this says it all..

 

my neck of the woods…

I’m glad to report we seem to be over Covid and all of its unpleasant little side effects - I can actually make it through the day without feeling like I need to take just one more nap (not that there’s anything wrong with naps - trust me, it’s a delightful way to spend part of a Sunday afternoon!)

We finally received some much-needed rain, everything has been so dry for weeks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the combines turn over this much dust in the fields. 

My daughter and I spied some terrific things at a couple of local antique stores, and slowly, but surely, the fall decorating has begun!

Would you believe me if I told you the pumpkin on top of the cupboard that says Happy Fall, it’s from last fall?  I’ve found that the variety called Hot Chocolate will last at least two seasons – I don’t do anything special, I just take them to the basement, place them on wire baking racks, and leave them alone. Now, after a couple of seasons, they do dry up, but also, they become the best spooky-looking Halloween pumpkins! 

If you’ve had a chance to read Robin’s blog over at The Cranky Crow, (do, it’s terrific!) you already know she shared her family history as it goes back to The Salem Witch Trials - a fascinating read that really intrigued me. I started doing some digging through my own family tree and was surprised to find that I also had ancestors that perished at that time…Elizabeth Howe and George Jacobs, Sr. in Salem, and George Jacobs, Jr. in an unknown location. History has always captivated me, and I’ll be doing a lot more reading about them over the winter.

Well, it’s time to get keep moving with the day - veggies and pumpkins to pick,

walks to take with Bailey, 

while laughing at our tall shadows! 

Hope all is well - happy Monday, friends! 

bouncing back..

 

Slowly we’re getting over COVID - this time the fatigue has been incredibly hard to shake. And to be honest, we’re still moving a bit slow. 

However; there is much to do, so as Winston Churchill said:

So true!

Soon I’ll fill you in on what I’ve been up to (which truly, only involves going from the garden to the kitchen, and then trying to clean up the mess that results when going from the garden to the kitchen!)

Hope all is well where you are and that you’re enjoying the welcome change of seasons. The September MaryJane’s Farm Post is now up if you’d like to swing by and read it - below is the link.

Thanks for stopping by!

Rural Farmgirl Blog

Really?

So much to do…

apples to pick, 

sauce to can,

sunsets to enjoy,

and, quite frankly - USPS to wrangle for delivering a package that looks like THIS - Grrrrrr!

So what’s stopping me from getting my work done?  COVID has hit yet again. My daughter and I are doing our best to fight it, but this time it’s rough. What’s the daily routine? Juice, toast, herbal tea, movies, reading, and nap time with Bailey!

LOVE 

THIS 

FACE!!!

Just what the doctor ordered :)

the cupboard is home!

 

Yay - happy dance - over the moon - tickled pink! You name it, that’s how I feel! 

Like the joy felt spying the twinkle of far away stars on a summer’s eve!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned I was on the search for an old cupboard – one that would hold all of my scrapbooks. It was a tall order, the shelves would need to be 14 inches deep and everything I came across just wouldn’t work.

And although the rules have recently changed, luckily for me at the time, Facebook Marketplace would let me look at items for sale, but without a Facebook account, I couldn’t message the seller. I found a cupboard that looked like it had promise, and smart gal that she was, the seller put her hometown on the description. In no time at all, I was on Google looking for antique shops in that town and miracle of miracles, her Facebook page came up and I was able to see the cupboard!  

She was about an hour and 45 minutes away, so I chose a day, hopped in the Forester, and off I went with high hopes.

When I walked in, this is what I saw…80 inches tall, 52 inches wide, 24 inches deep - made of hickory and probably weighing in between 400 and 500 pounds.

The shop owner let me know what her plans were for it and I asked for a price - I also asked if I bought it, could I bring old hinges and a keyhole cover that I had from my farmhouse. She said absolutely, and the price was unbelievable. She said that she marked it low because it was so big she thought no one would want it. She was smart and kept saying: How many steps do you need to go up? Can you get it through the door? Do you have some strong lads to help you?

I was in love with it, and my brain was saying, yeah yeah yeah-I’ve got this. So the sale was made, and she began her repairs:

I would like to have refinished it; however, it just wasn’t a project either one of us had the gumption to tackle right now, so a light coat of black paint went on, topped with wax to protect it.

I rented a U-Haul-a first for me, and my daughter, and I set off to retrieve the treasure. Sadly, this U-Haul didn’t have a ramp-so boards were placed across the back and on the steps. Somehow, we got her on her side, put several heavy, moving blankets across the boards, and slowly slid her across the porch, over the threshold, through the foyer, and into the front room.

Square nails and dove tailing!

By the time all this was done, my son had to get back to university for work, and so here she sat- just waiting. She is so heavy, there was no way that we could’ve gotten her upright, luckily two strong lads came to lend a hand and in no time at all, she was in place!

I got to work putting all the scrapbooks inside, plus all my supplies. I put a wreath on the front, then took the wreath off and tinkered some more - you know how it is.

I felt like she needed a pop of red, so I had an old section of a red whirligig pattern quilt, that had a sweet little patch on the front. 

Over the door it went, and then a candle, followed by a small willow wreath  

Here she is…

I could not be happier! Every time I pass her, I give her a little pat and a smile. 

The seller called her a canning cupboard-what are your thoughts?

