It has been raining here for what seems forever. Sure, I know, we DID have a couple of relatively dry days last week, but I think the last time we saw the sun was Tuesday... And what do they predict for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday????? You guessed it. Rain. I think it was Friday when I heard the weather announcer comment that our area is currently nine inches over the normal annual rainfall....
As the Rains Were Beginning
I DO know that we have LOTS of "puddles" on the property. I am reminded of my brother Tim when were were children. There was a low spot in our back yard in Bowie, Maryland, and when it rained a lot, that low spot would fill with water. One day, on our way to school, Tim declared to our little group of kids who walked to school together, that the puddle in our back yard was as deep as Foxhill Lake. Well, of course, since all of the kids were also familiar with that local lake, EVERYONE jumped on Tim, and razzed him for days about that statement. But Tim, always determined to stick to his story, never backed off of that statement. And now, more than forty years later, as I slosh through wide puddles that cover my shoes in water as I make my way to the goats and to the chickens, I think to myself... these puddles are as deep as Foxhill Lake! And I smile at the memory.
Despite the rain, we continue to make progress toward our vision for this old farmhouse. The past couple of weeks have been spent creating the "new" second story.
New Lumber Load Delivered
Joe Inspects New Lumber
The previously "funhouse" floor posed a bit of a challenge, but the carpenter has installed a new and LEVEL floor frame, on top of the old boards, and has installed the new sub-floor in the back part of the second story. He has also has successfully completed the raising of the ceiling in that half of the upstairs.
New Floor Frame Installed
New Sub-floor Going In
New Ceiling/Roof Supports Going In
New Rafters In Place
Next he will do the same thing to the front portion of the upstairs. This is no small task and takes a good bit of engineering, but it is coming together.
Meanwhile, we've kept busy cleaning up the downed limbs from the hurricane, and have had many a burn pile in the last few weeks. Funny how the more we do, the more there is to do...
Loads of Downed Branches
And More
Judy Watches yet another Burn Pile
It is very hard for me to believe that the summer is already gone and we are facing the collection-of-firewood-for-winter season. It seems as if this year has flown by. There is simply not enough time to complete everything we have on our to-do list. Nevertheless, we do continue to make progress and one day, we will be able to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor. In the meantime, however, there is no rest for the weary (or is that the wicked???) In preparation for the colder months, Joe is re-appropriating one of the double carports to transform it into a barn for the chickens and goats.
To accomplish this, the carport had to be moved. To accomplish the moving of the carport, the original goat pen fence had to be taken down. And then there were a couple of days of just cleaning the area up from fallen branches, etc.
Joe Removes the Fence Posts
Judy Rolls up the Fence
On Tuesday, the last day before the rains set it for good, Joe and the carpenter moved the carport. The process was interesting to watch. It involved a tractor, a twenty foot pole, a chain, a crowbar, a rope, a few blocks of wood, a couple of giant C clamps, a few logs, and a couple of guys who "knew they could" get that carport moved.
Joe and Wendell toy with the idea of
dragging the Carport...
Joe Starts the Move with the Tractor
So Far, So Good
Add a Few Logs to Facilitate the Rolling
Moving, Moving, Moving
And, Finally, In Place
Since this move entailed going AROUND a tree or two, there were a few exciting moments, but, about an hour after they started, the carport was resting nicely in its new location, some fifty feet from where it had started...and none the worse for wear. NOW.... if only the RAINS would give us a break, Joe could get working on the transformation...
Today was a solitary one -- I alone, with the car radio...and the thoughts in my head. Clouds were the number one visual gift for me today, even though I first had to make my way through a torrential downpour from Gloucester, VA to west of Richmond. After that, though there were short-lived rain pockets, I would describe the day as "threatening."
West Point, VA
Bedford, VA
As I drove, looking at those threatening clouds, I thought the folks in Texas might not consider those big black clouds menacing at all... they would, I imagine, welcome them and the rain they promised to deliver. But I am not in Texas, and after just experiencing the more than 12 inches of rain delivered by Irene, I'd just as soon see those clouds disappear without a trace.
Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Sky and Black Clouds
Beautiful Sky
I had been looking forward to traveling with Joe, but the circumstances of the current construction phase at the farmhouse, coupled with a fair amount of lost time due to the hurricane, made it more realistic that he stay back and I travel alone... the trip is, after all, for my work. So, the seven hour trip was less inviting. But, it is necessary and so I made the drive. Along the way, I had hoped to stop and share a quick lunch with my daughter in the Charlottesville area, but between the rain and our schedules, we decided against it. Instead, we chatted on the phone awhile... That's always a pleasure, and today was no different.
