J. Howard Beach House

Stone masonry is analogous to life.  You need a sturdy base, good backing, lots of time, love and patience to invest.  If done well, it will hold for centuries, and impact generations to come.  The years will take their toll, and some parts may need to be re-set, but the overall beauty improves with age.

We capped off our summer masonry projects by building a stonewall that kept us busy every weekend well into the fall months.  We are never short of stone on the property, and we searched high and low for about a month, gathering and carrying them by wheelbarrow load to the parking pad out front (Randy was the muscle behind the wheels).  We even brought up the last of the big stones we had left in the basement.  He devised a ramp and together we rolled those beauties up the steep steps and into the sunlight, using a hand truck and good old muscle.

The chimney demolition project had left us quite literally with a ton of bricks in a heap at the side of the house.  We wondered what we would do with them all.  Randy had the bright idea of using the broken ones to back the stone wall.  So, the sorting began.  The broken bricks were loaded into the wheelbarrow and brought out front with the mounting pile of stone.  The intact bricks were carried the short distance to the back patio area that is taking shape.  This is on our outdoor list for next summer.We set a straight line to mark our wall and the process began.  I started at the lowest point to build the retaining wall that would hold the truckloads of soil we had brought in to level the front yard.  Crushed stone for the base, and then some hefty stones for the facing, and brick after brick for the back.  The level, chisels and ball peen hammer have all become my friends.

The wall is about two feet deep and measures about two and a half feet tall, then rounds the corner and slims down as it makes its way up the slight incline to the front walkway.

I like puzzles.  Always have.  Randy on the other hand, does not have the patience for them.  So while I was building the wall, he was cutting trees and stacking wood.  We are slowly clearing the hillside just above the house, as the trees there are close to and tower over us.  Now, Randy has cut a lot of trees in his lifetime and is adept and spot on accurate in knowing where they will fall.  That is, until now.   One tree in particular was not cooperating, and decided to fall in the opposite direction.  Thank goodness it got hung up in another tree, and did not complete its trajectory.  It had been headed for our power line, the parking pad, our cars, a pile of stone and me.  Long story short, after trying to move that tree on our own, our neighbors happened to drive by and see our dilemma.  They charged in with a “come-along” and a hefty rope which worked like a charm.  They were gracious enough to leave behind these tools for our future use.  Crisis averted!

I was a weekend stone wall warrior for just over a month, with time in between spent on fun, of course.  I believe in a life in balance, and never want to be a slave to the work here, because it is endless.  Here’s what we’ve been doing for fun… We hosted my brother Jim’s family and spent a phenomenal day on the Upper Delaware River canoeing and kayaking the most beautiful stretch of river I have ever seen.  We put in above Equinunk, PA that day and took out below Long Eddy, NY.  Multiple bald eagles were spotted and one golden eagle, a first for me. Randy and I also did some hiking and foraging for mushrooms locally.  They have been plentiful this year, with all the rain we’ve had.  Randy is the master in this department.

 

 

We enjoyed black trumpets and hen of the woods thus far, and we now have mason jars full of dehydrated mushrooms to enjoy for months ahead.  We spent an afternoon with friends harvesting hops at a local farm.  With an air strip on the property, the neighbor and local aviator brought out his 1935 Cub and offered us all rides.  Randy got in line with a half-dozen others and was treated to aerial views of the surrounding area which included Milanville and our home. Out of all the adults and children the pilot took up that day, he later commented that Randy’s enthusiasm during the ride was the most fun to watch.  “Like a big kid”, he said.  October brought us a last-minute weekend camping and hiking trip to Mt. Cardigan in New Hampshire, thanks to my brother Jim.

 

 

 

Two weeks later we were in Portland Maine and then Leominster, Massachusetts where we celebrated Randy’s parent’s sixtieth wedding anniversary.  In addition, we’ve hosted family and friends twice during the autumn months.

What a beautiful life we are building together, one stone, one brick, one layer at a time.  I am so proud of the stonewall and all of the masonry we have done on the grounds in recent months.

We finished with grass seed and straw and the lawn is already coming in nicely.  Fall has arrived with a chill in the air.  The flower beds have all been trimmed back and our sights have turn inward.  We have been preparing to participate in our first local Makers Markets being held during the coming holiday season.  An array of items are in the works.  They will consist mostly of Randy’s woodwork, but some recycled glassware and table linens will add color and texture to our wares.

 

All are hand-made, right here in our home.  We hope to open a shop in the spring, and will renovate the last of the unfinished rooms on the ground floor this winter to serve as the studio.  Randy’s photography will grace the walls and be on sale, as well.  We have spent months considering what to name the business and have settled with something we both feel good about.  It will be a new chapter for us, and fun to see where it leads.  A tasteful sign will be placed on the lawn out front, just above the curve in the stonewall.  We decided on Milanville Wood & Co. and if you are on instagram, you can see some photos of our products there @milanvillewoodandco.

If you haven’t come to visit us yet, please do!

Summer is fleeting.  We wait for it like eager school children, as if it will last forever, only to be reminded, year after year when the weather turns cooler, that fall will creep in and take its place.  Every year I wonder “Where did all the time go?”  These days, I know exactly where all my time goes.  Here’s what we’ve been up to…

Randy took a work trip to Canada at the end of June, and was gone for three days.  During that time, we decided I should get to finishing the woodwork in the living room.  I had sanded it around the doors and baseboard over the winter, but the two windows had been covered with plastic, so I had decided to wait to finish the job.  The molding around the windows is quite extensive, and it took me one whole day of sanding to finish just the windows.  Everything was smooth as silk!  I gave it a coat of paint on the second day, beautiful white semi-gloss.

