I thought you might enjoy a historical perspective about the old granary that used to be on this farm before the current granary (now on its way to a house) was built in the 1950s. This is a story written by my aunt Helen, my father's sister, who grew up on this farm. She now lives in Oregon and wrote this story in a writing class she is taking.
By the way, if any of you relatives reading this would happen to have any photos of the original granary, I'd love to see them!
THE OLD GRANARY
I am a product of a farm from the state of South Dakota. The farm where I was born and where I grew up is located about seven miles from the village of Frederick.
When I was growing up on my father’s farm one of the buildings on the farm served as my playhouse. This building was the granary used for storing grain after harvest. The granary was painted red as were all the farm buildings. The century old farmhouse was painted a pristine white.
The granary was built in two stories. A stairway was on the outside in front of the building. I can recall how I used to climb those stairs and just sit there at the top and look out at the surrounding countryside. Inside on the 2nd floor there were sacks of shelled corn. My sister Verna and I re-arranged the sacks of grain to make rooms for our playhouse. The air in this room smelled musty from the stored corn and from the grain stored in the lower story. In the center of this large room with a slanted ceiling was a machine with a handle on one side. Ears of corn could be placed in the top portion of the machine. When you grasped the handle and made it turn, the ears of corn would fall into the machine and some sharp teeth inside the machine removed the kernels from the cob. The shelled corn kernels would stream out of one side of the machine and the bare corn cob would fly out of the other side. This machine held a great fascination for me.
My brother who lives on the old homestead has retired and has rented out the farm land. His renter does not need to use the granary for grain storage as he has his own buildings on his own farm. A few months ago my niece Heidi, her husband David and little daughter Sofia left city life behind and have moved in with her parents to live on my birthplace farm.
Recently my niece informed me that they were going to build a house next to the old farmhouse where I was born. They were going to use the granary as the shell of their new home. In my mind’s eye that was difficult for me to picture although I have made many visits to the farm and had accepted the fact that the old granary was gone and a new one had been built in its place. The farm buildings are no longer red and are painted white. With my niece’s remark my mind still pictured the old granary where I used to play. I was still picturing the red building with the stairs out in front. That granary had been replaced with a new one way back in the 1950’s.
My niece is a journalist and has a blog on the internet describing the daily and weekly building progress of their new home. It is strange that my memory bank still has neglected to store the changes that have occurred to my birthplace. I am glad that her blog also has pictures to describe the progress taking place.
Helen A. Kolehmainen
July 9, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
SEPT. 27 UPDATE: Sofia's swinging song
Sofia started her career in songwriting while swinging on Thursday. Here's her first hit:
I can reach my arms
Up in the sky!
I can flap my wings
Up in the sky!
Not Billboard top 40 yet, perhaps, but hey, the kid's got potential!
... Another good Sofi moment: We went to the post office on Friday morning and happened to pull up just in time to see the high school marching band go by -- they were doing their daily practice. We had just seen them in the Homecoming parade the week before. The band is pretty good; we stopped to watch. I asked Sofia if she thought they sounded good, and she said: "Yes. But they didn't have any candy!" ... I explained they were just practicing this time.
Not to worry. We'll be going to the parade where they'll perform next, Gypsy Day in Aberdeen a week from today. I'm sure she'll get a good candy haul there.
... Dave's still working on that skirting for the addition, getting those pipes insulated before it freezes. He's also been dealing with some maintenance issues -- an outlet in the old farmhouse wasn't working, so he replaced that.
... We've had an avalanche of swiss chard from the garden, and a person can only eat so much sauteed chard, I have to say. But we made a soup using chard in this recipe instead of spinach for supper tonight -- pretty good!
... Dad's still in the hospital, by the way, but it looks like he should get home on Monday. All the rest of the family is reasonably healthy at this point. Yay!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Quick health update
Just wanted to let you all know the health status of all at the Marttila farm:
Dad — still in the hospital. He was moved to "swing bed," or lower level of care, today. They still want to observe him for a while to make sure his lungs are cleared out. He's doing better, though tired of the hospital and understandably antsy to get home. (He's got that mowing to do, he says.)
Mom — still healthy. Popping vitamins and echinacea as often as possible.
Dave — coming down with a cold. Sounds awful, with a raspy voice. Runny nose, possible fever.
Me — had a runny nose and the sneezies, but I fought off the cold. I think. I hope. ... We'll see tomorrow.
Sofia — was in the hospital for two nights. Home now. Coughing a lot, but that's good -- it clears out the lungs. A bit hyper from the steroids, whiny before naptime, but otherwise in good spirits.
Erik — awfully snorfy yesterday, and understandably irritable about it. Better today, but still sounds a little like an English bulldog.
