Countdown to a Simpler Life

"The Times They Are A-Changin'

2014-01-21T20:31:00.002-06:00

Bob Dylan. I've always loved him.

Come gather 'round people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown

And accept it that soon

You'll be drenched to the bone

If your time to you

Is worth savin'

Then you better start swimmin'

Or you'll sink like a stone

For the times they are a-changin'

Come mothers and fathers

Throughout the land

And don't criticize

What you can't understand

Your sons and your daughters

Are beyond your command

Your old road is

Rapidly agin'

Please get out of the new one

If you can't lend your hand

For the times they are a-changin'.

My time is changing. And that's a good thing (a really good thing).

I have 18 more days of employment here in Houston. Then I'm off for two weeks, then I'm traveling with Tim (LOML) for just over a week.

And then ...

And then ...

I am here.

I am living at the farm. Full time. Off to fulfill my (our) dreams.

Doing this sort of thing ...

Digging in the dirt. Hopefully selling my veggies to hungry people. Talking to the horses and cows.

Heaven on Earth.

xxoo

Donna

Red Minis and Green Grass. And Katy Spring Garden. And Tucker. And ...

2013-05-14T12:42:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I asked Tim (loml) to take some pictures for me for my blog (I'm not sure what I was doing, but I'm sure it was important. Go with it.) His perspective is always different than mine, so it's fun to see what he comes back with.

My Mini Cooper from ground level. Why? Because he liked the way the green grass and the red Mini looked together. I'm good with that.

Red Mini Cooper

Next? His beloved wood pile.

Woodpile, compost bin and pallet fenced mini-garden

Tim made that little mini-garden in the left of the above picture. He planted a ton of sunflowers, some cucumbers and our randomly growing volunteer tomatoes. A squirrel got all of the tomatoes except for one :-( Boo. But, this is bonus garden area (in the dog yard), so I'm not overly sad about it.

One other reason I'm not tooooo sad about it is this:

Volunteer tomato plant

It's a mutant volunteer tomato! It came up last fall, survived all winter, and is loaded, absolutely loaded, with some sort of roma looking tomato.

The plant above (same plant, different angles) was started in our greenhouse this winter. It is also loaded and we've eaten about 5 tomatoes from it already. Well, I've eaten them. Tim was out of town. Sucks to be him! hee hee

Now on to the rest of the craziness that is our garden.

Blackberries

Sweet potatoes (a gift from our soon-to-be-farm-hermit, Joe)

Peppers

Squash (yeah, like we are going to get any squash. Tsk Tsk)

Irish potatoes

More squash. We'll see.

Grapevine and tomato plant. I have no idea what kind. We sort of lost track. Again.

Peppers and oregano

Grapes

More blackberries

More and more blackberries

Apples (in the front garden bed)

Apricots. I think we might have 10 total LOL On 3 trees.

I don't think I give my courtyard enough love. This courtyard is one of the very first gifts Tim ever gave to me. Designed and built it with his own hands. Through sweat and tears (okay, no tears). But there was blood, I'm sure of it. There's always blood when Tim is working. And I've seen a lot of it. *shakes head*

This little wrought iron thingamajig (actually, it's taller than me) I dragged out of the service elevator in the apartment building that I lived in in NYC. Can you believe someone was throwing it away? I dragged some good stuff out of the recycling there, I can tell you. Really good stuff. Including this piece. It now has creeping fig growing all over it. It looks wonderful.

I have more garden pics, so hopefully I'll be posting them later. In the meantime, the chickens say hello.

This chicken is about 4 years old and she still lays almost every day!

And so does Tucker

xxoo
Donna

No Words, Just Pictures

2013-03-24T19:16:00.000-05:00

Who am I kidding? I have to at least describe the pictures. I'm not sure I could ever do "wordless" days.

Onions that are going to be put into the dehydrator

Broccoli - now in the fridge

Potatoes. Some day.

Blackberries

Garlic

Onions and oregano

Grape leaves

Tomatoes and peas in the greenhouse

Spinach (thank you Joe!)

Tim's baby oak tree. He planted from an acorn :-)

Sweet Alyssum

Pear blossoms

Tim's woodpile! Getting ready for next year.

Cilantro. A wee bit gone to seed.

My girls. Little egg-laying machines lately!

Beets

Onions ready to be dehydrated

The last of my carrots :-(

Springtime backyard

Getting the grill ready for chicken (for the pizzas)

Wild tomato baby

So proud of the cabbages!

I think we are caught up now!

Oh yeah.

Zekie and Tucker say hello!

XXOO
Happy Sunday!
Donna

All Critters Furred and Feathered

2013-03-03T16:58:00.001-06:00

Sunday morning started out pretty lazy 'round these parts:

Maddie and Zekie napping in the sun

Maddie continued her day (after her bath) in pretty much the same way she started it ...

Maddie sleeping in her usual way.

She sleeps like that all the time. Her body on her dog bed, her head hanging off of it. She does the same thing in her crate. Her body inside, her head hanging out. We don't torture her, I promise.

Tucker follows me around all through the house. Follows me to the bathroom. Follows me to the shower. Follows me to the kitchen. Speaking of following me to the bathroom - this is what he does every.single.time. I have no idea what he would ever do if he saw something in there.

Tucker checking out the tub

As for Zekie? Today he is just sitting around looking handsome. And oh so shiny after his bath. The shiny coat will last about another 2 hours. Until he sneaks outside while I'm not looking and rolls in the grass/dirt/sand. Whichever he can find first.

Zekie the handsome boy

I was just about to say Happy Sunday when I heard a cluck of protest coming from the chickens. Seems they don't like being left out of the blog action.

Happy Sunday.

Donna

Ready for spring seeds? Burpee is having a 20% off sale

2013-02-25T15:57:00.000-06:00

Use code TW52 at checkout and get 20% off your order today and tomorrow. If you use the above link, you might even qualify for free shipping (I think you have to order more than $40, but it doesn't have to be $40 of just seeds).

I can't believe anyone would order $40 of seeds! *paranoid* *nothing to see here, move along!*

Apple Blossoms, Garden Update and Chicken Surgery.

2013-02-24T13:20:00.001-06:00

February 24 = Spring (at least here in Houston). Everything's in bloom. My allergies are not appreciative, but my eyes are!

Apple Blossom

Apple Blossoms

Apple Blossom

This is our little tri-apple tree. Do I know what sort of apples? I'm sure I did at one time, but no longer. Please don't judge. Last year we got probably 20 or so tangerine-sized apples. They were very good, just not very big!

