fixing a dilapidated farmhouse

Let it Snow, Let it Snow

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I was not expecting snow so early this year here in Virginia, USA, but we got a few inches. The temperatures have been cold, hitting in the 20s at night and even in the teens once or twice. Last year, we only had a dusting. The old 1910 farmhouse (Black Crow Cottage) is cold in the winter, a given of homes built early. These homes were framed different and without insulation on the walls; by the way, to insulate is not recommended due to the risk of trapping moisture in the horizontal boards and thus causing mold issues. A frame around the walls would have to be built in order to insulate the home, thus leaving space for the air flow. This is something to keep in mind if you ever decide to buy and fix this type of home. You can see pictures of this type of framing in my older posts under the categories of Fixing an old farmhouse or Restoring a farmhouse.

Snow always makes the news around here, even a few inches, and many businesses close operation for the day. People seem to love it when it snows. Moving here from Jersey, it is a contrast. I remember driving to work on a nor’easter on a few occasions, or we would have a delayed opening. Crossing a bridge under heavy snow is an experience, but under heavy fog, it is just out of this world; the feeling is one of flying in the sky inside a car. Not that I recommend this, but when you had to be there, you had to get there. Everything is more relaxed now as far as the job environment goes, for what I can see. Here are a few pictures to welcome the season.

This is why I love crows so much. There are no birds around, the snow is falling heavy wet, and there is Rebel poking the snow and playing, pulling out leaves. I named this crow Rebel because I observed him being a bit different from the siblings when Mama Crow was training them on how to eat. He would be the last one to learn to peck on his own, and Mama Crow would come to the rescue from time to time, I guess when she could not take the yelling for food anymore. Even the siblings, two of them, would feed him at times. When two families of crows would mingle, he would be the one going his own way, minding his own business. One sibling seemed to bully him at times, once he had learned how to peck the ground for food. When I took this picture, he was alone, none of the crows where around. Later on, he flew back to where they usually live, in the woods behind my house.

This Old Farmhouse

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One thing that we have learned by living here is that we are never completely done as far as projects and unexpected things. This year, we have put some projects aside and have decided to “listen to the house” and see what it wants, and evaluate if after years of living in it, our vision is still aligned with it or if we should adjust or deviate from some projects. One of the things we realized is that because we have agreed to age in this house until a certain point, a bedroom on the first floor would be necessary, eventually, thus posing the dilemma of assigning different uses to rooms. It is also time to refresh the paint, and rethink previous choices.

Turning 60 did something to me, an overnight change that I was not expecting. My husband thinks that one of the “pods” exploded overnight and replaced me. I am not sure why, but suddenly life takes another meaning. It presents new possibilities but also grounds you as far as “real time.” What was so important might not be as important anymore, and priorities shift. Time is seen and valued in a different perspective, but also, not taken for granted. Other things don’t seem to matter or bother me anymore. What was, becomes questionable and what is, seems to take another meaning; somehow, what will be does not occupy center place anymore. Complacency or peaceful arrival? It doesn’t even matter. Likes and dislikes changed overnight or at least feels like they did. A new person emerges out of a years’ slumber. Everything is questionable and all is well. Battles are chosen or not at all. That is the best way I can describe it. This of course, affects how I see and interact with my new discovered environment.

We have halted some projects, reviewed others, and scrapped a few. This year, we have not proceeded with any new projects, only clean up, some minor painting, and future considerations. We did not plant anything. This old farmhouse is on standby for now. We have tons of grapes in the grapevine ready to be harvested soon, and picked tons of blueberries, but only a few strawberries this year.

Summer Yummy

We transplanted one of the little cedars that I was growing in a pot. The other two went to my sister’s home. So far, it is doing fine in its new spot in the ground.

The king of the trees

Spring was lovely around here. It has rained a lot during Spring and Summer. Today, we have cooler temperatures, but overall, it was not a hot summer, with the exception of a couple of weeks. The garden did very well.