So, with all that, not a whole lot has been accomplished on the house in the past few days besides napping and nose wiping (and trips to the hospital and pharmacy). Hopefully we'll all be on the road to health in the next few days.
Dad — still in the hospital. He was moved to "swing bed," or lower level of care, today. They still want to observe him for a while to make sure his lungs are cleared out. He's doing better, though tired of the hospital and understandably antsy to get home. (He's got that mowing to do, he says.)
Mom — still healthy. Popping vitamins and echinacea as often as possible.
Dave — coming down with a cold. Sounds awful, with a raspy voice. Runny nose, possible fever.
Me — had a runny nose and the sneezies, but I fought off the cold. I think. I hope. ... We'll see tomorrow.
Sofia — was in the hospital for two nights. Home now. Coughing a lot, but that's good -- it clears out the lungs. A bit hyper from the steroids, whiny before naptime, but otherwise in good spirits.
Erik — awfully snorfy yesterday, and understandably irritable about it. Better today, but still sounds a little like an English bulldog.
So, with all that, not a whole lot has been accomplished on the house in the past few days besides napping and nose wiping (and trips to the hospital and pharmacy). Hopefully we'll all be on the road to health in the next few days.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
I'm so sick of ER visits
Well, half of the household is at the hospital tonight.
Sofia is in the hospital overnight, and Dave is staying there with her. She's been fighting a bug for a couple weeks -- she seemed to be getting over it, then last weekend she suddenly had a high fever and Dave took her to the ER to get checked out. They sent her home with a diagnosis of bronchiolitis and some antibiotics, and she was fine for the rest of the week, except for a runny nose. Then in the past few days she developed a cough, and last night her asthma started to act up. So we brought her in again this morning, and they said she'd developed pneumonia. That's new; she's had asthma attacks several times, but no pneumonia before.
Her room is just down the hall and around two corners from Dad's room -- Dave was thinking of taking Sofia to visit him this evening.
We're hoping Dad can come home on Tuesday. Sofia should be able to come home tomorrow, as long as her oxygen levels are up tonight; they were good all afternoon, but dipped a little this evening -- still good, but not great.
These breathing problems do run in the family, though they skipped my generation. And Dad's troubles are exacerbated by decades of smoking before my mom forced him to quit.
It's kind of depressing around here this evening. Even with Erik crying a little bit every now and then, the house is too quiet tonight.
Sofia is in the hospital overnight, and Dave is staying there with her. She's been fighting a bug for a couple weeks -- she seemed to be getting over it, then last weekend she suddenly had a high fever and Dave took her to the ER to get checked out. They sent her home with a diagnosis of bronchiolitis and some antibiotics, and she was fine for the rest of the week, except for a runny nose. Then in the past few days she developed a cough, and last night her asthma started to act up. So we brought her in again this morning, and they said she'd developed pneumonia. That's new; she's had asthma attacks several times, but no pneumonia before.
Her room is just down the hall and around two corners from Dad's room -- Dave was thinking of taking Sofia to visit him this evening.
We're hoping Dad can come home on Tuesday. Sofia should be able to come home tomorrow, as long as her oxygen levels are up tonight; they were good all afternoon, but dipped a little this evening -- still good, but not great.
These breathing problems do run in the family, though they skipped my generation. And Dad's troubles are exacerbated by decades of smoking before my mom forced him to quit.
It's kind of depressing around here this evening. Even with Erik crying a little bit every now and then, the house is too quiet tonight.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
SEPT. 20 UPDATE: A place to bathe
Check it out -- a place to bathe!
Note the wall that was required on the west (left) side so the pipes to the tub would not be on an outside wall. Dave built that this morning, after staying up till nearly 1 getting the vapor barrier and insulation in behind where the tub would go.
There is one advantage of this tub/shower wall system: Almost no caulking to worry about. Scrubbing caulk, or removing it and replacing it when it gets too gunky, are tedious jobs that I normally put off as long as possible (until we put the house up for sale in Iowa, for example). Now the only caulk is that around the faucet, and outside the tub, between it and the floor.
But the tub does make the room layout a little odd. The bathroom window is in an odd little corner:
You may need to click on the image above to enlarge it to see what I mean. The door on the south (into the kitchen) and the door to the bathroom are pocket doors, which limit how the walls next to them can be adjusted.
You can sort of see what the problem is here. The walls where the pocket doors would go are not in place yet.
My sister Mari and Dave both suggested putting the closet on the other side of the bedroom and either enlarging or shrinking the bathroom, but that eliminates the little entry space between the kitchen and the bathroom and bedroom -- meaning you'd have to walk through the bedroom to get to the bathroom, and that's just not going to work.
