!    These guys were awesome.   As Rick was leaving us Tuesday, I told him that I was planning to make sticky buns and that they would be fresh out of the oven when he arrived Thursday morning.   It made me giggle when he called early Thursday to make sure we were home and I told him the buns were baking as we spoke.   He was quick to reply that if they weren't, he wasn't coming!   Ha!   So after Rick and Mike pulled up in their truck loaded with supplies for the day's work, I walked outside with a plate piled with sticky buns just for them.    Guess they liked them because they were gone in just a few minutes.

Every new house you move into has an issue that needs to be dealt with, or updated, or repaired.   And so I guess this is our repair job for this house.   I think we're good to go now and it gives us peace of mind to know things are working as they should.

Glad that's done,
Debbie  

Red Banner Day

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all.   Go on, give someone a big warm hug today.....a loved one, a good friend, your co-worker.   It'll make you both feel good.   And it may even make you both giggle a little.

As I sit here typing this I am watching a very industrious family of bluebirds building a nest.   Maybe they are getting ready for the next generation of bluebirds.    Is there any greater form of love than preparing for those we love?    As for me, the way I show love is to serve......serve food, serve drink, show hospitality.....you know what I mean. 

And that's why I couldn't seem to help myself when I asked Joel to drag out one of my holiday bins....the one with the Valentine's and St. Patty's placemats and red and green decorations.   We may still be living with boxes stacked around us, but we can still take a few moments to cherish each other.

So from our farm to your house, we wish you a red banner day.   Now I'm going to go make myself a cappuccino.   Hey, you knew that was coming!

Signing off,
Sentimental Debbie

This is More Like It!

Woo-hoo!    I woke up this morning at 6:15 and made my way in the early morning light to the window to see how much snow was on the ground.   After quickly pulling on a turtleneck, some jeans and warm outer gear I made my way down to the barn to retrieve a shovel.   Ummmm.......we never bought a snow shovel.    Guess I'll be putting that on my ever growing list for the next trip to town.   Oh, well, a heavy duty shop broom might be a good second choice.

Why a broom?   Well, last night when Joel took Molly out for the last trip around the yard before bedtime, she came in with 1" snowballs firmly attached to all 4 legs and her belly.   She was shivering and we ended up giving her a warm bath to help melt the snowballs off.   My thought was to clear a path for her to do her business so she wouldn't end up freezing every single time we took her outside.  And it worked!  No more snowballs entangled in her hair.

Then I got to have some fun as I grabbed my Nikon and headed back out into the winter wonderland. 

 The trees actually looked like someone had sprayed them with flocking, there was such a heavy layer on all the branches.

 And we actually got just a little more than 4" of snow.....more than we thought we'd get.

 Here's the snowbush I showed you yesterday.....the branches look so pretty with a thick layer of snow on them.

 My Tahoe has never seen this much snow on it.

You can see that the snowplow has made at least one quick pass on Blaylock Road, but it doesn't appear that any cars have traveled down the road yet.

Snow can even make barbed wire look good.   I just love all things rustic, utilitarian and ordinary......with a bit of snow on top, of course!

By now the sun was trying to peek from behind Hinch Mountain.

And here's a view of our deep wooded acreage.

Thanks, Susan, for the boots.....boy have they ever come in handy.    And they've kept my feet warm and dry.

Whenever we go outside, Molly takes up her new favorite perch on the wingback chair next to the window.   She's got to keep an eye on us, you know.

And just before I went inside to warm up, the clouds broke open and blue skies appeared.   For all our friends and family in Florida, I hope you've enjoyed this little trip around our farm's winter wonderland.   And to all our friends and family who live in a snowy climate, well, just bear with me while I ooooh and aaaaah over these new experiences.

Just Chillin',
Debbie

Snow What?

What a strange winter this has been.   Ice storms in Georgia, Alabama with schools closed because of snow and ice, South Carolina bracing for ugly winter weather........and here we sit on top of the Plateau, just waiting to see if we'll get any snow at all.   The weatherman is calling for 1"-3".....but then it may be 3"-5".   So, basically, they're not really sure what we're going to get.  

