The Farmhouse

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Green


I am happy to report we now have a lawn.


Isn't it purdy?  See, you people take it for granted that you have grass. Cliff worked very hard to get this lawn!  He is still working on the back of the house.  That's the part the landscapers did not seed and Cliff works on a little section at a time.
I have also been admiring the new shrubs.  They are doing very well.



I took the pansies out of the window box and put begonias in.


I hope to get three more window boxes and hang them on the side of the Carriage House that faces my kitchen.  I think that would be beautiful.  It probably won't happen this year, though.
The porch is looking good, too.


We really enjoy relaxing out here!  Sure beats winter!

Now for my sad news.  Yesterday we sent Fletcher to a new home.  It became apparent to us that it would be in his best interest to live with a family that could take the best care of him.  After having him live here for the past days, I saw that this pup needs lots of care now and will need in the future.  He is a sweet, goofy puppy, but he has some challenges ahead of him that will cost lots of money and care. I could not imagine him staying in an apartment in the city while Josh is at work all day.  Due to his knee, he can't go back to daycare.  They play too rough.  He deserves to be able to be outside on the grass, not the dirty city streets.  While I wish we could keep him, this place is too small and wood floors are not good for his joints.  Bella and Fletch played hard and many times he fell down - hard.  I lived in fear of him breaking something.  Obviously this was very hard on all of us.  Thankfully there is a wonderful group that is devoted to Newfoundlands and take them into their homes and provide all of the medical care they may need.  We will miss him dearly, but I truly believe it is for the best.  My son will always hold this against me of course, but I hope that deep down he knows it's the right thing to do. Sometimes life is so darn hard!

Thanks for stopping by.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Dog Days

Well Fletcher has arrived.  His father has not moved in yet, but, Fletchy Boy is here.  Pardon me while I ...yawn.  I am exhausted! First let me say this - Fletcher is a good puppy.  He doesn't chew, is housebroken and pretty mellow...but...oh my...he is a lot of work.  Let's rewind to Sunday, or as I refer to it the day the #*#! hit the fan.  Josh and I took Fletcher to see the vet.  We had been noticing that he walks in a "unique" way.  We thought he may have hip problems, so we had him x-rayed.  I noticed a quite strong odor emanating from him as well, oh and his ears smelled, too. Here is what the vet had to say:

Hips fine.  Knee "totally messed up". I quote.  He doesn't even know what to make of this knee.  Could be a birth defect, could have had a trauma (?), not really fixable.  He has adapted to it and seems to get around just fine, in fact when he runs, he is almost graceful. We will just have to see how he grows and deal with it when something changes.  He also had double ear infections and a hot spot under his chin.  A mess! Guess who his nurse is? I think his ears are cleared up now and the hot spot is much better.  These problems are probably a result of going to doggy daycare. I love my son, but, he really didn't do his homework on owning a Newfoundland.  It's a lot of maintenance. Lots of hair that needs to be brushed, etc.  Oh my.
But look how cute.


So now that I have this baby.  Here is brief synopsis of our day:
Pee
Poop
Eat
Drink Lots O' Water
Pee
Poop
Water- again
Slobber
Brawl with Bella
Pee
Poop
Water
Eat
You get the idea!
His first day here I stayed home all day, but yesterday I wanted to get out of here and ride my black pony.  I was very wary about leaving him in the house, but Josh assured me he would be fine.  Cliff bought a baby gate and I put him in the mud room and went riding. I was a nervous wreck the whole time I was gone and of course I got behind every slow moving farm vehicle in the county as I was rushing to get home to see the damage that may have occurred. I put the key in the front door and was greeted by a baby gate laying on it's side and two dogs peacefully snoozing in the kitchen.  I guess it's hard to keep a Newf behind bars.  Come to think of it - he used to break out of his crate when he was a baby.
But look how cute.  Hopefully we will adapt, but, I am too old for this!  What we do for our children.

Thanks for stopping by.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Gifts!


This week we celebrated Cliff's birthday and Mother's Day.  The ole Farmhouse got two new gifts.  Before we get to that I have a question.  Why is it that this :

This dog that loves the water, swims like a fish and generally wallows in any body of water, however tiny, can not be coaxed to go outside and tinkle in the rain??? Really Bella??  I put her out and she lays on the covered porch.  I try a different tactic, I put her out the front door where there is no covering.  She tip toes back to the porch!  Infuriating to say the least.  So I put on my rain gear and we walk.  We walk and walk until this princess decides she can hold it no longer.  Dogs!

