Spooky Hallowe’en mantel

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

As cute as the pumpkins were on the fireplace mantel, I had a different idea for Hallowe’en decorations.

It’s a little bit haunted forest with all of the twisty branches.

And it’s a lot haunted forest with my collection of skulls.

I had the idea for a little while, but it really came together when Matt’s Mom brought home these silver candlesticks for me. They used to be Matt’s grandmother’s (the same grandma that had the piano). Their tarnished finish was perfect (although I’m sure not up to Mama’s standards–and I’m sure she never thought they’d be displayed with skulls either).

It looks extra spooky with the candles lit (although it doesn’t translate in pictures very well).

Happy Hallowe’en, everybody.

How are you celebrating? Have you decorated for Hallowe’en? What’s your preferred Hallowe’en style: spooky ghouls or cute pumpkins? Does anyone else have a creepy collection?

Enjoying fall

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

‘Tis the season. The season of fall that is. Sarah in Illinois is back today, sharing some of the ways she’s marking fall at her house.

When I was younger my parents told me that as you get older time seems to fly by faster and faster. I am sure at the time I thought, “Yeah, whatever, it is so long until my next birthday, or… until I get my license, or… until I graduate.”

Okay parents, here is what you have been waiting for: YOU WERE RIGHT. Every year time flies by faster and faster. The snow on the ground melts, a minute goes by and it is summer. In the next breath school starts, and then we prepare for the holidays and winter weather again.

I can’t believe that this weekend is Hallowe’en. Because it seems like time blurs between Hallowe’en and Thanksgiving (for us in the States), then Christmas and New Year’s. In no time this year will be over!

Since the kids are only here every other weekend, this was our weekend to celebrate Hallowe’en/fall activities. I try to keep a balance between incorporating traditions and relaxing and actually enjoying what we are doing.

One thing we try to always do is carve/paint pumpkins. For the past few years I have wanted to grow my own pumpkins for carving and also ornamental small gourds. I even went as far as buying the seed, and then time gets away, and I realize I never put them in the ground. This year was no different, so we went to a local pumpkin patch and picked out some pumpkins and gourds. The owner said that the pumpkins had ripened early this year so there were not many left to choose from. That was probably true, but there were still enough for us.

I chose to paint one:

I found a script font on the internet and looked at it as I freehanded the “W” on the pumpkin with a pencil. Then I neatened up the pencil with a marker so that it was easier to see. It was at that point that I used acrylic craft paint to paint the letter and the vine on the sides. When I was happy with my design I sprayed a heavy coat of clear matte spraypaint over my design. This will keep the acrylic paint from washing off during fall rains.

Painting pumpkins is so much easier and less messy. And also the pumpkins last longer on display since they are not cut open. Of course, the kids wanted to carve theirs, so we all carved pumpkins too. We each carved a jack o’lantern face and Steve’s daughter is a WNBA LA Sparks fan so she carved an extra one to support her team!

Another decorating tradition of mine is Indian corn. A local farmer and his son have been growing the corn the past two years and set up a little stand to sell it. So I stopped by and bought a few ears last week and tied them together with some ribbon I had laying around and hung them on our doors.

I have been trying to really look at the trees this past week. We live in an area that the leaves on the trees are simply stunning this time of year. But if you don’t pay attention, they can be gone in just a few days.

I took a picture one morning before I left for work and the next morning at the same time I looked at the same tree and I was shocked at how many leaves had fallen in 24 hours. And since we are expecting rain in the next few days, our leaf display is almost over!

My goal in the next month is to plan ahead and follow a schedule to prepare for the upcoming holidays. I don’t want to rush things, but I want to make sure I don’t leave everything until the last minute and then the season becomes stressed.

I want to enjoy it like I have been enjoying fall!

It looks like Sarah has had a lot going on this season. I love that she’s taking the time to savour it.

How are you celebrating Hallowe’en at your house? What does fall look like where you are? Have you ever tried painting pumpkins? Did you notice the one pumpkin was carved on his side? I never would have thought to do that, but I love his happy goofy face.

A post about a post

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

I’m a little bit geeky when it comes to my birdfeeder. When I first built it, I was super disappointed that it took a whole month for the birds to find the feeder. But when they finally did, I spent a lot of time watching them through the dining room window. And the novelty hasn’t worn off yet. It’s become a winter tradition for me.

