The Blacksmith

He is back at it! Forging, that is. Mr. W has a brand new shop, awaiting insulation (yay!). Till then, he is still forging Garden Trowels and other Good Things in his old Blacksmith Shop (my future She Shed, Potting Shed, etc.. yay for me too!).

Here is a little glimpse at what it takes to make a garden trowel from a railroad spike.

 
Only the best finished products are kept. That is a “scrapper” you see on the lower right.

finished trowel.. a keeper!

These are, without a doubt, the sturdiest trowels ever.. with a nice “feel” in the hand. Made to last a lifetime..  they make awesome and meaningful gifts for almost any occasion. Railroad Spike Trowels are always available in the Flat Creek Forge Etsy shop (with free shipping!).

Life as We Know It

… has been busy! Let me just get my shaming out of the way first. Just look at the dates, people. My last post was September 16. Today is November 17th. Really??  I think I’ve hit a new blogging low. Must.Do.Better. (if you don’t believe me, I understand!).  Also, I’ve become terrible at blog visiting. I’d love to spend an entire lazy day just catching up on blogs! One can hope.

What are your favorite type of posts? Random posts are mine. I believe it is because my brain works that way. So random! That’s why I feel like I’m spinning in circles half the time – not getting any real stuff done (or at least not fast enough to suit me). The older I get, the worse it gets. Anyone with me on this?

Oh yah.

Where was I?

Here is one thing I accomplished over the long, dry, hot summer -- a re-do of an old ice box we’ve had in the barn for 25 years or more. Sorry, no ‘before’ pictures. It wasn’t in horrible shape, but did take some time (especially since at one point I painted it white.. what was I thinking? Covering up that cool old galvanized finish??). I dressed it up with old coke signs (the wire is now gone - Earth magnets worked the best for holding them in place). This way, I can change it up super quick if I want to. Hmmmm.. thinking some Christmas Coca Cola signs might be nice...

We also harvested honey. Amazingly, for a drought year we had several pounds and it increased from last year. Not enough to sell yet, but enough to keep us stocked until next year. The bad news is we lost our two new hives that we purchased. The good news is the “swarm” hive and original hive both seem to be doing great (at last check).

This little honeybee visited us inside. She wanted a drink of honey.

We have a new resident at the farm and I am in love. There is a story to go with this new resident, but that’s another blog post.

Gracie and Ruby are famous!! Well, sort of? They have a little space in the current (Nov/Dec 2012) Hobby Farms issue.

Chloe and Banjo say “They’re just donkeys… what’s the big deal?”

In August we were blessed with a visit from the Blacksmith’s oldest sibling – his one and only brother. Jerry visited from the far away and beautiful state of New Mexico, and stayed with a sister locally. We had not seen him in 12 plus years, but he and the Blacksmith always kept in touch. Sadly, it was their last visit as Jerry passed away peacefully in his sleep soon after he returned home to New Mexico.

I am so thankful they had that last visit, and also that we took several pictures. I loved this one with the good-natured sibling “fussing” going on (cute). These four were the only surviving of their mother’s six children. Now we have only three.

On this Thanksgiving we are reminded to count our blessings each and every day. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!! For this and every single day, we are truly grateful ♥

Double Nickels!

Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and full of much love and gratitude. Ours was!

And, guess who turned double-nickels this weekend? Happy Birthday to my Blacksmith!!!

You’ll never guess what…

…but hang with me to the end and I’ll tell you. In the meantime, here are 1,001 random things that are going on around here. It has been a very busy week!

First, I spent an hour on a post this morning and Windows Live Writer went nuts and lost it. I really have a love/hate relationship with that program. And with computers in general.

Mr. W has been in and out of Osage Bluff Blacksmith & Quilter’s neck of the woods lately. Patti and I have been exchanging plants. This week I see I have received from her: Spiderwort, Bluebells, a cute little Osage Bluff fern, and some Live Forever. Awesome… can’t wait to plant them! Also, the Osage Bluff Blacksmith sent me this really cool, wicked-looking hoe. Won’t that be heck on weeds? I think so! Thanks, you two!