I thought of this as another option:
A closet with a view! Not sure if I think that's cool, or if it seems like a dungeon. Not sure exactly how we'd store much in there, either, without blocking the window in the process.
It could just be a nook in the bedroom with space for a writing table, for example. But eliminating the closet altogether is not a very good option, since it's the only closet on the first floor -- though there will be storage space under the stairs and in the utility room also. (Oh, and the space straight ahead when you walk into that little transition space between two doors is a linen cupboard.)
If you've got ideas, feel free to comment!
... The granary is also wired now! Dave has electricity to work with ... as soon as he puts in an outlet or two.
Here's the tunnel created by the trencher, bringing the electric wire over from the meter pole. Either that, or there's been a very large gopher burrowing his way into our house ...
Note the wall that was required on the west (left) side so the pipes to the tub would not be on an outside wall. Dave built that this morning, after staying up till nearly 1 getting the vapor barrier and insulation in behind where the tub would go.
There is one advantage of this tub/shower wall system: Almost no caulking to worry about. Scrubbing caulk, or removing it and replacing it when it gets too gunky, are tedious jobs that I normally put off as long as possible (until we put the house up for sale in Iowa, for example). Now the only caulk is that around the faucet, and outside the tub, between it and the floor.
But the tub does make the room layout a little odd. The bathroom window is in an odd little corner:
You may need to click on the image above to enlarge it to see what I mean. The door on the south (into the kitchen) and the door to the bathroom are pocket doors, which limit how the walls next to them can be adjusted.
You can sort of see what the problem is here. The walls where the pocket doors would go are not in place yet.My sister Mari and Dave both suggested putting the closet on the other side of the bedroom and either enlarging or shrinking the bathroom, but that eliminates the little entry space between the kitchen and the bathroom and bedroom -- meaning you'd have to walk through the bedroom to get to the bathroom, and that's just not going to work.
I thought of this as another option:
A closet with a view! Not sure if I think that's cool, or if it seems like a dungeon. Not sure exactly how we'd store much in there, either, without blocking the window in the process.It could just be a nook in the bedroom with space for a writing table, for example. But eliminating the closet altogether is not a very good option, since it's the only closet on the first floor -- though there will be storage space under the stairs and in the utility room also. (Oh, and the space straight ahead when you walk into that little transition space between two doors is a linen cupboard.)
If you've got ideas, feel free to comment!
... The granary is also wired now! Dave has electricity to work with ... as soon as he puts in an outlet or two.
Here's the tunnel created by the trencher, bringing the electric wire over from the meter pole. Either that, or there's been a very large gopher burrowing his way into our house ...
Friday, September 19, 2008
SEPT. 19 UPDATE: Back to the tub
First, a baby update:
Look at that handsome smile! Erik is getting more social all the time.
... and big! I put away all the 0-3 month clothes already. They still just fit, but it's no fun trying to force little hands and feet into tight clothing, and it can't be that comfortable either.
This is what Erik thought after the first flash from the camera went off.
... OK, so about our bathing situation. Well, we had it all planned out -- we were going to do the shower stall to save space, and avoid a wall that blocked a window. Then we talked to the plumber.
Unfortunately, putting in the shower stall as we had it meant putting water pipes in an outside wall. "If we lived in California, it wouldn't be a problem," Roger the plumber said. But we live where it can stay below zero for weeks at a time, so it is a problem.
We could have built another wall in front of that outside wall, and put the pipe in that, but then Roger asked if the walls in the granary-house were square. Not by a long shot. For the most part, I think being a little bit off square just adds character, but apparently it also adds all sorts of problems if you want to install a shower stall; getting the doors to hang right and not leak is nearly impossible. Or at least, it requires massive amounts of silicone gel, and still might not work.
I can adjust to a lot of changes in this whole housebuilding process, but I want whatever we end up doing to work. So, we went back to the tub plan. This means we have to build another wall on the west side of the shower stall for the water pipes to go in, but at least those pipes won't freeze. It also means the bathroom window is in a strange cubbyhole between two walls. That's odd, but I don't see a good solution to that at this point without making the bathroom smaller, which I don't want to do -- I want to make sure there's enough room to move around a little bit when bathing the kids.
OK, I was just interrupted for a nursing break, and now it's late. More tomorrow. ... Roger will be here about midmorning to finish his work, with the new tub/shower unit we bought tonight. Dave was working for the last three hours getting things ready for Roger, part of the time by the light of one lamp, powered by an extension cord stretching from the house, since he'd blown a fuse out there and didn't have any to replace it with. But for now, off to sleep for a few blessed hours!
