this & that…

After days of sweltering, yes I’d even call it miserable, August weather, (but remember, I’m not a summer gal) today there was a welcome change. It was practically perfect - a cool northerly breeze, low humidity, 70 degrees - Huzzah!

Source: Google

I took advantage of this break in the weather and  spent the morning outside, and for the first time in weeks I didn’t feel like I was moving in slow motion. I even tested bread recipes, so happy it wasn’t too hot to have the oven on!

And so here’s a little Tuesday chit-chat about this and that…

After a very late start thanks to tiller troubles, the garden is finally coming along…

Flowers are in bloom…

(I forgot about this geranium
I’d overwintered in the basement -
 just discovered it - wow - are they tenacious or what?!)

The skies have been striking…I had to pull over to the side of the road and capture this:

With the promise of rain,

finally! 

Gotta love a volunteer tomato plant! I’m thrilled because I loved this Black Cherry plant last summer, but couldn’t find any starts this year. I’ll be keeping seeds this time!

A favorite antique/vintage shop sadly closed - the owner of the building was driving the rent up too high for vendors to stay in business. It’s been in a nearby little town for probably 30 years…such a shame.

I stopped in to say goodbye to the ladies who ran the store, and I picked up some graniteware pie pans I’d had my eyes on. I also took one more look at the dough bowl/trencher I’ve been wishing would go on sale for a couple of years. No one knew its history, and while it had a very old looking metal patch, in this clever world with so many excellent reproductions, I couldn’t be sure if it was even old. 

Well, since they were packing up it was now or never, so I decided to ask. The price was dropped 70% - one less thing to move I was told. So I decided it was coming with me. 

Janice - you’ll be the expert - no one knew its  backstory - did I get an antique? It looked and felt so dry that I gave it a coating of hemp oil - food safe, but with a matte finish. I didn’t want it to look shiny and new. 

I want to be able to safely use it and keep it from drying out. Any old yellowware bowl, butter churn, oil lamp, even my reflector oven/tin kitchen gets used (oh, some of the best roast turkey!) I’m gentle with them, but I want to keep their history alive. 

Here’s the before:

A close up of the patch:

And of some markings on the side:

Here it is after I oiled it:

Old? New?  No worries - either way you’ll find me living out my Laura Ingalls dreams while making bread. It’ll be great for those recipes that make multiple loaves…quick, where’s my apron?!

summertime in the country

August  - hazy, hot, humid. 

The 3 H’s that can make can make even the simplest of tasks seem challenging.

While I missed National Ice Cream Day in July, I’m making up for it tomorrow. Deep cleaning of the basement unearthed an ice cream maker (hope it still works) and so Wednesday it will be put to use…I see root beer floats in my future! 

Until then, it’s back to the basement - I’m certain things multiply, aren’t you?  Today will wrap up all the sorting, with only packing up items that will be donated remaining. (Did I mention 1864 dirt floor basement - quite messy). 

Even with the 3 H’s there is beauty to be found if we only take time to look for it:

  

A reader had asked about the 6 “trees” I mentioned in another post that support this old house - it’s true!  

Tree trunks were common structural supports through the 1920”s…usually black locust trees because they’re so resistant to decay and insects. That’s what these supports appear to be. 

There are a few metal supports as well, but I do have 6 of these black locust beauties still doing their job after 160 years - rock solid. 

So…

What’s in YOUR basement?!

July - MaryJanesFarm…

 

A quick link to the July post for MaryJane‘s farm:

Click here…

This and that at the farm…

These late July days have been so much more comfortable than when the month began. Early mornings and late evenings seem almost fall-like…even cool enough that I found myself wishing I’d worn long sleeves as I walked around the county fair Thursday!

Just like everyone, I find the days full and wonder how the hours have slipped by. In a little over two weeks my son will return to college and Friday my daughter will be back - yay! She’s been an RA at a ballet company for the last 7 weeks. Sigh….for a short time, the balance will be restored. 

So, how have I been spending my days? Well, here’s a little peek at a not-so-interesting, but typical day!

I’ve been watering (we really could use some rain)

O

picking berries,

enjoying watermelon,

sharing that watermelon with Glowbug,

                                      

and Lucy…a summer treat to keep them cool!

Lucy is the last of the hens, and while I wanted to get chicks this year, I just didn’t think this lady would appreciate a coop of littles and their noisy antics. 

She rarely leaves her seat at the top of the ladder, so I moved her food and water up to make it easier. The queen of the coop deserves spoiling. 

    

Bailey is still under “house arrest” having had her first injection for heartworms…she’s doing well. The goal is to keep her quiet and chase cabin fever away with calming music and videos. She has two more injections in August. 

My good friend is fostering baby raccoons!

  

Two weeks ago a crop duster came waaay too close for comfort…what started out as interesting to see, turned into an experience where we could smell the chemicals and feel them as they drifted down. And we were not beneath the plane – this was drift - quite scary. 

                                  

All I could think of was, what about the children who are playing outside, what if we were having a graduation party or get-together with friends? We had no idea crop dusting was scheduled..

      

                                            

Why yes, I will be contacting the FAA.

 

And finally, on a trip to the grocery store I found this:

                                  

Happy dance in the aisle! Over-the-moon, tickled pink, just can’t quite believe it…my article in MaryJane’s Farm August-September issue! So grateful to have been given such an opportunity.

Well friends, that’s a little of what’s been happening in my “neck of the woods” as the old saying goes. What 's happening where you are?

I hope all is well and that you are enjoying these summertime days!

                                   

falling behind in posting!

Time flies, as they say, and it's so true! I've enjoyed keeping up with all the blogs I follow...your summer days are flying by as well filled with gardening, patriotic celebrations, and happy things!

And so, I must play catch-up...as they say, "Without further ado!"

winter wheat:  going, going, gone

but the corn is still 
growing strong 

Barnum is such a handsome
fellow, but still so shy...

Bailey celebrated her birthday!

Hmmm, looks like she's
sticking her tongue out, 
perhaps not a fan of party hats!

Fireworks across the
fields in a nearby town

The prettiest blue skies
by a lovely old barn

a mama looking 
quite protective...I kept
my distance!

summertime harvest!

I painted an old faux fireplace
and put it in the milkhouse...

no, a milkhouse wouldn't
have had a fireplace, but this
was doomed to the trash and it
just needed rescuing! 

It was fun to decorate
for the "not shop, shop"

being watched...

posies to help me forget
it's a sweltering summer day

and lastly, an old building
alongside a country road...
it just needed to be remembered

Well, that about catches you up on how I've spent my days. While certainly not exciting by Hollywood standards, the days are simple...trying to hold onto old-fashioned values in a hectic, modern world.

I hope you're all well, keeping cool (unless it's winter where you are, then keeping warm) and you're spending a bit of time each day doing something you love that makes you happy.

Let's make tomorrow a red-letter day!