I never have enough of it. I hope that this is just a temporary thing, and that I am not forever going to be looking at an incomplete to-do list. I think I will die an early death, otherwise! It’s stressful!
I am taking care of our neighbor’s horses again. At least it has been warm, but it is a huge time consumer. The water situation is not as convenient as mine, plus he has more horses.
Last time I blogged about my Christmas “gift”, Nic. He is doing well. Thriving, actually. I can’t believe how much weight he has put on in just a few days. However, the day after I found him I went back and found his brother. His brother was sick, has a bad respiratory infection. While I realize that these are barn cats (though that is even in question), and they are hardy and wild, I can’t stand to see an animal suffer. So I brought him inside. I can’t keep him, I already have the 2 cats inside. Not only that, but he is infected, and I don’t want the others to get sick. So he is recuperating in his sick room, a huge dog carrier I have downstairs. I have it fully equipped with a litterbox, heated blankies, food, etc. He doesn’t eat, though, and I am bottle feeding him with kitten milk replacer. I took him to the vet yesterday, and he got a shot of antibiotics. It is touch and go—he is emaciated and has little strength. I am giving him baths now and again to clean his coat, which gets full of mucous, and to warm him up. Yesterday he couldn’t stand in the tub, he was so weak. This kitten has a strong spirit, though, even though he is not well. He purrs when he can, and he never fails to meow at a person when they are out on the porch. I think he will make it, and I am glad that I can help him out. However, taking care of him is taking a lot of time and emotional investment. If you want a kitten and can give him a forever home, email me! I can’t keep him, and will give him to a good home when he is better. (Michael Knight wants a cat, I just know it...)
The horses at my house are doing fine, thank goodness and knock on wood. It has been warm, and you can see the mood change in everyone. Major likes to play, so we’ve been taking a few extra minutes to chase him around the pasture when we let him out.
Of course, the kids are home this break, so we are juggling schedules this week. You’d think we have more time, but it seems like we have less. It doesn’t help that the house doesn’t ever seem to stay clean when they are home.
Did I tell you that I haven’t sent my Christmas cards yet? I have tomorrow off, and I WILL do them then!!
What are your new years plans? I will be doing Christmas cards… Actually, I have been so exhausted lately, going to bed before 11, that I doubt I’ll make it to midnight tomorrow. Maybe I can nap in the afternoon, just to tide me over!
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Saint Nic
I had an unexpected present today! Of course, I got the usual goodies, and a lot of things that I needed but didn't even ask for. (See previous post on being blessed!)
However, I am feeding my neighbor's horses again, and it is miserable there. They have a stock tank that is completely frozen, and I have to break the ice each morning and fill it as best I can, so the horses have a bit of water. They are resorting to licking the ice.
Today, B and I went over together, and resolved to break the ice and take all of the chunks out so the horses could drink (and he did!). I was watering another horse, and noticed a cute kitten running around the paddock. I noticed him especially because he liked people, which was unusual for most of the cats around there, including mine (which have moved over to the neighbor's, except in extreme cold weather, at which point they feel free to use me and stomp on my fragile emotions...).
I was watering the horse, and noticed that the hose was spraying from where it was connected to another hose. I came back around the corner to notice the kitten trying to drink from the spray in the hose. That wouldn't have been so bad, but he was so desperate for water that he was literally being showered by the water, which was soaking him to the skin and freezing in his hair. He had also been eating oats off of the ground because he was so hungry. I just grabbed him on instinct and shoved him in my coat to keep him warm. (I looked a bit like the Alien giving birth, as his head hung out of my coat.) He was shaking uncontrollably, and was not much more than a skeleton with fur. Of course, I couldn't part with him and brought him home. B was fine with it! : )
Given my previous experiences with mice in our house, I had considered bringing one of BB's kittens to live with us in the house (before they abandoned me). Ultimately, they never would let me get close enough to them to make friends. So it didn't happen.
I ended up in the driveway back at our house, with the kitten in my coat, and B and I just decided to bring him in.
I bathed him and gave him some water. He has drunk so much water since then! Of course, he has also eaten his fill of cat food. He is such a love, though he is still getting to know the other animals. The dogs know their place around cats, but Shadow, our old cat, is having a hard time. Of course, it's just been a few hours, and I bet they will become fast friends.
I'm not sure if he was my Christmas present, or if I was his.
Merry Christmas.
Friday, December 24, 2004
I'm so lucky!
Last year during the holidays, as I do every year, I took extra time to reflect on those things which I am most thankful for. While I did not write down those things I considered last year, I believe my list went something like this:
My family
My health
My church family
A warm, more-than-adequate home
Reliable transportation
A steady, rewarding career, that affords me great flexibility with my family
More modern conveniences than I deserve
This year, I am thankful for so much also. But it is amazing how my list has changed:
My husband. An amazing, wonderful, patient partner, who loves me in spite of my shortcomings, and does his best to complete me perfectly. There is no more perfect soul mate for me.
My children. Two people who constantly challenge me to be the best I can be. I marvel every day at their progress as they grow toward responsible, mature, self-actualized people. Each is their own individual, with particular challenges and strengths, and they rise to those challenges in their own way.
My animals. B always says that he sees the face of God in his animals. I couldn’t agree more. There is an old cliché saying about how a person prays to be the person their dog thinks they are. Animals have only basic needs, and it’s amazing how heroic you are to them if you just provide those needs. It’s not hard, and it’s wonderfully rewarding. I love them all so much, even the darn barn cats! I am thankful for them because they make me rise to the occasion. Also, because of them, I have learned so much.
My extended family who is very supportive, including our church family.
