The Seasons of Life

With the recent passing of my mom, I feel the world is topsy-turvy.  Yet, I spent some time at our property today and the ground was still under my feet, the blue sky above, and the river still flowed. It appears all is as it should be, after all.

As I walked in the woods, I noticed the leaves already taking on colors of fall. It struck me that we see their greatest beauty right before they die. It’s when we stop to notice them and are in awe of their magnificence. Sometimes it is like that with people, too.

My mom was a truly amazing soul, but for most of my life I saw her primarily as Mom. It was in the last year, as she started a more rapid decline, that I finally learned to appreciate her true beauty. 

Like the trees I noticed today, she matured from a sapling, weathered many storms and grew to provide so much to those around her. She was strong and sturdy, and we came to believe she was a permanent fixture in our lives. Then one day we noticed her leaves changing.

As we witnessed her decline, her underlying beauty became evident: she had a heart of gold, a kindness that transcended prejudices, and a thousand-watt smile. These had always been there, but just as we don’t notice the trees until their foliage changes, we simply stopped perceiving them. 

Like the life cycle of the tree, all of life is made up of cycles and seasons. None of us know how long ours will last and when our end will come. 

We try to avoid thinking about that, and in the process, we often stop living consciously. We are always doing, doing, and doing; trying to cram in so much living between the beginning and the end. 

Rather than seeing life as one big season with a finite beginning and end, we can instead remember our season is made of infinite individual moments. These moments can be big and dramatic, or intimate and heartfelt; they can be joyful or sad; they can be uplifting or debilitating; they can be of every emotion and experience we can imagine. 

All these doing moments are great, but we also need to have in-between moments, and it is here—when we practice being—we get to savor life and become more aware. 

Many of us are not accustomed to living in awareness—we prefer all that doing to being because it’s more comfortable. However, if we can move toward more awareness, I know our lives and those around us will be so much richer. 

To get the most of our season takes an effort to stop so much doing and engage in more being; to shift our focus to seeing—truly seeing—those around us; to appreciate the differences as much as we appreciate the similarities; to recognize heart felt kindness and to offer it in return; to be generous in not only our giving, but also in our thoughts; to stop taking life and our place in it with such gravity and instead laugh more, smile at strangers, and notice how incredibly beautiful human nature is; to breath deeper, look up at the sky, watch the rivers flow, and feel the ground beneath your feet. 

These are the things that help steady us in this ever-shifting life and help us enjoy our particular season in all its glory.

Vintage Store Counter Island

Say hello to Mavis! She’s a vintage general store counter. Isn’t she beautiful!? (Thanks to my friend Jamie at @RubbishFarm she’s merchandised in the cutest way, too!)

As I created a plan for our new home, a huge kitchen island was a must for me. And me being me, I didn’t want some off-the-shelf shiny new thing, I wanted a piece with character, a statement piece. I pinned so many various islands on Pinterest and Houzz and the couple that made my heart soar were old store counters. People have done some amazing things with them and they fit right in with my industrial/French cottage/farmhouse design plan. However, they did not fit right in with my budget. These things are spendy!

Like most things I want, I knew what I wanted and knew if I was patient, I would come across the right thing, at the right time, at the right price. And viola! it happened one evening while checking FaceBook!

Jamie @RubbishFarm finds the best stuff and offers it to us (at great prices, too) during her barn sales. She posted a photo of her latest find and it was exactly what I was searching for! Within minutes of her posting it I responded I loved it and wanted it. It took a little while to secure it–and actually Mike surprised me with it for my birthday!–but, she is ours and we have big plans for her. (And I really am not in the habit of naming furniture, but Jamie thought she deserved naming and I agree.)

I’ve kicked around so many design ideas and in the end I’ve decided I do not want to hide one inch of this amazing cabinet, so rather than add a bank of cabinets to the front (paneled) side, we are going to build-out a frame, supported by two chunky posts (also a RubbishFarm find) to double the depth of the countertop. When finished she will be a whopping 9’x4′ and have seating for six.

Mavis will keep her beautiful patina and I’ll match the frame and legs to her, as well as tone down the green on the paneled side. Just a little tweaking and a couple heavy coats of matte poly to keep her, and us, safe.

One contentious issue has been the top. It has an amazing, chippy, patina, but I need a work surface and no matter how much sealer I put on it, I wouldn’t feel comfortable cutting, chopping, and rolling dough on it. Besides, trying to match the original wood to create a larger top wouldn’t be easy either. I think it’ll get a new life elsewhere where food prep contamination isn’t a concern.

