Trail Cam Catches "New" Visitors

Time once again for a few photos from the trail camera! Scott recently set it to capture the diners at the food bowl station (under the barbeque grill).  The daily portion of cat food seems to be a hit with more than just cats . . .

 No surprise here . . . raccoons are frequent nighttime visitors!

 Rut row!  It's a skunk! What's the protocol for this?

 Hey!  It's CAT food, dumb dog.  I think this guy lives in the house just north of us; he's come by to say "hi" before.

 Tux is one of the better-fed of the corn crib kitties.

 Morty stopped by for a snack, too.

 And, of course, Bibbers got his share of the Meow Mix.

We're still waiting to see a coyote, a mountain lion, and a bald eagle.  

You'll be the first to know when we do!

Check Back Soon!

The Buck Stops Here, After All!

Plenty of deer greet us every day at noTTafarm.  It's not uncommon to see them having breakfast north of the house, or lining the driveway when we get home after work.  The only thing we've missed seeing is any sort of big-antlered buck.  That is until Sunday morning!

Scott got out of bed just before 8AM and saw this guy on the edge of the pasture south of us.  He had about five or six lady deer with him.

The buck didn't venture into our yard, though his harem did.  He stayed along the fence line and moved west down the hill.

As a reminder to you: hunting is not allowed at noTTafarm. You are more than welcome to come and watch the wildlife but please don't eat it. (Except for snakes; you can do whatever you want to snakes, as long as I don't have to look.)

noTTafarm Cat Tutorial

The first day we visited noTTafarm (way before it was actually "noTTafarm"), we saw the yellow cat in the corn crib that we've all come to know as "Bibbers."  Over the last year or so, we've gotten to know additional neighborhood kitties - especially since Scott puts Meow Mix out every morning (and sometimes at night).

Two of the cats are black and white, and are sometimes difficult to distinguish.  The photos below should help you identify "Tux" and "Churchill" during your next visit.

Tux

Churchill

C'mon Over and Meet the Menagerie!

A Bit Earlier Than Planned

You all know that I'm not in love with the current kitchen but I've been surprised at how functional it actually is. There's plenty of cabinet space and the appliances all work fine.  Well, except for one; the dishwasher inexplicably gave out mid-cycle one evening last week. 

I was all for trying to have it repaired but my unscientific Facebook poll and the insistence of my smart husband convinced me that purchasing a new dishwasher was the right decision.  I was hoping to make it simple by having the Furniture Mart deliver and install the new dishwasher, and haul away the old one.  Scott balked at that idea, however, claiming that he could tote the new dishwasher ("it will only weigh about 20 pounds") and quickly install it ("it will only take me an hour"). 

Let's see how that worked out, shall we?

 One last photo before recycling . . .

Scott used the new dolly he got for Christmas to haul in the 105 pound dishwasher.  Why he didn't remove the bow or gift tag is a question for another day.

Loosening a few bolts, figuring out how to shut-off the water, and finding the right breaker to switch off took more than just a few minutes.

 Leo enjoyed the new dishwasher box!  Too bad Scott is planning on creating a condo for Bibbers . . .

 Halfway done!

 Scott did a "dry run" to make sure everything fit the way it needed to.  Success!

 Leo supervised the final installation.

Three and one-half hours later, Scott showed off his handiwork.  One GE Cafe Dishwasher successfully installed!  Hopefully, within six months, he'll be moving it to the new kitchen.

Good Job, Scotty!

Raccoons No Match for New noTTafarm Hardware

Scott and I recently traveled to Kearney for the weekend.  While we were away, we asked Carl and Marita to feed our corn crib kitty cats.  We made sure they had a good supply of "Bibbers' Food" and a variety of our usual bowls to use for food and water.  Scott shared his theory that the stainless steel bowl should be used sparingly since he is pretty sure raccoons are the culprits of previous bowl thefts.

Imagine our delight when we returned to noTTafarm and discovered that Carl had designed a way to thwart the raccoons!

Carl drilled a hole through the edge of the bowl, added a clip, and chained it all to the barbeque grill.  Let's see if the raccoons can figure this one out! 

