Summer retreat

I may have posted this already... I am getting old and forgetful, but it is one of the projects in store for us at our Elk Mtn retreat next week! Many versions of this can be found on the Internet, but this is my own take of the teapot bird nesting box. I cut many pickets and gathered lots of teapots for this project. The pickets can then be attached to a post with a couple of screws. There is a big box of plates, saucers, and such with holes drilled (the Mr. did that for us) for the swag lamp we intend to make along with all of the electric components and I made 7 wooden birdhouses to paint and decorate. We have scrounged lids, and skillets etc. for the gnome homes which will be designed from large hollow log segments and those have been provided by our host and hostess.

This week was Frontier Days and for Cheyenne, the biggest week of the year. Our daughter was here to visit and although we were sad to see her leave, we sure enjoyed having her here. We did the antique shops and flea markets, saw a parade, the Indian dancers, the midway, had martini's and sushi tacos at Suite 1901, saw the Thunderbirds as they fly over our home when they perform. There was cheesecake with our neighbors and lots more. That is the main reason I have been away from my post.

Anyway I will post more after my "Sabbatical at Church Camp"... that's what the Mr. called it last week when it came to mind. It truly is a sabbatical though. 3 days and nights with "the girls" at the most scenic cabin (3 stories plus a smaller cabin) which has all the comforts of home, nestled beside a creek can hardly be called roughing it. In addition, our hostess cooks for us. We truly are blessed!

Kitchen reno

This is where the fridge used to reside. Remember? The base cabinets are now permanently attached to the top, but this was not without a lot of fitting and trimming and cussing and leveling and shimming and cutting and gluing and screwing. Did I mention tattooing? And cussing? It now accommodate our 2 bar stools and I have things back in the drawers and shelves. The kitchen is a lot brighter as more light is allowed in. We still have much to do. Laminate tops to be installed and we haven't even decided the color for them yet and the area above all of this still needs to have drywall installed and texture and paint of course.
The view from the dining area.

This next week, beginning tomorrow, is the "daddy of 'em all" ~ Frontier Days! Cheyenne is one hoppin' town this next week and there is so very much to see and do. We have a very special guest for the week and are looking forward to the next few days. Have a good one!

Art of mother nature

A couple of nights ago when we were experiencing some of the thunder storms, ma nature decided to spare us with her teardrops and instead paint a picture in the east at sunset. I am always in awe at our Wyoming colors. Dad always called this "skyblue pink". It was his reply whenever as children, we asked what HIS favorite color was.
Lookie, lookie at my baby carrots aside some small turnips I harvested this morning. Actually I realized that I needed to thin the carrots again and these will be great in our salad for dinner. The turnips I scalded, blanched and froze in small pieces for that "bite" in a winter soup or stew.
Spencer is inspecting my paint color on this vintage set of metal lawn chairs. A few years ago I traded this set for a small chest of drawers. The swing was broken and it had many coats of paint on it. After stripping to the best of my ability and a repair job by the Mr. on the swing, they have followed me to each new location... 4 at this count for these pieces. I first painted them yellow, then they were blue and now.... well, apple green. That would make a total of about 10 coats in their lifetime. Reproductions are being made, but they are not as sturdy as these old babies and if they could talk! At any rate they look great on my back patio where I watch those great painted skies. I was raised with recycle, reuse, re purpose in mind, not because it was the right thing to do, but it was the only thing to do. Cloth hankies, napkins, towels, etc. So lawn furniture...you get another life.

Rhubarb art

Having my mother's rhubarb plant, which I have moved from place to place, reminds me of her pies. I love, love, love rhubarb in cobblers, crisps and pies. Whether it stands alone, or shares space with strawberries or pineapple or something else in these yummy dishes, I always think of her. So when I had to harvest another batch..(it produces multiple crops all summer) and couldn't convince a friend that she needed some, I washed it and put it in the fridge to cut and freeze the next day. Imagine my surprise when this artistic piece fell out of the bag. It was among several others that, like celery, prefer to be curly after chilled and cut! So perhaps my mom is working her artful spirits into the rhubarb which I still call hers.A view from the dining room into the kitchen gives a better idea of what the finished renovation will behold. Drywall will be installed and then the counter top will be cut for this area. Our home is not in a high-end area, although all of the homes here were custom built, so due to the resale aspect and budget constraints, we will be installing laminate. I also will have a new sink.
The past couple of weeks have been typical of early summer with rain in the late afternoon and evening, however, we have not ever had this much rain and hail that I can remember. Fortunately, we sit up on high ground and have just been on the edge of the hail so we personally have not experienced the damage or flooding that areas blocks just north of us have, or the Colorado residents whose damage has been extensive. We also have had moderate temperatures compared to the rest of the nation.

