The Dilletante Proprietor

Spring Fever...

2013-03-06T22:07:00.001-06:00

Well...after going crazy over spring...having severe garden fever...I stomped into the office yesterday and informed my boss that I need to have fresh vegetables...of course he looked at me like I had two heads..."and that means what, Lisa?" he said...he is used to my "bright ideas"...and he looked at me like he needed an attorney...

Weeeeelll...it means I really need a garden..."aaah..." he said while staring at me...

It always goes like this when I want something from him...he tries to stare me down...and it gets kinda tricky...the first one to speak? loses....I don't know if any other women that visit The Dilletante Proprietor have ever dealt with the "oilfield" mentality? Well..it goes something like this..."ALL women are crazy " and need to be dealt with on a 7 year old level and if that doesn't work... get an attorney....

I stared right back....and he says.."and where are you going to grow a garden around here?"

HEE HEE! I WIN!

LOOK at all this space...

Way in the back of the yard is something of a "dump" place for all the extra odds and ends that come in with the trucks...it is on an old railroad bed and can't be seen from the gates coming into the yard or the office....

There is 10 acres of unused dirt back there!

He knows I win...and he tries to counter attack..."HOW are you gonna water a garden back there?"

"There are 11 plastic food grade barrels back there from when they remodeled the boat dock"....I say...and stare....

"Hmmmph" he says and walks off....he always does that when I win...and I always take it as a yes situation....and he knows it...

Well the mechanic started chit chatting about how great it is that I want to do something like this....and then the cleaning gal got in on it and then some of the drivers....

AND THEN...here he comes again...round 2....

or so I thought...."there is a 250 gallon water tank under the storage trailer...." and off he goes again....over his shoulder he says "I'll start saving coffee grounds for compost..."

BAAAAAAAHAAAAAAA! I have to admit...I do love the sparring...and I think he does too....

On to my garden...

As you all prolly know...Wyoming is in a severe drought..it has been going on for years and there is absolutely NO grass...weeds...green...anywhere.... I have a treasure hunt ahead of me to find sheet mulching materials...hay and straw are at a premium as they have to import it to feed livestock...it is very expensive! and I am a terrible cheap skate....and I LOVE to recycle, reuse and re-purpose.....

In the very back of the lot...at the dumping ground...I found my spot...and TONS of reusable stuff...the images of sugar plums dancing in my head? have lot's to do with the welding shop on the lot...and my Honey...he is an awesome welder!
Trellis'...fencing...garden art...I can't wait!

So we will see if this Dilletante can build a recycled, re purposed, reused garden and coerce even one tomato out of this barren desert ....

Greenhouses...

2013-03-04T21:47:00.000-06:00

I have always wanted a greenhouse...I use a cold frame which consists of a plywood and 2x4 box with a recycled glass door for a cold frame...the bottom is open to the dirt, the plants are started in the basement under a $10.00 shop light and transferred into this box, which faces South... in March...

from March to June...my lil plants go crazy in there! they go so crazy that the box is soon over run with plants that want OUT! Sooo...even though I am stuck in Wyoming with no garden this spring I have been researching green house ideas...

This one is one of the best representations...cost wise...that I have ever seen!

It comes from this site...http://ana-white.com/2012/05/plans/barn-greenhouse which is a fantastic representation of DIY!

She has plans for EVERYTHING! materials lists, detailed instructions and plenty of advice to boot! I priced this lil gem...her plans represent about $700 in materials...

BUT...I have a cost saving idea...

To frame the bottom...use pallets! My favorite recycled building material...I drove round the area I am in...there are no less than 1000 pallets on any given day...destined for the land fill....

Lay a treated landscape timber (which are a really inexpensive alternative to a 4x4) down with flat side up...put the full shipping pallet on the top of the landscape timber, screw it to the timber every 4 inches...attach each corner of the pallet with small bolts or screws... and then sheet it with the metal roofing...

Pallets make a nice straight wall and are super sturdy!


Duck fence

Tip: Roofing companies sell or discard the outer packing sheets of metal roofing...which...are sheets of metal roofing! Free or cheap instead of new...I got most of the tin panels for my shed for free! from a roofing job that was being done on a bar in my area...


Landscape timber/pallet framing on shed

Take some pallets apart and use the 2x4's to frame the rest of the wall as tall as you want...I would not go with the gambrel/barn roof...cuz...well...my carpentry skills are not very good! lol! and the gable roof would cut down on the amount of lumber needed... I would just build the wall up with 2x4 general framing and lay a top plate around the whole thing....and go with a simple gable roof with the corrugated plastic sheeting horizontal on the 2x4 wall framing...and then vertical on the roof...to shed rain and snow...

This guy made a house out of pallets...

http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/tag/pallet-house/

Roof framing has been incredibly difficult for me to learn..I have the hang of it now but still not quite comfy with the idea of doing it by myself...but we all know SOMEONE that may be willing to help with this project....and my Hubby seems to think this would be a very simple one!


Simple roof design

All in all...my estimation of cost if I used the gleaned pallets and free scrap wood...and a free/cheap/recycled tin sheeting...it would cut the cost to about $200.00 for the corrugated plastic sheets...and screws...maybe some clear caulking...

Considering the expense of greenhouses today? I thought this one was a very nice looking and inexpensive, sturdy greenhouse...

Go way snow!

SUPER EASY FREE PALLET COUNTERTOPS AND MOLDING!

2013-02-09T14:43:00.000-06:00

When we decided to put counter tops in our kitchen...it wasn't hard to decide that we were NOT going with standard issue kitchen ware...we, of course, wanted free, charming, handmade ones! There was one tiny cupboard and of course the Hoosier bottom in there when we first got the house...no counter top space at all and no storage....

The molding on the ceiling was cheap standard molding used to cover up the ceiling tile seams but the molding on the bottom near the floor was gorgeous 8" mop board from way back when...the quarter round had been removed but other than that it was in beautiful shape...We tore all the top molding out to get to the bead board ceiling and used some of the scrap on the cupboards...so where do you get free counter tops, molding, storage...space to prep food?

PALLETS!

Mostly big item pallets..NOT.the the standard 4x8 shipping pallet....but ones with long boards? you can get them from Automotive Paint shops and Automotive Body shops that do repair on wrecked cars...

These are waaaaay easier to take apart as they do not have the horrid grabby nails that most standard pallets have and they are gorgeous 2x4x10 and 1x4x10 boards...no dog legs...:)

My Honey started with a basic frame screwed directly to the wall...we have all solid wood walls but with a stud finder, you could screw them to the wall by finding the studs....I have to remind everyone...we have absolutely NO building skills...we search on the net for answers to our questions and then try our luck...my Honey is very adaptable and has learned wiring, plumbing and building with little help other than books, the net and by word of mouth information...so if we can do this? Anyone with imagination can!

Same for the other side of the sink...He then screwed a 1x8x6 foot board for a face board across the front to match the sink skirt...you could always laminate the 1x4's together too...and attached the found table legs by screwing them to the wall....they do NOT support the counter tops in any way..they are solely decorative....

On the other side...since we decided on a shelf...he did the exact same thing in a smaller proportion...

brace attached to front 2x4 of frame as there was no support on this side

and screwed 1x4 slats 1/4" apart along the shelf....

He then screwed 1/2" plywood to the tops of both sides...

The other side...we left open for somewhat of a breakfast bar....

Again..the table legs are purely decorative and hold nothing up...you can stand on these...we did it...lol!

A little paint.....

And one very large drawer with casters to keep dog and cat hair out....

And you have an almost free (paint cost and screws ($28.00) charming set of kitchen countertops....