 

 

I was ready to start the second coat when my newlywed husband came home.  I now endearingly call him “The Inspector”.  With woodwork that is 150 years old, you can imagine the dings and holes left behind from years of hanging window treatments, decorations, moving furniture, etc. not to mention the scars left in one of the door jams from the long gone door and hardware.  We had used wood putty to fill the obvious holes and sanded them all smooth before I painted.  Of course, once it was painted, all of the imperfections we had missed became glaringly obvious, and Mr. “Everything Has To Be Perfect” started wood puttying everywhere, followed by another round of sanding.  AS IF, the extremely thorough job I had already done was not enough.   I wanted the job done, as our list of summer projects to tackle was long.  All I could think of,  is the thousands of feet of extravagant woodwork in this house, and the years it would take us to refinish it all, if we had to live up to this level of perfection in every room.  I walked off the job to maintain my sanity and let him sand away…

A day later I had raised the white flag and surrendered.  What choice did I have?  At that point, he had almost completely sanded off my first coat of paint to “level out the dents” with the paint acting as a final filler in the faint scratches left behind by years of use.  With a good dose of humor, I joined him in sanding and painting, sanding and painting… to get the job done.  Of course, in the midst of it all, we had disagreed on how to handle the two doorways which are open, without actual doors.  My first thoughts were only to paint the side of the doorways that were inside the living room, but after much “debate”, we agreed to go all the way around the door jams and into the dining room and hallway.  THREE coats of paint later, with wood putty and light sanding between each layer, we were done.  The painted wood trim looks like new.  Seriously!  It is a work of art. (deep sigh)

Outside, the landscape work continued and thankfully in this area we were more successful in working happily, as a team.  We had a tri-axle load of “modified” gravel delivered one morning at 7:30 a.m.  TWENTY tons!  The man driving the truck left one pile at the top of our parking pad, and then spread the rest as he drove forward, creating about ten mini-piles.

Randy and I were ready with shovels, rakes and a wheelbarrow.  We worked to spread it by hand and were done by 10:30!

We saved a portion of the crushed stone to begin leveling the remaining bluestone along the path that makes a left turn at our front landing and wraps around the house and ends near the side porch, off the kitchen. 

In addition to raising the walkway, we are adding topsoil (two truck loads so far) to the front lawn and the flower beds between the porch and the walkway, so that everything is level.  At the corner, we raised the walkway and the yard about a foot!  The purpose of doing all of this is two fold, first leveling out the yard and walkway, and second reducing the distance from the porch to the ground.  Current building code requires no more than 30 inches, or the porch rails will need to be re-installed if ever we need a building permit for some future project.  We dug up stone after stone, shoveled for days, hauling wheelbarrow loads of gravel, and sweating like crazy.  A layer of sand was placed on top of the gravel before resetting each stone to give it a buffer to avoid future heaving from frost.  We ran out of gravel after turning the corner, which happened right about the time we were set to go on a vacation. So we took a break to do some traveling and then hosted a visit from Randy’s parents and one of his brothers.

Two other major projects have been on our radar for months now, and we had hopes that they would get done this summer:  (1) Take down the oldest of two remaining chimneys (this house once had three), and (2) Cut the Spruce tree.  We needed to hire some outside help to take on these projects, as they were way beyond our abilities.  We had been trying to these jobs up for some time, but they just weren’t coming together.  As life has it, both jobs surprisingly fell into place within the same two day span.  Literally, the day Randy’s parents arrived, Ron, the man hired to take the chimney down, called to say that he had an unexpected break in work and could come two days later (he had us scheduled for late September).  Literally, as Randy’s parents were pulling away, Ron was pulling up.  He arrived with a helper named Dave.  Both young men, were comfortable on the roof, and climbed the ladders without a problem.  They went up to take a look and then went off to pick up supplies and while they were gone, Randy and I started to demo the ceiling in the attic so we could have greater access to the chimney all the way to the roof line.  It was the original chimney, which interestingly had been built to avoid the attic window.  It came straight up through the floor, took a 45 degree right turn to the under the window, followed the window vertically and then took another 45 degree left turn to exit the roof at the center of the peak.  Prior owners had chosen to prop it up from the inside, rather than repair it, and the wooden framing was holding thousands of pounds of bricks.  Talk about a stressful job!  We had concerns that the chimney above the roof line might just fall down if we bumped it.   It would need reinforcement before they touched a thing.

The first ladder they tried wasn’t long enough to make it to the upper roof line, so they rigged two ladders from the side porch and went up in two stages.  Now, the chimney had wasps.  The insects had to go, before any work could get done, and thankfully there were not too many and they weren’t too aggressive.  The two guys took apart the chimney brick by brick, using just their hands.  Very gently!  It was like watching a Jenga game.  The mortar up there had turned to sand.  There was really nothing we could do at that point, but watch.  Meanwhile a few lingering wasps would show up here and there, just to test their ability to remain calm and stay focused.  They were amazing!  They threw down the bricks one at a time and before long they had taken it down to just below the roof.  Randy fashioned a tarp with two boards at either end to act as weights, which they placed over the opening for the night.  After they left, Randy and I went up into the attic and began taking the chimney apart there.  Again, most of the bricks came apart without much effort.  We worked together, Randy taking the bricks out, as I was heaving them out the window to the ground below.  What a dirty job!!!  We found the first squirrel nests in the chimney at the point were the chimney started to bend.  Below that, in the straight piece were the bee hives.  Layers and layers of them, all neatly sandwiched in there.  It was a mess!  I saved three of the deepest and oldest honeycombs, which were just too beautiful to discard, and still nearly perfect.   Below that, the chimney was open, with no obstructions.  We took it down to the the level of the floor, where the mortar is still firm and in tact. Also found was the rest of the original wallpaper.  I think I mentioned this in a previous post.  Now we can piece together what was one complete roll to see the beautiful original wallpaper.  We will cap the chimney at the attic floor and leave the remnants in the lower floors in order to preserve the history of its presence.  On day two, Ron and Dan returned to patch the hole in the roof.

 

I needed to go to work that day, and on my way there I got a call from Allen, who had been recommended to take down the tree.   Let me back track a little here…  The spruce tree next to the house was so beautiful, but it was enormous.  We loved it, and it broke out hearts to cut it down, but it was simply too big and too close to the house.  It blocked the sun, and kept the exterior damp.  After getting estimates from local tree removal companies that were very expensive, we were told of Allen, who happened to be the brother of Andy.  Andy had helped us take out the old oil tanks from the basement.  Allen is a logger.  So there I was in my car on the side of the road talking to Allen who was willing to stop at the house to look at the tree on the very same day at 11:00.  I knew Randy was home with Ron and David on the roof, so sure, Allen could stop by and take a look at the job.  Randy met Allen who looked and sounded just like his brother.  Both are strong, gentle, humble and hard working local men.  He took a look at the tree, gave Randy a quote we couldn’t beat, and said he could be back that afternoon at 3:00 to take it down.  Unbelievable!  He came back with two chain saws, some rope harnesses and spikes to strap to his boots.  He climbed that tree with great finesse, cut the limbs one at a time from the bottom up and then from the top down, began cutting the trunks (there were two) into lengths of six feet or so, until he was done.  Half way through the job it started to rain.  Then it POURED!

