Quilt Barn (9)

Linking up with Tom again this week for his Barn Collective Series.

Another Barn Quilt from Garrett county Maryland where I live.

The owner of this white washed barn is Kenney Signs, Inc.  

It is near Finzel between Rte 40 and I68.

This block is the 'Circle of Life in Garrett County'

and depicts the four distinct seasons we have.

This block was the winning entry in the Quilt Block contest.

It was designed by Ginni Neff.

🚜     🚜     🚜     🚜

Saturday I was up and out of the house at 6:30 but not to walk.

We were in the car.

Ken went down to Tomonium (3 hour drive one way)for the big train show 

there at the fairgrounds.

On the way he dropped me off at my friend Mary Jo's house and we

spent the day together.  Had a great visit and we had lunch out.

Ken picked me up on the way home.

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 Sunday I woke up late at 7:30 so didn't get to walk yesterday morning either.  

I like to be home at 7:45 to give me enough time to get ready for church. 

Sunday afternoon was beautiful. Sunny and 70 degrees. 

It seemed more like spring so I went for my walk then.
My neighbor Sharon two doors down from me was out walking too.
I walked 3 miles on my own and 2 with Sharon.

This morning I was back to my regular walk.
It was 42 degrees and very dark and I walked around town
under the street lights.  When it lightened up a bit and the sky had that
glow to it, I walked the cemeteries and ball park loop.

Didn't see anyone else out walking.
I saw Chuck from our church in the parking lot of the post office.
He is an electrician and was doing a job at the PO.
He was surprised I had already walked 6 miles this morning.

 It wasn't til after I was back home that the sun came up over the mountain.
Sunrise was 7:45.
Walked 6.3 miles
🚶     🚶     🚶     🚶
 I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast and then we headed out to Happy
Trails to get started putting the 'slab wood' siding on the cabin.

Taken on the cabin deck

Here we have put the starter piece on and two boards.

Here's a closer look.

We measured, cut, painted and then put up the boards.
The paint is watered down and is like a white wash except this is blue.
By lunch time we had this much finished.

Look at the size of these boards.

By 4:00 we were ready to quit for the day and this is how we left it.

We got MORE done on this first day than I though we would,

but we got LESS done than Ken thought we would.

 

Came home got cleaned up and then headed out to Brenda's

for half price pizza night.

Stopped at Lowe's and another stop at the Shop and Save

to get some ice cream before heading back home. 

Life is Good.

A happy day to you.

happyone 🎈

"Many people, who should have been rejoicing for what they've achieved,

are rather regretting just because of one reason;

they looked at what someone else was doing.

Comparison eliminates contentment

and then kills inner joy."

~ Israelmore Ayivor

Kinnaird Castle

🍂     🍁     🌰     

40 degrees this morning and cloudy and a bit of a wind at times. 

Never even saw a peek of the sun

during my walk.
We did have a sunny afternoon though.

Had my usual walk all around town and the cemeteries and ball park.

Not much opportunities to take many pictures with it being so dark.

I've not walked around the Farm Loop because of the dark.

No street lights up that way!!

But still, at least I can get out to walk.

Didn't see any one else out walking.

Walked an extra mile to make up a bit for yesterday and

walked 7.2 miles

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This is especially for you Vee. 😊

🏰     🏰     🏰     🏰

Ken was in the Navy and one of the places we got to go to was Scotland.

 We lived there for four years and part of that time we lived in

Kinnaird Castle which is located in Brechin.

The Earl and Countess of Southesk own the castle

and its been in the family for over 600 years.

Sorry for the poor quality of pictures. 

I took  pictures of pictures which weren't that great to start out with.

Back in the mid 70's when we were there the Earl had one wing of the

castle made into several flats and rented them out.

 We rented the Laundry Room flat.

The entrance to the flat was in the corner of the courtyard

and in the picture that is Ken in front of the kitchen window and

the entrance is down past him.

Here I am sitting in front of the kitchen window and that is our son

David in the playpen enjoying a bit of sun. 

 The flat wasn't anything fancy but we enjoyed our stay there.

The electric for the house was paid for using a shilling meter.

