A peek inside...

The chicken coop?  HA! No!    
             

Salvage shelves that came with the barn. Fall harvest spinach.

The Greenhouse

I don't know where to start. My fondness for Krause's Greenhouse in Vassar, MI? Naw.

My husband's fantastic effort to
a.) stand on a ladder (he has thing about heights, which he claims he is "over"
b.) drill about 999 mostly straight screws  
c.) not only understand, but spot, quickly remedy, and not even lose a step the biggest issue? yep.

I should start there.  But instead, I will use chronology and pictures.  On Friday, about lunchtime, a truck came. She beeped her backward butt past the front porch construction* hissed her air brakes and deposited a load.

It was a very large truck.

The truck had a hydraulic lift gate and a wee little fork lift that enabled the nice man wearing cowboy boots and jam shorts (and I thought *I* was embracing 'Quarantine Couture' HA!) to easily deposit the six hundred pound flat pack of preformed kit... OF MY GREENHOUSE!

It took every ounce of my will power to NOT start tearing boxes open. I waited. Like an adult who has leveled up in Patience Prowess. Back in my 20's I would have been in those boxes like a rabid hyena on a hot dog cart.

Early Saturday morning the HouseFam gathered. We stood contemplating the physics of seven large,  VERY HEAVY and poorly balanced boxes. It was obvious that as soon as we cut the wrapping we were going to have the world's biggest Blooming Onion (tm).  We calmly debated best how to unbox the beast. Finally, stationed around it, awkwardly hugging hot cardboard, the four of us successfully removed the boxes from the pallet.  Whew. 

Where we paused after lunch. 6.5 hours in.

It was made very clear that Pete was "point man" and *I* was going to be "helper". For Dear Reader, he had actually WATCHED the instructional video. I tried very hard to not be bossy and obnoxious. I only quietly second guessed a  couple things. We did NOT get in an argument. ALL DAY!! Even when my brilliant husband realized the trusses were NOT going to line up with the rafters and he had to reposition ten little framing thingies that were WRONG.

It was a beautiful day. Sunny and clear and really a pleasant 85F. In the sun... working... PFFFFT BREAK!!  Z went off to work. I zipped around town grabbing library books and pre-ordered ice cream. Because that is life now. I walked Keiki. Food was nommed.

Pete tagged J. because it was obvious that my little T Rex arms were not gonna be of any benefit. Nor would the petite artiste be of any construction help.  About 7pm, the temp starts dropping and we head back out to do the hard part. Less than two hours later the roof bits were installed and the skeeters were getting annoying.

YAY TALL PERSON!

All that is left is installing the vent pistons and I am ready for shelves!

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*Our purple house still has white stripes because the painter guys are waiting on St. Mike and AmazingDon to rebuild the front porch. It was bad. It is gonna be amazing. FunFact the spindles are coming from FARGO!

Old biddies,

Wren is six years old. She is my Icy.  Padme and Maz are both four. EVERYBODY WAS BROODY. I was getting ready to make a chicken shaming joke.  Finally, last night, for the first time in WEEKS we actually got three eggs!

Padme trying to convince me she will "win" playing with doggos. mmmm NO.


Also, this bread turned out GREAT!

These puppers, keeping me on my toes...

When Luna started to refuse her meds I started burying it in all kinds of lovely cheesy gravy bits. She started to really lose her appetite and the tempting mush portions of her food became the larger portion of her daily kibble. Keiki usually only needed a spoonful of whatever flavor boost Luna was getting and she joyfully scarfed down her dry kibble like there was no tomorrow.

Now Lark arrives and is a damn food snot! There was the whole puppy vs big girl drama, which? Honestly? I have given up on the puppy formula. It is pricey and nobody was eating it. So neither of them eats till they are ravenous. But, they get all mental and rowdy when they are hungry. If their tummies are full they are well behaved. I am not making gravy special plates twice a day for these two perfectly healthy dogs.  The dry kibble just sits in the bowls.

They get spaz. I give them a greenie (30 seconds of peace). One per day.  They start wrestling but the lawn guys are here.  Okay, have a bullystick. Lark takes about an hour and Keiki about 20 minutes to devour, but then they are full of rich treat and don't eat the kibble.  But boy are they interested in whatever we are eating!

I do have a good system going with stuffed/frozen Kongs at dinner. So they aren't begging at the table.  Any comments? advice to get them to eat dry kibble breakfast? shared anecdotes? If you don't want to respond here my email is wgouine1ATmacDOTcom.

2.8 miles OR Found in the Wild!

$10. No Holla

The subdivision had a rummage sale. It was hot. But the mere idea that there MIGHT be fiestaware (tm) and the doggo's needing walking, got me up off the couch this sunny Saturday.  The family promenaded around the sub.

Really the sub isn't a likely prospect for Vintage Pottery but as I sat in the shade holding Lark and Keiki's leashes, Pete came back and said, "You should go look at the fiestaware and I should hold the dogs." He is so damn sexy. LOL

I leaped up and zeroed in on the tiny stack.  They had an odd group of luncheon plates and bread and butter plates. And one little orphan sugar bowl. No Lid. No Creamer, BUT no chips or glaze flaws. I am not big on Turquoise but I couldn't leave it behind. I am a sucker for the silhouette and the scroll handles. The Ivory Dinner Plate (9.5") was gonna need some love. She had a lot of utensil marks. Barkeeper's Friend and two minutes of gentle polishing and she is in rotation.

Toxic Social Media BS

To Whom It May Concern,

I am hesitant to bail on FB completely because my people are still there... and yet... it is so awful. Have you heard of DoomScrolling?  I feel like one has no choice but to deal with that horrible crap 24-7. I just want to share a funny non political meme on a friend's wall. Guaranteed to make them smile and within one minute of being there it is awful and gross and I have to go.  I used to enjoy "Upworthy"--it is getting morbid. Is there no place like FB USED to be? Pics of babies and pets? Silly quizzes that didn't data mine for your passcode shite? Fun jokes that didn't hurt anyone?  I guess it is time to start writing letters... with a pen... and a stamp... Please write to me. I am getting stir crazy.