A step to the right….

Today the barn was re-settled. The barn had somewhat settled and we are putting a lean-to on it to fit the tractor and some other stuff. When we were measuring, the barn had settled enough that the tractor wouldn’t fit, now that just wouldn’t do. So, we hired the duo with their magical, mystical, man-drooling trailer to come and remove the barn so we could re-fit the foundation and re-position it in its new and improved spot. This is how it looked…..

This is what it looked like after its retro-fitting.

Lean-to construction may now begin!

Who’d have guessed?

Here is a list of 75 things that you can compost but probably thought you couldn’t from planetgreen.discovery.com. Some of them are things that I would never have given a second thought could be composted and then some, well, I just probably wouldn’t compost anyway.

1. Coffee grounds and filters
2. Tea bags
3. Used paper napkins
4. Pizza boxes, ripped into smaller pieces
5. Paper bags, either ripped or balled up
6. The crumbs you sweep off of the counters and floors
7. Plain cooked pasta
8. Plain cooked rice
9. Stale bread
10. Paper towel rolls
11. Stale saltine crackers
12. Stale cereal
13. Used paper plates (as long as they don’t have a waxy coating)
14. Cellophane bags (be sure it’s really Cellophane and not just clear plastic—there’s a difference.)
15. Nut shells (except for walnut shells, which can be toxic to plants)
16. Old herbs and spices
17. Stale pretzels
18. Pizza crusts
19. Cereal boxes (tear them into smaller pieces first)
20. Wine corks
21. Moldy cheese
22. Melted ice cream
23. Old jelly, jam, or preserves
24. Stale beer and wine
25. Paper egg cartons
26. Toothpicks
27. Bamboo skewers
28. Paper cupcake or muffin cups
29. Used facial tissues
30. Hair from your hairbrush
31. Toilet paper rolls
32. Old loofahs
33. Nail clippings
34. Urine
35. 100% Cotton cotton balls
36. Cotton swabs made from 100% cotton and cardboard (not plastic) sticks
37. Cardboard tampon applicators
38. Dryer lint
39. Old/stained cotton clothing—rip or cut it into smaller pieces
40. Old wool clothing—rip or cut it into smaller pieces
41. Bills and other documents you’ve shredded
42. Envelopes (minus the plastic window)
43. Pencil shavings
44. Sticky notes
45. Business cards (as long as they’re not glossy)
46. Receipts
47. Contents of your vacuum cleaner bag or canister
48. Newspapers (shredded or torn into smaller pieces)
49. Subscription cards from magazines
50. Leaves trimmed from houseplants
51. Dead houseplants and their soil
52. Flowers from floral arrangements
53. Natural potpourri
54. Used matches
55. Ashes from the fireplace, barbecue grill, or outdoor fire pit
56. Party and Holiday Supplies
57. Wrapping paper rolls
58. Paper table cloths
59. Crepe paper streamers
60. Latex balloons
61. Raffia
62. Excelsior
63. Jack o’ Lanterns
64. Those hay bales you used as part of your outdoor fall decor
65. Natural holiday wreaths
66. Your Christmas tree. Chop it up with some pruners first (or use a wood chipper, if you have one…)
67. Evergreen garlands
68. Fur from the dog or cat brush
69. Droppings and bedding from your rabbit/gerbil/hamsters, etc.
70. Newspaper/droppings from the bottom of the bird cage
71. Feathers
72. Alfalfa hay or pellets (usually fed to rabbits)
73. Rawhide dog chews
74. Fish food
75. Dry dog or cat food

Church Street

Tom and I have been spending a couple days in Burlington while the boys are in camp. This is a real treat for me. We got to spend some time together and explore which is pretty cool. Today we went on a drive up to the islands on Lake Champlain which was very pretty and definitely a vacation consideration for next summer. Isle La Motte was both our favorites since it is only 16 sq miles 8 of which are land and has not a restaurant that we could find, store or any of the other hokey tourist trap type places. Having finally spent some time by the Lake in the summer (as opposed to the winter when we were up this way last during the day) and it is beautiful. Reminds me of the ocean, peaceful and calming.

Tonight, despite the rain that fell crazy earlier, we were able to walk down to Chuch Street for some delicious Thai food for dinner. A real treat since we seldom get it where we live. It was a nice and relaxing day and a good trip. (Despite the crazy screaming woman in the room next to us)

The road home

Tonight we went down to Bob’s Diner in Manchester for dinner and then to the Northshire Book Store. All the men agree that Bob’s has the best milkshakes around. We were convinced that tonight must be “launch your own backyard fireworks” night because on our way back, we passed two backyard displays. We also passed a petrified raccoon that looked like it was dropped from the sky and froze with legs outstretched in fright before it expired.

As we were making our way up our road (for those of you that don’t know, we are three miles from the south up a dirt road) In the summer the road always looks small and narrow at night with the headlights illuminating all the greenery around us. I remember several years ago, before we moved up here permanently, when we would come up for the weekend or vacation, driving that last stretch of roadway, always felt like we were entering a magical, special place, with the trees falling over the roadway and the grasses and weeds and wildflowers on the side of the road.  It always felt like we were going somewhere so far from our normal lives. Tonight, driving up that same stretch of roadway, all of us in the car, reminded me of those drives up from NJ. I would have never even fathomed that we would be making the drive to our permanent, real home – but I am glad that we did.

Solitude

The boys all left last night and by now are happily (I hope) sitting around a campfire eating dinner and laughing up a storm. They should have had most of the afternoon on the water since they split the 8 hour drive between last night and this morning.

Tom and I had a fairly productive day running some errands together with breakfast out and then gardening and doing yard work for the rest of the day. I was so busy attacking the weeds in my garden that the time just flew by and I didn’t realize how late it was until I smelled our neighbor’s dinner cooking. My tummy grumbled and we realized when we stopped that it was past 7 p.m.

We’re getting pizza and watching something on the computer… Calm, relaxing evening.

Here’s a piece of history for you

Courtesy of http://www.nps.gov

On today’s date, July 8th in 1776 the Liberty Bell was rung during the first reading of the Declaration of Independence. When it was rung again on this date, years later, for the death of Chief Justice John Marshall, it cracked, giving it at least part of the look that we all know when we see it today.

National Blog Posting Month

July is National Blog Posting Month according to WordPress. It is encouraging bloggers to blog every day for the month. I usually try to blog everyday but, well, kids, work, visitors – sometimes it’s just not possible. I am going to make an effort to blog about something everyday. I am also going to make an effort to walk everyday also. We’ll see how this goes.

Now, a word about the weather – rain. Need I say more?