nearly wordless Wednesday…

 

 

“putting by” and a day trip…

‘tis the season for turning these:

into these:

(How can 60 pounds of tomatoes only yield 7 quarts?!)

A friend surprised me with the tomatoes, and because I’d already put my garden to bed for the year, I didn’t really have anything to share in return - but I still had herbs and pumpkins, so I packed those up for her and tucked in some flowers - it’s so wonderful to have a friend who shares generously. (We need to bring back bartering!)

In my efforts to enjoy every day of this perfect month, my daughter and I had a little get away to visit a lovely old house. Built in 1926, Kingwood Hall was the home of Charles King, an industrialist whose home sits on 47 acres - green house, carriage house, gardens - sigh. How about a little tour?

LOVED the kitchen cabinets - the opposite wall was exactly the same. (You know, necessary space for storing dishes, cutlery, glassware for all of the swanky parties!)

The kitchen,

The flower arranging room (am I the only person who doesn’t have one of these?)

The linen room - look at that storage! 

A bathroom for the lady of the house,

And the stairway.

It was a terrific day trip and a chance to see how the other half lives! We shared a delicious lunch and then picked out a Christmas ornament to remember the day.

Once home, I pulled out my pen and adjusted my to-do list… 

Did I just notice the dishwasher leaking?

Why isn’t the furnace coming on?

Can the neighbor recommend a good electrician,

and concrete company? 

Oh - and does anyone still repair plaster?

Back to reality!  

October MJF post is up!

 

The MaryJane’s Farm post for October just went up in case you wanna swing by…hope you’re enjoying these glorious October days!

Rural Farmgirl

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!