It appears the back/open side once had sliding doors, but we’ve decided we like the open look and will incorporate bottom drawers something similar to these to give us easy access and organization, but keep the open look.

The upper drawers will house knives, cooking utensils, etc. so we will have a more closed look–something we can secure from eventual grandchildren–but we are considering some type of crate design like the following. These details can come once we get her in place.

We will also incorporate a small prep sink and while I found a darling galvanized one, I may continue my look for a vintage brass sink or bucket we could retrofit.

Since our primary countertops will be a marble-look, I’m probably going to use an artificial soapstone on this piece, if I can get one that is more gray than black. Other options include a thick butcher block or even concrete.

The beauty of repurposing a piece is that the options are unlimited and the end result is what works best for the user. I can’t wait until we get our hands on Mavis and start her transformation! You can bet when it happens, you’ll see it here.

Have a beautiful day!

Tina

Naming Your Home

If you spend any time in the countryside, you will undoubtedly notice farms, ranches, estates, and even simple country places have names. Some are very basic, like Sunrise Farm or Oak Hill Ranch, and others gravitate more toward the owner’s names, heritage, or occupation, and some refer to historical events that occurred on/near the property. The name is generally reflective of the grandeur of the place, too.

The naming of one’s homestead historically relates to ownership and also as a way marker in locating a particular home in the community/area. These names can also serve to create enduring impressions and convey a sense of permanence.

Years ago we owned a beautiful 10-acre parcel on top of a hill. The home faced east and we enjoyed watching the sun rise over the river, and in the evenings we watched the sun set over the farm and lake behind us. From the day we bought the property we intended to give it a name–you know, something like River Rise, Hill Top Acres, or Willow Hill (which would have required us to actually plant the willow trees we never got to plant), but we never actually did it.

From there we moved into a subdivision on a 1/3 acre and our simple address sufficed (although I have known people to name their home in a subdivision). However, as we again prepare to move back to the country, we would like to name our property. If you’re wondering why, it is in part because of the ownership claim and in part as homage to the land and surroundings. This simple, non-assuming parcel of land holds so many wonders and joys and we want to acknowledge them.

We’ve narrowed our choices, but have not yet settled upon the one. I thought it would be fun to share how we came up with some of our ideas.

We first–and mostly I mean I–wrote down all sorts of features about and/or visible from our land, as well as the activities/crops/animals we may enjoy while living there: pond, river, oaks, trees, eagles, frogs, ski hill, forest preserve, rural setting, turkeys, woodlands lighting bugs, rabbits, garden, bees, donkeys, chickens, white tail deer, sandhill cranes, finches, robins….you get the idea.

Next, I wrote down names for a house and land: house, home, casa, estate, cottage, manor, abode, roost, acres, and homestead are a few.

The final list contains all kinds of adjectives: crooked, little, giant, quiet, peaceful, tranquil, breezy, sunny, rustic, and on and on.

I then began putting words from all the categories together. I quickly realized a lot of the options–Breezy Acres, Tranquil Waters, and Forest Acres–sound like cemeteries or funeral homes. While this is hopefully our last home, we aren’t ready to say it’s our final resting place! Some others–River Estate, White Tail Manor, and Eagle Woodlands, all sound too pompous. Some roll off the tongue, some are too cumbersome; some create an immediate visual, while some leave you wondering what? I tend to like alliterative names, therefore I’m leaning heavily toward one on our short list. I’ll update you once we’ve made a decision!

As you see, it’s a quick, simple, and fun process coming up with just the right name for a home. (And a lot less stressful than naming a child for life!)

Adios, from Crane Cottage…or maybe Crooked Oaks…or?

I Spy…America’s Heartland

We recently made a trip from our home in Northern Illinois to Cedar Falls, Iowa. It’s a trip we’ve made often and whenever we are contemplating the trip, I grouse about how far it is. However, once we get an hour or so from home, I forget all about the 4.5 hour drive and simply relax and enjoy the spectacular views, especially as we near Galena, Illinois and the Mississippi River area.

If you’ve been lucky enough to drive through the Galena area, you know what I mean; if you haven’t been through there, put it on your “must visit” list. Galena itself is a charming hamlet of 19th century buildings, quaint shops, a park at the Galena River and at least one overlook from which you can see three states! Also in that area are resorts, ski hills, the Mississippi River, wineries, and antique shopping. No surprise it is on America’s Top Ten Small Towns list! However, what I really wanted to talk about is the beauty of our heartland farms.