I am still thankful that I have an amazing place to live, a great job, and a reliable car. However, I would add to the list this year:
Friends who love me for who I am, and expect me to be nothing more
Caring, compassionate neighbors
Plenty to eat
Extra blankets
Hot water
Wool socks and mittens
Waterproof boots
Indoor plumbing
Insulation
I am spending this day focused on contentment. Just thinking about me, and every action being peaceful and working to bring peace to others. There are too many bills, I haven’t bought everything for Christmas dinner, and I haven’t finished my shopping or my Christmas cards. There is plenty to stress about. But I do that every other day. So today I will give myself permission to have a break from it, and I will focus on peace.
I wish a peaceful, thankful, content day for you, too. Merry Christmas.
My family
My health
My church family
A warm, more-than-adequate home
Reliable transportation
A steady, rewarding career, that affords me great flexibility with my family
More modern conveniences than I deserve
This year, I am thankful for so much also. But it is amazing how my list has changed:
My husband. An amazing, wonderful, patient partner, who loves me in spite of my shortcomings, and does his best to complete me perfectly. There is no more perfect soul mate for me.
My children. Two people who constantly challenge me to be the best I can be. I marvel every day at their progress as they grow toward responsible, mature, self-actualized people. Each is their own individual, with particular challenges and strengths, and they rise to those challenges in their own way.
My animals. B always says that he sees the face of God in his animals. I couldn’t agree more. There is an old cliché saying about how a person prays to be the person their dog thinks they are. Animals have only basic needs, and it’s amazing how heroic you are to them if you just provide those needs. It’s not hard, and it’s wonderfully rewarding. I love them all so much, even the darn barn cats! I am thankful for them because they make me rise to the occasion. Also, because of them, I have learned so much.
My extended family who is very supportive, including our church family.
I am still thankful that I have an amazing place to live, a great job, and a reliable car. However, I would add to the list this year:
Friends who love me for who I am, and expect me to be nothing more
Caring, compassionate neighbors
Plenty to eat
Extra blankets
Hot water
Wool socks and mittens
Waterproof boots
Indoor plumbing
Insulation
I am spending this day focused on contentment. Just thinking about me, and every action being peaceful and working to bring peace to others. There are too many bills, I haven’t bought everything for Christmas dinner, and I haven’t finished my shopping or my Christmas cards. There is plenty to stress about. But I do that every other day. So today I will give myself permission to have a break from it, and I will focus on peace.
I wish a peaceful, thankful, content day for you, too. Merry Christmas.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Ugh.
I have a headache this morning. The kind that makes you want to puke. Of course, the last thing I wanted to do was jump out of bed and feed the horses in the subzero weather. It's a balmy -1.6 right now, but there's hope! The weather forecast calls for a slight warmup this afternoon:
A north wind at 10 to 15 mph and temperatures in the single digits
above to below zero will produce wind chill indices between 20 and 25
degrees below zero this morning... across areas south of Interstate
80. Expect slight warming this afternoon... with wind chill indices
from 10 to 15 below zero.
I took hot water out, as is my usual routine. It was not my usual routine to have it spill down the back of my pant legs. I didn't notice until I got into the barn, too late to change out of my 3 layers of clothes. I came to that realization when my pant legs were too stiff to bend. The stall water buckets were still full, but frozen nearly all the way through. I had to chisel the ice out of them and use the hot water to thaw. Of course, my gloves were wet, but not for long! They froze into nice ice cube fingers. It wasn't really cold, per se, as I was dressed for the weather, but it was very cumbersome. And my head was throbbing.
So, if you are feeling yukky today, then commiserate with me. If you're feeling good, feel a little extra good on my behalf! M asked me if I would be better by Christmas. I sure hope so. I hate feeling like this!
Back to bed with my heating pad.
P.S. When I am bitching about the heat in the summer, somebody email me and remind me about this post. : )
A north wind at 10 to 15 mph and temperatures in the single digits
above to below zero will produce wind chill indices between 20 and 25
degrees below zero this morning... across areas south of Interstate
80. Expect slight warming this afternoon... with wind chill indices
from 10 to 15 below zero.
I took hot water out, as is my usual routine. It was not my usual routine to have it spill down the back of my pant legs. I didn't notice until I got into the barn, too late to change out of my 3 layers of clothes. I came to that realization when my pant legs were too stiff to bend. The stall water buckets were still full, but frozen nearly all the way through. I had to chisel the ice out of them and use the hot water to thaw. Of course, my gloves were wet, but not for long! They froze into nice ice cube fingers. It wasn't really cold, per se, as I was dressed for the weather, but it was very cumbersome. And my head was throbbing.
So, if you are feeling yukky today, then commiserate with me. If you're feeling good, feel a little extra good on my behalf! M asked me if I would be better by Christmas. I sure hope so. I hate feeling like this!
Back to bed with my heating pad.
P.S. When I am bitching about the heat in the summer, somebody email me and remind me about this post. : )
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Seasonal Spirit
It's colder than cold. Okay, I don't live in Alaska, in a perpetual state of below-zero temperatures, so yes, I'm sort of wimpy. However, for Iowa, it's cold. Today the high is 10. And that by itself would be fine, but I live where there is no wind break, so there is always a breeze. And hence, always a windchill. -20 seems to be the most popular number right now. I am keeping the horses in because *I* am cold, not because I worry for them!
But the bright side is that it snowed on Monday night. And because it will be so darn cold between now and Christmas, it will be a white Christmas! Just a little dusting, but we'll take it. Besides, a little dusting gets the spirits up-- a good 8" snow will beat the hell out of your spirits as you shovel it...
