House Diary.

Replaced the old insulation in the third-floor crawl space with higher-grade R38 batting. Hopefully, this will help lessen the cost of heating.

Grandma Judes spent the last few days of her holiday at the homestead. It was lovely to spend time with her, and we were sad to see her go. Can't wait to see her in the spring!

K and I exchanged gifts in the morning, then headed to Ma and Pa Jones's for more games and tasty foods. It was time well spent with the best of company.

Hosted J's family for the traditional Christmas Eve fondue. Much merriment ensued.

Hosted K's family for Christmas, the first proper assemblage since the outset of the pandemic. We enjoyed many tasty foods and gathered around the fire for a gift exchange.

Ma and Pa Jones, and Chelsea, came over for a day of Christmas cookie baking— eight batches/varieties in all! Managed the cure burn in the fireplace while we baked.

Slow-cooked a batch of homemade chili using our dehydrated chilis, turkey stock, dry beans, and tomato base— it was a real winner! Will add the recipe to the blog soon.

Patched the fireplace mortar, which must set for 24 hours before an extended burn to finish curing. Made a delicious apple fritter cake for Pa Jones' birthday.

The high temperature reached 57 degrees, setting a new recording and melting all the snow from the weekend's winter storm. A cold front moved in overnight, causing severe thunderstorms and high winds across the Midwest. The sizeable dead Elm tree bordering the garden dropped one of its' main limbs— will process for firewood.

Assembled new shelving for canned goods and root vegetables in the basement. Spent most of the evening taking stock and organizing.

K cleared the snow in under two hours— record time! In the evening, K hosted Maria and Ali for Christmas cookie baking and wine.

J left in the AM for the North Shore Open Bonspiel in Two Harbors. Heavy snowfall in the afternoon and evening— 13 inches accumulation.

Attended the township board meeting in the evening. Topics discussed included law enforcement contracts, the AI mining variance, road repairs, and short-term rental licensing.

It snowed all day— very light and fluffy with a few inches of accumulation. Split more wood in the afternoon and we decorated the Christmas tree in the evening.

The first markedly cold day of winter, the low being minus eight with the windchill. The chickens didn't seem to mind. Split wood from the felled ash tree in the afternoon and put up the Christmas tree.

Had the first measurable snowfall overnight. Spotted fox tracks around the coop, in front of the garage, and even on top of the trash can. We picked up our Christmas tree in the afternoon.

We felled an ash tree that infringed on the perimeter of our prairie restoration, casting too much shade and impeding the growth of native grasses and flowers. There are five such trees, all of which we will eliminate before sowing next summer. The tree went down quickly, though it landed funny, with a large limb pointed skyward, making dissection more difficult. Ma and Pa Jones came over halfway through and helped us complete the job. We then sat by the fire and watched the sunset over the island. It was a day well spent.

Went to the Washington County Government Center for the county land auction. Our bid for the adjacent parcel, which includes the front pasture and hill between the neighbors and us, was the highest at $652.00. I paid all additional fees and took ownership immediately, adding .66 acres to our current plot of 2.71 acres. The next step is to have the properties surveyed and prepare for subdivision.

Noticed significant beaver chew on several trees near the water, including one felled. Wrapped unscathed trees in wire to deter further damage— will continue to monitor.

Today marked one year as homeowners! We celebrated with dinner and bingo at the Legion— K won $57.

Attended an estate sale at a Victorian mansion on Mount Curve in Minneapolis, where we acquired three rugs and a milk glass light fixture we intend to install in the bathroom.

Made nine jars of stock with the turkey carcass from Thanksgiving and various vegetables. The house smelled terrific.

Hosted J's family for Thanksgiving dinner. It was the first time we were all together since before the pandemic. K laid a beautiful tablescape, and J cooked the turkey to perfection. Much merriment ensued.

Spent the day metal detecting around the property with Jesse. We found many interesting artifacts, including old tools, nails, and an unidentified large iron plate. We look forward to further prospecting in the spring.

Began harvesting the historic red bricks previously discarded in the woods on the hillside. So far, I found forty complete bricks and countless broken. May use the bricks for garden edging in the future.

Completed the new roof over the chicken run, which will help protect the birds from the harsh winter elements.

Used the unseasonably warm weather this weekend to paint the loafing shed. The job is now complete with today's final coat—much improved.

K finished painting the garage trim while J installed a new barn light over the pedestrian door. After several months, the garage restoration is now complete. Well worth the effort and expense.

