The grass is growing in, finally. Tipper loves to chase chipmunks along the rocks, and a nice photo of the old sugar shack.

Dave seeding the lawn, the pond, and the barn!

At this point, we could change our minds and have a picnic pavilion instead, but the horses like the idea of a barn.

Recent Horse Photos

Progress!

We now have shutters. Looks so pretty. Tipper and I walked through the woods and found our neighbors having a barrel racing show. What I love about Tipper is that she totally 'gets' being a spectator. Just gets herself comfy and watches the games. When it's time to leave she hides behind a bush or lies in the cool dirt by the garage. She won't come. I know how she feels. We all want to stay. It feels like where we belong now.

Trip to the Hardwood Outlet

A trip to the Hardwood Outlet yesterday in Enfield. Beautiful place. The smell of freshly milled wood the moment you step through the doors. Listen to the names of the woods; like words in a poem.
Spanish Cedar, White oak, Lacewood, Eucalyptus, Cypress, Q-sawn Sycamore, Poplar, Walnut, Red Maple curly, Sassafras, Maple Birdseye, Hickory, Basswood, Cherry, Hard Maple, and Flame Birch. All sold by the board foot. The old man running the place told me no husband should be allowed to go there without his wife. Too tempting. He seemed surprised to have a woman in the place. Asked me if Dave had promised to take me clothes shopping afterward. I told him I wasn't much for clothes shopping.

Pen-y-Bryn

That's a tankless hot water heater. Didn't know they had such things! Good energy savings. Dave is building our kitchen cabinets. He rented a spot in an old factory and moved all his heavy equipment. A daunting project, but it will be well worth it in the end. The house now has siding on it!

July 17, 2010

Windows in, roof on. Fireplace wall. Beautiful.

The latest goings on at Pen-y-Bryn. Met the plumber today. Told us that Mike is the best builder he's ever worked with. Love the house. Every worker says, 'beautiful house!'. They love working with this design. Took some pics of front, back, and side....plus one shot of the locals chewing the cud.

Dave has been looking for a tractor. Here he is standing on one of the builder dude's tractors. His thoughts?....."Yes.....but is it big enough?" Going to have to put a leash on him.

Then, we have Tipper, feeling smaller than a gerbil next to all these cavernous holes, big dirt piles, and big yellow tractor thingies.

May 29th, 2010- lots of progress!

Permit on Monday night....big hole by Saturday. Cool.

Recipe for Yorkshire Pudding

4 Large fresh eggs
equal quantity of fresh milk to eggs
same with all purpose flour
pinch of salt
vegetable fat or pan drippings (best if you use Crisco...no, this is not health food.)

Mix the first four ingredients. Consistency should be somewhat like cake batter. Leave to sit for 30 minutes.

Put a pat of Crisco (about 1 tblsp) in each muffin hole of the muffin tin pan. You can make one big one in a big cake pan, but there is so much less fighting if everyone gets their own pudding. And they taste better this way.

Put the muffin pan in a 450 degree oven. When the fat is just smoking, ladle mixture in to 1/3 full. Bake for about 20 minutes. Keep a close eye on them, but don't open oven.

Serve with just about anything; pot roasts and roast turkey are the faves. Encourage guests to fill with a dollop of gravy. Delicious.

New photos

Found some guys who were willing to clear a site for barn and house for the price of taking the wood. Took some pics of the goings on. Things seem to be moving along considering we closed just one short week ago. Can't wait to see the barn go up. Tipper has staked out a place she calls Tipper Hill. Even though she does have a dainty walk and wears a plaid raincoat in stormy weather, she is no 'foo-foo' dog. Today, she squared off against a big orange tractor...and won.

Eastern Bluebird pair

Yesterday, a pair of Eastern Bluebirds visited us as we staked out a place for the barn. (Naturally, we're staking the barn instead of the house!) We did not take this photo, but isn't he beautiful? Bluebird males attract potential females by showing them all around their territory. If the female likes his bachelor pad she'll stay. If not, she searches for a mate that will provide a better place to nest. Bluebirds don't often visit feeders, but appreciate nesting boxes.

Pen-y-Bryn

Pen-y-Bryn means 'top of the hill' in Welsh. We chose this name from several equally good titles, but this one fits us best, honoring our British heritage and the terrain. Pen-y-Bryn, our Pen-y-Bryn is at the top of a hill. You have to climb a long, long way to get to it. We've climbed a long, long way to get to it. My mortal self wishes I could walk mom and dad over every inch of it, pointing out the mountain laurel, the paper birch, those tiny starfish paw prints from the possum that trundled through in the night. But, I know that mom and dad are safe in their spirit world, and after everything....they brought us to these precious acres. Mom's enthusiasm for life and dad's generous spirit have brought us to this place in our lives. A gift....

This blog is meant to be a journal of sorts to share with family and friends. A diary of our going home.