The horses are happy. Maybe they know it's Christmas? They do listen to NPR 24/7, after all. : ) Santa will bring them big candy canes, those ones that are about 1" in diameter. They are such junk food junkies! Major will eat anything that you have. B had coffee last week, and he was quite interested in that. Maybe he needed warming up? I was trying to get him to drink some apple juice when he was sick. He wouldn't have any of it. However, I took a big glass into his stall and proceeded to drink it myself. Suddenly he was interested!
A friend from church gave us 2 big bags of carrots. They were still muddy, and cold from being in the car (probably frozen). So last night I got a bucket and filled it with hot water. I warmed up the carrots and washed them off, and took them out to the barn. Do you think those horses would eat those carrots? Of course not. They would probably prefer that I brought them a burrito or pasta!
Over the weekend I was out in the barn, and dressed up in every scarf, hat, glove I could find. I had tied a scarf around my head and under my chin, I teasingly called it my "babushka." Major thought it was a funny thing to grab the end of my scarf and pull, which about choked me. He was playing around, so I took the scarf off and tied it around his head, giving him a babushka. He just carried on like normal, as if that's what he wanted the whole time! So here he was with his babushka on, and then I took off my wool mittens and stuck one on each ear! He just stood there, basking in the attention. I thought for sure he wouldn't want them on his ears! I should have taken a picture. When it warms up and I want to spend more time out there, I will take a picture of the toasty-eared babushka boy.
But the bright side is that it snowed on Monday night. And because it will be so darn cold between now and Christmas, it will be a white Christmas! Just a little dusting, but we'll take it. Besides, a little dusting gets the spirits up-- a good 8" snow will beat the hell out of your spirits as you shovel it...
The horses are happy. Maybe they know it's Christmas? They do listen to NPR 24/7, after all. : ) Santa will bring them big candy canes, those ones that are about 1" in diameter. They are such junk food junkies! Major will eat anything that you have. B had coffee last week, and he was quite interested in that. Maybe he needed warming up? I was trying to get him to drink some apple juice when he was sick. He wouldn't have any of it. However, I took a big glass into his stall and proceeded to drink it myself. Suddenly he was interested!
A friend from church gave us 2 big bags of carrots. They were still muddy, and cold from being in the car (probably frozen). So last night I got a bucket and filled it with hot water. I warmed up the carrots and washed them off, and took them out to the barn. Do you think those horses would eat those carrots? Of course not. They would probably prefer that I brought them a burrito or pasta!
Over the weekend I was out in the barn, and dressed up in every scarf, hat, glove I could find. I had tied a scarf around my head and under my chin, I teasingly called it my "babushka." Major thought it was a funny thing to grab the end of my scarf and pull, which about choked me. He was playing around, so I took the scarf off and tied it around his head, giving him a babushka. He just carried on like normal, as if that's what he wanted the whole time! So here he was with his babushka on, and then I took off my wool mittens and stuck one on each ear! He just stood there, basking in the attention. I thought for sure he wouldn't want them on his ears! I should have taken a picture. When it warms up and I want to spend more time out there, I will take a picture of the toasty-eared babushka boy.
Monday, December 20, 2004
I think I'll just roll over and go back to bed.
Current Temperature: 18.9 F
Current Windchill: -10 F
Forecast: Partly cloudy early in the morning...then mostly cloudy with a chance of snow and sleet in the late morning and early afternoon. Mostly cloudy with chance of snow late in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 30s.
I could do without the sleet, but I am glad for the chance of snow. I always wish for a white Christmas.
I have it down to a system now. I have to bring a bucket of hot water out to the barn every morning. That will thaw Major's frozen water, plus give him half a bucket of hot water. He doesn't like to drink as much when the water is so cold. But he also doesn't like tap water. So I give him half well water (freezing cold) and half hot tap water.
It was so cold yesterday that I cringed when I spilled water on my pants, until I realized that it wasn't cold because it froze before it soaked through!
B insulated the attic more this weekend. It really helps. He also insulated around the windows, and that was really a help, too.
In my attempt to be a grownup this weekend, I did get all of my baking done, and the presents for our out-of-town family wrapped. I have to send them today. I also hope I can get my Christmas cards done tonight and out tomorrow. Maybe people will get them by Christmas!
I still have all of the laundry to put away. Ugh, will I ever get caught up?
Current Windchill: -10 F
Forecast: Partly cloudy early in the morning...then mostly cloudy with a chance of snow and sleet in the late morning and early afternoon. Mostly cloudy with chance of snow late in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 30s.
I could do without the sleet, but I am glad for the chance of snow. I always wish for a white Christmas.
I have it down to a system now. I have to bring a bucket of hot water out to the barn every morning. That will thaw Major's frozen water, plus give him half a bucket of hot water. He doesn't like to drink as much when the water is so cold. But he also doesn't like tap water. So I give him half well water (freezing cold) and half hot tap water.
It was so cold yesterday that I cringed when I spilled water on my pants, until I realized that it wasn't cold because it froze before it soaked through!
B insulated the attic more this weekend. It really helps. He also insulated around the windows, and that was really a help, too.
In my attempt to be a grownup this weekend, I did get all of my baking done, and the presents for our out-of-town family wrapped. I have to send them today. I also hope I can get my Christmas cards done tonight and out tomorrow. Maybe people will get them by Christmas!
I still have all of the laundry to put away. Ugh, will I ever get caught up?
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Guilt.
It all started this morning. I awoke at 8:30! That is like a 3-hour sleep in! And it felt really, really good. I got up, but decided to go back to bed and snooze until 10:00 am! The horses thought I had died. I dragged myself out there about 10:15, and did the usual batch of chores. But I was just not interested in getting them done. I didn’t have the strength, or the desire.
