The Doors

I have been working on my doors all weekend long. Except for yesterday, when I was too tired. I've been sanding (wearing a mask, yes, Dad), painting, glazing and thinking about applying stain on top of it all. I am loving how they are turning out.


RanchHand came home from town the other day, and came into the barn when I was working on the doors. He said he had seen some old doors at one of the thrift stores, and thought of me because "they were in a lot better shape than these old doors you're trying to use."

I've been thinking about that. It's more than that. I'm not just "trying to use them" for the sake of saving money, or for the sake of reusing things. Both of those are admirable reasons, but for me, it's so much more than that. I'm not really interested in using random doors, even if they may be in better condition. Quite honestly, these doors are in fine shape. They just don't make 'em like they used to.

Using these old doors is honoring the history of this place, this ranch we call home, and the people who have passed this way. This rich history is so much more than we'll ever know, despite the old stories and the old cowboys who still tell them if they're able. If only these doors could talk...


I'm sure each of these doors had a long life prior to being installed here at the ranch. Ranchers, especially older generations, were good at saving money and good at "making do" with what was available. (see, we're doing that too). So somebody probably bought these doors, or they rescued them from somewhere, or somebody just gave them away and they ended up here.

Installed on the bunkhouses, and one from the old stone house, these doors were witness to many things, and held up through it all. The comings and goings of hundreds of cowboys, ranch hands and farmers who opened, closed, slammed, kicked, punched them countless times. The cowboys' women, whether wives or girlfriends, and probably even some children. Who knows how many whiskey-stumbling cowboys came home from the bar to these doors? Or how many different musical instruments were played inside or outside of the doors, or how many exaggerated stories of wild bulls and horses and women to which they've been silent witness?

Someone thought enough of these doors to save them, put them in one of the cellars so they'd be safe from the harsh desert elements, just waiting for Number One and I to run across so many years later. For that, I am thankful.


You see, these doors symbolize our connection to this place. The new to the old. We are connected to all these folks, and they to us, by these doors. In my mind it's similar to brides carrying "something old, something new..." The doors are our "something old" that we've chosen to carry with us into our new life in this new ranch home we're building.


I don't know how many coats of paint are on the doors. I didn't strip them. I'm sure most of it is lead-based because of the age. That is why I wore a mask when I sanded them. But I also didn't want to strip off the history, the layers of wear and use. I wanted those layers to show through the new paint.

The door we will use in the pantry has a large gash on the back, almost through to the other side. (When RanchHand's son started to fill it in, I asked him to leave it). Wouldn't you like to know how it got there? I know I would. Check it out when you're in the new pantry and share your theory.


Why is there a number "6" on one of the doors? Were cowboys assigned a bunkhouse, "you'll room with Old Joe in #6" or was it a cast-off from an old motel? No one knows for sure.

One thing we do know: these doors are not just any doors. They are rich with history and with meaning, and I am honored to use them in our new home.

Gardening

I love my garden. When I am gardening, I think about my family. I remember my Great Uncle Otto, with his acres of vegetables. (I don't know how big his garden actually was, but I was little, and it seemed humongous). When we'd visit in the summer, we would get a tour of the garden as soon as we got out of the car. At least that's how I remember it. I mostly remember his corn...rows and rows, and my Great Aunt Elfie boiling a dozen ears per person for dinner. I remember the adults, my dad, his cousins, my mom, sitting on the back steps, shucking all that corn. I don't believe I'm exaggerating...it was 12 ears per person, right? I don't plant corn these days, but I do think of Uncle Otto when I am digging in the dirt, planting and harvesting.

I remember my Grandpa. He had a garden, too, out at the lake house, and I do remember spending time out there with him, but mostly I remember his flowers. Whether they were for himself or for my grandma or both, I remember hanging flowers, begonias, fuchsias (I think). I couldn't tell you if he really planted these specific flowers (I bet my mom will correct me), but when I saw those particular flowers in the greenhouse this spring, I just had to have them because they made me think of him.

I also think of my dad, with his electric deer fence protecting his precious tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, corn, etc. My dad takes any kids who are at the house out to the garden to pick whatever is ripe for dinner, and I remember H-Bomb eating whole ears of raw corn before he made it back to the house a summer or two ago.

