I Dream Of Picket Fences...Again

Our old picket fence in the city.

Do you dream of picket fences?

If you've been reading my blog for a while you already know that I used to have a picket fence. When we lived in the city we had a white picket fence and an arbor surrounding an English style garden. Then we moved to the old Victorian where we built another picket fence and because the existing pergola was aged wood I did a walnut stain on it. It looked like it had been there for many many years.

 

More photo's of our old fence

There is something very 'cottagy' about picket fences. Can you have a cottage and not have a picket fence?

Yes.

But would it have as much character?

I guess it depends on the person veiwing your cottage.

Our old fenced entry when we lived in the city

Part of the stained picket fence we built at the old Victorian house.
(please excuse the ratty looking early spring garden!)

Now here on the farm I'm am without my picket fence and I miss having one.

Fortunately for me we have a  destructive dog. Now what would be so fortunate about having a destructive dog you ask?
You guessed it...it means if we want to plant and keep a flower garden around the house we have to build a fence!
And guess what kind of fence I'd like ;-)
yep...a picket fence!

So...I'm dreaming of picket fences.
Again.

Here's a few beautiful fences

(These last photo's are from the internet)

Are you dreaming of picket fences now?

 

I hope you have a WONDERFUL weekend.

 

Maura

We Ain't In Kansas Anymore Toto!

Well Actually we are.

My sister in law Donna and I took a road trip to the Gypsum Hills of Barber County Kansas with our good friend Tom.

Mr Fixit told me that I wouldn't believe I was in Kansas anymore and boy was he right

we could have been in parts of Wyoming or Colorado or where ever because this sure didn't look like the Kansas I had seen so far!

It was beautiful!

Not that Kansas isn't beautiful...it is...but when you lived for over 30 years in the mountains of British Coloumbia you tend to judge beautiful scenery by mountains or rolling hills and forest.

I was drawn in by this beautiful unexpected scenery.

Donna and Tom

Tom and I

This is the picture most of us imagine Kansas to look like.

Our State Flower

On our way home Tom asked if we'd like to see Greensburg.

Most of us remember Greensburg Kansas when it was hit by an F5 tornado in 2007 and over 95% of the city was destroyed.

photo ABC News 2007

This is how Greensburg looked yesterday

It was a very busy town with LOTS of construction happening everywhere.

This John Deere dealership is owned by a cousin and her husband

it was totally destroyed by the tornado.

Life goes on

And we head home.

Stone Walls

I have a love of stone walls. Not the new ones you see built today mostly in new neigborhoods to keep the sound of traffic at bay... I mean OLD MOSSY stone walls. Walls that have been around for hundreds and in some cases.. thousands of years.

Unfortunately we don't have an old stone wall here at the farm.

But we do have old stones.

I've been working with stones lately putting in edging. Not the store bought stones you see at the

big home improvement stores...old stones that have come from old homes and farms.

Some of the stones were about 30 inches long 12 inches deep and wide and according to Mr Fixit weighed around 150-160lbs. Those ones HE lifted into place!

I can't imagine lifting stones like that high on a wall and then having to move them around to fit just right.

You have to admire a stone wall...especially the ones built long long ago. Nowadays the stones are cut

by machines but back then they only had chisels or other rocks to break them to the size and shape needed.

Hadrian's Wall

Photo by Murdo Macleod

Hadrians Wall is one of those old walls.

It was built by the Romans in the north of England near the border with Scotland around AD 122

and runs from the east to the west coast for 73 1/2 English miles.

The wall was to be 10 feet wide by 15-20 feet tall starting in the east

but got smaller as it went further west. It took around 6 years to complete.

My Grandmother was born near Newcastle Upon Tyne not far from the wall.

I have a stone from that wall.

(Now it is a World Heritage Site and I would imagine taking stones would be frowned upon!)

It's not a very large stone but you can see that it is old and for nearly 2,000 years it was part of that wall.

My Ancient Stone From The Wall

 

Maybe one day we'll make a stone wall and if we do a good job hopefully someone many years from now will admire it and appreciate the effort it took to make it.

Do  you have a stone wall?

May Around The Farm

May...such a beautiful month.

I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Memorial Weekend!

It's been a busy month for us with lots of land clearing and landscaping.

Well...more land clearning than anything but I did get stones in place for the edging 

in the front of the house and the vegetable garden is pretty much all planted other

than filling in what didn't germinate earlier. 

This past weekend was spent tearing out some of the lilacs that had grown

in the way of our view of the pasture. We still have two

long groves so won't really miss them.

We put in another rock border for edging and I swear my arms are longer than when

we started! We plan to plant a Autumn Blaze Maple soon

and some periwinkle in that space.

Slowly but surely the old farm is becoming what we had imagined

but we still have LOTS of work to do.

It is truly a labor of love.

What did you do this Memorial Day?