We are now giving the horses free-choice hay, as keeping them eating continuously helps them to stay warm during the cold weather. We have 14 big round bales of hay, and we use them in the paddock for when the horses are outside. We feed alfalfa inside the barn 2x a day, but we decided to not let the round bales go to waste. So we moved 2 of them into the barn, and we have to tear the hay off the round bales for the horses 2x a day. It’s a heckuva lot of work. And it takes longer for me to do the chores.
So, I had extra work today, and didn’t feel like doing that. Actually, writing this reminds me that my butt still has to get out there and do the work—the temperature is going to get into the low single digits tonight, and it’s supposed to be a high of like 12 tomorrow. I would MUCH rather do that today when it is a reasonable temperature than doing that in frigid air tomorrow. I should go out and pull a bunch of hay off of the bale. Arrgh!
I came inside and am working on making treats. I decided to go with my thoughts about a basket of treats for some people for Christmas. I always give my family photos of the kids for Christmas in a nice frame. So I thought I would add a nice touch by giving them some goodies as well. I’ve made fudge, popcorn balls, chocolate mint candies and iced pretzels. I am working on chocolate truffle candies, and will then make some toffee. I am going to make them as teacher gifts, too. It’s something I like to do, and is much more appealing than stepping outside to do some manual labor in sub zero weather.
I also have Christmas presents to wrap and pack into boxes to get out early this week. Of course, there are still more prezzies to buy, and a trip into town is planned for this afternoon.
And I have a stack of Christmas cards to send. I made them this year, I used a photo of B and me at one of the bridges of Madison County. I turned it into a black and white photo, and am using a colored pencil to color the bridge just a hint of red. It looks really cool, actually. But I have 50 of them to color. And I have to write the Christmas letter. And address the envelopes.
Did I mention the 5 loads of clean laundry I need to fold and put away?
But, it’s freezing in here, it’s freezing-er outside. It’s really gray. And I’d love more than anything to just get my Scottish wool blankie and snuggle up on the couch with a cup of warm cider and snooze to a CD of Christmas music.
I keep thinking that I wouldn’t feel satisfied at the end of the day. But I would! I know I would just have the most wonderful day if I did that. Unfortunately, my to-do list would still be there tomorrow, and I’d have less time to get it all done.
I hate being a grownup!! Too much guilt.
We are now giving the horses free-choice hay, as keeping them eating continuously helps them to stay warm during the cold weather. We have 14 big round bales of hay, and we use them in the paddock for when the horses are outside. We feed alfalfa inside the barn 2x a day, but we decided to not let the round bales go to waste. So we moved 2 of them into the barn, and we have to tear the hay off the round bales for the horses 2x a day. It’s a heckuva lot of work. And it takes longer for me to do the chores.
So, I had extra work today, and didn’t feel like doing that. Actually, writing this reminds me that my butt still has to get out there and do the work—the temperature is going to get into the low single digits tonight, and it’s supposed to be a high of like 12 tomorrow. I would MUCH rather do that today when it is a reasonable temperature than doing that in frigid air tomorrow. I should go out and pull a bunch of hay off of the bale. Arrgh!
I came inside and am working on making treats. I decided to go with my thoughts about a basket of treats for some people for Christmas. I always give my family photos of the kids for Christmas in a nice frame. So I thought I would add a nice touch by giving them some goodies as well. I’ve made fudge, popcorn balls, chocolate mint candies and iced pretzels. I am working on chocolate truffle candies, and will then make some toffee. I am going to make them as teacher gifts, too. It’s something I like to do, and is much more appealing than stepping outside to do some manual labor in sub zero weather.
I also have Christmas presents to wrap and pack into boxes to get out early this week. Of course, there are still more prezzies to buy, and a trip into town is planned for this afternoon.
And I have a stack of Christmas cards to send. I made them this year, I used a photo of B and me at one of the bridges of Madison County. I turned it into a black and white photo, and am using a colored pencil to color the bridge just a hint of red. It looks really cool, actually. But I have 50 of them to color. And I have to write the Christmas letter. And address the envelopes.
Did I mention the 5 loads of clean laundry I need to fold and put away?
But, it’s freezing in here, it’s freezing-er outside. It’s really gray. And I’d love more than anything to just get my Scottish wool blankie and snuggle up on the couch with a cup of warm cider and snooze to a CD of Christmas music.
I keep thinking that I wouldn’t feel satisfied at the end of the day. But I would! I know I would just have the most wonderful day if I did that. Unfortunately, my to-do list would still be there tomorrow, and I’d have less time to get it all done.
I hate being a grownup!! Too much guilt.
Saturday, December 11, 2004
It's Love!
I’m madly in love! With my house.
Okay, I’m madly in love with my husband, too, but this blog is not about my sappy love life.
Before we bought our house, we looked at many, many houses. In Iowa, it’s customary to make a verbal offer. When we were interested in a house, we’d discuss our price, and then our realtor would call the other realtor. In more than one case, the negotiations took place before we even saw a piece of paper. Once everything was hashed out, then we’d firm it up in writing. We made verbal offers on two homes, and nearly bought a third. We put earnest money down and made it to the home inspection stage, which is where the last deal died.
So what I am trying to say is that we kissed a lot of frog-houses before we found this princess. By the time we found her, I was a little jaded, to say the least. We had an offer on our old house, and the offer on the one mentioned above fell through, so we were really in a bind. Fortunately, our closing date was two months away, but we were still pretty worried that the perfect house wouldn’t come along, and we’d have to move from our old house into whoknowswhat.
