Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Herbs and the church we own

I finally started my herbs back on 3/20.
5 Cumin
5 Curly Parsley
5 Flat Parsley
5 Sweet Basil
5 Dill
5 Chamomile
5 Clary Sage
5 Thyme

25 Red Milkweed Prairie Asclepias incarnata
These were cool - I had to refrigerate for 2 weeks in moist stratification to help increase germination. I just took them out of the fridge this past weekend. We'll see how they do.

We are off to Wisc this weekend for a big work project. We have a second property in Wisc (other than the farm) that we actually purchased back in 2003 - 3 years before the farm - its an old country church. I found it for sale online and it was priced right because it had no well, water or bathroom. What it did have was electric, a furnace and lots of character. Its a Primitive Methodist church from the 1850s with lots of original glass. We have spent the past six years fixing it up at every possible moment. We have had the exterior painted and a new roof (including tear-off) put on, a septic installed and well dug. Those were the projects that we hired others to do. Bill and I have: installed plumbing for a bathroom & kitchen, refinished the floor (environmentally friendly stain and wax finishing), painted the interior (interior scaffolding to reach the 15' ceilings, 6 days and 35 gallons of primer and paint - again environmentally friendly), repaired the bell tower, cleaned out the bell tower (birds living there), landscaped, installed a kitchen, installed the bathroom, laid bathroom tile (with heated floor), installed slate in the entry way, installed a new energy efficient furnace, tore out the Menard's special cheap door and replaced with original doors that were in the basement, installed a fireplace with chimney, built custom screen doors for the front, installed large boulders as steps to the doors, sewed curtains, put in a garden, increased the garden size, installed a gravel parking pad, built a shed/firewood storage. And, there's more.

I could go on and on. When we go to Wisc, this is where we stay as the farmhouse isn't habitable. So this weekend, Bill hopes to finish a bit of stonework and I am going to strip the majority of sod from the 1/4 acre lot so we can seed with native prairie seed.

This about wraps it up for our work on the church. We then turn to the farm. Our church projects will quickly dull in comparison to the amount that we have to do at the farm. We like old buildings and we like to fix 'em up! :)










6 comments:

Judy T said...

Oh, that is beautiful!!! What a wonderful place to live and what a lot of charm and character.
Judy

Jena said...

Wow... gorgeous! Bravo to you for putting in all that work, it looks great. You've reminded me that I need to plant my herbs too!

angie said...

Thanks Judy - yes, we enjoy it. We've certainly sunk some work, time and effort into it. We hope to sell it once we move to the farm full-time (as hard as it will be).

Thanks Jena. Once I typed out my herb list I realized I didn't plant near enough basil!

Claire MW said...

Wow, what a labor of love! I'm so impressed with all you have done, and look forward to more updates! Excellent job - we restored a 1922 arts and crafts bungalow, so I know some of what you have gone through, and it is not easy! Kudos for the job you have done thus far - looks fabulous.

Kathy said...

The church looks great! You inspired me to do some indoor planting now. I have some flowers and just a few herbs.

sugarcreekstuff said...

What a beautiful place. That list of work accomplished makes me tired just reading it! ;-)
Do you have any before shots?