Thursday, July 08, 2010

Lately

Oooh, lots of wonderful things have been going on around here lately. Well, maybe not all of them wonderful but at least productive. I believe I have recovered from the burn-out I suffered last year and have really been enthused about finished many things. I didn't get much garden planted this year but aren't these maters pretty! They are doing really well. I may even try canning some in the following weeks.

Is this not a thing of beauty? One thing though, that is kinda odd, is that this is supposed to be a Rutgers and the Beefsteak tomatoes, which are kinda supposed to look like this, are generally small and smooth. Oh well, they taste fantastic. Makes you want to go into a grocery store and just start slinging all those tomato-like things they sell against the walls and run around screaming "Anarchy!"
What? Ya'll don't have thoughts about doing stuff like that? I bet you do.

I also had a very nice man come out and grind three stumps for me. This was a big one very close to the house that I needed out of the way so I can start installing the flagstone patios and walks. Yay!!! But I'm not sure what to do with the 'leftovers' from these stumps. It is pretty evenly mixed dirt and wood fibers. I thought it might make good garden soil after the wood decomposes? Anybody ever used this stuff before? What did you do with it? I want to remove it, since it will partly decompose, and fill the hole with just dirt so it will compact good. Oh! I also had another nice man come out and give me an estimate on what he would charge to build my kitchen cabinets. I'm just going to have him build the pantry cabinet now, as that is what I can afford right now. It will be about 3 weeks before he is able to start though, so you'll have to wait some for pics.

I got quite a bit done on the clerestory siding over the holiday weekend but I ran out of material once more. I'm very excited; I think it's going to be great! I will be so glad to get off that roof! But at least my butt is getting a good workout going up and down that ladder so much.

I also started on mortaring and stacking this stone wall for my kitchen/ herb garden. I've still got to come up another 18 inches or so to be high enough though. Allen had a good idea to make it tiered. I think that will look good and then the front won't have to be so high.

Wow, that seems like a lot after writing all that down. Well, got to burn this energy off somehow and since I haven't met a nice guy lately and thereafter proceeded to get into his pants, I guess manual labor will have to do. LOL! Heck, if that's any indication on things, I may finish this house by the end of summer!
I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday; hope ya'll have a good day.

*Stevie Wonder

12 comments:

Anna said...

Sounds like a productive week and looks great. I can't wait for our tomatoes to start producing, they haven't even flowered up here yet.

ErinFromIowa said...

Those tomatoes looks soooo goood!
Looking forward to reading about the progression of kitchen/ herb garden.

Woody said...

Sounds to me like you need to get more contractors out to bid on projects around the house. A steady stream of employed guys parading around your home while you sit back and take an inventory of THEIR stock.

Your tomatoes look great! And all your work is really coming together. Rock on Annie!

Ed said...

Lots of green tomatoes but no red yet.

There just isn't any comparison of a garden grown tomato to a chemically ripened tomato from half way around the world.

Norm Abrams of the New Yankee Workshop did a many part series of building your own kitchen cabinets a year or two ago. I'm guessing a woman of your skills could easily do it yourself and for a heck of a lot cheaper. I have plans to try it someday myself when I get the shell of my house built.

Eutychus2 said...

The 'mater' looks absolutely delicious, good job! Your stone wall is also very nice; you have every reason to be proud of yourself. Cheers.

MamaHen said...

Hey AD! thanks; it has been.
Yours haven't flowered yet! wow! that's so different from here.

Hey Erin! thanks! hopefully I will continue to make progress on that and not get distracted.

Hey Woody! LMAO!!! Now, that IS an idea! ha!! problem is I'm far enough along now that I'd have trouble coming up with something that I could use as an excuse to need an estimate for!

Hey Ed! maybe yours will be red soon!
Well, I could build my own cabinets but at some point, to me, you just have to say I need to get on and finish this thing, you know.

Hey Euty! thanks!!

Beau said...

Beautiful tomatoes! Alas, mine are still green. If they end up looking half that good I'll be haapy. House looks awesome, and the stone walls...

MamaHen said...

Hey Beau! thanks!! I'm sure your tomatoes will come out even better than mine.

Omelay said...

that IS a pretty tomato. your house is looking great too.

if it were me i'd put that top soil from the stump grinding in a new flowerbed or garden spot. next spring it will have good drainage and moisture retention properties.

MamaHen said...

Hey karl! thanks so much and thanks for the advice on the stump stuff; that is about what I was thinking.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

We have tomatoes here too (VA eastern shore) and lots of cukes and zukes, beets...great eating in the summertime. And you house progress is looking good too. Maybe we should combine veggies for an open house party? That would be an awecome gathering for sure.

MamaHen said...

That would be a great party Beatrice! I love the veggies at this time of year. I hardly have a taste for meat with it, just loads of veggies!