During our travels, we like to take different routes coming and going, and often go off the beaten path, so we can enjoy more scenery. Some people would be bored by the sporadic farms and tiny towns, but to us they are soothing. While we associate these farms with days gone by and sippin’ sweet tea on the porch, and while from a distance they are endearing, idyllic, and convey a simple life, the truth is these are working farms and are the bread and butter–literally–of our country. (U.S. farms outnumber U.S. factories by 1000x!)

Wheat, corn, pig, dairy, and all farms require work. Lots and lots of it. Farming isn’t a job for these folks, it’s a lifestyle. Planting and harvesting take place at the whims of the seasons and growth cycles of the crops; dairy cows must be milked no matter the weather, the farmer’s health (there are no sick days to take), or other engagements that may be more fun; pig farming, I’ve learned from a pig farmer friend of ours, actually requires far more than putting pigs in a sty and awaiting them to fatten up; and all commercial farms require lots of bureaucratic red tape.

I believe any of the farmers by whose farms we pass would be pleased to know their farm has brought us a moment of joy/peace. I think they’d also be mighty thankful if we also took a moment to appreciate their hard work and sacrifice to provide food and products for our well-being. You may make your grocery purchases at your local grocer, but it’s the farmer who made that possible.

It is a blessing to be able to visit our heartland and take in the beauty of our surroundings and pay homage to our ancestors who traversed these lands to set up their homesteads. And…just when I was getting misty eyed thinking how easy I have it with modern conveniences, we rounded the corner and saw this as confirmation of my thoughts!

A Quick Round Stool Update

I love finding discarded and/or thrift store finds that only need a few minutes of love and attention to totally change them into something fresh! As I embarked on my camper redo (still progressing on that), I knew space was limited, as would be seating, so I was looking for anything that could serve double-duty.

I came across this little stool for less than $5 and knew it would be the perfect piece to create an extra seat, an extra surface for items, AND to bring in a bit of whimsy to the place. (Keep in mind I’m going for a mid-mod vibe).

I began by flipping it over and removing the screws that held the seat to the frame. Once the parts were separated, I took the base outside, gave it a very quick light once-over with sandpaper (it has a weird plastic coating), then freshened it up with gold spray paint.

You see my fancy paint booth there? If it’s a still day, I often spread a tarp on which I paint, but if there is any wind, I try to contain as much of the overspray as possible, just so I don’t end up with paint on the driveway, cars, or even on the plants. Obviously, neither is necessary, but simply my preference.

As the paint dried, I returned to the cushion. Placing my fun, fuzzy fabric face down on the table, I then placed the cushion–also face down–on the fabric. I pulled up one edge of fabric to get an idea how much excess I needed for stapling. In this case it was about 3″ so I cut a rough shape about 3″ beyond all edges of the cushion.

To attach the fabric, start by placing one staple through the fabric into the wooden cushion base. Next, pull the fabric taut directly opposite that first staple and place another. Then complete the process for the two sides. Once you have four cardinal points adhered with staples, you’ll focus on the area between two of these stapled points. Place a staple in the center of two of the cardinal points (work within one area at a time), and then, alternating between the fabric on the right then the fabric on the left, pull the fabric up, work in the excess and place a staple. You want to keep your fabric taut, but don’t pull so hard that it becomes crooked or you steal the excess from the opposite side and leave nothing with which to work.

Rotate the cushion 180 degrees and do the same for the opposite side. Continue until you have all the fabric stapled securely. Once you’ve finished, feel free to cut off the excess.

At this point, my base has dried and is ready to reattach. I reversed the process…place the frame upside down onto the cushion base, and reinstall the screws.

Viola! A cute little stool, side table, (but not suitable as a lamp table), fluffy butt piece for the camper!

Until next time, stay calm and project on!

Tina

Looking Up

A short photo post for our Eye Spy category.

This weekend we spent a fair amount of time at the property and camper. It’s been miserably hot, so I spent a fair amount of time imitating a sloth! I found a shady spot to park myself in a chair and read my book. Yet, I soon found myself more interested in the sights and sounds all around me.

As I looked up I noticed more than a dozen barn swallows flitting in the air; above them a pair of buzzards; and beneath them, just over my own head, a couple beautiful dragon flies and butterflies.

At one point there were also two planes in the mix–one a small, single engine and one a jumbo jet way above– which would have made for a great photo, but I only had my cellphone and a slow sloth-like finger, so you’ll just have to take my word for it!

In the end I didn’t get any cool photos of all that going on overhead, but I watched a Robin settle in its nest nearby and relished the moment as I watched him as he watched me.

These little time out moments are far too seldom enjoyed in our busy day-to-day existence, so I encourage you to look for them whenever you can. They bring a wonderful sense of balance to life–even if just momentarily!

