New arrivals

This last month has been an odd one to say the least. It has been a wonderful time to find and connect with family and also the sorrow to lose a family member.  I have been most grateful for those experiences.  And also grateful and thrilled for the new arrivals which have found their way to my little home.

The first is an amazing and gigantic cabinet which I have coveted for years. I LOVE it!  The second picture is of an exquisite love seat from the mid-1880's.  It has a noble provenance. I will strip it back to its original walnut finish, retain the old stuffing which is still in good shape and re-cover it with needle point.  This is going to be a huge project and I may regret the needlepoint idea.

 

 This little love seat had been on my covet list for many years also.  I have been pinching myself all month for my blessing and good fortune, the gratitude has been overwhelming.

 The vanity?dresser which Tasmanian is sitting his fat butt on, is part of a bedroom set my grandparents bought for their wedding. I am unsure of their exact wedding date but I am guessing around 1910.  I am thrilled beyond words to be it's caretaker.  The lovely dresser and headboard have also joined it, and I will cherish them too. 

The last picture is of my beautiful stained glass windows and the linen covered antique couch, and yes it is covered in plastic, there are too many animals around here I don't trust and that would mainly be Hemi, he is a renown pisser to use a earthy phrase.  Excellent cat in every other way but his mother never taught him properly about using a cat box, he marks things as his own constantly and  he is a fixed cat too.

There are so many projects around here to finish it seems absurd, and I keep thinking of more to do.
The chicken house needs to be expanded before winter and I would like to finish all the trim work in the house....sigh.
There is a ton of research too for several large paintings I am planning and instead of doing what I should be doing I have been spinning.  That will be for another post, and I will show you what I have been doing.

The garden was poor this year, probably got too hot too quickly, the gigantic squash plants we had such hope for succumbed to mildew and they were a total bust, we were so disappointed.
The tomatoes were gigantic but have not set fruit, the ones at the top of the garden are setting huge fruit and hopefully will continue and we will get something out of them before frost.
The chickens and ducks ate the beets and lettuce. There were curse words involved on my part, but the peach tree yielded a bushel and a half of lovely, small but delicious peaches.  They have been bottled and some frozen and right now in the fridge is a delicious concoction of peaches sugar and heavy cream.
We have dined on fresh little potatoes and fresh beans, zucchini literally seconds away from the stalk, light delicate honey from our own bees, and eggs from the chicken and turkeys.
Speaking of turkeys, Benjamin the tom has grown at a spectacular rate. We are crazy about him, what a wonderful bird.  He walk right in the house to get his bowl of cat food. He loves cat food!  We are so glad we have him.  The turkey hens like him too and though he is twice their size, he is scared to death of them. Very funny.

August went missing.

Have I posted this before?  Just found it, that is part of the fun of being so disorganized, there is always a surprise somewhere. I had forgotten all about this.

This old galvanized wash tub was full of petunias.  It seems to be sprouting chickens now.
The little guy right in the  middle? his name is Tiny-Spicy.

goodbye

 Tough day, tough week.  This was Patty's last ride.

 She was an accomplished horsewoman, and a fierce, fierce friend.  She lived for her family and only when her body could not endure one more indignity, one more struggle, when every last cell had had enough, only then was she willing to leave and move on. 

They were awfully nice Clydesdales, you would have loved them, Patty.

Bye girl, "ya done good".

Normal

This pic has been circulating on Facebook, I hope nobody minds if I use it.

The dryer setting is truly the only thing normal about this household.

Yesterday we had a little Mallard hen in the duck's swimming pool she is gone this afternoon. Perhaps she made her way down to the canal, I wish she would have stayed.

While I was feeding mushy watermelon to the ducks, chickens and turkeys, Husbutt stepped outside, stared in amazement and then informed me I was poor white trash,  why yes, yes I am.

It has been blazing hot, but cools down beautifully in the evenings, the mountain air can get quite chilly, but during the day the birds are pretty miserable and mostly hide under all the bushes in the yard.  I don't think people realize just how many I really have in this little yard. Thank heavens.

Our tiny De'Uccle bantam rooster has started to crow, he is off kilter until he gets his song memorized and the adolescent tone matures, it is very very funny. He has such a tiny voice, perhaps we will be able to keep him, I don't think his voice carries past the  yard.
If only he would hold still long enough to get a decent picture.

Lately I have been so sad, deeply deeply sad and there is no reason for it. We are all well and happy, there are no excuses.  Perhaps I shall blame it on the heat.

hmmmm

Thinking of doing a series of these little girls.....input anybody?

Sunday

 That large thing chomping through the water in the  picture above is not some strange aquatic creature but fat dog Rogue who bites the water as she swims.

 Not exactly svelte is she?

 Rogue and Tigger

Sparky, waiting for the rock to fall so he can bite the water splash.
It's his favorite game.  His full name is Spartacus Dream of Foxearth but we usually call him Pookie, they all get called Damnit occasionally.

need for a NoVacancy sign

In May, we had a excess of chickens, then my bathroom was infested with small ducks, now I have magpies on the chandelier.  Isn't there a spray for that?