When Angels come in and surround you with what you need. Even if you didn’t know you needed it.
That’s what it felt like this week, hearing from all you wonderful people.
Tag Archives: farm stand
I eat too many potatoes, that is why my rear end is the size of Texas. Yesterday while I was in the grocery store the clouds parted, a stream of brilliant light shone down and angels began to sing. There – right there – in front of me was a bin of colossal football sized potatoes, stocked full with a large sign advertising the enormity of such potato bliss. Oh my goodness, I had gone to potato heaven. I stood there just staring, apparently losing all sense of time and place as I finally snapped to it when I heard a woman say in a frustrated voice “EXCUSE ME – You’re blocking the potatoes.”
Seriously, I wanted to fill my cart with said colossal football potatoes and make a u-turn straight to the butter isle.
I did not, however. Continue reading
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You Hoo it’s me
I’ve been off-line and out of touch and away.
All summer there has been a whirlwind of activity here at the cottage. The cottage renovation is still an ongoing process and will be for some time. The exterior work is complete for the most part. Our Cottage received her new paint colors – green, blue and white trim. Quite a new look and if you will notice although I haven’t come up with an official new name to our place and this blog, quite obviously it is no longer Coral Cottage, for now, let’s just call her Our Cottage.
Seems all the gang thinks hanging out on the front porch admiring the new paint job is what it is all about.
The green siding really changes as the light changes throughout the day. For the most part, I am really happy with it. The one thing I didn’t want was yellow, and much to my surprise the yellow tone to the green shows prominently.
I’m so happy to find the cosmos and a few zinnias still blooming though we are into November and have had several light frosts.
I’m happily gathering buckets of flowers and making lovely arrangements, with the help of my assistants of course.
The bees and butterflies are enjoying the last of the season too.
Our Cottage family has been tested many times this past year with seemingly endless health challenges. Recently we held our breath as Mr. Cottage has had a cancer scare. After several tests, procedures, biopsies and earlier this week, surgery. I am happy to say he is recovering quite well. His doctor removed a tumor which he says he feels quite certain is benign and that we should not lose any more sleep. I feel a tremendous sense of relief, but still holding just a wee bit of breath until the pathology report comes back.
And so, life goes on and we are trying to get back into the swing of normal – whatever that is.
Hoping you all are facing your personal challenges; whatever they may be with an open heart.
I hope to get back to posting more regularly and I look forward to visiting with my on-line friends again and hearing what you all have been up to.
Thank you for being here today.
xo kim
Welcome to all new readers, I hope you will join the conversation and say hello from time to time.
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of flower feather and faery
These spring days are glorious, although a bit of a roller coaster with up and down temps. Oh and the wind. Gosh does it really need to blow this hard?
So, how was your weekend?
I did something this weekend, that I haven’t done in a few years.
Boy did it feel good.
Now before you guys go thinking something you shouldn’t, this is a clean post.
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Blazing fall colors, dancing peacocks, patchwork quilts turned wonky birds. This week at the cottage… Continue reading
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mantras, pasta wars and cute villains
The sky is grey; a dreary unpleasant grey.
Freezing rain and sleet are falling.
Happy first day of March!
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My friend sent this to me and it made me smile so I’m sharing it with y’all.
I agree with all of these, but know in my heart that when it comes to practicing it in real life, sometimes I fall short.
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This week we had another 8 inches of snow, the never-ending winter is upon us.
Pretty isn’t it? – Now go away!
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I made a snow break and went to the big city and got a new hair cut. Afterwards while shopping at the grocery store a lady complimented me on my pretty hair. That was really nice, it only took a few seconds for her to make me feel good.
I think I’ll pass it along.
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I also went to the feed store where I had to fight really hard to keep from coming home with a dozen of those adorable cute peeping chicks and ducklings. Oh my that was hard. I watched with complete unhidden envy as a young woman had her order of ducks boxed up. I followed her out of the store and through the parking lot; listening to the peeps coming from the box that she carried. I’m sure she thought I was a stalker until she realized it just happened that we were parked near each other.
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I’m still a chicken keeper in training.
I’ve been reading about all the left-over kitchen scraps that chickens love to eat.
I’ve had no such luck. Our girls apparently are finicky.
However, we had angel hair pasta the other night and I took a few leftover noodles out to them and the pasta war broke out.
They took turns slurping up the noodley goodness, until Ethyl reached over and grabbed the rest if the big old blob and then the fighting broke out.
Eventually they each grabbed an end and ate their way to the middle.
In a matter of seconds it was all gone and that was that.
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Yesterday after lunch I stood at the kitchen sink cleaning up and looking out to the chicken yard, when I realized there was a great big villain (raccoon) eating out of the girls feeder.