Look at that handsome smile! Erik is getting more social all the time.
... and big! I put away all the 0-3 month clothes already. They still just fit, but it's no fun trying to force little hands and feet into tight clothing, and it can't be that comfortable either.
This is what Erik thought after the first flash from the camera went off.... OK, so about our bathing situation. Well, we had it all planned out -- we were going to do the shower stall to save space, and avoid a wall that blocked a window. Then we talked to the plumber.
Unfortunately, putting in the shower stall as we had it meant putting water pipes in an outside wall. "If we lived in California, it wouldn't be a problem," Roger the plumber said. But we live where it can stay below zero for weeks at a time, so it is a problem.
We could have built another wall in front of that outside wall, and put the pipe in that, but then Roger asked if the walls in the granary-house were square. Not by a long shot. For the most part, I think being a little bit off square just adds character, but apparently it also adds all sorts of problems if you want to install a shower stall; getting the doors to hang right and not leak is nearly impossible. Or at least, it requires massive amounts of silicone gel, and still might not work.
I can adjust to a lot of changes in this whole housebuilding process, but I want whatever we end up doing to work. So, we went back to the tub plan. This means we have to build another wall on the west side of the shower stall for the water pipes to go in, but at least those pipes won't freeze. It also means the bathroom window is in a strange cubbyhole between two walls. That's odd, but I don't see a good solution to that at this point without making the bathroom smaller, which I don't want to do -- I want to make sure there's enough room to move around a little bit when bathing the kids.
OK, I was just interrupted for a nursing break, and now it's late. More tomorrow. ... Roger will be here about midmorning to finish his work, with the new tub/shower unit we bought tonight. Dave was working for the last three hours getting things ready for Roger, part of the time by the light of one lamp, powered by an extension cord stretching from the house, since he'd blown a fuse out there and didn't have any to replace it with. But for now, off to sleep for a few blessed hours!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
SEPT. 16 UPDATE: Down in the trenches
The most important thing for Dave to finish in the next few weeks is to get the skirting around the base of the addition. We don't want those pipes to freeze!
This is hopefully not going to be the permanent solution for this skirting. Maybe, eventually, we'll get a nice stone wall to serve this same purpose -- but in the meantime, this plywood and insulation should keep the January freezes from those pipes.
Dave also got a bit further on the railing.
One of the things they've pulled off the roof of the old farmhouse in the reshingling process are the old lightning rods -- apparently they are of limited effectiveness, if they work at all (read more on the subject here and here), and no new houses have them anymore. But I do think this looks pretty cool.
Of course, the whole thing does have a fairly dangerous-looking point on the end. Anybody have any thoughts on what kind of decorative purpose this could serve in the new house? Or maybe having an implement that could impale you in the house seems like a bad idea.
Dave also got the painting done on the eaves yesterday. It looks nice! Though he said he couldn't really get the boards that are sandwiched between the outer boards and the wall painted -- he couldn't get underneath far enough to see what he was doing to paint them from the lift. Walt, what are your thoughts -- does Dave need to scamper up there with a ladder to get them painted?
The crew should finish shingling today. Then, hopefully, the plumber/electrician will come in the next few days.
... Dad is getting better, day by day. I haven't heard the latest from the doctor, though, on when he might get to come home.
This is hopefully not going to be the permanent solution for this skirting. Maybe, eventually, we'll get a nice stone wall to serve this same purpose -- but in the meantime, this plywood and insulation should keep the January freezes from those pipes.
Dave also got a bit further on the railing.
One of the things they've pulled off the roof of the old farmhouse in the reshingling process are the old lightning rods -- apparently they are of limited effectiveness, if they work at all (read more on the subject here and here), and no new houses have them anymore. But I do think this looks pretty cool.
Of course, the whole thing does have a fairly dangerous-looking point on the end. Anybody have any thoughts on what kind of decorative purpose this could serve in the new house? Or maybe having an implement that could impale you in the house seems like a bad idea.
Dave also got the painting done on the eaves yesterday. It looks nice! Though he said he couldn't really get the boards that are sandwiched between the outer boards and the wall painted -- he couldn't get underneath far enough to see what he was doing to paint them from the lift. Walt, what are your thoughts -- does Dave need to scamper up there with a ladder to get them painted?The crew should finish shingling today. Then, hopefully, the plumber/electrician will come in the next few days.
... Dad is getting better, day by day. I haven't heard the latest from the doctor, though, on when he might get to come home.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Who needs a tub anyway?
After spending two hours (no joke) this afternoon comparing the various features of tubs in Menards, we realized that neither one of us has taken a tub bath in years and all we really needed was a shower stall. And shower stalls are cheaper and will leave more room in our small bathroom. So maybe it was two hours well spent.
