Gas range

If you have been in the shop, you may remember this old gas range, and another one that was similar to it....

We bought these several years ago at an auction, and George & I manhandled them into the shop. HEAVY!!! Luckily, a man happened to be walking down the street, & he jumped in and helped us out. The kindness of strangers!

At first they were display pieces, but after a couple years, I decided to sell them. No takers. Lots of folks admired them, & said the price was very reasonable.....but no takers. I gave a downright cheap price to anyone who seemed remotely interested.....but no takers. A few people said they would be back to buy them.......but none ever came back.

This went on for a couple years. They needed to go, the shop keeps getting fuller, and these HEAVY stoves were in the way.

So what is a shop owner to do? Sometimes tough decisions have to be made.

In the past, we have had big pieces of furniture that didn't sell. Especially organs. We took them apart, and the individual "architecture" pieces sold.

So..........we took the stoves apart.

We salvaged anything we could, starting with the cool doors.

We debated awhile, then decided to go ahead and keep the side panels. 

This is my favorite piece.

Since George was doing the actual "taking apart", I'm not sure where each piece came from.

So I don't know what this piece was, but it's still attached at the top, and if you spread the bottom a little, it forms an easel.

These are the burner rings, or whatever you call them. Don't they look like flowers? When they were on the stove, I never noticed that. When you start taking something apart, the detail suddenly jumps out at you.



We even saved the oven racks. They are rusty, which makes them very fashionable so to speak.

They would make good herb drying racks.

What couldn't be salvaged went to the scrap yard, so there are no parts sitting in a landfill.

Yes, it seems a shame to take apart such a cool piece of history. But, I tried to sell them as the complete package, I really, really tried. As I said............no takers.

And I can't keep everything that doesn't sell, no matter how cool it is.

If I did, I'd become a TV star.

But...I don't really want my claim to fame to be that I was the featured Hoarder on cable TV!

WV barnwood signs

I just painted a new batch of West Virginia barnwood signs.

This is the real deal, barnwood taken from a couple different  barns.

You can see red paint on a few of them...

that is the original red paint from the barn.

How cool is that?

The only problem is.......

I can't seem to find a good way to display them for pics.

So I just propped some against the counter.

And laid the shorter ones on top of it.

I promise...

they are displayed better out on the floor for sale 

than they are in these pics!

Fallen Heros

Recently, another one of our local soldiers was killed in Iraq. Yesterday, he came home for the final time. Our hearts are heavy.

I don't know him, or his young wife. I do know his mother-in-law, we attend the same church. His wife grew up in the same church, though she had moved away by the time our family started attending there.

The funeral procession went by yesterday morning, during morning church services. Rather than hear a sermon, the entire congregation went outside and lined the sidewalk in front of the building, where we watched as the procession slowly drove by. Besides his family, the hearse was accompanied by over 200 Patriot Guard Riders on their motorcycles. 

The veterans and active military members of our congregation saluted, the rest of us silently showed our repects, many holding American flags. Many tears were shed for our fallen hero who will be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on August 1.

A year or so ago, I and most other business owners on our street locked our doors, and walked down to a local funeral home to pay our respects as another local soldier was brought home for the final time.

During this processional, we missed hearing a sermon. During the last one, we missed an hour or so of business. What a small, insignificant sacrifice on our parts.

We pray the families of our fallen heros will find comfort.

May God bless the American soldier, and their families.

Wider Shots

Some wider shots of the store...

I say attempted, because the store is very full.



Which makes it hard to back up enough to get wider shots...



...without backing into things...

...and knocking them over.

I did that one time.

I backed into a set of shutters full of wreaths.



I saw it start to fall, and could do nothing about it.

It was one of those slow motion moments.



Fortunately, it fell right between 2 displays.

Nothing broke.

It was my lucky day!

The next 2 photos are of the window displays...

which are even harder to take pictures of.

Well, hopefully you can get the general idea.

Hope you get the chance to come see the shop in person!

And the chicken layed an egg

Our chickens are supposed to start laying eggs around September. That's what the book said.

A couple weeks ago, the hens started making some new, suspicious sounding clucks. "They are going to start laying soon". That's what George said.

So, one evening, he and Kevin got the nesting boxes ready. A little hay in each one, and a golf ball. The golf balls are meant to give them the idea. No idea if that really works. That's what the book said.

Yesterday morning while I was at work, I got a phone call. "I fed the chickens, gave them fresh water and gathered the eggs". That's what George said.

