HighButtonShoe
the farm update
what we have been up to....
 (and you didn't get any letters...)
July 15, 2008
 
...what did I tell you? When July 4th is done, the summer speeds by, leaving me wondering what happened? Summer was late in coming as spring was late in coming. So I feel somewhat gypped out of some good weather. The killing frosts yet after Memorial Day has seriously changed the growing periods of gardens and farm crops. Thankfully we are no longer a 'working' farm, in that sense. Due to frost and heavy rainfall that washed seeds away or rotted them in the ground, many farms around here have had a rough time of it. NOTHING like compared to the poor farm lands of Iowa and south of them. We did have some flooding around here in the storm of June 13th, which washed out paved roads leaving huge holes whole trucks fell into. The winds uprooted old huge trees, blew barns apart, and in Cadillac, to the north of us, many homes were damaged with not flooding, but the same effect. The ground could not take the water and it went UP into their basements. The sewage system of town could not take the water and people had raw sewage in their basements. None of course, had flood insurance, as we are not in a flood area. Insurance companies will not compensate the damages. Now IF a water pipe had broken, they would have been covered. But a storm that scared the whole north of Michigan to death as it rolled around all night with the most spectacular and frightening lightning displays, strong winds (the new weather term..tornatic winds), hail, and rain like I have never seen....no, no coverage on that. So we were lucky. Several counties around us and indeed Osceola County itself was not so lucky. In a state where road maintenance was already in sad shape, now monies are needed to repair extensive damage done to roads. I guess probably I will stop complaining about our hill and how hard it was to navigate up and off it all winter in the snow and ice, as it would take SOME flood to get to us. Well, not complain? No, I suspect I will be back to that come ice season again.
 
We did have water in the basement a few days ago.
That would be my basement that is full of boxes stacked to the ceiling with only paths in between. Murphys Law always comes to mind. The only rain we have gotten in a while, and it came down for its entirety in sheets that fell off the roof, you could not see thru. Murphys Law comes into bearing, in that Ron had a small covered opening the size a pipe would fit thru in the east wall of the basement where he intended to put the piping of the outside wood stove we are installing. (IF you have read any of my letters before, you know the singular/plural of WE. In this instance the we is him..not plural.) I have had little to do with it. Anyway, Friday he rented a trencher and dug the path from where the stove will set to the basement. How so much water could come down in that short of time and could go INTO that hole is truly amazing. But as we all know, it does! It is before light. While I am scrambling with first lightning strike, to unplug the phones, and the computer, inspite of the surge protectors that are supposed to protect them, but don't always....Ron was in the basement with the first things he could grab, my white towels, to sop up water. This is an old basement, nothing like my other house that had tile floors, this one is old cement and not particularly clean. As my towels are. Also uneven, as old  farmhouse floors often are, that amount of water managed to wander all the way across the basement to the steps. Thankfully nothing important got ruined. And with bleach, the towels are almost good as they were.
This upcoming sale should greatly reduce the number of boxes down there. And we have shelving units everywhere that I can utilize.
 
I have been busy. I thought after all the hectic pace of last summer with us all moving, this summer would be calmer. I was wrong. This outside wood stove will keep us warm with wood heat this winter, but is quite involved to install. And we (him) built a shed to house the entire winters wood in it that will be next to the stove. The dirt had to be leveled, lines pulled, stakes put in, materials figured out and ordered. The shed materials were supposed to be delivered TWO days before the photo shoot, and would have been very visible out the east french doors. Very. So I had it delayed a week. The delivery that is. I know. I promised you a letter about the photo shoot and I have yet to pen it. So...with all the piping now in the ground 4 feet buried and the sod back in place, we can get cement coming to pour the pad the stove will set on and to encase the shed poles. All takes time.
 
While Ron was doing that, along with his work restoring the old Gundrum Building, I have been working there again too. This cavernous old dwelling has very high ceilings. Niece Pam, the owner, wanted me to stencil roosters near the ceiling in one room. Up on scaffolding, with a booster scaffold on top of that, my head touched the top of the ceiling. The roosters are stenciled just inches below the ceiling. The walls are a deep mustard paint. The roosters were to be a deep, deep red. Were, being the operative word there. The red we bought was showing as pink. Not good. Not good at all. So I crawled back down off the scaffold, drove home and got my acrylic dark fingerberry red I have always painted my Santas with. One coat would not cover.
Drats! Requiring TWO coats of paint meant the first one had to dry. And it was bad enough trying to get all the feathers of the stencil to lay flat in ONE place on the first attempt. I hated it. Hated the look. Two coats improved paint, but now my detail was pretty much gone. So the next day, I was back up on the scaffold again with the mustard wall paint and worked in the detailing of the roosters feathers, eyes and such, freehand, with my detail brushes. Perfect. Now I love it. And thankfully so does Pam.  So much so, she wants me to do more of them in another room.
 