We've got the greenhouse up and have started some tomato seeds.

Tomato Seedlings

They seem pretty happy so far. The other large tomato plants in the greenhouse have been making (a few) tomatoes all winter. I have two on my counter right now.

We also started some English peas. The first time we've started them so early, and the first time in the greenhouse. I've already seen a few blossoms!

English Peas

Tim (LOML) bought me this greenhouse a couple years ago and I still love it!

Joe gave Tim some seeds as a gift - and the spinach is looking really good. Tempted to have a salad tonight.

Spinach and Sweet Alyssum

Onions

The onions took a long time to get going this year. Last year we were over-run. This year? Struggling. It's probably because I bragged about our onions to everyone who would listen. It's come back to bite me in the bum!

Cilantro

This cilantro was planted last September, I think. It did NOTHING for months, and finally decided to grow. Gardens are weird, man. Weird.

XXOO
Donna

Oh yeah!! I forgot to mention. Surgery. On a chicken.

Well, one of the Wyandottes got bumblefoot. What's that you say? Bumblefoot. It's a common chicken problem. An infection in her foot. If left untreated, it can be fatal.

So we operated, thanks to Back Yard Chickens and the Hen Cam lady we knew what to do (NOTE: DO NOT CLICK ON THESE LINKS IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH. I MEAN IT hee hee).

So far the surgery appears to be a success. We'll see.

If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be cleaning out a chicken's foot, I would have looked at you like you were insane. Now, I'm the one that's insane ;-)

Through Tim's Eyes, Part 3

2013-02-22T14:20:00.001-06:00

The Love of my Life

20 July 12

We spent a couple of weeks at "the farm" - finishing up the cabin, cutting firewood, laying out patios, gardens, etc., relaxing with family, getting involved with neighbors. It was good. So ... when we got back to Houston, some garden renovation was in order. Overgrown tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., were cut down. Peas, herb/flower mix was planted ... and some tomatoes were started. We have a couple of dog days months before we start the fall garden - always the best here.

29 July 12

Donna is drying herbs [Donna: It's always so weird to read about myself] ... basil, oregano, rosemary, Thai chilies. We are also drying/saving sees from bell peppers and jalapenos. It's hot now. The peas/beans and peppers are about all that can take this heat. We have soy beans, cow peas, and just sprouted a pint looking bean we bought at the apple orchard market up by the farm in Virginia. We had to trip and spray the grapefruit tree for what looked like a fungus. We moved all 6 chickens into one coop - still establishing the pecking order. This too shall pass. [Donna: it didn't pass quickly. I had to rescue the green legged chickens for a while. They are all back together again and get along just fine]

4 August 12

It's hot!! The cow peas seem to like it though. They have pods putting out all over. And the okra likes it, too - blooming and setting fruit. Donna made jalapeno jelly today - the peppers like the heat, too. Otherwise, we are waiting for the next couple of months to pass so we can begin to plant the fall crops. In Virginia, the cabin is almost finished. Exterior is done and painted, interior is all in place, yet [Donna: See? YET!! *shakes head in sadness*] for a few finishing pieces (loft rail, loft ladder, wood stove and floors sanded/stained).

10 August 12

Planted cabbage seed in starter pots in the study today - red cabbage. The seed pack says 10-20 days to sprout. Also, planted cilantro in pot in the outside garden. We have a few small tomato plants up from seed [Donna: these plants are now in the green house for the winter - producing!], sowed directly in the garden. Replanted dutch cucumber that our neighbor gave us (from Hong Kong). The chicken nipped at the first plants and I'm not sure they are going to make it (the plants, not the chickens).

18 August 12

The cabbage seeds are up. Picked another 1/2 Kroger sack of cow peas and about as much okra. Also, got a good mess of soy beans last week and we are letting the rest dry on the vine for seed. We are also letting some of the cow peas dry on the vine for seed. Still getting jalapeno and bell peppers. We have pumpkin vines with blooms, but no pumpkins. Lots of oregano and basil. Sweet potato vines have covered one bed - we'll see how that works out.

7 September 12

We have put 3 qts of cow peas in the freezer, and eaten a couple of meals, and saved seeds for next year - peas work in hot summer in Houston!! [Donna: You know these are field peas, right? Not English peas? As in, they are legumes. Beans. Cow Peas <-----google font=""> We pulled up the vines - gave them to the chickens. Replanted collards, turnips, cabbage. We also planted cherry tomatoes, radishes, beets, and patty-pan squash today. Still making okra. Used a drum of compost - one bbl empty, on bbl full of "stuff". Got 3 eggs yesterday - the Wyandottes are laying now. Just planted eggplant, too. [Donna: Eggplant?? I guess it didn't grow, since we didn't get any.]

16 September 12

The greens that we planted a week ago are all up - the cabbage is lagging. The squash are also up. We are still getting all the okra we want, and plenty of peppers. The silver laced wyandotte chickens are laying regular now - eggs are a bit smaller than the old red hens. I started trimming grape vines back today - getting things ready for fall/winter gardening. It's a bout a month until we will be planting full out for fall. Had 3" of rain this week.

23 September 12

The okra was still producing, yet [Donna: YET!! *eye twitch*] we need the space for cabbage. Same goes for the jalapenos - had to go to make space for onions and garlic. We left the bed of sweet potatoes ... we are eating the leaves now and anticipating sweet potatoes in November. I trimmed the grape vines back and got 5# of grapes - I think I will make wine. Donna planted many pots of cauliflowers and carrots and tomatoes. Fall gardens are the best.

XXOO
Happy Friday!

Donna Lynn

A Dusting of Snow in the Appalachians

2013-02-21T15:16:00.000-06:00

We had a quick trip to Virginia last weekend. Well, it was quick for me, not quite as quick for Tim and my brother.

Why was it quick for me? My holiday got cancelled. Sigh. Damn work. So I only got 2 days there.

But, oh yeah, I like getting paid! Yay work!

But I digress. Back to the farm ...

Once upon a time there was a little cabin on a hill. Hello cabin! Can you say cabin? I knew you could.

Our little cabin on the hill. Bright blue skies.

The weather started out lovely.

A bright and sunny farmhouse kitchen

There was a bright and sunny kitchen (isn't that a great color on the dutch door? Please ignore the fact that I hadn't scraped the paint off the windows yet.) There was coffee. And wine. And lots of bacon. All was well in the cabin's world.

But wait. What do I see there? Are those snow clouds? What could this possibly mean? Personally, I think it means SNOW. Let's see if I was right ...