The weather was on and off; we even had a small rainbow in the backyard while it was pouring rain, and the sun was out, all at the same time.

Lucky charm. One of the most beautiful sights of a very close and low rainbow. I regret not stepping outside and try to “touch it,” but it was raining hard while the sun was fully out.

For now, we are concentrating our efforts on doing some painting indoors and working out the idea of converting the living room into a bedroom and rethinking the downstairs arrangement. No new outdoor projects are taking place for the remainder of this year. Overall, it has been a very pleasant Spring and Summer, and I have enjoyed this year’s mild weather. I am looking forward to the next two seasons.

Fixing Up an Old Farmhouse Garden

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Following up on the previous blogpost about sprucing up the front entrance. Although there is much more we would like to do with the entrance area as far as adding more color with plantings, it has proven to be a bit challenging due to being a shaded area; however, we have managed to transform it from a messy and unruly, full of weeds area, to a rest area with a little bench, a few plantings and garden decor, as well as solar lights. It has taken some time and effort, but I am loving the result so far. One thing that I needed to add to this area was a sign with the name of our home, Black Crow Cottage. My husband recycled and repainted an old metal sign that I thought had no more life to it, and I was able to use it in a new way. I am so glad he did. It adds charm and sweetness to the entrance.

Black Crow Cottage was named after the many crows that live and nest here. I love them. Photo by M.A.D.

The front area of the property was covered in tall grass and some overgrown bushes intertwined that we had to remove. I was able to plant some free trees from The Arbor Day Foundation and after a few years they have grown well and are beautiful. To get the trees, I sent a small donation, and they sent me 10 dormant trees suitable for my area. Here is their website – Arbor Day Foundation. When I first saw the dormant trees, I did not know what to expect, and I thought these were dead sticks. After reading the instructions, I learned that these sticks were actually dormant trees that would come to life when planted properly. I planted them and watered them for the first two years, and they are lovely now. Of the five planted, I only lost one, the Dogwood tree. I gave five to my sister, which she planted in her previous home. The Crape Myrtle was the first one to bloom and the fastest to grow. The other grew at a slower pace, but steady. This year, the Hawthorn bloomed for the first time, and so did the Redbud tree. The Lilac bush has not bloom yet, but I read that it might take 5-6 years for it to bloom. Here is a picture of these lovely trees.

From left to right: Hawthorn, Lilac, and Crape Myrtle. The tiny tree closest to the red-light post is a small Christmas tree that I planted last Christmas. (Photo by M.A.D.)
This lovely Redbud surprised me this year by blooming allover before putting out its leaves. Photo by M.A.D.

For those new to this website, here is a picture of the front entrance area when we first bought the place.

This was the front entrance before, when we first saw the place. The driveway was completely covered. It was a real mess that required vision, and the grass was very tall, up to my hips. (Photo by M.A.D.)

I wish to be able to see these trees when they become majestic and full grown. It will take years, but I am willing to wait. I hope you enjoyed this update.

Fixing Up an Old Farmhouse – The Front Entrance Area

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There are a few farmhouse projects that have been on hold, but we managed to complete one, sprucing up and beautifying a bit the front entrance to the property. This area used to be overgrown grass and weeds. Although we want to continue improving it by adding a few more plants, we will have to select plantings that do well in the shade. So far, the ones we selected have been thriving. It is a challenge to add color to this area because most flowering plants like the sun.

My husband built a simple bench with recycled wood, and we added a few plants around it that will continue to grow. A few recycled tiles were placed in front of it. We added mulch and a few solar lights, stones, and garden decor. We also added a solar light post. (Photo by M.A.D.)
The view from the opposite side. We used logs from the fallen pine trees to delineate the area and keep the leaves from blowing all over the place.

I am very happy with how the garden has been growing and developing over the past few years. It keeps growing stronger and seems to be established. Here is a picture of a lovely floral arrangement I made from its offerings. Eventually, I would like to develop a small rose garden.

Roses from the garden (photo by M.A.D.)