The meter was  located in the hall and you had to put shillings in the meter when you needed electricity.  The flat was heated by an electric heater which was called

an electric fire.

We only lived there for a little over 4 months.  It was just a one bedroom

and David was 1 and Debbi was on the way so we needed more room.
There was a very long narrow kitchen and at one end of the room
were floor to ceiling cupboards.
There was a decent sized sitting room,
and a long narrow bathroom with one of those big porcelain bathtubs.

When we first moved into the castle I sent everyone back home a picture

of the front of the castle and wrote,

This is our new home.

Once a year the Earl would open up the castle and we got a

tour of the rest of the castle.

Of course you have to have a ghost in a castle and this one was seen in the flat 

where our friends Barb and Todd (also Navy people) lived.  I can't remember the name of that flat but it was where the seamstress lived.

Barb tells the story of sewing a hem of a dress and didn't finish it.

When morning came the dress was hemmed.
Her explanation was that the ghost finished it.
That was her story anyway.

A guess if you're going to have a ghost is it good to have a friendly and useful one.

We moved out of the castle to a little house in the village of Montrose.

We lived there for about a year and then 

one more move on to the base in Edzell.

Would have been nice to stay off base but living on base

was convenient and cheaper.

We loved living in Scotland and I'd love to go back one day.

I cried when we had to leave.

🏰     🏰     🏰     🏰

Back in April Ken brought home three large tree trunks that were cut down at our church.  A friend knew someone who had a sawmill on his farm was going to cut them into slab wood for us to use on the cabin up at HT.
So we brought the logs over to Don's house for him to cut them up.
Here are the tree trucks on the truck back in April.


 Don called,  said he had cut two of the trees and we could come and pick them up.  After lunch we went there and got the boards.
Here they sit out in the field.
These are some really nice wide boards and we love how they turned out.

Don helped load the lumber onto our trailer and here the trailer
sits up at HT all ready for the cabin.
Monday we will start putting them on the front of the cabin.

 Slab wood is also called bacon siding, or live edge.

It's been another good day.
Life is Good

A happy day to you.
happyone 🎈

 "Charlie Brown: A penny! Rats!

Why couldn't I have found a nickel?

What good is a penny these days?

Why do things like that always happen to me?!

Walks off frustrated.

Lucy:  Gee, he found a penny!

Why don't things like that ever happen to me?!"

~ Charles M Schulz

Fingerprint day

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A jump of 20 degrees this morning from yesterday morning.

Today it was 48 degrees with on and off again drizzly rain.

  It was another morning when I didn't wake up early and didn't

get up until 7:00 so got a late start walking.

Walked around town, the two cemeteries and the ball park loop.

Tombstones not that old but I liked the anchor on it.

 A short walk today, only 3.3 miles.

I ran out of time because we had to leave the house early.

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It was Fingerprint Ministry day at church and we had to leave early to 

get things set up.  At first there was only 8 of us there but then lunch

time 9 more people showed up so we got a good bunch of the

 scriptures put together, close to 3,000.

Always have a good time doing that and once again I worked on one 

of the staple machines.

That was pretty much our day.

Home now for a nice quiet evening.

A happy day to you.

happyone 🎈

"Live near to God,

and so all things will appear to you little

In comparison to eternal realities."

~ Robert Murray McCheyne

Comment replies:
Vee - Yes, one of these days I'll write about my living in a castle.  Not today though.  Have to dig though some old pictures.

Debbie H. - Yes, I walk year round.  I have been known to skip a few days when the temperature dips in the single digits though.  Sometimes it is just too icy to walk too.

 Pom Pom -  We have used some of the small trees we cut down for fences but most along with the sticks get either burned, put up on a natural fence or get fed to the chipper.

Wednesday

🍂     🍁     🍂     🍁

This morning on my walk it was 28 degrees but with no wind it didn't seem

that cold.

It was my typical walk around town in the dark and then when it got light

I walked around both cemeteries and the ball park loop.

Saw some birds perching on the cattails around the town pond

and a bunny rabbit hopping along.

No people around today.

By the time I got back home the sun was out.

