Vintage Home and Farm

To bring good fortune and prosperity in the new year, we made a lemon pig, and additionally we've got some spicy barbecue flavored black eyed peas and cabbage simmering in the slow cooker, following a southern tradition that was shared to us by friends.   The cute little lemon pig was made by my husband and daughter.  The portly yellow pig has toothpicks for legs, whole cloves for eyes, a penny for his mouth and cut out ears. He smells so good, too, with the juice of the lemon able to seep slightly thanks to the holes made in it from the penny, cloves and toothpicks.  Learn more about the good luck of lemon pigs from this article on CNN .   Following the horrendous year we just finished, anything we can do to bring good luck and prosperity into the world seems worth a try. Plus, with his crooked smile, the lemon pig is awfully cute sitting there on the living room fireplace mantle. 

Doesn't it seem like time marches forward quickly?  It's hard to believe that 2020 is almost here!  Already it's time to ring in the new year and a new decade as well. As the new year approaches, we find ourselves pondering change. We were sitting in front of the fire yesterday morning talking about the new year and considering whether or not we should set any New Year's Resolutions.  I wasn't sure that I really wanted to participate in the annual tradition, since I don't like setting ourselves up for failure by deciding on lofty goals that are nearly unattainable.  But I wanted to hear what the other members of the family had to say.  I was pleasantly surprised by their suggestions. The first idea that was offered was to travel more.  This came from my daughter.  But where would we go and why? I know she'd like to travel around the world (who wouldn't?), but we aren't ready for that type of vacation in the next year.  My husband suggeste...

On New Year's Eve, I found myself behaving like a little girl as I eagerly attacked the hidey-hole door (otherwise known as Coraline's Portal) with a drill and crowbar, anxious to see what was inside.  My mind raced with possibilities.  The tiny door at the back of a closet had hinges and there were wear marks where someone repeatedly opened it. Never had a door seemed so filled with possibilities for something of value to be waiting behind it, especially since it had been screwed shut and floor trim covered the lower edge, making it difficult to open. So there I was on my hands and knees at the far end of the closet, putting the proper drill bit into my husband's drill, getting ready to unscrew the door.  I realized as I was working on it that the floor trim actually wasn't placed over the top of the door, but rather that the settling of the house had caused the wooden door to slip slightly under the trim.  That made it seem even better, as likely this door had...

It's getting closer to New Year's Eve, and so one of my tasks is to begin putting together time capsule ideas. As promised in an earlier blog , the time capsule will be placed behind a secret door, hidden deep inside a closet of our old farmhouse.  We still have no idea what's behind that tiny door. I quiver with childish delight thinking about what could be hidden in there. And, if there is nothing really cool lurking behind the tiny door, we'll be placing a time capsule there for future homeowners (or our grand kids) to find some day. Which brings me to a really import part of our planning: The Time Capsule Ideas List. I'm basing this list on what I wish I could have found left behind by prior homeowners, here in the house, as a new homeowner wondering about the history of this old place. Who lived here before us? What were they like? What was their daily life like here on this farm?  What did they do, and what did they produce using the land?  What was ...