Tina

Beekeeping vs. Keeping Bees

The further I delve into beekeeping, the more I realize there are two distinct mindsets: one is of a beekeeper, the other is of someone “with bees” or keeping bees. We want to at least attempt to become the former, rather than the latter, but both have their pros and cons, and in the end it’s a win-win since more bees are being monitored and the health of bees is on the rise.

Today I’d like to share some thoughts, insights and questions from a beekeeper, Pam. While I tend to agree with Pam, her’s is not the one, the only, the right perspective…it’s simply how she approaches beekeeping. And, while I’ve not immersed myself into the beekeeping community as much as I hope to, I have found that many beekeepers love to share information, all in the spirit of helping the bees, so perhaps there is a nugget or two here that might be valuable to the beeks who land here (yes, that’s intentional, sorry), or to those, like us, considering how to best approach beekeeping.

Without further ado, Pam’s recent FB post (with permission, of course):

I attended my first Farmer’s Market this week. I talked to the guy selling honey. He had his prices very low so I had a few questions for him…and I found out some interesting facts that I think we should all take to heart.

1. Is this THIS year’s honey? He said that he didn’t know. He BOUGHT gallons of honey from a commercial beekeeper, bottled it and sold it at the farmer’s market. After leaving the honey stand, I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Hummm, where’s the fun in THAT? He’s not a beekeeper.”
2. What pesticides are being used to control mites in these hives? A local beekeeper works each hive weekly providing only what THAT hive needs and uses safe remedies for infestations.
3. How old is this honey? Honey does not expire but the floral each year can change due to growing conditions. A local beekeeper keeps a fresh flow of honey each season and usually sells it all.
4. What is the seller’s purpose in selling honey? If it is all about “making” $. How much can one really care about bees and honey if they have no skin in the game? A local beekeeper makes $ for the bees. They live the highs and lows of struggling hives. We love our bees!
5. Beekeepers each have their own reasons for keeping bees. Some are “the save the earth ones”, Others are “the honey health ones” and Finally there’s the “I just love learning ones”. Heaven knows that even though their passion for this bee labor varies, the outcome benefits us all. Please Support your local beekeeper. Do it for the earth, your health and for the education. It’s a’ gonna’ 🐝 a great honey season….

While Pam encountered a person who doesn’t even bother with the guise of “keeping bees”, his comments reflect the mindset of making money from bees instead of making money for the bees. There is no true interest in the bees, the quality of product, the health of the hives, the joy of sweat equity and quite frankly, the sense of pride in the care of the bees and the sweet taste of a successful harvest.

We love supporting our local honey guy and always enjoy conversations with him because we can tell he cares about not only his bees, but also the quality of his honey and what his customers think. He always sells fresh season honey and his comments on the flavor strikes me like a sommelier describing a wine! When he has a bad year and loses hives and his price goes up, we understand and still buy from him rather than someone with lesser price, for exactly the reasons indicated in Pam’s story.

So there you have it, a perspective on one beekeeping mindset. To be fair, I’ll give equal time to the other perspective in a future post.

Tina

The BEST Turkey Burger I’ve Ever Had!

Now, let me begin by saying this post contains a turkey burger recipe, but it is NOT a health-conscious one! That being said, it IS a tasty one.

If you’ve eaten your share of ground turkey, you know it can be quite bland and dry. Fear not, I have managed to replace bland and dry with tasty and juicy! (I didn’t manage to give it a nice burger look, though)

The recipe as stated will make 5 nice size burgers.

Assemble the following ingredients:

• 1 pound of your favorite shredded turkey
• 1 diced medium red onion
• 1 diced red pepper
• 5 slices of bacon, cut into about 1″ pieces
• 1 cup of diced mozzarella (or goat cheese)
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Turkey or chicken seasoning salt (or generic seasoning salt like SeasonAll is fine)

Begin by adding olive oil to sauté or frying pan. Heat over medium heat.

Once the oil is hot, add the bacon (I made a mistake and tossed the bacon, onion and pepper together and ended up with some burnt onion). Allow the bacon to cook until it begins to brown.

Add the onion and red pepper. Sauté until pepper and onion are soft and bacon is crisp. Allow to cool 5-10 min.

In a bowl, mix the ground turkey with the Worcestershire sauce, seasoning salt, cheese and bacon mix.

Form into patties and either grill or bake in the oven.

To bake in the oven, I prefer to lay the patties on parchment paper as tin foil seems to stick. Bake at 350 for about 10 min then flip the patties and cook until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

For an extra flavor bonus, I love to spread a light layer of butter on the face of my bun and pan fry until its toasted. We do not add any condiments as the flavor of these yummy burgers stands on its own!

