A view from the front.
Shingles being delivered.
I am exhausted – and really have not done that much. I know Jerry is sore. Neither of us are used to lifting materials and doing this much moving of stuff. I will be glad when the project is complete – and feel I will like the area much better than I did. I know I will like having an area to store things and an area where I can weave, sew or spin to my hearts desire. It will be great to get organized.
Filed under Homestead Happenings by on Feb 1st, 2012. Comment. 
The new roof covered in roofing paper.
Remodeling a house is never an easy project but it sure helps when you have people who know what they are doing. We are working with a contractor by the name of Doug, who is just wonderful. He brought two other people along with him who were – obviously – experienced roofers. Our neighbor, Danny, also came over to help move materials and do some light clean-up work. With both Jerry and I outside working, things moved along a lot faster than anyone thought they might. In fact, at the end of the day yesterday – after just working the one day – the roof structure was up and the roofing paper was on.
The new roof area divided into three distinct sections.
When we started the project I told them I wanted a vaulted ceiling in my office. As the day went along and they continued to frame the room up, it became clear that the area was large enough to make a small room. I was still pretty set on having a vaulted ceiling, but Jerry convinced me another room would be nice. He wanted a storage area over his office area, which he will get – and there was a small area over the laundry room that will work perfectly for storing smaller items. The room will be home to my floor loom, spinning wheels, sewing machine, fiber and material. I think it will be perfect.
The roofers are back – bright and early this morning – ready to complete the project they started yesterday. Jerry must dig out two windows so there is natural light up there. One of the windows will eventually look directly into the large greenhouse. The other one will look out over the driveway. A small staircase must be installed at the back of my office to allow easy access to the upper area as well. The area under the staircase will allow for more storage. I can’t wait for this project to be complete so I can use these rooms!
Filed under Homestead Happenings by on Feb 1st, 2012. Comment.
Yucca in the snow.
It’s been a long winter here in Indiana. Thank goodness it hasn’t been too cold this year. As some of you know we underwent some major life changes at the end of last year. Tweetchat and the Blog Talk Radio Show has been put “on hold” for now – but never fear – we intend to reinstate these two items soon.
Jerry laying tile on top of the cabinets.
While we have been waiting for the money to start construction on the roof, we worked on other areas of the house using materials we already had on hand or using materials given to us. For example, we had to remove the tops of the old countertops. They were old and cracking. We thought we were going to sand them down and stain the countertop but the glue that held the backing was not coming off. A friend suggested we try using floor tile. She had a box, so we did. Eventually we will replace this, but for now it is clean and we can use our countertop once again.
Jerry texturing the ceiling with drywall mud.
Another area we worked on was the downstairs bedroom where my dad was staying. The walls are old in this house and like most old walls, are full of hairline cracks. I really hate looking at cracks in walls, so we are trying to fill those cracks in with drywall mud. Sometimes just rubbing a light coat into the cracks works well and sometimes texturing is necessary – or just a fun way to give a room a unique look.
This is how the room was when we started.
This is the room now.
One wall of the room needed to be left open for easy access to the staircase. It seemed like something was always being shoved against that wall, or the pictures were always being knocked off when people walked past, so I can up with an idea of my own. I decided to create a mural on that wall using a wood doll I bought at a garage sale, some mirrored butterflies I bought on clearance and a flowering tree. Here is what I came up with.
This wall mural - including a gallon of paint - cost less than $50 to create.
The next big project we are tackling is the roof and the three rooms that will be protected by that roof. The materials to put the roof back on the office and greenhouse area are ordered. We have a wonderful contractor working on this. We chose Estate Grey for the roof and Victorian Grey for the siding. The materials are expected to arrive on Monday and once they are here, work will begin.
The office area will have a vaulted ceiling as well as a “kitchen area” where I can do videos. It will be larger than my actual kitchen. The cabinets for this area are being donated by a dear friend who is getting new ones in her kitchen. They will be put to good use, that’s for sure!
I hope the room is large enough to handle my desk, floor loom and both spinning wheels plus give adequate space for the woodburner.
The large greenhouse must wait a few more months before repairs will begin, but the small one, right off my office will be ready for plants once the roof is on.
