Last Blast for 2*0*1*8

Remember back in the good ol' days of the mid-2010s? Back then, you could count on regular, weekly blog updates. Admittedly, I've dropped the ball in 2018. Blame it on the "late-'10s blahs" (a new condition I just coined) or blame it on Trump (my favorite orange scapegoat) but we all know it's my fault . . . too lazy, too boring, too too!

My end-of-the-year gift to you is a brief review of the last five months of life at noTTafarm. Enjoy!

Benson Days ~ St. Paul Pie Stand ~ July 27

In my capacity as an up-and-coming Church Lady, I helped lead a team of St. Paul ladies in the creation of our first-ever pie stand for Benson Days, an annual summertime celebration in our church's neighborhood. We baked apple and cherry pies, selling individual slices for $1. I had a lot of fun branding the event - and we sold out of pie in just a few hours.

Vacation ~ Santa Fe, New Mexico ~ August 4-6

The only reason to leave noTTafarm is if you can visit Santa Fe - so off we went, the first week of August to "The City Different" for short but sweet R 'n' R. We walked everywhere, drank margaritas every day, and enjoyed the incredible weather. I hope we don't wait another eight years to return!

Wet Basement ~ August 10

A thunderstorm brought two days of rain and all sorts of mischief. We lost power on August 10 for a short while - long enough for us to really miss the (temporarily-disabled) sump pump. As rain continued to fall, the water level in the 2012 section of the basement continued to rise. Scott hurriedly moved all of his "important tools and lumber" up or out so no damage was done - except for the hours spent fretting about "the next time" Omaha gets a near-record rainfall and the power goes out. (And, of course, Bibbers had to walk all around the wet floor.)

Garden

Our vegetable garden was sort of a bust this year. The tomatoes turned black and fell of the vine before I could get to them, the basil never grew, the beans were tough as nails, and the peppers never quite made it to bright red. Even the ornamental corn was taken by marauding raccoon the night before I was going to harvest it for my fall decorating. The saving graces were the zinnias and sunflowers we planted from seeds near the corn crib and Scott's gourds.

Karli's Bridal Shower ~ August 25

One of the most highly-anticipated family events this year was my niece Karli's wedding and the fun activities surrounding it. noTTafarm hosted 24 ladies (both bride and groom's families were well-represented) for an afternoon of dessert, games and presents. Karli's cousin Chelsie came up with the brilliant "Fiesta" theme (based on the bride's love of Fiestaware) and we were off and running with a profusion of color. Highlights included the 50-or-so tissue flowers displayed on the fireplace, the mound of Fiesta that Karli was gifted with, and getting to meet my two newest great nieces, Charlee and Kree (cousins born two days apart in May.) "A good time was had by all!"

Kate's Baby Shower ~ September 8

noTTafarm volunteered (OK, it was me) to help host a baby shower for Scott's niece Kate and her fiance Alessio. They traveled back to Omaha from their home in Portland, OR for a warm and wonderful get-together with friends and family. The weather was picture perfect so we gathered on the patio for snacks, dessert, games and presents. Such a joy to welcome a new little Camp into the world! (Spoiler alert:  Luca Camp De Cesare was born on November 28 and is just the sweetest!)

Junk Jaunt ~ September 28/29

Is there anything better in Nebraska in late September than driving around the central part of the state looking for junk? Ok, sure - there's Cornhusker Football and I hate to miss it but we made up for it by visiting Wood River (childhood home of our new head coach.)  This year's weather was C-O-L-D and damp! A steady mist and temps in the 40s and 50s made for an interesting two days. On Friday, Chelsie and I ventured out with my mom, Jolene; the three of us sported matching floral sweatshirts. Found lots of great things for Chelsie to use in her new store -- that's right! The store I alluded to way back in May came to fruition; Sweet Water Outfitters is now open in Cozad (more on that later.)

Wedding Prep ~ September & October

I was thrilled to be able to help niece Karli with her wedding decor! She had a clear vision of the "rustic elegance" theme with accents of navy and pale pink. We added lots of sparkle with crystals and rhinestones, and adorned frames and lanterns with pale pink roses. The best part was getting to spend time with Karli at noTTafarm! She is a truly special young lady and I'm so proud to be her very favorite aunt. :)

The Big Day ~ Karli's Wedding ~ October 6

Karli and David had a beautiful wedding and reception at The Hills, an event center at Cherry Hills in northwest Omaha. The outdoor ceremony was tempered a little by the cold and cloudy weather, but the archway we festooned with rhinestones, silk roses and sheer drapery made the day less gloomy. I was pleased that the happy couple selected one of St. Paul's pastors, Rev. Jerry Brabec, as the officiant. The dinner and reception was full of music, laughter and dancing - a truly lovely event!

