Farmhouse Boxwoods Are In!

Last week I had to concentrate on getting my bare-root boxwoods planted.  I have had them for 10 years and couldn't leave them behind.  In my head I was going to plant them around the main house brick courtyard, but there was not enough room, so down to the farmhouse they went, and I think it worked out better.  They really dress the place up.  I first had to remove some bushes I do not know the name of, then take the pick ax and go to work.

As you can see, not much has come off the porch as of yet since I'm still unpacking in the main house, but this weekend Bob and I plan on working hard to get it looking a little better.

These were big boxwoods, worth lots of $$ and I had considered selling them to my friend Cleve who works as a landscaper for a shop in Atlanta called Boxwoods, but I knew I wouldn't be able to afford to buy them again, so I dug them up, put them in burlap and hauled them down to the pasture to sit and wait for the move.  It was well worth it!

We did manage to get some work done on the porch, and with the greenery, it's starting to look more welcoming.

I even painted a strip of "Oyster" on the porch post to get an idea of how the farmhouse will brighten up when painted.  Roman was kind enough to stand still for a minute behind the paint swatch and to enhance it with his black coat.

Also this week, Bob just happened upon some local egg source, and I was very happy!  These are cute little Bantam eggs, only $1 a dozen!

Roman got a surprise in the mail, a ThunderShirt from his Auntie April, and it works!  Video was posted on Facebook.

I am back to making my dogs' food and not buying canned.

Jacqui stopped by for lunch and a visit on her way home from Boston.  This is her man Kashi, a smooth blue.  Such a sweet chow!

And the sunsets here are beautiful.  I need to remember to take my camera on the last dog walk of the night.  An owl flew through on the last walk.

Can't really say what the next post will be, I never know what I'm going to accomplish in a week.  Still can't wait to get to the painting and decorating!

The Grounds

Since there is not much to show in the house yet, I thought a walk around the property would be nice to let everyone see how lush and green this area is.  I really love the foggy mornings over the mountain.  What a view to wake up to!

Past this gate at the bottom of the pasture is our other four acres that we have not walked.  We will have to cross the stream to get to it, but it is now so thick we will have to wait until winter.  Yesterday, a pack of beagles was back there on a hunt, stayed for an hour.  I have seen turkey and deer, no wild boars or bear as of yet.

Lots of butterfly weed!

Something I haven't seen in a long time, passion flower, or as it's called in the South, maypop.

Of course, some Queen Anne's Lace.

Up at the house hydrangeas are in bloom.

Walking down to the little farmhouse I find many interesting things growing, none of which I know the names of.  Time to get out the guides.

This little area is across from the farmhouse and already had stairs as if it was to lead to something, so this will be my future rose garden.  It really is the only place that gets sun all day in order to grow roses, and guests at the farmhouse can enjoy it from the front porch. As you can see, I have a lot of holes to dig.  These "Butterfly Roses" came with me and are now very hard to find, so I need to get them planted soon.

My antique horse head hitching posts now grace the front gate posts.

A view of the house from the driveway.  This area will someday get a path so we can walk through and look at all the shade plants.  I once read that when planning a garden you should choreograph a walk, which is precisely what I am doing as I walk the dogs, looking for ways to hook one little garden area with the next.  

Farther up the driveway looking at the house.  That big bush in front of the window will be coming out and a Japanese Maple that I brought with me will be going in.  They sure loved their ivy back in the day, but it kills trees.  So much here that I'm not going to bother with it, just plant more trees for when the ivy-covered ones succumb.

Side view of the house from the driveway.  Once painted and metal roof on, it will really stand out.  The drab grey does nothing for it.  The farmhouse will be white, as a farmhouse should be!

The Deodora Cedar down by the farmhouse with a glimpse of the mountain.

Front gate down by the rose garden and farmhouse.

I read in a newspaper clipping that was in with the family photos that the Dusenburies had planted over 100 varieties of trees.  So far I have named 15 varieties, so I am going to need help.  I'm not very good with identifying trees.  What I have identified are: Magnolia, above in this photo, Chestnut, Mimosa, Crepe Myrtle, Bald Cypress, Deodora Cedar, Canadian Hemlock, Maples, Pines, Eastern White Pine and Eastern Red Pine to be more specific, Sweet Gum, Red Bud, Tulip, Oaks, Cedars, Junipers.  The Magnolia above is where the hammock will go. It has strong limbs and lots of cool shade.  Hopefully next post I will have accomplished something decorative inside to share!

Dinner with Debra

I finally took a break from the house after much convincing by some friends and took Debra up on her invitation to dinner.  I have been friends with Debra for 15 years, and she has lived in Tryon for 12, and it has been quite sometime since I've been to her home.  She lives about 15 minutes from me, but I was surprised when the GPS took me on all dirt roads with farms, except for this one leading to her street, Winterset Trail.  The bridge was so pretty, I had to take a photo.

When Debra and Harold bought this home, she had just lost one of her rotties to cancer at a young age, so I had this stoned carved knowing she had named her home "Raven's Call".   It sits at the entrance to her home.

This is the driveway to her home.

Here is it nestled back in the woods.  It has grown up so much since I last visited.  Debra did the landscaping herself, and I must say it turned out beautiful.  Everything here is so lush and green, and it all smells so good!

Debra is giving me a tour of the garden, stopping in front of the Walking Stick bush, one of her favorites.  Koda is in the doorway checking out the intruder!

The Japanese Maple is beautiful, and she has big pieces of artwork throughout her garden.

I had to take a photo of Koda's little puffy tail, very unusual for a rottie.  Koda is now a senior and gives kisses instead of nips like she used to do!  I remember the day Debra left to rescue her and had to drive to Boston from Atlanta to get her.