I took a quick walk around the very wet yard this morning and got a few pictures.

Purple Martin – please, oh please stay this time! I’ve been trying to lure you for three long years. I’ve resorted to everything during those years, including playing very loudly a CD of purple martin songs into a speaker directed into the front yard. Every morning. Hubby still hasn’t forgiven me for that one.

Giant Allium… ready to bloom.

Irises, between showers.

Here is one of my projects, awaiting my attention. 150+ heirloom tomato plants bursting at the seams in the jiffy pot container.

Our first hummingbirds of the season arrived at the feeders this morning.  Thank goodness I had them ready! Moments after that, I heard the first oriole. Now I need to get that grape jelly out. No rest, I tell ya! :)

Ok, for my big news. I am building a small chicken coop. Yes, I am amazed too, especially that I still have all 10 blogging fingers so far :) I have absolutely no building experience, except as a lowly assistant on projects in the past. Who knew this would be so much fun? This building stuff could be addictive. I really hope to inspire someone else to try something they never thought they could do all by themselves. Best confidence-builder ever!

So far, I’ve devoted two afternoons. The first afternoon was spent cutting my pieces and parts, labeling them accordingly, and stacking in little organized piles.  Well, that and hanging several loads of laundry on the line, and many other unrelated things. The second afternoon I completed the base (on four 2- foot legs), the floor, the nest box frame, the upper frame, and windows & doors framed in.

It isn’t perfect, but I am so proud of myself! I’ll keep posting updates, then one big post on the entire project in the end. My deadline is mid-May when 15 Ameraucana (Easter Egger) pullets plus one little rooster will arrive from Cackle Hatchery. I can’t wait! It’s been years since I had chickens and I’ve missed them ever since.

Oh, and lest you think this small coop is a permanent home for 16 chickens… nope! So, yes, a larger coop for when the chicks are bigger is already in the planning stage.  Then this “starter” coop will turn into a portable coop with wheels and the addition of a portable run.

That’s all the news from Flat Creek Farm for now. Hope everyone is doing well!

Missouri State Fair

Mr. W and I had a fun day yesterday at our State Fair.

Mr. W spent the day at the BAM tent.

It was a hot day for forging, but those BAM guys & gals are very dedicated.

There were BAM wares for sale, such as this iron armadillo.

I combed the fairgrounds for floral inspiration, which I found in several places.

And also in the Floriculture building.

I bumped into our State Fair Queen and her family, who happens to be from my hometown. Our families are friends.
Yay, Samantha!

I met some interesting roosters.
They appear to be thinking, “What are YOU lookin’ at, Sista?”

And now, for my favorite part of the fair.  I met up with friends (fellow mini donkey owners)  from Warsaw, MO to watch various miniature mule and miniature donkey contests. Our favorite by far, and the one we look forward to from year to year is the Miniature Donkey Costume Contest. The photos aren’t the greatest. I always have bad luck getting good quality pictures in this big exhibition center.

Here are a few of my favorite entries. They were all cute, and so creative!
Clockwise from upper left:
Hippie chicks with “Age of AquariA$$” – donkey had a ‘fro’ wig and brown fringey vest;
Singin’ in the Rain (love those yellow rain boots on the donk!);
Brahma “bull” donk, complete with the Brahma hump-  and rodeo clown, rodeo queen and cowboy;
BoPeep complete with a wool fleeced donkey  (so glad it was air-conditioned in the arena). BoPeep took 1st place;
Jack In the Box;
Holstein Donkey.

We had Jumbo Corn Dogs for lunch. I never thought the time would come when we would pay five buckaroos for a corn dog! But they were quite delish, and certainly a meal on a stick.