Garden and Renovation

Views of the garden out back from the north and the south. Squash are blooming and the radishes are going to seed already. I always plant too many radishes and they all seem to sprout. The peas? Not so good, but everything else is doing great!
Little Roger is surveying the yard, looking out for rabbits of course!
Quick update on the kitchen.. This is where the refrigeration previously sat and the wall is now open to the dining area. Lots of work to do here though. A header at the top, new wall behind the cupboard on the dining side, removal of the current studs and new box built for support and electrical. Then there will be a new peninsula of sorts to the right of the cupboard for 2 bar stools and of course new counter tops and new partial wall above all. And so on, and so on, and so on.

More kitchen renovation

The Mr. is beginning to cut away the drywall here where the wall will be removed! Pardon the spots, as this was a messy joy with particles flying everywhere.Drywall removed as well as the wall behind which the refrigerator sat.
More pictures to follow! But I am also getting prepared for my retreat at Elk Mountain next month. One of four projects planned is the one-room schoolhouse birdhouses which I began today. I have five partially assembled and yes...I am doing the sawing and glue and brads myself, except for having a board ripped by the Mr. I have 3 more to get to this point and then the roofs and bird holes, etc. Pictures next post. The second project is a teapot birdhouse and the next picture shows the pickets which will support the teapots.
We have large hollow logs which will become gnome homes after we make doors, windows and decorate. We also have been gathering materials for the roofs and I have the choice of using a copper bottom skillet or another combination of kitchen what-not with a smaller lid. The thrift shops were great places to search for these. Finally, we will be making lamps of sorts, one of which I posted earlier. Plates, saucers, cups and other electrical do dads will be assembled together, but I do need to have the Mr. help drill holes in the china pieces yet as this really is a two person job. We have had so much fun the past two summers staying at a beautiful cabin site and our host and hostess, especially the hostess, has made us feel so welcome.

Summer?

Just a couple of quick photos today as we spent most of it again working on or rather destroying the kitchen as it has been and working outside. These two photos were taken on Saturday and today respectively. In the area of Lake Marie in the Snowy Range, we captured these ice climbers.And this evening, my front garden. The delphiniums in the background are nearly seven feet tall and I have had to tie them up, but things are really very lovely! I trimmed roses and put down mulch as well as worked on a walkway in the back today so as the sweat drips from my nose--
"Deep in their roots, all flower keep the light." ~ Bishop Coxe

Fourth of July

Over the river and through the snow to Independence celebrations and Turner's house we go!
This year the snowfall was 200% of normal in many places. The road over the Snowy Range is always open by Memorial day. You can see by the drift we parked beside why it was such a difficult task getting it opened and why flooding was such a threat and reality when snowmelt began. This was Saturday morning and by Tuesday (today) when we came home the melting was pretty obvious. We had a wonderfully relaxing 4th weekend with friends at their new home.
Back to the kitchen remodel. The fridge now sits in it's new home with the doors switched. Not an especially difficult task, but time consuming, it took us a while as some of the screws in the door were stripped. Tomorrow, it will be back to the grindstone.
On Sunday we all trekked up toward Jack Creek and our old campsite. We are hoping to get there with the camper this year, but there is still some snow and muddy areas. A picnic lunch and beautiful weather made the day really nice. This moisture makes everything so green and the wildflowers love it. The Mr. snapped this Indian Paintbrush in her Sunday best.

Back at the house as I walked the dogs out yesterday morning toward the south edge of their property, I spotted a pair of badgers digging at a prairie dog hole. The prairie dogs and ground squirrels are quite prevalent and dig holes everywhere! I have seen badgers crossing a road, but these two just stared at me and I was frantically trying to get my dogs back to the house. Badgers are vicious creatures and I was fearful that the dogs would get curious and check them out. Luckily they didn't spot them. The osprey nest there and we spotted a female sitting on a pole with a fish she had captured for supper and then flew with the remains to her nest to feed the little ones. The hummers are there and put on quite a show at the feeder. One little male in particular declared it his territory and dive bombed the intruders. Swallows were nesting in a bluebird box with 3 eggs. Our hostess who is my gardening Guru, sent me home with several plantings for my garden. I plan to get them in tomorrow and I am so happy to have them. All in all the weekend was wonderful!

"To own a bit of ground, to scratch it with a hoe, to plant seeds and watch their renewal of life-This is the commonest delight of the race, the most satisfactory thing a man can do." ~
Charles Dudley Warner