Careful What You Wish For!

Back in the winter I was complaining to Neta about all of the vegetation growing around the edge of the front pond. I told her I wish we could have a drought so the water level would drop enough to allow me to clear some of the large bushes and trees that were growing at the bottom of the bank.

All last year and through this past winter our ponds were both at capacity. Our front pond (and island), which is on our list to clean up (Item #9), contains a lot of scrubby bushes and trees; wax myrtles, maples and other overgrowth. We also have a few bald cypress trees growing up from and around the pond which we're keeping, but the scrubby stuff has become overgrown and needs to go.

From this past winter, but you get the idea.

As I mentioned, the vegetation that we want to get rid of all seems to grow right at or just below the water's edge. To even get within an arm's reach requires stomping through swampy, thick muddy areas. A couple of tree/bushes in particular were especially troublesome as they had large, multiple trunks and grew about 2-3 feet off the bank, so not easy to reach with the chainsaw. And so I wished and dreamed of drought.

Wish granted... Let me just say that Mother Nature hears our messages and seems to take them VERY literally. I didn't want it coupled with 90 degree days and brown and dying lawns, but I guess I wasn't specific enough. I'll be a little clearer with my next wish.

A clover patch in our yard

But the silver lining is...a clean bank along the pond.

It looks so much younger, like when your Dad shaves his beard.

Those stumps/roots will still sprout continuously and keep me on my toes with the brush cutter.

The clearing of all of this actually took place over the course of several months. I cut back what I could reach, hauled it away and waited for the water level to keep dropping. I had the last group of bushes cut back to just short stumps and waited. They put out a lot of new growth that I couldn't reach for a while, but this past weekend, on the hottest weather we've had, I managed to get it cut down to the current water line.

One particular bush required me to climb down the bank, stand on some cypress knees and cut out about a dozen or more underwater branches while Neta held them above the water for me with a boat hook. Ingenuity!

You can see from the pictures how far down the water level is. The lack of rain is real as we are about 9 inches below normal for the year, though lots of storms are forecast for this week. Neta has not been happy with my wishes as we have a vegetable garden and lots of new fruit trees and flowers to now keep watered regularly due to the lack of measurable rain.

Mission Accomplished!

Now that we have that job crossed off the list I would like to ask Mother Nature to bring back the rain. Normal amounts. Enough to green up the grass and keep the gardens and fruit trees happy, but not enough to require the construction of an Ark. That project is NOT on our list.

You Dirty Dog!

No seriously, this is one dirty dog!

Lulu  goes into the pond just about every day, which isn't a problem, but the other day she found herself a mudhole.  She could not have been happier (or dirtier).  She was a lot less happy when she had to get a bath!

Getting into messes has been a theme lately - here she is sporting green highlights, after attempting to drink paint. 

Stopping to smell the flowers?  No, she's discovered lizards lurk in the flower pots, and she gets into staring contests with them.

I don't know if there is an armadillo in that hole, but Lulu is willing to wait there all day to find out.

Guess who has 4 beds in this house but still prefers sitting on the people seats? She's not even chagrined about being photographed in the act!

It's a dog's life alright. 

Spring is Sprung

Spring has been a long, drawn-out affair this year with lingering cool weather.  That wasn't so great in March but is very welcome going into May.  We're spending every spare moment outside, working on gardens and landscaping before the infernal (seemingly eternal) heat of summer sets in.

We're also enjoying spring veggies out of the garden.  The radishes have done well, but the peas haven't produced yet and may not make it before they succumb to the heat.

Easter Egg radishes

Landscaping the island was one of our goals this year, and we're just about done with that, but then we added in land scraping.  The top of the hill is a nice vantage point but it is steep and rough, not easy to get up there.  So we figured what the heck, let's see if we can't even it out.  Craig put the box blade on the tractor and (slowly, gingerly) backed the tractor up the hill to scrape the top off evenly.

Photo bonus: Lulu on point, probably at a frog.