Jerry’s office will also be ready for him to move into once the roof is on. YAY! I will be glad for him to have his own space – and I am sure he will too. Every life change has required him to pack up his things and move them from room to room to make space for whatever we need to do. That won’t happen again!
Things are looking up. We have made it through thanks to the love and support of many dear friends and family. Thank you all for your prayers and concern during this time. I’m looking forward to spring. I’m looking forward to a large garden and having plenty of produce to share – again this year – with the less fortunate in our community who need it! This is our way of giving back.
Filed under About Us, Homestead Happenings by on Jan 28th, 2012. Comment.
The house in the process of getting a new coat of paint.
Sometimes all it takes is a coat of paint to give a house a new look. That was the case here. We knew it needed it done, but getting around to doing it was another story. Someone had to choose a color too. I hate picking colors. I never seem to choose the right one. They are too bright or too bold or the colors I pick don’t match. It’s always something – so when the neighbor gave us his old siding, the choice was made – a light green.
I’m not a big fan of the color green, but it really does look good. It looks good with the plants as well, which was a concern. We wanted a color that complimented the garden and did not take away from it.
Kevin Butcher removing the old roofing over the office areas so we can put a new roof on.
This summer has been one major project after the other. We are putting a new roof on part of the house. There were over 20 layers of roofing up there that the previous owner put on. That was a job getting all the old roofing off. Kevin came over to deal with that mess – and I was so grateful. That left time for Jerry to work on other projects. The roof is not on yet – and winter is arriving, but there is still time. I can’t wait to see it when it is all done.
The newly planted native plant garden. I can't wait until spring!
Another project was landscaping the back 40. I wanted to put in a native plant garden that would provide food and shelter for frogs, butterflies, birds and other small critters while remaining deer resistant. We choose a variety of native grasses, amsonia and other smaller native plants that fit the bill, set up a bird bath filled with stone so both birds and smaller insects could drink. It doesn’t look like much at the moment, but I think it will be lovely next year.
The ceiling fan in the living room. I'm not sure what color I am going to paint the ceiling yet. I'm thinking I may two-tone it.
Finally, we are trying to complete projects that are in progress and still dealing with all the stuff that came from my dad’s house. All I can say is this is a job all on its own, never mind that both of us have regular jobs in addition to dealing with the farm work! Homesteading is a never-ending labor of love.
Filed under Homestead Happenings by on Sep 23rd, 2011. Comment.
It has been a crazy summer here at Exotic Gardening Farms & Wildlife Habitat. This summer has been the worst since we have lived here for drought. The ground is cracked, the corn dried up. The tomatoes are doing fine, still and the pole beans made it through most of the summer ok. The potatoes were ate by something. Everyone I dug had chew holes in them. Interestingly a friend went up north to get potatoes and there were none there. What is unusual about this is that these come from a large potato chip company, and on average, I bring back about 1,000 pounds a year. She came home empty handed.
We had our first baby sheep born on May 9.
The intense summer heat caused her mother Pearl to have heat stroke and die, shortly thereafter we lost Jewel to lightening. Johnny is doing fine, but quite lonely. I am trying to get to Virginia to pick up a mate for Johnny, but I am not sure that is going to happen this year.
Sugar and Spice, the goats, gave birth in July. Sugar had one little boy and Spice had two girls. They are doing fine and ready to go to new homes.
Trisha, my step-daughter (sort-of, because her dad and I were never married), came down and brought her baby Noah to visit. She also brought two new cats to stay with us, Bubby and Lucky.
My dad had two massive heart attacks the beginning of September. He spent most of the month in the hospital. He is living here with us for now. He was also diagnosed with diabetes, kidney failure, his pancreas is failing, he is low on potassium and had to be given magnesium as well. It is touch and go, but hopefully he will get his strength back soon.
In addition to my dad, his two dogs, Bubba and Justis, are staying here too. Four dogs in the house, and two cats are loads of fun……….
The bunnies escaped their cages this year and are running around the property. We had six babies born, but the cats found them before I was able to get them put into a cage.
Lots of trees, shrubs and perennials, including some natives have died off this year. Even the privet hedge, which have been here for years, are showing signs of drought.
I did not get as much food put up as I would have liked, so winter will be tough this year, but the winter garden is planted, so that should help. I expect the greenhouse is not going to get repaired. There is just too much going on here.
