A Gorgeous Day!

I couldn't have chosen a better day than yesterday for my Mental Health Day!  It was BEAUTIFUL and 59 degrees in the shade:  WOW!  I worked outside in nothing more than a threadbare sweatshirt all day (okay, and pants & mud boots).  I was pretty much exhausted last night and fell into bed just after 10:00.  But, as usual, it took me fo-EV-ah to fall asleep!  It seems that, when I lay down, my brain starts up.  Ugh.  It was all "in order to do this project, I need to get this figured out, and then I need to do this, and then, and then . . . ."  BUT, I guess it was worth it (going to bed at an early hour) 'cause I woke up about 5 minutes before the 6:45 alarms this morning:  AMAZE-BALLS!  ;)

Even though I didn't get my whole list done yesterday (see previous post), I got a LOT done and felt really good about my day.  I like the feeling of being physically worn out by the end of a day:  lets me know I was productive!

I just now remembered:  I saw the first skunk of the year on the winter driveway the other night.  I HOPE the dogs don't have a run-in with one this year!

There was SO much melting yesterday, and the yard in front of the garage is about 1/3 mud now instead of snow.  Once it is free of snow, I'll change the winter's snow tires for the regular ones.  The late snowstorm at the beginning of this past week was actually a good thing because I wouldn't have gotten that final layer of ice off the winter driveway as early if I hadn't needed to go out and plow.  As a result, that 4 1/2 mile stretch of road is free of snow now (at least, the narrow track that my car fits through is down to muddy dirt).

Check out this illustration of yesterday's melting.  These pictures were taken 8 hours apart:

11:30 AM - My lilac bush and a white pine just off the slate walking path leading from the side door.

7:30 PM - And, LOOK:  the first of the slate walk (to the right of the lilac bush) surfaced yesterday!!  Compare the two images of the white pine, in particular:  in the morning, the bottom boughs were still encased in snow!

Random:  while I'm uploading these pictures this morning, I'm also pulling ClipArt from the Web for signs advertising my Easter cards . . . and check this out:

Ummmm, yeah . . . this is EXACTLY what I think of when I think of Easter!  What the . . . ??!!

Here's the messy end of the kitchen (yesterday) waiting for me to clean it up and put away all the groceries that have been sitting around for well over a week.

Ahhhh, clean!  (At least this end of the kitchen is!)  And, everything is put away properly and in its place - not just shoved into the pantry.  (The door to the pantry is tucked between the upright freezer on the left and the glider rocker . . . which I'll have to recover at some point.  Warm pink is NOT my kitchen accent color!)

Do any of y'all have a comfy chair in your kitchen?  Honestly, I NEVER would have thought to introduce one to the space had it not been for a little house right down on the lake that my folks rented the summer we moved from the homestead and into town (before they'd rented the place in town).  (Clarification:  the rental is NOT the house / property they own now just outside of town.)  That was the summer before my senior year of high school.

This old, little ramshackled house had THE COMFIEST, most adorable (red gingham, if memory serves), tiny Lay-Z-Boy-esque upholstered chair nestled into a corner of the kitchen.  After we moved from there (and STILL, to this DAY!), Mom and I talked about breaking in to steal that chair!  (Actually, she did contact the owners to ask to buy the chair but they said, "Nope!")  Since that time (eek, 23 years ago!!!), I think both Mama Pea and I have always yearned for a kitchen large enough to accommodate a comfortable chair.  After all, WHERE does everyone congregate?  The kitchen!  And, every single time I've entertained here at the Swamp River Ridge house, there's always someone rocking away in that chair and chatting while I finish up meal preparations.  I hope Mom's planning on including a comfy chair in her new kitchen design (I'll bet she is)!

A couple of other seasonal "firsts" before I forget:  I saw the first pussy willows of the season yesterday (they bloomed a bit earlier down by the temperate big lake), and, this morning, I hear red-winged blackbirds!  Their trill is my FAVORITE summertime sound!

Another project on yesterday's list was clearing the big deck.  The weather has started to turn so lovely that I want to be able to sit out here before bug season starts (all too soon).  But, since the 4+ feet of ice and wet, wet snow was so heavy (and required chipping off with the ice chipper as I went), I cheated and just dug a path from the door off the sunroom to the place my wicker rocking chair sits by the railing.

A slightly distorted, but effective, view from the southwest end of the deck looking back at the sunroom.

