Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Showing posts with label Old Barns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Old Barns. Show all posts

Saturday, November 25, 2017

A Hammer and a Pile of Wood

Here is where I (re)started - the pile of wood left from tearing apart the roofing of the barn.  The long boards were put to good use - a co-worker of Hubby's that makes furniture with it.  The shorter boards remain in this somewhat of a huge pile.  I've worked on it a few days, but didn't bring much up to the house.  While Hubby is at work, and on good weather days. . .


 Nails got pulled.   And they are not easy to get out either.  Some are so mangled it takes great effort.

Added to the existing pile until we can cut them to fit the stove.  My wrist was sore, so I took a break.  


....putting a dent in it.  


Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Tidbits ~ Barn Rubble Update

Monday madness didn't stop this gal from getting the list crossed off.  Even though I was dog-gone tired.  

Popcorn was all pulled.  I'm not thrilled with the harvest, but it's more than the year we only got 2-3 ears.  I'm happy, but sad to see so many small ears this year.  


I brought in 8 more pie pumpkins.  Had I thought in advance, I would have kept the white one for target practice.  I tossed it.  It was the heirloom variety that went rotten before ripening, and I only got 3 of those pumpkins, out of 4 mounds of seeds planted.  It's not a good variety to plant, but my New England variety did well.  Grand total of pie pumpkins this year is 23.  


I brought in a bit more of the hot peppers too.  I'll be freezing most of them, and tossing a few in dinner.  I had some tomatoes too.  I have been very late in getting those dang plants pulled.

 The day of knocking this barn down.

And for that barn clean up update. . .




"In progress" photo from last weekend.  See all that roofing?  That one piece to the left was a huge pile, but Hubby and I worked it down to the last piece until help arrived.  There was a third pile off to the right of that next large pile.

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Barn Clean Up

It's been hectic around the homestead.  Morning is crazy - feed dogs, feed cats, feed barn cats, dogs in, dogs out, dogs in, dogs out.....chickens out, dogs in, dogs out....chickens back in...

I'm on dog duty until Daughter is feeling up to it again.  She is still recovering from the removal of her wisdom teeth.  She took care of me while I was sick, and now I'm taking care of her.  I am using my ice chipper to grind up ice for her.  She is still very sore around her jaw. 

Unfortunately, she has inherited something I inherited from my mother - can't handle pain meds (nausea).  I had to call the dentist.  They told me to take her off the pain meds and the ibuprofen and put her strictly on Tylenol.  She is not getting sick any more thankfully.


Weekend work resumed, although we were invited to ride to IN for the day, we opted to work.  While the guys worked on the barn, I weeded the herb garden and Youngest did the mowing.  I was super happy to find mullein growing in one of my flower beds.  It's safely transplanted into the last pot I had available.  There is hope to have a large harvest of it soon again.


Deep cleaning continues as well - washed down the outside of the stove, top, under knobs, dishwasher, more cabinets, etc.  I also took everything off the bathroom door hooks, washed down the door, and washed our winter bathrobes.  It was just in time for nice clean robes to take dogs out at the crack of dawn. It's been chilly early morning again.
 
And for a different cleaning story. . .

. . . update on the barn clean up.

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Barn Rubble

Here is what the big barn ruble looked like on 6-26-17:


And here is an updated photo, with a slight progress of "rubble-be-gone"

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Bits of Barn Wood and other random tales

Happy 4th of July!
 
We stayed around the homestead for the holiday weekend.  Well, most of it.  We visited family and friends at the Lake, and stole off on a few motorcycle rides.  But.  We started on the big barn.


We've managed to move one barn door from the ruble.  It wasn't moved very far, and is now waiting it's next move. They are heavy by the way.  It'll take more than two of us to get it up and on the other barn.  Hubby and I dug through the debris and started pulling out barn siding.  We took the saw to a few, made them look nice, and delivered them to the folks who knocked the barn down.  They loved the "samples" and we'll be back to this mess.


All that siding laying down is weighed down by beams, so we have to get equipment to take care of that to free up the siding.

