Crazy

This is how the farmhouse looked shortly after we bought it.
Below is a list of the work we have done on the farmhouse over the last 3 plus years
in no particular order.

Replaced door to basement
Replaced pantry door
Added porch and stair rails
Replaced stairs to three porches
Removed and shored up ceiling in livingroom
Removed carpet and refinished existing pine floors
Added two upstairs bathrooms in one of the bedrooms
Replaced toilet in downstairs bathroom
Painted interior of house
Fenced area for dogs
New wood floor in master bedroom
Built arbor over gate
Built arbor with swing
New wood floors downstairs
Rebuilt chimney
Repointed stone foundation
Replaced faucets in downstairs bathroom
New countertops in kitchen
New sink and faucets in kitchen
Moved stove and added fan and pot filler
New exterior door in livingroom
New exterior door in familyroom
Hung pot rack in kitchen
Shored up doorways in livingroom and entry hall by adding headerboards
Planted fruit trees, roses and hedges
Planted hosta bed behind garage
Relandscaped circle near garage
Added upstairs laundry room
New mantle over fireplace
Added R.O. water system
Covered dry well in basement and added moisture barrier
Removed and pruned black walnut trees
Added warming drawer in kitchen
Added garage shelving
Relocated bats and red squirrels from attic
Added locks to windows
Changed hardware and painted kitchen cupboards
Added battons to plywood siding on garage
Painted garage
Replaced side door to garage
Added locks to front and side doors
Added curtains throughout
Added drip irrigarion system
Changed address on house from one city to one I liked better (that was a trick!)
Changed garage from one big door to two smaller ones
Added fire alarm system throughout house
Upgraded electrical system - grounded outlets
Added cupola and weathervane to garage
Supported floor in livingroom, kitchen and other downstairs rooms
New appliances except dishwasher
New furnace
Added airconditioning and removed window units
New light fixtures throughout
Constructed walkways and patio
Insulated attic and basement
Rebuilt porches (3)
Screened in one porch
Painted exterior with special paint which is now coming off in sheets
Replaced missing corbels and woodwork on exterior

Still to be done.
Repaint one upstairs bedroom
Renovate closets in two bedrooms
Reglaze and repaint windows

All this and the house still looks about the same. There are still draughts in the winter. Basically, I bought the house twice with the cost of repairs but could only sell it for a lot less. Would I do it again? I don't think so. Next time I would like to build a reproduction house and have some idea of what the costs and problems would be.

More of This and That

Happy Fourth of July everyone! Summer has clearly arrived and how. By next week I will be a grandmother for the 4th time- life can be pretty wonderful.




I've been on a needlepoint kick of late and this is one of the results. I think it will be going to a friend in the Netherlands for her 85th birthday! Off to the post office I go!



Although I'm very fond of my old house- it does have issues. One of these issues if the red squirrel that haunts the attics. The chewing and rolling of walnuts is driving me crazy. Since the breeding season for them is over---I have declared war. I have found a company that will trap and relocate the little darlings to a location elsewhere. Sometimes it pays to be a good guest and not eat your host's house!



Hello Annabelle! It's easy to see why she's such a favorite- all you need to do is plant it and get out of the way.

I thought the new garden was looking so cute now that the petunias are filling in.
Happy Fourth!

The Old Farmhouse

I must first thank all of you who have sent such lovely emails checking up on me. I had no idea when Heather first talked me into blogging what a nice group of women are out there. It is such a supportive community and a great way to make friends with similar interests.

Next I would like to thank The Kitten's Mother for the blogging award. It was a great surprise and did, in fact, raise my spirits as was intended. She has a lovely blog, is from England and so creative. Best of all she is a cat lover and fosters kittens! Please check out her blog, I know you will enjoy it. It is listed on the right so click away!

Since I haven't been doing much but sofa warming, I haven't much to talk about. Since it is the 125th year this house has been sitting here, I thought I'd tell a bit about the people who first built the house.



According to the mill stone by the back of the house, it was built in 1883 by William H. Glenn. The History of Washtenaw County describes the family as follows: .... William H. was born on the old homestead, and received his education largely at home. Sept. 30,1850, he was joined in marriage to Mathilda J. Watts, of Lyndon tp., and immediately settled on a portion of the family farm lying south of his brother's, where he still resides. In addition to farming he has lately engaged in the Fire and Life Insurance business, which has proven very remunerative to him. He inherits characteristic energy and enterprise of his father, along with the noble and refined traits of his mother, which have aided him considerably in his way through life. He is connected with the Grange interest, and with his wife, is a member of the North Lake Church. Six children, 5 daughters and 1 son have been sent to bless this alliance.....

