New to You, New to Me Too?

I have ' someone ' very happy in my home.  It seems that nothing makes my guy happier that to come home with a 

' new to him ' toy...this time it's another trailer, one large enough to haul his tractor around.

 Don't ask me how I know, but, I just DO know that he will be wishing before long, that he'd gotten one just a bit larger than this one.  How do I know? You see, this one is just the right size to haul his lil blue with the bucket on.  BUT, if he also wants to haul the tiller attachment or a plow, this is just not going to do it.  I wonder how long it will be, before I say to myself, " I told ya so."

He's already had to re-wire new lights, and now he's talking about a new coat of paint.  Yes, do it, I'd say, before this little investment starts to rust.  If he's happy, I'm happy.

 I wonder if he'll be as happy for me about my ' new to me ' 

Pumpkin Wagon!

Hmmm, I wonder if his trailer is big enough to haul my 

handsome dream boat?

A girl can dream, can't she?

DIY'ers

The past two weeks we have been missing from blogland and buried up to our knees in mortar, grout and porcelain tiles.

 Bill has been mixing mortar to the consistency of peanut butter with his handy homemade whip...it's an old towel bar that has been working wonders as it twirls around off the end of his battery operated drill.  I love having a frugal yet 'wise guy' at my side.

 We are replacing the bathroom, closet and laundry room floors.

Have you ever gone 2 days without a toilet?  LOL!  It's nice having one of the kids less than a quarter mile away with working facilities when you only have one bathroom.  Crazy huh?  The lifted tiles below is where the ' throne ' will return.

 After mixing mortar, it gets spread on the floor in about a 3 sq. ft. section at a time.  Open areas go so much faster.  Next the mortar is scored with a ridged trowel, allowing the tile that has been buttered with more mud (mortar) on the back side, to adhere from the suction that the scoring lines have created...I know, confusing.. but that's how it works.

 In between each tile in all directions, are little + shaped spacers that help keep the tiles equally spaced.  At this point, the mortar has to dry, taking up to 24 hrs.   That's when we cleaned up the buckets, trowels and sponges and WENT TO BED from pure exhaustion.  We're finding out that-

we're not so young we think we is!

 We are nearing the end of our second week of this project.

There are so many cuts to make and tiles to break~

then grouting between each tile and wait another 4 hrs. before walking on it again.  We've eliminated one step by spending a bit more for grout that already has sealant in it...

I can't imagine getting back on my aching knees for another round of the entire 3 sections.

 We were kidding ourselves when we thought this would be an easy job and we'd be done by Easter...it's become unreal for us oldie but definitely DIY'ers.  As you look at the top of the next photo, you can see we aren't done yet.  We have run out of mortar so the laundry has to wait until next Thurs. when we get back to Menards for a few more supplies, then out with the old and in with the new.

 Besides, Papa needs new shoes!!!

This certainly has been an eye-opening experience.

It's one of those projects that, ' now that we know how to do it~

we will NEVER do it again!

Thanks for working along with us.

We enjoy your company!

Spring Has Sprung

We left for 3 days and 

came home to a meltdown.  The snow in our

field has gone down 18 inches and we can see

open ground in the fields,YEAH!!!

I spent a good share of today outside.  The warm

air felt so good on my shoulders.  I found bits

of sedum outside of it's rock bed.  Yes, the ground

was soft enough to gently nudge them out of the 

ground and place them back where they belong.

I slowly walked to the mailbox for today's magazines

and only one bill...I'm elated!  As I returned to the house,

the long way, going around to the deck side, I couldn't 

resist checking each flower bed to see if there were any

brave buds peeking their noses through the ice and water that still puddles around them.  They are coming, slowly.  

It was the best day, even with the sprinkles we had early in the morning, to awaken my restless spirit.  Since the ground is soft, it's still too muddy to get too anxious about planting, but 

Spring Is Here Afterall!  The Robins are hopping around, and singing with the tree filled finches and chickadees.  We saw a couple yearling deer for the first time since early winter.  They are healthy as they run and kick up their heels.  They've been trimming my apple trees, so, it's never too early to re-secure the wire cages that protect them.

On our road trip, we finally gave up on the mesh fencing we have been using for years to keep the deer out of our gardens.  Instead, we bought roll after roll of mesh wire.  That will keep the deer out and they will not be running through it.  We will be cutting cedar posts first, peeling them and sinking them deep in the ground to secure the wire to.  

Then, a nice gate....I have my eye on a few favorites I found on the web world.

 I happen to have all but one of these garden tools, but I could always improvise and Bill will do the welding.  I do love this one.  It's so ' me,' but it is a bit ' sharp.'

 I have an old iron wheel frame so could go with this beauty.  I can see the Hollyhocks, Clematis and Roses loving it...

BUT

the split-rail fence below is the one I will probably end up with.  We have plenty of cedar in our woods so it's also free!

Which one is your favorite?

I'm getting excited.  I already have a path worn from the house to the gardens, worn in from years of footwork to the business of gardening and harvesting.  All I need is a gate!

Have a weekend full of spring adventure!

Life is So Good!

Thanks for stopping and making me smile!

\o/

/\ 

Heat Waves

I can hardly wait to see my wild roses again, and smell their sweet scent as a gentle breeze brushes across them, but for now,

they are still very deeply buried under our latest addition of 8 more inches of snow.  We are actually happy about this snowfall, as it was predicted to accumulate to 16 inches, can you imagine?.  We are used to large dumps this time of the year and most often, so wet and heavy that it's nearly impossible to move.

That's where the tractor with the bucket really pays for itself.

In the meantime, we wait.  We wait for more 40 plus weather like today that we refer to as ' heat waves,' warm, lovely heatwaves.

Today was the first day since last fall that I was able to walk to the mailbox without a jacket and still feel the warmth of sunshine on my skin.  It was fantastic.  As much as I wanted to take a long walk along the highways edge, I do not do that until most of the snow is gone and the shoulders have dried.

I love to walk.  I love the sunshine of spring days.  But, I do not love the icy cold puddles soaking me down as traffic splashes by.

Until budding of trees, flowers blooming, mudpies are gone, 

I wait.

Until then, I patiently watch from inside, as each day

brings promise.  Soon enough, I will be aching from planting gardens.

I can hardly contain myself as I prepare in anticipation of digging in the soft, warm ground again, dropping seeds one at a time in long rows!

It's just a matter of time.

Another Break Dance

 There is always some kind of excitement around here.

Our son, Stac, ( the Bobcat operator above ),

drove over with his tractor on the trailer....

oh boy, what this time?

 Apparently a bolt broke, causing the front tire to fall off...

not good~as it also proceeded to break a few other crucial parts

along the way...

 Hey Stac, how do you start this thing???

How many guys does it take to start a tractor? lol

 While waiting for the Bobcat to get into position to

push the tractor in the shop, it had to stay off it's tires 

for fear of breaking more parts,   soooo,   the bucket holds it up.

Once it was in the shop, a closer look would tell the guys

what parts needed to be ordered....

BUT, ( there's always a BUT ),

something isn't right when trying to order those replacement parts.

Upon closer inspection, they realize that the little red Hoye tractor

that Stacy bought was actually a green one.  It had been re-painted

sometime in it's life.  Different year, different parts!

They had already placed the order, so had to quickly cancel it

and start all over again...oh the joy of big boys and their toys.

I know, guys love this stuff...

As you were looking at these photos, 

did you happen to see how much of that ' stuff ' we still have?

This was Saturday.

So it goes in our neck of the woods...

Have a great week and hug the sunshine!