Snow clouds over the cabin

Snow in the field

Well, lookie there. I was right. Snow.

More snow

Little cabin with smoke from the fireplace

So what did we do? We gathered our firewood, put on our sweaters, started a pot of stew and settled ourselves in for a few days in the cabin.

Icicles

Who am I kidding?! Do you really think Tim would just sit in the cabin? Surely you jest!

Tim's footprints in the snow

First, he had to walk to the edge of the porch to take a picture. In his bare feet.

Then he got out his *former* BEST GIFT EVER, his chainsaw, and cut a few random tree limbs down. Why? Why would he go out in 18 degree weather to do this?

Why, to play with his *current* BEST GIFT EVER. His wood chipper.

Guess who bought him this gift. You got it. THE BEST WIFE EVER!

It works like a charm. We are going to use it to make wood chips for our path through the woods and for the chicken coop.

Joe, being the wonderful photographer that he is, pretty much took every picture above except for the chainsaw/wood chipper photos. He was quite busy with the camera, Mr. Intrepid Photographer.

Hi Joe!

xxoo
Donna

Through Tim's Eyes - Part 2

2013-02-20T10:23:00.000-06:00

14 April 12

We went to the farm at Easter. Our cabin is well under way. We had dogwoods in bloom and the pasture was green. We planted a garden (of sorts) behind the bar - squash, beans, pumpkins. We'll see if it makes anything at all. [Donna: nah, it didn't make anything. Well, it did grow a few sprouts, which the critters enjoyed immensely] In Houston we are still having an actual spring. We have golf ball sized tomatoes now. Still getting a few collards and carrots. We have lots of onions now. Some herbs - oregano, rosemary, garlic chives [Donna: we STILL have oregano, rosemary and garlic chives a year later!] All of the fruit trees have fruit now ... fig, olive, apple, pear, apricot, plum, grapefruit, grapes and blackberries. [Donna: Yeah, well. We got a few figs, about 15 small apples, 600 grapefruit and counting, grapes and a lot of blackberries. The other fruits? Notsomuch. The squirrels and birds enjoyed them, though]

22 April 12

It's been cool this week - highs @ low 70s, lows @ 50*. Wind, rain, hail on Friday. Our first blackberries are getting ripe - the birds enjoyed them!! We put the nets up. Lots of green tomatoes now - the birds are watching them. We will be putting the nets up. We built a movable chicken coop yesterday. The new chicks are on the ground now. The sugar peas haven't really done anything this year - not sure why. [Donna: The sugar peas eventually caught up] And yet the 12 oak trees grown from acorns are great.

29 April 12

We spent most of the morning gardening - it's 80* F and things needed tending ... Tying up peas, tying up tomatoes, pulling weeds, picking off bugs, dusting potatoes, giving Epsom salt to plants; picking blackberries, pulling some onions and picking a pepper. The chickens were out and about ... then they were put in the coop and the dogs were out and about. Then Maddie (who got a bath just yesterday) rolled in fresh chicken poop ... then she got a bath with the hose. That's a good morning.

12 May 12

We had a great breakfast today ... smoked salmon and cream cheese on bread that Donna made, with fresh tomatoes and onions from our garden. Then we worked in the garden ... picking sweet peas, tying tomatoes [Donna: tying tomatoes is an every weekend chore in case you hadn't noticed], trimming grapevines, and pulling weeds [Donna: also an every weekend chore ... in case you hadn't noticed]. We dug 2 of 8 hills of potatoes yesterday and got about 3.5 # of nice spuds. Donna's chicken poop tea almost exploded - it has been in a closed soda bottle for over a month. It was alive. And she smelled bad :-) [Donna: We will chalk this one up to a failed experiment. I'm pretty sure I ended up burning the clothes I was wearing]

3 June 12

We dug potatoes and onions this weekend - we got 23# of each. We chopped up 10 quarts of onions and froze them. We are drying the largest 30. We planted back soy beans, okra, [Donna: and boy, did we get okra. I think we ate it every day there for a while!] and squash. We are getting tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, squash, blackberries and cucumbers daily. Donna has a gallon of blackberries in the freezer to make jam. One of the older hens is sitting so we are only getting one egg a day. The young ones (4) haven't started laying yet. It's damn hot!! And dry.

28 June 12

It's been a busy June ... a lot is going on at the cabin and I have made 3 trips there in the past month. In the garden, we have made (and put up) a lot of tomatoes [Donna: we (Tim) have calculated that we need about 75 pints of tomatoes to make it a whole year. Maybe one day ...] We have eaten many cucumbers and peppers, too. With 80* + nights now, the tomatoes are waning. We pulled them from a couple of beds and planted back pumpkins (from saved seeds) and cow peas. [Donna: pumpkins? I think we got one small one. Cow peas? A bunch. And they are quite good] The little chickens aren't little anymore, and yet no eggs. We will spend the first two weeks of July at the cabin, so I'm sure things will get away a bit.

*****
Notice how long that "I'm not gonna comment" thing lasted? I can't help myself.

xxoo
Donna

PS. Tim uses the phrase "and yet" instead of using the word "but." "And yet" was drilled into him by this big multi-national corporation that he used to work for *coughShellcough* and I can't untrain him. I keep trying. Sigh.

2012 - Through Tim's Eyes (Tim's Garden Journal)

2013-02-18T13:34:00.001-06:00

My husband keeps a garden journal. I buy him a new one almost every year. Without comment or editing (let's see how long I last on the "without comment" part, hee hee) - here is Tim's 2012

(January, February and March).

We start 2012 with a lot of things in the garden. We have onions, carrots, radishes, cabbage, collards, turnips, broccoli, mustards, beets, chard, garlic chives ... and in the new greenhouse, black krim tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, jalapenos, and young squash plants. We're off to a good start. We got 3.5" of rain during Christmas (we were at the farm in Virginia). It's a bit warm for January - mid-70's. I'm sure we'll see some cold weather before spring!

8 January 12
We picked turnips and carrots today - about 1# each. Donna is making creamed turnips/carrots. It's really good - like creamed potatoes with attitude. We have been eating greens, cabbage, chard and cherry tomatoes. We've had a few lemons, and the tree is blooming now. We've made 2 qts of sauerkraut - it's aging. I pruned the fruit trees last week. We also have a bed of oats - it's about 30" high now. I think a cat is laying in one corner - I'm going to put coffee grounds on the spot.