Remember Ron and Dave?  They were still on the roof, three stories up.  They had all their tools up there and were getting the new shingles on when the rain started.  Three men up 40-50 feet in the rain, and luckily no thunder.

We asked if they wanted to stop, but all insisted they keep going to finish the jobs, with no concern about the rain.  Randy and I were hauling the limbs away in the downpours and making a giant pile in the gully to make into mulch later.

 

Dave even jumped in to help haul off tree limbs, and carried off one of the biggest and heaviest pieces like it was a twig.  Ah, to be young!  We were soaking wet and covered with mud, bark and wood chips before the job was done.  Before leaving, Allen cut the longer lengths into smaller lengths that can be split later for outdoor burning in our fire pit.  The rain let up after an hour or so, and Ron and Dave finished their jobs, also capping the other chimney for us, before they left.  You can imagine our relief and disbelief at the end of that day, when both jobs were done, and everyone paid and home safe.  PHEW!!!

With relentless fortitude, we ordered more gravel to finish leveling the walkway, and stone by stone we made it all the way back to the kitchen steps at the side porch.

 

 

It was like a marathon, day after day until we were done.  I don’t think I have ever sweated so much in my life!  We added a step down at the bump out for the dining room windows and used pieces of broken stones to support the step, similar to what we did out front.

 

 

The finished job looks great and we love it!  We plan to add some topsoil to cover the gravel and plant grass seed this fall.

In the midst of it all, we took time out to enjoy life, and REST.

Fall is knocking at the door and the metamorphosis continues…

 

 

Once upon a time there were two giant maple trees that flanked the bluestone path to our front door.  Taken down long before we arrived, evidence of their presence remained in the form of two bare and bulging spots in the front lawn where they had stood.  In addition, the rotting and decomposing roots beneath the stone path left it buckling and heaving with every step.  The path was also off center, which made no sense at all, except if at some time, they had moved it over, to accommodate for the roots of the living trees.  Each guest that came and went was cautiously warned “Watch your step on the path!”  In the fall, we had re-set the first stone closest to the front landing, leaving about a two inch rise between it and the next stone.  With seven more gigantic stones to level, it was one of those projects we had begun, tackling the worst and most desperately needed fix first, leaving the rest to be finished later.  In early June, it was time.

We have no official driveway, although we have plans to create one sometime in the future.  For now, parking is along the road out front.  There was enough room for two cars when we bought the house, with sparse gravel beneath them about the width of the cars.  It never seemed quite wide enough for us, and so we just started parking further in from the road to allow for space to safely get out.  I always have bags and bundles to get out of the back seat, and needed to park further in to avoid standing in the road, waiting for the open door to be hit by a car, or something worse.  In doing this, the edge of the lawn graciously receded a few feet, under the weight of our cars.  Unfortunately, another result was that the final stone in the path was accidentally getting run over and small chips were giving way off its edges.  Yikes! The walkway would need to be shortened, and we cringed every time we saw a new chip in that stone.

We had to work together on this project, with the largest stone measuring 49 x 42 inches.  The path is 49 inches wide, with eight stones of varying length, each about 2 1/2 inches in depth.  HEAVY!!  Randy and I would work together with a long crow bar, two shovels and a maul.  Together, we would carefully lift each stone (I say carefully so as not to break the stones or our backs), lay it down in the adjacent grass and then Randy would begin hacking away at the roots below. 

When he took a break, I would follow up with my hands, digging up the frayed roots and lifting out what had loosened up.  Wood chips flew in every direction and landed up to 30 feet away, which kept me busy with the rake and a broom.  When all the roots were gone, we would level the soil below, lay a thick level layer of tiny gravel and then lift and lay the stone back in place.  Randy worked the level, and again with the crowbar and the shovels, together we added more of that tiny crushed stone here and there from under the edges, finally securing and setting the stone.  One at a time, over the course of a week or so, we worked together (and sometimes Randy worked alone).  One of the stones had cracked down the middle, long before our time, so we decided to take the broken halves out completely, and set them off to the side to be taken away later.  This would shorten the walkway to seven stones, and seemed to be a perfect solution.  Now needed to fix that last stone…

Randy did some online research about stone cutting which revealed he would need a large stone chisel.  Tools he already owned included a tape measure, a large ball peen hammer, a small chisel, a drill with a masonry bit and something to mark the stone with (we used a board).  First we measured and marked the stone, trying to salvage as much of it as possible and leave the 39 inch sides intact.  Once the line was made, Randy began to use the drill to bore pilot holes into the stone, using all of his body weight against the drill. This did not look easy!

He drilled 12 holes in all, each one measuring two or more inches deep.  He wet the stone to clear off all of the dust, and get a good look at things before he began to work with the chisels.  He worked quickly, carefully and with a consistent rhythm until his hands went numb and he needed a short break.  Then he would start again.

It didn’t take long before the rock began to give way and the stone was a perfect rectangle, once again.  One corner had fractured horizontally, just below the surface, leaving that spot thin, so we needed to be very careful when lifting and moving it.

Now, I mentioned Randy and his level.  The walkway had previously sat on an angle, with the front landing higher than the final stone out near the road.  As we leveled the walkway, we began to see that we would need to lift the final stone significantly (7 ½ inches to be exact).  Those two cracked stones that were sitting off to the side, gave me an idea.  I wondered if we could lay them on top of one another and use their straight edges (which luckily were the 39 inch sides) beneath the final stone to create a step at the end.  It have to say, I have some great ideas! It took us some time to measure the height of each of the three remaining stones, do the calculations, dig out and level the base and set those two cracked stones.

Now it was time for us to dig out the final stone.  This was no easy task!!  It took every ounce of our strength to lift it, and hold it steady once vertical.  I took a quick step away to catch this shot.

Over time, we had discovered the easiest way to move the stones was to pivot them, only lifting one end and moving it a few inches at a time.  I would hold one end steady while Randy would lift and shift the other end.  We were both a bit nervous moving this one, simply due to the enormity of the stone.  I was actually thankful that it had chipped at this point, thinking how much heavier it had been before.  Inch by inch we shifted the rock into place and then needed to lower it onto the step.  Of course, the last stone was sitting on end at a lower elevation, so we would not only have to lay it down gently, but raise it up nearly 7 inches.  The board we had used to create the straight line came in handy again, and we used it to break the fall of the stone as we lowered it.  I will also say, I have a new appreciation for crowbars!  It sat in place nearly perfectly and we made a few minor adjustments to give it a final resting place.  We are thrilled with the results!!

