Beagles . . . A Sign of Fall

Beagles are always out in the woods in fall.  They are so noisy and rarely seen.  I have yet to capture them on video.  I usually see a few rabbits run by and along come the packs of beagles. I know there is a pack of 17 that lives close to us and occasionally get out and run for hours on end, sometimes in the early morning hours when we're still in bed.  Not so nice. My pack loves it and are climbing the walls to get out when they hear them. If I ever get them on film I will post!  Enjoy!

The Blair Witch Project

After a year and a half of living here, we finally decided to tackle the chicken coop, which I have been calling the Blair Witch Project, maybe because we just watched the movie again or maybe because that painted wall, which turned out to be a canvas, and all the mess in there reminded me of the house in the movie. 

The coop is situated across from the house in the wooded area once called the azalea garden by the original owners.  It has a circular path where there are many azaleas and camellias, I have planted hydrangeas and hostas and other things and have been restoring the area.  It sits at the back corner as it goes into the pasture. 

Of course, the chows, Roman and Princess, think it's heaven in there with the floor thick with shredded paper and straw from the nesting boxes and the smell of rodents that once nested in there once the chickens were gone.

I thought the wall had been painted, but it turned out to be a canvas and must have been painted by the artist who lived in the home last.  Once Bob swept out the debris and removed wood and glass panes, I could see it wouldn't need to be painted like I thought, just hosed down and ready to use as storage.  I am so happy not to have yet another room to paint.  I have had chickens before, and I would rather buy my eggs from the local farmers than deal with all the problems that come from owning chickens.

It is a well-built structure, all heart pine, and the nesting boxes are nice, so they will stay as a reminder of what the place was.  We found lots of eaten old photos and letters, some old gardening tools and a hammer. 

Roman's silver britches.

A surprise hidden behind those big windows behind Roman!

Bob loves chores like this.  Haha.  Great shot of Princess, or at least her big fluffy tail.

We had our builders move huge window panes from the garage to the coop when renovating.  They never saw this painting that they put the glass in front of.  What a surprise!  It is a huge painting, I'm sure by the artist who lived here.  We had a sketchbook of his and returned it to his brother and also went to an exhibition of his work in town and saw some of his paintings.  He didn't do many, he was a paper mache artist.  We also found a paper mache hand, missing a thumb.  A local told me someone once found one of his paper mache sculptures at the local dump.  That wouldn't have made him happy.  They were huge pieces and started at $3,000.

The painting measures about 4 feet by 4 feet.  Bob really likes it and wants to keep it in his library and keep it with the house that it belongs in.


Dogs of the week:

This is Kane, a senior in NC.  He was to be killed today at noon.  We got him out in time.  He is now at a boarding facility in Charlotte.  I worked with friends to drive the four hours needed to get him there.  I worked with a friend in CT who has a small rescue, and in two weeks that's where he will be. 

This is his brother Keagan, who was also saved and is going to the same rescue.  They both were left at an abandoned house, one chained in the front yard, one chained in the back, no food, water or shelter.  They have a lot of medical problems and are very skinny, but I will have to post the after photos once Stephanie gets them healthy. 

My other project this week is trying to get Mr. Chow from Arkansas to NC to NY.  My friend Toni runs a rescue in NY and wants him and is leaving the logistics up to me.  I have to get him pulled and to a vet to be neutered, then do a transport run to get him to Bob in Atlanta, to my friend Vickie in NC, and then up to the rescue in NY.  I have been in front of the computer all week.  I hope I can get this guy out in time. 

Gray Owl

Originally chosen to go on the walls, Gray Owl by Benjamin Moore ended up being the color for the door and two windows in our bedroom.  Hard to see in the photo, but it is a gray-green with a hint of blue and looks fantastic next to the iron work on the door.

Original hardware will be left as is.  There were three different sets of brackets for curtains on this door and two chain latches, all of which came down and the holes filled with putty then painted a couple coats.  

It's so nice to have an old-fashioned Dutch door in the bedroom, especially now that it's cool at night to leave in the great breezes from the gap.

I have decided it best to paint the walls in a neutral, one I picked called Sesame by Ralph Lauren. 

My lamp "finds" this week, smaller and cuter table lamps all under $6!

Also a couple of vintage glass shades, this one with a Fleur de Lis, all of which are for purchase in my Etsy shop TinyFarmhouseSupply.

I believe these were the shades we had in our kitchen in the '50s when I was growing up.

A lot of gold going on in the pasture.

And this is Gunner, our weekend guest who went to my friend Amber in GA who is in husky rescue.  She was not too happy that Bob taught him how to jump up on tables!

Amber usually has a dozen huskies at her house and her two little girls are always surrounded.  She is a pharmaceutical rep for Merck, has two little girls, and trains and fosters huskies.  I always tell her I want to be like her when I grow up!

Bob teaching Gunner bad dog tricks.

I thought the name Batman would better suit him because of his ears, but he came with the name Gunner.  Check out those blue eyes.  Total opposite of Frankie the white wolf we had last month.

The boathouse is rented for the next two months.  A couple will be here with their two bulldogs last weekend of September, so we finally got the doggy scamper ramp up so they can swim.  

Also got the doggy hitching post up so leashes can slide down and keep the dogs on the dock.  My friend from Florida will be here first week of October meeting some friends from NY and I will finally get to meet Kix, the dog she adopted that I had her pull from a Florida shelter.

Kix

Except for a few weekends renting to others, a chef for a local bistro is renting the boathouse and living in it for two months.  Looks like it's going to be hard to slip in a time to use the kayaks in this great weather.  

Gold right now, but this bittersweet, which is everywhere, will be a bright orange soon.  Welcome autumn!

Lamps Anyone?

I started to look at lamps at the local Hospice Thrift Store and Habitat For Humanity Store to put in my Etsy shop TinyFarmhouseSurplus.  This one looked so good in the farmhouse with my milk glass collection that I want to keep it, but I listed it for sale anyway.

Nice swirled milkglass and carved metal piece in the center.

Base is also milkglass. This one was $15.

The next time I went I found this unusual lamp.  Milkglass shade with heavy etched glass base with brass.  

This one has a wire piece that fits on top to hold a lampshade. I took this off and placed it in my living room because I have had a similiar lamp for many years and they look great together on opposite sides of the room.

This is the one I've had for many years.

This is the one that will someday make it to my Etsy shop, but for now it looks too nice to part with, and I needed the extra light until we get our flood lights put up on our living room beam.

This one cost a whopping $16

I also find a lot of light fixture pieces like these pretty frosted globes with etched thistles and berries.  A set for $2.

Another milkglass ceiling globe for $2, which just sold in my shop.

This is a delicate garnet shade costing $1

Amber shades for 50 cents apiece

A lighter amber shade

A retro '50s ceiling shade for $1.  

A unique set of four ceiling shades, one circular.  Sold these as a set.

Frosted hobnail shades were also 50 cents apiece

On my last trip I found another pretty milkglass lamp with a four-leaf clover pattern and brass base for $10.  Right now this one's a keeper for the farmhouse.

Looking forward to my trip there tomorrow, who knows what I'll come home with!  I may just become known as "the lamp lady"!