After all that hard, sweaty work, I cracked a beer and sat down to survey my domain!  :)

We'll end here for today with a view of the (very!) snow-covered walkway between the large and small deck.  I think I'll let Ma Nature take her course with that . . . or, at least, wait until she's done most of the work!  ;)  This side of the house faces S/SW, and the windows are:  master bedroom (top left), master bath (top right), living room (bottom left), and dining room (bottom right).

The Last Couple of Days in Photos

This, folks, is what you call a 'revoltin' development'.

Today's schedule being what it is, I had the opportunity to sleep in. But, of course, Annie Blue meowed and meowed and meowed to be let out around 6:30 (even tho she's a cat, she goes potty outside), and I was sooooooo tired. But, I grumped and groaned out of bed and tromped downstairs and let her out. Then I flopped back in bed. And tossed and turned. Was too hot. Started thinking about this and that. Got up to go potty myself, and got a drink of water. And then? I was awake.

So, here I am. Potential lie-in morning not taken advantage of. (Well, that's a lie - I did get an extra hour compared to a normal morning.) Anyway, as I said, 'a revoltin' development'.

Anyway, here are a few pictures to illustrate life lately.


I took this first one on October 1st. I'd just walked into the kitchen to pull a junky pizza out of the oven, and the cozy scene just really struck a chord in me. What you can't see is that the four pans on the stove contain four fresh batches of cottage cheese, and there's a fire snap-cracklin' in the wood cookstove. Have I ever told you, "I LOVE my kitchen?!" :)


I took this next picture during our first-of-the-year snows. On the 10th, to be exact. With our whacky fall this year, we still had leaves on the trees (green leaves, in fact) when the snow came.


Last Friday while nannying, the weather allowed for some of the earliest sledding I can remember in years! Peanut #2 lives just about 2 miles from Peanut #1 (in order of babies I took care of), and so she and I visited little Miss O (who just turned 4) for some playtime.


And, lest you think little Miss O is not fashion-conscious with her blaze-orange hat, it IS hunting season. Here, Peanut #2 displays her own version on October 2nd (and, yes, she is very into wearing her jackets / vests backwards right now!) ;)


Speaking of hats, I've finished #4. This was a labor of love for a young, beautiful 16-year old whose birthday was a bit overshadowed on Saturday by her brother's wedding! She LOVES the KU Jayhawks (and used to live here, but now lives in Kansas which explains the interest), and it was recommended that I use those colors in the crocheting.


Buuuuut, see how bright and gaudy they are? I just couldn't do it. So, I tweaked 'em a bit . . . and explained myself once she opened the package. After all, I want the hat to actually be worn and used! (And I sure hope it will be!)

Here's a nice shot of Miss Sweet Sixteen and her "Mr. Tom" from the wedding over the weekend.


Finally, I'll leave you with this shot. It makes me laugh. I asked the youngest sibling of the wedding family to take some pictures with my camera during the reception. He's just 12 years old and . . . still short. So, here are the bride and groom . . . from his visual perspective. ;) Hee hee.

It's The Little Things . . . .

It's frequently been said that "it's the little things that matter", and I couldn't agree more.

A few days ago, Tom brought a load of construction materials home from town that a friend wanted to get rid of. "One man's trash" and all that rot. Among the sheets of insulation were some small pieces of solid cutting board counter tops. Tom said that he thought he'd use them to build tables. I took one look at them and said, "Nuh-uh! I want those in the KITCHEN!"

The countertop at Hastings-on-the-Lake was a butcher block that we installed. The countertops here at Swamp River Ridge will be, too . . . once we install cabinets. But, until then, I could NOT resist the opportunity to have my most-used counter space replaced by chop-anywhere-you-want butcher block countertop!

So, on Thursday we did some measuring, and Tom cut and removed the section of plywood countertop that was to go . . . .


Next, after cutting the two sections to fit (out in the garage), he brought them inside for the install.


Voila! A brand-new butcherblock countertop that I'm LOVIN'!!!! And thanks, L & K, for your "throw aways"!

Rainy Thursday

It's a rainy, overcast day . . . a PERFECT day to stay in bed! But, alas, that's a pipe dream. Although, Tom and I did sleep WAY in this morning - we were both SHOCKED when we looked at the clock! (And I won't even tell you what time it read - it's that embarrassing.)

Tom and I both had big work days yesterday. The piece of rental equipment that Tom needed for his Trapper Cabin Handyman job in town was not available (even tho it had been reserved for him), so he switched gears. After cleaning out the accumulation of recycling, garbage, and JUNK in the woodshed, he logged and worked on firewood all afternoon and late into the evening.