Maybe the addition of bacon, cheese and butter, but the emission of condiments and the fact they’re turkey actually means they are balanced and somewhat nutritious. Maybe?

Whatever…it’s a burger. Enjoy it!

Today’s Home Buyers Have Been HGTV’d

I’m a huge fan of HGTV. My favorite shows are more about rehab than buying/selling, but I watch those too and those are what I’m on my soapbox about today.

I cannot count the number of times I’ve cringed when a potential home buyer starts with their I want list, because the majority of the items are so superficial and inconsequential! Oddly, it seems the younger the buyer and the tighter the budget, the longer and more inane the I want list.

As a home buyer, there are definitely pros to watching such shows–they give a general overview of the process, they often indicate the true reality of homes in a price range, and they occasionally give home buyers a new perspective on what is truly important when purchasing a house–and it’s not white cabinets and shiny appliances!

Seriously. So many times a home in a gorgeous setting, safe neighborhood, and good schools is passed by because the cabinets are too dark or the bathrooms are dated. Cosmetics, people, cosmetics! Somewhere along the line the adage of “location, location, location” has slipped down the list of importance, only to be replaced by ship-lap, hardwood floors, and open-concept living. With all this HGTVing of buyers, it’s an interesting time to be buying or selling a home.

When we purchased our current home, our agent understood location, commute and schools were our priorities. However, when we began our next home search a couple years ago, the agent wanted to show us everything with 2+ acres. It didn’t seem to matter the commute was 70 minutes each way, the house was too remote, the price was severely over budget or the home was nothing like we wanted. She so easily overlooked every item we wanted/needed, except the size of the acreage. Maybe the game has changed so much that even an agent’s role is not what it was–just make a sale and move onto the next client?

Even now, while selling our home, we got feedback from one agent stating, “I don’t like the country decor.” (And for the record, it’s not even country, it is light farmhouse/French farmhouse.)

Well I’ll be! Last I checked it was an agent’s responsibility to help a potential buyer see themselves in the home–to guide them past personal decor and belongings, instead of highlighting them as they’re permanent fixtures to be worked around. People, you’re NOT buying another person’s things, so use a little imagination in seeing it all gone. Yet, you know, it happens all the time on HGTV. I want to reach out and slap someone when I hear, “I don’t like the sofa” or “That bedspread is awful!” So what!? Why does HGTV even air such ignorant comments? In my opinion, all it accomplishes is setting up potential home buyers for failure when they think they need to focus on decor versus location, condition, price, commute, schools and the home’s layout.

At the other extreme are those who’ve never done more than tighten a bathroom faucet, yet they insist on buying a dilapidated fixer upper with the intention of DIYing and flipping it because they’ve seen it done on HGTV and there is a lot of money to be made. Yeah, about that…keep in mind the true flippers–Bargain Mansions, Flip or Flop (take a clue from the name!), Good Bones, and Home Town–have done this a long time and have subcontractors and a whole host of help behind the scenes. It’s never as easy as “we will just tear down this wall, gut the kitchen, and viola! it’ll be worth three times what we paid!”

I know realty agents/brokers all have ongoing education…I truly hope some of that education is on how to overcome the HGTVing of today’s home buyers and to focus on providing the service and direction that is necessary to help home buyers make the best decision for their home purchase. Pointing out important items, like safety of community, rating of schools, lifestyle, commute, and a home that works for them now and into the future, should not being cast aside in lieu of pointing out a shiny new light fixture, trendy countertops or other items that come and go out of style.

I’m also a fan of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing shows and at the price point of those homes, I say you should have and get everything on your I want list.

However, the average home buyer isn’t at that level and needs a good agent to help them understand life is not an HGTV show. Focus must shift to needs and the wants can come later. No house is perfect, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t the perfect HOME.

Until next time,

Tina

Eye Spy…

I make a point of noticing life around me. I find joy in an unexpected pop of color, an unusual shape or texture, or even catching a little frog peeking out from under a leaf. It’s these little moments in the day that make me smile and remember there is so much more to living than going through the motions of our work, our relationships, and our chores. It’s as if life is saying, “Stop; you need a breather…look at this!”

Guess what? When something catches my eye and I take that little breather, I feel more relaxed, lighter, and more clear minded. I believe we could all use a little more of these light-hearted breaks, so I’m creating this category just to post these random photos. No long blog post, just a quick caption and an opportunity for you to stop, enjoy some eye candy, and take a breath.

This first photo is of an amazing cotton-candy sky at sunset over our pond.

Enjoy the moment!

Tina