I actually saw this property listed online, and came back to the listing many times before I asked our realtor to go and see it. It was way out of our price range, and not in an area in which we had been looking. So it was kind of a whim. It was advertised as “scenic” and overlooking a river valley, and the photo of the house (a similar shot to the one here on my profile) intrigued me.
So we went to look, but I was sure this wasn’t the one. But, it was the one for B. He was sold on it before he saw the inside of the house! It is nothing if it isn’t scenic around here! You can’t see another soul for miles on nearly all sides. In the wintertime, when the leaves are gone, you can see the neighbor’s house, but he is about 1/3 mile away. And the 20 acres was more than the 2-5 we’d been considering previously.
When we went in, of course, the décor blew us away. And, I must say, I wasn’t blown away in an impressed way!! We knew it would be a lot of work. But B had never been swept away by the previous houses. He went along with me and was agreeable on all of the ones I wanted. But he was passionate about this one!
I am not a stupid woman. I decided that if I made the house HIS idea, then he would never blame me for taking him away from the comfy burbs. It worked! And here we are today, blame-free.
But it has taken me a long time to come to love this house. I love being out here, I love living out away from everyone, I love the land, the horses, everything that goes with being out here. I just didn’t fall hard for the house.
After I moved in, I saw her beauty. I look at her as a beautiful “Ivory Girl,” wholesome, sturdy, and full of natural beauty. Unfortunately, the previous owners whored up the Ivory Girl with gaudy décor. She’s full of the house equivalent of red lipstick, dyed hair and feather boas. We are working hard taking off the warpaint and scrubbing her up. And I know now that I love her.
We recently received the title abstract for the house. It is full of details about the house, of course, including all of the previous owners. The land was a land grant to Bernhart Henn in 1854. The house wasn’t built until 1920, but think of everyone who has passed through this house. It was not a one-family farm. The house has had eight families live here. That’s nearly one family a decade! That makes me love her more—all of those influences on these four walls.
I came home on Friday from work, and just felt overwhelming warmth as I walked in the door. It smelled familiar, the horse smell on our barn clothes on the back porch. We had pasta the night before, and that smell lingered. Even the smell of the garlic bread that I nearly burnt greeted me as I opened the door. And it was so warm and cozy.
It happened again today, after doing some Christmas shopping. I came back to the house hug. And this evening we got our Christmas tree. Now, accompanying the hug is the smell of pine and cinnamon and all things holidayish.
Ahhhh, I am home. It’s going to be a wonderful, magical, simple and uncomplicated Christmas.
Okay, I’m madly in love with my husband, too, but this blog is not about my sappy love life.
Before we bought our house, we looked at many, many houses. In Iowa, it’s customary to make a verbal offer. When we were interested in a house, we’d discuss our price, and then our realtor would call the other realtor. In more than one case, the negotiations took place before we even saw a piece of paper. Once everything was hashed out, then we’d firm it up in writing. We made verbal offers on two homes, and nearly bought a third. We put earnest money down and made it to the home inspection stage, which is where the last deal died.
So what I am trying to say is that we kissed a lot of frog-houses before we found this princess. By the time we found her, I was a little jaded, to say the least. We had an offer on our old house, and the offer on the one mentioned above fell through, so we were really in a bind. Fortunately, our closing date was two months away, but we were still pretty worried that the perfect house wouldn’t come along, and we’d have to move from our old house into whoknowswhat.
I actually saw this property listed online, and came back to the listing many times before I asked our realtor to go and see it. It was way out of our price range, and not in an area in which we had been looking. So it was kind of a whim. It was advertised as “scenic” and overlooking a river valley, and the photo of the house (a similar shot to the one here on my profile) intrigued me.
So we went to look, but I was sure this wasn’t the one. But, it was the one for B. He was sold on it before he saw the inside of the house! It is nothing if it isn’t scenic around here! You can’t see another soul for miles on nearly all sides. In the wintertime, when the leaves are gone, you can see the neighbor’s house, but he is about 1/3 mile away. And the 20 acres was more than the 2-5 we’d been considering previously.
When we went in, of course, the décor blew us away. And, I must say, I wasn’t blown away in an impressed way!! We knew it would be a lot of work. But B had never been swept away by the previous houses. He went along with me and was agreeable on all of the ones I wanted. But he was passionate about this one!
I am not a stupid woman. I decided that if I made the house HIS idea, then he would never blame me for taking him away from the comfy burbs. It worked! And here we are today, blame-free.
But it has taken me a long time to come to love this house. I love being out here, I love living out away from everyone, I love the land, the horses, everything that goes with being out here. I just didn’t fall hard for the house.
After I moved in, I saw her beauty. I look at her as a beautiful “Ivory Girl,” wholesome, sturdy, and full of natural beauty. Unfortunately, the previous owners whored up the Ivory Girl with gaudy décor. She’s full of the house equivalent of red lipstick, dyed hair and feather boas. We are working hard taking off the warpaint and scrubbing her up. And I know now that I love her.
We recently received the title abstract for the house. It is full of details about the house, of course, including all of the previous owners. The land was a land grant to Bernhart Henn in 1854. The house wasn’t built until 1920, but think of everyone who has passed through this house. It was not a one-family farm. The house has had eight families live here. That’s nearly one family a decade! That makes me love her more—all of those influences on these four walls.
I came home on Friday from work, and just felt overwhelming warmth as I walked in the door. It smelled familiar, the horse smell on our barn clothes on the back porch. We had pasta the night before, and that smell lingered. Even the smell of the garlic bread that I nearly burnt greeted me as I opened the door. And it was so warm and cozy.
It happened again today, after doing some Christmas shopping. I came back to the house hug. And this evening we got our Christmas tree. Now, accompanying the hug is the smell of pine and cinnamon and all things holidayish.
