Barn Apartment Update

Left for the country house last Friday. Storms rolling through the areas that we were headed & that we were going to be driving through. But, since we left a little bit later in the afternoon most of the really bad stuff had moved on. We hit a few patches but nothing like what I was dreading.

Upon arrival it was obvious that a LOT of rain had come down that day. Water was standing everywhere! I have never seen it just standing like that. Plus, it started raining about 9:00 that night & continued until around 10:00 the next morning. We had hoped to get the 1st mowing under our belt but the ground was just too wet. I think it was estimated that we got over 6" in a 24 hour period.

Also, we discovered that the drain field for the septic was flooded as well. Not surprising but left us with no way to flush toilets or take showers. We decided to come on back to the city since we couldn't really accomplish anything, or at least what we wanted to accomplish.

We had hoped that the contractor would be finished with the trim for the apartment but alas, they have just a couple of things left to do. Isn't that what they always say?

We still have a couple of things left to get done as well. Like - install the fridge, dishwasher & stove, kitchen faucet(s), bathroom vanity & faucets as well as a light fixture for the bathroom. All are already purchased except for the bathroom faucet & light. We have all the shelving for the pantry, just need to get some hardware to put it together. That was one of my big bargains last year. We also have to get a separate septic tank put in because the one for the house is too far away. It's always something.

This is in a metal building we had built in Dec. 2014. It is divided into 2 sections - an apartment in the front & my Greg's shop & office in the back. Took a few pics to show our progress so far:

Living area (bedroom door to the left)

Kitchen. Still have the island to install

Looking down hallway to the shop.

Tongue & groove boards w/metal ceiling in living/dinig area

Dining room

Greg's office

Another angle of office

That stuff on the wall in the office is slat board that someone gave Greg many many years ago. He knew he would find a use for it someday! All you do is put brackets in for shelving & will will hold a lot of stuff. psst .... He's also giving me one area in the office to eventually put my sewing table!

The contractors wife had thinned her amaryllis & daylilly beds & gifted me with about 75 amaryllis & 25 or so daylillies. Guess what I did Sunday?

I put about 40 or 50 in various pots on our patio & gave the rest to a neighbor & my MIL.

Avocado with small amaryllis

Below are some Begonia cuttings that my friend from SC gave me last November when we went to visit. I believe she was gifted some by a friend whose mother or grandmother brought them from Italy. The leaves are huge & they are just starting to bloom. I noticed the honey bees from our city neighbor, have been visiting the last few days.

I won't be going back to the country until the end of the month as I have my annual Quilt Retreat to attend in a couple of weeks. Spending most of my time these getting projects ready for that. And yes, Nelly will be going with me. She's a travelling dog.

This and That (picture heavy)

Not too much going on lately. Greg & I had the crud back to back but are now on the upside & feeling better. Garage fridge went on the outs (making a whole bunch of noise) so we decided to replace it with another used model. The old one was over 30 years old so I guess it stood the test of time. The new one looks like someone didn't like it very much but it works well (so far, knock on wood). And, it was only $250 & the same size as the old one so it fit in the same space.

We decided not to head to the Country House this weekend since not much has happened on the Driveway & no real projects to work on there. The last time we were there we did get the rest of the blocks somewhat straightened out & straw put on all of them. Not the best picture but there are 2 asparagus beds on the left & nine regular beds done. What a workout!

Got the tomatoes & peppers planted here at the City House, gave a bunch away & still have a few left over. Gave some to a friend near the Country House & he in return gave me some lettuce plants & some hybrid tomato plants. He also told me I could raid his compost pile anytime I want! I need to work on the asparagus beds so the next time I'm there I will get a load & top them off.

Several varieties of tomatoes in assorted pots.

Lettuce from a friend (there are actually 2 of these containers)

My herbs are doing well in the whiskey barrels.

Sage

More sage, oregano &  I think a butternut squash rescued from the compost pile.

On the food front I found a recipe for Baked Avacado Fries from Baked In. Her picture are much better than mine. Still need to take that food photography course. Regardless, they were delicious! And they were even good warmed up the next day.

I also got around to baking The Canned Quilters Cinnamon Flop recipe. I don't have an 8" round cast iron pan (only have a 6, 10, 12 & 14 rounds), so I made it in the 9" square pan. It was a little thinner than hers but still very very good. This is something that will definitely stay on the keeper list. It's easy to make & not too sweet.

Made roasted carrots, brussel sprouts & parsnips recently. In addition to being pretty, they were very tasty as well.

Also, bought a box of tomatoes from a farm down south & finally got to use my Roma Food Mill. It worked great & is definitely a keeper. Much easier than a plain old sieve. Almost as messy though.

18 quarts of sauce which reduced to 9 - frozen for now.

Also bought 40 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts from Zaycon Foods. If you haven't heard of this company, they sell directly from farmers to consumers out of trucks usually in Church parking lots. You order ahead of time & they schedule delivery on a certain day & time. They just started delivering to our area. The breasts are fresh, not frozen & were delicious. I decided to can the majority.

7 qts, 16 pints & 3 1/2 pints for tasting.

We had one meal from the fresh ones & decided to try one jar of the canned We made chicken enchiladas, which were very good as well.

As you can see, even though we were sick, we still ate like kings & queens. Got to keep up your strength you know!

Greg saw this at Gander Mountain recently & thought I would like it. If you can't tell, it's a Lodge pot holder/trivet. Yes, those are teeny tiny cast iron pans on it. Love it!

Lastly, we found some food grade 55 gallon barrels on Craig's list for $25 & picked them up yesterday afternoon. They are dark colored (will hold water well) & have screw on tops. We may go back to get a couple more.

It's raining here which will make for a lovely lazy Sunday afternoon. Hope everyone has a great weekend & still crossing fingers for spring to finally show up for our Northern friends.