Dark, Dark Clouds
Patch of Blue in Sky Ahead
5:00 PM Abingdon, VA
In the end, the drive I was dreading turned into a very nice, peaceful one indeed...never a dull skyline, and lots of time to think.
August has flown by as fast as did July and June before her. I think if time doesn't slow down soon, I will soon awaken to discover I am a grandmother! Oh wait....
Actually, in March, when my daughter was in town to do the floral arrangements for a local wedding, she shared with me the news that she and her husband are expecting their first child...my first grandchild. Why, you might ask, even HOW, you might ask, did you manage to hold THAT news so close to the vest? Well, Jenn asked that I keep their secret until they'd had the opportunity to share their news with Benoit's family in France, some of whom would not learn of the new addition until they took their vacation to the U.S. and to visit with Jenn and Ben..in August! That is a LONG time to keep a secret that is such an exciting one!
Now I REALLY have to decide what I would like to be called by my grandchildren....maybe I'll let them decide....
Jenn and Ben
Meanwhile, playing the month back in fast-reverse mode, we are recovering from Irene, though we are most thankful that her impact on us was minimal in comparison to many others. Yes, we lost trees, but they were all in the woods and posed no threat to animals, humans or structures. Yes, the neighbor's tree went down, taking with it the power lines and our power...for 53.5 hours...but we were able to secure a generator the day after we lost power, and managed to save the summer's bounty, currently stored in freezers for winter meals. And yes, we had more than a foot of rain, which, with the wind, ended up toppling our sunflowers, giving our young fruit trees a serious lean, and threatening to flood our old farmhouse, currently under renovation...but the newly completed cement pour in the old farmhouse crawl space served well, and NO water came in...NONE...NADA! I was so impressed!
Tree that took out our power
Street sign taken out
Unloading Generator
So, to us, Irene was like the proverbial bad cold....it was three days coming (our preparation took three full days), three days here (well, technically, we were only without power for a little over two days, but the crazy rain started a full day before we lost power) and three days going (we have spent the last three days, since the power was restored, cleaning up after the storm). The fallen trees in the woods will become winter fuel for the wood stove. The seeds from the glorious sunflowers will be stored for next year's crop. And the goats and chickens will, for at least the immediate future, see me as their FAVORITE person....they all hunkered down for the storm in their fortified shelters, and were OH SO HAPPY to see me every time I went out to check on them ...er...FEED them...food seemed to calm their nerves!
Sky After Irene
Joe with Fallen Tree in the Woods
Now not even a week before Irene, I was making lunch in our above the garage apartment when the whole place shook violently! I had no idea what had happened, but Joe, Mr. California, was quick to educate me. "That," said he, "was an earthquake." He then cautioned me that often, aftershocks followed. No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the garage apartment shuddered again. Joe and I flew down the stairs and out of the garage, eager to check on our carpenter and his son who were working in the old farmhouse. We found them in the back of their old pick up truck, loading debris from the house to carry off...they'd felt nothing...in the back of that truck, the earth did not shake. They looked at us with some disbelief as we explained, and as we were telling our story, the carpenter's wife called him to report the earthquake they'd just felt! Their disbelief turned to a little bit of envy...they MISSED the only earthquake they'd lived through. As with Irene, the earthquake did no damage here. The news media REALLY made a big deal of it around here, and we were all really excited about it....but then, we are somewhat simple folks, if you catch my drift...easily distracted and such.
Garage Apartment, unscathed by earthquake or hurricane
Loading up debris from Demolition
Upstairs, being gutted
Despite mother nature's bag o' tricks, we have been successful in making more headway on the old farmhouse. We have decided to change the upstairs from a three bedroom (three small bedrooms) to a single bedroom, with a large, roomy bathroom, and have decided to raise the ceilings from their current almost seven feet to a full eight. The upstairs tear-out is underway. We will, eventually, reestablish three bedrooms when we add on the "east wing" but that will be AFTER we finish this phase. When this phase completes, we will have a very simple, but sturdy farmhouse, which will meet our immediate needs.
As for the gardens this summer, they displayed a varying degree of success. Our freezers are full of produce and we have eaten fresh harvest every day this growing season. We will not put in a fall crop this year, as we will be traveling a fair amount for work (again). I have made many, many quarts of tomato sauce from my cherry tomatoes. I did not peel or seed them, but whirred them in the blender, threw them in the pot and cooked them down until they were a smooth sauce. To some batches I added eggplant, and to some I added kohlrabi. The tomato sauce is delicious, and I have quart bags filled and frozen for winter cooking.