Yep, 2 little brown pullet eggs. (Pullets are teenage chickens so to speak)

We didn't know how long they had been there in the sweltering heat, so we won't be eating them. But we sure have admired them!!!

Last night, we went down to check again, and we found 2 more........

As you can see, they are about the same size as the golf ball. How cute is that!

As of last night, the chickens all seemed to be sharing the same box, none of the others had been disturbed. But this morning, it looked like the entire bottom row has been checked out.

We're going to put a little ledge along the top 2 rows to make it easier for them to get into them. We have watched them fly up to their roosts enough times to know they aren't the most graceful creatures.

 Let's just say their aim isn't that great.

"If I had a ledge to land on, I could fly up to it, then step gently inside a box instead of flying up and whacking my head on the side of it". That's what the chicken said.

Happy birthday dad

Today is my dad's birthday, and how I wish he were still here to celebrate with us! He was diabetic, so we always had angel food cake for family celebrations, which he and mom both loved. And, with his birthday smack dab in the middle of summer, we always had watermelon too, which he and mom both loved.

This was a big one - his 65th in 1994. We could have had some big, special birthday bash for such a big day, but there was nothing dad liked better than simply spending time with his grandchildren. Kevin was 6, Jessica was 8, and they loved to help grandpa blow out the candles on his cake. A local park was the perfect setting for a small family picnic.

We're thinking about you today, but then, we do that every day. We miss you so much! And are thankful for you. Happy birthday dad!

Bean Season

At our house in the country, July means it's time to start canning green beans. If you've never had home-canned green beans, you're missing out. They taste soooo much better than the ones you buy in the store.

The Presto canner on the right is mine - I guess I've had it for 20 years or so. The Maid of Honor canner on the left is my mom's. I was born in 1962, and it's the only pressure canner I remember her ever using. I suspect she was using it well before that. Still works great!

I love using her old canner, because it takes me back to her kitchen, and the many summers when I helped her can. I see her snapping beans, hear her laughter and instructions (make sure your jar rims are clean! don't let the pressure get too high!)

When she could no longer can, I took her canner home with me, and now I use it every summer. I know without looking at the manual how to use it, but I get it out anyway, because in mom's handwriting are extra notes that I love to skim over. She may be gone now physically, but she is very much beside me in spirit as I use that canner!

  

Jars ready to process in canner

From another woman who had canned many, many years, I learned this tip: when you are canning green beans, if you don't have enough to completely fill a canner, finish the canner off with dried beans from the grocery store. You can use the white soup beans, or the brown ones, which I show in this photo. Just put a cup of dried beans in a quart jar, add 1/2 tsp. salt, and fill with hot water. Process with the green beans as usual.

Edited in 2025 to add: I have canned dry beans like this for years with no problems but have since learned that they should actually be canned for 75 minutes for pints, or 90 minutes for quarts. Wow! What a difference! I was shocked to see this in the Ball Canning Book and online.



Jars after processing

My two canning tips would be this:

Use 2 pressure canners if you have much produce. It speeds up the process so much! As you know if you are a canner, you can't open the canner till the pressure goes down, so if you have a second batch to do, you have to wait. Now that I have mine and mom's, I have the second one on the stove processing while the first one is still cooling down.

The other tip is to use jar lifter tongs like the ones in the photo. Mom never had any, and neither did I. We just used hot pads and got burned a few times. Last summer, George got me the tongs. So much safer!!! And easier!!!

One of my favorite sounds is the Ping! as the jars seal. A very satisfying sound!

And finally, an aside to Jessica........can you smell them? I know how you looove the smell of green beans being canned! Ha!

My outdoor studio

Last Saturday, I set up an outdoor studio of sorts.

I'm sooo excited!

This spot under our deck stays shady all day.

It's absolutely glorious out there early in the morning.

I'd do a little work out there, but it wasn't set up for doing much.

The other day I had a light bulb moment.

George had made a potting bench out of old barnwood.

It was on the deck, but I never "potted" on it.

Hey! I could use that for a painting bench!

 

He helped me carry it down Saturday morning.

While I was at it, I did a little outdoor decorating.

We just bought that barrel at an auction...

it was supposed to be for sale at the store, but....

I talked myself into keeping it.

George & Kevin had made a cider press of sorts a couple years ago,

that's what the metal stand is behind it, with the wood tray on top.

It looks like it will empty into the barrel.

Not that it would hold much...there's no bottom in the barrel!

And, in case you're wondering...

yes, that's a ladder in the background hanging horizontally on the deck.