Kappa Delta Reunion ~ October 14

noTTafarm was voted "the place" to have another reunion of my college sorority. (This is what happens when you post a note on Facebook about how much you miss your sisters...you get volunteered.) The weather turned nasty the morning of our party and most of the out-of-towners had white-knuckle drives up or down the interstate. By the time we made it through the potluck line, the power was out. We sat in the near-dark, watching the snow fall and singing old chapter songs. Tracy ventured outside for a photo-op with a handful of snow. Of course, the power came back as the last guest departed. Despite the difficulties, it was still the best way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Wilson ~ October 18

noTTafarm suffered quite a blow when we lost Wilson. Our big ol' kitty was diagnosed with anemia steadily declined over the next year. It's always painful to lose a pet but we are so thankful that we were able to give Wilson nearly six years of adventures and mice and long afternoons spent outdoors. He was a great cat and a good friend.

Sweet Water Outfitters ~ November 23

As mentioned above, niece Chelsie earned the opportunity to begin a new enterprise in Cozad, Nebraska. Her vision of retail comprising Western wear, stylish accessories, home decor and a sprinkling of vintage furniture came to fruition after months of work to ready the space. Scott and I are excited to pitch in where we can; the pipes and fittings in the photo at left were used to create two dressing room frames which Scott designed to fit easily together and support plywood walls. Sweet Water Outfitters opened for the first time on "Black Friday" and enjoyed welcoming customers throughout the holiday season. Chelsie is pleased with the community's support - and her whole family is bursting with pride. (Follow Sweet Water on Facebook (@ShopSWOCozad) and Instagram(@sweetwatercozad) and shop online: www.shopsweetwateroutfitters.com)

Cookie Baking ~ December 16

The Christmas holiday just wouldn't be the same without me roping a few unsuspecting friends into helping me frost sugar cookies. This year's victims were The Kupzyks (formerly known as The New People) and The Robinsons (Hank and Susie are our 60th Street neighbors.) We had a great afternoon (that's 3 year old Elliot with the frosting-colored smile) and Kevin, Hank and Scott joined us for a delicious brisket dinner. A holly-jolly time was had by all!

Tomorrow is January 1, and I plan to begin the new year "as usual" - in my pajamas until all of the Christmas decorations are boxed and stored. I'll take some photos before I begin dismantling (not of me in my pj's...but of the decor) and then have something to post before the day is done. I really do want to make a better effort of blogging in 2019. Help me out by leaving a comment or sending me words of encouragement. Until then . . .

🎉Happy New Year!🎉

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Happy Birthday, noTTafarm!

Eight is Great

Everyone's favorite acreage turns eight years old on July 30. Even though the blog isn't updated as frequently as it was back when projects were coming at us "fast and furious," we still love and enjoy every minute of our noTTafarm life. Thanks for being part of the journey!

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

East Porch Re-Do Underway

You know how you get excited about a project and get after it for a couple of weeks . . . and then you sort of drift away from it to go do other stuff like mow or watch TV? Such is the way of a project we started Memorial Day weekend: a redo of the east porch off the 1972 entry. Read on to catch up on this somewhat pokey project.

For the last six years, this is what you've seen if you approached the 1972 front door. We haven't used this door since the 2012 courtyard door was installed so it's been a bit misleading to strangers, guests and the occasional delivery man.

When the construction crew added the brick to the courtyard, they created two brick pillars and added simple 4x4 posts to support the existing eave over the door. They nailed on some hastily prepared trim, added the old corbels, and sent us a bill for a day's work. We've been looking forward to doing something to spiff it up since then.

First step, of course, was demolition. Scott used a hammer and chisel to loosen the glue and remove the nails.

With the trim stripped away, we were left with a blank slate. 

After some pondering, Scott decided to build boxes around the support posts, using 1x8 pine from good ol' Home Depot.

I didn't take many photos of the wood being trimmed the correct length. Nor did I get any photos of each edge being mitered so the corners of the box fit together snugly. Please use your imagination. Also, pretend I took photos of myself giving two coats of primer to each side of each board.

To give Scott something to nail each side of the box to, he installed some furring strips to each face of the post.