Well, today around mid-morning a fine sleet started to fall, which then changed to big fat very wet snowflakes.   By noon it began snowing in earnest.   Now that it's 3pm (central) it has fallen off.   I just came back inside from a little trip around the property, trying to snap a few pics of what little snow has fallen, just in case we don't get any more this time around.   

It's been years since we've been in snow, so Joel and I are getting a kick out of watching the flakes fall and listening to the hush in the woods that a new snowfall creates.    Here's a quick trip around the farm today:

 I just love this old wooden screen door on the back porch facing the pavilion.    I especially like how it creates a frame of the outdoors....no matter what direction I point the camera.

And this is a 100 year old snowbush that is growing on the side of our house by the huge propane tank.    The farmer who lived here before us told me he transplanted it from another one of their homesteads and that it dated back to his grandparents.   How cool is that?   I can't wait to see what it looks like this summer in full bloom.

Ummmm......I guess we need to get another welcome mat......nothing like flip flops in the snow!

This is one of my favorite views from the back porch.....looking down into our woods past that great grand-daddy oak tree.

Here's Blaylock Road curving up into the woods beyond, just in front of our house.

And here is the front of our farmhouse as seen from the mailbox.  You can tell which direction the wind was blowing as the snow was falling by the bare spot to the left of these little trees.

The grape vine on the arbor looks really pretty as a graphic design against the snow.

 My favorite....the little red wind vane whose movement never ceases.......

 And here are the woods at the one edge of the farm......pretty fir trees, with a dusting of snow.

Even an old blossom from a sedum plant looks beautiful coated in fresh snow.   So, there you have it.   A tour of the farm cloaked in white.   Every day, I fall more in love with this land.    I wish I were a painter so I could capture every nuance, every season, every sound so you could appreciate it, too.   But, these simple pictures will have to do.  

Entranced,
Debbie
New Farm Chick of Cumberland County

First Snow

I know that for all you folks up north, this little bit of snow is a joke, but after living in Florida for over 34 years, we're excited just to see a little bit of the white stuff on our land.

The woods look so pretty with a white covering on the ground, creating a contrast against the stark tree trunks.

It's a good thing I took these pics early in the morning because by noon it was all melted again.   And today it is snowing way to the south of us.  What a crazy winter this has been!    Who would have thought Alabama and Georgia would get more snow than we would?

Wishing you a lovely winter's day,
Debbie

"Rustic" Kitchen

Living out of boxes gives a whole new meaning to the term rustic, doesn't it?   

We saved 2 of the old narrow cabinets from the old kitchen during the tear out and also reused a short piece of formica countertop as a makeshift counter next to the .....ummmmm....utility sink where we wash dishes.   At least this gives us a little bit of function and provides a place for our caffeine....an essential component of the Roberts' morning routine.

The walls are painted light aqua/blue where there will be no cabinets in the finished kitchen.   Right now it looks a little hodge podge with 3 different colors on the walls.   At least now we are not relying on Mother Nature to be our refrigerator as our new stainless steel beauty got delivered Thursday.   It's been so cold that we just left our coolers on the screened back porch with the lids open.  Man, I've never been so glad to get a refrigerator as I was this week.   Someday soon we'll have a floor to ceiling pantry where the white table and appliances are now.

 Thank goodness we had all these sturdy folding tables that have become my temporary counters.   Nothing like a Tupperware storage/tea towel holder/cookbook/workspace in the kitchen.  Ha!

 

At least we  have the large china cupboard that I can use to access our everyday items.   And Joel brought the bin up from the barn that has my Valentine's decor in it so the table is ready for Valentine's day.   Don't roll your eyes at me.....giggle.   I needed to do something to bring some semblance of normalcy to our lives.    

