Monday, March 31, 2014

The last of the snow we received early last week melted pretty quickly--here's what we hope will be the last snow picture!  The shade around the Carriage House kept these remnants from disappearing as quickly as the rest, but they, too, are gone now.

The Central Virginia Builders crew continues to make good progress on the south portico.  The core foundation of the columns has been established and the workmen are now devising a jig to use for the milling work on the finish material so that the columns will match the originals exactly.

Geo is still away, but plans to be back to work later this week.  Sherry was here today, and Heather, one of the Ramsay landscapers, stopped by to look at one of the pots on the front porch of the main house, which had broken, perhaps as a result of the freezing temperatures.  She and Patsy will try to find another one like it and will be back in touch.

We experienced some very high winds on Sunday, and as a result, there were lots of sticks around on the yards today, but no tree damage and no damage to buildings or fences, fortunately.

Joyce, of Guesthouses, referred a repeat client to Stephen, who met with the client this morning and gave her a tour of the residences at Ramsay.  She is most interested in renting the Carriage House at some point, and was very favorably impressed by all she saw, and plans to add Ramsay to her list of places to stay when she is in the area.

In addition to hearing spring songs of the birds around the farm, we are now hearing the little "peepers" or frogs, who sound as though they are living in the marshy area just on the other side of Stockton Creek, so maybe spring is really almost here!

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

The past weekend was uneventful here at Ramsay.  This week, the Central Virginia Builders crew is making good progress on the south portico work.  This morning, they started at 8 o'clock in 24 degree temperatures and gusty winds.

Sheathing is being added to the steel supports--here's how it looked
this afternoon.

Tuesday was a snow day--the Greenwood area received around 6 inches of powdery snow between daybreak and nightfall, and fortunately, today's sun has melted most of it despite the cold temperatures (our high today was 35).

On the way to the Northwest field, mid-day today.

Sherry was here part of the days yesterday and today.  Stephen has been doing farm-related office work most of today, interspersed with coordinating with workers on site and feeding animals.  Paul, the plumber, was here today to repair a leaking hot water line under the sink in the kitchen of the Main House.  Geo was here on Monday, but was off yesterday and today.

All the grass is definitely turning green--so exciting!  This is our second spring at Ramsay and we are so looking forward to seeing green pastures and green leaves on the trees again.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Ramsay is enjoying the spring weather of the past two days!  New green grass is appearing, and Stephen found periwinkle and daffodils blooming in one of the borders at the Main House this morning.

The Central Virginia Builders crew is working quickly and effectively to remove the damaged columns on the south portico and insert steel cores in preparation to applying the enclosing materials that will create new columns.

The steel posts and the new beams have already restored the roof to its original straight and true lines.

Sherry and Geo were here today, and Stephen did some office work as well as coordinating the ongoing work.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

A gray and wet day here, but temperatures did reach into the 40s, so a lot of the snow has melted, leaving puddles and mud in its wake.

Yesterday morning...

This afternoon...

Despite the messy weather, the crew from Central Virginia Builders made good progress on the south portico today.  The first phase of work on the exterior of the Main House involves replacing the south portico columns which were in various stages of disrepair.

One down, seven to go.

The carpenters discovered that the original columns were simply hollow boxes with no main, solid core--a major surprise to everyone.  The new columns will be constructed with interior steel core posts, wrapped with custom material designed to match the original columns in every architectural detail.

Out with the old, in with the new! Three new steel supports in place.

The existing roof, which was sagging badly, has been leveled with hydraulic jacks, and the new steel posts are already bearing the load successfully.

Steel posts supporting new beam.

Other work aside from the portico construction included Sherry and Geo being on site doing their regular tasks, and Stephen coordinating workers and completing some office work for the farm.

Tuesday morning, March 18, 2014

Ramsay received about 6 inches of snow by mid-day yesterday, and most of it is still here because of the cold temps.  Even the snowy coatings on the tree branches are still in place, I suppose because there's been no wind, the sun didn't appear yesterday, and it's been below freezing since Sunday evening.

The farm was fortunate not to have suffered damage or lost power as a result of the storm.  Stephen spent most of yesterday morning clearing driveways and parking lots, and fed animals early and late.

Sunday morning, March 16, 2014

The weather forecast for our area is still changing, but here's what we're preparing for, just in case!  (Greenwood is just above the "a" of Charlottesville in this graphic.)