Stay Tuned!

The Low Down on the Slow Down

I know a lot of you probably think we've grown lazy since we moved into noTTafarm.  From the lack of home improvement-centric articles on the blog, you may assume that the work has pretty much ground to a halt.  It is true that we have been distracted by our unusually warm winter (so far) and spent a lot of time outside.  But the real hard work has been going on inside - on Scott's desk!

Scott has been hard at work, finalizing the plans for our new addition!

The goal is to have the plans ready for the contractor and the City permit process by the end of February.  Scott is working on a full set of construction drawings, so every detail has to be specified.  The wait will be well worth it when we finally break ground this Spring.

Stay Tuned for More Details!

Hey! I Painted the Library!

Well, OK - Scott helped, too.  He was my cheerful cutter-inner while I took care of rolling on two coats of a deep gold.  The Library (actually, the 1972 living room) is now resplendent Sherwin Williams Super Paint (Satin) 6395 "Alchemy".

 Alchemy is just the right shade of greeny-dirty-gold to enhance the library's dark wood beams.  I think this color is right on trend while giving a nod to the room's 1970's roots.  Not quite Harvest Gold but almost.

Part way through the south wall, the drama begins to unfold. 

The mood in the room grew dark when I broke Scott's favorite lamp. 

I hooked my hip on the cherry side table and sent our hammered iron table lamp onto the floor. What a crash!  The glass lampshade smashed to smithereens and left nice gouges in the table top and the arm of the sofa.  Luckily, rather than divorce me, Scott ordered a replacement shade through the manufacturer which should arrive in a week or so.

 The paint looks great!  Now I can dig out the "pretties" and the artwork, purchase a few curtains, and have one room almost 100% done!

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

noTTafarm Welcomes 2012

In our family, December 31st isn't just the end of a year . . . it's also our nephew Nick's birthday!  What better way to celebrate two fun occasions than by hosting a little gathering at noTTafarm?!  Ray and Jolene came from Kearney, and Nick and Brooke brought Allie along from Lincoln.  We enjoyed lunch, time with the world's cutest 6-month-old baby, and an afternoon of work outdoors.

The afternoon's target was the huge Osage orange tree that split and fell into the neighbor's pasture south of our driveway. 

Scott and Dad made quick work of the huge limbs with the chainsaws, a rope or two, and two 4x4 utility vehicles.

While the boys slaved away outside, Jolene, Brooke and I spent time with Allie.  She's such a happy baby!  She was all decked out for the celebration with a black tutu with rhinestone letters spelling out "Born to Sparkle" and a confetti-inspired hair bow made by her Aunt Monica.

Nick couldn't resist showing off by splitting a few of the logs.  He really needs his own gas-powered chainsaw.  Are you listening, Santa?

Brooke and Allie checked on the boys' progress.  The unusual warm weather continued on Saturday with highs in the 50s despite the gusty winds.

While the work continued, the girls went to town to do a bit of shopping.  Our fun was cut short by a call from Scott, letting us know that he was taking Dad to the emergency room!  Dad got his left ring finger caught between two logs, which created a 1.25" slice requiring stitches.

While her Great Grandpa was at the hospital (for four hours), Allie took a nap on the sofa with her daddy.  Nick has figured out that if you trap the baby next to the arm of the sofa, put some football on the TV, and sit real close, she nods off.  What a smart daddy!

 After all the worry and waiting, Dad was back at noTTafarm in time for dinner.  He ended up only having one stitch - but got to enjoy a few hours in the E.R. waiting room!

We cooked a delicious surf-and-turf dinner and enjoyed birthday cake for dessert!  Nick turned 27.

 

Sunday morning, Scott and Dad surveyed the previous day's harvest.  All of the logs in this wide pile were created on Saturday from that one tree. 

 Dad points out the very log that caused his finger injury.

Mom and Dad were back on the road before noon on Sunday, so Scott and the Ranger toughed it out and cleaned up the rest of one big branch.

Happy New Year from noTTafarm!

We hope you stay tuned for all the adventures that 2012 is sure to bring.