2011: a hiatus
So, I just discovered that I haven't blogged about our sweet Victorian in nearly a year. It's embarrassing really, but a lot HAS been accomplished.
Over the summer, we planted our first garden, and it was spectacular. I killed all my herbs, but the corn and raspberries did beautifully. There is little more satisfying (and I say with certainty, knowing my opinion is universal) than pulling your food off it's host and eating it minutes later.
Another harrowing project was breaking down our back steps and sidewalk. The door was moved slightly toward the left at some point and the only evidence remaining was an odd stoop. After that, they built a small deck (fondly referred to as "the dock") alongside this, under the "new" back door. The dock was rickety and poorly built, so we tore it off on a whim one afternoon. We jackhammered away all the concrete and hauled it away in Home Depot's rental truck, 1.5 tons at a time. Four loads alltogether. (My chiropractor wasn't pleased)
Once summer started to wind down, we started seriously discussing our intentions to make our yard a real urban farmspace - extending the garden and expanding our "crops" and including chickens into our family. In October, we began work on a coop which we believed would only take a "couple of weeks" .. fast forward to today: we're going to stain it tomorrow. Yes, folks. It took over THREE MONTHS to build a chicken coop. In our living room. (No we don't have chickens living in it [yet])
Most people ask why it's taking so long, and here's what I've been telling them:
a: neither of us are 'builders' by trade, so everything takes two times (or three.. or ten times) as long.
b: when you work full time doing ANYTHING else, it's hard to find or make time for the coop.
c: when you do find or make time for cooping, your daily hour or two is less effective as it could be were you to spend ten hours working - more time in the 'peak work zone'.
Basically, the gist of this post is that I've been too busy to blog. I really do want to keep up on the blog..but I want to keep up on the house, more.
Over the summer, we planted our first garden, and it was spectacular. I killed all my herbs, but the corn and raspberries did beautifully. There is little more satisfying (and I say with certainty, knowing my opinion is universal) than pulling your food off it's host and eating it minutes later.
Pretty corny!
When I was two years old, I snuck out of the house during naptime. My mother had been vacuuming or something motherly, and went to check on me, only to find me missing. She looked high and low around the house, finally looking outside, discovered me sitting in our garden .. shelling peas. Not much has changed. I still enjoy it as vigorously as I did then, except I don't feel the need to sneak my veggies. Another harrowing project was breaking down our back steps and sidewalk. The door was moved slightly toward the left at some point and the only evidence remaining was an odd stoop. After that, they built a small deck (fondly referred to as "the dock") alongside this, under the "new" back door. The dock was rickety and poorly built, so we tore it off on a whim one afternoon. We jackhammered away all the concrete and hauled it away in Home Depot's rental truck, 1.5 tons at a time. Four loads alltogether. (My chiropractor wasn't pleased)
HOW MANLY IS THIS?!
Once summer started to wind down, we started seriously discussing our intentions to make our yard a real urban farmspace - extending the garden and expanding our "crops" and including chickens into our family. In October, we began work on a coop which we believed would only take a "couple of weeks" .. fast forward to today: we're going to stain it tomorrow. Yes, folks. It took over THREE MONTHS to build a chicken coop. In our living room. (No we don't have chickens living in it [yet])
It begins .. we had no idea that it would take so much more lumber than this. Oh so much more...
FIRST WALL!!
Gorgeous framing, yes?
(Please ignore the state of our walls. Yes, this took precedent.)
This is the gist. It looks like an old-timey outhouse. We call it "the poop coop"!
Most people ask why it's taking so long, and here's what I've been telling them:
a: neither of us are 'builders' by trade, so everything takes two times (or three.. or ten times) as long.
b: when you work full time doing ANYTHING else, it's hard to find or make time for the coop.
c: when you do find or make time for cooping, your daily hour or two is less effective as it could be were you to spend ten hours working - more time in the 'peak work zone'.
Basically, the gist of this post is that I've been too busy to blog. I really do want to keep up on the blog..but I want to keep up on the house, more.
I'll leave you with our sweet wintery home...xoxo
Photos!
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