The Fire Pit

For the record let me preface this post with short and sweet I am not! I've never quite grasped that precious skill. Thus this here post may appear to wander a bit willy nilly. If patience eludes you then luckily freedom is but a mouse click away :)

However, if you are the long suffering type who likes foraging for tid bits of useful information, then by all means proceed. I know that I'm always hopeful in such pursuits and am reminded of the old adage that, "even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while." Referring of course to mwah! Because you dear reader, you. are. mah- vah- lahz!

Moving on....

Rock, block, and gravel. A fitting follow up to Rock, Wood, Chain.

At home, one way we try to reuse or recycle is by integrating back into the landscape materials we have laying roundabout the farm. Our old fire pit was just a bunch of stones formed in your typical fire pit ring. I remember how at family cook-outs small ones would find it difficult to navigate around the piled stones, and of the fear I had of an accidental tumble into the fire. A parents worst nightmare! Now, years later, grandchildren gather around the fire so we thought we would lessen our worries and upgrade a bit.

Oh, that large block of concrete pictured above was once, I learned, a man made cornerstone removed years earlier from our cottage when a new block foundation was built. It's become an unappealing artifact sentinel to our home, and I think has finally found it's final resting place at our fire pit.

After cleaning up the area, we leveled it some. The precise method around here is called "eyeballing" it! A method HH and I have fine-tuned over the years :). We also eyeballed the cornerstone, and dug out a hole for it. We made it deep enough to add a few inches of gravel underneath for anti-heaving purposes. I dug a trench and sloped the grade to aid in water run-off. Again another few inches of gravel for the base before laying the stone wall.

Slightly overlapping the stones ensures the integrity of the wall. I back filled with more gravel to help stabilize the stones, aid in drainage and in preventing the earth from heaving the stones out of place.

HH left me alone for this part of the project. He knows how much I love picking the right stone for the right spot. He doesn't have the patience, and I love the mind drifting, meditative aspect so much more. It's a win-win.

When everything was in place, we moved on to spreading a layer of gravel down before constructing the actual fire pit. There are two camps I find in ground prep. The weed barrier and the no weed barrier. I've come to my frugal opinion in choosing the latter. No amount of fabric weed barrier can stop nature from depositing residue and all manner of seeds in reclaiming it's territory eventually. Sooner or later weeding will commence and up with the weeds will come bits of barrier. Ever wonder how a sidewalk can sprout weeds? And that's a concrete barrier!

The fire pit. What's wrong and what's right? Nothing really wrong. It's just aesthetically, I prefer a more natural flat stone appearance in our landscape vs. man made. But being frugally minded and aspiring to "do what you can, where you are, with what you have", we were determined to use what was on hand. These concrete blocks and pavers we're salvaged from our last remodel job.

We laid the blocks in place and with a flat shovel scratched an outline. We then moved the blocks out of the way and dug out the area about 4inches deep allowing for 2 inches of gravel footing and a 2 inch set below grade. The openings on either side of the pit were intentional. We plan to mount hardware to accommodate a spit or suspended rack for wood fired cooking so we cut a block in two creating the openings. FYI, you can easily cut one of these hollow blocks in two as we did by scoring it with a screwdriver and giving it a good whack with a hammer or mallet. Ideally it should break in two equal pieces. Lastly, we mortared the pavers on top to cover the holes in the blocks. Now the grand-kids can sit around the fire pit, their rambunctious feet propped up on the ledge, with a few precious inches of clearance from the fire. And an almost nightmare free zone for Grandma!

P.S. Did you notice the little brier runners eager to re-claim. Hmmm.... You gotta love it!

Rock, Wood, Chain

On our frugal homestead, when we need things done, reaching for the best tool is most times not an option. Because A.) The best means expensive and B.) We ain't got the money honey!

Take this spot for instance, it would have been nice to have fired up the tractor in moving a huge concrete cornerstone into it. Not an option. What's a hillbilly to do?

Observe! Rock, chain, wood, and the hillbillies who could!

We hooked the chain to the poor man's tractor, the Honda Foreman. And I gave er' the gas!

HH placed one wood fence post in front of the other as the cornerstone slowly inched it's way to the spot, resetting the rear post to the front and readjusting the chain at each step.

Seven or eight incremental moves later an we were spot on our target.

Almost there.

Woodoggie!

A little hillbilly know how and some doing what you can, where you are, with what you have attitude!

We began this home outdoor project last spring. A revamp of our crude fire pit area. I'm excited to show you our progress as we re-use items from around the homestead.

In the meantime you might dig this humdinger of a recycle project we did earlier.

The outdoor washing station.

~warm winter wishes~

Tea? Please. Cream? Please. Sugar? Please!

