Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

OK, enough of this nonsense.  I have been so bad about writing in my blog.  I need to reclaim what little creative life I have.  Geeze.  I think I will go and visit Patrice, today, over at the Farmhouse.

Here are her questions.

1.  Do you ever watch YouTube?

Only if someone shows me something.  Our Internet is so, so bad.  Plus, there are always things to be done.  I'm like a hummingbird:  short, infrequent landings.

2. How are your photography skills?

Oh, this is a sad thing for me.  I suck at making beautiful things.  I have had occasional success with photos...  But my point-and-shoot camera is 12 years old, and I  think even my phone now has better technology.  I had a Cannon SLR, but it was so bulky and fiddly that I gave it to Sara.  This was a good idea, as you should see that girl's SPECTACULAR photography.

3.  What''s your "go-to" meal to prepare when you're in a hurry?

I love to cook and will usually make time to cook a meal no matter what.  But in a pickle?  Snowstorm?  Medical emergency?  Spaghetti, with "marinara fromagiarra".  Or scrambled eggs.

4.  Do you like shoe shopping?

Hooooo, Nelly!  Yes.  So much so that I almost never do it.  Camel's nose under the tent and all that...

5.  If you could be royalty for a day, would you try it?

Sure!  Why not?  How much scandal could I cause in just one day, after all?

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

Whew!  I just came barreling up the porch steps at Patrice's place, a day late for our Chat on the Farmhouse Porch.  Yesterday was just so busy!  Luckily, time kind of stands still there.

1.  Would you rather sit in front of a fireplace with a roaring fire, soak in a lovely bath or spend your free time in front of a computer?

Definitely NOT the computer.  I sit in front of one too much at work.  It would be a toss-up between the bath and the fire, except that it is easier to hold a book in front of a fire.  Roaring fire wins!

2.  Milk chocolate or dark chocolate?

Only dark.  Milk tastes too sweet to me, now.

3.  Have you tried a recipe from a blog or Pinterest?

No.  I have a subscription to "Cooking Light", so I feel obligated to try as many of those recipes as I can every month.

4.  Do you have a guest room?

Yes, and I love it!  It has a view out the front of the house, and the best bed (in my opinion) in the house.

5.  Is your hair curly, straight, or something in between?

When it was long, it was totally straight.  Now it is short and ...not curly...just messy!  All the cowlicks I never knew I had are now plain to see.

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

1.  Have you ever gotten a pet from rescue?

No, mostly because I haven't had pets.  In my new life, there are yet unexplored pet possibilities, though.  And I noticed Chuck tracking little kitty paw-prints in the snow this morning.  A lot of people dump their unwanted pets in the Canyon.  Chuck has adopted several kitten by hauling them out of the underbrush by the road.

2.  What pumpkin goodies have you had this fall?

None, can you believe it?  I LOVE pumpkin!  However, I'm stingy with my money and don't buy many treats for myself.  I need to bake my famous pumpkin cheesecake soon.

3.  What are the best and worst rooms in your home?

Our barn house is so open-plan that our rooms meld together.  But I would say that I love the kitchen most.  I love the warmth and aesthetic of the antique stove; the area I have all set up for making hot drinks; the rolling island that keeps my pots handy and includes a wine rack.  I love the dish shelves that have track lighting concealed behind them to make a soft glow.

The basement is the absolute worst room, not just in our house, but in any house.  It may be the worst basement in Salt Lake County.  I emotionally washed my hands of it the day I moved in.  It is Chuck's workshop and is an explosion of wood, sawdust, mysterious tools and  broken stuff... There are many things down there that I am at a loss to explain:  an old bowling ball sitting on the floor, half covered in saw dust; two church pews, one assembled and one disassembled, that block access to other things (we already have two church pews upstairs).  I can't put things away down there, because I don't know where anything goes.  I have asked for a little shelving area to keep a few things (Christmas decorations, wrapping paper, Halloween costume parts, my grandmother's china, etc...) and Chuck was kind enough to make space for me.  But since then, my access to "my" area has been blocked by stuff that I have to climb over and around. Pieces of antique pew block the bottom shelves of my area. I hate going down there.  But I don't say anything to him.  I have my way about the order and cleanliness of the rest of the house, and I don't want to be too controlling.  Technically, it's his house, after all.

