October 19-20, 2013

It rained Friday night due to a cold front coming through. We went to the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk at Arvest Ball Park Saturday morning and it was raw, windy and cold. The farm rain gauge showed a half inch. High Saturday was 60, about 40 overnight, and up to 70 Sunday. A very nice fall weekend, though only a few trees have started turning. (Like this ash, I think, above the spring.)

For Sale

No showings this weekend. A lady from Missouri had inquired and wanted more pictures, but we never heard back from her. We also played telephone tag with another party Saturday but never actually talked. The sign was still up and most of the flyers were gone, so I put another dozen in the brochure box. During the week we had put together a Zillow ad, but I do not believe we have any inquiries from it. I can see why now, since I had trouble finding it myself. They do allow more pictures than Craigslist, but you have to have them properly oriented before uploading.

Garden

Sally continues to harvest kale and chard. The green beans are done and perhaps she picked a squash or two, but I think she has given up on any more ripening. We pulled up a lot of the dead squash vines, and I dug up a lot of bermuda grass which is a royal pain -- but it sure makes the garden look better.

Mow/Weed Eat

Saturday I mowed the area across the spring and the section out back of the house. I did a bit of weed eating Saturday with the John Deer, and then used brush whacker Sunday around the barn, the spring, and the area across the spring.

Light Pilots

With the cooler weather Sally made me light the pilots on the heaters. They both started off burning a little yellow, but then settled down to that nice blue flame. I think the house was 64 when we arrived. She also had me pull out the electric heater we use in the bathroom.

Fog

It being cold and damp, we had fog over the pond Sunday morning.

Black Walnuts

It is going to be a bumper crop this year, and they are definitely larger than the 2012 crop. I stomped and rolled them to remove the hull, and ended up with about a third of a bucket which I tossed into the rabbit hutch. These were all from around the house. Next week I will go down into the valley.

Sudoku

I beat Sally in three straight challenges, and then she demanded one more and she got me back. (It has actually been quit a while since I have had an advantage on her.) Since the weather was nice Sunday, we did the last two in the hammock.

October 11-12, 2013

It is official, the farm is for sale. We posted a CraigsList ad Monday evening and had three inquiries by Friday. I had also put together a Word flyer with pictures, printed a color copy, had 40 copies made, and purchased a brochure box. We took our For Sale By Owner sign (from when we sold the Elm Street house) with us and stuck it out on Hwy 221. Actually, I could not get the sign into the rocky ground. I had to come back up with a fence post and sledge hammer and drive the post into the ground, and then wire the sign to it.

Brush Hogged

Larry had just finished brush hogging the week before. He said it didn't clean up very well up top, but I didn't think any of it looked particularly good. Maybe he needed to sharpen his blades. But, he has never raised the price ($500).

Garden

We had 4 inches in the rain gauge and the barrels were full. We received another quarter inch of rain early Saturday. The butternut squash are about spent. I think they were overcome by the squash beetles. We took a few home but threw out several, leaving only a few in the garden. Sally got some green beans, some chard, and move kale. She pulled up most of the dead plants.

Hang Window

With people coming to see the place I was very anxious to get the plywood out of the window and get the new sash in. It went really well, and was much easier than getting the old one out. Sally staid on the inside and helped me align things and then put screws back until it was secure. Even screwing in the crank connection to the sash went well, not blooding any knuckles on the reinstall. The only think left is to scrap off little bits of duct tape that stuck to the outside of the frame.

Weed Eat

We were expecting someone to come out Friday afternoon, so Sally would not let me mow. I finally just grabbed the weed eater and did some clean up all around the house. No one showed Friday.

Burn

Since there was an accumulation of limbs and scrap wood piled out by the fire ring, I decided to go ahead and burn it all to clean up for our visitors. I had to add some cedar limbs to keep it going good, but I got it all taken care of by the time I went in for the evening. In spite of the rain, it was still smoldering the next morning.

Lookers

Two of the CraigsList inquiries were from Eureka Springs residents. They both showed up up at exactly the same time Saturday morning. It was a little confusing with both of them there at the same time, but it was fun showing them around.

Linda and her two boys were from just up Rock House Road. (Pictured with her permission.) The boys hoofed it down to the pond and back by the time we were through showing her around the house, barn, and spring. I think they really liked the property, but the house was too small, the road was to steep, and the neighbors were ... well, they need to do some outdoor work. Oh well, the price you pay for paradise.