Lots of tea have I been consuming lately. The dismal dreariness of constant cloudy and damp weather find me craving the energy boosting caffeine of black tea laced with cream. Oh, and lets not forget sugar, yes, an adequate balance of uber sweetness with the warming flavor of spices. I'm good at telling myself I need it, I really neeeeeed it! Otherwise I'd burrow down under the quilts and not come out til' Spring.

I've found my balm in this sweet and spicy, heart warming com mixture in a jar recipe via a fun and lovely slip of a girl known as The Garden Betty. I'm going to take a chance here in telling you it's Chai. I know I know, been there done that, but hold up a minute. This creamy little wonder in a jar has been my saving grace, my muse, my sustenance and I heartily invite you to give it a try. And then tell me if your ears don't feel a little warmer, your toes cozier and your heart singing ~

"The sun will come out tomorrow". "Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow",

There. will. be. sun.

Warm and glowing thoughts from yours truly.

Frugal Getaway {part deux}

I find it amazing that despite the winter doldrums, skimpy pocketbook, and general recession fed malaise that seemingly strikes at will, one can still find a little respite, a frugal getaway of sorts.

We enjoyed just such a getaway and found ourselves swooshing down the side of a mountain, wind in our hair and bright snow reflected sun in our eyes. Okay, no actual downhill swooshing took place. We cross country skied. More like panted and sweated with bright snow reflected sun in our eyes, but it was glorious!

You may remember how we scored a weekend on the Oregon coast, our first frugal getaway. A little work around the place and our stay was free. Likewise, the gear for our mountain getaway to Bend Oregon was wrangled via a homemade pumpkin pie. And you know very well you can't make only one pumpkin pie, making it a sweet deal all the way around. Our one night stay at the Shilo Inn was discounted because HH is a veteran, and a generous breakfast buffet was included. Hello, frugal happy happy dance!

I don't think an expensive crowded snow resort or any amount of downhill hill swooshing would have been as peaceful and beautiful as the few hours we spent on this snowy trail.

If you're lamenting leaner days too, think about putting the word out to your network of friends and family and see what you come up with for your own frugal getaway. I'm sure it'll be fabulous.

wooooooodoggie!

Summoned

If any of you happen to have siblings,older sisters in particular, you'll totally get what I am about to say. I get this call from my older sister about a month ago, asking, er, more like demanding that I come visit her in Cali. But in reverence for her Highness, I'll say summoned.

She gave me and hour (that's right,1. single. hour.) to make up my mind. Because, as she firmly stated, she is at her computer, with the Southwest Airlines schedule before her very eyes, ready to press "book". No pressure there right? Well, for 55minutes I blustered and bristled at her Majesty's request. And then 5 minutes later, I answered her summons with this:

You may think me a wiener buckling under such dubious pressure, but if you do indeed have an older sister, I know I have your complete and utter sympathy. And lest anyone think that the actual years of separation in age make a difference. I reply with not one whit! In fact, when I arrived at her majesty's door we were the same age. And remained so for 4 days. Believe me, I tried my fools best to dethrone her highness, she would have none of it. But spending our birthdays together, clinking our bottles of Coke in honor of our Mother's fortitude and sense of humor, was worth every moment. And did I mention Lady Laughs-a-lot bought my airline ticket, so there, check-mate.

Her majesty loves purple. I'm thinking a subliminal message alluding to her royalty, or so I like to imagine. But her husband, being a mere peasant as I, seeing all things equal bought me a purple bouquet too. Checkmate;) In case you're wondering, Her majesty would be the 361 days older woman in this picture, but I'm not telling. Checkmate :0

For four lovely days we walked, danced, sang, cooked, ate, drank and maybe just a teensy bit fought, but that much is to be expected from sisters. Most of all we encouraged each other's creativity, shared our newest projects and plans. I love that the most about our visits.

I love the way my sister gets her creative daily fix by playing around in this ginormous brandy snifter. Her little china man with no hands exists in a tranquil garden of sand, moving about only at his mistress' will. I feel your pain little china guy (just saying).

I think these pods are very cool, from a Magnolia I'm guessing. We picked a passel of them on one of our walks. A few trips to Lowe's for paint chips and new pendant lighting for her highness's boudoir rounded out my trip.

Remember the Narcissus I have been dousing liberally with Gin.

I came home to find that she can't hold her liquor.

~cheers~

Bread: Tis the season to bake some.

Levain, sponge, or starter are the humble beginnings of a superb loaf. Chewy baguette, crusty rounds or tangy sourdough. So many methods to choose from it's hard to know where to start, I know! But if you are feeling a need to slow down a little, as I am, to fire up the stove, to immerse yourself in domestic tranquility, then bake a loaf of bread. And if at first you don't succeed you'll still be rewarded with a heavenly scent to savor over a cup of tea.