Ikea has solid wood 2" butcher block pieces up to 8' long for $80.00...they would look gorgeous in this kitchen...and they would fit nicely lipped up against the sink....AND...you would have TWO beautiful cutting boards with the excess....attach handles and you could hang them up out of the way!

As far as the molding? we went with what was normal for the house....1x4 boards around the top....all from pallets....

We also gleaned scraps of 1/4 round from the city compost pile to put back around the mop boards on the floor....you can also get these directly from a wood molding shop...they throw out tons!

This is exactly what the kitchen looked like....when I left....

Right before I gave away the house....

New Beginnings...

2013-02-09T12:03:00.001-06:00

I have been yearning...yearning for chickens and ducks...tomatoes and artichokes....I am still driving around out here in the oilfields...my Honey and I...driving...the landscape is beautiful...and wild....and we see and experience a ton of new things every week...it has taught us to appreciate the small things in life even more than we had in the past...we are very appreciated by the company that we work for and they treat us very well! but life...life is passing us by and our hearts yearn for green...

Last September...September 14th to be exact...we finally got married! It was a joyous occasion and it is wonderful to have a ring on my finger and to be joined with the love of my life...forever...being out here in the oilfields has been great...the money flies into your pocket by the fist full and we have taken advantage of it but once you get into the life style...it is so hard to get out! We started making plans for a larger homestead...a bigger American Dream than we had as that is always how Americans think when money is plentiful...the bigger the better...MORE MORE MORE! The very thing that I personally abhor and goes against everything I stand for...being caught up in this...we decided to stay for another year and "rented" out our little hut to a wonderful girl with two small children....I was so afraid to let it stand empty and unheated for the harsh winter in UP....we all know how it ended up after someone else left it empty and neglected...I say "rented" because no money exchanged hands...we decided to find someone to house sit really and the lady who answered our prayers needed to apply for school, was only working part time and was having a terrible time of it with two small children to care for...it was a perfect situation for both parties...my Hut would be heated and cared for thru the winter and she could catch her breath and live rent free for a year!

We made plans to outfit our little hut with new windows, roof and miscellaneous accoutrements while we were making money hand over fist...I went to the UP and did some work on it myself in late September last year....we had new windows installed, painted the doors, the house, and finally finished the back porch...the house sitting situation accommodated me....

It has lights....the back porch...the bane of my existence the whole time I was living in this house! the only lighting back there for 3 years was a string of Christmas bulbs....it is bright...and shiny...and WARM...the new window and door was an amazing blessing! Can you believe this little house has 26 steps? 3 floors of tiny...with 26 steps....it was a wonderful feeling finally finishing this part of the house...AND A PORCH LIGHT...let me tell ya....going down those steps and out that door at night? was like walking right up a bears arse! not that I have ever had that experience...but you understand...lol!

One story I have never told my readers is the story of my first "fridge"...we didn't have one at first...we couldn't afford one and no one seemed to be leaving perfectly good refrigerators on the curb! Well...when we first moved in...there was a shed on the back of this hut...right thru that window....I hung all my frozen meat and veggies out that window on a hook...and in addition...there was a small storage space under the stairs...that is where I kept milk, cheese, butter...all winter long...it kept a perfect 38 degrees under those stairs!

First Fridge

When I got home in September...I was flabbergasted...the man that we actually paid to mow and weed decided to skip out...my yard and garden were a mess! BUT......inside my chicken coop....was a complete garden with pumpkins, tomatoes, squash and and sunflowers...everything I had fed my chickens...grew...on it's own! HOW did those seeds survive the 7 feet of snow and below zero temperatures?

Compost....the heat from the compost kept them warm and dry and they flourished with no help from ANYONE!

In addition...the Tomatogeddon Garden...was once again...TOMATOGEDDON! All by itself....the neighbors and I harvested 150 pounds of tomatoes out of there in 1 day...we just couldn't get them all...the power of sheet mulch...I can't say it enough....

My Veggie Garden? Same thing...there was Rhubarb, Acorn Squash, Lemon Balm, Strawberries, Peas and Chives...and this is all after 2 frosts...

No one will ever starve here....

After my excursion to the UP to get it ready for the winter and finish up some of the inside details....I went to Georgia for a week and visited with my Daughter and my Grandkids...OH!...the Grandkids...how lovely to be a Grandma!

It was hard being in the UP in my Hut....people were asking me for jobs and advice as to where they could go to find one...we actually took a few with us back to the oilfields...one friend had a three bedroom house on 5 acres of heavily timbered land right up the road from us....he wanted 5000 for it....5000 dollars for 5 ACRES and a HOUSE! It is absolutely gorgeous...

And we truly thought about it...in fact we thought about it all the way up until last week....

The house is very cool...old fashioned and has been empty for 6 years but it has a new metal roof on it...

Living room, Kitchen, Dining Room, 3 Bedrooms, beautiful Entry way with Covered Porch and Staircase....and it is just as dirty and full of stuff as my Hut was when I bought it....AND...it has the same green nasty siding...UGH!

We went up to the UP ...to move some stuff of ours out so our little Lady living in the Hut would have some room to live...it was -32...14 inches of snow fell and the wind howled like crazy...we went to see the house again...and decided...NO!

In fact? we decided NO on the UP all together...it is beautiful...but it is sooooo remote...removed from everything...we are the only ones in our area that feel the need to keep the old fashioned ways going...to live on the land...In this area of the UP of Michigan...the government plays a big role...things are incredibly expensive...there is only a handful of places to buy the things we needed and it is an enormous monopoly of small lumber stores and such that gouge the daylights out of you because they can...because there is no other choice but to drive 100 miles to find something more competitive and have more of a selection...I believe this area of Michigan keeps it's people poor...the biggest employer in the area is Walmart with their 30 hour max rule...so they don't have to pay health insurance...I love my neighbors...they are my family...I love the fact that all the good stuff is thrown out on curbs free for the picking...I love the area's penchant for barter because they are poor...but the biggest thing that got me was the weather...the HAVING to move tons of snow every year...and that is where I drew the line...I am getting older...and with my lifestyle..I will have to pay someone to move it...the gas prices are still $4.00 a gallon up there and where I am at they are $2.79...even to pay for gas for equipment to move it costs a fortune...the land prices are cheap, yes...but the cost of living is outrageous...even if you own your home out right....

My Honey and I discussed and discussed our options...our little house sitting Lady wanted the hut so bad...she has asked several times to buy it...she loves the gardens...takes excellent care of the house and has already amassed small livestock including rabbits...her ties run deep there...her Mom lives there...her Sister...right down the road...we asked a Realtor to do a drive by and give us an estimate of value...based on comps that had just sold in the area...we were flabbergasted! Our little $600.00 hut was worth $30,000 big ones! mainly due to the amount of property and how desirable the area is....not bad for 3 years of hard labor and scouting out free items!

We hashed and rehashed on a price...taking into consideration the circumstance of our precious occupant...she would like to go to school...raise her boys...supplement her circumstances with gardening and livestock....that precious Lady is one hard worker!

No price seemed right...we wishy washed around for two weeks...and finally...driving around one day..we came to a decision...we drove up to the UP...found our precious girl at Wal mart....

AND WE GAVE HER THE HUT...lock, stock and barrel...

The outcome is so sweet...she was very excited to see us...she asked about buying the house again...over a cart full of vegetables...and we told her no...her face fell...and she said she understood but was sagging by the moment...and then...we told her "we will not sell it to you...we have decided to gift it to you..." her face read no comprehension...for the moment she just stared at us...her eyes filled up with tears and she squeaked "you are crazy".... and she turned around and I really thought she was going to fall before she caught herself and swept us into a huge hug... the joy I felt was so complete...so utterly overwhelming...it still brings tears to my eyes....