Walked 6 miles

Found a penny

 🚶     🚶     🚶     🚶

When I walked in the door something smelled GOOD.

Ken made cinnamon rolls and we had them for breakfast.

We each ate two.

Ken went up to Happy Trails after breakfast 

and I got out my slow cooker and made some chili.

Then baked a batch of chocolate chippers.

Did a few other little things around the house and then before

I knew it, it was lunch time and Ken was back home.

After lunch I went back up to HT with him and we continued

cutting down more little trees and brush along the lane up to the driveway.

Then home, got cleaned up, and now I'm about to go and eat some supper,
some of that chili.

A happy day to you.

happyone  🎈

"Do not spoil what you have be desiring what you have not."

~ Ann Brashares

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Comment replies:

PomPom - We haven't had any problems at all with our pellet stove and we've used it for the last 3 years.  We have a Harmon stove which was here when we moved in the house.  It is supposed to be the best one so we got the same kind for the basement.  I don't really know of any dangers except that you do have a flame and need to be careful.

Vee - A pallet of pellets here cost $230.  A pallet is a ton and we got two pallets and it will probably last all winter.  Since it is the only heat we use we feel that it is a good price instead of paying the electric for the heat pump!!  Especially living here where it is cold and the emergency heat is always kicking in.

Connie - Yes, the fence in yesterday's post that you like is ours.  It is the fence that surrounds  my little garden.  It is made from little trees that we cut down. This is what is left of the garden.  I need to get out there and do a little clean up.

Back to Bowling

Picture from yesterday while I was sitting in the swing looking up.

Looking down and seeing all the leaves I have to rake.  

Lucky that I like to rake leaves.

🍁     🍁     🍁     🍁

Back to my early morning walk this morning.  37 degrees and dark.

Once the sun rose it stayed

cloudy.

Did see the sun later in the day though.

Walked all around town, up and down all the streets, and around both

cemeteries and the ball park loop.

Don't see many people out when it's still dark.

I noticed that the house that was for sale across the street from the

post office has been sold and a new family has arrived in town.

Walked 6 miles

🚶     🚶     🚶     🚶

We have missed the last three weeks of bowling being busy with other things

so it was nice to have a bowling day again.

 Taking the break seems to have paid off for me
because I bowled pretty good - better than usual.
My average is 131 and I bowled
147
143
165
in that order.
 

 After bowling we stopped at Walmart on the way home and did

some grocery shopping.

Stopped by the library before bowling and picked up the book club
selection for December.  I'll be starting Novembers selection later.

A happy day to you.

happyone 🎈

"He who is not contented with what he has,

would not be contented with what he would like to have."

~ Socrates

Comment Replies:

Robin - sorry I wasn't clear on how far I walked yesterday.  It was still just 6 miles.  The other loop WOULD have been a 7 mile loop but I TURNED around.

Melanie - We have a heat pump but we don't use it.  The Pellet Stove is a stove in the corner of our family room and we use it to heat our whole house. 

I had never heard of one either till we moved here a few years ago and this one was already here.  We love having a fire and it is so much easier and cleaner than a fireplace or a wood stove.  We like it a lot and last year we bought a second one for down in the basement.

This is what the pellets look like.  They remind  me of rabbit food.

A Quilt Barn (8)

I'm linking up with Tom today on his The Barn Collective series.

Visit Tom to see other barns or post one of your own.

This barn built in 1937 or 8 and is owned by Dwayne Fratz

and is located on Accident Bittinger Road in Accident, MD.

The quilt block was donated by Linda and Hans Underwood

in honor of Linda's mother Martha Leese.

The block pattern is called Schoolhouse aptly named because it is right

down the road from the Accident Elementary School.

🚜     🚜     🚜     🚜

A rare morning when I woke up and turned over and went back to sleep.

So I didn't walk until mid morning after I'd eaten breakfast.

There was a mix of sun and clouds, windy, and 50 degrees.

Walked to the post office and mailed off a package to a friend.

Remember John who used to wave at me who drove the big mail truck?

I mentioned a while back that someone else was driving the truck now.

Well I asked about John at the post office today

and was told that he retired.

