A Jerry Kinda Morning

So it is 20 degrees outside and I really don't want to leave this oh so cozy farmhouse.  I spent a few hours cleaning while Cliff went out to get his breakfast.  That's right, he gets his food on the outside. The man likes his breakfast from any local place that offers up white bread and cholesterol - and Diet Coke of course! The breakfast of Champions. Anywho, when he comes in he mentions that Larry David was on Howard, but he didn't get to hear too much. My ears perk right up. I love Larry and I love Howard. I got get into my car ASAP!! And don't get all judgy on me - yes- I am a LOYAL listener of Howard Stern. The man does the best interviews hands down. This week alone he has had Bradley Cooper and Larry David on. Unfortunately he is on Satellite radio and I can only listen when I am in my car. So into my car I go. Made up some stupid excuse of needing toilet paper and off I went.

We have been Seinfeld fans since the beginning and then Larry David fans with Curb Your Enthusiasm. I believe I can quote word for word from most Seinfeld episodes and some Curb episodes, too. Larry was great on Howard this morning. I drove around for a while listening and of course went to Starbucks, too. Which on a side note - I am very angry that I did not win Starbucks For Life - the contest I played religiously for a month! What a scam. However, I realized after I got my Tall in a Grande cup o'joe, I am similar to Jerry.  He has a show called Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee and I am in a car getting coffee!! See? Only I am not a comedian, but I am listening to comedians and making clever comments to myself ( and Bella!) Therefore, I am a show. When I came home I watched an episode of Comedians...Coffee with Jerry and Sarah Jessica Parker. Love her! She bought an old Country Squire Station Wagon and they drove around kibitzing. Fun stuff. It got me thinking, maybe I should do a show called Bloggers in Cars Getting Coffee. Anyway if you haven't seen the show I highly recommend it!

I have an update on our beloved neighborhood swine. They are now residing at The Calvert Humane Society. It seems they were destroying other peoples lawns, too. I think it's for the best. They really didn't fit in with the neighborhood! I miss them though.

Things are status quo here at The Farmhouse. We are getting ready to renovate the screened in porch. It desperately needs a makeover. Stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by.

Barren

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, filled with family, friends and food!  We were lucky enough to have Josh spend a few days with us.  He flew in from the coast, as they say.  We had a fun time and he is loving life in San Fransisco. We had some of "the boys" over along with their folks for an after Turkey Day party.  We just dropped Josh off at the airport and I admit I shed a few tears. I will adjust again, just give me a day or two.  It got me thinking of the seasons and how we are entering winter here at the Farmhouse.  Change happens whether you are ready or not.  Things around here are changing - I got out my camera and took a few pics.

I think these bushes are splendid in their fall colors.

We switched out the summer begonias and added ornamental cabbage.  Slaw anyone?

Now that the leaves are gone we get a good view of the tennis bubble behind us.

I would be remiss if I didn't share Cliff's lawn with you.  I give the guy credit, he got himself a beautiful lawn!

I thought this was cool.  This a tree sap icicle.  I had been watching the sap ooze out of this tree and with the cold temperatures the sap froze into a giant icicle.  I wonder if it's maple flavored?

Well I titled this post Barren and you may be wondering why.  The trees are now barren, but, I am referring to something (or someone) else.  Drum roll please.....

Bonnie is NOT preggers!! The sonogram was done and there are NO little piggies in there.  Diagnosis: Pot Belly! I also have a feeling these little swine may be leaving the neighborhood very soon if they are not gone now.  I spoke with "their mom" and she wants them evicted ASAP.  More to come on this.

I am feeling a little melancholy today due to Josh leaving and of course the possible eviction of Bonnie & Clyde.

Thanks for stopping by.

Return to Blogging

I have been absent for awhile and I do apologize.  I have been busy attending to some very important matters close to home.  And by close, I do mean close.

It seems I have become the neighborhood liaison for loose running swine.  I have accepted this role with grace, if I say so myself!  However, as of today I am stepping down from my post.  You see, I have finally had a powwow with the owners of said piggies and he doesn't particularly mind that these beasts are at large.  Get it?  At large!! Anyway it seems I became the go to gal to call when swine were spotted.  Why?  Is it because I named my home The Flying Pig, or because we proudly spotlight a flying pig from our roof?

I'd like to think it's because I am a caring person. But, people, if the pig guy does not care if his little piggies are roaming the hood, why should I?  I have bigger fish to fry - don't I? I can't do it all.

This is Bonnie.  She may be in a family way.  According to her "dad" a sonogram was to be preformed last week. I must admit I am feeling very sorry for her having to haul that belly around!

At first they got loose maybe once a month, but, now it is an almost daily occurrence. Even Bella doesn't really care anymore.  It's just another day here at The Farmhouse for her.

On the house front we have been making a few changes.  We felt our den/living room was on the dark side, so we decided to replace the front door with a glass door to let some light in.

Before

After

I love it! Really adds some pizazz.

Stay tuned for a few more improvements.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Grey Gardens of Greenspring?