Nature heals the soul. Even the simple things in nature bring joy and peace in our hearts.

Photo by M.A.D.

Hope you enjoyed reading about this latest project.

Love and Light

Farmhouse Project – The Side Entrance

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We are trying to finish a few projects that were scheduled for this year, and one of them was to fix the bottom part of the side entrance. Water accumulates when it rains, thus forming a puddle, and later on, it turns to mud. My husband worked on this project over the past weekend, and I love the result. One more item taken off the long list, and we are happy with that. There are still a few projects that were scheduled for this year but will have to wait until next year. We might be able to tackle one or two more, but not more than that. For the purpose of this post, and so that the reader can appreciate the before and after, I will share some pictures from the early days when we bought the old farmhouse showing that particular area as well.

The Process

First, my husband measured the area and built a frame, tested it, and later on, removed all the grass in that area and leveled the ground. Then, he attached and fixed the frame, poured cement, leveled the cement, scoured the sides, and let it set. It took a couple of days for it to dry. Last, he removed the wood frame, and cleaned the area. It was a simple process, but it took time. We decided to leave the steps the way they are now because they are in good condition, and so far, there is no need to redo them. We worked on these steps when we bought the place.

The Before

This was the condition of this area when we bought the old farmhouse. It’s been a long way. The two gargoyles go with me wherever I go.

One more project done on this old farmhouse. I hope that you enjoyed the pictures and reading about the process, and that it inspired you in some way.

Love and Light

Restoring an Old Farmhouse – Haint Blue Porch

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Continuing with the long list of things to do around here, it was time to repaint the porch (original to the 1910 farmhouse) and the floor, so that’s what we did. We were lucky to find a gallon of paint for $9.99 at the Home Depot on the “mishaps or Oops shelf” and it was exactly the color we needed, a haint blue or a sky blue. It is a custom in the South to paint the porch ceiling a light shade of blue. It is called haint blue and there are many variations of this blue. Long ago people used to paint their homes a haint blue to ward off evil spirits and that’s how the blue color got its name. According to legend, evil spirits could not cross water and the light color blue mimicked a water surface, thus discouraging evil spirits from visiting the home. Later on, people painted the porch a haint blue shade because it discouraged bugs from landing on the porch; it gives the illusion of open space or sky. Although these seemed two very good reasons for choosing this color, especially, reason number two during the summer, I just love the color. It seems light and airy, refreshing, and gives the impression of light during the evening. I just love it. Many homes in town display some variation of this blue on the porch ceiling.

Many years ago, we had painted the ceiling a dark blue. We wanted to keep the original ceiling, so we just scraped and painted it. We like the look of the small boards. We caulked some areas before repainting. Here’s the before.

Before

AFTER

The brick area will be our next project. We will be matching it to the rest of the garden by replacing it with white marble chips and changing the layout a bit. The bricks were recycled when we took out the small chimney in the kitchen. We will recycle and use the bricks on another area of the garden. The to-do list is getting a bit smaller.

Hope you enjoy this post.

Love and light.

The Simple Life – Welcoming Spring One Day at a Time

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We had very nice weather over the weekend, so we decided to clean up the garden and set up a few things for planting season. We are surrounded by trees and no matter how much leaf raking we do during autumn and winter, we always end up with tons of leaves to clean up, especially now, when a few windy days come up during March and April. We’ve had a few days of very strong winds, one of which truly shook me a bit, and there are many down branches as well. We had plenty of chores, which we enjoyed thanks to the good weather. For some reason, here in Virginia, I find myself wishing for the start of spring, and I find winters long and cold. Having lived most of my life in Jersey, I find that odd, but my husband feels the same way. My favorite season used to be Autumn, but now, I am starting to love and crave for Spring. There is plenty to be thankful for during the seasons.

Little birds are starting to show up in numbers. My husband made the pumpkin for the veggie garden out of scrap wood. We hung up a birdhouse that my sister gave me. They had a 5K on their farm (Barn on the Hill), and they gifted birdhouses to participants; she saved one for me. It looks lovely next to the Faerie Garden.