The net is full of recipes you might try, but a nice book, one you can leisurely browse while your lovely bread dough is rising, is Amy's Bread.

Our brief snow has turned back to the standard rain today. And it's a genuine gully washer with rising streams and flooding. A perfect day for home baked bread don't you think?

Dough rising in a warm place.

Carrot ginger loaf at the ready.

I'll be donning rain gear for an adventure in the woods this afternoon. Then sharing a bit of this with a friend over a warm cup of Earl Grey tea.

But before I slip on my boots I want to share with you this short video for a glimpse into the calm and patient process of baking bread.

Bread love to you & warm winter greetings.

the art of making bread from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

This just in....SNOW!

Yesterday morning we awoke to this!

Everything in black and white! What I love about the new fallen snow is the way it reflects daylight brilliantly through our cottage windows, shining a glorious light on these dim and gray winter days. It's a short lived experience here in Oregon's Pacific Northwest, so it's cherished all the more for as long as it lasts.

I'm excited to share my results from the natural dyeing I did recently.

I experimented with Black Walnut, Rose hips & Hawthorn berries and dyed a wool skein, muslin, vintage lace and hankies. Also some cotton and linen thread. What to make with it I do not know. But I feel inspired just looking at the complimentary pieces.

Anyone out there ever force bulbs? This was my first time and I totally get why folks do this. With snow on the ground it feels so Springy and hopeful to see bulging bulbs throwing out spikes of green.

Narcissus I have learned can become quite tall and gangly. I've also learned that if you water your bulbs with 1part Gin (or your favorite) with 8 parts water you can stunt their growth habit by half and avoid the tipsy. No fun for you Narcissus!

This is where I've been.

And where have you been lately?

Meanwhile in the garden....

I planted a fall crop of lettuce and it's still thriving all cozy under a hoop house. I'm thankful to have some fresh winter greens in January.

And a nice pile of leaf mulch, the stuff I yearn for, is decomposing nicely under a canopy of fir trees. When ever I poke at the pile, the wonderful earthy aroma delights my senses. It will make a nice spring mulch in my perennial beds. Did I tell you I found the mother load?

Every fall, when I'm in town on errands, I keep my eye open for a nice stash of leaves. Sure enough I found my booty, one city block long of rich mulchy goodness. And just in time as the city was scheduled for collecting leaves to take to their composting facility. The finished compost is then sold back to consumers at a premium.

An hour later, I got it all in the bag!

A stop at Dutch bros, then heading west of town, I traveled and sipped a long and leisurely country road home.

Meanwhile, back home.....

Pomegranates line the mantle. Tell me this isn't peculiar to you cause it makes perfect sense to me.

~Winter greetings from the cottage~

Hearth and Home

I don't know what it is about the hearth of the home. Even in homes where a fireplace or wood burning stove is absent, we are mysteriously drawn to creating a facsimile of sorts that represent the hearth or heart of our dwellings. And any ledge will do. Someplace central to the home to create a little vignette or make do collection of our treasures that say this is home. Do you know what I mean?

Even when the ledge is in close proximity to the real or imagined hearth of the home there will be some trinket, found object or cherished family heirloom found there.

Like the cherished family momentos I saw at Big Table Farm on my visit to their home on my Wine Country Tour.

.

The farmers wife had decorated the family mantle, in an unusual place, overhead on the ledge of molding of an entryway, near the wood burning stove. I loved it!

I stood warmly by the stove gazing upward admiring her vignette of simply crafted whimsical pigs, metal signage and original art as I relished my lovely glass of farm crafted Pinot Noir. I lingered in the moment as I pondered the cherished family objects and the message it spoke about the folks who call this wonderful old farmhouse home.

It confirmed to me the significance of the hearth, the central sacred place of the home that draws every member or visitor to it intuitively. And how it is uniquely interpreted in myriad ways in our individual homes.

Here at Panther Creek Cottage our humble reclaimed brick mantle vignette changes from time to time. We have spent the waning winter's evenings enjoying the warming glow of a single beeswax candle in a simple vintage brass holder, found horse shoe from my ramblings, an iron star and small piece of petrified wood.

It would make no sense a'tall to a stranger but means everything to me.

It says home, our home sweet home.

A Question

A rhetorical question:

Isn't there just a little bit of ground hog in each of us? You know, the way winter makes you feel like you've been underground, all wrapped up in your woolies hibernating.

And you can't wait to pop your head up mid-season in hopes that there will sun. And if there is, you turn your noggin up towards the sun's rays, squint your eyes and go mmmmmmm......

But wait, is that my shadow? 6 more dadgum weeks of winter?






So what, who cares. I'm diggin' the moment.

Greetings from the trail.