Ahhhh, I am home. It’s going to be a wonderful, magical, simple and uncomplicated Christmas.
Thursday, December 09, 2004
They're coming too fast!
Yes, yes, it’s been a few days since I’ve blogged. I have missed it!! The holidays are coming fast, and I am getting stressed. I keep telling myself that it is part of my new strategy not to be stressed by the holidays. It’s not the “simple” way. And dammit, I am going to be simple! (And you know how I meant that!)
I am going Christmas shopping this weekend. Let’s hope I can stick to my guns. Not a whole ton of presents for the kids. I think I am going to do some cooking for my brothers/brothers-in-law/sisters-in-law. Nobody will turn down a basket of baked goods, I hope. Nobody here will turn them down anyway! I was thinking of some fudge, peanut brittle, truffles, and anything else that comes to mind before I shop. Would you think that was a bad gift?? I guess I can’t assume that everyone else will appreciate my simple approach.
The cats are getting coal. I didn’t tell you that I did a bad thing. One of my bedsheets ripped, and I trashed it. Well, I STARTED to trash it, and then decided that the kitties might appreciate another warm thing in their little cat house. So what other barn cats sleep on 440 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets? And then, what do those ingrates do??? Abandon me. They are gone, all except Mark. And Mark sleeps on the hay bales, and meows constantly for me to feed him (which I only do rarely). I am sick of those freeloaders. ; ) Whose idea was this to put out the welcome mat?
And the craziest thing is that they have run away to the neighbor’s. I fed the neighbor’s horses last week. It was miserable. That bitter cold rain, not-yet-freezing temperatures, those gray and soggy days. You go outside for 45 minutes and it takes 4 hours to warm back up—the kind of cold that chills you deep to the bone. So I am out there, feeding five horses and his dog. Each horse has a different food, different amounts. The well pump runs at a trickle, and some water needs to be hauled across the yard. The stock tank will fill only if the hose is running downhill. Gates are wired together with wire and baling twine, some gates are torn off and mired in mud. The horses only have lean-tos, not a barn. The mud is ankle deep.
Not that I see anything wrong with this—I am just painting the picture here. Horses can live outside with minimal shelter, and these horses have all their needs met. Work with me here…
So I go over in the steady rain, cold and soaked to the bone. I am just about to head home when I hear a cat. Who do you think it might be? Yes, it’s Miss “Egyptian Cotton Sheets and Science Diet Aren’t Good Enough For Me” barn cat! She and two of her rugrats are roaming around the mud bog, sleeping in the lean-to with the horses!
I give up.
I am still quite a bit citified.
********
A bad thing happened to B the other day. We have a 4-bay machine shed. One of the bays is finished into a garage (1-car). The other bays just have the sliding wooden doors. . You’ll remember the karmic choice he made early when we moved in: he decided his car needed the garage slot. My SUV has to stay in the machine shed.
I’m generally lazy, and I don’t put it inside. Hell, it’s so muddy and grimy from the gravel/dirt roads that I don’t bother washing it much. Plus, I let it warm up before I go to work, so the frost is melted by the time I leave. I will put it in when it snows, cuz again, I am lazy, and it will be less effort to park it inside than to scrape the snow.
I’m digressing.
But, B parks his car in the nice warm garage. And what lives in the nice warm garage? Mice! Yes, he’s already had the problem once, and it solved itself. However, he was driving along and a different mouse ran across the cowl and back underneath the hood! Driving down the road! Then he heard a big clunk and the heater fan stopped working! There is a HORRIBLE stench in his car now, and the heat doesn’t work, and it makes a gawdawful noise when you turn the fan on. Poor him. His little luxury sportscar is the mousemobile. When I drove it, I nicknamed it “Speedy Gonzales.” Like the mouse.
He wasn’t impressed.
But hey, she who parks her car outside in the cold air that’s unattractive to mice seeking warmth, does not have mice in her car.
I am going Christmas shopping this weekend. Let’s hope I can stick to my guns. Not a whole ton of presents for the kids. I think I am going to do some cooking for my brothers/brothers-in-law/sisters-in-law. Nobody will turn down a basket of baked goods, I hope. Nobody here will turn them down anyway! I was thinking of some fudge, peanut brittle, truffles, and anything else that comes to mind before I shop. Would you think that was a bad gift?? I guess I can’t assume that everyone else will appreciate my simple approach.
The cats are getting coal. I didn’t tell you that I did a bad thing. One of my bedsheets ripped, and I trashed it. Well, I STARTED to trash it, and then decided that the kitties might appreciate another warm thing in their little cat house. So what other barn cats sleep on 440 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets? And then, what do those ingrates do??? Abandon me. They are gone, all except Mark. And Mark sleeps on the hay bales, and meows constantly for me to feed him (which I only do rarely). I am sick of those freeloaders. ; ) Whose idea was this to put out the welcome mat?
And the craziest thing is that they have run away to the neighbor’s. I fed the neighbor’s horses last week. It was miserable. That bitter cold rain, not-yet-freezing temperatures, those gray and soggy days. You go outside for 45 minutes and it takes 4 hours to warm back up—the kind of cold that chills you deep to the bone. So I am out there, feeding five horses and his dog. Each horse has a different food, different amounts. The well pump runs at a trickle, and some water needs to be hauled across the yard. The stock tank will fill only if the hose is running downhill. Gates are wired together with wire and baling twine, some gates are torn off and mired in mud. The horses only have lean-tos, not a barn. The mud is ankle deep.