Along with the walkway, we have been busy preparing soil, planting and weeding in the flower beds around the house and creating a vegetable garden.  There were no perennials here, with the exception of two spots where lilacs grew.  I had written about one spot previously, where I had built a stone planter around them and planted some day lily and grape hyacinth bulbs, which came in nicely.  The other lilacs were very old with four individual trunks, each about six inches in diameter.  They had flowered the year before, but Randy knew enough about pruning that we decided to cut them all the way down to about six inches from the ground.  It was a sad day for me, but I know they will come back and be flowering again in a few years.  I decided to create another stone planter around it, and although Randy helped me create a perfect circle on the ground as a template, I did the rest of the work on my own. 

Rocks we had been collecting from around the property sat in a pile behind the barn and one wheelbarrow full at a time, I brought them out front.  It took me one whole day to build the circular retaining wall and fill it with soil.

The next day I planted pink yarrow, lavender and coreopsis.  We later added marigolds to make it extra unappetizing to the deer who have not touched it…yet (fingers crossed).

You may have noticed in the photos that we also took the front porch rails off.  We had wanted to do it for some time, as the house originally had no rails.  I came home from work one day, and they were gone!  Randy said they were well made and came off easily.   It changes everything.  It feels a bit like a veranda now, seeming much larger and open.

Remember the straw bales we had used to insulate the kitchen crawl space during the bitter cold weeks of late December?  We chose the area between the screened porch and the barn to set them on edge and create our straw bale garden (insulating that space is on our summer “To-Do” list).  Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and beans are all growing well!  We fenced the little garden with 7 foot deer netting, and I planted some perennial flower seeds in the tiny bed we had created next to the stone foundation, in front of the barn.  Randy is in charge of the vegetable garden, with far more experience here.  Next to the kitchen we also have a little herb garden that has basil, parsley, cilantro, sage and lettuces.   Rhubarb was planted along the front of the screened porch.  There are too many plants and seeds to mention, mostly perennials, and they are all doing well.  Of course, it is hard to know where to plant everything, so as the summer progresses, we will surely be moving things here and there.  The joys of gardening!

Last, but certainly not least, we decided to get married!!  Sometime in May, we started to share the desire to be husband and wife.  We had each begun to think about it at the same time, and were each surprised and pleased to realize it in each other.  J.Howard Beach had been the first Justice of the Peace in this area, so we thought it fitting to be married right here by a JP.  Yesterday, June 23^rd in a private ceremony held at our front door, Randy and I vowed to love each other for the rest of our days. This house has changed us.  Systematically, (and sometimes haphazardly) we have rooted out, thinned, transplanted and repaired things overgrown, unwanted and decayed.  Everything has a chance to be restored, renewed and reborn.  It has made room for the new life and love we bring to each other and into this place.  We are “set in” here and creating roots of our own.  What a beautiful life!

February 18, 2018

It started a year ago with an email from an old friend.  She happens to be an editor and one of Randy’s connections in the magazine world.  “Do you know of anyone who makes maple syrup for fun?”  They had the idea for a story, but needed a subject.  My boss happens to make maple syrup every year at the school where I work.  The students get involved tapping the trees, gathering sap and witnessing the boil outdoors.  A story was born.  Randy photographed Pete for a few days and came home inspired to do the same.  Last year, at our home in Pond Eddy, Randy tapped the two sugar maple trees on the property.  We must have made about five or six quarts of syrup when it was all said and done.  I say “We”, but it was mostly “He”.  I gathered sap a few times, and boiled it down in the kitchen once without him, while he was away on assignment.  It was an amateur operation, but great fun nonetheless, yielding sweet syrup we were so very proud of.

When we bought this house, we noticed right away, the big old sugar maple trees above the stone wall next to the house.  The sugar bush stretches from the road, back beyond the barn on the upper tier of the hillside next to the house.  It was part of our plan from the beginning to tap the trees and make maple syrup here.

About a month ago, Randy started doing research and began ordering supplies online.  Excitement mounted as packages started to arrive.  We are now the proud owners of one 2 x 3 foot stainless steel evaporation pan, fifteen stainless steel taps, fifteen plastic collection buckets with lids, two woolen cone filters, a dozen disposable paper filter liners, two five gallon food grade collection buckets (Randy had these for making beer), a 44 gallon food grade plastic barrel, galvanized sheet metal (for use in heating ducts) to shield the fire and twenty pint sized metal syrup tins.  All of this, I will add, has been “on display” in our living room since it arrived, waiting for the temperatures to rise.  I do love Randy, he has such enthusiasm!!

We have been watching the weather, and last week the forecast showed a stretch of days above 40 degrees with nights below freezing.  Perfect!  Now, if you have not met Randy, he is a character.  He loves ALL things living, and talks to most everyone and everything.  As he went to tap the trees, he gave them each some “Lovins” which included “Big Hugs”.  They stood so tall and proud, and he felt a deep reverence for their age and stature.  It was originally a Native American tradition.  They called it “Sinzibukwud” and they taught the first European settlers how to tap the sugar maple trees in the spring.  This area was home to many native people.  They called this spot Cushetunk, meaning a place to wash, along the Delaware River, at the mouth of the what is now called Caulkins Creek.  They had been here for many moons, before the white man came.

The sap began to run.

Yesterday, we held our first boil.  I had been up early and made a pot of soup and some corn bread to keep us fed for the day.  Randy woke and was outdoors shortly after, beginning to gather the necessary supplies.  It had snowed a few inches overnight and so snow removal was going to be a part of the day’s chores.  We had purchased some cinder blocks to house the fire, but he soon realized that we did not have enough.  Sadly, our nearest hardware store is 25 minutes away, a setback that would cost us a good chunk of time.  Now, I told you the trees are on the hillside above the house.  There is an upper tier that levels out with the bed of an old road still visible on the forest floor there, leading through the woods.  This was the chosen spot for the fire.  It was level and we would not have to lug the sap down the hillside to our current fire pit next to the barn.  It seemed logical, until we realized the challenge of lugging everything up there by hand, in the snow.  Not an easy job!  In addition, Randy had put the sap barrel in the barn, out of the sun.  The previously collected and stored sap would also have to be carried up to the the fire.  Oh, and I forgot, our dry wood was next to the barn.  Up it all went, one load at a time.  The snowy path we walked revealed slippery wet leaves and then mud, as the air warmed up, the snow melted and the day progressed.  The whole setup process took us until well after noon.

