Happy Birthday, noTTafarm!

July 30 should be declared a holiday:

~ a day when you don't have to go to work ~ 

~ a day for relaxing ~

~ a day for enjoying country sunshine ~ 

~ a day you spend at the Best Place on Earth: noTTafarm! ~

Thursday is the fifth anniversary of the date that the 

acreage officially became ours.

Here's To Many More Happy Years!

Barn Window Project Kicks-off

It should come as no surprise that the barn is not exactly weather-tight. We know there are holes in the roof, holes in the siding, holes in the doors, and holes in the windows that let Mother Nature have her way. Scott has decided that the first project to tackle to try and strengthen the barn is the replacement or repair of the barn's 15 windows. After evaluation, he determined that eight of the windows were either too far gone or completely missing but seven could be repaired with a little putty.

For only $18.99 each, we purchased simple "wood utility sash" windows at Menard's in nearly the perfect size. While at Menard's we also picked up a gallon of exterior enamel paint and painter's tape. By the time we got home with the goods, Scott had vowed to have the windows project complete by the end of September. (This seems quite reasonable to me.)

Here's what's happened so far:

The new windows are 22" x 29" which is just a few inches off of the original 24" x 28" barn windows. These sashes are not meant to be operable but may pivot or slide after installed. The wood frames are held together with long screws which, when removed, allow disassembly for access to the glass panes.

All of the windows (new and those we repair) and surrounding frames will be painted white.

Scott did a little bit of thinking and measuring before starting the process. The windows on the west wall of the barn will be replaced first (so that Bibbers' condo is better protected this winter.)

Scott used the table saw to trim the windows' width from 29" to 28".

Go, Saw, Go!

Once the windows were trimmed, Scott turned his attention to the sills that will help hold them in place. Using pine from the post-construction stockpile, Scott first cut them to the right width, then cut them at a 15-degree angle to help shed water away from the barn.

A quick check to see if the fit is right. 

The depth of the sills was doubled by gluing then nailing a second piece of pine. With this beefed-up sill, the top and bottom of the window will fit snugly in the opening.

The eight new windows and their sills will be painted before they are installed. Scott began the tedious task of taping off the glass on Sunday.

This project is off to a great start. Be sure to . . . 

Stay Tuned for More Progress!

Quick Craft Adds Color

After a year of thinking about it, I finally accomplished a Craft Project this weekend. Last July, I went to Overton to the junk/antique shop with Amy B. and Chelsie which I described here: http://www.nottafarm.blogspot.com/2014/07/saturday-field-trip.html 

Among the many awesome items I purchased that day was a darling oil painting of two little cows in a pasture. The only thing holding me back from hanging it was the not-so-darling frame. So, into the closet it went for "someday." Fast forward to this past April, when Chelsie and I went to Rural Route Rust where I purchased (among other things) two little oil paintings in carved gold frames. These also ended up in the closet - but only until Saturday. I chose to refresh all three frames with a few good coats of gloss spray paint in slate gray which gave the out-of-date frames a modern touch.

It was hot and humid outside this weekend but I muscled through the time it took to paint the frames.

The completed cow painting now hangs upstairs in the connector, next to the small linen closet. It looks right at home.

The two 8x10 flower paintings are now in the 1920 bathroom. They look so sweet against the lemony yellow paint, and the gray frames complement our gorgeous gray subway tile.

The good news is, I still have plenty of gray spray paint left in the can. What should I tackle next? Tune in to find out!

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure! 

21 Things to Like about July

Yes, I know it's already the 21st of the month. But since I'm so late in posting, I'm giving you a special treat:  21 totally awesome things about this month (so far.)  Read on:

 1.

We had the Camp Family 4th of July Celebration at noTTafarm, so of course, I had to tack up the patriotic bunting.

 2.

We grilled chicken and Marita brought some yummy ribs - so good! Note the awesome galvanized metal cake stand purchased last month at the Walnut Antique Walk.

3.

The Newlyweds (Pat and Kathleen) brought Emma along for the party. She is such a good pup!

 4.

Kathleen didn't have to fight for hammock time; she brought her own!

 5.

A few competitive rounds of croquet took place on the west lawn.

 6.

Pat, Pete, and Karly were enthusiastic players but Uncle Scott won every match. 

7.

Carl played a few rounds of croquet then challenged Karly to a game of cornhole.

Fast forward a few weeks and ...

 8.

Our flowers are in full bloom. The perennials I planted last summer have taken off and are filling in nicely.

 9.

The pink cone flowers on the west side of the barn are Bee Heaven!

  10.

The ol' wheelbarrow near the barn sports a bright load of marigolds.

  11.

I finally got all of the cottonwood flower bed cleaned out (that big area is a beast to keep weed-free) and discovered quite a few blossoms.

  12.

I sneaked up on the groundhog near his home along the driveway and was lucky enough to snap this photo before he disappeared down his escape hatch.

  13.

Yarrow along the driveway.

  14.

The alfalfa in the pasture south of our house was cut, baled and hauled away last month but the second crop is coming along nicely. Every day, you can see turkeys wading through the green sea.

  15.

Mother Nature gets a little supplemental water from the tap. 

  16.

While on a nature hike this evening, Scott used a "counter" app on his phone to keep track of the number of cedar trees he spotted along the west trail.

  17.

Clover along the west trail.

  18.

Our nature walk this evening was one of the all-time best noTTafarm events! All three kitties came along, trotting right behind us. They did such a good job!  Who needs a dog when you have cats like this?

   19.

Woodpecker along the west trail.

20.

Watch out cedar trees . . . Scott counted 93 of you! His chainsaw will be happy to bring this number down to a reasonable level.

21.

New Chair!

We found this cute chair for the great room at Pier One on Sunday. It looks great and is very comfortable - or at least I assume it's comfortable. It always seems to be occupied by one cat or the other.

And there you have it!

21 totally awesome 

things about July - so far. 

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!