Not that I see anything wrong with this—I am just painting the picture here. Horses can live outside with minimal shelter, and these horses have all their needs met. Work with me here…
So I go over in the steady rain, cold and soaked to the bone. I am just about to head home when I hear a cat. Who do you think it might be? Yes, it’s Miss “Egyptian Cotton Sheets and Science Diet Aren’t Good Enough For Me” barn cat! She and two of her rugrats are roaming around the mud bog, sleeping in the lean-to with the horses!
I give up.
I am still quite a bit citified.
********
A bad thing happened to B the other day. We have a 4-bay machine shed. One of the bays is finished into a garage (1-car). The other bays just have the sliding wooden doors. . You’ll remember the karmic choice he made early when we moved in: he decided his car needed the garage slot. My SUV has to stay in the machine shed.
I’m generally lazy, and I don’t put it inside. Hell, it’s so muddy and grimy from the gravel/dirt roads that I don’t bother washing it much. Plus, I let it warm up before I go to work, so the frost is melted by the time I leave. I will put it in when it snows, cuz again, I am lazy, and it will be less effort to park it inside than to scrape the snow.
I’m digressing.
But, B parks his car in the nice warm garage. And what lives in the nice warm garage? Mice! Yes, he’s already had the problem once, and it solved itself. However, he was driving along and a different mouse ran across the cowl and back underneath the hood! Driving down the road! Then he heard a big clunk and the heater fan stopped working! There is a HORRIBLE stench in his car now, and the heat doesn’t work, and it makes a gawdawful noise when you turn the fan on. Poor him. His little luxury sportscar is the mousemobile. When I drove it, I nicknamed it “Speedy Gonzales.” Like the mouse.
He wasn’t impressed.
But hey, she who parks her car outside in the cold air that’s unattractive to mice seeking warmth, does not have mice in her car.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Pre Demolition Photo
This is a photo of the living room before we bought the house. Love that paneling!
Did I say that?
It’s a good thing I have this blog to remind myself, in writing, how ridiculous I am sometimes. Remember when I was so worried about the kittens? How I went to great lengths to get them to not be so scared of me, and to get them to like their little house and be warm and safe in the winter? What the HELL was I thinking???
These cats are so lazy! BB, the mother, eats her food once a day, and goes back outside to do her “cat work.” The kittens, on the other hand, come out of their comfy box in the morning, where they have slept peacefully all night (in the warm, safe barn), and yowl for food. They all get fed in the morning, first thing. When I come back at 4:30 to feed the horses, they are back begging for food. I do not feed them then. At 8:30 pm, when I go out and tuck the horses into their stalls, they emerge sleepily yet again from their box to see what food they might get. (none) While saying that they never leave the barn is somewhat of an exaggeration, I would say that they spend the majority of their time sleeping in their box in the barn.
I am creating monsters. What was I thinking before???
Lest you suggest I block them out of the barn, let me remind you of my previous post about how I “winterproofed” the barn, only to have them dig a different hole under the foundation to create an alternate entrance!
I give up.
These cats are so lazy! BB, the mother, eats her food once a day, and goes back outside to do her “cat work.” The kittens, on the other hand, come out of their comfy box in the morning, where they have slept peacefully all night (in the warm, safe barn), and yowl for food. They all get fed in the morning, first thing. When I come back at 4:30 to feed the horses, they are back begging for food. I do not feed them then. At 8:30 pm, when I go out and tuck the horses into their stalls, they emerge sleepily yet again from their box to see what food they might get. (none) While saying that they never leave the barn is somewhat of an exaggeration, I would say that they spend the majority of their time sleeping in their box in the barn.
I am creating monsters. What was I thinking before???
Lest you suggest I block them out of the barn, let me remind you of my previous post about how I “winterproofed” the barn, only to have them dig a different hole under the foundation to create an alternate entrance!
I give up.
What we've done so far, part one
I talked to A the other day, and she asked me what we had done to the house since we last talked. Since I am chronicling rural life here, and all that goes with it, I thought it would be good to remind ourselves later of what had been done and when.
When we bought the house, we immediately had the appreciation for the past. As I said before, we appreciate every worn spot, every little piece of evidence that someone has been calling this place home for the past 84 years. Despite some of the garish cosmetic issues, we knew the house had good bones. There was rust-colored shag carpeting in the downstairs, but I peeked underneath when I removed a register, and saw that there were likely beautiful hardwood floors underneath. So we took the chance and bought it.
Good thing we did! We have discovered a home full of treasures, and we are polishing them up!
The kitchen had two layers of flooring over smooth, oiled wood floors. We removed the vinyl and some yellow linoleum. That was pretty easy, and we were beside ourselves with excitement about the condition of the floors. The cabinets are handmade, probably one of the owners made them long ago. They are pine, but the doors are painted white. I don’t think they can be stripped. They had a sort of dark, gothic hardware on them. We removed that, freshened up the white paint, and bought some antique porcelain knobs. We have a great stove from the 1940’s, which looks perfect in the room. We also treated ourselves to a restored hoosier and a solid maple bakery table, which we use as our kitchen island. We need to refinish the floor (there are some spots ruined by the linoleum tar), paint, and do something about our large, late-model refrigerator, which just doesn’t go. I also want to put in new countertops, and we are really considering cement countertops. (They will look similar to soapstone, that dark, slate gray.) We will replace the vinyl backsplash, too.