The old road bed seemed level, but of course, Randy’s eye for detail called for a full scale leveling involving a shovel and excavation down to the dirt below the snow and leaves.

All level, the cinder blocks were lined up, and we started the fire.

The chain saw came up the hill, and we began harvesting a downed ash tree that had fallen years ago and was still off the ground, dry and ready.  Long lengths were cut to fit the fire pit and in they went.

We placed the evaporation pan on top and loaded it with sap.

You can imagine our relief when at 3:48 PM it started to boil.  We stood watch until after dark.

In pitch darkness, with our head lamps on, we filtered and poured off the syrup, and carried it back into the house.  Fresh snow was used to clean out the pan, and we completed the final boil in the kitchen.

Filtered again, then poured into four pint sized tins and the syrup was complete.

Or so we thought…  Today we had pancakes for breakfast, along with the two Advil I took to help with the body aches I felt all over.  When we poured the maple syrup onto the fresh hot-cakes, we laughed out loud.  It was like water. Way too thin.  But Tasty!!

Today’s boil was 100 times easier.  The only thing we carried up the hill was the empty barrel (which now has a home near the fire pit) and some corrugated metal to make a roof, to shield it from the sun.  We placed it within the old blue stone foundation of what we think might have been a cold storage shed, now long gone.  With snow heaped up all around, it was sure to keep cold.  We boiled another full pan of sap which had frozen overnight in the buckets.

Our fire was going by 9:00 and around 12:30 it started to rain.  We rigged up a tarp using the nearby trees, and before long the sap was done.   In the kitchen, during the final boil we combined it with yesterday’s syrup (I use the term loosely).  In the end, we canned four pints of syrup which is the color of golden straw and delicious beyond belief.  Most importantly, it is syrup.

Last year’s maple syrup article, along with Randy’s photographs, are due out any day now.  Good things come to those who wait.  A perfect end to our sweet dream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is predawn on Christmas morning. I will watch the sunrise this morning out the front window before me, as I write.  A blanket of fresh snow has fallen overnight, and I hope to take a photo of the house to add to this blog before I finally post, later today.  I am enjoying an unexpected Christmas gift: time to write.  It is a present I give to myself.  I perceive it to be for you, as well.  It is such a joy for me to write, and since my last post, I have waited eagerly for the time to sit once again to do so.  We have been busy here at the house and I want to fill you in on all of it.

Sometime around Thanksgiving, Randy and I decided to finish the living room.  It was so glum, and is the first room you see upon entering the house.  The drop ceiling had been torn down and the fireplace had been uncovered.  The walls were blue and dotted here and there with lines and patches of plaster repair that had Randy had done previously.  The ceiling was a mess, with a large piece of plaster missing, exposing the wood lathe underneath.  We had worked on this room before we moved in, but never finished, as we made the decision to shift our focus on completing the rooms we absolutely needed to live in.

Sometime in early December, up went the plastic vapor barriers in the doorways, and down came parts of the crumbling ceiling.  This ceiling was particularly dingy and covered with soot, as this chimney housed the vent from the furnace below.  The first week we owned the house we were shocked to discover that the furnace exhaust was leaking into the room.  We think often of the prior owners, and their health.  They must have had no idea.

Randy chased the cracks to find any loose plaster, which easily released from the ceiling, and he let gravity do the rest.  Once the loose plaster is cleared away, he has developed a very clever method of mapping the wood lathe gaps with butcher paper.  He first tapes the paper to the ceiling over a hole and traces the empty space.  The paper is taken down and then cut, creating a template which is applied to sheet rock, traced and finally cut.  The sheet rock then fits into the hole like a puzzle piece.  A perfect fit, later to be plastered, sanded, plastered and sanded.  I know the drill, as I assisted as much as my time would allow.  This went on for about two weeks and what a mess it made!  We did our best to keep the plastic covering the doorway, but the dust followed us out, and we were covered with it (yes, we wore masks, too).  Trying to mix plaster and clean up indoors, without making a mess is near impossible.  I cleaned it all up one Sunday, to find that Monday evening when I arrived home it was as if I had never cleaned.  I gave up and decided to just live with the mess until the plastering was done.  Yesterday, we put the final coat of paint on the ceiling and walls, replaced the radiator and moved the furniture back in.  What a treat it was to sit and enjoy the beautiful space for the first time, on Christmas Eve!

The last time I wrote about the restorations, we had just finished sealing up the house with the storm windows and completing the heating system.  I will say that things are running smoothly.  Randy has re-insulated  a few more spots here and there.  He added a foam board insulation panel at the top of the stairs to the attic, and one on the back door leading from the kitchen to the shop.  The old weather stripping was removed from the four exterior doors and replaced to tighten up the door jams.  He even added some new molding to seal things up.  Lastly, we moved things around upstairs, so that the entire north side of the house can be shut down for the winter.  In addition, the “servant’s quarters” are also closed up and unheated, in the back of the house above the kitchen .  In total, about a third of the house is not heated now, and it is working out beautifully.  We have had two oil deliveries thus far, and we are pleased to find that we’re not consuming ridiculous amounts of oil.

Before winter set in, we had done some work outside moving some of the giant bluestone slabs to start our back patio.  We also re-set the first of the enormous stones leading to our front door.  There had been a pair of old maple trees growing in the front yard, one on either side of the walkway.  Over the years, their roots buckled the stones and heaved the walkway about a foot left of the front door.  In the spring, we plan to finish the job, re-leveling and centering the path once again.  I spent one fall day building a small stone wall to create a planter for assorted bulbs given to us by friends.  In cleaning up around the barn, we found and unearthed another bluestone walkway buried beneath inches of sod.  These stones are different, very long, skinny and more practical than the ones out front.  We bought and set up a compost barrel and found a new spot for our laundry line on the back hillside.  Our neighbor Jay handed on to us an  almost new box spring and mattress, which we set up in one of our guest rooms.  Randy moved the water pump in the basement, so that it was far enough away from the new electrical panel in the basement to meet the electrical code.  We passed the electrical inspection.  All that,  plus we bought and refinished a piece of furniture for the bathroom and raised the roof in the workshop, out back (I may have mentioned that previously).