The latest flowers to show us their stuff are the Moonflowers. Beautiful, huge white blossoms, best enjoyed in the evening and night hours, they are hard to photograph in the daylight, since they close their blossoms in the morning. Still, I did get some pretty decent pictures of them as they opened at dusk.
Impatiens
Moonflowers
Sadly, Joe's tobacco was a casualty of the adverse August weather. A couple of plants, ones that he'd kept in 2-gallon pots, survived, but the tobacco in the field is pretty much a goner. The corn was a huge disappointment, as were the cauliflower and onions. We won't waste our time with them again next year. Tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, kohlrabi, spinach, peas, potatoes, beans, eggplant, bell peppers, strawberries were all winners. We have been enjoying our first "bunches" of grapes from the vines that seemed to take FOREVER to get started, but which eventually did produce a tasty fruit, with promises for many future years' bounty. We learned a LOT this year in our experimental gardening. Hopefully, next year we will work smarter, not harder!
And, even as the August weather was conspiring to bring a hard end to our summer growing season, I happened on a FaceBook group from my hometown, Bowie, Maryland. I joined the group and was immediately treated to a mega-trip down memory lane. Two of my brothers have also joined in the fun on that group and we have been having a great time. I have reconnected with old friends from grade school, and have even discovered a lady who grew up with us and who now lives right in my current town in Virginia! My brother Ray and I were "commenting" on a post this morning...I from Virginia, and he from China, where he is currently on business. At one point Ray wrote the words that I have now decided best represent me, and therefore, are my FaceBook profile picture!
Of course, we are all looking back now, and thoroughly enjoying it.. but, as one of the group's members noted, we are looking back over the other shoulder....
And....while August was spinning out of control, I was tied to my computer two nights a week taking my class....I take the exam (for my first try) at the end of September. I'm old, my memory isn't what it used to be, my attention span isn't what it used to be....so I will feel EXTREMELY lucky if I pass the exam on my first try...a LOT of people, much smarter than I, have had to take it several times before passing.... At least the class time is over. Now it is just the buckle-down-and-study-for-the-exam time....(wonder where I will fit that in?) Meanwhile, everyone else remains busy, doing what they do best.
My sister sent me a short email this afternoon. Her inquiry -- was everything alright? Her concern -- no blog posts since June 30, 2011.... EEK! Yes, it is true. After writing nearly every day for more than 4 years, this spring and summer have zoomed by with very few moments, thoughts and photos captured and shared in blog form. It isn't as if there is little to write about. Not at all. Quite the contrary. There is so much happening and even more WAITING to happen, that by the time I sit down, with the thought of journaling our progress, I find my eyelids refusing to obey my desire to stay awake and write... and eyelids are eyelids... if they refuse to stay open, whatever I write, well, it would be unintelligible. And so, most nights I find myself collapsing in bed by midnight, exhausted.
Judy getting "kisses"
from the new goats
So, here it is, 10:15 PM, and aware that I will likely fall victim to my eyelids once again, I am determined to get a post written.
Today was a pretty good day. I'd flirted with the idea of driving up to Maryland to surprise Dad for his birthday...but as late as yesterday I was dealing with a car that "wobbled" when it was driven at speeds exceeding 40 mph, and I decided I should attend to that before embarking on any long trips. So, instead, I called Dad over lunch and spent a wonderful hour just enjoying chatting with him. We spoke of computers, cars, Skype (Dad is enjoying using Skype to chat with my brother Ray who is in China for work), gardens, and more. It had been a long time since we took time to chat and I really enjoyed it. Dad is 77 today. Happy Birthday Dad!
My 35th high school reunion is this weekend. Members of the Bowie High School class of '76 are gathering tonight to catch up on old times and become reacquainted with each other...the BIG day is tomorrow. Our class had over 800 students graduate and I probably knew fewer than ten percent of them very well. I recognize almost all of them by name, but I was never a "popular" kid and I doubt a whole lot of them remember me. I did attend my 20th reunion and the Friday night gathering of my 25th reunion. But I missed the 30th and I shall miss this one too....just too much going on to take that trip down memory lane. Maybe for my 40th. I am happy they will enjoy decent, if hot, weather for the reunion. As far as I know, none of my closest high school friends will be in attendance, but it would have been nice to see those that are attending. I will look forward to photos shared on their Facebook walls .... when I return from my farm work, sporting my dusty overalls. Have a great reunion folks!
As if our summer weren't sufficiently "busy" with the old farm house renovation, the MANY gardens of experimental crops, and my 40 hour a week "paying" job, I am also taking a class two nights a week... a course which has no "pass/fail" but which is designed to prepare us for the EXAM... the six hour exam... highly technical... I will be so happy when I am DONE at the end of September. Of course, I am hoping I PASS the exam since it costs $600 a pop to even sit for the exam. I know a LOT of professionals who have not passed it in their first attempt and they are a lot younger than I, with younger, better brains! At any rate, if I don't pass it the first time, I'll not feel like the lone ranger.