I’ve also enjoyed seeing my blogger friends’ reports on their county and state fairs. If you want to visit the Orange County, CA fair, see Dawn (Dandy) at Spontaneous Clapping. Her ‘recipe’ for seasoning roasted corn on the cob sounds (and looks) simply divine!

Wild Goose Chase Weekend

Yesterday we left bright and early for Jacob’s Cave, which is located between Versailles and Gravois Mills, Missouri. It was about 100 mile drive for us. The main objective of this trip was to attend the Jacob's Cave Swapping Days in search of a Brown Chinese gander for my dear sweet Brown Chinese goose, Greta. Her mate, Charlie, died about two years ago. I have tried since then to find another Brown Chinese gander, to no avail. Jacob’s Cave Swap is one of the largest in our state, so it was my next best hope. Our Wild Goose Chase was again unproductive, however. We did see one pair of the B.C.’s and we literally chased down the ATV carrying them. They had just been purchased, and were apparently the last two B.C.’s at the swap! Darn! Mr. W did find a Stanley plow plane in perfect shape at a not-bad price, which he has been in search of for many years. So, at least one of us was happy with the swap meet.

On our return trip, we stopped by the home and shop of Osage Bluff Blacksmith and Quilter for a visit. Mr. W did some blacksmithing with BT, Terry and Joe. They made numerous items from railroad spikes. Friend Phyllis was also at the T’s home, and the three of us ladies had a nice visit. I also toured their beautiful (!) post and beam home. Of course, the Quilter had numerous absolutely gorgeous quilts displayed, as well as some of the most interesting collections that I’ve ever seen. Later in the afternoon, I was treated to a fabulous shopping trip to TJ Maxx with savvy shopper Patti. Fun, fun, fun! My new favorite place to shop. (Thanks again, Patti!) Upon return, Mr. W and I said our goodbyes and headed back toward home. But first! There was a stop by Menards for just a few more plumbing supplies and miscellaneous items. It seems we cannot pass that store by lately. We have been there every weekend for the past umpteen weeks. The workers actually know and remember us now! (I don’t know if that’s good or bad.) I also bought two large area rugs (total $20) to cover up our kitchen floor (it has many issues), and Endless Summer Hydrangeas were on sale. Hydrangeas are my favorite flower, so after careful consideration, I grabbed one up.

Unfortunately, I didn’t bring the camera along on our wild goose chase. I do have some pictures I took a couple of days ago in my perennial gardens, which I will share.

Clockwise from upper left: Veronica, Tickseed Coreopsis, Miniature Rose, Moth on Primrose, Evening Primrose, Missouri Primrose, Butterfly on Butterfly Bush (Buddleia), Foxglove

Please check back in for a long-overdue update on the Barn/Cottage sometime this week!

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Road Trip Saturday ~ Blacksmithing and More

After a less-than-fun week, Mr. W and I traveled to Hams Prairie, Missouri today for a Blacksmith Association of Missouri meeting. This proved to be a good ending for our difficult week (more on this later). I don’t usually go along for the blacksmithing meetings, but it was my chance to meet the famous Patti of Osage Bluff Quilter. This is the same Patti who made this adorable wall quilt for me a few weeks ago, and I’m still trying to figure out how in the world to ever get even with her. Is it even possible?

Below ---
This is the wonderful Patti on the right, and don’t look at me on the left :) PT looks great! I was blinded by the sun (that’s my excuse for looking like a dork, and I’m sticking to it).

Here is Mr. W in a typical pose (mouth open) with Patti’s hubby, BT, the Osage Bluff Blacksmith.  (I love this picture).

And Mr. W with another blacksmith friend, Ed. What a pair, that’s all I can say… the picture says it all. What troublemakers :)

There were some demonstrations throughout the day. I had a little trouble getting close enough for a decent picture. This is what I ended up with (please pardon the cap). I did find it interesting that this particular BAM blacksmith is a surgeon in his real job. Wow.

On our trip home we saw hundreds of flags flying over a local cemetery. Just beautiful.