At least our temperatures won't be in the 0 to 10 degree range this time, so fewer freezing issues to deal with.  Finger crossed!

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Today was a beautiful one here at the farm, with temperatures in the 50s early and in the 60s by afternoon.  The scattered clouds made some beautiful patterns on the mountains and the fields.  This picture was taken from the NW field this morning, looking toward Afton Mountain.

Some noteworthy happenings from yesterday and today:

• Patsy and Heather were here early yesterday, and planted pansies in the large urn and surrounding bed in the circle of the brick walk in front of the main house.
• Joyce and a prospective client for renting space here visited in the late morning yesterday.  Stephen met them and provided a tour and other information as needed.  The guest was very impressed and loved the location and all the facilities and amenities of the property, so we hope to see her and her group at some point in the future.
• Geo was here parts of yesterday and today, continuing his woods-clearing project and helping with other tasks.
• Clay, the representative from the wireless internet provider for the farm, was here for a good while this afternoon, trying to ascertain why our signal varies or disappears occasionally, despite an overall strong signal.  Stephen explained the problems and they discussed options.  The technician installed a new receiver on the Grigg barn, and is increasing the signal strength, still within our current rate.
• Two representatives from the carpet company engaged to create rugs for parts of the main house came this afternoon to take measurements.  Stephen met them and accompanied them through the house.

The forecast for our part of Virginia is now predicting 5-10 inches of snow, starting tomorrow night and continuing into Monday.  We, along with everyone else except Wintergreen Resort, were so ready for this delightful spring weather to continue!  The lawns and fields are very gradually turning green, and I found these coming up in the woods--I think they are daffodils, and I hope they will survive until the warm weather comes back next week!

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Today dawned clear but extremely windy, and with the air temperature at 20 degrees; the resulting "real feel" at 9 AM was 1 degree.  Today's high, according to the weather app on my phone for Greenwood, was 33 degrees, with a "real feel" of 11 degrees at about 3 PM.

Stephen went out in the height of the wind storm last night to check on the buildings and found a loose piece of roofing on the chicken coop, which had been secured once before from high wind damage.  He fixed it before coming back in, with a little creative use of wood clamps and the aid of the headlights from the Gator.  Once the sun was up, he re-checked all of the property for damage.  Ramsay was very fortunate, not having sustained any damage, and having only a few limbs down.  Geo was here today and spent most of his time removing light wind damage including this limb in front of the Guest Cottage.

There were power outages in our area, but not here at the farm.

Patsy and Heather were here early and made a valiant effort to begin planting, but the cold was severe and the wind still gusting, so they have left plants here in the shelter of the garage and will be back to complete the work tomorrow morning.

Central Virginia Builders has had to delay the start of work on the south portico of the main house because today's high winds forced them to re-schedule the completion of their current project. They will be here on Monday to begin.

We're looking forward to warmer (and quieter!) weather tomorrow!

Sunday, March 9-Wednesday, March 12, 2014

This week's spring-like temperatures and sunshine have made the remainder of the snow disappear, and the ground is less muddy thanks to breezy weather.  We celebrated our son Gordon's 36th birthday on Sunday, and we enjoyed having family here at the farmhouse.  We were able to visit the cows and the horses with granddaughter Haley in between lunch and party.

Sherry and Geo have been here, Sherry for her regular hours and duties, and Geo for a portion of his time.  He is making great progress clearing the underbrush in the woods just west of the farmhouse.  Some other highlights from this week:

--Jess and some of the crew from Central Virginia Builders were here, taking final measurements and making plans to begin work on the south portico on Friday.

--Stephen located a source and placed the order for replacement control knobs for the stove in the main house.

--C & G Paving delivered gravel to make a better surface for the muddy lane behind the farmhouse.

--Donnie moved the few remaining round bales for pick-up, clearing the way for the new spring grass, which is already appearing in the pastures and fields.
--Stephen heard from Zeke at Grelen that they have located some suitable trees to replace the ones along the main driveway, and will be on site to do the transplanting in early April.

Tomorrow (Thursday), Patsy will be on site to fill the urn in the brick walkway and replace other plantings as requested, and to do a final winter check before prepping the gardens for spring work.

We are expecting below-freezing temperatures tonight, after three days in the 60s and 70s.  Maybe this photo of the view to the north will be one of the last truly winter pictures, as trees begin to bud and new grass is appearing.

