a place to stop and sit

Moving to the country was a big shift. Until May I lived in the heart of Uptown, Mpls, near lakes filled with activity and surrounded by running paths and Sunbathers. The high end grocery store, Lunds, was a short walk away as was the hub of Upton, Lake and Hennepin. I couldn't leave the house with running into someone I knew and loved that there was always something to distract me from life.

Life changed with the move to the country. Recently married and living together for the first time we had to learn to adjust to schedules and habits, and of course there was the career change to add to the excitement.

During all of this I am learning to relax. To take some time to slow down and enjoy the land, watch the chickens, keep tabs on tadpoles becoming frogs, just chill. the perfect furniture to relax on has always been wicker. So, on a recent trip to my folks in New York I brought back, among other things, my Grandmother's wicker.





A perfect fit for the stable, it has been a favorite shady place to escape the heat and read a bit, listen to music, or nap. I quickly recovered the cushions using some awning stripe material and a staple gun. There are three more chairs to paint, they are big ones, the rocker needs to be recovered and there is a large side table that needs a bit of repair and paint, but it is a good start.

So, if you are in the neighborhood of Bunbury, let me pour you an Arnold Palmer and we can watch the grass grow.

On second hand, if you are coming over there are a couple projects I could use a hand with...

What are you asking for on this old box?

Peter was working today, so in order to escape working around Bunbury for a while I headed off to a little antique mall in Osceola, Wisconsin. Dad is coming next week and the guest room needs to be closer to "finished" and there was a need for a bedside table.
Sadly the majority of the "antiques" were manufactured by the Corning Company for their Corelle line...not a lot there. Feeling a little annoyed at the contents of the antique store, I headed home and drove past a thrift store with a giant white stuffed panda outside. Figuring that sometimes things can be found in the oddest places I went in. the shelves were filled with thrift store dregs, coffee cups, candle holders that cam in floral arrangements, nothing good. Behind the counter a young man in a Led Zepplin t, with blond dreds was talking to a friend. On a whim, I asked if he had any tables, and he took me into the locked next door storage area where there were 2 bad dining room tables. As I was about to leave I spotted THIS out of the conner of my eye



a nice little wooden chest, looked to be about the right size for a bedside table. There was something different about it, but I didn't want to pay TOO much attention before I knew the price.

"What are you asking for on this old box", I casually asked. the young man thought about it, said his mom wanted it, although there was another, plastic, box in the shop she could store stuff in, then said...

"Would 6 dollars be ok?"

I said that would be fine. :)



The box is an old mechanics case. On the back was a name plate for the owner



and the lifted back reveals a series of drawers




and when the lid is lifted, more storage




It is now cleaned, oiled and placed in the guest room, where it fits perfectly. As soon as the room is settled I will post a picture. I love a good find!

Bunting!

We have always liked the way bunting looks on the front porch of a distinctly American house, and this year we were able to hang some for the Fourth. It may be hard to take it down after the holiday weekend, it looks so nice and classic. It is also give a hint of how the swags for Christmas will look, although winter will likely find wreaths on the windows too.

One of the big things we would like to change is the blacktop drive in front of the house. Our long term goals with this is to remove all the blacktop, change the approach to the house and plant a shade loving grass in front of the house. Currently you drive in straight on with the front of the house, I would like to move our drive about 50 feet down the road, so you drive through a small grove of trees, by the pond and pole barn and then curve to see the house sitting among the trees.

Plus I hate blacktop.

There is a lot planned for the weekend, building some trellis, constantly checking on the chickens to be sure they are safe, painting some wicker, planting, planting planting and a tractor pull to check out on Sunday. Dad is coming for a visit in a couple weeks, so we want to finish unpacking too.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Married with Chickens

They grow up so quickly. It seems like just yesterday that the chicks came to Bunbury in their little box, cheeping little balls of feather. Today, Peter took the chicks out to the coop for their first visit to their new digs. Lots of netting and chicken wire protects them from any predators, but even with preparations we took them inside for the night.


Butters understand her job as protector of the chicks, and they all seemed to be very happy to see that she was on the other side of the fencing.



Peter has a magical touch with the chickens, and most animals. It really is something to see how they let him handle and protect them.




They are not so charmed by Jim.

Picnic at the Farm

We had a wonderful gathering of friends this Saturday at the Farm, the weather agreed and everyone had a wonderful time. Andrew took some wonderful pictures, which can be seen here.

Chickens and first storms.

Two things I never thought I would need or want in my life, chickens and storm cellars.

Today I am grateful for both.

First came the chickens, born over the weekend they came to the house on Tuesday. 9 little hens joined our family. While they have a comfy coop waiting for them, they are safe and warm in the garage with a heat lamp for a while until the reach a safe size. This is certainly a new experience for the Bunbury boys.




The other thing we are grateful for today is a storm cellar. Bunbury Farm is dead center of this map. The skies are dark here and there has been some thunder. Jim is home with the animals, while Peter is safely at work. All the animals seem calm and they are starting to cancel warnings, so hopefully we will be all good.

Saturday morning shopping

So when we lived in the city Saturday morning would mean a spin class at The Firm, then a stop at the Minneapolis Farmers Market then a run to the Room & Board Outlet and a check in a J Crew.

This Saturday while stopping to buy a chicken thermometer at the feed store, Jim and Peter were distracted by the critter swap, specifically the pygmy goats. We are already expecting our chickens, we pick them up Tuesday, likely pecking through their shells as I type this, and now we have both fallen in love with the pygmy goats. This was a shorter fall for Peter than it was for Jim, but we are both there now. These little guys are adorable!

We are still holding to the "next year" plan for adding goats to the Bunbury family, but things often change. For now we will spend our time visiting the goats, and from time to time, J Crew.