Making Plans

Josh & I are bursting at the seams with ideas for projects around the property, but most have to wait until the weather gets warmer. From this spot in the dead of winter, it sometimes feels impossible to wait two more months to get started. I just can't wait to get outdoors again and get things done!

Maple Sugaring

We've counted at least 40 mature maple trees in the woods behind our house, more than enough to return a decent yield if tapped. We are newbies at sugaring, so Josh has been doing quite a bit of research. As we understand it, the sap will start flowing when the days are consistently above freezing, and the are nights below freezing. This should happen by the end of March, so we are stocking up on tubing, taps, buckets, and large pots to boil the sap in. 

Our Wedding

We've finally set a date/location. The wedding will be in late September at our house. Now we need to get the guest list nailed down. I am torn between wanting all our friends there on one hand, yet feeling like I need to keep it very small to protect my own sanity on the other. We have yet to figure out how to handle that, but I do have one detail nailed down -- a wonderful photographer.  If anyone out there is in the market for a wedding photographer check out Ray + Kelly Photography. Their work is emotional, beautiful, and real, and feels more like art photography than typical wedding photography to me.

The Kitchen Garden
Work on the kitchen garden halted when more pressing projects (finishing the Little Dog workshop & chopping cord wood for winter) took priority. Once the weather warms and the ground is soft enough to dig into, we will be back at work building the stone retaining wall and filling in the patch of earth next to our deck for a kitchen garden. When the soil is ready, we will plant lettuce, tomato, squash, cucumber, herbs, corn, radish, carrots, spinach, pumpkin, and other annual vegetables.

The Downstairs Porch

By the time April rolls around the basement remodeling (a bedroom, bathroom, and den/office) should be finished and we'll turn our attention to the porch off the bottom level. Right now it resembles a junk yard/dog kennel with unfinished concrete floors, chicken wire over open window frames, miscellaneous furniture, trash barrels, and an unused washer/dryer set. Yep, we're those people. Hopefully not for too much longer, though. I can't wait to tile the floor, add real windows, lots of plants, and a small table and chairs.

That's all for now. There are a number of other projects in the works, some small and probably not worth boring you with, and others still in the very early stages and not ready for sharing. I cannot wait to get going and finally have some great photos to share!