I really feel that the reason that we wishy washed around about a price is because we were being led by the Lord to pay forward what we had begotten...

Acts 20:35

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Luke 6:38

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

The Lord Jesus has blessed us...there is no doubt at all in my heart...and He has steered us on to a new adventure....we have chosen Tennessee...20 acres with a hand built house....minimal snow and a LOOOOOONG growing season.... 4 hours from our beautiful Daughter and Grandkids....can't wait to share it with you all.....

You have all been waiting....HOUSE UPDATE!

2012-09-13T17:02:00.000-05:00

As you all know...I had been in the process of removing the old green asphalt siding from my hut...In the beginning I had no idea how to replace the horrendous ugly siding that adorned it...how do you buy siding with no money? paint was not an option...this stuff is like gravel and it is UUUUGGGLLLEEEE! And people just don't leave new siding laying around in piles for scroungers like me to take home...

After the first winter...I was working away outside and noticed that a piece of that siding was askew...hmmmm...it was white underneath it...I went over there and ripped it right off! underneath that green gravel nastiness was cedar clapboard...why would they side over that? I know it was considered a "poor" siding...meant for cheap building of the mining houses that are so prevalent in my area but why would someone let Mr. Siding salesman put that nasty stuff on their house? Well...after questioning several of the natives...they all were of the same mind...INSULATION! and at the time, I suppose...there was no HGTV and no decorating no no's! HAHA! and insulation was a new concept beyond stuffing paper under the linoleum and wall papering with news papers to keep out the draft...

Another concern, though...did they do it to cover worn out siding? were there pieces missing? broken? I spent all that day carefully prying up random pieces of that asphalt siding...peeking under it to see if all the clapboards were still on the house....AND THEY WERE! I got really brave the next day and took off two entire layers on the bottom of the house...I found some damage...water damage mostly...from being exposed to the elements...but nothing structural...nothing a reallly good pallet or cheap board could not fix!

I got this far before I could not reach any more without a ladder...and it stayed that way for the better part of 6 months...and went about my business...the wooden orchard ladder leaning on the house was beyond my comprehension...NO WAY was I shimmying up the side of a house on that thing....

My Honey finally borrowed a ladder from his family...a nice, adjustable ladder that reached to the roof...I was still not getting up there...it is a really long way down! I couldn't let go of the ladder with even one hand after I got up there...this little hut is 3 floors tall....and it felt like Mt. Everest to me....so I would go half way up...stick the pry bar up under the siding and give it a tug and then duck really fast...it was a long...slow process....It was either that or wait for Honey to do it on the weekends...I climbed, pulled and ducked a lot that week...Honey got the top most siding...and it was gone....I saved every nail...an entire 4 gallon tub....and that ugly green asphalt is now a floor in our shed.....and I have 16 pounds of green finishing nails...

That siding was in amazing condition! We did end up buying a roll of insulation to stick in the walls upstairs as you could feel the draft....the house had blown in insulation and it sunk! The ground floor has lot's!

Then came the sanding...it took 5 days and 1 roll of auto body sanding paper to get the house sanded...I had a palm sander...that lil sucker sanded that entire house...and it still works! We had been given some scaffolding and that was a great blessing, considering my aversion to the ladder...Baahaa!

Ready for Primer!! YAAAAAAAAAY!

I had been decorating , setting up and bartending all summer for the weddings in our area and I finally had saved enough money to buy the doors I wanted for the house...with what was left over I bought primer...

Before

New door!

After

and we borrowed a sprayer from the neighbor...

And my Honey went to town...we finally finished at 10p.m...that evening....aided with the headlights from our car....

It took 6 gallons of primer to cover that thirsty old cedar in two coats....

And another new door!

I don't know if any of you have noticed the details on this lil hut? the foundation is hand tooled rock...and just painting the house with the primer brought it out in all it's loveliness....

But this is where we left off for the winter...more compost pile runs for firewood and garden clean up took up the rest of the season...

The sunlight thru those doors is wonderful and I can't wait to show you the house color...and what those doors look like painted red.....

I know you are waiting...

2012-08-20T01:05:00.000-05:00

I know you all are waiting for pictures of the house...but I am going to regale you with the last of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 first...baaaaaaahaaaaaaa!

I went to my Daughters house for the months of January, February and March...she lives in Georgia... I didn't want to leave! I went from this...

To this...

In 5 hours....GREEEEEEEEEENNNN! Georgia is gorgeous...and WARM! Beautiful 75 degree January days....My Daughter and Grandkids and I had a wonderful time!

BUT...you have to go home sometime...went home to a leaking roof...and some other miscellaneous problems...SOOOOOOO...the Honey and I decided it was time to go make some money for these repairs...and to buy a piece of land in Georgia....so we could visit in the winter time....there are just things you cannot scrounge or find in piles...

We didn't want to go over the road again...we wanted somewhere you could make BIG money and then go home again...a few phone calls later...we ended up making plans to go to Wyoming...to the oilfields...we were both working in the oilfields when we met...so it was a big deja vu going back there...

Our first thought was how do you live somewhere and pay no rent...no utilities and don't have to drive back and forth to work? We settled on this...

It was sitting at the salvage yard...eight hundred bucks and lot's of bug spray later...we had a rent free home...we towed this piece to Wyoming and parked it in the yard of the oilfield company we were going to drive for...they hooked us up with free internet, sewer, water and electricity! AND THIS...is my other summer home...

I live in this most of the time...I have two summer homes and live in a gated community! I am so much cooler on line! BAAAHAAA!

There is just something about this that makes my heart flutter...(don't mind the enormous bug on the window) the smell...the noise...it is very exciting to me...

This is what I used to do in the oilfield...

I am so very glad I don't do THIS anymore! huge physical labor...it makes me tired remembering it....and there are parking issues sometimes...

Yes...those are camels...they were "parked" in Colorado...who parks camels in a semi truck lot?

So yes...I am truck driving again...but I miss my garden and my hut...but there are blessings that are being sent my way...being in the right place at the right time? I got a 2000 Yukon Denali for FIVE HUNDRED BUCKS! AND...my roof is being put on my house as I write this! so very happy about that!

Rhubarb...mmmmmm..mm.mmmmm!

2012-08-17T14:36:00.000-05:00

SeaBlueLee asked for a Rhubarb dressing recipe...this is for her!

I picked a TON of Rhubarb last year...it seems that it is finally getting the attention it deserves...beyond the ordinary strawberry rhubarb pie...I remember my Grandmother sending me out to the Rhubarb patch with a little bowl of sugar...I would sit and dip Rhubarb in that sugar in the spring sunshine til my lips puckered and I had a belly ache...wonderful memories...but what do you do with Rhubarb beyond the ordinary? I had 16 one gallon freezer bags full of it...

Well...I experimented...a lot! Hee Hee!

The first thing I made was a Rhubarb Salad dressing...OMG! It was so good!

Strawberry Rhubarb Salad Dressing...
1/8 cup honey
1/4cup water
1 cup sliced rhubarb (about 1-2 stalks)
1 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1/4 diced red onion
3 tablespoons cup white wine vinegar
Zest of 1 lemon
1/8 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil

Directions
In a medium sauce pan, stir together honey and water. Bring to a boil and add rhubarb, strawberries and onions. Continue to boil for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat and stir in vinegar and lemon zest. Simmer for 10 minutes or until reduced by half and rhubarb is tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

I didn't use the lemon zest because I didn't have any...and I didn't use Honey because I didn't have any...I used regular syrup...AND I didn't have White Wine Vinegar...I used Apple Cider Vinegar...HEE HEE!

It not only tastes good...it is really pretty! A light pink color with the consistency of a regular store bought dressing...

