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| Two buddies relaxing |
Greetings form Thistledown as we come to the close of Fire Fly / Long Days Time. Things have been "popping" here as we roll into summer.
Our weather has been hot and fairly moist, so things in the garden are finally taking life seriously.
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| Assorted greens from the garden |
The greens have been coming in nicely.
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| Pac choi, parsley and shiitakes |
I've even gotten some put by in the freezer.
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| Garlic scapes |
Garlic scapes have been harvested...
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| Pesto patties ready for the freezer |
...and made into a vegan pesto. The patties are in the freezer for use next winter.
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| "Red Climber" Kidney beans |
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| Planting beans along a trellis |
I've got all of the corn and drying beans planted. All are growing nicely.
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| Happy Solstice! |
We celebrated the Solstice with strawberry shortcake. Our berries produced very poorly this year. I've been ignoring the beds and need to spend some remedial time with them this summer. Raspberries and tree fruit also look like they'll be sparse. Thankfully the blueberries look like they'll give us a good yield.
Our big renovation project for this year has begun: the pantry.
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| Pantry before: SW corner |
Past owners have used this room for a bedroom or a family room (den). We use it as pantry space, housing our two freezers, clotheslines (for inclement weather), extra large cookware and bulk beans and grains.
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| Pantry before: NW corner |
The space was in a deteriorating condition, having last been updated in the 1960s. We had a permanent ceiling and lights installed right after we moved in. Now it's time to tackle the rest of the room.
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| Temporary set up of pantry |
First we had to empty the room. I narrowed it down to essentials and they are now in our dining room. (We are eating in the kitchen). The extra things are in the cellar in an accessible location.
Then on to the room...
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| Example of torn carpet |
Bob began by removing the carpet. This was foam backed indoor/outdoor stuff. There were many tears and the backing had deteriorated. That made it come up quite easily.
Underneath the carpet were asphalt tiles. The glue on these was also decaying, so they popped off easily, too. Now we're down to the plywood subflooring.
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| Bob begins to pull up the carpet |
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| Off come the paneling |
Next, Bob moved on to removing the paneling. As we suspected, there was no drywall behind 2/3 of the walls. That accounts for a lot of the cold air coming in. There are fiberglass batts, poorly installed, that sit between the paneling and the outside clapboards. Nice fire safety, there! This is why we have building codes, people!
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| Wall with old window opening |
Behind one wall we found what we believe was originally a window. An even bigger surprise was ahead.
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| Old exterior door |
The next wall revealed an original exterior door. It was simply nailed shut and paneled over. It won't be reused because it's a solid wood (non insulated) door. It's too large to use anywhere else in the house. Too bad.
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| Drywall coming down |
Bob's now removing what old drywall there was in place.
His next step will be to remove a rough grid work that held the paneling in place. Then he'll properly insulate the walls with rigid foam and expandable spray foam.
We've contracted to have two new windows installed on the south wall. This is scheduled for the autumn, so the project won't be finished before winter. But, there's plenty to do in the meantime.
That's what we've been up to here. Lunette continues her squirrel watching, punctuated by outdoor naps. She's having a difficult time this week. Someone in the neighborhood feels the need to shoot off fireworks on a daily basis. Even with her prescription medication, she gets extremely agitated. She has a weakened heart and we wouldn't be surprised if some such Tom Foolery sent her into a fatal cardiac event. But let's not interfere with anyone's fun. Sorry, but I'm getting very tired of our national tendency toward selfish disregard of others.
Please think and act in a caring and kind manner as you go about your life this summer. We're all members of this universe together, whether we like it or not.
Till next time,
Bob, Kathleen and Lunette
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| Napping dog. We often watch to see if she's still breathing. |