The front of the hill has a mostly easy slope, until you get near the top.  The other side is a fairly steep drop off, which looks even higher when you are perched on top of something with wheels!  There was only one area that had enough room to get the tractor up.

You think he's nervous...I was downhill!

As he went down the hill he smoothed out the slope.  The downed tree in the picture below fell weeks ago, but we won't be able to remove it unless/until the water levels drop in the pond.

Or maybe Craig used the tree as an emergency brake?  I'll never tell.

Eventually we'll put a bench atop the hill for enjoying the view.

View from the top of the hill

We also recently put in a small garden patch, using an old gate and tools we found in the barns, and featuring the lovely purple martin house that Craig's Mom got for us.  Of course we didn't manage to attract purple martins yet, but we do have a family of bluebirds that don't mind high-rise living.

We started with just a few flowers...

...and are slowly filling it in with more.

But while we wait on the new flower garden to fill in, the garden we started last year on the side of the house has really put on a show.  Full of coreopsis, larkspur, dianthus, and more.

The watering can wind chimes (thanks Aunt Wanda!) are very apropos!

Grandma's snowball tree put on quite the display, too.

Of course, as we get busier outside we slow down on blog posts, but we're hoping to get started on the vine arbor soon.  Stay tuned!

Puttering

This photo has nothing to do with the rest of the post, I just couldn't resist the picture (or the pun).

Say hello to my little friend

This post is actually about puttering.  That's what I call it when I'm doing a little of this, a little of that around the house or yard: puttering.  So here are a little of this, a little of that about my recent projects.

First up, a  "recent" furniture redo.  I actually did this months ago, but forgot to take after pictures and post about it.  This is one of my Grandma's china cabinets.  She had several; this was the biggest and most ungainly, so least likely to find a new home within the family.   But I thought it would fit in pretty well in my dining room with a little makeover.

Before:  Those handles are the big 80's hair of furniture.

I chose Fusion Mineral Paint because it wears well and requires little prep (that's always a bonus for me).  Also, I just wanted to try it.  I've done furniture projects with milk paint and chalk paint, both store bought and homemade, so I guess trying different paints is kinda my thing.  I liked this paint; it was a bit pricey but easy to use and to clean up, plus no VOC so I was able to paint this piece in the house.  I've already bought a new color to use on another project (coming soon!)

I thought I was going to go with something colorful for the interior, but when I saw this (Christmas!) wrapping paper I changed my mind.  The glass on the right side was broken, so Craig took the unbroken left side to a glazier so they could cut a matching replacement.  I replaced the ornate knobs and pulls with simpler ones.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and because my sideboard pieces were black it feels very cohesive.  Best of all, it is another piece from the original house that gets incorporated into the new one (and it is filled with dishes from both mine and Craig's family).

Close up of the wrapping paper lining.

Puttering on...

Instead of helping Craig build a fence weekend before last, I was putting my love of wine to good use.  I can't take credit for the idea but I can certainly take credit for the corks!  Add a piece of old plywood and an old wooden handle that I scrounged from the barn and voila: a seed planting tool.  I immediately put it to use starting radish, garlic and sunflower seeds in the newly-fenced garden.

Perfectly spaced indentations - just drop the seeds in and tamp the dirt down.

My last piece was from last weekend, and it was another chance to try a new product.  We've had this lovely little table for many years and it really needed some TLC.  I'd been putting it off because stripping and refinishing it would be so much work.  Then I read that you can apply Danish Oil to restore a finish and decided to give it a try. 

Before 

It needed some love all over, but the top was the real problem area.

Now, the instructions recommended starting with a bare surface, but I had read on the internet (so it must be true!) that you could go over an existing finish to even out scuffs and discolorations.  I decided to only sand the top down because it was in the worst shape.  If the rest of the table didn't turn out well I'd just have to bite the bullet and sand it all down anyway.  I'm happy to say it worked out beautifully.  After sanding the top down, I applied 4 coats of the Danish Oil (in a dark walnut shade), waiting about 30 minutes between each coat.  Basically you just keep applying it until the wood quits absorbing it.  I only did one coat on the rest of the table.  Then I let it dry for a couple of days before applying a coat of wax to the top only.  The wax is overkill because the oil is protection enough, but I'd like to keep that top looking nice for a good long time!