Pour it on fresh spinach salad...with tomatoes, chopped onion, sharp cheddar cheese and carrots and you will fall over in bliss!

I used my Alpine strawberries...out of my garden...it takes A LOT of those little berries but since I have 31 plants and they grow all summer, it wasn't a problem....I have these little berries because someone told me they were impossible to germinate and grow....hmmmm...don't ever listen to someone when they say that...I poured all the seeds in a strawberry container from Wal Mart full of potting soil and stuck them in my living room window...they all germinated...and they ALL are growing still! They are scrumptious but they have an amazing strawberry-y taste...AND they grow all season!

Alpine Strawberries lining beds...

I also made rhubarb sauce...it's like apple sauce! I put it in my Oatmeal...warm over Vanilla Ice Cream and spooned it into Vanilla Yogurt....

1 lb cubed Rhubarb
1/4 Cup water
1/2 C. Sugar
Combine all ingredients in a pot and stir together. Cover, and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the sauce is simmering, remove the lid, stir, and cook for about 5 more minutes until the rhubarb is soft. Let cool... Put it in a blender to make smooth if you like...you can also add or decrease the sugar to taste...

And last but not least....Rhubarb Sauce for Pork Roast...

4 cups cubed Rhubarb
1/2 C. Honey
1/4 C. Water
1/8 tsp Ginger (more if you like)
1/8 tsp. Onion Powder
1/8 tsp Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

Stew all ingredients together til Rhubarb is soft...mash with potato masher for a lumpy consistency for dipping or put in a blender for a smoother consistency...I used pepper like it was going out of style because I love the sweet/tart hot taste...

I glazed my roast with the sauce half way through the cooking time...LOVED it! with fresh carrots and oven roasted potatoes...

Rhubarb is just one of the many plants people tend to ignore, any more....but it is an amazingly adaptable vegetable that is usually free for the taking!

2011 in a nutshell....

2012-08-12T12:16:00.000-05:00

I am trying to catch up with 2011 so you all know what I was doing....the season was a fabulous one in the gardens and I learned many new skills! I still have to expound upon the virtues of sheet mulching...this is the garden in 2010...

This is the flower garden in 2011...

I revamped this garden with the new doo dads I got from the salvage yard for two ducks! I didn't plant anything in this garden this year...except for sunflower seeds....

This is all what came up out of the dirt in June!

I haven't weeded....watered....NOTHING!

There were flowers in there that I planted in 2010 that came up this year...forgot about them!

It was absolutely gorgeous and offered a cutting garden that filled the house daily with fresh flowers....

In addition...the veggie garden was fantastic!

Onions...

I am still learning how to plant in succession so I have fresh vegetables and then have another crop for storage in the fall...

I got some interesting vegetables this year...my Honey called this one the "MAN" squash....

I have seen many of these hanging from the pick ups in Texas........BAAAAAAAHAAAA!

The crops came in in 5 gallon buckets and bushel apple baskets....

The girls loved to take dust baths....

We also went and picked up a small chicken coop made by George Neill that we thought would be an excellent rabbit hutch! His skill at building this little hutch made me smile! It's soooo cute!

We moved the duck pen and made a bigger one...complete with a pallet fence....

My Honey rebuilt the foundation on the back porch and we took the walls down to add electricity...

We did, however, take SOME time out to enjoy the beautiful summer afternoons...

When fall rolled around...I took First Place in the Antique Tractor Pull....at Pumpkin Fest!

I also learned the art of bartering...hee hee! I received two free freezers...big ones! I put them in the shed and filled them to overflowing...the first thing I bartered for was meat...I gave the neighbor all the squash and zuchini he could put in his pick up...and in return, he promised me a certain amount of meat for the winter...he baits the bears and deer with these fruits...

yep...and here he is....I didn't get to see the deer..it came in a box....roasts, brats, sausage and steaks....

I also traded Apple Butter Jam for Apples...thirty 5 gallon buckets full! and made apple butter, apple sauce and Crap Apple Butter....

OH! and Rhubarb...and Blackberries!

This Rhubarb made the best Rhubarb salad dressing I have ever tasted! it also makes awesome sauce for Pork Roast!

My neighbor gave me plums and I canned 7 quarts of Plum Sauce for use on Duck! YUM!

Can't forget Mayonnaise...nothing beats it fresh with a hint of garlic...

I learned how to make Artisan bread from fresh ground wheat berries...we ate the whole loaf in one sitting it was so good!

We of course butchered chickens and ducks for the winter....and I sold some at a whopping forty bucks a piece for Thanksgiving!

Winter rolled around and we had so much food!

and too much snow!

It has been a year...

2012-08-10T11:39:00.002-05:00

Hello All!

I know it has been a really long time...and I have missed you all! My computer got a virus that took out my keyboard on my laptop in addition to some other miscellaneous items and programs...it was a three hundred dollar fix or buy a new laptop!

I never knew how much this blog would mean to me...or how much it would cost when I started it for the ladies on Rate My Space...I never factored it into my lifestyle or thought it would be so complicated to keep a form of trustworthy internet in such a rural place...my sympathies to the folks that struggle with that! I think it is the ONLY thing I agree with Mr. President Obama about...he had a wish to provide internet to EVERYONE!

I am not going into the details of the struggles I have faced in the last year...I survived and that is what is most important, Hee Hee!

I have persevered with my little hut and was hoping to just stay there and out of the big, wide world but it seems that that world just encroaches and seems to want to make me pay in big green dollars instead of living the lifestyle I choose!

Anyways...on to the house and garden...I am going to start where I left off...

Remember when I started talking about sheet mulch gardening? and how my front flower beds and vegetable garden were all started with this kind of "dirt making"? In March of 2011, the snow started melting... I started with taking the rest of the siding off the house and planting seeds in the basement under lights...

I had been throwing all the chicken manure and straw...and the household veggie scraps in the compost bin...it was decided that I needed another bed..why mow when you can grow?

There was an enormous wild rose bush...it must of been beautiful at one time...maybe...but it was a horrible eyesore and garbage collector! The thorns were so thick and the bush was so rampant it was 20 feet around and 3 feet tall in the middle of my yard! I sent the Honey out there with a chainsaw...and then with a rototiller...and then...I piled 10 pallets on top of it and lit it on fire...it was STILL GROWING! Nothing killed that beast! I collected cardboard for two weeks and decided to just sheet mulch over the top of it...I piled all the little rocks and broken bricks from the post holes I had dug.. tree trimmings, logs...anything I could find for drainage and then covered rosebush, rocks and all...with 10 inches of cardboard....then grass trimmings...then 6 bales of moldy straw...then grass...then chicken manure...coffee filters, egg shells, veggie trimmings...ANYTHING!

and I mowed around it to kill the little suckers the bush was sending out...and by June...I got this...a big, ugly pile of...stuff...it wasn't all decomposed...it looked like a compost heap but it smelled wonderful...like forest dirt..and you could still see the coffee filters that hadn't decomposed...the Honey had found an old coffee can of seeds in the cabin...from the late 70's and early 80's....pumpkin and zuchini mostly...and I was pretty sure they wouldn't grow...and I was NOT sacrificing MY precious seeds to an experiment...so I planted those old seeds in this pile...

Hmmmm...I had pumpkins and zuchini coming out my ears....and no more rosebush! The best part about it? the snow that was melting left it so wet that I didn't have to water it...AT ALL...not one drop...

In addition...do you all remember the other beds I was making?

Well...those turned out even BETTER!

This is..was...the start of my tomato garden...the deer were decimating my crops...and I needed something they could not get into...same combination...alternating spoiled straw with grass...and some chicken manure/straw combo...same veggie scraps...coffee grounds plus filters...lined it with rocks and scored a truck load of wood chips from the city compost pile...

