Fall Bounty on the Farm

We've had this property for two years now...  Spring of 2018 we really didn't explore the land as our time was spent on the house demo. That Fall we saw a TON of nuts on our property but just didn't have the wherewithal to focus on what that really meant.  

Spring of 2019, we found one Mulberry tree and a blackberry bush.  That Fall I decided to collect the nuts and see if they were viable.  Pappy, our old neighbor across the street, saw me with a bag in hand and pointed out that I was going to be disappointed.  He cracked open a pecan and showed me how it was bad.  He mumbled something about fertilizing and I made a mental note to look into it this year.  The pecans I brought to our old house WERE bad.  I left the black walnuts outside to dry and they were demolished by the local squirrel population.  Obviously THEY were good but I ran out of time and let the squirrels eat what I brought to Suwanee.  

Flash forward to this Spring - we realized we actually have THREE mulberry trees.  None of know how we missed the other two.  Since early Fall I've been watching a multitude of black walnuts fall off the trees and have kicked what I could into the cut.  I needed to not trip over them walking the dogs, and I didn't have time to figure out if they could be truly harvested.  When the pecans started falling I figured I was looking at nothing because of what Pappy had said the year before... until my friend Sandra came to visit and was thrilled to see them on the ground.  I told her they were bad and she proved Pappy wrong.  She broke open a beautiful pecan and that began the last two weeks of me wandering the property looking for fallen nuts.  I am a woman on a mission.

Now mind you, since Sandra had picked up one of these lovely green husked beauties, I reasoned that the darkened husk nuts were bad which must have been why Pappy had been able break one and show me a rotten shell.  I spent two days picking up only green husked pecans, cutting the husks off of them and laying them on sheets to dry.  My hands were stained the color of pecans for days.  When Bill and I went to crack them, we had about a 50% yield of good meat.  I kept going outside daily looking for more.

One day I noticed a pecan sitting on the ground without it's husk.  I pick it up for shits and giggles and feel the heft of a good nut.  (Yes, in the past two weeks I HAVE become a darn expert on pecan weight).  I'm thinking maybe the squirrels have done the job for me.  I start reaching for others... all feel heavy with meat.  It takes me a few days to think maybe I should google "harvesting pecans"... there's obviously something I'm missing.  After all, I'm a California girl who is learning these southern ways...  I did it this afternoon.  Right in front of me is what I've come to believe I didn't understand from the start.  The bloody husks dry off ON the tree.  Pecans SHOULD be falling down around my feet sans husks.  I'm not taking the squirrels hard work away.  They are ripe and they fall.  I haven't really LOOKED at my tree - they're WAYYYYY up there in the sky.  I just assumed that everything I was looking up there were green husked pecans waiting to fall at during the next storm.

I looked up today ladies and gentlemen and I saw the husks peeling away.  I shook my head as I finally saw the complete picture.  It was right there in front of me all along.  Some of the green husks that fall to the ground will be viable, but a lot of them are falling before they're ready and will not continue to grow.  I'm ok with this.  I'm getting PLENTY of nuts.  I did, however, find mention of pecans not yielding if there are low levels of critical soil nutrients (nitrogen, zinc, iron and manganese)... so Pappy MAY have had something going there.  Next Spring I'll get a soil sample near the tree to see if there is anything more I need to do.  I want to keep this large baby happy for years to come.

For now though, did I mention we are harvesting a large bowl of nuts daily.  This is today's load.  During my google search I found that there are pecan picker upper gadgets that you can push like a mop over the grass to grab the pecans without bending over.  I'm torn between wanting that gadget desperately and feeling like it'll take away from the thrill of the hunt.  I kinda enjoy walking around the yard looking for the elusive nut like I'd look for a four leaf clover.

Now before everyone starts lining up at my front door looking for nut hand outs, I've got to see what my actual yield is this year.  I plan on making my Jack Daniels Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie and some Pralines... if I have more nuts than I can use I'll know what I can share with friends in the future.  This year, I'm being greedy.  I have to.  Because the other thing I read about nuts is that crows love them.  It's true in this house hold.  I should know, I live with the biggest nutty Crow there is.

Happy Thanksgiving y'all.  