8 January 12
We started tomato plants today - in the study. We planted seeds in egg cartons. We planted big beef hybrid, marzano, big rainbow and beefsteak. We also started "rainbow" bell peppers (a mix of colors). Once the plants get up, we will scoop them out with a spoon and put them in pots, and start more in the egg cartons. We planted a total of 72 today.

23 January 12
Tomato plants are about an inch high - 80% stand. It has been really warm for mid-January ... 70* F today. I washed my truck barefooted today. We are eating lots of greens, cabbage, carrots, green onions, and garlic chives from the open beds. We are eating cherry tomatoes and jalapenos from the greenhouse. I will pick up seed potatoes today - plant them in a week or two. One of the chickens hurt its leg about 3 weeks ago - seems to be recovering, hobbling but getting around much better now.

29 January 12
I got the seed potatoes ... they are in the garage now, improving their eyes. We transplanted most of the tomatoes - from egg cartons to 3" pots; they didn't even know they had been moved. We replanted the egg cartons with more tomatoes and peppers. The weather is still a bit warm for January - I'm sitting on the patio writing this. It is really sunny and bright, about 65* F. Getting lots of greens, cabbage, onions, carrots and garlic chives. A few tomatoes from the greenhouse.

5 February 12
We got a little cooler weather this weekend - 40's at night/60's in day. And we got 4 more inches of rain - it's all or nothing in Houston. The potatoes are planted. Donna has begun picking carrots to get the bed ready for snow peas. We blanched and froze 3 quarts of cabbage, and started more tomatoes and peppers from seed. The crippled chicken is scratching a bit now.

18 February 12
Now we have too much rain - the yard is soggy. Donna plans to pull the remaining carrots today and plant snow peas. Our potatoes have sprouted. I plan to put a few quarts of greens in the freezer today. We are burning the last of our firewood this weekend - it's not really cold, just a bit damp and we want to clean up the wood pile. The lemon tree, grapefruit tree and olive tree are all loaded with blooms.

February 26, 2012 (in my (Donna's) handwriting):
Planted in new planter boxes in courtyard, from left to right:
Nasturtiums
Lemon balm
Feverfew
Thyme
Lime Basil
Super Snappy Peas

(In Tim's handwriting) The courtyard looks very nice ...

4 March 12
It is definitely spring. Warm sunny days w/cool crisp nights. ... We hope it lasts at least a week this year. Potatoes are nearly a foot high and look really good. Sugar peas are up - had to replant a few hills. We planted jalapenos from our own saved seeds - all 12 plants are up in an egg carton. We need to transplant them to pots today. Donna pulled carrots from the front bed and roasted them in the fireplace. They were really good. Everything is blooming. Pollen is everywhere.

12 March 12
It rained all weekend - all total = 4 1/2". Potatoes are over a foot tall ... I threw dirt to them this weekend. The tomatoes we started from seed are about nursery selling size. There are 30. Peppers are a bit slight - 30 also. Donna bought a couple of plants at Wabash - both are heirloom tomatoes. They are about 2' tall and starting to bud. The dill is as high as the fence (6'), onions are golf ball size, as many greens as we want, and all things blooming - except the neighbor's pecan tree.

Special Page 12 March 12
We started the cabin on our land in Virginia. The foundation is done - footings poured and blocks set. We expect to stay in it (with everything functioning) in July. We have our water well finished, the septic system goes in in about a month from now, and the solar electric power system in about two months. Lots of decisions to make these days .. roof tin color, kitchen and bath fixtures, windows and doors, utility room arrangements. It's a fun project we will have for the rest of our lives.

18 March 12
Late spring/early summer is totally here. 80* F days; a/c at night. Everything is leafed out (except the neighbor's pecan tree). We did major gardening this weekend. We used two bbls of compost (originally made from chicken coop) and made "good dirt" by mixing with existing garden beds. Some of the new "good dirt" was thrown to the potatoes, some went to pots, some of it stayed in the garden beds. Then ... we moved tomatoes from the greenhouse (originally grown from seed) to the garden beds - and peppers, too. Donna took Friday off from her job and cleaned out beds and put up beets, carrots, onions and a lot of greens. Here is a summary of what got planted where:
Middle south bed = f.m. big rainbow tomatoes, zucchini, pickling cukes
Southwest bed = beefsteak tomatoes, f.m. rainbow peppers, california wonder peppers, our "j's"
Strawberry pot = san man roma tomatoes
White pot = san man. roma tomatoes
Pot by a/c = heat wave tomatoes

26 March 12
We got 2 new baby chicks this weekend - Donna brought them home from Wabash Feed Store on Friday. We have them in a dog crate in the living room - they are way loud for such little fur balls. We cleaned and planted more beds and pots this weekend - mostly tomatoes from the greenhouse. I have raised 13 red oak acorns - started in egg cartons and in 4" pots now. We hope to take them to the farm. We have had an actual spring this year and it has been nice.

*******

Well! I did actually correct some spelling, but tried to keep all of his punctuation :-)

Observations:

I don't remember roasting the carrots in the fireplace ...

We cut the oats and gave them to the chickens.

That dill lasted forever and I think we still have some of it dried in the pantry.

The nasturtiums never grew, nor did the lemon balm :-(

I don't think we are going to grow the larger tomatoes this year. By the time they are just about blushing, a squirrel comes along and eats them. The smaller tomatoes fare much better.

We had jalapenos coming.out.our.ears. last year. I forced jalapeno jelly on everyone.

Those baby chicks were my silver-laced wyandottes. They are pretty good little layers and are very sweet.

Next installment: April - June!

xx
Donna

Farm People Deserve a Medal

2013-01-17T13:27:00.000-06:00

Especially single farm people. Who have to work a full time job to support themselves and their farm.

Why am I saying this? My husband is out of town, and I can't even keep the Katy house/dogs/chickens running. Seriously, I can barely get us all fed. I've managed to keep up with the dishes, and make the bed every day. I've frozen and dehydrated some things from our CSA box, but that's it. The whole of my accomplishments listed in 1.25 sentences.

Can you imagine having in a farm, a couple kids, garden, goats, chickens, maybe a cow or two, and working full time? Taking care of it all by yourself? Can you imagine it? I truly can't. Actually, I guess I can, which is why I think they deserve a medal.

Enough of the serious stuff! On to our Christmas trip to the farm.

Our little nest is getting more and more feathered. We bought a sofa!

Have you ever seen such a beautiful sofa? *swoon* (Just go with it and lie to me, baby).

It's a sleeper, so now we have a place for someone to sleep. And for us to sit. It's lovely, having a soft place to sit. You don't appreciate it until you don't have it.