It was the hayloft ladder from the farm George grew up on.

I

Billy is showing you the "sit a spell" bench.

Behind it is our picnic table, which I can also use to paint on.

Beside it is another "table".

Any guesses as to it was used for?

George used it when he showed sheep at the fair.

He would lift the sheep up on it,

it's head would sit in the grooved out place,

and the collar was to hold it in place.

Then he could do whatever grooming etc. needed to be done.

From my new painting vantage point, I can look to the left and see...

uh-oh, part of the wood pile fell down...better re-stack that.

On out in the yard I can see the garden.

Uh-oh, it's getting very weedy, probably ought to work on that.

Behind me is the coop and the chickens.

Uh-oh, that blue water barrel needs put away.

Probably ought to do that.

But I'd rather paint!

So what was my first project out there?

Podiums seem appropriate since I was painting in God's country.

Our Daughter's Second Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my beautiful daughter and her husband.

Brian and Jessica were married 2 years ago today.

May God bless them with a long life together.

It begins with a Bobcat

Remember the story a few days ago about our new farming adventure?

It begins.........

After doing a little shopping Friday evening,

I came home and heard machinery running.

I walked to the edge of the yard, looked over the hill...

and saw George leveling the ground where the new barn will sit.

Kevin had borrowed the Bobcat from work, 

& had been using it for the same purpose.

Then his dad got home.

 I suspect the conversation went something like this:

"Hi Kevin, can I play?"

And Kevin innocently said, "Sure!"

Then he sat down to wait while his dad took a turn.

He waited...

And he waited..........

And he waited.......................

He waited so long he cried.

Well.......not really.



Finally, he got tired of sitting,

and resorted to forlornly following his dad around.


Well......not really.
Do you want the truth, or a good story?

4th of July and a Fireworks Meetup

Are you doing anything special for the holiday?

For me, the shop is closed. For George, he has to work, but at least it's dayturn, so we can still see the fireworks.



Actually, we'll be seeing them two nights. Last night, we went to beautiful Oglebay Park in Wheeling, WV, where we also enjoyed hearing a concert by John Adams, a John Denver tribute artist. Of course, our favorite part of the concert was the final song - Take Me Home, Country Roads, our adopted state song here in Almost Heaven, West Virginia. (Click the Take Me Home link to see a you-tube video of John Denver singing it in concert.)

Our plan was for Brian to meet us there. Us being me & George, our favorite daughter Jessica (married to Brian), and our favorite son Kevin. (Since they are our ONLY daughter & son, it makes it easy for them to be our favorites!)

We were more than happy to accomodate the group as it grew!
Brian's mom.
His brother, sister-in-law & adorable baby girl who is learning to walk. So sweet!
Brian & Jessica's good friend.
Friends of that friend.
Another friend and her boyfriend who found us after the fireworks.

Despite storms all around us, the weather was great. The only problem of the evening? Trying to point everyone who joined our group to the right spot on the hillside where a few thousand other people were also sitting on blankets. Thank goodness for cell phones!

"OK, I can see you - look up the hill to the left - we're waving to you!"

"Look more to the left!"

"Now, come straight ahead!"

"Just look ahead and watch! We're waving!"

A wonderful evening!

We will be much fewer in number tonight, but the fireworks should be just as spectacular.

 We absolutely love the fireworks show at Heritage Port in Wheeling, WV. To see the Wheeling Symphony play, you have to get their several hours ahead of time, but it is well worth the wait, and we have done that from time to time. More often though, we just go up for the fireworks, which are very, very cool. They set them off from the Suspension Bridge, then during the finale, they set off fireworks which resemble a waterfall falling from the entire length of the bridge.

photo from

http://mybt.budgettravel.com/_Fireworks-suspension-bridge-Wheeling-WV/PHOTO/9799230/21864.html

Whatever you are doing for the holiday, we hope it is a good one for you.

May you always have watermelon to eat for the holiday, and may you enjoy it as much as our girls............



Truth disclosure: This is an old photo, taken around Memorial Day, not Independence Day. A current photo would show that there is no longer any grass in that spot. The chickens are much bigger now. And the one in the forefront - well - she is no longer a she. Not that she ever was. We just thought she was, till she became full grown and started crowing. Loudly.

Don't worry though, they did indeed have watermelon for the 4th of July.

And hey, in case you're wondering, our corn surpassed "knee-high by the 4th of July".

Try almost shoulder-high on for size!

Ha!

Happy 4th to all!