I scored old fencing from the back yard along the alley...it was buried in the dirt...and the posts are treated landscape timbers...they are 2 dollars a piece if you buy the crooked ones at any lumber store...but I got mine from the plywood plant for 1.00 a piece...scrounging chicken wire was another ordeal...I ended up buying a roll...to the tune of $39.00...that just burnt my arse but it was worth it!

I had no fencing in for the first month, just the skeleton...but look at them go! After procuring the chicken wire..I could only afford one roll...but I did have a roll of orange construction netting...lol!

and a door...and a scrounged bunch of doo dads from the auto salvage place...he gave me an entire truckload of old wash tubs, enamel ware, hinges.....just awesome vintage ware for ....get this...TWO DUCKS!

And here it is at the height of summer...

It was tomatogeddon in there!

Pumpkins growing up the fence...

Painting the house...

2011-05-28T10:18:00.000-05:00

I want to paint the exterior of my house this summer....and I have been thinking really hard about color...the original color of this hut is white...but most of the houses in this town are white or some modern color of beige-brown...if they have been fixing up their house...boring!

I really want a neat color...and I have always loved red...I don't want a read house per se...but something close to it....

I was surfing the net the other day...came across this house...it looks a lot like mine...

I LOOOOVE the color...and LOOOOVE the white trim...

What do you think about a cranberry colored hut?

ROLL CALL!

2011-05-26T07:52:00.000-05:00

I was just refreshing myself with all the news since I have been utterly self absorbed for the past week and a half!
My God...the weather is horrendous STILL! I think all of you....should move up to the UP with me...that way...no tornadoes, no drought...no flooding...Long winters but do- able....

Hoping all of you are well...my heart has been stuck in my throat since catching up on everything... please...again...forgive my selfish ways and send me a "HERE"...so we know you are all right! So many of you live in the path of this devastation!

WOW! Has it really...

2011-05-25T12:46:00.000-05:00

been twelve days? I have been running around like crazy! This last two weeks has been the city wide garage sale and spring cleaning...I have been digging thru lot's and lot's of piles and ending up with some great treasures!

In addition I have been readying my garden for planting, cleaning up my yard, helping others get their gardens in...attending church 3 days a week..raising baby ducklings, hatching chicks...and trying to save my cabin from destruction...finishing my garden fencing and re-arranging cold frames...

My yard last week ...did not amount to much...it looked like it did when I first planted it...a mound of dirt with little green things poking up in it

...BUT! 5 days later?

It is really starting to take off and fill in!

I think this year...it is finally going to be a true cottage garden...I have started a picket fence and have some plans for some bushes to fill it in for year round interest...

I redid the corner bed...it had a wheel barrow in it at first but it never did look good to me...

so this is what I did...I dug around in the cabin...as we were cleaning it out and tearing the ceiling down anyway...and this is what I found to put in this bed..

I thought these old army boots planted with Hens and Chicks were so fun! The wash tubs are going to be full of some flowery, colorful goodness and the watering cans too!

It is starting to fill in quite nicely too! I had no idea I had so many plants in there as it looked so naked at first! The stump is one of my favorite things...I planted roses in front of it and in the top of it...it was filled with ant compost...beautiful black dirt and the rose seems to love it!

I wanted to throw in some tips about lasagna gardening too...I helped some families do this last week and they are still going at it diligently...collecting things and making awesome beds that you do NOT have to roto- til and rarely weed...plants love them! as you can see from just my flower beds!

This is what I do to start a new bed....

Lay down a thick layer of cardboard....lay it right on top of the grass or weeds...no need to dig up any sod or anything...it will smother the weeds and feed the dirt....line it with something you love...landscape timbers...railroad ties...rocks...get it really wet...another layer...in my case I used my chicken bedding...

but you can use anything considered a carbon...straw...leaves...dried grass...anything brown...get it really wet...then a green layer...green grass, freshly mowed...table scraps....manure(fresh)...alfalfa hay...wet it...then a layer of brown...wet it ...then green...wet it...then brown..wet it...

then green...you can intersperse layers of compost even if it is not fully done...and top it off with a 1/2 inch layer of dirt, compost...aged manure, etc....if you want but you do not have to...you can plant the same day you make the bed...if you are going to do this...separate the layers down to the cardboard and throw in a small amount of dirt or plant the seedling with the potting soil attached to it and you are ready to sit back and watch the biggest vegetables and flowers you have ever seen sprout forth! Your brown layers should be twice as thick as your green layers...but it is not an absolute...I used straw...compost..grass clipping and leaves...to make mine...I just kept adding a little at a time as I came upon materials...and I planted my artichokes in them 3 days ago...they are VERY happy and I just put the last layer on today...my bed was about 24 inches tall but in about 2 months the cardboard will be gone because worms LUH HUV cardboard and it will have composted down to beautiful black dirt with no weeds...you can also do this in containers instead of buying potting soil....a little bit of grass clippings or leaves make great mulch...I rarely have to water my gardens...

Artichoke

If you want to start seeds just put an inch layer of dirt on top and flatten it...throw down your seeds and water...

Here is my veggie garden to date...I have Broccoli...Cauliflower...Onions, Radishes...Lettuce, Kohlrabi...Peas...Spinach...Turnips..Beets, Rutabagas and Brussels Sprouts growing already!

I have, in my travels to various sales and piles lately netted some cool garden stuff like this flag pole holder...I put one in the front yard and one as the focal point and trellis in the Potager (Put-a- zhay) Garden....

Cauliflower

Egyptian walking onions

One of the best parts about this garden? I can enjoy it from here...

Even though it is not put back together yet? It is a joy to sit in and it is actually exuding that English Cottage ambiance I have been after...

Hello my peeps!

2011-05-13T19:38:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share these brand new little peeps with you two days ago but Blogger has been down and inaccessible!

I have to say...this was an amazing experience...the first one hatched out without me seeing...I looked in the incubator and there he was...laying on his back looking at me...I thought he was dead at first and then he just started rolling around all over the place...

I did get the second hatch on video....

This is after both were hatched and I stuck them in the brooder to dry off...a lot of the video and pictures are blurry because the humidity in the incubator has to be so high that it fogged the glass...

I am just so tickled to have these new little ducklings! and I am going to try and hatch chickens next!

We ARE HAVING A BABY!

2011-05-10T21:08:00.000-05:00

Well...BABIES....DUCK babies...

About a month ago, we decided to try our hands at making an egg incubator...we had an old copper box with a light bulb and cord already wired into it...in fact...it was used as our first refrigerator...that is a different story, though! LOL!

We cut a hole in the top for a viewing panel and screwed a piece of old plexiglas to the lid so we could see what was going on in there...next we insulated with sheet board insulation and installed a hot water thermostat on the side...

drilled airholes... installed wire mesh above the light...added water bowls for humidity and put in a 40 watt lightbulb...WALAH...incubator...

Well...it takes 21 days for chickens to hatch and 28 days for duck eggs to hatch.....for the last month, I have faithfully been monitoring my eggs...turning them three times a day and really looking after them...I even read up on candling...which is holding the egg up to a light and actually looking inside the egg...

There were definately baby ducks in there...you could see their heart beating and the outlines of their little beaks!

well...my 28 days came and went...nothing was happening...this is a critical time...I was thinking that all of them had died...and just as I was about to throw out these eggs...thinking it was a total failure...my Honey begged for two more days... til Thursday Baby Doll...just wait til Thursday!...and then.this happened today...

The eggs were pipping! Those lil babies were peeping and breaking thru the shells!

I peeped at them...and they peeped back at me!

I have six eggs in there...and only two are viable...but those little duckies are breaking out!

