Hickory Dickory Dock…

…the mouse ran up the clock. Well… our situation doesn’t follow the nursery rhyme, but our Hickory hardwood floors are unbundled, fully acclimated to the temperature, and ready to be installed. We plan on working this coming weekend on this project and hope that the 3-day weekend will allow us enough time to accomplish most of it. We have roughly 1000 sq. ft. to install but neither of us have installed flooring before.

Of course, preparing the floors to get to this point was quite the process.

David rented a heavy-duty edge sander to even out the old sub-floor. Some areas (in the picture to David’s right) were extremely rotten and had to be replaced with 3/4  plywood. It seems like the cast iron radiator must have had a leak, because the flooring below it was very weak. We also fortified the floor joists and screwed-down all the old pine planks. We’ll be painting the radiators and re-installing once the flooring project is complete. We really enjoy the steady allergy-free heat in the winter months.

Next, David laid down some 15 and 30 weight roofing paper that is supposed to level the uneven spots. So, we’re all set and ready to go. Now all we need to do is get it down and not be distracted by the beautiful weekend weather that is expected! I’ll keep you posted!

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Farm share: Week 1

Wow! Here’s the haul we took home from our 1st week share  in 9 Bean Rows Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. CSA’s connect people with their food supply. CSA’s offer a direct link with a community farmer who offers fresh food, diverse crops, honest and sustainable farmland management and outreach for the farm share buyers.

9 Bean Rows is run by Jen and Nic Welty at Black Star Farms.  It’s our first time buying a farm share and we were so excited for it to begin. We started receiving emails from Jen and Nic a few weeks before our share began and it left us hungry for more. Even before receiving our first share, we felt connected to our farmers due to the warm and insightful emails. One email from Jen included the salutation, “from your slap-happy baker” and was mailed at 4:00 a.m. after she had been up all night baking to get ready for the farmers market.  It’s nice to know where our food comes from. I think it tastes even better!

Our first week included the following: 
Tarragon Butter
Seedy Wheat Boule (bread)
Mustard Greens
Swiss Chard
Baby Lettuce Mix
Garlic Scapes
Onions
Strawberries 
Eggs
Fresh rosemary

The strawberries are out of this world and the bread is to die for. I made pizza on the grill with the fresh bread. I used olive oil, a tomato paste/pesto mix, fresh mozzarella, black olives, fresh rosemary, onions and green pepper. It was absolutely stunning. …and don’t worry, I’ll keep you updated on Week 2′s share! I can’t wait!

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Scenic vistas on the Leelanau Trail

A recent 30-mile bike trip out to Suttons Bay and back on the Leelanau Trail was met with blue skies and scenic vistas. Roughly half the trail is paved, the other half is a hard-packed two-track. The unpaved section goes through beautiful agricultural fields planted in cherry orchards and grape vinyards. The Leelanau Trail is a rail to trail conversion and goes from Traverse City to Suttons Bay.

On the way back to Traverse City, we stopped at the water pump at the DeYoung Natural Area to refill our water bottles. The cold well water sure was a treat!

Overall, it was a wonderful excursion and it’s great to see many happy faces enjoying the beautiful weather. It was especially nice to see many elderly utilizing the trail near Orchard Creek Assisted Living. There were two trail users plodding along with walkers and a family taking a relative for a walk on the trail and pushing her in a wheelchair.

Isn’t life grand?

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West Bay paddle

A weekend paddle on West Bay was a great way to beat the heat and get out on the water. The wispy  clouds in the sky and deep blue-green water made for a stunning backdrop. I had to pinch myself a few times to remind me that I actually live here! It felt surreal to paddle around in the beautiful setting. We are lucky to be able to wheel the kayaks down to the bay from our house, with one hiccup: The Parkway. It’s a bit stressful to cross the highway with the kayaks and we would go a lot more if it were easier to cross. One advantage is that because it’s a divided highway, we can cross 2 lanes, wait in the median, then finish crossing the final 2 lanes. The boats are sea kayaks and are really long, so we have to turn horizontal while waiting in the median.

