lamp repair

It's very hard to find people to rewire lamps, and it's also expensive to have it done. I guess it's just part of the throw away culture in which we live. Part of the joy of having a family farm is that most objects in the house belonged to my parents, grandparents, and so on. Almost every little thing brings back a happy memory of family and childhood. I can go home again. The lamp I'm having repaired today is a Bavarian china vase decorated with red roses. It belonged to my grandmother. My mother converted it into a lamp. It's quite beautiful, and I've lived seeing it all my life. I remember how my mother loved it. I haven't been able to find a new shade. Outside of big cities, lampshade stores no longer exist.

Nothing here is a throwaway item, including the memories.

Repairs

Sigh. Today the job of fixing up the farmhouse and grounds seems overwhelming. I went to the hardware store and got the part I needed to fix the kitchen sink. I found a business that rewires lamps. Many of the lamp cords are so frayed, you would have to have a death wish use them. As I expected, all the steps to the doors are overgrown with vines. Mice have been in all the kitchen drawers and cabinet, so I had to wash all the dishes and cooking equipment, and disinfect the drawers  and cabinets as soon as I got here. The kitchen is beginning to look clean and cheerful. The yard work is slow going. Yesterday was warm, so I gave myself the day off. I spent most of the day on the porch swing with a cold drink and a novel. That's a good thing about farms. If you work most days, you can slack off any day because there is rarely anything that can't wait until the next day unless, of course, you have livestock. Well, back to the trenches tomorrow.

Nightlife - not.

Here is my bookcase in the living room. My Grandfather Wentworth bought it and the books when he married my grandmother. I reread my favorites such as Dickens, Hardy, and many of the poets. I also use the library in the nearest small town.

Friday and Saturday nights are the hardest time to be alone on the farm. It's a long drive to the nearest restaurant or movie. You have to have a solitary nature to live alone on a farm. Most farm people are involved with their church and their children's school activities, 4-H, Scouts, etc. Growing up here, I did all these things, but no longer. My books and computer are my best friends now. So, know yourself if you are  dreaming of living on a farm. Today, I am going to weed around the mailbox post, water and fertilize the crimson mums that are struggling to come back for another autumn. The day is cool, sunny and quiet. A nice breeze is blowing the lace curtains in the windows. Ah, peace.

harvest

Red Delicious apple tree

The soybeans were harvested today. The field is bare and brown, but beautiful in it's own way. A flock of crows were gleaning the field. It made a lovely picture. I picked and ate an apple from my orchard. I pity you if you have never eaten an apple off the tree. Store apples are tasteless and mushy. This was crisp, juicy, and sweet. Deer have been coming into the orchard at night to eat the fallen apples. I've been cleaning the house, but plan to do some yard work tomorrow. Nights are cool, and it's wonderful to fall asleep with the smell of leaves and the call of a barn owl.

Wi-FI

I arrived at the farm on Tuesday. Amazingly, my mailbox is intact. Perhaps the local boys are on their social sites instead of bashing mailboxes. "Opening up the farmhouse" is a task. I've worked my way through getting dish TV. No cable here. I've had the Tin Cup people hook up a water softener. Well water is full of minerals which clog up the pipes and appliances. I've gotten the old furnace working as it is dipping into the 40's at night. Good sleeping weather. I bought some prepaid mobile broadband, so I can use my computer. It was a nightmare to install it. Shame on you Verizon. It's taken most of the day and a lot of frustration. Well. The farmer's son drove the combine out of the barn, and they have been harvesting soybeans today. It looks to be a bumper crop this year. Yea. We all need the money. As I expected, the invasive brush is everywhere, and poison ivy vines are creeping up my screens. My mind is too tired to think, so that's it for today.

Fixing Up the Family Farm

After my parents died, my sister and I inherited the family farm. For the last ten years, she has needed all the profits due to health problems. The farm house and grounds have fallen into disrepair.This year I got a loan, so I can buy her half. This blog will be an account of my efforts to restore it to it's former beauty.
Scroll to the bottom of the page, and you will see a picture of the front of the farm house when my parents were alive and a picture of it now.

Well, I'm hot and tired from packing my car. Tomorrow morning I leave Florida and drive to my family farm in Ohio. I'm apprehensive but, also, excited. I know the fields will be perfect. They are farmed by one of the best farmers I know. But since my mother died, and we inherited the farm, the house, gardens, and orchard have fallen into neglect. I expect to see a "Sleeping Beauty"s Castle" when I arrive. The drive up to the farm house will be rutted and dusty. It's quite likely that the bored farm boys have taken a bat to my mailbox. In spite of electronic entertainment, drinking beer and bashing mailboxes are still a source of amusement for  them. The English ivy will have covered most of the brick walls, and it may have found a way in around the lose windows on the second floor. Needless to say, poison ivy will rule the yard. There will probably be mold on the plaster walls. I don't have much money, and I'm not very strong, but I love the farm and will do what I can to restore it.