The living and dining room had paneling from floor to ceiling, which complimented the rust shag carpeting. We tore up the carpeting, to reveal the most wonderful honey-colored wood floors! We took the paneling off the walls, and the plaster is in amazing shape. There are some cracks to patch, and some remodeling disguising to do (they moved a doorway, and the evidence is still there). They also removed all of the woodwork in the livingroom/dining room, which is probably the worst thing that has happened to the house. While it is a sad thing, it can be replaced and we intend to replicate as closely as possible the original woodwork. So we have removed paneling, scraped layers of wallpaper from the plaster, and removed carpeting. When we took the paneling out of the dining room, we found what appears to be the opening for a stained glass window at the base of the stairs. It was paneled over on the inside, and sided over on the outside. We plan to restore that, too. Of course, we’ll have to find just the right window (in just the right size) for that opening. Any ideas?
One other travesty in the living/dining room is the foam tile ceiling. The positive thing is that they put it up with furring strips and staples, it’s not the dropped T ceiling frame. We have considered removing the tiles, strips, and wallpaper, and then just restoring it to plaster. A LOT of work, and we are uncertain about the amount of damage caused by the nailing up of the furring strips. It might be a lot of overhead work to get it restored. So we are also considering removing the tiles and strips and putting up the wallpaper that simulates a tin ceiling. However, I am concerned that it will sag over time and look like wallpaper. We don’t have air conditioning, so it gets hot and humid in the summer, and I foresee falling paper. The other option we are considering is a tin ceiling. Obviously, that is the most expensive option, as each of the rooms is approximately 215 square feet. Home Depot sold some crappy looking tin ceiling tiles for $8.75 a square foot. The cheapest I have seen has been about $4 a s.f.
The last room downstairs is the mud room. It looks like it used to be a bedroom, or maybe a back porch walled-in. It’s obviously newer than the rest of the house, because it’s over a crawl space instead of the basement like the remainder of the house. It’s a generous size, so I would like to utilize it. It’s now just the laundry room, with paneling. (that paneling again!) I plan to just paint that, and leave the dated but pleasant floor covering. I want to make it a super-organized room, with hooks, shelves, bins and baskets.
I hope to get a ton of this stuff done over the winter! We won’t have all of the outside chores calling us. Of course, we’ll also need to win the lottery to get all of it accomplished. : )
Tomorrow I will tell you all about the upstairs.
When we bought the house, we immediately had the appreciation for the past. As I said before, we appreciate every worn spot, every little piece of evidence that someone has been calling this place home for the past 84 years. Despite some of the garish cosmetic issues, we knew the house had good bones. There was rust-colored shag carpeting in the downstairs, but I peeked underneath when I removed a register, and saw that there were likely beautiful hardwood floors underneath. So we took the chance and bought it.
Good thing we did! We have discovered a home full of treasures, and we are polishing them up!
The kitchen had two layers of flooring over smooth, oiled wood floors. We removed the vinyl and some yellow linoleum. That was pretty easy, and we were beside ourselves with excitement about the condition of the floors. The cabinets are handmade, probably one of the owners made them long ago. They are pine, but the doors are painted white. I don’t think they can be stripped. They had a sort of dark, gothic hardware on them. We removed that, freshened up the white paint, and bought some antique porcelain knobs. We have a great stove from the 1940’s, which looks perfect in the room. We also treated ourselves to a restored hoosier and a solid maple bakery table, which we use as our kitchen island. We need to refinish the floor (there are some spots ruined by the linoleum tar), paint, and do something about our large, late-model refrigerator, which just doesn’t go. I also want to put in new countertops, and we are really considering cement countertops. (They will look similar to soapstone, that dark, slate gray.) We will replace the vinyl backsplash, too.
The living and dining room had paneling from floor to ceiling, which complimented the rust shag carpeting. We tore up the carpeting, to reveal the most wonderful honey-colored wood floors! We took the paneling off the walls, and the plaster is in amazing shape. There are some cracks to patch, and some remodeling disguising to do (they moved a doorway, and the evidence is still there). They also removed all of the woodwork in the livingroom/dining room, which is probably the worst thing that has happened to the house. While it is a sad thing, it can be replaced and we intend to replicate as closely as possible the original woodwork. So we have removed paneling, scraped layers of wallpaper from the plaster, and removed carpeting. When we took the paneling out of the dining room, we found what appears to be the opening for a stained glass window at the base of the stairs. It was paneled over on the inside, and sided over on the outside. We plan to restore that, too. Of course, we’ll have to find just the right window (in just the right size) for that opening. Any ideas?
One other travesty in the living/dining room is the foam tile ceiling. The positive thing is that they put it up with furring strips and staples, it’s not the dropped T ceiling frame. We have considered removing the tiles, strips, and wallpaper, and then just restoring it to plaster. A LOT of work, and we are uncertain about the amount of damage caused by the nailing up of the furring strips. It might be a lot of overhead work to get it restored. So we are also considering removing the tiles and strips and putting up the wallpaper that simulates a tin ceiling. However, I am concerned that it will sag over time and look like wallpaper. We don’t have air conditioning, so it gets hot and humid in the summer, and I foresee falling paper. The other option we are considering is a tin ceiling. Obviously, that is the most expensive option, as each of the rooms is approximately 215 square feet. Home Depot sold some crappy looking tin ceiling tiles for $8.75 a square foot. The cheapest I have seen has been about $4 a s.f.
The last room downstairs is the mud room. It looks like it used to be a bedroom, or maybe a back porch walled-in. It’s obviously newer than the rest of the house, because it’s over a crawl space instead of the basement like the remainder of the house. It’s a generous size, so I would like to utilize it. It’s now just the laundry room, with paneling. (that paneling again!) I plan to just paint that, and leave the dated but pleasant floor covering. I want to make it a super-organized room, with hooks, shelves, bins and baskets.
I hope to get a ton of this stuff done over the winter! We won’t have all of the outside chores calling us. Of course, we’ll also need to win the lottery to get all of it accomplished. : )
Tomorrow I will tell you all about the upstairs.
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