Living With Architectural Salvage and Family History

Penny Without Vinyl

I mentioned today that I had a few blog posts rolling around in my head.  One, I did earlier around noon.  The rest, I'm going to try to combine into this one.  It's amazing what a few days of relaxation can do for your mind.  I actually have the energy to put collective thoughts together!!!  When I sat down to write the earlier blog, I realized that there were projects which we have completed in the last six months of Penny's renovation that I haven't brought you all up to date on.  The following is our latest project report for your perusing pleasure.

Kitchen Before

I think the best way to show how completely this house has changed is by showing the before and after pictures.  Sitting on my stool at the peninsula where the oven used to be, I frequently gaze lovingly at my kitchen today.  Before there was a refrigerator, clothes dryer and microwave.  The ceilings were dropped to 8'.  Now there is my dream stove, a beautiful backsplash and the piece de resistance... a pot filler.  The ceilings are 10' high.  There is so much space and warm light in this magical place.  It's a place where people want to stand and gather.  A place where multiple people can work in at the same time.  We are thrilled with the end result thus far. 

Go back to that kitchen before picture, but look beyond the kitchen into the dining room entrance.  There was a pocket door that you can't really see.  It was a vanilla box, somewhat age appropriate - probably the least remuddled part of the house over the years, with the exception of the painted over wall paper.  When we took the house down to the studs to fix all the issues, we decided to change the pocket door into a barn door.  It was too pretty to be hiding in a wall 90% of the time.  Bill stripped it of its years of grime and stained it back into a glossy beauty.  Then we looked at the doorway and decided that we needed a transom window above it.

Dining Room View

Bill cut the area out so that the drywall could be put in, but we had no window as of yet to place in it.  We played with the idea of making a stained glass window.  We even drew up the design and purchased glass.  It was such a big task to do that we kept putting it off.  One day Bill sends me a link to a window at Caravatti's in Richmond, Virginia.  I measure the space and we realize it's a perfect fit.  Before the day was out that window was on it's way to us.  It's a stunning piece and was truly meant for this space.  Even the center pattern is close to our backsplash behind our stove.  I can't tell you how relieved Bill was to not have to make something for that location... and how we're happier to have an old salvage piece instead of something new.

Living Room View

An integral piece to one of the last projects for our kitchen arrived in October.  My grandparents 1940's chrome and yellow formica kitchen table.  My childhood memories at this table include cracking nuts, eating family dinners with other kids while the adults ate in the formal dining room and as I grew older... sitting around drinking and laughing with the women in my family.  Gramma and Grandpa had a L shaped brown pleather banquette booth around it.  Bill's project sometime in 2021, will be to build two benches (think pew type) for us to sit at.  The main reason I chose the blue and yellow backsplash for our kitchen was to incorporate this table into the design.  I almost cried when Bill put it back together and placed it here.  It means so much to me.  I'll be deliriously happy the first time we sit at this table for sure.  :) 

Penny Before

Our biggest news is that "Phase II", our 500ish square foot addition, has started.  We have lived for eight months out of boxes because we don't have a closet... have either used a laundromat or Cherie's washer/dryer because we don't have a laundry room.  Penny went from a three bed two bath house to a two bed two bath house... we're now adding another bed and bath, laundry room and walk in closet.  We are eking out this last bit of remodel before our funds are gone, but we can comfortably live in this house and still work on it for a long time, once we have these rooms.

I have started shopping for the addition.  The squirrel in me has had to be tamed a bit as I can't overspend.  That said, when I see THE piece, I grab it.  One item we needed was another small colored glass chandelier for the addition's hallway.  While junking in California with mom, I found the answer.  The bohemian red etched glass body of this chandelier screamed my name until it was in my hands... I had to have it.  I didn't love the rest of the look, but I knew I could glam it up and make it blend with the others in the hall.  I'm loving how it turned out.  I may still change it up once more before it's hung but so far, so good.

The most exciting thing about the addition to me?  The fact that once it's ready to have siding, the whole house will be re-sided.  Bill has been tearing off the ugly cheap looking yellow vinyl siding that I've abhorred since day one.  The original siding that was under that monstrosity gives you an idea of what Penny will look like when her facelift is complete.  Unfortunately there was too much damage to try to repair.  Currently 60% of the house is wrapped in Tyvec and ready to go.  By the end of the year Penny should look finished outside.  The inside, no promises of a timeline... we still can't agree on a crown molding... but at least she'll be able to shine as strangers drive by.