Tim (LOML) was a busy beaver, as always. He replaced the plain, contractor-installed brackets in the kitchen with scroll-y brackets.

We also (as you can probably tell from above) painted the shelves and the lower cabinets. I painted so much that I couldn't move my right hand very easily. I made it better by drinking lots of wine. I'm sure you are shocked.

Tim (the aforementioned busy beaver) planted ... drum roll, please ... 200 (yes, I said two hundred) cherry bark red oak acorns.

No, silly. He didn't plant all of them in one place. He planted some by the drive, and the rest are scattered in the woods.

Notice the snow in the picture? Yeah, that was the extent of our Christmas snow. Boo.

It was cold, but we were quite toasty inside. Sometimes we were too toasty, actually. That woodstove puts out some heat, I tell you!

The Westies were quite busy, too. They romped with Tim.

They played in the snow.

But mostly, this is what they did:

A good time was had by all!

XXOO
Donna

Old McDonna had a farm

2012-12-06T13:57:00.001-06:00

E I E I O

And on this farm she had some dogs ...

E I E I O!

Free-range, off leash dogs. How did my backyard, suburban, never been off leash dogs come to this level of joy and abandon?

It was the Westie Whisperer.

For our Thanksgiving trip to the farm, we left right after I got off work. We drove to New Orleans and spent the night. The next day, we drove about 13 hours, getting to the farm around 8:30. Due to LOML's fantastic foresight the last time we stayed at the farm, we had the car unpacked, dogs settled, water running and wine flowing within 30 minutes. I love being married to an organized engineer.

The dogs seemed happy enough with their little run (and I mean little) outside the back door. Hush, they weren't outside in the run all the time. They only went out there to go wee. They were in the house with us the rest of the time.

Tim had other ideas. He thought they looked sad, only being able to watch while we walked around. He also thought that they needed to be trained to know that this was their house. In case they got out accidentally. He wanted them to know to come home. I was a nervous Nellie.

So he took them out, one by one, around the house, down the driveway, out the snake shed (you DO remember the snake shed, don't you?). They were having the time of their lives.

We got braver (okay, who am I fooling? I was scared to death. Coyotes might jump out of the bushes at any moment. Roving bands of black snakes could attack without notice. What if some random stranger tried to steal them? Admittedly, hard to do on 33 acres, but it could happen!).

We took off their harnesses.

They ran in the woods.

They followed Tim (LOML) around while he was picking up horse poop.

Wait, what? Tim was picking up horse poop?

Yup. And this is why.

With the leaves falling off the trees, we were able to see more into the woods than we usually do. And what did we see?

We saw a rickety rock wall, that we had never seen before.

The rock wall seemed to be helping to enclose an old pig pen. Run? Yard? Pig play area? The place where one would keep one's pigs if one had pigs. Which this one doesn't.

We also spied a couple of old pig troughs.

My enterprising husband had a plan.

He walked the pig trough up to the top of the hill.

And let me tell you, that puppy is HEAVY.

Awww - don't I look just beautimous in my red wellies, my brown pants and my grey sweater? With bed head? Don't think for a minute that I actually helped him walk this thing up the hill. He got it situated so that I could push it once. That's it. Once. I think he was humoring my need to feel involved in the farm. Humor away, baby!

Tim went off to find some horse poop (with the dogs following). Fortunately, the three horses we have running in our pasture do a good job of making poop.

Mmmmm, horse poop.

And what is all this work in aid of, then?

Why, a compost bin, of course.

A compost bin filled with horse poop and veggie peelings. Yummmm. One day, this will make good garden dirt.

Everyone has to start somewhere.

XXOO
Donna Belle (for some unknown reason, that's what they call me at work).

ps. Maddie and Tucker say goodnight.

A Horse is a Horse, of course, of course ...

2012-10-26T13:18:00.000-05:00

10 points if you know what that theme song is from!

I believe I mentioned that our neighbor, Scott, is running three of his horses on our pasture. I love it! A farm is not a farm without animals, I think. So, in a small way, our farm is more complete.

Me: What do I spy there?

Me: Hello Mr. Horse! Won't you come and say good morning?

Horse: Well, hello kind sir and madame, how are you this fine morning?

Me: We are quite well, sir. And you?

Horse: Just dandy, if I must say so myself.

Horse: And I'm looking quite handsome this morning. Here, if you are taking photos, this is my best side.

Horse: Or perhaps you'd like to get the full effect?

Horse: I say, madame, have you done something jolly with your hair? /end Downton Abbey reference

Horse: Why yes, kind sir, I do believe I would enjoy some grass.

Horse: Nom nom nom

Horse: I truly must be going, but first I'd like to say ...

Thank you for the grass. I nose some good grass when I see it.

Yes, the horse is British, why do you ask? And obviously, he enjoys Masterpiece Theatre. Don't judge him just because he is from the country. He was obviously raised well.

XXOO
Donna

Kicking and Screaming

2012-10-23T14:30:00.002-05:00

Tim: We have to go

Me: Not gonna.

Tim: Donna, we really have to go.

Me: Can't make me.

Tim: The dogs and chickens are still in Katy.

Maddie: (faintly, her voice coming from a very long distance away) Mama! Mama, come home!

Me: Sigh. Fine.
When I show you the following pictures, I'm sure you will understand. My feet had lead in them. I didn't want to leave. It was perfect! We slept in, we piddled around and got things done. Well, I piddled around, Tim (LOML) worked hard, as usual. We ate, drank and were merry.

See what I told you? Perfection. At least in my world.

Tim, being Tim, was quite busy.

See all that green? That's new grass.

I can't help myself. Whenever I see the mower, I make "vroom, vroom" noises to myself. Don't judge.

He certainly looks busy. But what is he doing?

He's planting 47 daffodils! They will come up this spring. He planted them just for me! *swoon*

Making a fire for his wife, so that her toes wouldn't be cold.

He is one hard-working dude, no lie.

See that fire-wood? Tim cut it up last time we were here. We have a ton of it in the barn, cut and stacked and drying. We won't go cold this winter! ;-)

I really must go work now, but I have so many more pictures to share! Stay tuned!

And if I ever post that we are taking the Westies and the Chickens for a visit to the farm ... don't expect me back in Katy. Ever. :-D

XXOO

Donna Lynn Farmgirl Brunson

Insert Title Here

2012-10-09T14:13:00.000-05:00

Please, feel free. Actually, I must insist. I can't come up with a title and need help. With a title. I know I need "help" - but I'm not sure there's anything a random reader can do about it. Sigh.