I, meanwhile, had another pickling day and finished up all the pickling cucs. I got 21 1/2 pints put up yesterday, and it feels GREAT to have that all accomplished! I get a great sense of satisfaction out of working all day and then having the "instant" gratification at the end when I see all that I've accomplished. And, talk about saving money! In addition to only including "healthy" (no preservatives), organic ingredients, all the pickles I've put up this year (10 quarts and 30 1/2 pints) would have cost around $186 . . . and that's the WHOLESALE price that I pay! So, not counting Mom's blood, sweat, and tears that went into planting, nurturing, and harvesting the seeds - and my blood, sweat, and tears in cleaning, slicing, preparing, and canning the pickling cucs - only MINIMAL cost went into the pickles. Maybe $5, $10 total. Now THAT'S a savings! (And a big psychological reward!)

Today I need to finish blanching and freezing the green and yellow beans (which have been languishing on the cold floor of my pantry) and then attack sa-sa-sa-sal-SA! ;)


These two pictures are from the pickling process . . . examples of something that, as a canner, you NEVER really want to see! So, remember when I wrote about the last jar of pickles splitting open as I lifted them out of the water bath? Yup, this is what that mess looked like.


This second picture is from last night and WAY more dangerous! See the jar of pickles on the top right in the group of six? That lid pushing up is what you call P-R-E-S-S-U-R-E! Just as that batch was finishing, I heard a loud POP! and thought, "Sugarjets! Another jar broke open!" (And, okay, I didn't really say 'sugarjets', but you get the jist!) Anyway, no, I'd - apparently - had a bad seal on that jar, causing the pressure of the boiling brine in the boiling water batch to convex the lid out! Not good. So, it was with great trepidation and fear . . . and shielding my eyes as best as I could . . . that I removed it from the water bath. And, as the jar cooled, so relaxed the pressure within. All was well, and now that jar is in the refrig as our "test" jar. (Haven't tried them yet.)

Mmmm, the rain coming down outside is WONDERFUL (we need rain soooo badly). Problem is, all it makes me want to do is make a batch of cookies and then curl up in front of the crackin' fire (eating the cookies!) with a good book!

I Love My Pantry!

I know this may sound inconceivable to some of you, but it wasn't until the middle of last month - a full 11 months after moving in - that I FINALLY got all the pantry boxes unpacked and organized in the new pantry off the kitchen. And, man, do I ever LOVE it! I liked my pantry in the old house, but I LOVE this one!

I was able to design this one just how I wanted, and the biggest plus is the placement of it - just through a door to the left of my main kitchen work counter. When I'm cooking or baking, I just leave the pantry door open and grab what I need off the shelves. I keep ALL our non-perishable food in there. So, once we have "real" cabinets and cupboards in the kitchen, they'll be completely reserved for dishes (no foodstuffs). And (you may remember me talking about it previously), the pantry floor was poured and insulated separately from the rest of the floor (which contains the in-floor heat). So, point being, the pantry floor is always cold - even when the in-floor heat is on - and, therefore, the pantry is nice and cool . . . creating the best way to store food.

Editorial note: it's raining, and a little thunder just rumbled . . . causing Maisy to come shooting into my office to land underneath my desk. What a wimp. ;) And, she needs a bath. Peee-ueeew.

21 April 2007

On Saturday, we started the "small" project (ha - no project is ever small!) of finishing the pantry off the kitchen - a HUGE, happy thing for me! I can't tell you how hard it is to cook when all your non-perishables are stored in cardboard boxes and you have no idea what you have or where it might be if you DID have it!

So, beginning from the stud walls that formed the tiny room, I carried all the many, many boxes and lard/storage cans from the pantry and deposited them in a rag-tag pile in the middle room space that will one day contain the fireplace and sitting area. Then, Tom (or some bald man - we'll assume it was him) attacked the hideous job of insulating the walls and ceiling. (Insulating is NEVER fun.)

24 March 2007

We have moved into the stage of finishing everything in the house that we possibly can by ourselves (no paid workers or services except for the woodshed roof which is already scheduled) . . . and this includes the plumbing!

So, here you see my determined husband last weekend hell-bent on installing and hooking up the kitchen sink - drain and all - for me in the last few hours before he leaves for a week! And, did he succeed? With only 45 minutes to spare before he had to leave for the 3-hour drive to the airport . . . YES! (Couldn't you all hear me hooting and hollering with delight!?)