As you know, there is one hard and fast rule for noTTafarm home improvement projects: a new power tool is necessary. This time, Scott was happy to finally justify the need for a biscuit joiner. He found a suitable Porter-Cable model at Menard's, and used it to cut intermittent slots along each of the mitered edges of the box pieces. When glued into the slots, the wood biscuits are received into a second board, therefore joining two boards together.

This photo shows the south post half-way clad with the box. You can see the slots along the edges which will receive biscuits to complete the box.

Once the four boards were connected, Scott used strap clamps to hold them together while the glue dried. He used the pneumatic nailer pretty liberally, too.

Once the boxes were up, the railing was temporarily placed (resting on chunks of wood.) We found the railing during an excursion Memorial Day weekend at Omaha's A&R Salvage. This panel - one of several they had in stock - happened to be the exact width needed to span the space between the two brick pillars. We were told that this railing was salvaged from the old Witherspoon mansion, a landmark of the Regency neighborhood until it was destroyed by fire in 2009.

Using leftover pieces of the 1x8 pine, Scott crafted some chunky trim for the base and top of each post. He then painted the finished boxes with two coats of SW 6203 Spare White. We were lucky enough to have leftovers from the original 2013 paint job; I just had to take it in and have the nice lady at Sherwin Williams remove a thick layer of congealed paint from the surface and give it a spin on the can shaker.

Two weeks after its start, the project was about 90% complete. This is when the aforementioned period of distraction began.

Finally, today (July 29) the railing was permanently attached to the brick pillars. Scott did have to fix one of the railing brackets but it just took a little searching in the basement for bolts and a little work from the hammer drill to get the job done.

Ta Da!

I may be ta-da-ing a little too soon. We still need to power wash the railing and perhaps give it a coat of black spray paint. I also have plans to add a little color (stay tuned for that!) And, hopefully next year, we'll have a larger project to replace that 1972 door with a spiffy new window. 

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

One Step Closer to Reality

Most of you know that my vision for our dining area is to have one, long table where as many as 16 can be seated. We've made do for the past (almost!) eight years by setting two or three tables in a row but it's never been my ideal. Scott and I have had many discussions about how he simply must build me the perfect table with lumber harvested from noTTafarm's own trees and a base that he designed. This table has taken its first step toward reality with the purchase of . . .

. . . two vintage, steel industrial table legs!

We were at A&R Salvage on Friday, in search of something else (story to come) when we saw a selection of industrial table legs. We couldn't resist this set. Even though they are solid steel and heavy as heck, the thin profile and elegant curves are going to add a lot of style to our dining room.

Now we just need to figure out how to make the whole thing go together. We may use some of the planks milled from the locust tree we removed to build the great room addition, and Scott may figure out a way to make the table expandable. I'm just hopeful that it won't take (almost!) eight more years to complete.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Special Visitors for Uncle Scott's Birthday

On June 4, we celebrated Scott's birthday with help from a whole bunch of Camps. Andrew and Kate traveled up from Stuttgart, Arkansas and Katie and Alessio flew in from Portland, Oregon to join the rest of the Omaha-based family for a big dinner at noTTafarm. We had such a great time, catching up and spending a few (too brief!) hours together.

The only thing that could have made this photo better was if Pat & Kathleen could have been with us, too! (From left, Kate & Alessio, Pete, and Andrew & Kate)

The BIG news from our Portland kids is there's a baby on the way! Kate and Alessio made the announcement at a gathering they organized on Saturday with Alessio's dad and sister. We are over-the-moon excited to have a great niece or nephew arriving around December 1st. Kate and Alessio aren't going to find out the gender until the birth so it will be a true surprise!

We love you, Katie & Alessio!

Words for Wednesday

noTTafarmers have an affinity for cottonwood trees; there are several huge specimens around the acreage in varying stages of life. They continue to whisper to us as we go about the business of yard work and tending the garden. Be sure to listen during your next visit.

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

Garden Gets Goin'

The vegetables were finally planted on May 22 - just in time for our first heat wave of the summer. This year, we are looking forward to eating and sharing:  red bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, green beans, and rhubarb. Plus, we'll have decorative gourds and Indian corn for autumn decorating.

Scott added a bag of top soil to each of the four raised beds to replenish some of the volume lost over the last two years. This will be our third year of gardening!

We planted one bed with three rows of Triomphe de Farcy beans (aka skinny green beans). The gourd seeds were planted outside the east wall of the fence. Scott is hoping they climb the fence like they did last year. (I still need to get out there and get the Indian corn seeds planted.)

The beds were ready to go and awaiting our helpers (Carl & Marita.)  