We have established that I am a nosy neighbor, for better or worse.  Today I took a sidetrack after checking on my beloved pigs and oh boy was it creepy!! There is a mansion that is next door to the swine.  This place is abandoned.  It looks like the folks just up and left one day. As I walked by I noticed that the back door had been broken and glass was everywhere.  Apparently vandals have been there. I ran home to get my camera and a cup of courage.  I had to see this.  The place was once called Mensana.  It was a "pain clinic" back in the 1980's.  If you are interested, look it up, a whole lot of #*%! went down at the"clinic".  After it was shut down it has remained as it was inside. Now that the windows are broken and the doors wide open you can see inside.

It reminds me of the movie Grey Gardens.  Grey Gardens is the story of two reclusive socialites who live in a derelict mansion in East Hampton.  They were mother and daughter, both named Edith Beale.  To say they were eccentric is an understatement!!  Mensana could be a stand in for their East Hampton home.

Weeds have taken over what was once a grand front yard.

Here is where vandals have opened up the house.  I was too scared to go inside, plus, it would be trespassing. I wouldn't want Cliff to have to come down to the precinct and bail me out - he's busy golfing.

Can't you just see Edith Beale sitting in her chair waiting for her tea? Or her cat food.

This is a second story window.  Looks like something has been eating the draperies.  I think I saw a 

woman's hand waving at me!

Even the trees are creepy.

I really enjoyed nosing around and I would love to see more.  I have looked at the property online and The place is full of big game mounted heads! The ick factor keeps going up.

So...what did you see today?

Thanks for stopping by.

A Need To Know? Or Just Nosy?

I like to think of myself as an inquisitive individual. I like to know stuff. The Internet has opened up a whole world to me that my beloved, yet , antiquated World Books, never could.  As a child I loved to read the encyclopedias that my mother proudly displayed on her dusty bookshelves.  We had the World Book Encyclopedias and the yearly publication, whose name I cannot remember.  I could recite every breed of dog or horse, I loved the pictures, too. Now when the thirst for knowledge hits me - I Google it.  I also love my smart phone, for those times when I am away from home and the thirst hits me.  This got me thinking. Am I just nosy or am I actually interested in obtaining answers to very pressing questions?  Case in point, the pot bellied pigs we recently "rescued" (what, you thought I would be interested in quantum physics?) The young man who owned the pigs told me he thought the female may be pregnant.  Well, this has been bothering me , as I am now deeply invested in the sows' well being.  So...I looked up gestational times for pot bellied pigs!  In case you are interested and I know you are, it is three months.  Here's where the nosy part comes in, I have been sneaking over there to check on Bonnie (her name).  Yes, I am trespassing, but , I need to know!! So far a lot of nothing, but, she and Clyde greet me with many oinks.

 

My next quandary is more of a global (Lutherville, MD) interest.  Both Cliff and I have been hearing random booming sounds and shaking of the earth.  Earthquake? After about the 10th time of hearing and feeling the blasts, we had to know. My very smart husband wonders if it is some sort of blasting, like from a quarry.  Out comes my smart phone and I boldly call the Bluegrass Quarry on Beaver Dam Road and guess what?  They blast on a regular basis and what we are hearing is said blasting.  Wow am I relieved, I thought we were experience aftershocks here at the Farmhouse. So you see I am very interested in the most mundane of things, but, hey at least I am interested. 

I hope you find this blog interesting.  I am thinking of finding out about different types of pine cones next. I have learned that different types of pines drop different shaped cones.  Fascinating stuff I find as I nosy about my neighborhood.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Field Trips

Believe it or not, sometimes we stray from The Farmhouse.  As much as we love our little home, we find ourselves drawn to other places.  Recently I was lucky enough  to tour Maryland's Sagamore Farm.  As you may know Sagamore was the home of Native Dancer, horse racing Royalty.  After falling into disrepair over the years, the farm is now owned by Under Armour's Kevin Plank and has been restored to its former glory.  It left me speechless.

Our next trip was to see the fields of sunflowers.  If you haven't been - you must run- do not walk, better yet, get in the car and drive!  There are no words.

Mother Nature at her finest.

Thanks for stopping by.

Who Are We?

Last evening as I watched my husband haul rocks from the stream bed, I started wondering who we are.  Or I should say who are we becoming?  Cliff has decided to build a low stone wall around the Carriage House.  He is using rocks from the stream by our house.  Every day for the past week he has gone and "mined" for rocks.  His term, not mine.  I must say he is doing a fine job.  In fact he has even come up with a title for this project.  Are you ready for this? Gardening Off  The Grid.  Why "off the grid" you may ask.  Well I will try to explain.  He has only used rocks and mulch from our property. No outside sources for this pioneer.   This got me thinking.  Are we turning into those Birkenstock wearing, granola eating folks we snicker at?  While my beloved is out "mining", I am fanatically sewing pillows on my dining room table. Am I turning Amish?  I mean I do ride a horse and sometimes I like to wear a really long skirt.  Oh wait - I use electricity to sew.  Never mind that thought. But seriously, what is leading us to take on such old fashioned projects?  Is it The Farmhouse?  Have we taken the whole Farmhouse thing too far? I have even been thinking of learning to spin yarn. And play the harp!

Here is Cliff's handy work so far.

The mulch pile is from the tree we had removed last fall.

Here is the "miner".

And of course what would a blog be without my crafts.  I have a new pillow theme. Foxes.

 I get a kick out of foxes dressed as fox hunters.  I know - crazy - right?  Well I've got to go and put up some canned goods before the storm rolls in.  What is happening here?

Thanks for stopping by.