Hopefully winter will be short and somewhat mild. I’m hoping spring will bring better weather and good news. I think we could all use some.
Filed under About Us, Homestead Happenings by on Sep 30th, 2010. Comment.
Winter is my least favorite time of year. I do not care for snow but the cold weather is the real kicker. This has not been a good winter here either. Carbon monoxide filled the house from the woodburners. That ended up with me taking a trip to the hospital.
We are out of wood already. The wood we received was green and wet so I have a huge mess in the office to clean up where the creosote leaked on the pipes. Needless to say the woodburner is down.
The plants in my greenhouse, many of which I had babied for years, froze without any heat. That makes me real unhappy. All my tropical plants, gone. I doubt I will replace them with shipping costs being so much. I don’t even want to walk back there. I just feel like crying when I do.
We lost a few chickens this year. It seems some did not go into the chicken house and froze. Every year we seem to lose a few that get out and don’t make it back, but for the most part all the poultry are doing well.
The sheep, goats, rabbits and Beauty the horse are doing just fine. It is warm in the barn, but I am sure, like the rest of us, they can’t wait to get out and run. Our pasture is very soft and muddy so keeping them up right now is the only way to make sure they do not get hurt. Beauty likes to run full force and she has fallen several times in the past due to the pasture being like it is.
I have a few seedlings started in the house, but not many. I am just so heartbroken over the greenhouse plants it is hard to think about growing anything right now. I am sure, in time, this will pass.
I did make some artisan yarn last night. I used a maroon chenille that I bought at a second hand store, a pretty brown wool I spun and some cashmere/silk that I spun. The three different yarns were spun together to make one and I am quite pleased with the outcome.
Filed under Homestead Happenings by on Jan 14th, 2010. 3 Comments.
We are still a long way from being done with the remodeling work we are doing, but we are making headway. I simply cannot convey to you how excited I am. I am just thrilled with Jerry’s carpenter work!
The trim around the inside of the front door is almost done. We have a few more pieces of trim to add, a few nails to cover with wood putty and then it will be time to stain the trim.
We began by choosing large pieces of unfinished wood for the main trim. we cut the trim to size and nailed it into place. We then chose corner pieces with a design we liked.
The next step was to figure out where the cross pieces of trim that would go between the two corner pieces. This was necessary so we could mark the spot where the center blocks would be nailed into place at.
Once the center blocks were nailed into both top corners, it was time to cut the cross pieces of trim. Those are the ones that look like corrugation. They were cut to fit, then nailed into place.
Then we added a piece of smaller trim across the top of the door frame to make it look pretty.
We added the trim that went down both sides as well. We had to measure this and cut it. We did not take it all the way to the floor.
As you can see here, we made a pillar bottom that extended to the floor. We have not finished this pillar bottom yet, but this is what the basics of this idea looks like.
We then added smaller pieces of trim on top of the trim in the center. This was because we liked the way it looked when done like this.
Then we added more trim to the inside of the larger piece of plain wood to make it look nice against the door.
This photo will give you a better idea of how all the trim fit together. Jerry cut the pillars for the top of the door from scrap pieces of wood. We still have some small trim to add to the trim on the sides so it matches the top.
The next goal is to get the marble floor laid. It will go right in front of this door. In the spring we are talking about duplicating this trim on the outside of the door.
For those of you wondering what this project looked like when we began, well, I do not have an interior photo, but I can show you the exterior photo. The juniper bush was removed, some of it saved and replanted. The door is where the double windows used to be.
For the really curious, here is what the exterior of the front of the house looks like right now. Please note, we are still remodeling! Life tends to get in the way of getting things done sometimes, if you know what I mean.
The wood frame on the outside of the house is the outline of the front porch we plan to add on. I am not sure when that will happen, but maybe this coming summer.
Filed under Homestead Happenings by on Dec 28th, 2009. 1 Comment.
Friday night brought a terrible storm into our area. We lost several greenhouses, a roof, had numerous trees come down including some that hit Jerry, had windows broken and more. The yard looks like a tornado hit it. There were numerous people without power for several days. Luckily we were not one of them.
The severity of the storm was quite unexpected. I was preparing homemade noodles when it hit. I spent the majority of the next two days getting packages of food ready for the winter months. With gas prices soaring and rumors of higher electricity costs this winter every little bit of food that can be saved now will really make a big difference then.
