Going At A Snail's Pace

The redbud seedlings are showing some blooms for the first time down at the farmhouse.

                 Also at the farmhouse is the quince I have been nursing back to life for the past six years, and it is finally paying off.
 

  A week passed without seeing any of the guys, but they did come two days last week. They managed to get the sink in the cabinet and are working on using my old butcherblocks for the top.  

      There were two large, very old, very heavy butcherblocks up at the main house when we bought it.  They weren't very convenient to use for chopping, too large and heavy, but I knew one day I would find a use for them.

     With the sink all the way to one side, this leaves a space to chop or set something down as the stove will be next to it.  I doubt there are many guests that want to cook when they are at an Airbnb.

   The chrome faucet was replaced with bronze.  All accents in the farmhouse are going to be bronze, except for the bathroom where the sink is dictating the chrome accents.

     These are the antique bronze knobs for the sink cabinet I bought on Ebay.  I really love how simple they are. Very heavy.

                             The other thing they did last week was remove the old propane furnace at my request.  This metal grate is in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. Since we now have a whole new heating system which is electric, I wanted the grate removed and the floor repaired.

                       I didn't get a photo of the big metal furnace, it was rusted and had holes and there was so much trash under it.  When they tossed it in the truck to take to metal recycling, a huge rate jumped out and ran back under the house, so time to get the humane traps out. 

     So as the guys are working on the inside, Bob and I have been working pretty hard on the outside.  Not that we needed another project right now, but the bushes on the driveway are getting so huge that the driveway seemed to be getting smaller and all the guys have  huge trucks.  We decided to start removing the ivy to the original  rock wall that lies beneath.  It gives at least six more inches to the driveway and this rock wall is going to be gorgeous!

     This rock wall starts at the street and goes all the way up to the main house.  It will be a project that will take some time to complete.

                            We also have two very old crepe myrtles at the farmhouse that have not been flowering like they should.  Trees have grown up around them, they don't get the sun they need. We cut those trees back and then hard pruned the crepe myrtles hoping that bringing them down lower they will receive more sun and flourish.  Bob got that fun job!

                         While Bob was doing that, I was on the other side of the fence where the driveway and path up to the farmhouse will go in. 

                         I've been working for weeks cutting down overgrown bushes and trees and deciding how I want to do the driveway, and I think I now know the best way to do it, not the initial way we were planning.  I was glad I had time to think on it and get it right.

                          You can see how overgrown things are, vines and bushes growing into trees.  I have been cutting all this down and hauling it off to a pile.

         I still have more to cut, but you can see the difference in this photo, the huge bush is beginning to e

  The pile is getting big.

     I've also been digging up and potting trees, magnolias, camelias, and evergreens that were in the path of the driveway and will be replanted once it's in. 

     The area down there is open with sun, I'm going to love planting a butterfly garden with gardenias and crepe myrtles, lots of color and perfume.

     One other thing that was done was the wall in the bedroom to the attic space was enclosed with the wood taken from the ceiling, which will be painted white. Moulding will be placed on the seam to finish it off.

   Tomorrow is Thursday, I have not seen the guys all week, but I did just get a text from Jake that they will be there tomorrow, so hoping they can get a lot done in the next two days so I have something to post soon!