The Manitou Tall Ship was out for a sail including several other vessels that were also enjoying the bay.

Both kayak hulls and decks are made out of 4mm-okoume plywood and are sheathed with fiberglass. In fact, David made his from a kit. It’s a Chesapeake Light Craft. I found mine in the classified section in the paper a few years ago. Both boats are very sea (bay) worthy.

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Homemade laundry detergent

No, I’m not trying to be Martha Stewart… but since I wrote a post about Selestial Soap, a local eco-friendly laundry soap, I received a homemade laundry detergent recipe from an old friend. So, I decided to try it out. The ingredients are pretty simple (I picked all of the supplies up at Tom’s grocery store):

1 C. grated Fels Naptha bar soap (I used a cheese grater, but a food processor would work better.)
1/2 C. Borax
1/2 C. Baking soda

Stir.

I made a huge batch and stored it in an airtight glass container with screwtop lid. 1 Tbsp per load (I use 2 Tbsp if my clothes are especially dirty) and no dryer sheets or softener required! The scent is fresh and clean. I have added a drop or two of lavender essential oil to a load for some added aroma. It is lovely! I don’t know if I’ll ever go back.

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Patio umbrella upgrade

It’s amazing how a new patio umbrella spruces up our tired furniture and really makes it feel like summer. We spend a lot of time outside and it’s nice to relax comfortably.

Around the corner from the patio is this wonderful flowering tree. I’m not sure what it is, but it sure is beautiful.

Things are really shaping up and I love our house!

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Pining for Pyatt

I recently went on a trip to Pyatt Lake Nature Preserve on Old Mission Peninsula with my black lab, Wyatt. It was totally rejuvenating and it felt like I had been on a mini vacation. Not only did I discover a special place, but I gained an understanding of why land preservation and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy is so important! I heard countless bird calls, saw lily pad flowers that were nearing full bloom and happened upon a young fawn who scampered away after I startled it. The fawn still had it’s Bambi-like spots and was nimble-footed.

This preserve really awakened the senses and I’m already plotting in my head a reason to come back. I thought about combining a hike in the Pyatt Preserve with a trip to the new Jolly Pumpkin brewery & restaurant next to Bower’s Harbor Inn. Doesn’t that sound like a stellar evening? Go for a hike infused with nature stimulation, then feast your taste buds to craft beer and dinner at a new restaurant… Yes, I think I will make these plans come true in the near future. 

Until then… I’ll be pining for Pyatt.

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Complete relaxation

A recent massage from Living Light Massage and Wellness Center was amazing! After a long week of work (and evening blog posting), I capped it off with a one-hour massage. It was so relaxing and a great way to unwind. I was feeling all nimble and Gumby-like when I walked out and was ready to slide into the weekend. I am convinced of the healing benefits of massage, ridding the body of stress and soreness. It’s totally rejuvinating and I hope to add it to my life at least once a month.

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Tomato plant goes topsy turvy

We recently received a “Topsy Turvy” tomato planter as a gift and quickly put it together, added a tomato plant, potting soil, hung it up and added water.

According to the instructions, the planter works like a greenhouse. As the sun warms the plant, the roots grow really fast and thrive inside the planter. Also because the planter is upside down, nutrients “pour directly from the root to the fruit,” according to the manufacturer.

Pictured here is the planter on day one. I also planted gobs of tomato plants in the side yard and plan on making salsa galore during harvest time. If all goes well, I also hope to do some tomato canning with the surplus and plan on enjoying homegrown fruits all winter. That is, if the rabbits don’t get to ‘em first!

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Porch updated

In a recent post, I wrote about painting my porch planters that suddenly made the porch look like it was in dire need of some touch up. Well… the necessary TLC was handed out this weekend and the porch is definitely spruced up to greet summer guests. I even bought a new welcome mat with a floral motif.

Of course, this little dab of porch makeup doesn’t quite cure the serious case of porch envy that I have. I’m planning to take regular strolls around downtown Traverse City to photograph the many wonderful and welcoming porches to get ideas for our future wrap-around wonder. Keep reading and who knows, you might develop a case of porch envy too! It might be contagious.

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