I made four pounds of homemade noodles, which will not keep us long but it is a start. There is a good chance we will have the opportunity to glean a potato field later in the year. If so, I will can those potatoes to use throughout the winter.
With the roses being in full bloom and so fragrant I decided to try my hand at making rose petal jelly and rose petal honey. I had five half pints spill in the oven so I had to stop and clean it. However I did end up with six half pints of the jelly and three half pints of the honey, one of which we are going to eat now.
I then made packages of dry ingredients for breads and cookies. Later I will freeze the eggs I need for those packages so I know when the time comes to bake there will be eggs. So far I have four packages of honey wheat bread. Two of them will make two pound loaves and the other two will make pound and a half loaves. I also made five packages of dinner rolls, but we ate one already.
I cooked up the necks and backs of some of the chickens Jerry butchered as well so there would be some chicken broth to can. The recipe that I followed yielded a peppery tasting broth. I am going to mark those cans so I can dilute them later on with more broth. I set the broth in the fridge last night so today I could get the oil off easily and then we will can the broth.
I also made up some packages of cookie mix, dry ingredients only. So far I have a package of orange sugar cookies, four packages of peanut butter and oatmeal cookies with a variety of oatmeal flavors and a package of honey spice cookies.
I am keeping all of the packages of dry mixes in the freezer so there is not a bug problem later on.
I have plans to make up some more cookies, some cakes and brownies. This will make putting them together easier when the time comes and eliminate the chance we are out of one spice or the other. With the hints of upcoming shortages of flour, sugar and rice making this stuff ahead of time will guarantee we will have plenty.
An interesting observation was that our goats are in heat. This should not happen, I am told, until at least September. I do not want to breed now as the babies would be born during the winter and I for one am not thrilled about milking in fridgid weather. I spoke with a friend about it and she said this was quite unusual. She allows her buck to run free with her herd and said he was courting the does. I hope mine come into heat again when they are supposed to as I did not want to breed them until November.
Sheri
Filed under Homestead Happenings by on Dec 20th, 2009. Comment.
There is a lot in bloom already. Phlox, tulips – some looking taller than ever before, Magnolia, bleeding heart, jack-in-the-pulpit, azalea and other spring blooming beauties. The forsythia and narcissus have long faded. Some of the lilac are already blooming and some are just forming buds. The night air is fragrant and wildlife is stirring.
The farm animals seem to know spring is here too. The chickens are laying a ton of eggs and of course the roosters are constantly going after the hens. Last night we butchered four chickens with the help of a friend. They took two and we put two in our freezer. This time we chose to butcher four Rhode Island Reds. They seem the most agressive of all the breeds we have and also are harder to keep in the chicken area. They want to roam the entire yard which would be fine if they were not inclined to go across the street and eat or dig any flower that was emerging.
The goats escaped the fence the other day and trashed several of my trees. Darn goats! Jerry has to try again to fix the fence so it will hold them. I am hoping the trees survive. At this rate I am never going to have mature plants!
Beauty the horse is much calmer this year. I still cannot get to her tail to brush it but when the vet comes out I am going to ask her to sedate Beauty so I can get those cockerburls out. She is letting me brush her butt some – but only briefly.
Having a cashmere goat is a bit different. Tulip is still quite shy and has to be lifted onto the milking stand. She does not like being brushed but tolerates it. I trimmed all of their hooves this week. Darla was the real pain. First she jumped on the milk stand, then jumped off behind it, tipped a shelf over and finally ended back up in her stall. I did get her hooves trimmed but made her wait until last. She didn’t like watching the other goats get ginger snap cookies when they were done so after I finished all of them I called Darla and she jumped right up on the milk stand!
The vegetable garden is growing too. I have tiny plants of carrots, kale, sugar snap peas, spinach, turnips, brussels sprouts, sugar beets, cabbage and we are already harvesting radish and lettuce. Some of the lettuce we planted the year before has sprouted on its own. I will be digging and moving those plants once we get ready to till that area. Adding the compost has done wonders for the ground! There are still many plants to get into the ground that are in the greenhouse as well as more corn and green beans to plant.
I am debating growing flax this year for fiber. I already have small cotton plants growing.