My little Pekin Hen is sitting on a clutch too...I wasn't sure if she was going to be a good Mama or not...but that little girl is being the best broody Mama EVER!

And the Drake? He puts anything that gets near her on the run! He is quite obnoxious...he went from friendly little duck to flying at you and chasing you...and don't even bother talking to her...

If all this works out? I will have hatched two duckies and she will hav 13! Chickens are next...we need a crop of fifty for next years meat supply...

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T08:34:00.000-05:00

Not having a Mother myself...makes today all the more special for me...I have been blessed with many wonderful children in my life...but my Daughter Stephanie is my best friend and an extraordinary Mother herself...

She gave me this little guy first....

and then?

This little girl....

Being a Mother is an incredible experience...and being a Grand Mother? Even more so....

Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful Daughter Stephanie....and to all the Mama's out there!

Craaazy week and a kitchen update!

2011-05-05T09:55:00.002-05:00

First I have to thank Inga at Ingas Haven for an AWARD! She gave me the Liebster Blog award! :o)

Liebster means Sweet Heart in German...and this is the information I gleaned on how it came about...according to this kind lady....

"Some time (in the recent past), somewhere (rumor has it that it might be Germany), someone (I am guessing he/she was named Liebster) decided to do something nice for a whole lot of bloggers and started the Liebster Blog Award."

"The value behind this award is for us to get to know other bloggers who might not be well known, yet have a lot to share. And we see that. This is not about growing your list of followers (believe me, it won’t happen), but of building a community."

I love being part of the blogging community!

THANK YOU INGA!

This past week has been a wee bit nuts! In between trying to finish the kitchen, the living room and helping others get their gardens in place...as well as my own garden...spring has sprung intermittently in the UP...it is 60 degrees out one day....and snowing 7 inches the next day! I have also become....a NON SMOKER after 30 years....AND I have given up coffee...two pots a day for 20 some years...the first week was very hard for me...but I just could not tolerate the smell any more...it really bothered me...I have an uncanny sense of smell...even for being a long term smoker...and the odor is what finally made me quit...

I am still putting pieces together in the house but my efforts have been outside this past week...

The kitchen is far from done...as with everything in the recycle, re-purpose...re-use department...waiting for the right stuff to appear can take a while...but the floors...oooooh....I love them....what a difference they made...

I still have to caulk some in the living room and put another coat on it... I just couldn't take any more sanding, scraping, painting or caulking this last week...so it is on hold...

The kitchen, however...I am in love with...the floor is finished in there...as well as some of the other details...

As you all have probably been noticing...we have begun making countertops in the kitchen out of the pallets.. and the other two found table legs that match the sink skirt....I did not want traditional cabinets on the bottom...after having just the one for awhile...I noticed that it made my kitchen look smaller...so I really wanted open shelving...but with animals, having dishes and what not on shelves close to the floor was not happening...I was not prepared to clean dust and hair out of my dishes or food stuffs every time I wanted to use them... so we opted for one shelf...18 inches from the floor and....a drawer...I was originally thinking baskets but I needed something sturdier...I asked my Honey to make me a drawer to fit under there...on wheels with three compartments...I thought I would put root veggies in there since you shouldn't put them in the fridge and I was really tired of chasing them around in the pantry....oh...and it had to look like an old wood crate...;o)

I have a a couple of old galvanized garbage cans headed for the scrap yard... they have the most interesting galvanized D-ring handles on them....What do you think? I was sure they would be perfect for this old crate/drawer.... but maybe I am just tetched in the head...I need help on this one!

But as to the rest of the kitchen...

Every time I walk into my kitchen? I just smile...it is so bright...and so very cute...and the decision to take down that drywall? was a GREAT decision...it looks like it should...and it has such a roomy...airy...happy feel to it...cleaning is a breeze...a quick broom...a quick damp mop...with a little vinegar? and back to shiny tidy whitey...

My Honey...the first time he saw it? He said..."It looks like our house grew!" The illusion is amazing...it really does look waaay bigger inside!

Guest post...GIRLS GONE TRASHY!

2011-04-29T21:19:00.000-05:00

HEY ALL! My absolute hero...and my first blog experience....Phelan...from A Homesteading Neophyte asked me to guest post on her new blog Girls Gone Trashy! I was absolutely flabbergasted...when I was out on my truck wishing away for a piece of dirt to call my own...I was feverishly looking up canning articles to refresh my memory...well, one such article about canning referred back to a "blog"...I had no idea at that time what one even was! My first glimpse at what a blog was...was a picture...of a "person"....sitting on a goat...you will have to go look at her banner...I believe...at the time...the picture was labeled..."does this goat make my butt look big?" I was hooked...

Ever since the day I found this Neophyte? I have faithfully read anything and everything Phelan has written...

She is a self proclaimed "death metal homesteading chick"...super liberal...Mom of three boys...wife of 13 years... and homesteader for 10 years...there is no stone left unturned by Phelan...she has no fear of trying...and she also has no fear in telling you like it is...no fuzzy bunnies...no red balloons...just the facts... and one of the things that I love most about her and her blog? Her interpretations... her forthright...nitty gritty...down to Earth HONESTY...

She has...for the last 5 years...let America see EXACTLY what it is like to live the life...

Imagine my surprise when THE Neophyte showed up here and commented...and then? THEN? she asked me to post on her new blog? My eyeballs bugged outta my head! I wrote about my fencing...I think...on a homestead...fencing is the number one expense issue...especially if you have a large property...

Go check out Girls Gone Trashy and A Homesteading Neophyte Super fun sites with amazing homesteading ideas and anything and everything about how to do it!

Taking pallets apart...

2011-04-25T18:14:00.000-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday!

I have been caught up in so many things my head is still spinning! I am going to be getting together with the Homeschool Mom's I told you all about and teach them how to do a Lasagna garden on Thursday...I am so excited! We got about 7 inches of snow Saturday...so of course when it decided to be nice for Easter...my garden was flooded again! AND I had just started to put my tomato garden together ! I have decided instead of grass? I am going to grow something worthwhile on every square inch of this place!

After scraping off last winter's chicken bedding? I have about 3 ft of beautiful black compost! It's amazing that you don't have to dig, you just throw down layers...water...throw a little compost on...BAM...instant garden!

Christie had asked about some info on how to take the pallets apart? Well! Me and the Honey just took apart about 60 of them today......so I did some quick video's on how to do that... for the small pallet's, if you want the wood to come apart in tact, you really need to have a sawzall with a metal cutting blade...otherwise? the wood splinters as the nails have little "teeth" on them!

This is one of the big pallets...it is from the Jeldwen Door guy...

The big pallets have 2x4's, 1x4's, 1x2's and some 1x6's on them...they are the best for building...the small pallets? they make awesome compost bins, potato bins and firewood storage...all you have to do is screw them together and you have a beautiful cube...I put hinges on one pallet to make a gate into the bins..that way, I don't have to try and shovel anything out of the top...

It has been crazy here...My kitchen was in my living room...now? my living room is in my kitchen...the prep work to paint floors is a long process...It should be over and done with this week...I can't wait to show you all!

The ultimate in recycling...repurposing and re-using!

2011-04-20T09:59:00.001-05:00

I was over at Granny's Place first thing this morning and she has a sale going on...

She makes purses, make up bags...shopping totes....OUT OF RECYCLED PLASTIC!

Granny's Place Plarn Bags

Now...I have heard of plarn on the net and I have been interested in the uses for it...BUT I have never...EVER...seen something as cute as these made out of it...EVERYTHING on the bag is recycled...