4.  If you could have a real "bricks and mortar" type business, what would it be?

A nursery!  I would grow strange and beautiful plants!  All I need is capital and ability.  Or, I wonder if it is fun to be a "life coach".  How does one even become a life coach?

5.  What's your favorite tropical fruit?

It has to be mango. That is my favorite everything fruit.

Thanks very much Patrice, for this special opportunity to complain about the basement.  It was fun.

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

It is late in the evening, and I am almost ready to go home from the night school where I teach.  It is sweltering in here - we have turned on the school's boiler, but the weather has warmed up again.  I'm thinking that I would like to go home and have a soak in the hot tub with an adult beverage.  Did everybody else have a great day?  Let's hang out with Patrice on the Farmhouse Porch for a little while.

1.  Are you doing any crafts or DIY projects right now?  No!  I wish!  I am feeling so un-creative at the moment.  Mostly I'm just too busy with Mom stuff and teacher stuff to do the more home-like projects I would enjoy.

2.  If I could snap my fingers, I'd make Curried Chicken Pot Pie for dinner.  I have been craving it.  It's a little bit fiddly, but so yummy.  Maybe this weekend...

3.  What author would you like to have lunch with?  Diana Gabaldon, who writes the "Outlander" series.  I would try to pry some details about the next installment out of her.  Perhaps I would have to ply her with mojitos or something.

4.  I wanted to tell all you folks at "Chats" that I really do have a front porch (with a swing)!  But because of the isolated location of the house, I don't get to sit and chat in real life with very many people.

5.  My rental property has been on my mind a lot lately.  I have to do an upgrade of the electrical system that is going to cost over $3,000; and my brand new tenants are moving out already!  They signed a year's lease.  But the wife is a brittle asthmatic and is allergic to something in the house.  She has been at the Instacare already and coughs incessantly in the apartment.  I decided to  let them go.  But it is going to cost me...

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch

I get a lot of enjoyment from the blog Everyday Ruralty.  Today we are having Chats on the Farmhouse Porch.  Please join in!  

1. What's  the one thing you feel is the biggest waste of  your time during an average week?  DRIVING!  I spend so much time and gas getting the kids from place to place.  We live far from both of their schools (and, yes, they attend different ones...); Nathan has soccer; Sara often has early morning cross-country practice along with soccer and more cross-country after school Only a year and a half until Sara has her drivers license.  I can't wait!  Or can I?  When I think about what it means to put a young person behind the wheel of a car, I feel a bit queasy.  
2. When was the last time you baked a pie?  Last weekend.  Apple, and it was soooooo yummy! 
3. What do you want to spend time doing that you aren't right now? I want to sew.  I want to finish my quilt, but I never get a moment to sit down and work on it.  Between my job and housework and kids and friends and the garden, it is hard to eke more minutes out of the day.  In my previous life, I would just stay up very, very late, get more done and not get any sleep.  But in my new life, Chuck is insistent that part of being my husband and looking out for me is making sure I get to sleep at a decent hour.  
4. What do you do with old clothes?  If they are in really good condition, I bring them down to my work. I run an adult education program for immigrants, and they are always happy to see donated clothes or household appliances.  If they are not in good condition, I have them picked up by Friends of Big Bothers and Big Sisters.  My friend Mark works for them and has explained to me how no cloth goes to waste.  If it is not wearable any more, it will be ragged and used for other purposes. This question is a little funny for me, because I am also the answer to what OTHER people do with their old clothes!  I shop for clothing almost never, instead gleaning hand-me-downs and shopping at thrift stores.   
5. If we were having lunch on the porch today, what would you bring for the potluck styled lunch?  Peach Cobbler!  I made a really good one last night, with a crust superior to my prior cobblers.  Pride is a sin, I know.  I would need to beg forgiveness.