After

Feeling the love!

Before and After

I'm calling the Danish Oil an unqualified success, and I'll definitely try it again for some future puttering around.  

Have you tried any cool painting/staining products or techniques?  I'm always looking for a new project - let me know!  

Fences Make Good Neighbors, My Deer

It's time to get the vegetable garden ready!

Last year we created three different garden plots to plant spread things out. We had cucumbers and peas in one small area. Tomatoes, peppers, corn, sunflowers, bush beans and cantaloupes in another area and radishes, carrots, eggplant, zucchini, okra and ornamental pumpkins in a third area. Aside from a few successes (cucumbers, radishes, bush, beans, eggplant, zucchini and sunflowers) the gardens just didn't do much. Our tomato and peppers drowned in all of the rainy weather, the geese ate our first crop of corn, the deer ate the peas, the carrots never even produced a sprout and I tilled too close to the ornamental pumpkins and, well...let's just say I wasn't Neta's favorite gardening buddy for a while, despite my valiant efforts to revive the pumpkins.

This year the gardening theme is simplicity and security. We're back to a single, though expanded, plot (75' x 40') and it's going to be surrounded by an 8 foot tall fence.

So last weekend we got started...

Let the fencing begin!

This farm has no shortage of fencing and posts scattered among the barns and in the wooded areas, and we've certainly used those items for various things, especially the several dozen cages we've created for tomatoes or to protect young trees from marauding deer. The posts (6' - 7') are better suited for livestock fencing than fortifying against high-jumping deer, but we were lucky enough to have a couple of temporary utility poles left over from construction of our house and the cabin that we could use. Those work perfectly for corner posts and supporting our wide metal gate (another leftover).

One side complete.

The posts in between the corners are 10 foot metal T-posts. Those must be hammered in. I gave some thought to using the tractor and post hole digger, but a big hole of loose dirt doesn't make for a solid base, so I climbed a step ladder and drove them 2 feet into the ground with a sledgehammer. So much fun. Did I mention it was mid-80s and bright sunshine? Like I said, so much fun.

Those posts took me through Sunday to complete. Then it was on to the fencing and keeping the deer and other beasts out.

When you can only see one post, you've done a good job lining them up.

All posts in. The gate is leaned against the posts for photo purposes.

Along the bottom we used leftover rolls of 3 foot tall wire fencing that we previously used for the dogs in the rental house before moving. That fencing comprised the two long sides and the back (non-gate end).

Monday/Tuesday.

The two long sides were done after work and before sundown. I used T post clips to hold the fence tight to the T posts.

A T-post clip

You just fit it to the back of the fence and use
pliers to bend it around your fence or barbed wire.

The bottom fencing and part of the big gate.

Wednesday.

This is the part of the story where we get into the "hand-me-downs". Along the front we have a 12 foot long gate which we found in the big barn. I measured and drilled the holes for the screw gate hooks (pictured below for those not familiar) and hung the gate. The gate was pretty heavy hanging for a new post that hadn't had time for the dirt to firm up around it, so I added a block of wood on the post it closes against to keep it level and propped up when closed.

This weekend.

To finish out the front we added cattle panels which are heavy gauge steel panels of various lengths. We had several in each of the barns so we figured we might as well use what we had on hand, especially if it works and saves us money and a trip to the store. The panels are zip-tied to the metal posts so we can remove them in the off-season to allow us to get the tractor in there to till.

With the bottom complete we used more farm hand-me-downs. Scattered around the farm, in barns and under a tree or two are rolls and rolls of barbed wire, in pristine condition. We don't know what kind of wire it is - probably stainless steel - but it's been on the farm for years and it doesn't have a spot of rust on it anywhere. Alien barbed wire? We did three tiers of that up to the top of our 8 foot posts, also using T post clips. By the way, we still have thousands of feet of barbed wire left. Clearance sale, anyone?