My walk was a different one than usual today.

The other week when I was up at the cemetery and looked up over by the 

school I noticed in the distance a barn and it looked like it had a quilt square on it.

It was too far away to see clearly so I zoomed in a took a picture.  

Sure enough it was a barn quilt.

So today I walked up that way.  Here I've just walked past the school and if I was walking the Farm Loop route,  I would turn right here.

Today I didn't turn and continued straight up the road.  The barn in today's post is just up a bit on the right side of the road. 

They allow you to walk up their driveway to take pictures of the barn.

After taking the barn pictures I continued walking up the road.

The farm below is the dairy farm I walk past on the Farm Loop, and I took this

picture from the road I continued walking straight on.

I thought this house looked pretty with all the leaves in front of it.

They have some raking to do!

After walking up the road for a while I turned around and went back to town.

The road does loop around the mountain but it is 7 miles with some pretty

steep hills to walk up.

It was nice walking a different route and I 

walked 6 miles.

🐞     🐞     🐞     🐞

Today we bought a couple of pallets of pellets for our pellet stove

which heats our house during winter and this should last us

through the winter.

Here the pellets are stacked up in a few different locations in the garage.

Each bag weighs 40 pounds so we got in some good exercise.

We got the snow blower down here in the garage too.

So now we are set for winter.

I usually don't spend much time talking on the telephone but today I talked

to three different people and talked at least 1/2 hour to each one.

With all that talking and walking, I didn't get much done around the house.

A happy day to you.

happyone  🎈

"Happiness is not a goal,

it's a by-product of a life well lived."

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

A couple of verses and a giant puffball mushroom

Psalm 90:2

Before the mountains were brought forth,

or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,

even from everlasting to everlasting,

thou art God.

Isaiah 44:6 

Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel,

and his redeemer the Lord of hosts,

I am the first,

and I am the last

and beside me there is no God.

⛪     ⛪     ⛪     ⛪

A blessed Sunday to you all.

Jesus loves you.

happyone 🎈

 During my walk this morning I came across the biggest 

mushroom I've seen and just had to post a picture of it.

I've put my foot in the picture for a reference.

 I've done some checking on line and believe it to be

a giant puffball mushroom. 

Though this is one is by no means the largest one.

A snow shower and a wedding

🎃     🎃     🎃     🎃

 The temperature did dip a bit lower and this morning it was 39 degrees when I walked.

But not the coldest morning so far.

There were very light rain showers from time to time, but I didn't get wet.

Just a bit damp.

Walked around town and didn't see anyone else out walking.

One of the churches in town is having a fair selling 

baked goods, donated items, and crafts, and people

where arriving to help get that set up.

Walked 6 miles

🎃     🎃     🎃     🎃

Those snow showers that were predicted for this morning did arrive,

but after I'd gotten home.  

No big deal and of course they didn't amount to anything.

Hard to see the snow coming down in a picture but I did take one.

I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast and then afterward

we drove down to La Vale.
Ken's coffee maker broke a while back so we went to get a new one.
We had a 30% off coupon plus a $10 off coupon so got it for a great price.
 Also got a wet saw so Ken can cut ceramic tiles for a couple of projects.

Down in La Vale it was in the 40's and the sun was out so I'm glad
we went there and saw the sun.
Back home and it was 37 with showers.
👰     👰     👰     👰
Elizabeth from church and Ben were married today and
we went to the wedding.  Wedding and reception both were at the church.
We just stayed a little while after the wedding but didn't stay for the reception.
Ben is taking her away to Texas.
They make a lovely couple and I wish them God's Blessings
and much happiness.

A happy day to you.

happyone 🎈

"I dreamed of elaborate elegance,

A church filled with family and friends.

I asked him what kind of a wedding he wished for,

he said one that would make me his wife."

~ Unknown

dark and eerie

It rained during the night and this morning it was dark and looked like rain 

so I wore my rain pants and took along my umbrella.  

Didn't wear my rain slicker because it was 60 degrees and I would have been too warm.

Started walking around town and once the sky got that morning glow it looked

like the sun might pop through the clouds so I went back home and dropped

off the umbrella and changed my pants.