Last, but not least, we ordered new appliances for the kitchen which will arrive early in January.  We will install the refrigerator right away, but the stove is gas, and will require a new line.  The local gas company won’t do it until spring.  Yes, imagine that!  This is one of the perks of life in the country.  The dishwasher will also wait until we have renewed our energy for the next big project, which will entail re-configuring the sink and the necessary plumbing for a dishwasher.

Oh yes, and we we painted the front door, late in October which was quite the process!  The door had been red, and wanted to stay red.  The first coat of white primer turned pink.  We switched primers and the second coat of white primer turned a paler shade of pink.  Pretty, but not what we wanted.  We had to buy an oil based white to cover the pink, and then hallelujah the door was white, which could then be painted over with the indigo blue we had chosen. Gorgeous!

Now, I hesitate to share this piece of the story, as it has a darker, not so joyous ending.  Anyone who has owned an old house with a stone foundation knows this chapter.  This is the part about the little critters that sneak around in the night  They have been inhabiting this home for years.  The previous owner used to pride herself in feeding them beneath the porch out back.  I on the other hand, do not appreciate cohabitating with non-domestic animals.  And so the extermination began when the cold weather set in and they all moved back in to their winter quarters.  Our nights were not silent.  We had mice, squirrels and flying squirrels.  YIKES!!  The mice I knew how to handle.  It took me a while to figure out that we had flying squirrels, let alone how to get rid of them.  This tale included me experiencing first hand why they are called “flying” squirrels, and a literal launch off of the bridge next door.  I had hoped to dispose of the poor little creature in the stream, but the clever little rodent simply went spread eagle and glided to the water, where he then swam to the shore and climbed a tree.  I was aghast!!  Another humorous tale started one Saturday morning when I was sleeping late.  I heard a thump on the roof above the bed followed by a scurry of footsteps.  Within seconds, I could see the spruce tree outside moving.  I spun around and sat up, and spied a squirrel, squatting and still in the tree outside the window.  I thought, NO, it couldn’t be.  A few minutes later, the entire scene repeated itself, this time with me watching intensely.  I witnessed the soft white underbelly of the second squirrel launch from the gutter above the window and land softly in the tree.  So graceful, so cute…. NOT.  I was painting the trim on the archway in the living room that day, and I watched about six different squirrels using the trunk of that tree like a roadway, up and down, up and down, their mouths filled with leaves.  Randy put three pieces of silver flashing around the trunk the next day (he calls it an art installation in stainless).  Boy were those squirrels in a panic when they couldn’t get back up the tree.  The chapter closes with all critters gone, and us sleeping soundly through the silent nights.  Now we rest.  We have promised each other we will not start any new projects for a few weeks.  We are both exhausted and spent.

In 1934, Felix Bernard wrote the lyrics to “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” not far from us.  He was from Honesdale, PA, about twenty five minutes away.  We are headed out for a walk in our own winter wonderland, perhaps on roadways and paths that Mr. Bernard had once traveled.  The Christmas day awaits us, as does the new year. 

 

 

to face unfraid

the plans that we’ve made

walking in a winter wonderland

I have noticed something in life that has proven itself true, time and time again.  It relates to my “To Do” list.  I use the term loosely, as I extend this “list” to include more than just a simple inventory of today’s chores, errands, or projects.  For me, it extends to include whatever seems to be the most pressing need at any given moment.  So here is what I witness…  No matter what I am doing, today’s most important task, once completed, seems to be diminished, even forgotten, in the moment when something new and of course, very important comes to light.  I fly off in a new direction and the cycle begins again.  There is never a time when the to do list is done.  I am sometimes lost in this perpetual race to finish something, only to find that there is something else that has flooded in to replace it, once I am done.  It can feel like I a hamster on a wheel.  Always going, always working, accomplishing great and wonderful things, but never at rest.  All work and no play, as they say, makes life a dull and monotonous act.  I am looking for more.  I have been here before, and it is as simple as calling attention to the reality, of witnessing and accepting it, which leads me out of the dark.

There is an art to slowing down to appreciate all things.  It takes a conscious effort for me to slow down and just be.  This morning, brought our first snowfall.  As I sit here writing in the early morning, I have watched the sunrise over the river valley.  A stunning scene of winter’s unfolding.  I am reminded.  It has been a long time since I have sat down to write for this blog.  I love to write, and yet, I have left my love for another.  What have I been doing?  It seems life’s To Do list has been holding me hostage.  It is not just this old house.  It has been all that life demands.  I could make a list of what I have been doing, to quantify my work and worth, but why?  It would be much like every other person’s list of things that keep us busy, occupied, and unconscious.  My intention this morning is to break the cycle.  I wish to make more time to simply be.

How will I accomplish this?  Here are some of the tried and true practices that work for me.  Waking early.  Spiritual connection.  Time outdoors.  Meditation.  Exercise (I love to swim).  Mindfulness.  Living in the moment.  Eating well.  Moderation in all things.  Sleeping at least eight hours a night.  Fellowship with friends and loved ones.  Slowing down enough to notice the beauty all around me.  I know there is more, but for now, this is enough.  A start. The essence of what I need.  To remember that at any given moment I have enough, I am enough, I have done enough, there is enough.  Enough.  Always enough.  Everywhere.  I can be at peace if I connect to myself and remember.

So how do I get there from here?  I have been there before, I have simply forgotten my way.  It starts with one small step.  For today, this is it.

Time to be…

 

Photos in this post are from the house and grounds…  I was so busy washing windows, I forgot to take photos of the process.  Besides, these photos are much more fun!