This week – we found out that our 11 year old fox terrier, Roxy, does indeed have mammary cancer. The vet says it appears to be external, but she won’t know for sure of course until she explores further. We’re hoping she can remove what has blossomed into a huge tumor on her lower belly with no complications. The tumor went from very small to very large within two weeks’ time. Her surgery will be Monday. Here’s our dear little Roxy:

Also, we’ve been searching for and setting live traps for our neighbor lady’s missing Silver Persian cat. We spotted her here early this week, and haven’t seen her since. Her mama is SO very worried, and we’re hoping for a safe return home for “Callie” soon.

This could be my longest blog post so far! Are you tired of reading yet?? Since I’ve been absent here since last Sunday, I’ll add on a couple of hummingbird pictures for good measure.

 

 

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Concrete, Herbs, Bloomers, and a Blacksmith Shop

Today was a busy day for both of us. We traveled to Macon, Missouri and purchased some “Euco Diamond Hard” Concrete Sealer for the inside and outside pads of the Barn/Cottage. Upon return, we cleaned the concrete, and then applied the sealer first with a sprayer, then brushed and rolled it out. Mr. W handled most of this task while I supervised, and also cleaned out my herb garden.

The herbs were being taken over by mint (tip: never plant mint in anything but a container). Lots of cleaning out was done, then I replaced the rocks and lights. I also planted some orange-scented thyme. So now I have: Sage, Oregano, Lemon Balm, Catnip, Chives and the new Thyme. I plan to add some annuals such as Rosemary, and also some more Pineapple Sage. This herb garden has been here for about 20 years. Some of the older plants have died out, and I do need to replace some.

Here’s the before, with rampant mint:

Here’s the after, and some potted hen and chicks, and mint in container added:

Ahhh, better! Not perfect, but much better. Here’s an interesting tidbit of history about this area of our old house (where the herb garden now is). Many years ago the previous occupants had the brilliant idea to remove several feet of this section of the house to…. make a chicken coop. Can you believe it?

Here is a little collage of a few things that are blooming here now ~
clockwise from top left: Chives (with wasp), Malva (mini hollyhock), White Columbine, Giant Allium.

Finally, I just took a trip out to the Blacksmith’s Shop for a quick photo tour.

The sign on entrance to the shop (Mr. W has more signage, some of which are not so politically correct):

Anvil – hammer and “Bick Iron”  --- these two items (NOT the anvil) were made by Mr. W:

Finally, a Treadle Hammer made with recycled materials, completely manufactured by Mr. W. I am told this piece of machinery also makes a killer beer can smasher:

Now, off to do evening chores, and cook supper…. and collapse! Hope your week is going great!

Garden trowels on Etsy

Today we listed some garden trowels for Flat Creek Forge on Etsy - “Your place to buy and sell all things handmade.” Thanks to Preston’s ‘opinionated blacksmith’ buddy Ed for reminding us about this venue. I’ve bought several items from Etsy sellers in the past, and we had been intending to try our hand at selling there for a very long time. Here is the link to Preston’s first item for sale on Etsy <drum roll please>
the most wonderful authentic railroad spike garden trowel.... ever :^)

Wonder what my tip will be for spending a good part of the afternoon tackling this new venture? More garden tools? Yippee!

Flat Creek Forge

Yes, there REALLY IS a Flat Creek Forge. A small, rather active blacksmith shop on the farm. It may be small in size, but I’ll bet that you cannot imagine just how much is enclosed in that little building. Tools galore, works in progress, and an ever-growing list of homemade or traded-for *useful* equipment and machinery. And, oh the stories that have been told in that building.

Today I’ve been working on Flat Creek Forge’s website. I’m doing an overhaul of the original website which began around 2005. Next up will be the RubyGracie website re-do.

Here’s a preview of the new Flat Creek Forge banner, and also your chance to meet “Pinhead” the blacksmith shop cat. He’s a sweetheart.