Rewind...Catch up...

Well, it is time to catch you up on everything that has happened since I last wrote. 

Life here has been crazy!  March continued with that white stuff everywhere. 

March 7th

However we made it all winter without one single heating bill!  That wood stove and my fabulous husband kept us toasty warm all winter long!  It's amazing!  Due to the weather, we had a very late start on tilling up the garden, but it provided my husband time to talk me into more tractor implements.  I tell ya....what a guy can dream up when it comes to toys and playing in the dirt. LOL

Somewhere between snow and garden season I found these guys in the yard after days of searching the back 40! 

Speaking of playing in the dirt, we also started digging up the yard.  He took down a large Walnut tree on the West side of the house and then dug a huge hole because he decided to make our crawlspace basement into a full sized basement. This project made me extremely nervous, but my husband is really good at what he does and his plan is a good one.  Recently he and a buddy poured concrete piers to support the foundation of the house so we don't one day wake up with half the house in the hole!

The beginning (walnut tree in background)

And the tree is down.  I unfortunately do not have any photos of that happening because I was babysitting a 5 month old and there was no putting him down.  However his dad was a big help to my hubby so the babysitting was no big deal.

                                         Digging the ditch for the drain tile....Wow-zers!

Pouring the piers

So, back to the garden......the garden was finally tilled up and we got to work.
 My husband says to me...."I hope this is big enough for you because I am not making it any bigger!" 

And here is the garden in process

Here is the start....a few plants in

(I of course said it was fine but in my mind, I knew that it was going to be an issue.  You see a man doesn't get a tractor and a bunch of implements to use and not have more space to play in....I promise you.  It's just not going to happen.)
 I then said to my husband, "Where are my strawberries, rhubarb and asparagus going to go?  They need a permanent spot.  Can we make a raised bed for each?"
HIM: "Ah no, we're not going to do raised beds, I guess I will just have to make another spot for that." (All said as if he were really disappointed....even though I know that in his mind he was excited....another reason to play on his tractor...in the dirt).  So, he got to work and tilled up a new section for me.  He looked happy....really happy.  He loves riding his tractor.  I find it pretty cute.... of course. So we were done...or were we?!?  We got started planting the garden and he had so much fun using his corn planter, he wanted to plant more rows.  Guess who ran out of room?  Guess who said the garden needed to be bigger?  Guess who planned to double/triple the size for next year?  I will give you a clue....it was NOT me, not this time :) LOL.  As you can again guess,  because he did run out of room and wanted to plant more corn....aka play with his new toys more, he expanded the garden again.  And then he planted more sweet corn.  It goes by the name of 'bodacious sweet corn' so naturally when we go out to check on things he looks at me and says 'bodacious' of course trying to be funny. And he is.  How do you not chuckle?

So the garden is in, everything is finally planted.  Even after my last minute purchases on discount at the greenhouse.  I got it all in and the garden is looking amazing!!  

So that is a small overview of things going on here.  You really have to see it all.  There is a lot more that I needed to update, so stay posted ......

Back to reality! (An oldie dated March 21!)

This title is a result of the fact that I actually had to work an entire, full week this week.  I have felt like a part time employee with all these snow days....I've honestly lost track.  However I decided a full week of work is not fun.  It's for the birds! I have been exhausted & completely out of it!

On a positive note the time change is keeping things lighter a lot longer so my nights have felt more productive around here.  It is starting to make me feel as though summer is coming despite the sub zero temperatures for this time of year.  I cannot believe that there is still snow on the ground!  I want to get my garden started but currently, there is a river running through it....literally!  Oh brother!

More breaking news from "down on the farm" (not sure we qualify for a farm with only one animal).... We had a coyote visit right in the backyard! No kidding 50 feet off the back deck while the dog was standing there.  I, of course had a minor panic attack, but quickly recovered....just not enough to grab a gun and shoot it.  He came back around that night, and there was a pack out here howling away this morning.  It may just be time to start hunting!