During September, while Randy was working on the heating system, I was washing the storm windows.  In all, there were 38 large wide glass storm windows and 24 narrow ones.  When we bought the house, only a few of the storm windows were on, the others had been tucked away in various closets.  We had taken them down in April so that we could wash the windows and had stood most of them together in a small storage closet off the kitchen.  The eight panes from the two bedrooms up the narrow and steep back stairway we left up there in a closet for cleaning at some later point (This tidbit is important for reasons which I will later reveal).  These large glass panes sat in storage all summer and late in August, when the first cold snap hit, I was motivated to dig them out and the washing began.  First I had to carefully carry those enormous panes of framed glass out to the back yard where I used a masonry mixing troth to scrub them with warm soapy water, a sponge and a scrub brush.  I even went so far as to use a Brillo pad on the rough and oxidized aluminum to bring them back to a smooth silver finish. One at a time, I lugged them from the wash basin to the table and benches we had in the side yard.  There, the hose rinsed them off and the sun and wind dried them.  Once dry, I carried them to the front porch to await a final cleaning, usually done the next day.  One at a time, I washed each side of the glass with window cleaner, paper towels and a razor blade to scrape off all the old specks and drips of paint that had accumulated over the years.   My parents sent us a package of microfiber cloths which made this final phase of cleaning easier.  Then came the arduous task of putting them back up.
Another homeowner tip… when taking storm windows out, mark them so that you know where they go when its time to put them back up.  I had to think it all through.  Not only were there different heights, but widths as well.  Some frames were raw aluminum, and others were painted white.  It was a sorting and matching nightmare! I  gave up in frustration after the first attempt, and decided to give it some time to re-consider how I was going to approach this seemingly impossible task.  That first weekend, I had washed the window pains randomly, based on what was easiest to reach in the storage room.  There had been a mixed variety of sizes and framing.  One evening after work, I took a walk around the house to look at the windows and realized that the first floor windows were significantly taller than the rest, so the extra tall panes would fit there.  Most of the first and second floor windows were the same width, but at the back of the house, the windows were all narrower.  Then I noticed the runners for the storm windows were either raw aluminum or painted white, just like the frames on the panes.  I had that “A-HA” moment when it all came into clarity and it was smooth sailing from there.  What I did from then on was to sort the window panes before I washed them.  Once matched up with others of the same width, height and finish, I could easily find where they belonged.  The physical task of carrying them carefully into the house and in many cases up the stairs, was the next challenge.  Not of brain power, this was a challenge of strength, dexterity, coordination and teamwork.

At this point I needed Randy’s assistance.  He would stop what he was doing in the basement, climb the stairs and jump in to do his part.  He was using WD-40, a soft mallet and a bit of muscle on the actual windows, some of which had been painted shut for years.  This old house has weights in the windows, many of which whose ropes had long ago dry rotted, tattered and broken off.  This fact does not matter too much to us, except for the small detail that once the window is open, it will often come slamming down, if it is no longer weighted or propped open.  So… one of us had to hold the window open, while the other slid the storm window into place.  Otherwise, we risked having the window come crashing down on us in the midst of  trying to get the storm window in.  We promised each other for safety sake, we would not try to do it alone and together, we carefully slid the sparkling storm windows back into place.

Remember the eight windows that were safely tucked away in the closet up the back stairs?  Well, at some point in the last six months they were moved and placed next to a doorway up there.  One night, after dark, Randy went up the back stairs for something he had stored up there.  Now, there are dainty old light fixtures up there that are accessible only from pull strings, but you have to be standing directly below them to reach them.  So, in the dark, on his way into one of the rooms, he bumped into the storm windows.  I did not hear the crash, but I heard what came afterward.  He was exhausted, stunned and infuriated.  It was not a pretty scene!!  There was broken glass everywhere.  In the end, it looked and sounded much worse than it really was.  Only three of the eight windows were actually broken.  After the cleanup was complete, our local glass company was more than happy to help.  In total, it took us four full weekends to complete the job, not including the first effort.  In the end, every door and window has an upper and lower storm window, with the exception of just two missing panes.  Best of all, no one got hurt!  Between the tuned up furnace, the storm windows and the blown in insulation that was here when we bought the house, it is now free of drafts.  We could feel the difference right away, just walking through the rooms, which is hard to describe… like the air is wrapped up tight around us.

So, not only is the house warmer, but every single window has a clear and breathtaking view.  The creek, the hillside and a cornfield sprawling toward the river border us on all sides.  With every day the view changes, as flora, fauna and the climate transition with the times.  Last weekend, Randy spied a bobcat on the move, out an upstairs window.  He came bolting down the stairs, out the front door, and onto the front lawn.  I happened to be returning from the Post Office next door when I saw him.  We  both froze, and watched it move out into the open, catch our eye and then scurry off in search of cover.  What view will we take in next?

Everything we build in life needs a strong foundation.  Be it our childhood development, family life, education, relationships, career, even our health.  A house, of course is no different.  This old house was built on stone.  We were in love with the foundation from the start.  Before we installed the new oil tanks we wanted to seal it with something to keep the moisture out.  We were only focused on one corner, where the oil tanks stand.  Simple, right?  Starting with hammers and chisels, we  chipped away at the crumbling limestone coating that had been applied years ago.  The three foot wide walls are perfectly vertical and straight on all sides.  We chipped, scraped and dug out mortar from between all the rocks, and using an air compressor blew out any dust left behind before re-pointing.  I kept saying “Are you sure we should be taking out so much of the old mortar?” and Randy kept assuring me the more of the crumbly mortar we took out, the stronger the new joints would be.  We hauled out the crumbly debris and began to mix hydraulic cement to fill in all of the spaces we had cleared.  Randy found a “Marshall” mortar bag that looks like a giant pastry bag (Marshall was the name of his beloved dog).  It worked like a charm and we developed a system that worked.  Randy would mix the cement in a five gallon bucket with his drill, using an attachment that looks like a giant beater.  I poured in the dry cement until it was just the right consistency and then we would race down the bulkhead steps. I would go first, and grab the Marshall bag out of our rinse bucket.  Randy would follow me down the steps with the bucket of heavy cement.  With a gloved hand, I would fill the bag while he held it open, and off he would go, squeezing that bag with every ounce of might he had.  I would follow with a sponge, sealing every crevice, smoothing the cement and cleaning off the stones.  Once the process was complete, we would put the Marshall bag back into the rinse bucket of water, to soften the already hardening cement and back up the steps we went.  Over and over and over again.

August was ticking away.  Now, you would think that since a major section of our home heating system was missing, that he might have taken some short cuts, or left some parts of the job to complete at a later time, right?  Not a chance!  He was careful to seal every hole, crack and opening from the floor to the sill plate, including the openings that had housed the two old windows in that corner of the basement.  Yes, even the two windows were taken out and re-framed with pressure treated wood, as their frames had rotted over the years.  He used a Dado blade to create rabbet joints for extra strength.  We purchased one new window which he installed and sealed.  The other window opening was left wide open to feed the oil and vent pipes to and from the new tanks.