We continue our urban homestead ways. Until we get to the real homestead, our beloved little cabin in the mountains, we will play at it in Katy. Houston. Katy. I don't care. Call it want you want. It's still in Texas.

We trimmed back the grapevines a few weeks ago. (You guys do know by now, I hope, that when I say "we" I actually mean "Tim," right?) The grapes decided to give us a second harvest.

Second harvest of grapes

We also dug up two of the pepper plants to make room for fall veggies. This was what was left on those two plants. We still have two more peppers growing and producing.

We dug and cleaned up the beds to get ready for the fall stuff.

Little baby carrots. And a random sweet potato sprout.

More little baby carrots. And a random weed.

Garlic shoots (and he scores!)

Turnip and collard greens on the left, onion seedlings on the right.

Squash in the front, cabbages in the back (Sorry, Tim, the squash are not going to grow)

Sweet potatoes. We just found out recently that you can eat the greens. And they are delish!

Lettuce in strawberry pots. We don't believe in discrimination at our homestead!

Baby broccoli

Cauliflowers (we have about 7 pots of them)

We had a TON (seriously, we weighed it) of jalapenos this year. I dried some, pickled some, froze some and made a bunch of hot pepper jelly.

It's a good thing my Aunt Paula likes it, and is coming here in November. Because there's no way we would ever eat that much jelly.

XXOO
DLHB

Throwing it out there

2012-09-26T14:06:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about it for a while. Wondering if I have the time. Not sure if I can do it.

But I'm gonna do it. And I'm making it public, in an effort to shame myself into actually doing it.

Here it is: I made this for a friend, obviously for her wedding.

I've made a few others for my home (obviously NOT "Here Comes the Bride").

I'm opening an Etsy store.

I am.

I am.

Just do it, Donna!

xxoo
Donna Lynn

Green Legs and Ham

2012-09-11T13:25:00.001-05:00

We've expanded our flock (I know, I know - time to change the blog description from Four Chickens to Six Chickens, I will. One day. I promise.)

One of our chickens was broody. So Tim and I thought we might let her sit on some fertilized eggs. Called our former pastured egg supplier, Lloyd, to see if he had any. Yup. We could go get them the next day.

The next day dawned, and lo and behold! Chicken decided she wasn't broody after all. Called up Lloyd. No problemo. But, hey, he had some 12 week old pullets, and would we like them instead? Sure, we said.

Famous last words.

We picked out two of the prettiest cross-breed chickens I have ever seen. One had feathers on its legs. The other was snowy white. I couldn't wait to see what color eggs they would lay.

Riiiiiiiight.

Fast forward several weeks. My sister Danielle was visiting. The feather legged chicken was making a funny sound today, she says. Not like the other chickens. Hummmm. We listened for a few days, but it didn't make any more funny sounds. But Danielle was very suspicious.

A few more weeks go by. Getting ready for work (so it's about 6 am). Tim goes out to feed chickens. Walks back in with a funny look on his face.

Tim: Did you hear that?
Me: No ...
Tim: The white chicken crowed.
Me: *faints*

Roosters in sub-divisions? No bueno.

Lloyd takes back chicken number one.

Fast forward a couple more weeks.

Pretty chicken number two (the feather legged one) starts to crow. The cutest little crow you have ever heard. Sadly, he, too, went back to Lloyd. Lloyd is no longer on our list of pullet suppliers. I'm pretty sure he just wanted someone to feed his extra chickens for a couple months. Just kidding, Lloyd!

So we headed to our favorite chicken place, Wabash Feed. We got a couple of new chickens. They are supposed to be Ameraucanas, but more than likely they are Easter_Eggers, either way, they are cool. And they are girls. Thank goodness!

Aren't they pretty? They sort of remind me of a hawk.

You can really see the green legs here. Now, everyone says this color is slate blue. I'm sorry, they look green to me.

More green legs.

Remember these pictures? I had just brought home a two very young chicks (a couple of days old). I love them! They hid in my hair. These are the Silver Laced Wyandottes. They were so cute.

Playing hide and seek in my hair!

Fuzz butts!

Well, all little things must grow. And grow they did.

What happened to my little chick?

The Wyandottes are laying now. Still waiting for the Ameraucanas. Hopefully, they lay green (or blue) eggs to go with their green legs.

And here are my older girls, taking a dust bath.

Happy Tuesday.

XXOO
Donna

And a Black Snake Fell From the Roof

2012-09-05T15:55:00.001-05:00

First I will tell you a bedtime story of a black snake. And then I will overwhelm you with pictures. NOT of the snake. Just a fair warning of what you are getting yourself into ...

We had sort of a "dry run" at the cabin this past holiday weekend. Just Tim (love of my life) and me. The solar power system was high on our priority list. We wanted to make sure it was working. It became an obsession of mine. On Sunday, I must have made the walk from the back of the house to the shed, which houses the control panels, about 100 times. It's the same little 4' x 4' water well tank shed we built last Christmas. Only now, the water tank is in the utility part of the greenhouse. Now the solar power controls are in the the shed.

Back and forth I went, checking on the battery usage and charge. Back and forth. Back and forth. Trustingly. Unknowingly.

Tim had made a fire to burn up some of the construction debris. It was now about 9 pm, and the wind picked up a bit. We wanted to make quadruple sure the fire was out (no need to burn down the mountain). The rake and shovel were in the shed, we would use them to move the coals around to make sure they were out. I thought I might as well check the battery charge one more time for the evening (I told you I was obsessed!). We grabbed our flashlights, and merrily made our way to the shed. Little did we know ...

We pointed our flashlights at the control panel. All was well there. Tim turned around to face the other side of the shed, shining his flashlight into the corner, trying to show me where the shovel and rake were. And a black snake slithered down from the shed roof, about 12 inches from Tim's head.

SNAKE IN THE SHED. SNAKE IN THE SHED. THERE IS A SNAKE IN THE SHED.

I froze, with my mouth hanging open. Too stunned to move. Tim had more wits about him. MOVE, he shouted. I started running, and got about halfway back to Houston before I stopped.

Tim took care of the snake. I take a shotgun with me everywhere now.

____________________________________________
Our little cabin is coming along nicely.

A couple of hiccups. We are waiting for the stove pipe to be installed. The electrician put the wrong light fixture over the table. Nothing that can't be easily overcome.

And now, I will bore you silly with too many pictures.

