Random Saturday Shots

Did you know that "male" locust trees sprouted dangerous thorns?  Carl told me that you can really get sick if one of them pokes you.  He spent a few minutes on Saturday to carefully glean the thorns from a tree near the barn.

 As predicted, the clouds cleared by mid-morning, leaving behind a beautiful blue sky.  The crabapple tree was looking good today!

Scott spent his final hour of Dingo time by consolidating the brush pile east of the barn.  The footprint of the pile is now slightly smaller...but the height of the pile is another story. 

Springtime Planting

After Scott's successful dirt work on Friday, he got busy on Saturday by planting grass seed.  Marita was kind enough to play the part of The Sower (name that state capitol) while Scott tamped down the soil.

Good teamwork!

Gas Crisis? What Gas Crisis?

Based on the number of cars in this photo, how many people do you think worked at noTTafarm today?

That's right.  4:  Carl, Marita, Kristin and Scott.  Why we each need to drive when gas is about $4 a gallon this week is a mystery.  But at least I get to escape in the Mini when the going gets tough (or when "somebody" needs lunch.)

Drive Carefully! 

insert clever wind-related headline here

I wanted the headline to say, "Kansas Blows and South Dakota Sucks", as an illustration of the ridiculous southerly wind gusts we experienced Friday afternoon at noTTafarm.  But since many loyal Adventures readers and relatives reside in those two neighboring states, I will be polite.

So anyway - wow!  It was windy today! With the temperature forecast to (finally) be in the 70s, Scott and I took a few hours of vacation to catch up on chores.  Scott's main focus was to tend to the area where the water line was added, right along the driveway.  Over the past few months, the ground covering the trench had sunk quite a bit so Scott rented a Dingo to help move, grade, and pack down "tons" of dirt.  (For more Dingo information, including a clever movie tie-in, see October's archives.)

Scott and the Dingo in action.  Note the grass at left, bending from the south winds.

Scott prepares to toss a piece of concrete into the rubble pile.

The wind blew and hollered and screeched all afternoon!

Hey! We have a crabapple tree!  The color is just about at its pretty peak

This tulip near the house kept all of its petals intact today.

MEANWHILE...

While Scott was out playing in the dirt with his oversized Tonka truck, Carl and I slaved away inside.  The two bedrooms need to get ready for electrical work and new drywall, so Carl removed all of the window trim while I took off two walls-worth of plaster.  Just a little more to finish tomorrow before we start tearing down the lath in the large bedroom, then we'll move on to the little room.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Hoppin' Along at noTTafarm

Happy Easter!

After a week of Scott working each night at noTTafarm, we took a break on Saturday and went to Kearney to visit my family.  It was great to see the progress Mom and Chelsie have made on the remodel of Mom's kitchen and Dad's hall bathroom!  Their project began at the end of January and is already 99% complete.  

 Mom's kitchen has a new hand-scraped hardwood floor, a new and larger island in a contrasting finish, new stainless appliances, and new solid surface counters.

The cool gray skies finally gave way to sunshine on Easter Sunday afternoon.  We should be ready to remove the plaster in both bedrooms this weekend in anticipation of upgrading the electrical and windows. 

While Marita and I chatted and tended a fire in the firepit, Carl and Scott took the baseboards out of the large bedroom. 

Has Spring finally sprung in Omaha?  It finally felt like it Sunday afternoon.  But with a forecast for another cold, rainy week, this hyacinth may be all we get for now.

Easter Message of Local Church includes noTTafarm

You may recall the story of the video crew visiting noTTafarm in March.  To illustrate their Easter theme of "redemption," Christ Community Church featured the work of an auto restoration shop, a furniture refinisher and a cute couple restoring a house.  The completed 8-minute video was used at CCC's services as a lead-in to the Easter Sunday sermon, and has been posted on CCC's web site.  We think the video does a wonderful job of telling noTTafarm's story.

You can view the video by following this link: CCC Easter Video

History Lessons

A few recent discoveries have made noTTafarm's history come alive for us.  First, I discovered two Omaha World-Herald pages, published in 1939, under the floorboards in the former breakfast nook.  The front page boasts stories ranging from the whereabouts of a Nazi war ship and the death of author Zane Grey.  Inside, an ad for a Studebaker sedan includes a $660 list price.

October 24, 1939

Never show a retired professor an old newspaper. 

Carl's productivity quotient took a hit!

We were also thrilled that Doris forwarded two prized items to us:  an original blueprint of a noTTafarm survey completed in 1958, and the title abstract last updated in 1972.  We are anxious to sift through the abstract and trace the history of the property.  The first owner purchased the original 80 acre homestead in 1857!

This survey was created when Doris and Richard became noTTafarm's owners.

The first page of the title abstract.

Stay tuned to learn more about noTTafarm's past and future!

Saturday and Sunday See Sistering and Sub-floor

Each week, we continue to make progress on the bathroom remodel projects.  Opening the second floor bathroom floor revealed that some of the floor joists had been previously cut away to allow room for piping or had been otherwise scabbed together.  It was necessary to strengthen two of the joists by "sistering" a new 2x8x10.  Scott positioned the new lumber, added a copious amount of wood glue, then secured it all with screws. 

Scott removed a piece of blocking to allow room for the new joist.

A bar clamp helps hold the new joist in place while the screws were added.

Scott's feet. 

One of the new joists in place!

Scott worked to add sub-floor to a few areas.  With this addition, the east entryway and the two bathrooms are one step closer to completion!

Sorry about that headline; I like alliteration!

Record-setting Day

The Omaha area experienced record-breaking warmth on Saturday when the temperature reached 87 degrees.  The pace of work getting done inside the house was certainly slowed by the temptation to go outside!

Neigh-sayers Move In Next Door

After a few months of long faces, brought on by the loss of our next door herd of longhorns, Scott and I met our new next door neigh-bors on Saturday, April 9.  Thirteen beautiful horses now roam around the 20-some-odd acres south of noTTafarm!  They're pretty people-friendly, too, even letting us pet their noses over the fence. 

The camera snapped "Blaze" mid-chew.

"Buffy" is a boy - but still really pretty.

"Weeeeeeee!  Living next to noTTafarm is great!"

New view from the south side of the house.

Yes, I'm looking at you!  Thank you for posing.

Pretty Pinto.

Come and Visit!  Just Remember to Bring Along

an Apple or a Sugar Cube (or Two)

noTTafarm Welcomes Special Guests

On Saturday, April 2, we were thrilled to have a few members of the Norgard family stop by noTTafarm.  Prior to our purchase last July, Doris and her late husband Richard called the acreage home for close to sixty years.  Accompanying Doris on Saturday were daughters Julie and Janis, and grandson Brett. 

While Scott explained the changes the house has endured and his plans for the new addition, they chimed in with warm memories and words of encouragement.  We hope that they continue to visit and stop by to see the progress!