House Diary.

Hosted the Jones family for holiday cookie baking.

Hosted the Jones family for Thanksgiving— another joyous day full of love and laughter.

Hosted 20 close friends for a thanksgiving feast— Bridger never had such fun.

Went to Stillwater and purchased an antique fireback that we've had our eyes on for two years— a wedding gift to ourselves.

Added storage and reorganized the root cellar— looking full!

Had Mich and Wes over for dinner— grilled steaks and broke in the new butcher block from James and Kaia.

Felled another ash tree.

Home from Two Harbors, got to work clearing out the garden.

Headed to Two Harbors for a minimoon stay in a yurt.

Got married— indeed, the night of our lives. Many thanks to all.

Woke up to a blanket of pearly white snow— a lovely sight. Had rehearsal dinner in the evening and gorged on wood-fired pizza and cold beer.

Tent went up— looks mighty nice.

Beer truck porta johns arrived— enjoyed both thoroughly.

Got a load of second apples from David's grandpappy and had our pal JT over for a fire and to press cider.

Had a hard frost, and most of the garden died off. Harvested what remained in the garden, save for some Kale and Brussel Sprouts

Harvested all of the watermelons from the polytunnel.

Harvested sweet potatoes and squash.

Wedding planning and preparation are in overdrive. We decided last weekend to move the dance from the tent to the concrete pad, which meant building a structure to hold lights and eliminate tripping hazards and a bar top!

Keshia had a wedding shower and received many gifts for which we are thankful.

It is said that if you bury a bottle of bourbon at the location of your wedding ceremony one month in advance, you will have good weather— we’re a couple of days late, but what the hay!

Wes and Mich came over and assisted in spreading mulch on the path to the water and replacing the chicken run roof with reclaimed tin. Their help is duly appreciated, and their friendship unparalleled.

First watermelon!

Discovered tons of rot below the kitchen window, but also found a rolled-up newspaper used as insulation dated 1904— take the bad with the good.

Made a batch of salsa and accidentally tripled the amount of lime juice required— still delicious!

Installed Edison lights in the ash trees in preparation for the wedding, just six weeks from now

Harvested potatoes, nearly 100 pounds all told, not including the sweets, which need more time.

First batch of sweet corn came ready, much sweeter than last year's harvest, though we lost a portion of the crop when a large limb broke off a nearby Ash.

Harvested onions and many carrots.

Harvested a massive haul of green beans—surely the first of many such bounties. Later, we knocked out the rotten window sill in the kitchen, which we will replace ASAP.

Gave the melons in the polytunnel a much-needed trim, aka side shoot, which should help develop sweeter fruit.

K's fam hosted a joint celebration at the farm— a bridal shower for her, and a baby shower for Marissa. Sam and Abby came over for dinner in the garden. A lovely day, all around!

Mowed down the prairie restoration area to keep invasive species and weeds from going to seed. Germination of the native grasses and flowers has been slow due to the lack of rain and high heat.

Pulled some potatoes to check for pest and survey growth. All looks good, but they need a few more weeks in the ground. K painted the trim and rafter tails on the barn.

After one of the hottest, dryest stretches on record, we got walloped with rain. As a result, most of our cabbages split and had to be harvested. However, the rain brought cooler weather, and we enjoyed a lovely dinner in the garden.

Worked on striping the clapboard siding, using a combination of the paint shaver and orbital sander— quit around lunchtime due to the heat and humidity.

Landscapers spread three loads of gravel on the parking pad to make it square and level to accommodate the wedding tent better. Harvested the first few quarts of bush beans from the garden.

Backfilled the new block foundation, framed out the opening, and began breaking the surrounding soil to correct the grade, so water flows away from the barn.

Ma and Pa Jones came over to help paint up the barn. Jenna and the kids stopped over for a visit. Harvested and jammed the last of the blackcap raspberries.

Harvested the last of the garlic and hung it in the barn to dry and cure. Beth and Leon stopped by for a nice surprise visit— great to see them and catch up!

Roofed the barn! Used reclaimed tin sourced on Craigslist.

Picked 60 pounds of strawberries in the morning, K's ma and sisters came over to help process the fruit while we made jam and strawberry wine.

Stripped off the siding to investigate/start the sill repair of the kitchen window. K hauled many loads of old shingles from the barn to the dumpster.

Planted the last of the sweet corn and pumpkins.

Seeded the prairie restoration area on the back hill— been a long time coming! Used a grid system and calibrated spreader to ensure even distribution.

Finished bucking the ash tree we felled in the spring. Hauled the large rounds to the wood pile for splitting when time allows.

Started tearing off the old barn roof— yacht plastic, tarps, and three layers of gummy shingles.

Applied the first coat of red paint to the barn— looking good!

Spring flowers are in full bloom.

Installed the doors and rollup side walls— the polytunnel is officially complete!

Planted the second wave of veggies in the main garden, including celery, peas, beans, leeks, parsnips, and all the brassicas, and planted melons, peppers, and tomatoes in the polytunnel.

With the help of ma and pa Jones, we stretched the plastic over the polytunnel and secured it in the wiggle wire channels.

Spring is officially here, with blossoms on the apple trees and lilacs.

Heavy spring rains raised the Mississippi over the banks and flooded out much of our flat area near the shore.

Planted the first phase of veggies in the garden— onions grown from seed and onion sets, radish, carrots, and potatoes. Also framed up the polytunnel doors.

K made a batch of dandelion wine, while J made some elderflower fizz.

Kayla, Casey, and Harley visited the farm for a pizza party!