And around the old farm? Well, though it seems as if it has taken FOREVER to get here, we have managed to get the old farmhouse to the stage where we are about to begin putting in new wiring and plumbing before putting in the sub-floor. The months of tearing out the old, replacing beams, leveling the house, installing new piers, pouring a cement slurry to provide a better moisture barrier under the house, have finally brought us to the point where our carpenter was able to finish installing the last of the new joists this week. Next week we will begin the new wiring and plumbing. Of course, the project continues to grow. What began as "let's get this house stabilized and level" has morphed into plans to completely remodel and eventually add on the "East Wing...." but that is still a long ways out.
Old Farmhouse
Cement truck backing up to the job
Cement chute through front porch
Slurry starts to pour
Joe raking the slurry
Kitchen floor - cement slurry hardened
New floor joists going in
Living room joists in place
The experimental gardens have both challenged us and thrilled us. Our disappointments include corn, cauliflower and tobacco. The winners to-date are melons, squashes, spinach, peas, beans, eggplant, kohlrabi, tomatoes, strawberries, peaches, potatoes, cucumbers. Still to be determined are most of the fruit trees and bushes/vines, which will require another year to really start producing. The flowers, all types, have been a pretty good success story and many of them I expect to reseed themselves, making future years more bountiful with less work....(?)
Judy, Inspecting roadside garden
Zinnias
One of the MANY sunflower "trees"
Zinnias, growing happily amongst the watermelons
Eggplant
I turned 53 in July and was treated to dinner with my kids and their spouses and Joe at a local restaurant. We had fun. My birthday presents were awesome.... and quite varied. I received an "earth worm farm starter kit" ... my daughter suggested I wear gloves when "unwrapping." I am now the proud owner of one of those gadgets that allows a person to download books and read them without ever turning a page...the so-called "Kindle"... I am still trying to decide which book to download (purchase) first. And, I have two new baby goats...both girls and one rather weak and anemic, but sweet. The vet did the blood work on her and there is no clear indication of why she is anemic, but I have decided to keep her and hopefully, she will become more robust. The other is quite robust! Tomorrow we go to see about getting a third baby goat... I also received a "stuffed goat" from my Dad and Lynne that plays the Julie Andrews classic..."High on a Hill was a Lonely Goatherd.." from Sound of Music. And finally, from an unknown source, arrived a book on raising goats for milk and meat. My sister and mother both sent gifts of money that are being funneled into the great farm experiment. I had a very happy birthday, indeed.
The kids and Judy relaxing after stuffing ourselves
Joe, Judy, Stephen, Kristen, Jenn and Benoit
outside the restaurant
Judy, with gloves,
examining the earthworm starter kit
Goats Napping
On the GEEZ LOUISE side of things, we've suffered through record hot temperatures with humidity levels that make a person believe they will not be able to draw another breath, augmented by the air conditioner going on the fritz -- naturally on the hottest and most humid weekend of the summer. The downside of living in a garage apartment is that we are literally living in the roof of the structure and it gets HOT quickly when the AC quits. Several frustrating trips to Home Depot later, and after HOURS in the unforgiving sauna installing the newly acquired window AC units, we were able to bring the temperatures inside the apartment down to the low nineties, and even down to the mid eighties when it cooled to the high seventies outside. I was never so happy to see an AC guy as I was when the repairman showed up on day five of our sweatfest and replaced the $20 capacitor.... Ahhhhhh....comfortable 80 degrees reigns supreme on the thermostat once again.
Of course, the zillion other "projects" around here keep us busy, even when we think we deserve a rest. We poured a cement patio last week... a biggish one... 24 X 36 or so. It adjoins the deck on the garage apartment, and will be our "relaxation" spot....when we DO take the time to relax. We will erect the small pool on it later next week, and, if that goes well, next year it will be replaced with the bigger pool.
Joe and the guys raking the cement into place
Joe's trenching all over the property continues. One day it will be complete, but, for now, we happily celebrate every piece of trench that finally gets closed. We have become semi-expert in avoiding breaking our ankles by accidentally stepping into one of the open trenches. OK, to be honest, I am CONSTANTLY stepping into holes, but so far have not had any lasting damage!
Joe, forever working the trenches
Gravel into trench
So there you have it. I guess we have been busy. I know I have about eight pairs of dusty overalls to throw in the washer tomorrow morning. I suppose as long as I have work clothes, I'm not done working!