I came across these mushrooms in someones yard.

There was a whole mess of them in three different stages.

These were round and looked like toasted marshmallows.

 These were flatted out and were very large.  Bigger than my hand spread out.

Then there were these that cupped up and had a little water in them.

It was interesting to see all three different stages.

Walked all over town up and down all the streets.  

Saw the usual rabbits hopping about but didn't see any people.

It is so dark when I start out that I don't see much of anything for the first half of my walk.

This morning after it was light out for maybe 15 minutes it started getting very windy and it started getting dark again.  I looked up and saw some really dark clouds and everything had an eerie color to it.  Thought I'd better head back home before the rain came.

I didn't quite make it back home before the rain.

Walked 6 miles

💧     💧     💧     💧

A while ago someone gave me some jumbo cupcake pans

and this morning I made angel food cupcakes in them.
It was hard to get them out of the pans and I made a bit of a mess of it.

I'll not do that again.  

Next time I'll try regular cupcakes or maybe muffins.

My office/craft room was in a bit of disarray AGAIN
so I spent the afternoon getting it tidy again.
Spent some time reading too.
Reports say that it is getting cold tonight
and tomorrow morning it is supposed to snow.
Sure doesn't seem like it, it's 60 degrees.

 A happy day to you.

happyone  🎈

"It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are

or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy.

It is what you think about it."

~ Dale Carnegie

A pretty sky

A pretty morning sky.

Seeing this in the morning just has to put you in a good mood.

God saying 'Good Morning.'

🍄     🍄     🍄     🍄

Another warm morning and this one had the sun shining when it finally came over the mountain.  The temperature was 60 degrees with a slight breeze.

Once again I stayed in town and walked around.  Walked up and down all the 

streets and around both cemeteries and the ball park loop and all around town again.

Saw a couple of rabbits hopping around went down to see the horses

down by the Drane house.

Saw Kathy from a distance and we just waved.  She always walks the same

way but I mix my walks up quite a bit.

This trees branches go way out over the road and it so pretty

at this time of year.  

Walked 6.4 miles

🍁     🍁     🍁     🍁

Ken spent the day up at Happy Trails and I stayed home.

I did some house stuff in the morning.

Laundry

Dusting

Vacuuming

and then after lunch I went outside which is where I'd rather be.

Did more garden work.
Got the whole garden done on the side of the house.

While I was out in the yard I saw Ron our neighbor at HT

in the yard of Bob our neighbor here at home.

He was in the yard picking up fallen apples which he sets out so the deer will

come and eat them.

I went over to talk to him.  Just seemed funny to me to see my neighbor 

from one place in the yard of my other neighbor. 😊

That's it for today.

A happy day to you.

happyone 🎈

"Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness."

~ Pearl S Buck

Glad for my morning walk

This picture of the town pond is from Monday during my morning walk.

🐢     🐢     🐢     🐢

Back to a normal morning of walking.  Unseasonable warm at 64 degrees.

Felt like rain and sure enough after walking about a mile it started drizzling

so I headed back home and got my umbrella.

Walked all around town including both cemeteries and the ball park loop.  There were a few periods with no rain so my umbrella went up and down a few times.

Pretty quite around town but I did see Kathy out walking with her umbrella too.  I told her it was nice to see another walker who is not afraid of a little rain.  😊

Walked down by the horses near the Drane house but 

they were too busy munching on grass to come over and see me.  

I think they realize now that I don't bring them food so don't bother coming over.

I don't like to miss my morning walk and was very glad

to get back to it this morning.

Walked 6.4 miles

🎃     🎃     🎃     🎃

The rain stopped and the sun came out.
I got some more dead flowers cut back out in the back yard this time.
Still have more to do.  Seems no end to it, but the more I get done now is
less I have to do in the spring.

Finished going through all the drawers in my dresser and got things
all neat and tidy and threw away a lot of old clothes.
I keep saving old clothes for work clothes and I have so many work
clothes that it is ridiculous so I threw most of them away.

That will about do it for today.

 A happy day to you.

happyone  🎈

"Thoughts come clearly while one walks."

~ Thomas Mann