There was a small hole in the concrete floor.  I wanted to pour a new concrete pad under the oil tanks, but pouring concrete down a shoot through the open basement window would have been a logistical challenge.  Before we patched the hole, we broke it out to about ten times its original size, getting rid of all of the loose concrete around the original weak spot.  With the floor, walls and window done, we were ready for the white Thoroseal.  We mixed it together to the consistency of pancake batter, carried it downstairs and applied it with thick brushes.  One coat a day for two days.

Summer ended, I went back to my “real” job and then a cold snap hit.  For two weeks in early September, the nighttime temperatures went down into the 40s, with daytime highs in the 60s.  We were cold at night, with temperatures inside the house in the 50s and no heat.  We had cold noses all night long and could see our breath in the morning.  Thank goodness for our down comforter and the warm summer air that returned for the rest of September.

Our new 275 gallon twin oil tanks were delivered and Randy started in on the piping for the tanks.  He was under the advisement of a local plumber who left Randy his two 24 inch monkey wrenches and a list of the supplies needed.  I think Randy made a trip to the plumbing supply store once a day for about a week.  Measuring, cutting, joining, leveling, cranking, adjusting and sealing until the job was done.  The two tanks were joined together by a two inch pipe so that when the first tank is full, the second tank takes in the overflow.  There is a two inch intake pipe with a vent pipe that is 1 and a quarter inch.  Apparently this makes the filler whistle blow at a high pitch so that when the oil company fills the tank, the whistle blows to alert them that the tanks are full.  Next came the coated copper fuel line, the filter and the safety shutoff valve, to connect the tanks to the furnace.  We made a few trips to a local gas station and poured in twenty gallons of home heating fuel.  No leaks!  On a side note, if ever transporting fuel in the back of your car, remember to place gas tanks in a spot where they won’t tip over on windy back country roads.  We forgot to do this, I drove too fast and my car still has the lingering smell of diesel fuel.

When the plumber came back to check Randy’s work, he got gold stars.  His work was impeccable.  Together they tuned up the furnace, and fired it up.  All was in good working order.  It is a steam furnace which feeds 12 cast iron radiators throughout the house. We waited for our first chilly day to run it.  The house was toasty!  It is a beautiful kind of heat, without drafts, or dust blowing everywhere, just warm buttery air, circulating everywhere.  When the furnace shuts off, the radiators stay warm for at least a half hour, continuing to circulate warmth throughout the house.  Randy finished the job by sealing over the window that fed the pipes for the oil tanks.  He covered it with wood for now and will re-seal it differently next summer.  It was a nerve racking process for Randy to say the least, but we are thrilled by the outcome.  I knew he could do it!!!

 

For nearly three months we worked almost every day.  I was a weekend warrior, but Randy was there every day, with the exception of his photography assignments and needed days at home to let his body rest and to catch up with his real job and life’s necessities.  Near the end of  June, Lori became available every day again, and so for the summer, it was a daily effort as a twosome again.  The list of things we did was enormous.  Stripping walls, washing walls, sanding walls, plastering, sanding, caulking, plastering, sanding, plastering, sanding… you get the gist.  We worked on one room at a time, and then worked on hallways and the stairway.  Randy taught me how to use a caulk gun (which I had used before, but now am an expert with).  There were lots of jokes about caulk.  I will spare you those details, and let you use your imagination.  On every project, Randy’s attention to detail was maddening to me, and yet, the finished products are always exceptional.  I have learned to appreciate it tremendously.

To date, we have painted walls, ceilings, floors and closets in two bedrooms, painted walls and ceilings in the bathroom upstairs, the kitchen, dining room and two additional closets.  The painting process included a final sanding, washing, priming, sanding again, then two coats of paint.  Arduous labor!

The dining room got a new coat of wax to hold us over for the moment.  This floor will be refinished later.

Wax On, Wax Off

We have updated wiring in the basement with a new “Square D” box on the exterior and a new “QO” master panel box in the basement.  Electrical wiring is being checked and replaced one room at a time, with completely reconfigured kitchen lighting designed by Randy.

Worth significant mention is the total renovation of our kitchen pantry closet which has been insulated, sheet rocked, painted and fitted with custom shelving complete with beautiful red barn board and a shiny new red floor to match.  It is a piece of art!  Some of the interior doors have been cut and waxed  so that they close once again, and the window screens have been washed and re-hung in most of the house.  A small amount of landscaping has begun, with some of our plants from Pond Eddy coming along with us to Milanville.  They have transplanted well, and offer us a start, along with a few varieties of transplanted bulbs which will give us color next spring.  The combination of a large population of deer and the old apple tree in the yard are not exactly helping.  The deer have a well worn circuit that includes the corn field across the road and the apple tree.  On their way by, they check on our plantings regularly to sample the new blooms.  Apparently they have not read the official listing of deer-resistant plants.  Thanks to the recommendation of our neighbor’s Jim and Paul, we are now using a product to repel the deer, which seems to be helping.  The chimneys have been inspected and cleaned and a new seamless chimney liner has been installed from the furnace in the basement all the way up (four stories)!  Frank from Cherry Ridge Chimney Sweep impressed us at every step, literally climbing the ladder with ease at the age of seventy, and walking on the upper roof with the confidence of a teenager.  He even offered to clean the upper gutters for us, which had not been cleaned in years.  My son Sam came to visit and helped us clean the rest of the gutters, helping out his dear mother. xoxo

In the basement, Randy and Andy Craft removed the two ancient oil tanks.  This was a tremendous process which included Randy on the phone multiple times with our oil company who finally came and drained the tanks.  Andy showed up one Saturday with a trailer, a four wheeler, a big board and some rope.  Together the two guys built a ramp up the basement bulkhead steps and pulled those bad boys out.  I secretly think they actually had fun doing it.  Andy also was kind enough to take the VERY heavy bathtub we had removed from the downstairs bathroom.

Our move from Pond Eddy lasted two weeks at the end of June, with two full days using a moving van and a team of strong men, along with many days of cleaning, sorting, burning (wood) and giving things away.  Did I mention Randy came down with Lyme’s Disease in early June?  Amidst all the chaos and work, he started feeling poorly.  He started a course of antibiotics, and thanks to modern medicine was feeling better within days.  He never missed a beat!  Now, we are settling in and so glad to be here together in our very own “Home Sweet Home”.  The work continues, and will keep us busy for years.  Hi-ho, Hi-ho…