If a deer can breach this, he is welcome to our veggies.

We also added a couple of 8 foot tall wood slats on each end of the gate and strung strands of barbed wire between them to get the gate in compliance with the rest of the fencing.

We're not going to guarantee it's 100% deer proof, but if a deer can find its way in, we'll tip our caps to them. The only option beyond this is armed sentries...or a minefield. Hmmm....

So now the two-weekend project of building a fence is complete and Neta has already started her planting of spring crops. I'm sure she's working on a garden blog post and will be telling you all about it in the coming days.

Barn Makeover

Nothing can boost your self-esteem more than feeling like you look good. You put on clothes that you really love, your hair falls into place just right and the next thing you know you're walking with your head held a little higher and you've got a spring in your step. It's pretty much the same for barns...I guess.

Our Ugly Duckling story starts out with our subject looking quite rustic and not very weather-resistant.

The barn siding was just old wood that I would have loved to have reclaimed.

Now THAT'S rustic!!!

I must admit that the look of the barn, with the old wood and its gaps gave it a certain charm, but charm won't keep the wind and rain out. Even one of the technicians for the local phone/cable company saw the barn and asked me to keep it just the way it is (was). Of course, he doesn't have to store tools and work in there.

So the makeover began by just adding some pre-primed siding. I'd already put up one sheet before the electricity was run into the barn. I would have liked to have reclaimed the old wood for something, but... The barn was not built to current building standards where your studs are spaced at 16" centers (or even 24"). Some were 19, some were 26, so I need the old wood to have something to screw my siding to when there was no stud or structure to hold it.

Greenhouse side (facing house) is done.
Sheet #1 goes on the font.

The front of the barn was covered with asphalt shingles to keep the rain/wind from coming through the gaps. Neta had scraped off the right side a few months back and I did the left side recently. Once we had that out of the way, it was time to move to the front.

Sheet #2 and the door cutout.
You can also see the door frame is now back to its original height and is taller than the old doors.

We also needed to build new doors. The original door frame (before the more recent doors) was much taller, so they'd nailed in a piece of framing to match the shorter doors. I removed that and went back to the taller (7 1/2 feet) frame and built new doors to match.

Door #1 and the third sheet of siding (before door cut-out).

The doors are just simple 2x4 framed doors, but to add a degree of difficulty, I tried to make sure that the grooves of the siding on the doors matched up to the siding that was on the barn.

I got the doors lined up pretty close with the rest of the siding.

With both doors built and hung, I added some trim pieces (Neta gets credit for priming them) along the hinge side. There will be more trim to come to complete the look.

The top and bottom trim pieces added, along with the 4th sheet of siding.

With the bottom of the barn front and the doors done, it was time to tackle the top angles. I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of the cuts I made on the top angles. I measured the width of where the pieces would go and the height at each side, then put my marks on the siding, drew a line between them and cut it freehand with the circular saw.

First half done!

I don't want to brag, but if my father could have seen me draw the lines he might have shaken his head at my crude measuring and line drawing. But if he saw those cuts I made without the help of a square or a guide it would have brought tears to his eyes.

Sidenote: I'd recently bought a new saw blade for cutting the plastic panels for the greenhouse. I'd tried to use it on some plywood I had and couldn't cut a straight line to save my life. It looked like I was drunk when I cut the plywood. I replaced that blade with my old one for this siding. My lines were almost laser-like. But enough bragging...

All siding is complete.

I'm still going to add some trim to the left corner and maybe along the edge of the angled pieces up next to the roof. The right corner will have to wait as we've got to clean out that side of the barn of firewood and other items before we put siding on that side and around back.

We also plan to paint the barn a typical "barn red" color. Not sure when that will be, but with the siding pre-primed we've got plenty of time.

So our "ugly duckling" maybe hasn't become a "swan" (yet), but it certainly is quite the transformation. I'm sure it's self-esteem is much higher.  And it's still rustic on the inside and will stay that way...though quite a bit cleaner than before.