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| Three out of four seasons finished. |
It's been a busy week here at the homestead. This has, in many ways, kind of been my ideal week; lots of creative projects, all of which were fairly low-budget.
First off is that the barn quilts are finished and are just waiting for Big Ag and Groceries to hang them. Correction: Big Ag and Groceries have been ready to hang them for awhile now, but their days off have unfortunately coincided with rain, so we've waited. But here's a preview (above) of three out of four of them. The "fall" quilt was under construction when this photo was taken, but has been completed since that time. They will hang on this wall as a way to remind me of the cycles of the garden -- winter, spring, summer, fall.
The quilts came out so nicely that the owner of the winery where I work commissioned me to do two more for the outbuildings there, which I'm looking forward to doing. It will add a welcoming touch for visitors to see from the road, for me it will be something I can always look at when I drive by and say, "I made that," even after I'm retired. I love where I work, and so this will be a pleasure to do.
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| Sit down and stay awhile! |
The other big project has been the cleaning and reclamation of the former Homestead Room, the glass-walled mystery space and, for us, storage room, where we stored All Things Homestead..that is, until a few weeks ago, when all the homestead accessories moved into the garage, leaving a big glass room with no clear purpose.
I have repurposed it as a quiet retreat for myself, complete with a comfortable futon with a throw blanket and pillows, a nice rug, and of course lots of plants. It will still be a functional greenhouse, growing not only all my spring seedlings but also a dwarf Bearrs Lime Tree and a dwarf Meyer Lemon, plus assorted succulents and other tender or frost-sensitive plants. But it will also be my place of quietude, perfect for when Big Ag wants to watch his crime/war/cheesy nature-reality shows and I want to be outside (but not in the direct sun) watching the birds and wildlife.
We have other news as well, but it will have to wait until it's official in a couple more weeks, so until then my lips are sealed. But it's something very good. The other good thing is that spinach and snow peas went in the ground yesterday and the lettuce crop is giving us salads each and every night, so we feel very thankful.
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| My tender babies. |
Good news and plenty of creative projects seems to be the key to happy, happy days. At least it seems that way to me. I know most of the country is battling a killer winter, and you've been in my thoughts. Wish I could send some sunshine your way.
I love winter, as I always say, but -20F is a test of my will. I've actually been toiling with the idea of buying a house in coastal South Carolina and dividing my time between here and there. Who knows.
ReplyDeleteYour barn quilts look so spectacular. They incorporate to the landscape so beautifully. How exciting they'll be at the winery as well! A touch of the Midwest in wine country! Can't wait to see them. And how exciting to have such good news...I have a strong suspicion I know exactly what it is...but I'll keep it to myself so you don't get in trouble or have to confirm or deny :)
And that room just looks so lovely. What great light!
DeleteThank you! It's been fun working on all these things. We are very excited about the news, and it's a definite thing, but I have to wait for a few events to occur before I can spill the beans. Should be safe by the 15th or so, though! As far as your weather goes, -20 is crazy. If you can find a way to "snowbird" in South Carolina at least some of the time, I definitely would if I were you. You must be so tired of all the wet and the mud is going to be awful. So sorry it's turned into such a crazy winter back there.
DeleteIt's odd right now because their real estate market, which had been quite strong lately, is having a hard fall back. There are some great deals to be found. I've been looking on St Helena Island which is on the north side of the Port Royal Sound and Hilton Head's neighbor. HHI is way out of price reach for me but St Helena could maybe be an option. Who knows if this is just a case of cabin fever! This winter has been unique in that instead of big storms we've had constant squalls of little bits of snow. So I've been caught off guard quite a few times lately. And my car is a joke in the snow! Definitely cemented my decision to get a car with all wheel drive next time. But it's really not so bad here. My friends in New England are almost at wits' end with the relentless blizzards.
DeleteLove your barn quilts! Also your sun room. We have a glassed in patio enclosure that I practically live in in the summer. It's wonderful to have that quiet retreat.
ReplyDeleteI used to like winter when I was able to cross country ski, but those days are gone. As beautiful as the snow is, I'm looking forward to it all melting and the arrival of spring. It will really be nice to the the sun and grass again.
Can't wait to hear about your big news. Unlike Stephen, I haven't a clue as to what it could be. But it sounds wonderful.
Stephen - How nice it would be to have a warm weather retreat on the ocean. I have never been to Hilton Head, but I visited the Outer Banks several times. I love the ocean.
Thank you Molly! I'm sure you absolutely love your patio enclosure; what I love about rooms like those is that you can hear and see the birds, sky and garden, but there are NO flies and no sun capable of burning you. While ours might be a bit too warm in summer, in a place with less extreme summers I can see how nice it would be. For us, it will be a three season room, summer I'll just pop in and maintain it or get out there very early in the day before the heat sets in. I envy your cooler summers.
DeleteOh the Outer Banks are so gorgeous! One of the wildest storms I've seen was in the Outer Banks. It popped up from nowhere and the waves were huge. Lots of interesting things on the beach the next morning!
DeleteStephen - Do you live near the ocean? I live in the Midwest, so I don't get to the ocean too often, but I do love it. We stayed in Corolla a few times. It was beautiful.
DeleteI've seen the Pacific Ocean once when I visited my son in Oregon. It was freezing but I had to dip my toe in just to say I did.
I've been to Cape Cod and Cape May a few times, but the furthest south I've been is the Outer Banks.I hope to see a wild storm sometime too. It must have been amazing!
I agree that the nice thing about screened porches is that it keeps the bugs and direct sun out. When we first moved to our house, we had a deck, but we get so many mosquitoes that we couldn't use it. Having the patio enclosure put in was the best move we made. We have a wooded lot and several bird feeders so it is very enjoyable to sit and watch nature. We actually use it for three seasons too - spring thru fall. We keep the glass doors shut during cooler weather, but the sun warms it like a greenhouse. In the summer, we have the shade from the roof and a ceiling fan to keep it cool, but when it is very humid, nothing will help. Then we go inside to air conditioning.
ReplyDeleteIs your heat dry? I've been out west a few times and experienced dry heat. I do have to say I prefer it to the humidity, but then again, I never really lived with it longer than a week.
Our heat is dry...but then, so is an oven lol! Our area is primarily known for its diurnal spikes. We can be 40 degrees in the morning and above 100 degrees in the afternoon in the warmer months. The 60 degree swing in temperatures is challenging to live with, but the wine grapes produce great wines because of it. I am a native Californian and used to the dry air; we went to Hawaii a few years ago and I was incredibly uncomfortable because of the humidity. It's what you grew up and were acclimatized to, I guess.
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