Wednesday, March 5-Saturday, March 8, 2014

The snow we received earlier in the week is almost gone now, after two days of 50-60 degree weather.  Geo continued clearing into the woods behind the woodshed, as well as helping with feeding, and other miscellaneous tasks.  Sherry was here for her regular days.

Today

Earlier this week...

Friday

Monday...

Earlier in the week, Sherry noted that the washing machine in the main house wasn't functioning properly, and repairs were made on Friday.  Also on Friday, the columns and other materials for restoring the south portico were delivered.  Donnie brought more baled hay for the livestock, stowing it in the woodshed.

Stephen had intended to do some work in the pastures today, but the ground is still too wet from the two most recent snow storms.  Today was very spring-like, reaching 60 degrees, and without any wind--a wonderful harbinger of spring!

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Today was a beautiful sunny but cold day at Ramsay.  My phone's weather app was reading -1 degree this morning at 7, and the high for the day was in the low 30s.  Sherry was here, but Geo and his family have been sick, and he wasn't able to get here today.  Stephen did some more clearing of snow, and some office work, plus some farm errands.  He is in communication with several possible renters of the cottage, and has heard from Central Virginia Builders that, depending upon the weather and the condition of the ground, their crew should be able to begin work on the south portico of the main house on Thursday or Friday of this week.

Stephen took some photos while he was making the rounds of the property late this afternoon--the angle of the sun created some beautiful colors and shadows.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Rain began here at the farm yesterday by mid-afternoon, and then turned to snow early this morning.  The snow tapered off and stopped by mid-afternoon, leaving about 5 inches of powder and beautiful blue skies.  We were fortunate not to receive any sleet or freezing rain.  This morning's temperature was 26 degrees, and this afternoon it has been around 16 degrees, so we imagine that the snow we have now will be here for a few days.

Around 4 PM

Stephen & dogs check out the
snowfall around 9 AM

Stephen went out once this morning and again this afternoon on the tractor to keep the driveways as clear as possible and to feed the horses and cows.  Neither Sherry nor Geo were here today.

Early feeding and first pass on the driveways

Saturday, March 1, 2014

The past few days have been fairly quiet at the farm.  Geo has been on site each day, and has done some excellent work clearing undergrowth and fallen limbs in the wooded area along Rt. 250 at the front of the property.  On Friday, after his work day was over, he brought his children to see where he works, and to let them go with him to feed the horses and cows, which he had arranged with Stephen.  They enjoyed a short ride in the Gator and loved having a closer view of the animals.

Sherry put the finishing touches on all the housework on Friday.  Donny was here several days moving round bales from the northwest pasture and from the pasture to the north of the main house, and also brought another load of the rectangular bales for feeding to the Ramsay livestock. Stephen finished the farm accounts for February by close of business on Friday, as well as having run some errands for the farm on Thursday and Friday.

Almost all of the snow from several weeks ago is now gone, just in time for another storm, which is predicted to roll through our area on Monday.  Here are the remaining piles of snow as of today--they are where the snow was pushed to clear the parking area in front of the workshop, and have been slower melting because of being in the shade all day.  Today's high was in the upper 40s after a very cold day yesterday, remaining in the 20s most of the day.

We've been maintaining several bird feeders at the farmhouse, and our normal bird population consists of (by order of magnitude):  goldfinches, purple finches, juncos, doves, titmice, chickadees, wrens, sparrows, cardinals, nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, and red-bellied woodpeckers.  There are also mockingbirds and bluebirds in residence and they're often seen and heard, but they don't eat at the feeders.  In addition to these regulars, however, there was a flock of red-winged blackbirds on the farm earlier this week, all in their winter plumage, so we could see the yellow bars at the tops of their wings, but not the red patches which give them their name. They fed on the ground underneath the feeders, and after two days, were gone, possibly migrating.

Red-winged blackbirds

The farm has resident and visiting non-songbirds as well, including a heron and Canada geese that visit the pond, a band of crows that frequent the trees along Stockton Creek and patrol the air space above the fields, a pair of hawks (red-tailed, I think), screech owls, great horned owls, and apparently a bald eagle, which others have seen, but we have not as of yet.  It's great to have all these feathered neighbors--we're glad they've survived the winter so well, and look forward to hearing springtime songs before too long.