We now have an arbor.  This is Cliff's birthday present.

I planted honeysuckle trumpet vine on either side.  We had an arbor at our other place and it was one of our favorite things.

The other gift that finally arrived was our antique sign,  Remember way back when Jason was working on the carriage house and found the piece of siding that said - General Felix Agnus, Stevenson Station?  Well he finally finished restoring it for us.  We hung it over the piano.  It's hard to see in a photograph, but the writing is done in what looks like green pencil. 


Too hard to see, but trust me, it's way cool!
Jason tells me the frame is made from old barn wood that is at least 100 years old.
In other news, we hope to mow the lawn this weekend.  That's right - we have a lawn.  Oh and by the way by saying "we", I mean CNC lawn service.  We don't have a mower.
Big changes are coming, and by big I mean Newfoundland big. Josh is scheduled to move home next weekend. We are a tiny bit, shall I say - hesitant? Oy!
Thanks for stopping by.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Spud Love?


So, what do you think of this?


Doesn't this little spud look like a heart?  And it's red!  We ate it.

One of my favorite things to do is to explore my new neighborhood.  I frequently walk Bella  at Stevenson University.  They have a big field and she loves to run around.  We often stroll behind the field, just to the left of the polo field.  That's where I spotted these little buildings in the middle of the farmer's field.  I just had to see what was in those little buildings.  Well lo and behold, it's a chicken farm!  Right in my hood! Being the nosy individual that I am, I started asking around and my neighbor told me they sell free range eggs. I found out how to get to the place and wow, was I excited.  I drove over with two girlfriends and we were greeted by an elderly gentleman named Mr. Clark.  He told us to go right on in the barn and his wife would help us.  She was in there counting eggs. Quaint doesn't even describe this place.

The farm sells eggs under the name Carriage House Farms.  I had to buy a dozen of these beauties.

Look at the pretty colors.  The Clark's son is a fisherman and brings back frozen fish from the Pacific Northwest, too.  They also sell free range chickens and turkeys.  We had a fun field trip.  Oh - I forgot to mention this- they use the honor system.  Just leave your money in the barn.  Can you say Mayberry??

Cliff has been getting the Farmhouse festively attired.  He strung little lights on the screened in porch.


Love it!
Also, I have a lawn update.  Many, many hairlets are popping up.


Kinda hard to see with all of the straw, but it's coming in.
Soon it will need a good mowing.
Happy Mother's Day to all moms who read my blog.
Thanks for stopping by.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Back In Business

I am happy to report that The Prodigal Son has returned my laptop.  I really missed this thing.  I was virtually at a stand still without it. I can now print, download and most importantly, I can blog!  I also learned during my lap top's absence that my iPad is old.  As in "first generation" old, at least that's what the "Genius" at The Apple store told me.  What does this mean you ask.  It means that I can't do the critical updates that are so crucial to keeping up to date on all things techie. Her solution to this was to simply buy a new one.  Uh - sure!
This is why I love my laptop.

So we are now in May.  Spring has sprung here at the Farmhouse.  Look at these gardens.



Beautiful!  Just kidding these beauties are at Sherwood Gardens.
We have this.


And this.


Oh, and this.


We are trying to grow a lawn.  Two weeks ago the landscapers came and seeded (again), then we had 7 inches of rain and cold temps.  So far we have this.


I see some very tiny hairlets, as I call them!
In other more exciting news we now have a real driveway.  Be still my heart.


No more tiny rocks being dragged in the house by Bella and company.

By the way, I had an epiphany today as I made my daily run to Starbucks.  I am shopping a mere mile from where I grew up!  Crazy how life happens.  I grew up around the corner from the Arundel Quarry, where every day they blasted at 4 o'clock.  Our house shook and we knew what time it was.  Now that quarry is called Quarry Lake and the old quarry is filled with water and surrounded by lovely shops. Crazy stuff!

Many of you have asked about my crafting.  Here is a little show for your viewing pleasure.

Gefilte Fish can flower pot. What??
Macaroon can planter.  Obviously I had a Seder :) 
Burlap pillow
Another burlap pillow.
Maybe this Blog should be A Crafter In The Valley?

Thanks for stopping by.