The bunnies have not had babies and I am wondering if maybe one of them cannot breed. They have been together for several months now but my female has not shown a single sign of being pregnant.
If you are in the area I invite you to come spend some time at our farm and wildlife habitat. Please email or phone ahead for reservations.
Sheri
Filed under Homestead Happenings by on Dec 20th, 2009. Comment.
Last night my epiphyllum oxypetalum bloomed for the second time this year in the greenhouse. I got it back in 1998 however this is the first year it has bloomed. The first blooms happened earlier in the summer. It had a total of four beautiful, fragrant white flowers that opened together this time.
I am still canning and preparing food for the winter. I plan to can some pint sized cakes and breads as well as some more beef stew for winter use. I harvested the sugar beets which need to be made into sugar two days ago.
We have begun to eat our canned food. It tastes so much different and is so much more satisfying than store bought. Even though I have been buying organic for the past few years I am finding that home canned still tastes better and is more satisfying. I am not sure if it is because I know where it came from and how it was grown or if it has to do with different processing methods. Either way, it is nice to know I do not need to buy potatoes, vegetables, fruits, fruit juices or condiments for most, if not all, of the winter. The only food we need to purchase is meat and milk. Once the goats begin producing again we will not need milk and we have plans come spring to add a pig to our flock of animals, so that will eliminate the need for purchasing meat.
We finally fired the still up. I made half a gallon of distilled water to water some of my more sensitive plants with. It took two gallon to make half a gallon and about four hours total time. Keeping the pan with the pump in it filled with cold water was not an easy task. Now that I know what I do, I wish I had bought a five gallon still instead of a two gallon one.
I strained the lavender buds out of the olive oil that it was being infused into and have that bottled and put in the basement. I will use some of it in salves and some in the lye soap that I am in the process of hand milling now. I also have some soapwort leaves, roots and flowers I am working on converting into soap. Once I am satisfied with the thickness of the product I will use it as a hand soap, as a shampoo and possibly as a laundry soap, at least until my trees begin to produce soap nuts. Making our own salves, soaps and other necessities is just one more way we can be more independent and self-sufficient now.
I think the goats are bred, at least I hope they are. I am really looking forward to some nice goat milk to drink and make cheese with. It has been a long summer without some. I had about thirty chickens, a peafowl and three guineas given to me by a nice man who could no longer care for them. Luckily for us, Jerry had the new henhouse done and was able to get the top cover back on so they cannot fly away, otherwise I would not have been able to take them.
Jerry has been working hard on the new greenhouse which will be ten feet tall! Woo Hoo! My plants will sure like that. Some of them were reaching the top of the other greenhouse. It is also larger so instead of needing two seperate houses, I can put all of the plants into one house. That will make heating and watering much easier. He is also going to work on a hatch that we can open and run a hose out of. Hopefully this will allow us to use a hose outside in the winter to water the animals with.
In the greenhouse I have lots of lemons and limes on the plants and believe it or not they are still blooming their little heads off. Looks like I may have plenty of these to use fresh as well as some to juice. I will can any extra juice I get to use at a later date. With any luck my need to buy lemon and lime juice will come to an end as I begin to build up a larger supply than I need. Now if I could just get some of my other fruiting tropicals such as the bananas, passionfruit, pineapple, cacao, coffee and vanilla to bloom!
The garden is almost done for the year and I did not get a winter garden planted. Once the new greenhouse is done and the plants are moved I may start some lettuce, spinach and other greens in it, then move them into the cold frame after they have grown. I am also considering trying to grow some green beans, radish and peas in the greenhouse. In the garden still left to harvest after the first frost is brussels sprouts, kale and rose hips.
It is late and I need to get some sleep. The contractor’s could be here as early as 8am tomorrow to start on the barn roof. It will be nice to get rid of the leaks in the big barn and have a new roof with a ten year guarantee. Jerry is still working on the other parts of the barn roof that we are re-doing and he still needs to tear off the roofs on both of our offices and re-do those. The office roofs I think will end up being tarped for the winter and started on come spring as they need to be torn down all the way and rebuilt. That in itself is going to be a huge job and one I do not want to take on with winter just around the corner.
Sheri
Filed under Homestead Happenings by on Dec 20th, 2009. Comment.
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