We cleaned up flower beds, removed old stumps, planted some flower seeds, repotted plants that needed more space, and became a bit creative. We started a new planting area near the entrance of the property, an area that we need to develop much more in the future. An old tree trunk is now a planter, and an old magazine rack will become full of hot pink flowers at one point. Our goal is to add at least one thing every year.

White farmhouses get very dirty during the year. My husband and I cleaned up the house twice a year during spring and before Christmas. It takes a bit of work in some areas. Power washing will be something to consider in the future. We are still saving for a new roof (cash only is part of the simple life), and that one needs to be repainted, hopefully over the summer. We took everything out of the porch, and I cleaned the chairs, tables …. while he worked on the siding. Once we finished, we decided to change things a bit (decor wise) from last year.

With most of the garden ready, our next item on the list will be preparing the veggie garden for planting, and some repainting here and there. We are setting things up for an upcoming yard sale as well, and there are some farmhouse projects lined up for the year. With everything that is going on in the world these days, chores are helping me a lot in dealing with the great sadness that it causes. Keeping busy helps my mental sanity. During this time, my novels have been put to the side, and being in the present, doing chores, helps me deal with all this. I hope you enjoyed this post.

This Old Farmhouse – My Take on the Journey So Far

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About ten years ago, my husband and I bought an abandoned old farmhouse that was dilapidated and almost buried under a morass of overgrown bushes, grass, and trees. It wasn’t until five years ago that we moved into it. It took some money, time, and a lot of work to make it livable, and there are many areas that still need to be addressed, mainly exterior work. It has been hard work, and I mean, real hard work. Because we did not count with a large budget, we had to do most of the work ourselves (about 95%), just the two of us. We continue to work together in some outdoor projects, slowly, as the budget allows.

Will we do it again? Although a simple question that requires a yes or no answer, I find myself unable to answer it in such way simply because it has been quite a journey. A journey full of bittersweet moments – great moments, exhausting moments, unnerving moments, proud moments, and moments of faith as well. We both have learned so much – about ourselves, about working together and our working styles, about new skills, about the house, about appreciation and gratefulness, about our limits and disposition, and much more; but mostly, about trusting the Lord in our everyday lives. This is why a simple yes or no answer does not suffice.

In the practical sense, a bigger budget would have made things easier and faster – hiring people, easier/better materials and tools, and overall contracting out the hard work areas, and only dealing with the fun tasks. Ideally. However, we would have not experienced and learned as much, grown with the project, and appreciate it as much. It was hard work, but also fun. We would have done some things in a different way, but other things in the same way we did. Overall, I think the experience built up character, but also faith. In that sense, it is a step up from where we started. The long and hard working hours improved our physical stamina but also our mind; the overall experience, our souls. We will continue to work together on this old farmhouse and will share some projects here.

So going back to the yes or no question – will we do it again? I will answer the question for myself, but I think my husband feels the same way about it. The hard work was physically taxing but the overall experience was worth it. If you would like to take a look at the progress so far, please check out the “Fixing an Old Farmhouse” series of posts on this blog.

Yes.

Photo by M.A.D.
Photo by M.A.D.

Fixing an Old Farmhouse – Future Projects

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We had a pretty heavy three-day ice storm, and I am so grateful that we did not lose power, and also grateful that we did not have any trees damaging our home. I also feel for the people that are without heat in this type of cold weather. We are expecting another storm by tomorrow, and that will add to the damage we had, which was nothing compared to other people. The amount of ice was so heavy on the trees that I could hear the tump tump tump every time one fell. Many of our trees lost a considerable amount of heavy branches, including the one near the house, my beloved old cedar tree, which is as old as the farmhouse is, or older. This storm put into perspective the need to remove two more trees that are too close for comfort, although I truly hate to see them go. This of course will be expensive because they are old giants. One of them lost most of its branches, a few of them hitting the porch at the corner but thankfully, only leaving a slight dent on the old roof, which is over 100 years.