Oh and Janice - you asked if I’d gone back to look at the bee sting crock. I went yesterday $265 and the lid was mysteriously gone this time.  She had another one and it was noted as having “many cracks “and it was $195 - yikes! I need to make a trip up north!

Thanks for reading along-hope all is well where you are. The weather has taken a turn toward Fall here - hallelujah! 

a little of this & that…

 93

It was 93 one day this past week - and while I am certainly not wanting to wish away time, I have had it with this hot, humid, muggy, awful summer weather. To paraphrase a movie title:  it’s been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad summer!

A photo taken at 7:00 AM   - doesn’t the morning just look like it’s going to be a scorcher? (No filters, I promise.)

While I sat in the milkhouse yesterday, waiting for customers, I tried to keep the baked goods looking as fresh as possible with the door open and fans blowing air…warm air, but still air was moving.

I brought in a few flowers hoping they would make the surroundings a bit cheerier as I slowly melted in my rocking chair.

A quick trip to the farmers’ market and I found some of the best, sweetest, absolutely perfect in every way corn. They had it packed in ice, which I thought was a terrific idea! Here's my secret to cooking what I think is perfect corn every time, and it's quick & easy. Let water come to a boil in a stockpot, add ears of cleaned corn, when the water returns to a boil: turn off the heat, cover the stockpot, and wait 5 minutes. (Slather with butter, salt & pepper...but that's just how I like it!)

I love an enamel-topped table - and when I saw this one was FREE, well, my daughter and I were off to rescue it. (I had just seen a very similar one in an antique shop for $100!)

She had some rusty spots, which came off with a little elbow grease and several coatings of Bar Keepers Friend cleanser. The wood was also very dry, I’m not sure where she’s been stored (outside maybe?), so I gently dusted her off, washed her down, then gave her a coating of wax to help protect the wood. She was perfect outside the milk house for displaying oodles of cookbooks I’m selling...the deep clean continues. If you're a lover of Gooseberry Patch books, let me know...I was generously given a copy of each book I helped to write and I have stacks/loads/heaps of them...I'm happy to send you all you'd like!

And this picture has no significance other than it made us laugh! We thought it was so funny that for a bag not marked "limited edition" or special in any other way, these M&M's missed out on all the other colors we usually find!

We’ve turned basil into pesto,

dahlias are blooming, 

and my giant cupboard is ready to pick up! I can’t wait to get her here - I’m thankful to the gal who found her in a dusty corner and saw she needed some TLC. And for her to have some old hinges and a keyhole cover from this old house makes my heart happy. An antique knob was added as well - now - to make the trip and carefully load her, bring her home, up 4 steps, and finally through the double doors - fingers crossed! 

Sending you good wishes for the rest of the weekend, and for the week to come - may it be cooler!

August MJF post is up!

 

Just a note to let you know that the August post for MaryJane’s Farm is up - it’s all about Sunday drives and a little something called Barn-heart!

Here’s the link:

Rural Farmgirl

happy friendship day!

 

To all of you who take the time to visit and share your corner of the world...

a heart-felt thank you.  

I learn from you,
I am inspired by you,
and I'm truly grateful 
to have discovered
so many kindred spirits across the miles.

20 degrees cooler!

Happy dance! Today it is 20 degrees cooler than it has been in weeks. There’s a brisk breeze from the north and for at least a few days, relief from the horrid heat and humidity that usher in these “dog days” of summer. 

The haze of the days has made it difficult to tell sunrise,

from sunset. 

The goal is to start early, then when it becomes unbearable, wait until evening to wrap up any outside work that needs doing. I tell you friends, I will not complain one jot or tittle about winter’s cold!

The volunteer pumpkin patch has pumpkins already…I had to give it quite a trim - it was taking over the rest of the garden and some of the yard!

Spent hay is being used to mulch the tomato plants - still patiently waiting for the first ones. To me, sun-warmed tomatoes and fresh sweet corn are the best parts of summer!  

This sign at the Farmers’ Market made me smile!

We had a visitor the other morning-seeing deer this close to the house is rare. 

Lately, I’ve been looking for a new cupboard to hold all of my scrapbooks…for years they’ve been tucked inside an old pie safe, and it was bursting at the seams. Nothing I came across had shelves deep enough (they need to be at least 14 inches.) 

A couple of weeks ago I spied one online, so I took a chance, hopped in the car and made the 1-1/2 hour trip to check it out (talk about over the river and through the woods!) 

It had a bad paint job (I know it looks like a great prim mustard, trust me it wasn’t) and it needed some TLC, but the price was just too good. It’s bigger than I wanted, but it will hold all my scrapbooks, future scrapbooks, and supplies!

Neither the seller nor I wanted to strip the paint off-it was just too big of a project to tackle right now (I know, I know) so it was coated in chalk paint. 

Off came the modern, heavy-duty hinges which will be replaced by these:

original hinges from 1864 which came off of the farmhouse’s front doors.

And I found this keyhole cover in the barn – dated 1887 - it will go on the cupboard door. 

I’m thrilled that I could add some pieces of this old house to the cupboard which will make it really special - I can hardly wait until it’s finished!

And yes, I’ll need to rent a U-Haul to get it home and I’ll be looking for some extra muscle to get it up the front steps and in place…I’ll share pictures once that adventure is over!

Hard to believe it’s August – time flies. Halloween items are already showing up in the stores - yikes!

Wherever you are, I hope you enjoy your weekend.