And, as an aside, I must mention that plumbing ain't as simple as it used to be. Now that plumbers are using Pex tubing, you now have the added complication of connecting the Pex to your copper tubing or brass fittings. Once you have all the right connectors, it's fine, but proper planning in getting to that point is the (big) trick!

So, the results of my plumber husband's handiwork are that I have been basking in the luxury of a fully-functioning kitchen sink for over a week now! And, until you've lived without it, you can't fully appreciate what it's like to have it! I'd been without for over 6 months - with only a hose in the downstairs bathroom to serve as my running water and the toilet bowl to serve as my drain. Needless to say, the conveniences of running the cold water faucet for a glass of fresh-from-the-well water . . . rinsing out and refilling the ice cube tray . . . making (and rinsing) homemade cottage cheese . . . completely cleaning out the refrigerator for the first time since we've lived here . . . and the simple, glorious task of doing the dishes IN THE SINK . . . have been heaven-sent.

As I've said before and will say again, it's the little things (although this was a fairly big "little thing").

21 March 2007

Tom finished up the night tonight by setting the apron-front, farmhouse kitchen sink I've always wanted into place! Tomorrow I will fill the shelves and finish the counter top.

21 March 2007

Last night was spent screwing the shelf supports into place and cutting the plywood shelves. Tonight was the assembly of the shelves, and the prep work for the sink placement!

18 March 2007

Just LOOK at all that glorious counter space! I'm in heaven!!!!

18 March 2007

A completely new, wonderful, finished look to this end of the kitchen!

17 March 2007

We (okay, Tom) spent our St. Patrick's Day building and installing the shelving / cabinetry for the northeast wall of the kitchen. My contribution was the design of the braces / supports which I thought of one night last week while lying in bed trying to fall asleep. (Maybe if I hadn't been thinking so much, I could have fallen asleep!?)

Hallelujah!

Did you hear it yesterday? Tom and I had a Hip-Hip-Hooraying volley going between me down here at the house and him up by the garage. After 6 months of living here, I FINALLY found my long-lost recipe box yesterday . . . among a stack of things I'd (thought I'd) already gone through with a fine-toothed comb! Now I'll know why those tried-and-true dishes that I was making just never tasted "quite right" (without the recipe)!

Although, the recipe box wouldn't have been in very high demand the last couple of weeks, anyway. The cook (that's me), has been down and out with gallbladder problems and not able to eat! A visit to the local clinic on the 6th for blood tests and x-rays and then an ultrasound on Friday with our regular doctor in Duluth confirmed what we all were 90% sure of. And, it's gotta go. I meet with the surgeon the first week of April. I'll keep you posted . . . . Meanwhile, keep your fingers crossed for me that I don't have any attacks between now and then!

Because the arrival of professionally-built cupboards and cabinets for the house are going to be a ways off, we've been designing temporary cabinets for the
kitchen . . . including the one that the (yes, you heard it right) sink will go in! So, yesterday, Tom built the set that goes along the north wall of the kitchen. It was in place right around the time the clock struck 10:00 PM. I am in absolute giddy awe over the amount of shelf space I have, and today I am going to unpack boxes, and fill it up!

How many times have I said it? It's the little things!

29 December 2006

Suddenly having electric light in the kitchen brings back many memories from the fall / early winter of 1983 when we got electricity for the first time in the (what was then considered to be VERY rural) house I grew up in. If I had the picture in hand and my scanner hooked up, I'd post the Polaroid of my mom turning on the light switch next to the front door for the first time! Prior to that, light came from 12-volt batteries, oil lamps, and the (impossibly loud) diesel generator that Dad started up (with no small amount of difficulty, it seemed - especially when it was cold out) one evening each week so that Mom could do the ironing.

29 December 2006

I worked on Thursday last week, and Tom had some time off work for the holiday season. So, having a whole day to himself at ye ol' House of Stone, he attacked (and I do mean ATTACKED) the electrical system. He got all 12 of the pendant lights hooked up and hung in the kitchen! He also got all four of the wall sconces in the sunroom hooked up in addition to LOADS of outlets around the house working!

I absolutely MARVEL at the switches in the kitchen that turn on my 3 banks of lights, and there's little doubt that this will be my favorite room of the house (as I'd expected). I've already had Tom hang a temporary door (okay, so it's a bedsheet) so that "my" kitchen can feel a bit more like the oasis I know it will be. I'm actually considering getting a brass sign for the eventual solid wood door that will read 'Private'. ;)