I detest Walmart bags...the only good use I have found for them? insulation in my chicken coop wall...(yes, I stuffed all the walls in my chicken coop with balled up Walmart shopping bags)...I had no idea what else to do with them...they seem to pile up into an enormous ball and they keep getting moved around and around...because I refuse to throw them in the garbage...we have an amazing amount of plastic waste in this world, it is one of my biggest pet peeves...

You can buy cheap totes for grocery shopping at most grocery stores now...I will not buy those either...I love the idea of a re-usable shopping bag but the quality of those totes are poor...

Granny has made something beautiful out of something incredibyly ugly....

Granny's Place Plarn Bags

What a beautiful addition to your summer wardrobe...I can imagine how strong and durable these totes are...and how easy they would be to wash...

I am amazed...this is the ultimate in recycling, re-purposing and re-using!

Prayers for all..

2011-04-17T12:46:00.000-05:00

To All...

...my thoughts and prayers are with you..daily...but especially in light of the horrific weather we are all experiencing...the storms in the South..the winds in Kansas, the brittle drought in Texas...among many others...I count you all as friends and family...you share my home...my hopes, my dreams, my successes...and my failures...as well as sharing yours... with me....I am finding myself, every minute... since the dawn of this day...praying for your safety and the safety and well being of your families...

God Bless all of you...

Lisa

More on the kitchen...and DATE NIGHT!

2011-04-16T10:45:00.000-05:00

I have been so involved in my kitchen...it is really hard when you tear your kitchen apart...there are so many details! Well, we got down to one detail that had not dawned on me yet....we have to move the stove...

When that thought finally entered my brain...I glanced sideways at my one and only...he was was happily working on trim, humming away.....every once in awhile, thru out the day, I would find that he had wrote something on the paper that I had covered the table with...cuz he is sweet like that...little notes...little faces...well, I finally got up the nerve to mention the fact that we had to move the stove...and I turned around to tell him...he was writing something on the paper..

."Honey?"..."yes, Baby Doll?"...."We have to move the stove..."
See the little marks thru the heart?
He said absolutely nothing...he just took his little pen...looked me dead in the eye...reached over...and scratched two marks thru the heart! Hmmmm...I guess I know how he feels about moving the stove, I might as well have said we need to move the house! HEE HEE! It made me laugh to see his face...he made up for it after...

My stove weighs 800 pounds...and I do love it so! but to move it? takes a super human act....we decided to use a roller system and a lever to lift it up to put the rollers under it...afterall...my pea brain thought...it only has to move 3 feet...I just could not live with the carboard and duct tape that I knew was under there...I didn't get a chance to do anything with that part of the floor before my Honey and all his friends came to move it into the house for heat in October 2009...

We hoisted it up with the pipe we used as a lever, that pipe? is now bent beyond use...a 5 ft long piece of galvanized steal pipe...I did only set the stove down one time... on my Honey's finger...(that is why I decided I was working the lever this time, no way was I sticking my hand under there to install the rollers! Yes, we have been thru this before, lol!)

This is what the floor looked like underneath the stove...cardboard actually melted into the floor from the previous owner not having a heat barrier...and duct tape residue from whoever duct taped the rugs to the floor...

It took the better part of 3 hours to get it all off...in the end? we decide just to prime that part quickly and put the stove back, my life was in an uproar without my stove! I can live with the rest of the kitchen gone but the stove? I can't live without it, I was totally lost!

After sanding and scraping and sanding and scraping for two days...moving that stove...we finally got to prime the floor in the kitchen! Aaah...the last frontier...to being DONE!

While waiting for it to dry...we decided we needed a few hours out of the house...where do you go in a tiny town when the streets roll up at 4 p.m/? and you have paint all over yourself? Well...on a date of course...to the COMPOST PILE! We elected to forego the tradition of Little Ceasars Pizza...for those of you that haven't read that post? (You can read that here) We had a tradition last summer...we would hop in the truck...grab two Little Ceasar's Pizza's and cruise the City Compost Pile...it seems that it has become our favorite place...to gather building materials and garden waste...and lot's and lot's of other things....

I was absolutely thrilled to see that the gates were open...

There was so much stuff here already! An enormous pile of wood chips for mulch....

An old bread box...

with built in cutting board...

A roll of webbing...

Some neat old boards for some of those "new fangled" vintage signs....complete with awesome paint!

A couple of old wire baskets...
A huge pile of bricks....

and some brand new plywood for my cold frames...

An enormous pile of sticks for tomato cages and kindling...

And in that pile of sticks? Shoe base...molding...for the bottom of my mop boards!

An antique high chair...

AND....a load of free firewood...

All in all...it was the best date of the year!

Yacking at the neighbors...

2011-04-12T08:46:00.001-05:00

I noticed yesterday...that my neighbor to the North was doing a huge amount of work to his house...not cosmetic repairs...but insulation, roofing, windows, doors...and being the ~~nosy~~ inquisitive sort that I am? I went to talk to him....I found out some amazing information...he and his wife had gotten on a list in our county for FREE weatherization....I asked him if it was a Welfare program...nope...they are far above the parameters for public assistance...they both work and make decent money...

I immediately called up one of the City Officials...and he referred me to a gentleman that could answer all my questions...

It seems that our Government...has set to work in 96% of America's counties with a program called Community Action...under The Recovery Act...this program? designates funds for home weatherization (insulation, windows, doors...energy efficient refrigerators, hot water heaters) ...fuel for heat (wood, fuel oil, propane, gas)...and Rehabilitation (roofing, siding, foundations, electrical...)

There are a lot of programs...mostly for the poor...food, heat and electrical assistance...but this weatherization? sets the income levels to apply at approximately $48,000 a year for a family of four... It is our President's effort in creating fuel efficiency...and leaning towards a greener planet...

I must admit...I am ignorant of other states...folks' income...how people live...but for here? $48,000 a year for a family of four? set's you up into the "upper middle class" category...and you would probably live in one of the nicest homes in town...

I went and talked with my other neighbors...this Agency? helped them buy their house...they have a program that will match you dollar for dollar for 12 months...every dollar you save? they will match it towards a down payment (there is a limit but that is the limit for my specific county)...

The rehabilitation of a home includes several enormous undertakings such as foundation repair, updating electrical, replacing a roof...they place a 100% deferred, 0% interest mortgage on your house... you can pay it back a little at a time or a lot, depending on what you want to do...but it is never due unless you sell your house...

For all that are renting? this is worth a look...

I am providing the information for my county if you are interested...Community Action....it might help lead you to your own county...you can't beat free...and my Community Action representative? said that in my county, enough money was designated for every house here! it is not just for the needy...

If someone could help you buy a home...and then help you weatherize it and fix it up? it would beat renting every time! For some...this program might mean the difference between being a renter and a homeowner...or sleeping with a pan on your head to catch the rain drops...

My hope for everyone...is to be their own Dilletante Proprietor...and this economy has made a lot of proprietor's and hopeful proprietor's....homeless...I think about all the single ladies out there with kids...and men that have lost their jobs... and I think there is still a way to live the American Dream...and I will never stop searching for it...

Let's talk about pallets....

2011-04-09T21:14:00.002-05:00

You see them everywhere...I used to haul everything you can imagine around on them...piled sky high behind Walmart...by every dumpster of every store in town...I...LOVE...THEM!

Pallet's have become gold to me...especially in a world where money is non existent and lumber prices are horrendously high!

I have been filling holes...cracks...mending corners, glueing...puttying, caulking...for two days...the moulding in this house has not been off the walls for about 60 years...and it cracked...and some of the corners broke...and when the drywall was removed, the moulding was the wrong length...It took forever because this stuff is irreplaceable...and I had to do it bit by bit...very carefully...

the first moulding I took off? was around the ceiling, to get those disgusting tiles off of my coveted beadboard ceilings...All of the original moulding to this house is 1x4 Jack Pine...the stuff I took off the ceiling? it is newer, probably from the 50's..when they installed the drywall...it was so brittle, it cracked and broke too and most of it was beyond saving...the trim in the living room is original, it had never been taken off, there wasn't one scrap of paint or wall paper behind it...