See that siding up on the old straw?  Well, I removed the fungus covered wood, and crawled up there.

I got what I could without putting myself in danger, and my legs got stung by stinging nettle.  It hurt the entire time we were out there, and my legs were red.  However, by the the time we retired that day, the rash was completely gone.  Seriously.  Could I be immune to it now due to drinking nettle all the time?  I know my hands broke out with a rash before, but my legs seem to have a reverse situation.


I planted zinnia seeds 3 times this year.  The first planting, 3 places popped up.  And a pot of them.  However, all the remaining plantings did not.  I replanted.  Nothing.  I bought seeds and replanted.  Nothing.

Then I saw them.

Birds.  They have multiplied this season. 

The robins and chickadees in the exact locations of the plantings (I put markers so I knew where to water).  Grr.  They were eating them so no flowers.  I will have to start seeds indoors next year, or if you have a tip to keep birds out of the flower beds (without looking gaudy) please share.

We may be eating ground hog as well as rabbit for dinner this summer.  I now have a ground hog issue. I've seen him before, and thought he was just passing through, but no....

June bearing strawberry season is over, and it's the end of our radishes too.  The radishes left in the ground, are already going to seed.

This is the last of the harvest.  I won't be getting another batch of radish relish, but I will be roasting these.

The peas are still rolling in thankfully.  Both snap and shell peas.

Bread was baked again over the weekend.  Just our regular 'ol every day stuff going on here.  Nothing spectacular, nor exciting.  Other than I lost 4.2 of the 10 lbs. I gained since the stint in the hospital last winter.  Proof if you lose weight fast, you'll gain back over what you lost, and it is very (very) difficult to get it back off.  The scale has moved and I am very (very) happy about it.  Only 5.8 more to go, and I'm down to my lowest weight of last year, then it's onto a new goal.  






Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Down, Down, Down....

This showed up yesterday afternoon, while I was out fetching eggs late in the day....



and this happened......

Friday, May 26, 2017

Garden ~ Baked Flounder

I started the day rather slower yesterday.  My achy body didn't want to get going.  I did my yoga stretches as usual, and got busy.  First, with rain in the forecast, I went to the kitchen.

My new oven mitts.  These were a gift at the big birthday bash from an old friend.  They are longer than they look in the photo, and withstand up to 500°F.  I love them.



I baked us some blueberry banana bread.  I different recipe, but used up a few lingering over-ripe bananas.  My freezer is still full of blueberries (thankfully).

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Another Barn Discovery

I apologize in advance for the fuzzy photo, but these pulleys are way at the top and I was on the ground photographing them.  They are the original wood pulleys, still intact.  I took a quick picture for our album.

 There is one more at the very top peek of the barn too.

Once again, we have someone interested in the barn.  What's left of it, minus what we'll take from it.  Not sure if it will happen, but we'll seeThis will be the umpteenth person to look it over.  It is a lot of work, but I would like to see it reused as much as possible. 


Monday, October 5, 2015

Weekend Updates

It rained all day Saturday, but we split wood inside the barn.  I also tackled cleaning the last window blind, and Hubby helped.  We managed to get one air conditioner in storage, and a few windows washed on the inside as well.  It was cold, but I was not going to fire up the wood stove.  No way.  I need the chimney swept first.  We hunkered down with flannel pants/pajamas, and lots of blankets instead.



I've been stocking up more herbs, and getting more medicinal herbs put into jars as well.   I started a jar of plantain/comfrey oil that I'll eventually use to make a salve, and I got a batch of elixir made.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

My Achy Bones.....

We had so much fog yesterday morning, that our kid's school actually closed.  This worries me as we tend to run out of snow days, and end up having school run into summer.

Monday, September 21, 2015

One Big Job

I took this photo back in March of this year, in hopes to locate a barn salvage person or company.  

This challenge is one of our big jobs on the "to-do" list right now.