The picture of the house above was taken in the 20's. The property changed hands in 1918 and consisted of approximately 40 acres. In 1943 it passed to the children of this owner and was broken up and sold off in various amounts at various times. In 1946 the house changed hands and was sold to Cyrillus Nagle.





When the Nagle's purchased the house it had no electricity or plumbing! They pretty much made the improvements that were in the house at the time we purchased it.

The Glenn family is buried in the North Lake Cemetery as are several of their children.



Having an old house is like having a dog. It requires a lot of attention but gives you an instant connection with other people who like them. You always have something to complain about!

Dumber Than Dirt

I freely admit that I am technically challenged. I had one of those happy ideas that cause all kinds of grief when I couldn't load pictures into my photobucket. After the third or fourth failed attempt (no one said I was bright either!) I figured out I was at capacity and needed to open new albums- well, then I decided why not organize all my photos in the bucket? I just got busy and ignored that little warning sign that kept coming up about links, etc. and moved all the photos attached to the blog! Clever, no? After a panicked phone call to Heather, she was able to restore my banner and the rose by Greenie Gardens and make me understand my stupid mistake. But I now had no photos to go with the archives on my blog, not wanting to go back and try to figure out what went where, I erased most of the old blogs. So--- I have decided to just do posts of the subjects I wrote about- dogs, house, quilts, roses, garden, my California garden and house, maybe some cooking etc. Sorry if you have seen some of the pictures before! So that's my latest hairbrained idea.

This is always my wacky time of year. For example the major things that are going to go wrong with the house, car, etc. usually happen about now. This year is not much different. I had a lovely day yesterday working on my blog, taking photographs, cooking, my basic favorite activities -- and then it all started--- I went upstairs to start a load of laundry and the gray box that controls the washer with it's automatic shut-off valve wouldn't work --- for no known reason. It has been working perfectly for the last year and now-- won't let the water come to the washer---grrrrrrr. The room is only big enough for the door plus the washer and dryer stacked on top of eachother and -- yep the panel is behind the stupid thing. I am able to wedge
my not so slim body into the space on the side and feel what is in the box but not see it. Well, a call to the plumber--Happy New Year. Next, in frustration I go back to the computer, have a glass of wine and work on a posting. John comes up behind me and decides to point to something on the screen and-- you guessed it --- wine all over the computer. First I just wanted to panic, they I wanted to do serious damage to John and finally we mopped up what we could and pulled the battery out. After a lot of time with the hair dryer and the hose on the back of the vacuum blowing air-- it works but with a little damage to the screen--did I mention he hurled it everywhere? Oh and the garage door is barely opening-- you have to help the opener open it. They say bad things come in three's but I've found it's more multiples of three's. It's looking like 2008 is going to be an expensive year!

Interior of Farmhouse- Upstairs

Master Bedroom




















Bath With Tub

















Bath With Shower














Hall








Guest Room








Guest Room

Interior of Farmhouse- Downstairs

Living Room



















Entry Hall







Guest Room











Kitchen

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a safe and sane New Year's Eve. We had a nice dinner out with friends and came home to await the winter storm. Being a transplant from California, I still get excited about snow. I just love it. Of course this attitude has a lot to do with the fact that I don't have to go out in it unless I want to!



This year the house in 125 years old.

This is the busy street in front of our house. Not a car in sight!



Some of us find the snow somewhat less wonderful!





I don't think anyone wants to sit on this bench!


Panettone has so many possibilities.... I can't tell you how delicious this recipe for bread pudding with amaretto sauce is, I double the sauce, however, because I like lots. It's relatively quick to make if you precut the cubes and freeze them. I've found that they keep for a long time in the freezer and I can have bread pudding even when panettone is hard to come by. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_29086,00.html



This morning - to start the year out right- we had Panettone French Toast, I cut some slices of panettone, mixed a couple of eggs with a tablespoon or two of cream, added a little Grand Marnier, dipped the slices and fried them in butter. I topped with some powdered sugar and pure maple syrup and it was heaven!