Cabin through the trees

Cabin from the new driveway

Woodstove waiting for stove pipe

Daisies from the yard

Front door. What color should I paint it?

Dutch door heading to greenhouse. What color should it be?

Bathroom is coming together!

Looking up into the sleeping loft

New shelves! What color should they be? And we are replacing the brackets with something more decorative

Booze is a necessary thing

Looking into the bathroom. Thank you Jennifer for the rug!

Solar panels. No snake involved.

The neighbor's horses are running in two of our pastures. I love them!

They like me. :-)

First cutting of hay

New driveway!

I love, love, love the new driveway

Thanks for looking!

XXOO

Donna

Farm Happenings - Katy Edition

2012-07-29T16:34:00.002-05:00

Just because my heart is in the mountains of Virginia, doesn't mean we are ignoring our farm (cough.subdivision house.cough) here in Katy. Things are ticking along. Well, they are slowing down, sort of. Our summer growing season is pretty much done. We now are concentrating on peppers, beans and planning our fall garden. Oh! And we picked our olives.

Olives on tree

Picked green and ripe olives

They are in a brine now and we will taste them in a few weeks. We got so many! Or you know, not so many. 5 ounces of olives, to be exact LOL

The grapefruits are growing, however, they are a bit smaller than usual. Not sure why.

Grapefruits

The okra is growing well. Each of these plants appear to have about 10-15 fruits on them. I plan on pickling them for my martinis. When life gives you okra ... make martinis, I say.

Okra

By the way, see those peppers and the one tomato in the background? Those plants are about 1 year old. They made it all winter, and just keep giving us veggies. As much as I am tired of living in Houston, the growing season is just fabulous.

We read about cow-peas somewhere. Mother Earth News? It is tough getting old, I tell you. I can't remember anything. Anyways, we bought some cow-peas and planted them. Oh my. They have gone mad.

Cowpeas

Isn't that little garden rolly tractor cute? Tim bought it for me for our anniversary, which is today. Happy Anniversary to the love of my life. Here's to the next 100 years :-D

We are trying tomatillos again. *Trying* Still not sure they are going to make anything. I honestly don't know how anyone gets tomatillos to grow. Sigh.

Tomatillos

We grow some herbs, too. I've decided to dry some of them for our pantry.

Basil in a pot

Rosemary

Drying herbs

Basil, rosemary, oregano and some Thai chili peppers drying.

It's been hot here, but mostly just normal-for-Houston-in-July-hot. I feel for everyone having a drought right now. We went through that last year, and it is horrible.

The heat hasn't stopped my adorable husband from doing what he likes, though. And one of the things he likes is grilling. In this case, grilling a pizza. And let me tell you, it was yummy.

Grilled pizza

Happy Sunday!

XXOO
Donna Brunson

Farm happenings

2012-07-19T13:46:00.000-05:00

First, let me show you what my nightmares are made of ...

Tim and the snakeskin

No, my nightmares are not made of Tim. They are made of snakes. And we found this snakeskin in our barn. HANGING FROM THE RAFTERS. *faints* Can you even imagine walking into the barn and having a snake fall on your head? (*faints again* Please bring smelling salts.)

Tim is worried that this will make me not want to live on the farm. No, of course it won't. It may make me not go into the barn for a couple of decades, though. On the plus side, we don't have any mice in the barn anymore. But I think I smelled snake burps when I opened the barn door.

Btw, doesn't Tim look a little bit French in this photo? Maybe it's the rolling hills? Hat? No? Okay, it's just me then.

The solar panels were up and I got to see them up close and personal. They were bigger than I thought. Not that I thought they should be any specific size, it's just that they were smaller in my mind. And let me tell you, my mind is a scary place. Full of small solar panels, obviously.

Solar panels

Way cool. I feel so green and crunchy when I look at the solar panels. Okay, not really. I feel pretty fortunate, actually. So many of our neighbors lost power (some for a week) in that really big storm that hit the mid-Atlantic. With our solar set-up, we would have been just fine.

We were there for about a week and a half. And we got a lot of work done. With the rain, the area around our cabin was a bit muddy (construction work will tear up the ground like no body's business). We were squelching a bit. Tim (love of my life) called up his dirt contact, and had about 8 yards of wood chips/mulch delivered. Then he press-ganged Joe and Austin into helping (Luke was supervising). Much, much better. And no more squelching.

Boys spreading mulch

Luke was quite concerned that he was going to run out of wood for his fires. Roasting marshmallows and stoking the fire were his nightly occupations. Uncle Timmy kept him supplied with wood.

Luke with his fire (one of about 50 fires he had)

I was astounded at how many blackberries we had growing wild. So I dragged Joe out of bed and made him come pick blackberries in the rain with me. I had a plan.

Wild blackberries

The plan was boiling away on my new stove. I am jonesing for a stove just like this at our house in Katy. I'm probably not going to get it, but a girl can dream.

Making jam

The plan accomplished! Three half pints of wild blackberry jam. No pectin, just blackberries and sugar. I could spend my days making jam. Who would eat all that jam, I have no idea. It might be a "field of dreams" thing. Make it and they will come. Streams of people coming from the far reaches of the country, knocking on my door, lined up for my jam.

It could happen.

Wild blackberry jam

I also had some fun staining our new counter tops. Here is one, just raw wood.

Unfinished counter top

And here it is after two coats of stain and two coats of wax. They are gorgeous. I was able to get all the counter tops stained.

Stained counter top

This was pretty much our view every morning. I could look at it forever.

Mist over the Virginia highlands

Tim (love of my life) was non-stop busy the whole time we were there. He picked up construction debris, mowed a couple acres (and managed to break the mower LOL, which is now going to be my "mule" with a little wagon behind it), chopped down two trees, cut a cord of firewood, moved dirt, moved solar batteries, hooked up the stove, met with various and sundry contractors, and too much more to name.

Where are those pictures, you ask? I don't have any :-( I think I was too busy playing with my jam.

And they lived happily ever after

XXOO
Donna

Our Cabin in the country

2012-06-18T12:52:00.000-05:00

Tim spent the weekend at our farm, clearing land, putting in stone steps, and meeting with contractors.

Front of house and porch

House from the woods

You really get a good feel for the red tin roof in this view

I love my porch

Stone steps

Windows and skylights have been installed in the greenhouse

Little house on a big hill. Tim (re)cleared all this land again this weekend.

This is the wall where the wood stove will go. It won't be put in until September or so. I love used brick!

Floor in the loft area. I hope the get the rails up before we get there in July.