Speaking of helpers...you just can't complete a task at noTTafarm without some help from a cat! Bibbers checked out the newly-planted tomatoes while Wilson patrolled the east fenceline. There are 8 total plants; 4 cherry and 4 standard size. I am anxious for my first BLT of the season!

Wilson checks on Dad and gets a bonus head-pat. Teamwork! 

Planting the gourd seeds.

By Memorial Day Weekend, the beans had sprouted. This shot was taken May 28 on day two of our 100-degree heatwave.

Marita decided to try broccoli this year instead of eggplant, a move I whole-heartedly agreed with! We've got six healthy plants, soaking up the sun. Yummy!

Stay Tuned for More Garden Progress!

Girl Power

The month of May has been quite spectacular for the noTTafarm family, particularly for the girls. We have celebrated the births of two baby girls, a Masters degree and a new business opportunity.

Our Niece, Chelsie . . . 

 . . . has been selected as one of five finalists in a contest sponsored by Cozad (Nebr.) Economic Development and could soon be the proprietor of a new shop. The winner of the contest gets free rent in a downtown building and all sorts of professional assistance to get the first year of the business up and running. This photo is a still from a video describing her business idea that she produced and submitted. A final presentation will occur in a couple of weeks. I hope I soon get to post that "Sweet Water Outfitters" is open for business!

Our Niece, Karli . . .

. . . graduated on May 5 with a Masters degree in accounting from the University of South Dakota. She accepted a position with Lutz and moved lock, stock and kitties to Lincoln, Nebr. the day after graduation. Her new employer is giving her the summer to study for the CPA exam and will then start working in September. And on top of all this success, she and David are getting married in October!

Our Great Niece, Kree Julene . . .

. . . was born on May 16 at 4:44 pm, weighing 6 lbs., 14 oz. and measuring 20 inches long. She is the perfect little replica of big sister, Kitra. Her middle name was created by combining the names of Tyler's grandmother (my mommy) Jolene and Monica's grandmother, Judith. A wonderful tribute!

 Our Great Niece, Charlee Samantha . . . 

. . . was born on May 19 at 11:50 am, weighing 7 lbs., 4 oz. and measuring 21 inches long. She is going to have a great life as the youngest of four girls (and as the cousin of baby Kree!) Big sisters (from L to R in this picture) are Bailee, Allie and Maggie. Nick and Brooke picked the name Charlee to reflect generations of Wards named "Charles." We can't wait to see these six little girls in action!

Congratulations, Girls!

Won't You Be Our Neighbor?

Have we got a deal for you.

Actually, it's not our deal to offer but we do hope something good happens when our neighbors to the south sell their 22-acre pasture. It's been recently listed for sale and the realtor's description suggests that the land could be divided into multiple home sites. We are holding out hope that a single buyer will come forward to build their own dream acreage, maybe with a sweet horse or herd of mini donkeys. A suburban development including streets and all the associated traffic would definitely take some of the charm out of our quiet country living. So, if you know someone nice that wants to build in the beautiful rolling hills north of the metro, be sure to pass along this info. Or don't. We're not in any hurry. 😉

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

"Some" Assembly Required

The first tool purchase of the new season has been made. Scott decided it would be a good idea to have a fertilizer/seed spreader to pull behind the mower. It would make spreading fertilizer much easier than walking a standard spreader around our multi-acre yard. He did his research and placed an order through Northern Tool. A few days later, assembly began. 

The Agri-Fab spreader has a 175-pound capacity (which is great) but it was delivered in a big box of loose parts. Scott sorted all of the nuts and bolts on the garage floor and carefully followed the 15-page assembly manual.

Assembly was a slow and steady process. 

The spreader also has a row of spiked wheels to aerate as it gets pulled along.

This is one of the diagrams included in the assembly manual. You can see why it took over 5 hours to assemble! Scott spent one entire Sunday, sitting on the driveway, putting this thing together. Once it was all together, he discovered that the hitch would not align with the back of the mower.

It took Scott another afternoon to hewn an adapter that would help the tongue of the spreader line up with the back of the mower. Luckily, he has a stash of steel in the barn. He found an appropriate piece, cut it to the right size and shape, grind off the sharp edges, drill bolt holes in the mower deck and the steel, add two coats of spray paint, and then bolt the whole thing together. Perfection in fabrication and utilization!

He was finally able to hook it up and spread 4 big bags of weed-and-feed around the property.

After all that work, it was a relief to have it operating correctly. Our yard should be dandelion free and lush and green. Get ready to run around barefooted! 

Check out this short video clip of the spreader in action! Good job, Scotty!

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!