So that kept me busy. Along with my other chores there of painting and staining trim wood. BUT my biggest news... are you ready?????  Taking a serious look at my flower/herb garden that has been my out of control fixation of the summer, reminding myself daily that with determination, vision and fortitude, not to mention, no fingernails, dirty feet, ratty hair, and a sore back and knees, I decided spur of the moment one afternoon to take my new rotatiler right down the middle of the garden and dig out a wide path of silver king and mint that had overtaken the garden. This would be the same area Ronnie wanted me to get rid of earlier, but of course, I ignored him. So with my rotatiler at full throttle, as I don't exactly know how to control the hand held gas device yet in a nice smooth rthymn, I went boaring around the garden, with dirt flying, me flying with dirty feet behind it, trying to keep up with that machine that at full throttle makes a prehistoric screech that makes an airplane noise pale in comparison. When I finally caught up to myself, and turned it off, I had a nice area all dug up. So there I was. Pondering on what to do now. It was hot. One of the few hot days we have had. So naturally (in the heat and all), I decided I would 'plant' a few of the 291 bricks left of my stack of 100 year old bricks from the Gundrum chimney. I had planted my 9 bricks 2 summers ago, after Ronnie had shown me precisely the pattern to follow in the brick laying. That, of course, is all grown over with grass. Besides, it was too difficult for me to follow. I didn't need anything too detailed. I just want a path. So I got my big pail and started hauling bricks, thinking I would attempt my 10 bricks a day and would have this done in one month theory, that so far, has not worked. I never did it. Inspite of the heat, I kept going back to my brick stack for more. I could carry 6 bricks at a time. With a clarity I have lacked for this garden for 3 years as the silver king, mint, bittersweet and tansy have been taking it over, I plotted my 291 brick path and laid the entire path that afternoon! Yup! It's done! I absolutely love it. If you look closely, you probably can find drool splotches on the fence posts. I tend to stand there gazing over my winding old brick path creation with a big smile..and drool splotches.  Oh, that's another thing. I dragged my old white paint, where it still shows, fence with the old hinges over to the garden fence and leaned them against the fence to see how I would like that. I did. However, after blowing over no less than 5 times each day...I have now secured them to the wire fence. I added more flowers and more yard junk. Even with Ron's visible frown, I keep adding more terra cotta flower pots to what I suppose could now be considered a collection. One can never have enough old flower pots, even if they are empty!  So, all you who had a raffle going as to when exactly the last brick would be planted, thinking like maybe never... or Ron would decide to do it himself, it was finished last Friday about 7 in the evening. My heart definitely smiles. And I think perhaps I have Miss Elspeth (www.pineberrylane.com) to thank for my decision to dig up my garden. In her last newsletter she reported her gardens and her work in them. And she even has a full time job, so what could possibly be my excuse not to get this done? I know, of course, one can actually PULL OUT bittersweet, tansy, mint and silver king...but I never do. So thank you Miss Els, for the inspiration. My brick path is done!
 
As for outside chores, I must report, as I know you wait with baited breath on his welfare, that Fritz the Anaconda, (resident barn snake) did afterall survive the brutal cold winter. So much for appealing to the snake gods to 'relocate' him to snake heaven or where ever dead snakes go. AND much to my dismay, where Fritz normally hangs out and I scan every inch of that area when I am unfortunately there, Fritz, it would appear has sired a snake-ling. Identical to Fritz, in appearance only much smaller (maybe 20"), the Fritz-ling is more aggressive and actually kept coming toward me with the big riding mower. I'm on the mower, not him.Thinking I would be brave enough to come closer and run him over, and back up a few times (Beulah's theory) and run over him again, his continued coming toward me un-nerved me and I left, somewhat agitated (does diarrhea on the mower count?) And riding mowers tend to make a very unwelcomed pattern in grass when the rider person has a sudden attack of diarrhea. So NOW, not only do I have Fritz to contend with, but another Fritz. I have yet to name him.
 
ThePrimitiveGathering released their 15th of the month issue today. We are showing all old dolls.
Please check it out when you get a chance. All links to me are listed below. Thanks! This month I am offering free shipping in the 48 USA for PrimitiveGatherings. Also on July 1 (now past, yes, I know...) we have new things on LemonPoppySeed and Simply Primitives.
Also please remember to whisper Deena's name (owner of PrimitiveGatherings) in your prayers for her continued journey with cancer. Her strength and courage is amazing. 
http://deenasstory.blogspot.com
 
We will be doing some 're-doing' of the website. Beulah's computer had some problems (don't you hate that?) and she is forced to start fresh in most areas, so now is a good time. Oh, probably should tell you daughter Robin (Beulah) is the creator and maintainer of my website. So when she has problems we have PROBLEMS. So bear with us. I must tell you however, that you MUST check out the homepage of the website  www.highbuttonshoe.net
as she has put a picture of the barn with a hay bale caught in the frame, with a tribute to baling hay and her grandpa. Grandpa (1910-1992) was a very special man. This is his farm, and if you stand still and just watch, you can see him still..watching us. He is never more with us, than he is at hay time. Also on the update icon above the picture I believe, click on that and you can see the striking green of the hay fields. It is an awesome picture.
www.highbuttonshoe.net/farmupdate.htm  This is our lawn between the house and the chicken coop, and you see my beloved swamp on the right. This is one of the swamps where the frogs make their deafening sound and I wait weeks in the early spring to hear the first croaking songs. Every one should have a swamp in their life!
 
I will still write of the day of the photo shoot and what an interesting day it was. Like me, you will find some aspects of it that you never really thought about, when you see pictures of houses in magazines or books. I have come to realize in going back over magazines and books that nearly each room has flowers in it. Really! That apparently is a pre-requisite to being shot.
 
Ok, back to the barns. I am trying to figure out how to work in the barn and decipher which side Fritz might be on, so I can be on the other side. To the best of my knowledge he doesn't go INTO the barn, he just lurks right by the big doors on either the west or east sides. Those would be the doors I must use. Working to move things to the truck bed, is difficult if the task must be done carrying my hoe to murder him off with. Besides, my bonk on the head with it in January is still painfully fresh in my memory.
 
I will let you know when the sale is going to be when I know for sure. I will send an email out and it will also be posted on the homepage of the website. I am aiming for the first weekend in August. But don't hold me to that. Plan A to plan Q, remember? Things don't always go according to hoil.
 
Thanks for asking to be a part of our farm and life.
Should you decide not to, merely reply with remove and I will remove you.
In fond regard,
Tilda, the reluctant gardener,
hate Fritz with passion
keeper of two many boxes
no fingernails left
and all hope of clean feet is lost
www.highbuttonshoe.net