Spread homemade compost over the garden beds to further enrich the soil— will spread more in the spring.

Spent the evening prepping squash ravioli and Asian dumplings to freeze— sampled plenty of both before the night was through.

It was all hands on deck to help hang the new barn door. We experienced some delays due to the salvaged hardware but were eventually successful and satisfied.

J finished the mechanical restoration of the windows on the third floor while K winterized windows on the first and second floors.

J completed the bulk of the barn door build and painted it red. Then added bracing, which was prepainted white.

Began constructing a new 8' x 8' barn door for the loafing shed. Will repurpose the rail and hardware from the stable to hang the door.

Harvested the last of our vegetables and cleared the garden beds. Sad to reach the end of the growing season, having enjoyed so much time in the garden.

K had the day off. We worked on the garage restoration and did some magnet fishing under the front porch. Found many things, including batteries from the 1890s and a primitive hand-forged door hinge.

The farmers harvested their crop of beans from the field across the road. We set up chairs in the front pasture and watched them until dark.

Hosted twenty-ish guests for the inaugural Pumpkin Fest! Wood-fired pizza, festive drinks and desserts, pumpkin carving, and a fire. A good time was had by all.

Harvested the remaining pumpkins (17) and squash (18) from the garden.

Shelled dry beans at the kitchen island while K canned a batch of tomatoes.

Harvested the first few pumpkins and all remaining potatoes. The total potato harvest was 90lbs, which should last us until spring— will plant more next year.

Finished culling the ferns near the house. Picked up a load of topsoil with Pa Jones and spread where ferns had been. Also filled and regraded where we pulled bushes from the perimeter of the cement pad.

K and Ma Jones cleared corn stocks from the garden, during which K found several painted turtles newly hatched. J did a mechanical of K's office windows.

Began harvesting potatoes, which have cured well in the ground and suffered no blight.

Harvested sweet corn— poor yield and flavor, which may be the result of the drought. Will try a different variety next year.

Canned the first batch of pickles— eager to taste!

Woke to the sound of sirens just before sunrise; saw trucks from four different firehouses fly past the house. We hopped in the car to investigate and found the old Mississippi Dunes clubhouse fully ablaze— it was a total loss. Later in the morning, we visited the Borner Farm Project in Prescott, which got our gears turning about small market gardens and permacultures.

Began the great fern purge near the front yard. We enjoyed a cold beer and watched the sunset as the chickens roamed the yard in the evening.

Purchased a cast iron fireplace insert from Bauer Bros. Salvage in Minneapolis. The patent date is July 19th, 1893, and should fit in our firebox surround. It will need some restoration.

Bought a new Stihl saw from the Walz Ace Hardware in Ellsworth. Tested it on a limb from the dead Elm by the garden— cuts like a hot knife through butter!

Had the Joneses and cousin Shaun over for some Independence Day festivities, including hot doggies, cold beer, and a kiddie pool.

What was intended to be a quick trim job has turned into a full-blow garage restoration. Today, we removed the cement board to reveal the old cedar lap siding beneath, which we now plan the rehab. It will be a long process but good practice for the rest of the house.

Harvested five more quarts of blackcap raspberries from the side hill and put up some 4th of July decorations.

Went to Afton Apple at sunrise to pick strawberries. Ma and Pa Jones and Grandma Judes helped us process the fruit, including the blackcap raspberries harvested from the sidehill, and make jam. It was a long, but enjoyable day.

Attended the Hasting's Car Show for Chelsea's birthday. Had lunch and beer at Spiral, and strawberry shortcake at the farm afterward.

Ma Jones took K and Chelsea out to lunch and did some shopping for C's bday, which gave Pa Jones and me just enough time to set up a surprise picnic by the river. When K got home, I proposed— she said yes!

J found an old five-panel door at the job site, which will be rehabbed for the service door on the garage.

Painted the garage door white, the first step in ridding the home of the 90s teal.

The apple trees blossomed— summer is here!

K took the kayak out for her maiden voyage on the river.

Planted the garden! Can't wait to see things take off.

Dug a trench around the garden and installed a rabbit fence of wooden stakes and chicken wire. Also erected a deer fence of clear fishing line— fingers crossed!

Planted our first three apple trees in the front pasture, which we hope to cultivate into a small orchard. In the evening, K brewed a batch of house wine using the abundance of lilac blossoms.

Picked up a load of mulch from the local compost center and spread it around the garden to make paths.