Our one hesitation was bathing the kids, but we figured out that not having a tub wouldn't mean giving up much there, either. Sofia right now is bathing in her little portable kiddie tub, and she should fit in that for another year or so -- which uses a lot less water than filling up the big tub would anyway. Erik is now in his baby tub, and he'll be in that for some months yet. So the only thing we'd be losing is the couple of years when we could conceivably bathe them together in the big tub -- but, since they are a girl and a boy, we wouldn't want to do that for too long anyway. (And Sofia is already asking all sorts of questions I don't know the answers to -- no need to instigate any more of those than necessary.)
And we also have the farm's old-fashioned sauna right outside our door. It's heated once a week at least -- twice a week in the summer -- and for those of who might be uninitiated, Finns actually do bathe in the sauna.
So anyway, we decided a shower stall big enough for the kiddie bathtub to fit in is really all we need. We might have to adjust the plumbing that has already been done in the bathroom, but Dave thinks it should be fairly easy to do.
... I'll get some more pictures posted tomorrow. It rained all day today (which is why it was a good day to do some shopping).
... We stopped to see Dad in the hospital this afternoon, too. He's looking much better already. My sister, who visited Dad earlier, said his eyes have the sparkle back in them -- yesterday they seemed so heavy and dull. Dad said he wouldn't get home until Monday at the earliest, at which we all smiled a bit, since I'm sure he'll be there at least a week. In any case, he spent some time explaining to Dave how to start the finicky 1951 Ford tractor so Dave could work on mowing the ditches that Dad wasn't likely to get to in time -- they all need to be mowed by Oct. 1. ... Did I mention that Dad is 85? It's fairly impressive that he still feels the need to be the one mowing ditches!
Maybe a lifetime of sauna baths gives Finns their stamina.
Our one hesitation was bathing the kids, but we figured out that not having a tub wouldn't mean giving up much there, either. Sofia right now is bathing in her little portable kiddie tub, and she should fit in that for another year or so -- which uses a lot less water than filling up the big tub would anyway. Erik is now in his baby tub, and he'll be in that for some months yet. So the only thing we'd be losing is the couple of years when we could conceivably bathe them together in the big tub -- but, since they are a girl and a boy, we wouldn't want to do that for too long anyway. (And Sofia is already asking all sorts of questions I don't know the answers to -- no need to instigate any more of those than necessary.)
And we also have the farm's old-fashioned sauna right outside our door. It's heated once a week at least -- twice a week in the summer -- and for those of who might be uninitiated, Finns actually do bathe in the sauna.
So anyway, we decided a shower stall big enough for the kiddie bathtub to fit in is really all we need. We might have to adjust the plumbing that has already been done in the bathroom, but Dave thinks it should be fairly easy to do.
... I'll get some more pictures posted tomorrow. It rained all day today (which is why it was a good day to do some shopping).
... We stopped to see Dad in the hospital this afternoon, too. He's looking much better already. My sister, who visited Dad earlier, said his eyes have the sparkle back in them -- yesterday they seemed so heavy and dull. Dad said he wouldn't get home until Monday at the earliest, at which we all smiled a bit, since I'm sure he'll be there at least a week. In any case, he spent some time explaining to Dave how to start the finicky 1951 Ford tractor so Dave could work on mowing the ditches that Dad wasn't likely to get to in time -- they all need to be mowed by Oct. 1. ... Did I mention that Dad is 85? It's fairly impressive that he still feels the need to be the one mowing ditches!
Maybe a lifetime of sauna baths gives Finns their stamina.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thank goodness for good people
Well, in my last post, I said how nice was to have local people on the building crew. This evening I a truly thankful at how kind they are, and that they were here at all today.
I had just finished the morning blog entries and gotten Sofia and me dressed when I came downstairs to find my dad shaking with fever. He said he had gotten up about 5 this morning feeling not well, had taken his nebulizer treatment (which he generally takes twice a day, but he takes it more often when he is sick) and then went back to bed but could not get warm again. He has had a cold since Monday, but he seemed to be on the mend; he was even out doing some work yesterday and the day before. Unfortunately, he got worse in a hurry overnight.
I knew I had to take him to the emergency room (there's no point in calling the ambulance out here, unless something like CPR is needed -- I can get him to the hospital faster than they can, if all that's needed is a ride), but I thought we should get him dressed first. I helped him get his shirt on, but we soon realized he was too weak to stand up. I debated for a while about what to do -- should I call Dave to come home from work? Then I thought that would take a while, since he had taken the pickup into town to get lumber. So I went up and asked the men on the roof if someone would be able to help me, since I needed to get my dad to the doctor. Two of them, James and Rich, hurried in to help me. With their assistance we got Dad dressed and out the door; he even needed to be carried over half the way. I couldn't have done it without their help. And they were very kind and respectful, knowing just what to say to an old guy who wasn't feeling well.