I'm not sure why I remember the men in the family being gardeners. Are/were the women all the harvesters and cooks? Someone can tell me, I'm sure. That's just what I remember, what I think about. I'm sure they had a thousand little secret tricks for growing and gardening, and I don't know any of them. I wish I did.

I still get excited with each little plant that goes into my EarthBoxes.

I don't dig in the dirt so much, although this year I did replace the soil in all my EarthBoxes with new soil. So there was some digging. I used the old soil to make a couple new beds where I planted cabbages, melons, strawberries and some lavender. I moved all the EarthBoxes and their elevating cement blocks closer to the new fenceline. Now the tomatoes and peppers will get even more sun. Just wait and see how big they get this year!

I found a large black widow spider in one of the cement blocks, and smashed it with a rock. I have kids who play in the yard, after all.

After planting about 8 EarthBoxes worth of tomatoes and peppers, I noticed on the bags of Miracle Gro Garden Soil, which I've been using in my boxes for more than two years now, it says "Not for use in containers" or some such nonsense. It works just fine in my boxes. It also says to "wear gloves when working with this product." More nonsense. It's not like sat down and ate it with a spoon. I'm just going to stop reading these things and enjoy my garden as it grows. I'm sure my Grandpa and Uncle Otto would be proud.

Survival of the, er, Biggest...& a Pretty Bird

not our lizard, this picture is from the DWR

The other day, Number One brought home a small lizard. As you may recall, we have a larger Collared Lizard that we've had for quite some time. The collared lizard is a fun little pet, who now lets ME feed him by hand. No more dangling and jumping dead crickets on fishing line, I just grab a cricket, stick my hand in there, and the lizard eats it. I think he loves me. Honestly, he knows when I am in the room, and lets me know when he's hungry. He occasionally lets me pet him. He doesn't do this for anyone else. He loves me. Although, I'm pretty sure he might like to taste one of my fingers.

So anyway. Number One put the smaller lizard in with our collared lizard. I hoped the collared lizard wouldn't eat the little guy. Of course, collared lizard was hungry so he went after the little lizard, but didn't catch him. I distracted the collared lizard with three or four crickets in a row, and I thought it might be the end of the Natural Selection happening in our dining room.

The next day, I didn't see the little lizard. The Collared Lizard looked suspiciously fat. And seemed guiltily sluggish. I offered him a cricket, and he didn't even blink. I'm quite certain the little lizard was his dinner.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, Wifey saw a strange, beautiful bird in one of the trees outside. We looked at it with binoculars, a skill at which I am out of practice, and my glasses didn't help matters. We didn't know what kind of bird it was, but it had a variety of strange calls, including one that sounded like a small child saying "Owww!"

picture from Bird Watcher's Digest.com

Our bird field guide has been misplaced during our temporary stay at the bunkhouse, but I finally found the bird online. A Yellow-Headed Blackbird. If you go to the Bird Watcher's Digest website, you can hear some of the blackbird's calls too.

I need to get a pair of binoculars. And find our bird books!

Another Sneak Peek!

UPS dropped off something for the house today...

any guesses?

Island Day!

a bit blurry, but a lovely Heirloom Black finish

That's right, folks, today is the day our splendid kitchen island is being installed! It is sooooo close! And outrageously beautiful. I don't recall if I told you about my inspiration, but it's Miss Jenny's sister Lori's kitchen island, also a distressed black. I fell in love from the moment I set foot in her gorgeous Arizona home. And now it's becoming a reality!!! I can't believe this will actually be my kitchen! Every time I walk in, I am picturing where I will put the silverware, etc. So much fun!

don't worry, that end will have a matching black finish!

The rest of the kitchen cabinets are in, except for the one cabinet that was damaged. Its replacement will arrive sometime in the next two weeks. Other than a few other pieces and parts, it was the only damaged cabinet in the lot.

it will be gorgeous!

We desperately need to make another run to Home Depot, and are trying hard to fit that trip into our schedule. Between the last week of school coming up, the spring work on the ranch and now both boys with miserable colds (WHY??), it is difficult.