This year, I wanted to make installing the birdfeeder just a little bit easier. Unscrewing the feeder from its base and hammering the pole into the ground was a bit too much effort–and we ended up breaking one of the brackets off the post last year.

Not the best approach. So the post went to my cousin’s for repair, and I went to work.

I found a length of pipe–because we just happen to have things like that lying around here–and cut a 16 inch section.

Then, I used a very narrow shovel–since we don’t have a posthole digger lying around–to dig a 16 inch deep hole.

The object of the game was to have the top of the pipe level with the ground so that the lawnmower can drive right over it.

I carefully backfilled around the pipe (not in the pipe), and then my sidekick inspected to make sure everything was as it should be.

When the repaired birdfeeder post returned to the farm, I slid it into the sleeve–perfect fit.

I screwed the feeder into place, stocked it up with seed and waited for customers.

This year, it took just a couple of days for the birds to find the feeder. The chickadees were first as usual. I’ve also seen juncos, a woodpecker and a pair of blue jays (small consolation for not seeing the other Jays now that they’ve been knocked out of the baseball playoffs 😦 ).

This post has the story about where this birdfeeder design came from–and plans to build your own feeder.

Who else enjoys bird watching? Do you have a feeder at your house? What birds do you see in your neighbourhood?

How to remove a belly mower from a Kioti CS2410

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Every year, twice a year, Matt and I get up close and personal with our little tractor, Wiley. Attaching the mower deck in the spring and detaching it in the fall are pretty intimate operations.

Just a refresher, Wiley is a Kioti CS2410. His mower deck is a Kioti SM2410. It’s a belly mower, meaning it rides under Wiley’s middle (as opposed to the mowers that are towed behind a tractor).

I thought this year that I’d finally properly document the process. I’ve tried to do this for the past few years, but attaching and detaching is always a bit stressful. See how concerned Baxter is when we did this two years ago?

I usually feel like it’s better for my marriage if I don’t try to prep a blog post at the same time as we’re installing or removing the deck.

That’s not to say this is an overly complicated undertaking. It’s just an undertaking that is a bit tricky in spots.

Here are the steps to remove the mower deck from the tractor:

1. This whole operation will be dramatically aided by level ground (which does not exist at the farm). So, step 1: park the tractor on level ground… or at least the levelest ground you can find.

2. Start with the mower raised but set at the shortest cutting setting.

3. Turn the wheels that support the deck so that they’re perpendicular (90 degrees) to the tractor’s wheels. Pop out the pins and rotate the wheels.

Repin them in the highest position–meaning the mower is as high off the ground as you can get it, i.e. the pins are in the bottom hole on the sleeve.

4. Disconnect the PTO. Push the shiny gold collar towards the mower deck (forwards), and pull it off the shaft. The person with the longest arms should do this (i.e. Matt), as the PTO is right in the middle under the tractor, and you have to reach over the deck and around the back wheel to reach it.

5. Lower the deck–use the three-point lever, not the cutting height lever. Give the deck a good shake to make sure it’s all the way down. You do not want this thing falling on you. It will crush you. (Not quite the same, but I have this line in my head now and I can’t resist. Plus, it’s one of Matt’s favourite movies.)

6. Pull the pins that attach the deck to the tractor. There are three on each side. The quick connect pins at the front and back are on springs. Just pull them out and turn them out of the way. The other pins at the very front have split rings that you have to remove first.

The pins are when things get stressful for us. The deck is super heavy. And if you’re not on level ground, there’s invariably some weight still resting on the pins. So sometimes they just don’t want to come out, no matter how hard we yank on them.

There are two techniques we’ve found to help: one, slide some blocks under the deck to help support the weight. Use trial and error to find out where you need them–front or back, starboard or port.

The second solution is tried and true: the hammer. Tap (as gently as you can given your current frustration levels and your limited maneuverability under the tractor).

It’s a wonderful feeling when the pins pop free. You will end up with two metal arms that hold the deck to the front of the tractor. Those arms should stay with the deck. Don’t lose them. You’ll need them if you ever want to cut grass again. (And just a note for when it comes time to reattach them, the springs point in).

7. Raise the mower using the three-point lever to fully detach the deck. At this point the deck should not be connected to the tractor, but still sitting under the tractor. Use the front end loader to lift the tractor up a little bit–just enough to give you clearance to slide out the deck. (Put the parking brake on–safety first!)