Well, the first two did not want the barn - not old enough, not "enough wood" to mess with.  Not long ago few men stopped in after the corner collapsed in a rain storm.  We talked, Hubby got in touch with them.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Home Fermentation ~ Homemade Sauerkraut ~ Sparta's in the Dog House


In our intent to maintain good health, and make progress in our self-sufficiency, I decided to inquire more on the fermentation process with cabbage.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

A Barn Discovery

Our largest barn is set for destruction next year.    We have used this barn, and even updated parts on it over the last 5 years, but it's too much for us to invest in.  The loft has caved in from one of the storms as well.   The roof, on both sides, have been ripped off over the years from storms as well. If we had the money, we would save it, but we can't.

However, we are using parts of it to repair the other two barns.  Yesterday, I was walking Alias, and looked up at the barn.  For some odd reason, I discovered something I had never seen before.  It made me smile.


 Do you see anything yet?  Look to the upper right of the window.

Ha ha!  Now to you see it?  This made me laugh.  There are four license plates, from 1971, used to patch the barn.  When the barn comes down, I want to recycle those plates one more time.  Even after being used on this barn for 42 years.  I don't have a ladder tall enough to reach them either.  Phooey.  Anyway, I thought it was neat discovery.

Oh, and one araucana laid an egg the other day.  Yay!  Egg production is back on track.   

Just a note: we did put this barn up on craigslist for the free wood, and we got one response, who never got back with us.  I even contacted two places that take barn wood, and they too, did not want it.  Everyone else wanted us to pay them to take it.  We simply wanted someone to use the wood too, but it's not as easy as you think.  Not in our area anyway.

Notice: Would the person who inquired about the barn, via Google, please contact me via the email address provided under "About Me" on this blog?

Friday, October 19, 2012

Storm rolling in

 (Sky above a few of our old barns)

Yesterday the weather started out with a nasty downpour.  Although there wasn't any thunder, our youngest dog still had anxiety.  

We've ordered him a Thundershirt, and it's on the way.  It's a jacket that applies pressure to naturally calm the dog, when they have a fear of noises (thunder, fireworks etc.).

He wasn't born like this, he was out on a walk during a very bad storm, and it thundered loudly.  Ever since then, he's been horrible afraid of the noise.

I'll update you on the progress of the jacket, as it is natural, and requires no pills.  We first heard about it from the woman who sells homemade pet treats at the Farmer's Market.

The rain kept me from doing any outside work yesterday.  However, by the afternoon, it cleared up.  By that time, I was already deep in another project.  Funny how that works some days.   

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Nostalgic Barn and Silo

I took this photo when I was lucky enough to be with hubby, and he was driving.  I had my camera too.  There have been so many barns that have been torn down, when I wished I would have stopped to photograph them.  I hope to take more photos.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Another Hike on the Farm. . .


Another day, another hike.

I was super excited to see we have a "Poor Man's Banana Tree" on the property.  I never saw it until this year.  It's kind of hidden in the trees.  I will have to see if it is still bearing fruit too.   Although, I think the fruit ripened last month. I was so excited I forgot to get a closer look.   It's technical name is The technical name for this tree is Asimina triloba.  The fruit is edible.  



I was even more excited to see another black walnut tree also.  I think I need to do some more hiking in the back woods more often.  

 ...found yet another black walnut tree!  Yippee! 


 ...and even another one!  Four years ago, I would not be jumping of joy to see these trees.  As a kid, when we'd visit my grandparents, we'd toss these out into the street and wait to hear a "pop" when cars ran over them.
Next on the hike.....


...another orb weaver spider (check out the red and white legs on this).  Ugh!  I almost got my hair in this web by leaning over to see what plant this was...


Not sure what it is, but I found another bush underneath a locust tree also.  


I'll have to confirm what this is with the parks division again. Hmm? 



The barn that has seen it's last days....gonna miss this barn, as I can see it from the kitchen every day.


Sadie, Gus, and Jesse...taking a break from our little hike, and watching the goats.


Peanut looks a bit upset I came to visit without treats.


At the end of our hike and back to the house, Sapphire (Sassy, Sassafras) had to give all the dogs a rub by, and then she got a lick in return.  This is the kitty that went missing for a long time.