The orchids are Blooming!

It is that time of year.  The orchids are blooming in our home. Again.  We have several more reaching the bloom time in the next few weeks.  It is a nice reminder of life when the rest of the world is blanketed in ice, snow and white EVERYWHERE!
Here are a few of my beauties:

One





TWO

 

 

Three

 

A Closer Look

The New beauty my husband bought me for Valentine's Day!

(#4)

 

This one is in my bedroom (#5) and it actually looks even better now....I should re-photograph.

 

Stay tuned because there will be more blooming soon!



Another snow day! Really?!

Well you know what that calls for....more snow pictures!  My trusty sidekick loves these days, as she curls up on the couch next to me in a small little ball.  I believe that she is attempting to not appear as a 90lb dog curled up on a pillow but that's just a guess as she is pleading the 5th here!  I think she's just more than happy to have someone home with her!

                                                         She is sooo funny!

So, many of these next pictures are from throughout the winter but since I haven't kept up on posts in a while, and was unable to upload photos, they are coming to you all at once- lucky you!

Cheese Triangles/ Tiropitas

This was making greek appetizers on one of my snow days.

Some of you have had these and know how yummy they are.  I made just over 100 of these and they are pretty much all gone.  I have to buy more ingredients to make more! 

 



Sunset

Hopefully you can see the cardinal in this picture.  Just click on it to enlarge it.

Beautiful sky

The view out the kitchen window-notice the snow height.  It's at the height of the window!

 

 

 

 

This tree is buried!  I will try to find a summer pic for comparison!

Look at that overhang!  Notice the door knob just above the snow drift!?!

 

Then there is a little weaving.....

Still working on the dishtowels

 

Can not wait to pull them all off!  I have been making these since November!!  I am certain the first couple ones are bad!  However I feel like improvements have come as I proceeded. We shall see!

 

Choppin' trees....an oldie

I can finally update! Yeah! ;)
Remember this summer when I said there were a lot of projects going on?  Then I mentioned that we were having some trees cut down.....do you remember this?!? Well....I never posted anything on it and I am FINALLY coming around to do so.

The morning sunrise....what a great start to the day!
 

The first chop!

Amazing!

So close to the house

Some big trees!

 All in all we had 3.5 trees removed.  We are not in the sport of cutting trees, these trees were dead or dying due to the terrible emerald Ash borer.  I was extremely sad to watch the large tree on the hill go.  We did leave behind a 30 ft. stump because the tree was too large for the tree service to cut.  They estimated the tree to be near 150 yrs old. It has overseen this property and everything that has happened here....a real piece of history.

Good Night!

 

 

Snowed In!!

I started this post a while ago! 
Well.....when we bought this land/ house, I said that it would be awesome if we got snowed in....we'll guess what!?!  It happened!  I have now been off work 3 additional days....hanging out, cleaning, relaxing, weaving.....it's really been fabulous and I am loving it!

So now as I am updating, we have had 7.5 snow days!  Crazy....I've never had this many days off.  However we now have 1.5 days to make up in June which is a bit of a bummer!  But... of all the years that I have been teaching, this winter's snow days were much needed here.

We have not let any of this time go to waste.  Drew and I have gone cross country skiing, snow shoeing, downhill skiing and just enjoyed nature.

Here are a few of our pics from walks around the property.

 

Drew is as tall as the roof!

 

This woodpecker had been busy!!!

Neat twisted bark

Neat Old Tree

My sweet baby loving nature!

 

Critter prints were everywhere!  They are busy near the water sources.

website error

I have to apologize because I have not been able to post any pictures.  I have several posts in draft mode but keep getting error messages.  At this time I am unable to do any further posts....this has been going on all fall....not sure how to fix it!!

**apparently this seems to have a connection to photos on my camera....maybe the file size....so I will try a new route so it does not take me an hr+ to update!**