As you can see from the saddles and reins, Debra is into horses.  She has one that is now 33 years old.  She also has miniature donkeys, which I prefer to the horses.

What I like about Tryon is the homes are all different and on a small scale, not the McMansions of Atlanta.  Debra is from Cooperstown, NY.  Her sister also lives in Tryon, but has a summer home in Cooperstown.  Their parents used to summer in Tryon, and both girls have always had a Tryon connection.

The house and garden was immaculate.  Debra's new guy is coming to visit in a few days from Idaho.  Who knows, now that I've gotten to Tryon, she may just be heading to Idaho, but at least I will have a place to take a trip to!

This scherenschnitte (paper cutting) was a gift from me to Debra for taking care of an ill friend.  It took me three years to finish, but it turned out like the original I had bought for myself.  It's all animals, and I was happy to see it hanging in her kitchen.  I even combed the frame. How did I have time to do things like that?

Last, but not least, this is Cayman, another senior rottie.  I remember the day when Debra rescued rotties and had seven at one time.  It was a little scary going for a visit with seven 150 lb. dogs. Debra is so tiny, but tough, and could put those rotties in their place!  We had a nice dinner, and the drive home was a little scary.  It's hard not knowing all the roads, and even though I have always lived in the country, it just seems extra dark here, no street lights, hardly any homes.  Next morning I found out I had a flat tire and was so happy it didn't happen on the way home with Bob being out of town!  My turn to have Debra over, maybe for lunch one day next week to hear all about her visit with John.

Hidden Surprises

So far, not much "renovating" going on.  Still unpacking, and seems that all I do is move stuff around trying to find things and reorganize.  I can't wait until the fun part, painting, decorating and hanging paintings, gardening and all the things that will make this a pretty home.  There is an occasional surprise, like this pretty copper planter that was found under a pile of wood scraps as I was cleaning out the wood shed.  

Then one night looking at the black and white photos of when the house was first built, I noticed a brick path leading from the mudroom/laundry room to the front courtyard.  I immediately went out with a shovel and started digging under 4 inches of dirt and ivy, and there it was!  From time to time I am taking a break from the unpacking and going out to unearth the walkway.  This part of the yard has lots of sun, so this is where I will have my herb garden once the ivy is gone.  Don't worry, there is plenty of ivy to go around, seems that stuff was popular in the '40s!

Also found in the wood shed was an old oak ironing board with a cute little sleeve board above it.  Very well-made and something that would be very fitting in the guest farmhouse. All it needs is a pretty new cover.

I did get one wall in the mudroom painted out of necessity so that Bob could put up the Elfa shelving and I could get cleaning products off the kitchen table.  This is Eddie Bauer's "Porcini" found at Lowe's.  It's dark, but with a white ceiling and having dogs in the mudroom, I think it will be the perfect color.  I will be starting to paint Bob's bathroom this week since it's the ugliest room in the house.  I planned on painting it a mossy green, but Bob said he wasn't  a "green" person, so he chose a color that will be very different, but I think will look very nice.  I have big plans for his bathroom!

Taking a Break From the Indoors

Our pasture is full of these gorgeous thistles now turning to seed and luring flocks of goldfinches. Butterfly weed is starting to emerge which will bring lots of butterflies.

 I carved out a little seating area in our front courtyard next to the fountain and planted a few shade plants in my faux bois planters just to have a nice place to sit and rest from all the work and have a nice view of the mountain.

My friend Debra stopped by with a housewarming gift, a big metal bluebird on a pole that she got at an arts festival.  It brought me good luck, I now have two bluebirds' nests in boxes.

We decided to take a break and go to the boathouse to spruce up for Memorial Day.  The black bamboo I planted a few years ago is looking beautiful. 

These are not the nodding thistles I am accustomed to in GA, and I will have to find out the name of these.  Maybe next post will be of something accomplished in the house.  Unpacking and finding places for things is the top priority right now.  Habitat for Humanity came and took a lot of things off my hands, and I now have craftspeople from the Southern Highlands Guild coming to get scraps of heart pine lumber from the pantry that was ripped out.  Things are moving, but at a slow pace.

Renovation Snipets

I have been having technical difficulties, but today I was able to get a few photos on of a little bit that has been accomplished in the reno.  The old blue boards are in the bathroom and the tile floor has been laid.  Aside from being painted and mirror and pictures hung, this room is the closest to being completed than any other room in the house.

I am happy that I kept the old fixtures, they are in perfect condition and just needed to be cleaned. 

The Silestone countertop is in, the old ugly dirty laminate GONE! This countertop is so beautiful, it was well worth the time and effort to track it down.

The new appliances are also in.  They are GE, and this is a new line called slate.   GE is trying to give an alternative to stainless steel, and the slate is not going over well, but I love it. 

As you can see, the floors still need to be sanded, stained and sealed, the walls need to be painted, I need to find tile for a backsplash.  This room has a long way to go.  Right now the most important thing is to get the cupboards cleaned so I can put dishes away, then the cupboards will need to be stained and sealed. 

Another view of my lovely countertop and appliances.  I have chosen a paint color called Porcini which will look fantastic with the grays and browns of the countertop and appliances. I also saw on Pinterest concrete tiles that were stenciled and would be a beautiful backsplash, if I can only track those down.

Finally, the bathtub is out of the bedroom and has made it to its destination in a little nook in the bathroom.  The plumbers will be back to put the fixture on and hook it up.  With so much to do in the main house, it will be some time before I can get to the guest farmhouse, but once the movers come back to rearrange furniture, I will be able to get in there and take some before photos and share them with you.