Wednesday, September 3, 2014

The farm was pretty quiet on Labor Day Monday. 

There were guests here in the Carriage House and Stephen gave them a tour before they left mid-day. Stephen also took Labor Day seriously, as he took advantage of having very few workers here that day to begin construction of Phase I of the chicken coop remodel.  He is replacing the temporary bird netting enclosure with framing and chicken wire.  The girls look quite happy about it, and having the new door in place makes it much easier to get into and out of their pen for feeding, watering and cleaning.

Yesterday and today, the painters have been busy at the main house, finishing up the siding and trim and painting the newly restored shutters.  Stephen picked up the last batch of paint for the siding and trim yesterday.

Cipriano was on site over the weekend and on Monday, the result being that the water in the fish pond is now crystal clear and beautiful.

Stephen power-washed the brick porch and stairs adjacent to the fish pond, so now they are pristine, as is the new cobblestone patio and the beautiful bluestone around the rim of the pond.

Before....

More before...

After...

More after...

The weather has been quite hot and very humid here this week, and we've had several brief but fierce thunderstorms, which has helped keep the lawns and gardens watered.  Despite the heat, Connie and Geo were here doing grounds maintenance yesterday.  Connie had an unfortunate run-in with a swarm of yellow jackets who had nested in the ground in the hydrangea garden near the outdoor fireplace. She was stung multiple times, but she insisted on continuing her work after a short break.  Geo was here yesterday helping with cleanup and other tasks.

Hot, humid, but still scenic!

The technicians from the wireless internet provider for the farm were here this afternoon and have installed a more powerful antenna.  We are noticing already that we're able to send and upload photos much more quickly, and look forward to having a more consistent signal.

Sometimes the lights and the noise from the gas station across the road from Ramsay are a bit of a distraction, but often Ramsay takes advantage of having it so nearby.  Not everyone can drive the farm tractor to the gas station for a fill up!