In addition to that, James asked if I needed anyone to watch the kids while I went into town -- that his wife was home with their children and could easily watch them, too. I said baby Erik pretty much sticks with me yet, but that it would help if Sofia stayed with her for the day. Sofia didn't like the idea at first, but she did end up having a great time with those boys. When I picked her up, she had a healthy glow on her face from all the running around she'd been doing, and she fell asleep easily tonight.
So Dad was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. This has happened before; it's not pleasant for anyone, but that's where he needs to be to get better. Last time it happened, he was in the hospital for about 10 days.
But thank you, James and Rich and Tiffany, for your help today! It's nice to get to know my neighbors a bit better, even if it's not in pleasant circumstances.
I had just finished the morning blog entries and gotten Sofia and me dressed when I came downstairs to find my dad shaking with fever. He said he had gotten up about 5 this morning feeling not well, had taken his nebulizer treatment (which he generally takes twice a day, but he takes it more often when he is sick) and then went back to bed but could not get warm again. He has had a cold since Monday, but he seemed to be on the mend; he was even out doing some work yesterday and the day before. Unfortunately, he got worse in a hurry overnight.
I knew I had to take him to the emergency room (there's no point in calling the ambulance out here, unless something like CPR is needed -- I can get him to the hospital faster than they can, if all that's needed is a ride), but I thought we should get him dressed first. I helped him get his shirt on, but we soon realized he was too weak to stand up. I debated for a while about what to do -- should I call Dave to come home from work? Then I thought that would take a while, since he had taken the pickup into town to get lumber. So I went up and asked the men on the roof if someone would be able to help me, since I needed to get my dad to the doctor. Two of them, James and Rich, hurried in to help me. With their assistance we got Dad dressed and out the door; he even needed to be carried over half the way. I couldn't have done it without their help. And they were very kind and respectful, knowing just what to say to an old guy who wasn't feeling well.
In addition to that, James asked if I needed anyone to watch the kids while I went into town -- that his wife was home with their children and could easily watch them, too. I said baby Erik pretty much sticks with me yet, but that it would help if Sofia stayed with her for the day. Sofia didn't like the idea at first, but she did end up having a great time with those boys. When I picked her up, she had a healthy glow on her face from all the running around she'd been doing, and she fell asleep easily tonight.
So Dad was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. This has happened before; it's not pleasant for anyone, but that's where he needs to be to get better. Last time it happened, he was in the hospital for about 10 days.
But thank you, James and Rich and Tiffany, for your help today! It's nice to get to know my neighbors a bit better, even if it's not in pleasant circumstances.
My morning blogging buddy
I was up before Sofia blogging this morning -- but not before Erik!
Here he is, pretty happy, for the moment, in his swing. He's really getting over his fussy spells lately -- though he often isn't happy unless he's being held. This morning, though, he's doing quite well just swinging away while I type!
He's looking quite a bit bigger, isn't he?
We'll see how happy we can keep him today -- we need to work on processing the rest of those apples. We've borrowed one apple magic machine and purchased another, so we should be able to get some apples into the freezer now!
... There was the first thump of the morning -- the crew is back on the roof. They came a little later today, but I see they brought supplies. They probably started at 7 but stopped to get lumber on their way here.
They are a local crew -- the man in charge of the company, called Prairie Builders, grew up on the farm just a mile away. That family, the Petersons, and ours were always good friends -- when my dad and his siblings walked to country school, they walked past that farm each way. Many of that generation's stories about growing up included some of the Petersons. The later generations didn't match up so well, since my sister and I came so late in life to my parents.
Anyway, the rest of the crew seems pretty local, too. It's nice to think that there's a construction company in town -- so many other businesses are not anymore.
Here he is, pretty happy, for the moment, in his swing. He's really getting over his fussy spells lately -- though he often isn't happy unless he's being held. This morning, though, he's doing quite well just swinging away while I type!He's looking quite a bit bigger, isn't he?
We'll see how happy we can keep him today -- we need to work on processing the rest of those apples. We've borrowed one apple magic machine and purchased another, so we should be able to get some apples into the freezer now!
... There was the first thump of the morning -- the crew is back on the roof. They came a little later today, but I see they brought supplies. They probably started at 7 but stopped to get lumber on their way here.
