Phase 2 - Landscaping Dreams

Well, we're not yet quite finished with Phase 1, but my work is done (hand-dipping 14 bundles of cedar shakes and hand-brushing rough-sawn cedar to the tune of about $1,000 worth of stain).

If the weather holds out, we'll transplant a white pine on the corner and in the spring I'll plant Sea Green Junipers and native grasses, perhaps lay a sandstone pathway around the perimeter. I envision a mass of black-eyed Susans for fall color. We can't do anything until the excavator comes back to put gravel in front of the doors and run the floor drains off the side of the hill. Next week, hopefully.

Yesterday, I hustled (against the weather) and put a coat of Benjamin Moore Benwood Clear Acrylic finish on the inside of the window moldings. It is water-based and doesn't yellow like shellac or varnish. I have been using it for years on pine trim and normally put on  2-3 coats, but I'm afraid the next coats will have to wait until spring. It's entirely possible that we may not see another day above 50 degrees.

The weather is changing fast. Our wet 50 degrees feels like 30. Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees, and I noticed on my way home from work that the Houghton Country Road Commission had come through and placed their long, whip 'markers' for the snowplows. Ugh. That means snow flurries can't be far behind.

My plan for the weekend, if weather permits, is to start moving furniture from the 'real' garage- the one we haven't been able to park a car in for three years-into the loft of the new building. Next year, I hope she gets a makeover. It will be my new workshop/junkshop/staging area. To all: have a sweet weekend!

I know what you did last summer

In between my IT job, teaching a university ESL course, and a recently vacated rental....we've been building this. Let me tell you I would rather have a root canal than build. I absolutely HATE it. My husband and I built a new house in the late eighties and I was sick every day for three months. Morning sickness on steroids. This building was a close second.

It started out as a 30 x 40 metal building but once it was framed in and I saw my 16 x 40 storage loft, things changed. The metal siding turned into cedar shake on the gable ends and clapboard on the sides. This is called building 'on-the-fly'. I don't recommend it.

Alas, here she is.....TA DA....the tractor building! Tomorrow, weather permitting, I finish staining and the Hormann garage doors (engineered in Germany, made in the U.S.A.) will be installed on Wednesday. All the doors have windows to let in as much natural light as possible.

Am I relaxed yet?  Nope. I still need to pick out light fixtures (for starters: Made in America Barn Light Electric gooseneck fixtures over each front bay) and, honestly, I have no idea what color to order because I don't know what the cedar will look like in the spring. All wood has all been finished with Cabot Bleaching Oil, a popular stain used on the East Coast. Within 6 - 12 months it's supposed to turn to a light gray/driftwood color, but I really have no idea how it will look after a Copper Country winter. I'm leaning toward the green lights because, well, it's a tractor building. I am, however, open to suggestions.

Anyway, thanks to my talented and patient brother (Bob the Builder from San Francisco), this is the new addition to our farm.

Sometime between now and Tuesday (when my brother returns to finish up and spend a few days at camp with our family), I foresee a trip to Marquette for a service door lockset. A result of living in this particular rural area is that it's two hours to the nearest Lowes or Home Depot. Not complainin', just sayin'.

My new Words of Wisdom: Done is Better than Perfect.