Abundance of Blessings

I woke up this morning feeling abundantly blessed.  I started to upload a picture to Instagram to express this happiness and then realized when I began to caption said picture that I had a blog (or two) in my head.  I haven't had a lot of quiet time in the last few months.  My job has had me all over the United States.  I haven't had enough time to stop and sit, let alone be refreshed enough to know what time zone I was in.  While I've been zooming across the United States, my faithful and amazing husband has continued to chip away at the projects needing to be done for Penny's continued transformation.  Simply put, we were both exhausted.

Bill's Gramma's clock

Bill's sister, Beth, has been talking about driving down from Virginia to see Penny and bring cherished pieces of Bill's past for us to live with.  Between COVID and my insane work schedule, how do you plan a visit?  I decided to have an elective surgery that I have been wanting done.  I told her she could be sure I was home if she came after it.  Two days after I'm back home from the hospital, Beth and Arthur come pulling up our driveway.  I'm tired and sore and she comes in the door and starts cooking.  Hallelujah.  My kitchen is taken over by Bill and Beth.  I'm pushed to the counter stool with a glass of wine.  I could not be any happier at this moment.

Our Pecan Tree

The next morning they're both up early.  Beth makes biscuits and gravy...  OMG delicious!!!  Then she and Arthur are out the front door moving wood Bill had salvaged from the house.  They removed all the nails and then carted the wood to the back of the property to Bill's new tent. I swear I could see relief all over Bill's face each time he looked at that wood pile dwindling.  It was a project he hadn't been looking forward to doing but had to be done soon so that he could get the porch ready for the siding that will be done to the house in the next two weeks.  We have a clear porch that has been swept for the first time in two years. (insert angels singing in the heavens... oh wait, that might just be Bill's heart bursting).

Inside they come at the end of the day and Beth starts cooking again...  Arthur sits at the counter and starts shelling our pecans that we've gathered.  It's another long process but he's doing it with a smile on his face.  I'm sitting on a huge bean bag chair my girlfriend Audra made me take home for my recovery.  Conversation is good, food is amazing and I'm a groggily happy girl.  This shelling is going to continue to happen over the next few weeks.  Our pecan tree is full of fruit.  I'm loving the food our property is providing us, but there's days where I love watching someone else do the work needed to use these gifts.

Door that came with house

Yesterday, I woke up to Bill making waffles.  After breakfast the men ran to Lowes.  Beth and I spend the morning making cookies, pumpkin bread, and sourdough pizza crust while we cooked down another pumpkin.  When the guys come back, Beth and Arthur are out the door to begin another project I've been dying to have done.  Our front door.  I hate the cheap "new" hollow front door on this house.  It doesn't fit the character.  Every time I look at it I wonder what they were thinking.  Last year I found a door in a salvage yard that would replace it but we needed the time to strip and stain it.  Obviously that project was WAY down the list of things to do but it was something we could give to another person looking to help us.   They spent hours on that door getting years of paint and grime off of it.  There's still a bit of sweat equity that I'll have to do but once a project is started, I somehow find the motivation to finish it.  The goal is to have this baby stripped, stained and fitted for the front door replacement when the new siding goes on.  This solid vintage craftsman beauty is going to fit right in with Penny's facelift.  Here's a few photos of the progress they made.

Abundant blessings indeed this holiday season... 

• The gift of health insurance and being able to fix my body as needed. 

• The gift of a husband that works tirelessly to get this dream of a home I have completed.  I know each hour he puts into this renovation is an act of love for me.

• The gift of our family history - I know Bill will love the chair, mirror and clock for years to come.  We're both thankful to have these pieces lovingly delivered.  

• The gift of bonding with future family members.  Arthur, you are officially brother and sister-in-law approved.  We both look forward to warmly welcoming you into our family when you two make that step.  Thank you for your time here, and thank you for loving our Beth.  She glows in happiness now.  You have our undying gratitude for that gift.

• The gift of time with family... it's the most time I've spent with my sister-in-law.  Love you bunches Beth.  Thanks for this weekend.  It truly was priceless to both of us.  We need to try to do this annually.  Georgia or Virginia... maybe trade years driving...  Miss you already

From our farmhouse to your home, we wish you all a Thanksgiving where you too are filled with gratefulness at the blessings around you... 

Gramma's chair with Kimberly's pillow