Installed hipboards and baseboards on the polytunnel, and created the veggie beds using our no-till method.

J sourced a free, circa 1910s cast iron stove from his job site, which will be used for a summer/garden kitchen in the future.

K's fam came over for a wonderful Mother's Day celebration.

With the help of ma and pa Jones, we bent and installed the hoops for the polytunnel greenhouse. In the evening, we drove down to Iairbault and picked up a load of reclaimed barn tin, which we will use to reroof the barn/outbuilding later this summer.

Completed the chicken tractor, which allows us to free-range our flock without worrying about them destroying the garden.

Painted one side of the barn, cast grass seed, filled a Bagster with the barn deconstruction rubbish, and began building a chicken tractor.

Remediated the remaining wire fencing surrounding the garden.

Continued compost organization and split wood.

Bought a logging chain on the way home from work, and used it to remove the remaining stumps: filled holes and leveled ground.

Removed a section of wire fence that separated the barn and compost area, built a new compost coral, turned existing compost, organized browns piles, and uprooted an old tree stump near the barn by hand.

Cut, drilled, and drove ground posts for the greenhouse build and cleared some invasive weeds near the barn. Poor weather hindered our progress as we took several breaks to warm up inside.

Had a lovely visit from a long-lost cousin, who, until recently, we didn't know existed. She shared much information on the family and a trove of documents and photographs.

Deconstructed another side of the barn.

Investigated an 1890s barn at a neighboring property that was being offered for salvage.

Created a new, large garden bed with yesterday's delivery of compost. Also applied a top coat over existing beds.

Rumpca delivered twenty yards of aged and sifted compost, which we will use to expand the garden and amend soil on existing beds.

Early start to the day— deconstructed and reconstructed one side of the barn, removing rotted board and batten siding and replacing it with contemporary pine sheeting.

J deconstructed the barn door and surrounding framework. It was heavily rotted and overdue for replacement— much more barn rehab to come.

Ma and Pa Jones came over to help us fell an ash tree on the back hill. The weather turned on us before we finished dissection. K cleaned and organized the barn.

Weeded creeping charlie infringing on the garden's perimeter, removed the polythene windbreak around the chicken run, and patched some holes in the run fencing. K spent a couple of hours cutting and dobbing buckthorn near the water.

Spring has sprung! The overwintered garlic broke through the soil with this afternoon's sun. It won't be long before the garden is in full bloom.

Laid out the garden additions, including the polytunnel and the giant pumpkin patch, and began dethatching the grass in preparation for a spring planting of Winter Rye cover crop.

Took Bridger down to the water for the first time, where we counted an astonishing 42 bald eagles circling the river and perched in trees. Later on, Ma and Pa Jones brought Cooper over and introduced him to Bridge— they got on swimmingly! In the evening, we gave Bridger his first bath. It was a full day, and the little guy was plumb tuckered.

Finished removing the loose plaster from the ceiling in the primary bedroom. The multi-tool was a huge help, though still considerable work. Also made some progress on stripping the woodwork, hoping to get some mud on the walls soon. Bridger is starting to feel at home and rebel against mom and dad, but we don’t mind.

Purchased an oscillating multi-tool to help with plaster removal. Hopefully should reduce the workload but be gentle enough not to damage more keys or cut into the lath— fingers crossed! Also sowed leeks, celery, and peppers into seed trays.

Big day on the farm! So happy to welcome Bridger into our little family. He is seven weeks and two days old and already full of personality— didn't take long for him to steal our hearts!

Spent much of the day scraping paint and previous plaster skim coats off the primary bedroom ceiling. One more prep day, and we should be ready to patch the plaster.

Planted the first round of seeds— red and white onions, about 100 of each. Once they germinate, we will move them off the heating pad and plant tomatoes and peppers. Can't wait to get in the garden!

The new propagation station is ready to roll!

Removed the drywall above the picture rail and over the ceiling in the primary bedroom. It was messy, quick work. The plaster underneath is damaged but in overall good shape.

J put in some hours scraping paint from the woodwork in the primary bedroom. Progress is slow.

New seeds arrived— propagation begins next week!

J met with the president of the Washington County Historical Society and conducted some research at their facility in Stillwater.

J started a new job in historic preservation. House projects are expected to slow.

After scraping and sanding, J finally got some color on the bathroom door. The following steps are to seal with a marine-grade varnish, sand and paint the trim, and reinstall the hardware. Hoping to wrap this project up in the next few days.

Celebrated K's birthday! Baked homemade cinnamon rolls, bread, and a blueberry lemon cake in the morning, and roasted a whole chicken for dinner. Enjoyed some downtime and each other's company.

Finished removing and patching cracked grout in the tub surround, continued restoration of the bathroom door, and recaulked the kitchen counters and trim work.

Further inspection of the bathroom tub surround revealed significant cracking in the tile grout. Began remediation and replacement; will take several days.

In the process of removing old caulking in the bathroom, the door threshold popped off, which revealed the original tile floor hiding under the current flooring. Now debating a complete bathroom restoration/renovation.

Took the bathroom door off and began a complete restoration by coating it with paint stripper. Reseasoned the cast iron and baked some bread.

K took off to Arizona to visit Grandma Judes for a few days— hoping to tackle some house projects while she is away. Baked bread and made beef stock in the evening.

Hosted a few guests for homemade broccoli cheddar soup and some card games.

Used the reclaimed insulation from the third floor to insulate the garage. Will add additional weatherstripping around garage and service doors, as well as a heating element— should make the workspace usable during the winter months.