They are a local crew -- the man in charge of the company, called Prairie Builders, grew up on the farm just a mile away. That family, the Petersons, and ours were always good friends -- when my dad and his siblings walked to country school, they walked past that farm each way. Many of that generation's stories about growing up included some of the Petersons. The later generations didn't match up so well, since my sister and I came so late in life to my parents.
Anyway, the rest of the crew seems pretty local, too. It's nice to think that there's a construction company in town -- so many other businesses are not anymore.
SEPT. 11 UPDATE: Nearly done! With siding, anyway
Hey, where'd the granary go? There's a house in its place!
The siding crew did good work yesterday and nearly finished on our house. Pretty nice, I think!
They put in long days this week, arriving at 7 in the morning and going home about 6. They were still hard at work about 5:30 yesterday.
This is all they have left to do when they arrive today -- that one little gable.
Here's the cows' view, from the north.
They still have a couple days of work to go on the old farmhouse. It will be another noisy day today with the crew clattering on the roof.
That old chimney will come down the rest of the way, too. There's a lot of damaged wood behind it -- not sure how much of that is going to get fixed. At least we found the mystery leak! The rain soaking my parents' bedroom floor was coming in the wall behind that chimney.
... Dave's next project: Getting skirting to surround the base of the addition. That needs to be in place before it freezes, so the pipes don't freeze. Isn't it sad that we already have to worry about that? Sigh. Where did summer go?
... We need to go tub shopping this weekend. Anybody have any advice on what makes a good tub?
The siding crew did good work yesterday and nearly finished on our house. Pretty nice, I think!
They put in long days this week, arriving at 7 in the morning and going home about 6. They were still hard at work about 5:30 yesterday.
This is all they have left to do when they arrive today -- that one little gable.
Here's the cows' view, from the north.
They still have a couple days of work to go on the old farmhouse. It will be another noisy day today with the crew clattering on the roof.That old chimney will come down the rest of the way, too. There's a lot of damaged wood behind it -- not sure how much of that is going to get fixed. At least we found the mystery leak! The rain soaking my parents' bedroom floor was coming in the wall behind that chimney.
... Dave's next project: Getting skirting to surround the base of the addition. That needs to be in place before it freezes, so the pipes don't freeze. Isn't it sad that we already have to worry about that? Sigh. Where did summer go?
... We need to go tub shopping this weekend. Anybody have any advice on what makes a good tub?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
SEPT. 9 UPDATE: Putting on the siding
The construction crew arrived yesterday morning to put siding on our house, and to reshingle the old farm house.
Here's how far they got on our house:
Dave thought this was darker than the color I'd picked out, and was worried they were putting on the wrong siding for a bit. No, that's the right color, Cobble Stone. I think it will look nice against the white trim.
They did the trim around the door and the big windows, though it blends in with the Tyvek in this picture.
Today they didn't get much farther on our house, except Dave did use their lift to paint the eaves. They were working on reshingling the farm house, and that is taking a while. They are also removing an old chimney that no longer has a purpose, and they had to figure out how to reach the roof, since their lift couldn't get around the old septic tanks in the backyard. They eventually borrowed our scaffolding to get up where they needed to be.
Tomorrow rain is expected ... not sure how far they'll get in that!
Here's how far they got on our house:
Dave thought this was darker than the color I'd picked out, and was worried they were putting on the wrong siding for a bit. No, that's the right color, Cobble Stone. I think it will look nice against the white trim.
They did the trim around the door and the big windows, though it blends in with the Tyvek in this picture.Today they didn't get much farther on our house, except Dave did use their lift to paint the eaves. They were working on reshingling the farm house, and that is taking a while. They are also removing an old chimney that no longer has a purpose, and they had to figure out how to reach the roof, since their lift couldn't get around the old septic tanks in the backyard. They eventually borrowed our scaffolding to get up where they needed to be.
Tomorrow rain is expected ... not sure how far they'll get in that!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
SEPT. 7 UPDATE: Produce report
This summer, in addition to building this house and bringing a new child into the world, we attempted to have a big garden. The planting went well, but the weeding ... didn't happen. Surprisingly, we're still getting a good deal of produce from that garden.
So I called out to Dave this morning as he was working in the shop and asked him to stop by the garden before he came in to get me a squash for Sunday dinner.
This is what I saw when I walked into the kitchen later:
Mind you, these are those nice dainty yellow squash that are normally the size of a cucumber. But we were not cowed by its size! Dave made a good size roasting pan full of squash -- using about one-eighth of that monster. It was actually quite good, but the key to its flavor was Better than Bouillon. (If I make any vegetable dish that has any flavor whatsoever, BTB is generally the secret.)
The other seven-eighths of the squash was left. I asked Dave what he planned to do with that, thinking he'd say we'd either cook it and freeze it, or that it wasn't worth the bother and we'd compost it.