Complete panic kicked in. Mr. Cottage ran out and chased the intruder away. He went up a tree that hangs over the coop. The raccoon – not Mr. Cottage.
For the next few hours, I kept an eye on Mr. Raccoon, through the kitchen window as he slowly made his way down the tree and back into the chicken yard.
Mr. Cottage went out after him again, but Mr. Raccoon gave him the slip.
Oh my, isn’t that face adorable?
There isn’t a lot more we can do at this time to keep the girls safe. We have to wait until the weather clears a bit, then we will be able to build a safer coop yard. We knew the issue of predators would come up, it is part of living in the country and part of being chicken keepers. Mr. Cottage isn’t a hunter, and I don’t like to kill anything. But we have an obligation to our flock to keep them safe.
Mr. Cottage has looked into some firearms.
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What have y’all been up to this week?
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chicken dance
The big machines came back this week with a rumble.
The inspector general engineer came to overlook the mountain of dirt and the catacombs below and gave his seal of approval. (BIG YAY)
This week we also received an approval letter from the highway department for our second driveway. (yay again)
So here at the new entrance, is the future site of my fantasy flower and egg farm stand.
Every agency has to get in on this whole process and get their fees paid – and we haven’t even started building yet.
The distribution box is set in place.
I asked about – what I thought was sheets of plastic down in the drain lines. Turns out it is a special material, much like garden fabric, that is placed over the plastic drain pipes.
It helps with the drainage, but keeps out the sediment. Cool beans, huh?
It was ten brr degrees, when I went out early morning, to feed Cornelius and to take these photos. I didn’t linger long.
Cornelius does a quick fly by to see what was for breakfast and to shout out his thank yous.
Bitter cold, and lots of wind, but no snow.
Saturday was busy busy here.
Mr. Cottage purchased a land-scape rake that goes on the tractor, to smooth out our acres of mud and tree roots left from all the excavation.
Father Cottage was kind enough to haul it out to our place on his truck.
Father Cottage rocking the farm equipment a week after getting his pacemaker. Awesome – huh!
Over by the house, the new septic system was hooked up.
I got the first flush – just sayin’.
Next week we will get the old system pumped out and broken down.
The excavation team wrapped up their part of phase one.
For the next phase, Best man showed up to talk over our house plans.
He will be doing all the architectural drawings for us. The fun excited part of planning what and where everything will go is next.
Mr. Cottage got to play with his new toy for a little while.
In the foreground of the above photo you can see where he has gone over the soil, and what a difference it makes.
This spring with a smooth surface, I dream of little sunflower seeds making their way to the fresh soil.
NEWS FLASH!!!
EEEK THE CHICKENS ARE COMING!
Farm Girl sent me a text on Saturday to let me know that our mutual friend would be contacting me about some chickens he wanted to get rid of.
Before I could even respond to her text, we received a phone call from our friend looking to hook me up with his discarded chickens. Seems he has a couple of hens that
are pecked on by the others in the coop. He was going to turn them loose or if I wanted them I could have them.
So heck, yeah, even though I’m not prepared – I’m all over that.
In the past we have gotten into situations like this without proper thought and planning and this time we were bound and determined not to get chickens until we had everything in place.
Well that is shot all to the moon and back.
We are going to spend the day scrambling to put together a make shift coop.
I haven’t been this excited about anything in a long time.
I’ve dreamed of this day for at least forty – yes that is a four and a zero – years.
The chickens are coming!
I’m doing the chicken dance.
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and a firetruck on the side please
Is it too soon to start dreaming of a spring garden?
Or of seed catalogs and their incredible photography and lovely words casting a spell around a persons green thumb dreams?
I’ve got the fever for sure. However, I don’t have any new seed catalogs.
So, thanks to Pinterest and one of my boards, I’m enjoying the awesome graphics from these vintage catalogs.
Sweet Peas are one of my favorites, but I just can’t seem to grow them.
On my some day list – I have a fantasy of having a roadside stand at the edge of our property where I sell fresh eggs and flowers.
Sunflower and Poultry seed farm – this one is for me!
In my fantasy stand, the eggs would come from the chickens I don’t have, but will someday.
Are y’all tired of hearing me talk about the chickens I don’t have?
Fresh flower bouquets anchored with oodles of sunny bright sunflowers.
I’ve asked Mr. Cottage to keep an eye out for an old tractor, or truck that I could convert into a road-side farm stand.
Or maybe an old fire truck like this. Oh wouldn’t that be cool?
I absolutely fell head-over heels in love with Andrea Fowler and her mother farm girl Dori Troutman’s stand.
They have a sweet little blog just about their farm stand business.
GAAH!
Ahh a girl can dream can’t she.
We have a light dusting of snow and ice on the ground today – guess that has me dreaming of warm weather activities.
How about you – what do you plan to grow in your garden this spring?