Ok, I just had to show you the adorable tea towels Barb hand embroidered for me....yes, I said hand embroidered.    That's a lot of stitching!    What a thoughtful gift for her to make for me!   They're beautifully done and I love the border fabric on the bottom of each one.   I have a feeling they're going to get a lot of use as I will be hand washing dishes for a long time to come.   And as for the goat calendar, well, it is kinda making me rethink the whole goat thing.   We'll see....

Back to unpacking,

Debbie

You're Not Going to Believe This....

Yes, we've moved.....again!   I know, I know, get out the eraser and change yet another address for us in your address book.    Over the last 28 years Joel and I have bought and fixed up and sold 5 houses, each with their own great qualities and each suiting the needs of our family at that time.   I suppose one obvious result of moving a lot as kids is that we have been rolling stones as adults.   Moving just isn't a really big deal to us!   Call me crazy, but this is my fourth long distance move out of state.

I haven't blogged since Christmas because we've had some major life changes, one of them being Joel's need to medically retire from medicine.   Unfortunately, some health issues have finally forced the issue and his last day at the office was in early January.   Since we're way too young to be financially prepared to retire, it just made sense to move to our farm where we can lead more of a homestead lifestyle.   Tennessee is much more laid back than the Tampa Bay area and the cost of living is very reasonable.

So, last Friday, Joel got behind the wheel of his truck and I was in my Tahoe (with Molly sitting in the seat next to me) and we each hauled trailers behind our vehicles as we drove the 12 hours up Interstate 75.   Our faithful movers were just ahead of us with 2 trucks, each towing trailers as well.  

Both of the trailers behind our vehicles had the remaining items from the yard and our garage.   Thank goodness we have the barn where we can store some of this stuff!

The movers slept overnite in a nearby town Friday and arrived at the farm bright and early Saturday morning.    Those 4 guys emptied out both trucks and their trailers and our vehicles by 2:30 that afternoon.   Man, did they ever hustle!  Luckily, I had already drawn up a "map" of the inside of the house and knew where each piece of furniture would be placed, so as they brought in each piece, I just pointed and they put it in it's new place in the farmhouse.  Then they headed back to Florida.

And this is what our kitchen looked like after the movers left that afternoon.  Yup, we have no kitchen cabinets yet.   Zero.  Zilch.  Nadda.   It's going to be interesting to work in here until we get the cabinets and appliances situated.   Oh, well, I have always loved a challenge!   Remember what our family always says?   "How hard can it be?"  Ha!

The mover estimated we had over 200 boxes.....is that really possible??   All I know is we've been emptying and flattening boxes all day long now every day for a week and we still seem to be only half way there.   Hmmmm......how do you fit all your worldly possessions into a 1400 sq. ft. house when your last house was 2800 sq. ft.?   Let's just say it's going to get interesting.    Thank goodness for the porches on both long sides of the farm house....and the pavilion has been a tremendous help as a safe storage area for bins and boxes that don't need to be brought into the house yet.   As we acquire bathroom and kitchen cabinets and storage it will become much easier to unload the remaining boxes and find a home for all that is necessary.

We have been working so hard and needed a break.   Joel and I were preparing to go for a joy ride in the car this morning. As I stepped off the back porch I bumped into a package that the mailman left for us.   It was from Barb in Alabama.....a housewarming present!    Awwww....she created and then hand embroidered 7 towels-of-the-week for me to use in our new farmhouse kitchen...and she also sent me a calendar with pictures of goats climbing up in trees.   It's been a joke between us that someday when we moved to the farm, I thought I'd like to have goats to milk as I don't tolerate cow's milk very well.   Can't believe she found a goat calendar!   What a thoughtful gift.....I know how long it took her to embroider each of those towels and I can't wait to use them in our kitchen.   giggle....as soon as I have one.....

So, that's the newest chapter in our life.....we've had quite an interesting life, wouldn't you say?    Aren't you just a little bit curious what is going to happen next?   I know we sure are!

Good night from Whispering Oaks Farm,
Debbie