He said he had an urge to put it on top of a fence post and shoot it. Take that, monster squash!
It's a good year for apples! My parents have one apple tree that goes through good years and not-so-good years, and we're apparently on an upswing. These are mostly just windfall apples that Dave and Sofia picked the other evening.
Normally, processing those apples isn't that awful a task because we could round up two nifty gizmos that made the work a lot easier: apple peeler-corer-slicers. Unfortunately, my dad's broke in the middle of processing last night, and the other one, which is ours, is packed away, somewhere, in one of the many boxes we have stuffed in this house.
So, my sister, my dad and I went at that wheelbarrow full of apples this afternoon armed only with standard kitchen tools. We still got nine quarts of sliced apples into the freezer this afternoon, and my sister made an apple crisp for supper.
We're borrowing another peeler-corer-slicer before we take on the rest of the wheelbarrow, though, and we might buy yet another before we take on the apples left on the tree.
... Dave has been doing some work in the house, too: Right now he's working on building the railing.
... No word from the siding crew on when they might show up this week, though we're supposed to be next, after they finish the shingling job they're on.
So I called out to Dave this morning as he was working in the shop and asked him to stop by the garden before he came in to get me a squash for Sunday dinner.
This is what I saw when I walked into the kitchen later:
Mind you, these are those nice dainty yellow squash that are normally the size of a cucumber. But we were not cowed by its size! Dave made a good size roasting pan full of squash -- using about one-eighth of that monster. It was actually quite good, but the key to its flavor was Better than Bouillon. (If I make any vegetable dish that has any flavor whatsoever, BTB is generally the secret.)The other seven-eighths of the squash was left. I asked Dave what he planned to do with that, thinking he'd say we'd either cook it and freeze it, or that it wasn't worth the bother and we'd compost it.
He said he had an urge to put it on top of a fence post and shoot it. Take that, monster squash!
It's a good year for apples! My parents have one apple tree that goes through good years and not-so-good years, and we're apparently on an upswing. These are mostly just windfall apples that Dave and Sofia picked the other evening.Normally, processing those apples isn't that awful a task because we could round up two nifty gizmos that made the work a lot easier: apple peeler-corer-slicers. Unfortunately, my dad's broke in the middle of processing last night, and the other one, which is ours, is packed away, somewhere, in one of the many boxes we have stuffed in this house.
So, my sister, my dad and I went at that wheelbarrow full of apples this afternoon armed only with standard kitchen tools. We still got nine quarts of sliced apples into the freezer this afternoon, and my sister made an apple crisp for supper.
We're borrowing another peeler-corer-slicer before we take on the rest of the wheelbarrow, though, and we might buy yet another before we take on the apples left on the tree.
... Dave has been doing some work in the house, too: Right now he's working on building the railing.... No word from the siding crew on when they might show up this week, though we're supposed to be next, after they finish the shingling job they're on.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
SEPT. 4 UPDATE: Siding's here!
We had heard that the siding crew was supposed to show up Tuesday. Well, Tuesday became Wednesday, Wednesday became Thursday, Thursday morning became Thursday afternoon ...
... and then they showed up! But not to work yet, apparently. They were only here to help unload the Town and Country truck. They are working on shingling at a neighboring farm first, but hopefully that will only take them a few days.
Dave has been taking a few days off from the "housework" (ha, ha) after his intense Labor Day weekend of work with his dad. They got quite a bit planned out, and quite a bit done, but it's never as much as they hoped ... ah, well. Reality gets in the way of the best laid plans sometimes.
The breaker box is in!
And the stove is wired. That's the biggest wire in the house, apparently.
... From here, I've got a lot of details to think about, and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed trying to make good decisions about it all. So we're trying to focus on just a few things at a time: So for now I'm shopping for a tub, and looking at tankless water heaters.
OK, Erik says I'm done for now!
... and then they showed up! But not to work yet, apparently. They were only here to help unload the Town and Country truck. They are working on shingling at a neighboring farm first, but hopefully that will only take them a few days.
Dave has been taking a few days off from the "housework" (ha, ha) after his intense Labor Day weekend of work with his dad. They got quite a bit planned out, and quite a bit done, but it's never as much as they hoped ... ah, well. Reality gets in the way of the best laid plans sometimes.
The breaker box is in!
And the stove is wired. That's the biggest wire in the house, apparently.... From here, I've got a lot of details to think about, and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed trying to make good decisions about it all. So we're trying to focus on just a few things at a time: So for now I'm shopping for a tub, and looking at tankless water heaters.
OK, Erik says I'm done for now!
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