8. Push, push, push and pull, pull, pull the deck out from under the tractor, and you’re good!

Well, you’ll probably want to tip up the deck, scrape the dried up crusty grass from the underside, hit it with the hose, inspect the blades and grease all of the fittings.

Just to be safe, we also tuck the PTO into a plastic bag to keep dirt out of it.

But do all that, and you’re done. And you don’t have to cut grass for another few months. (Don’t mention attaching the snowblower).

Time for a victory dance! (Wow, Bax was skinny that first year).

What type of mower do you use at your house? Have you tucked your mower away for the season yet? Do you have any jobs that put your relationship to the test? Do you have a sidekick who helps (and celebrates) the tough jobs?

Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Photo by my mother-in-law, Audrey.

Today, I am thankful for (in no particular order) a day off, starting the weekend with a fun night out with my father and brother, Doritos (Sweet Chili Heat and Dill Pickle) and fizzy Coke, a squirmy nephew, a wiggle-butt dog, a barn cat with a serious balance issue (and an affinity for belly scratches), two turkey dinners and all of the chefs who cooked them, my mother who works so hard to bring everyone together, my father-in-law and his chainsaw, my mother-in-law who takes the dog for a walk and shares pictures for my blog, my husband and helpmate (who supplies the Doritos and wields his own chainsaw), an outstanding harvest that’s more than enough to share (seriously, so many squash), this farm and my favourite tree out behind the barn.

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians.

Fall mantel

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

There have been some beautiful fall home tours going around the blogosphere recently. I’ve held off on bringing fall inside, trying to hang onto summer just a little bit longer. However, now that it’s October, I can’t deny that fall is here.

This is our first fall having a working fireplace, so that’s where I started my decor. Behold the fall mantel.

The black lantern, wooden sphere tealight holders and antlers have become staples on the mantel. For fall, I added two wooden candlesticks that my Dad made and a whole bunch of pumpkins.

These 10 pumpkins are probably only about half of what the garden has produced this year. From what I’ve read, squash (and pumpkins) need to cure in a warm-ish place before they’re stored for the winter. So this display is about both form and function. (And yes, that’s the Blue Jays game on the TV in the background. Summer continues even into October. Go Jays!)

I love the barn beam mantel so much. The wood against the stone is beautiful. Now with the pops or orange and black it feels right for fall.

The only thing we have yet to do to fully embrace fall is light the fire.

How are you decorating for fall? Have you had a fire at your house yet? Did anyone else grow your own pumpkins? Any suggestions of what to make with the pumpkins (besides jack o’ lanterns)? How about tips to store the pumpkins? Who else is watching the baseball? Let’s hear it for the Jays!

Time to get my act together

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

I can no longer deny it. Fall is here. I’ve been hanging onto summer as long as I can, but last week the temperatures DROPPED. As in, we had a windchill, and I wore my winter jacket, hat and mitts for Baxter’s and my morning walk.

So, it’s time.

Every year as fall rolls in, a list starts in my head. It’s not completely a do or die list, but it’s definitely a “winter is coming and you’d better get your act together” list.

So here we go: the fall to-do list.

The vegetable garden

This was my biggest home goal for 2015, and before the year ends, there are a few more things I’d like to do.

Hang the gate – The gate has been hanging around unhung for long enough. We need to take a bit of time, sort out the hinges and just get this done.
Edge the garden – We have a huge pile of old fence posts, and my plan is to use them as kind of “curbs” to help keep the weeds out of the garden.
Put in raised beds – I’m going to use the rest of the fence posts to make a ring of shallow raised beds around the outside edge of the garden.
Spread manure – This is our chance to knock two tasks off our to-do list at one time: clean out the 17 stalls in the barn and fertilize the garden. The manure is well-aged since it’s been here since before we bought the farm.

The bird feeder

I love watching the birds from the dining room window, and feeder is the best way to attract them.

Reattach feeder bracket – Last year when we were hammering the bird feeder post into the ground, one of the brackets broke off. My cousin made the post for us originally, so I’m going to tap him to reweld the top bracket.
Install a sleeve for the post – To make sure we don’t have to hammer the post anymore, I’m going to put a length of pipe in the ground so that the post can just slide in every fall.

Firewood

This is our first fall with a fireplace, and we’re so looking forward to firing it up.