We need to pick up our vanity top for the bathroom, order a couple light fixtures, attempt to procure the few sheets of beaded board to back our cabinets that are left up North, pick up some more tile, and a few other things. The list continues.

We also need one more piece of "skin" for the end of our cabinets (why we ordered only one when we have two ends showing, I'll never know), and we've decided that we do need a tilt-out tray below the bar sink as well as the main kitchen sink. Any little place to store things out of sight is a huge plus. (and now you most likely know where to find the vegetable peeler the next time you visit). We also decided we would like another cutlery insert on the end of the wrap-around bar, closest to the dining room. But we need to find out how much that costs before we know if we can fit it in the budget. I hope we can, otherwise we just might have to donate that to ABEG.

So now, the counter top guy will come down next week and measure. After that darn broken cabinet replacement gets here, the counter top guy will return to install our Silestone countertops!

Meanwhile, the contractor's son will continue his thoughtful installation job, and install the toe kick panels around the perimeter of the kitchen and the island, and whatever other important things of which I am not aware.

All these little details need consideration. I believe a well-thought-out kitchen will be a great time/sanity saver in our new house. I spent the better part of three days thinking about the toe kick around the kitchen island, which is comprised of both base cabinets and wall cabinets, as well as a bookshelf on one end. I think the end result will be just perfect.

Wait & see!

Cabinets--It's a Start!

Installing cabinets is much more labor-intensive than this cowgirl thought. Especially when your brand-new floor has a bit of a saggy, slopey quality that no one noticed until now. I jokingly asked Contractor, sheesh, who built this place anyway?? He laughed and said "Really!" At least he has a sense of humor most days.


So anyway, there is a lot of leveling, a lot of shimming, etc. It's quite slow. But I am impressed by both the quality of our American Woodmark cabinets and by the attention our crew is paying to install these cabinets right.


For my part, I made sure the opposing lazy-susan's doors were in the correct orientation, and chose the direction of wood grain for the filler pieces. I got each cabinet in line to be installed, removing straps and boxes and little plastic feet and other packing material. I think I was actually helpful. It was a good day, and I'm excited about how nice the cabinets look.


And H-Bomb got a boatload of cardboard to build his house. It's a work in progress.



We'll be back at it tomorrow. Here's another picture to tide you over:

Today's the Day!!!

That's right, it's Cabinet Day! I'm so excited!
We will be using this PILE of boxes..


to transforming this huge space...


into a fabulous natural hickory kitchen!


Also, here is a picture of the gorgeous pine ceiling:


And the lovely wood floor!


More pictures to come!

Stay Tuned!

Yard Work

The front yard of our house is like an oasis in this desert of ours. When we moved in, we nurtured green grass, planted a little tree, and surrounded the yard with our boxed garden. As H-Bomb began to crawl around and explore on his own, we decided to erect a fence. Just to give an idea of enclosure, and it worked well for a long time. He knew his boundaries, and stayed within them for the most part. At least he never crawled out into the road!


Huge shade trees encircle our yard, providing relief from the summer sun. We've had many fabulous parties in our little space.


Now that H-Bomb and Sawed Off are older and uncontainable, and our house is bigger, our little oasis seems smaller, and out of proportion to the house. And the weeds on the outside of the fence seem more uncontrollable than the boys. Frankly I'm tired of pulling them.


Number One suggested we move the fence out, farther into the driveway, which widens in front of our house anyway. We decided to stake our claim and do it. We took the rails off the fence, and Number One dug post holes with the tractor. He knew, it being a driveway, it would be too difficult to dig by hand. We decided where to put the poles, and Number One dug the holes.


The boys are always tempted by holes and dirt. They practically filled one hole in before we made them stop. Luckily it wasn't too hard to dig back out with a shovel.


In the midst of our project, something on the tractor tire started leaking, and the tire went flat. We'll be able to finish with the backhoe, but we didn't get it done last night.


I can't wait to show you our new and improved yard. Now I just hope there'll be enough water in the reservoir to grow grass!

We have lots of other big yard projects in the works, planting our garden, more perennial flowers, bulbs, adding some rocks, etc. Soon I'll be able to show you!