Tara and her two young ones were the other group. She seemed interested, but has not made arrangements to come back out. It was fun interacting with her toddler, who was adorable and a true free spirit.

The other inquiry was from a fellow in Rogers that wanted to build a remote retreat. We have the remote part. I talked to him about the idea of building on top of the hill to avoid the road. He didn't show and never called back.

Late Saturday two of our neighbors wondered down, David and Julie. I had never met Julie and only met David once. We showed them around. David was very interested and excited about the place, especially the barn. But he doesn't have any money. Said his plan was to win the lottery and had bought two tickets. He was feeling lucky because the drawing date was on his birthday. I guess he didn't hit it.

I am beginning to realize that this is going to be a long process. That is okay.

Mow

I did some mowing later Saturday: around the house, down to the pond, around the spring, and in front of the barn. Next week I will do the rest and probably be done for the season.

September 27-28, 2013

Sally was still in Salt Lake City, so this was another boys trip. No rain and temperatures in the upper 80s -- kinda warm for late September.

Stain Window

I treated the raw wood on the new Pella sash with Flood's cedar tone Clear Wood Finish. I am now certain that is what Eddie had used. You should not be able to tell any difference between this window and the others. I also moved all the hardware over from the old sash, and put in the three screws that will attach to the crank (which I hope will make the final attachment easier, since that is where I bloodied my knuckles getting the old ones out). Now I wait for Sally to help me put it in.

Mow

I mowed to the pond, , around the barn and spring, and the far back of the house.

Propane Tank

The propane tank has been looking pretty dingy, little black spots and greenish mold growing on it in a few spots. I actually thought I was going to need to paint it, but I scrubbed it down with some bleach and detergent. What a difference. Wish I had done it years ago. While I had the brush and soap out I went ahead and washed all the old windows.

Clean

I did some house cleaning, mostly floors.

Clean Heater Pilots

With heating season coming on (and knowing how Sally hates the smell of the carburetor cleaner I use), I went ahead and cleaned the pilots on the two propane heaters. I've learned that this is required at least annually.

Lop Trees

Lot of trees had sprouted back up above the spring and below the bluffs and big cedars -- the area I cleared out last year. So I took my loppers and cut them back again. Spraying them during the growing season would be more effective.

Garden

Picked more squash, green beans, kale, and chard; did some weeding; and watered.

September 21-22, 2013

Sally was in Salt Lake City, so just a me and Tender here for the weekend. Thankfully,we had received two inches of rain. Temperature was in the mid 80s both days.

Pella Window

Friday afternoon I picked up the replacement window Pella had built for us. The wood is not stained, so I was somewhat worried about getting a good match with the frame and other windows. But I remembered Eddie had used Flood cedar tone CWF (clear wood finish), even on the inside of the house. I tested a bottom part of the window and think that is it, though it would take two coats. I sent a picture to Sally to get her approval. I won't be able to hang it until she is out with me since it is a two man job.

Hot Water Tank

Once again I had to drain the hot water tank due to the rotten egg smell/iron bacteria. I brought a socket to use to get the old anoid out, but I couldn't budge it. So I called Rex and he came out with his electric drill/driver. I had been using my long handled torque wrench, which registers up to about 140 foot/lbs. He said his driver would excerpt over 400 foot/lbs of pressure. He had it out and replaced in no time. The problem is, he said the old one was also aluminum/zinc, so I don't expect any better results. What a pain to drain the tank every time I am gone for two weeks or more.

Door Weather Seal

I also picked up a new weather seal for the back door, since the old stuff was broken and unsightly. The new stuff fit right in and is working well.

Paint

Working around the door, I decided to put a fresh coat of paint on part of the frame. After that door, I moved on to the two doors under the porches. I think those frames came primed, and Eddie (nor I) ever put any paint on them at all. They look much better now, and it didn't take that long.

Garden

No need to water, but I did some weeding and picked green beans, kale, some chard, and lots of butternuts. Many of the butternut squash vines were dying and the squash beetles were really bad.

Trim Iris

I took some hand clippers and cut back the dying iris leaves, pulled out the dead ones, and did some weeding in the bed out by the deck. Looks much nicer.

Cutup Cedar

I took my Sthil down and cut up the tornado downed field cedar that I had drug down by the pond. I was thinking I would just need to get it into a few pieces, but I ended up limbing much of it just so I could then drag pieces up into the edge of the woods (so Larry could brush hog). Most of it will have to be burned, and just a little of it used for fish habitat.

Mow/Weedeat

Of course a little of this, though the season is near its end.