With most of its branches gone, at least the weight of this old cedar has shifted away from the farmhouse. (Photo by M.A.D.)
Many of its branches are still hanging ready to fall. For now, we will avoid walking underneath. Another reason why we have decided to add it to the list of trees that unfortunately will have to go. (Photo by M.A.D.)
Another old giant that have been added to the list is this tree, about the same height.
(Photo by M.A.D.)
This smaller branches missed the tin can. Although smaller compared to the other branches, these are still heavy. I saw pieces of broken branches that fell with force buried into the ground about three inches or so. Imagine if that hits one’s head. One of nature’s teachings. (Photo by M.A.D.)
This is one of my favorite trees. Not sure if eventually, it will have to go; I hope not. Time will tell. For now, it is healthy, and it is a very young tree. It was half its size when we bought the farmhouse. (Photo by M.A.D.)
Our friend came around when the ice started to melt on Sunday. (Photo by M.A.D.)
Other little ones came out as well. (Photo by M.A.D.)
It amazes me how these little ones can handle the ice. (Photo by M.A.D.)
It was a beautiful sight. (Photo by M.A.D.)
When the ice started melting, it sounded like waterfalls, like heavy rain, and every time a chunk of ice slid and hit the metal roof, it was like thunder and lightning. (Photo by M.A.D.)
Sometimes, beauty is found in the least expected places. (Photo by M.A.D.)
Even on a frozen flag (Photo by M.A.D.)
Colors become more vibrant. (Photo by M.A.D.)
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap, or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Mathew 6:26 (Photo by M.A.D.)

The list of chores keeps growing around here. For now, the way to tackle these coming up projects will be one at a time, little by little, and all in due time. I will share some of them here. Hope you enjoyed this post.

Fixing an Old Farmhouse – Shelving

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Previously, on the Fixing and Old Farmhouse series of posts (Fixing an Old Farmhouse – The Kitchen), I mentioned that I had planned to find an old French buffet and place it where the microwave and bread box were located temporarily, on top of a long table my husband made. Because these items are accessed on a daily basis and were to low to reach, I figured that a narrow French buffet or narrow cabinet would serve the purpose, and look beautiful. Later on, I realized that although it would give me more storage that I don’t need, the placement of the cabinet would overwhelm the space, and make the kitchen look too crowded. I am not a fan of traditional cabinets, especially the top parts, so when we fixed up the kitchen, I used shelving on top, and a few cabinets with a butcher block top, along with an antique French buffet that we placed in the coffee and prep area. We like the look of natural wood, especially when it ages and takes on a darker patina. After consulting with my other half, we decided that a shelf would be a better fit for the space, moreover, because we used these items too often.

When looking at wood at our closest hardware center, the prices for wood seemed to be all over the place, that is, for a nice piece of sturdy wood plank. The least expensive were too thin (1/4 inch) or short, and either pine, being the least expensive, followed by poplar, oak … I was ready to settle for poplar when I spotted a bundle of oak risers nearby. They were the perfect length and thickness, but much better, these had the rounded front already, unlike the planks of wood. To add to the perfect finding, it was the right length, no need for cutting anything at all. Price was about two dollars more than the poplar plank that we would have to cut, sand, and prep.

Next, we selected the brackets. This part was easy because right away I spotted two copper tinted brackets that matched the copper motif throughout the kitchen. We love an old world/vintage/rustic style. The installation was a breeze – no need to cut anything, just install at the right height, and it was done. The shelf allowed for placing the two chair stools under it, converting it (if needed in the future) into a floating desk or space for extra sitting. It also allowed for a lighter feel as opposed to using a cabinet. Cost came about under $50, a fraction of what a French buffet or cabinet would have cost. Here are a few pictures, and I hope you enjoy reading about this farmhouse project.

View of the area before.
Copper brackets.
The area now.
Completed project.