Put up another row of firewood – We have two rows of wood dried, split and stacked. I think we’ll need one more row to get us through fireplace season.
Tidy up the trees – Tree maintenance that’s an ongoing task at the farm–as demonstrated by the big tree above that came down over the weekend. Fortunately, we have a steady supply of firewood as a result.

Get Wiley ready for winter

Our handy-dandy tractor needs his annual tune-up.

Change the oil – More accurately, have my handy cousin change the oil for us.
Check the battery contacts – Wiley’s a bit reluctant to start sometimes. In the spring, we had a loose connection on the battery terminal, and my cousin made us a little sleeve to tighten up the clasp. Cold weather starts are even harder for Wiley, so we want to make sure we do everything to help him out.
Remove the mower deck – It’s that time of year again.

The house

There are a few things to do for the place where we actually live.

Take off the screens – The screens get so dusty during the summer, I’ve found it’s necessary to take them off and give them a good cleaning before it’s open window season again.
~~Clean the heat pump filter~~ – I broke out the shop vac on Friday, figuring that we’d need to fire up the geothermal before the end of the weekend. Sure enough, as of last night the heat is on.
Clean out the gutters – Matt did round one last week, but we’ll need at least one more cleaning before the snow falls.
Turn off the water

I feel like I’ve been taking it easy for a little while when it comes to work around the farm. So step one to completing is to find my motivation. Any tips?

Obviously, some of these tasks are unique to the farm. But some of them are universal no matter where you live.

What’s on your fall to-do list? Are you feeling the pressure of impending winter?

Previous fall to-do lists:

Snapshot

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

The pond on a wintery November afternoon.

The end of soybean season

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

The sun has set on our first soybean crop.

As of two weeks ago, our fields are empty, so it’s time for the final report of the year.

At last report, the soybeans were just turning gold. By harvest time, there was no trace of green or gold left, except in the trees along the border.

The plants dropped all their leaves and the beans dried.

They no longer looked like edamame and they tasted a bit like peanuts.

And they sounded like rattles. I’m not sure if their sniffiness changed, but Baxter apparently liked the sound of them or the feel of them against his face… or something. Every field walk he insisted on walking through the plants.

I found the harvest part very interesting, so brace yourself for lots of photos.

The main piece of equipment is the combine.

This thing is massive.

I would not want to be a soybean.

From the combine the beans go into a trailer.

Again the scale is massive. The tires on this trailer are over 5 feet in diameter.

The trailer full of beans is relayed to a big truck for transport. (For scale, there’s a person standing on top of the truck behind the chute).

All that’s left are the dry stalks, husks and a few stray pods.

As of last weekend, the stalks got a light dusting of snow. Yes, already.

And so concludes our first season of soybeans.

Who else has had snow already? Is the harvest done where you live? Does anyone else find the harvest process fascinating? Are you as easily impressed as I am by farming equipment?

The end

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

This is the end, my friends. Not the end of the blog. Don’t worry. It’s the end of project season here at the farm.

For those that haven’t been following along since the beginning, I posted my 2014 Home Goals at the start of the year. Since then, I’ve pretty consistently done a project a month. As this is the first post of November, normally I’d be sharing with you the plan for this month’s project.

Well, there is no November project. Later this week, I’ll post the laundry room reveal, and that will be it for this year. Yes, there are a few more things on my original Home Goals list, but I’ve decided I’m ready for a break (not from blogging, just from projects).

Of course, I won’t be kicking back completely. Part of my rationale for stepping off the project train is to take care of some of the niggling little tasks that have been hanging around for a little while and maybe even start to get ready for Christmas. As well, I have a whole bunch of seasonal jobs that need to be completed so we’re ready for winter.

Matt already got a start on fall clean-up when he went over our eaves troughs with the leaf blower the other week.

Here are some of the other things on my winter is coming to-do list:

Make sure all of the gutters and downspouts are winter-ready.
Remove the mower deck from the tractor (and maybe attach the snowblower).
Add some protection around our new trees.
Turn off the outside water taps.
Take off the window screens.
Transition the mudroom to winter mode and get the winter clothing out of storage.
Set up the bird feeder on the driveway turnaround.

Just seven. That’s about half of what I had our first fall.

So apparently I cannot stop with the projects after all. Stay tuned. It appears I’m going to be busy.

What’s on your fall to-do list? Are you feeling the pressure of a looming winter? Do you have a project cut-off point?