Except the stuff on the ceiling, it was just little thin crown moulding, well, a bit of it is now repurposed to the top of my cupboards...I got a lot of advice on crown moulding or cove moulding being "correct" for this house's era..and it probably is...but after removing all of mine? The 1x4 moulding made the most sense to me... as to original... for THIS house...

1x4's....I really believe they are what was put in this house as trim the day it was built...

WELL!

Have you priced those lil hummer's lately? I have...We went to the lumber yard...1x4's 8ft long (knots and dog legs included in price) $8.29 a PIECE! For my kitchen? it would cost me $84.00 and change just to line my kitchen ceiling again...that is more than 10% of the cost that I paid for my house! and that was utility grade lumber...not the nicer stuff!

This was Louis' reaction when I told him about lumber prices...

ENTER....................PALLETS!

Our stash... eat your heart out lumber yard!

We have been collecting them for a solid two months after our lumber "experience"...these are not the ones you see stacked sky high behind Walmart or all over town though...they are pallets from businesses like the Jeld Wen Door guy and Auto Body Shops and Window stores...they are built out of 2x4, 2x6 and...1x4's! and they are very easy to get apart...they are straight, they do have nail holes in them and they do have some knots...and imperfections...but from the picture above of the original moulding and the plank wall imperfections? they fit right in! Picking thru our pile has netted us moulding for our entire house!

Not to mention...

And...here is where the other pallets come in...

This flippin' bush has been the scourge of my existence for a year and some now...it is an enormous rose bush that grows everywhere, which wouldn't be so bad if it didn't catch and hang on to every plastic bag in the neighborhood.....I have tried to cut it out, roto-til it out, kill it off with weed killer...and it just hangs on...well...as of today? its gone...

I built my compost bins out of this kind of pallet...and plan to make a potato bin this year...both kinds have enormous value! And both kinds? ARE FREE!

Progress...AND A WELCOME!

2011-04-06T16:07:00.003-05:00

HELLO!

Before I update you all on the kitchen? I want to welcome all our new folks to The Dilletante Proprietor! I never knew...in October 2009... when I decided to put this decrepit house on Rate My Space... how much support I would receive in doing this endeavor....your comments...your insights? They are crucial and inspirational to my stumble in learning how to decorate, find, use, re-use, recycle and make my home into something I love! My Ladies that have been with me from the very beginning have become my closest friends...they know that I am a tight wad... cheap...will try to do anything... I am a short, crazy haired nut that just loves to decorate by spending nothing or almost nothing....and that I am a clean freak...even though I bought the dirtiest house in America...

What you have to say and your opinions mean everything to me! afterall? what is cheaper than free advice? Hee Hee! and I have gotten loads of excellent, meaningful advice on this blog! as well as new knowledge, know how and new skills from reading all of YOUR blogs! I hear that I inspire some and I want you all to know you greatly inspire ME!

On to the kitchen! As Sandi noted in her comment...there are some new changes in the kitchen as well as the cottage plank walls (soon to come!)...and there were some questions as to why take the drywall down? Here is a little of the damage...not terribly noticeable but it drove me nuts! It was water damage from the roof leaking and who knew what damage was sustained underneath the drywall...not to mention...I HAVE ELECTRICITY! Real plugins...light SWITCHES....not pull cords or extension cords...or unplugging the coffee pot to plug in the microwave...THAT was the kicker to me braving that BLUE PAPERRRRR....RRR!

When we got the house, anything beyond basic electricity was not an option...terribly expensive and we would have to literally take down walls to take out the old post and tube and rewire it...when that drywall came off? I could very carefully pry two of the three layers of planks off to allow access for wire! We have collected Romex, switches, plugins, etc from curb boxes...friends...relatives...and saved them all...the additional cost to rewire my entire kitchen? $40 bucks! Since electricity scares the crap outta me, I splurged for a brand new roll of wire...

I am so glad this part is over...

I love my cupboards...they are old, sturdy....free...and fit the era of my kitchen to perfection...The small one is very tall...and the other very wide...it had another section to it (you can see that here) but it was enormous and would not allow for space under the countertop that was non existent at the time... but in the plans! I had to guess where to hang them...well, since they came off the wall to remove the dry wall and blue paper...we could again...hang them anywhere we wanted! I chose to put the smaller cupboard all the way to the ceiling this time... to allow for space between it and the countertop...

Look at that snow white ceiling!

The space between it and the ceiling with them hung the old way? was just enough to irritate you...nothing would fit up there and the things that did fit...you could only see half of...not to mention the webs and dust that had collected up there? EWWWW!

The large cabinet we hung in the exact same spot...it was perfect where it was..with one exception...the space between it and the ceiling...here was my solution...about a year ago, while perusing blogs for ideas...(I didn't even have cabinets then)...I came across a blog called The Lettered Cottage...they had taken builder grade cabinets and made them incredibly special by adding some plywood and molding...

Guess what? I have pallets! They have plywood on them! I have moulding! My Honey thought I had lost my mind...he couldn't see it at all...but he, being the sweetest cupboard door maker in the world? Just did it anyway...he really likes it now...

I still have to add the little moulding and paint them...but it gives the cabinet great perspective and it really matches the other one in height now!

Pssst...I have a complete wall done...

The sun that shines off the kitchen walls now is wonderful! The texture is delightful...and the vintage look is incredible...love, love LUH HUV IT! The planks have actually made my kitchen look bigger and taller!

I WAS FEATURED!

2011-04-05T08:51:00.002-05:00

Good Morning! Today I woke up feeling like my arms were gonna fall off from scraping and painting... and sat down to check the weather on my computer....it has been about blizzarding here for two days! Well...I was dragging my behind until I clicked to our blog...

RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF ME...was a feature in one of my favorite blogs...it was US! THE DILLETANTE PROPRIETOR!

I cannot tell you how excited...honored...thrilled...I am! Makes me want to whip this hut into shape all in one day! LOL!

The The DIY Showoff is a place where you can learn amazing skills...there are 4412 people that follow it and more than that that contribute their art, skills and crafts for you to learn how to do things on your own...it has been instrumental in my stumble thru this hut! If I don't know how to do something, I travel...to the web and take inspiration and knowledge from all of these wonderful people...there is no "can't do" or "don't know how to" on these pages...just honest Americans like us that have a WANT to do...

We all know? not all of Lisa's projects are successful...I seem to have Visions(delusions?) of Grandeur sometimes! Hee Hee! But my dream is still the same...I think that Americans can have anything they want through hard work and determination...not thousands of dollars....

Roeshel, the original DIY Show Off called me a Diva....

If you could all see me most of the time...for example...I put on make up not too long ago and did my hair, dressed in my old holey truck driving jeans and my truck driving sweatshirt...and lo and behold, my little teacher friend came over to visit....she looked dumbfounded and "wow, you going out on a date tonight?" popped outta her mouth....that is how bad this Diva looks most of the time! LOL! I actually didn't have paint, tar, dirt or ash on my face...

Most of the time? I look like this crazy lady!( and I took this picture off here three times before I actually told myself to get over it! ) Obviously no one cares what I look like! I know why the neighbors wouldn't talk to me at first....but they do now and they are used to my crazy hair and dirty face!

One day...I will be able to get outta bed...take a bath and actually look like a girl again....but for now? I am just a Dilletante! and I am happy with that....

Well, back to the grindstone...I wish you all a beautiful and blessed day!