Our little greenhouse!

So what do you think? Will we have a functioning bathroom, kitchen and solar power system before July 6? Stay tuned ...

XXOO
Donna

Too Many Zucchini?

2012-06-05T15:53:00.000-05:00

This past early spring Tim planted some zucchini seeds. I pretty much rolled my eyes, and asked him why he bothered. We have had the WORST luck with Squash Vine Borers, and the squash plants have been pretty much space and water wasters.

Silly me.

We're eating zucchini about every 2 - days now LOL

So the other night, we made a lasagna using squash instead of noodles. It was fabulous! And quite easy.

Onions and garlic sauteed in a little olive oil

Add mushrooms, ground pork, italian seasoning and simmer

Secret Weapon

So I cheated! Don't judge

Simmer. Yummmmmm.

Put some sauce on the bottom, then layer zucchini, sauce and Parmesan cheese

I think I had 3 layers total

Add more Parmesan cheese and as much mozzarella as your diet will allow (obviously my diet allows quite a bit!)

Cook on 350 for about 25 minutes.

Nom nom nom.

XXOO
Donna

Fried Green Tomatoes

2012-05-30T15:29:00.000-05:00

No, not the movie.

But first, please notice something. Right there, off to the right side. Just a little bit down ...

I updated the produce stats for 2012. Yeah, it only took me 5 months. Sue me.

We are eating out of the garden almost every night. Our grocery bill is going waaaaaaayyyyyy down. If it wasn't for the wine, it would be less than 50 bucks a week, I think. I'm not tellin' how much it is WITH wine, and you can't make me.

On to the tomatoes!

Sliced straight from the garden

Did you actually think I was cooking this? No, I am a princess. Tim made up a cornmeal batter, from scratch, which is how he cooks all the time.

Delicious!

We pick stuff every night now. Pick it. Take it inside, wash and cut and into our tummies it goes!

Peppers and peas.

Peppers, peas and squash

We are digging up the rest of our potatoes this weekend. This is the first batch we dug. 8.5 pounds. We have 3 left, I think. I'm research best storage practices for the rest of them. I'll make a prediction (heaven help me) and say, based on what we have so far, we will probably have another 30 pounds. Let's see how close I get!

Freshly dug potatoes, from our urban homestead

Did I mention that we are eating out of the garden most nights now? And by "we," I mean *all* of us. All, including the 4-footed ones.

Tucker enjoying a fresh-picked squash. He picked it himself.

Oh, in case you are wondering ... it's hella hot in Houston.

XXOO
Donna

Houston Homestead Garden - Early May

2012-05-08T12:43:00.000-05:00

Things are really starting to pop in the garden now! We currently have planted:

Tomatoes
Peas
Onions
Garlic
Tomatoes
Oak trees
Tomatoes
Bell peppers
Jalapeno peppers
Tomatoes
Irish potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Tomatoes
Basil (great-great-great grandson of original basil)
Blackberries
Squash
Thai hot peppers
Did I mention tomatoes?

This was our dinner last night:

All from the garden!

The berries are coming in every day now. I'm freezing them individually and then dumping them in a ziploc until I have enough to make some jam. It was a big hit last year to all the people I gave it to *cough forced it on cough*

This pepper plant made it all through our winter. It just doesn't want to die. And now we've picked at least 6 peppers from it so far this spring. It's loaded.

Tim's dad said that they had dug up some of their potatoes already and got a few little ones. Being the impatient gardener that I am, I wheedled and begged and pleaded with Tim to dig up some of ours. Yeah, baby! Just look at these beauties.

Here are three different types of tomatoes we have planted. Two things I must mention ...

1. Do I know what types of tomatoes these are? Surely you jest! I always have great intentions when it comes to knowing what I planted where, but in the heat of planting, things get muddled. I know the last one is some type of Roma. And that's about it. I'll have to go back at look at Tim's garden journal to see if he did a better job than I did at keeping track.

2. What is that white stuff on the plants? Wait for it ... It's self-rising flour! Supposedly, it will kill the stupid leaffooted bugs that are eating holes in everything. We'll see. Thank you Garden Web for the suggestion!

Now. This is just interesting. This tomato plant popped up in the dog yard. In the corner by their porch. How did it get there? It's a mystery. My current theory is that it "passed through" one of the dogs. You know. "Passed through." FINE! I'll just say it. Poop. I think the seed was in their poop!

I counted 31 little tomatoes on this plant. They look like they will be cherries. I think it fitting, since the plant is in their yard, that the dogs will be the beneficiaries of the tomatoes from this plant. Especially since they probably pooped out the seeds. LOL

Here are the little poopers now. Waiting for some veggie scraps to fall on the floor. They are some veggie loving little monsters, that's for sure.

XXOO
Donna

Our Blueridge Mountains Cabin, Early May Edition

2012-05-07T14:28:00.001-05:00

Tim got to spend a couple days this past weekend at our farm. Actually, it was a non-stop, whirlwind visit. He met with builders, carpenters, painters, and many neighbors. I'm sure he loved every minute of it.

Me? I was home. Sigh. Taking care of the Houston Homestead. *whoopdeedoo*

Back to Tim. And Virginia.

Our cabin is coming quite along!

The name of our town is Rural Retreat. Now doesn't this just look like a nice retreat? We think so.

The builder has the doors and windows. I think they should be going in in a couple weeks. Tim's already got his spot for the hammock picked on for the front porch.

The three next pictures are taken from the loft. And yes, that will be our view.

The roof should be on and the loft flooring completed by the time we get there at the end of the month.

The view above is what I will see out my kitchen window. Actually makes me want to take my time doing dishes. I think some sort of bird feeder will find it's way there ...

Tim has many visions of spending time here, laying on his hammock, enjoying the view. (For those of you who know my husband, you will know that it is impossible for Tim to lay (or sit) still and do nothing. So we will see ...)

Looking down from the apple tree. See that freshly mowed strip? Tim did that all around my apple tree so that when we go there I won't have to fight the saw briers. I do love him so!

Tim cleaned up around the building site, and also cleaned up some random bits of wood. He is also a pyro and can't resist making a fire ...

At the end of his long day, he had some much deserved food and "refreshment" of the liquid kind. A man earns it after all that hard work, I tell you! I am extremely jealous that I wasn't there to enjoy it with him.

Wait a second. Look at the picture below. This is where Tim slept for two nights. In the barn. On some eggshell mattress toppers (and some AstroTurf). Maybe I'm not so jealous after all ...

XXOO

Donna Lynn