First Lawn Mow

The first mowing of our new lawn will most likely be the last of the season. The weather man is warning us of snow flakes on Thursday. We will be left with the dilemma of determining where the lawn ends and the fields begin. I guess we'll have to make that call next spring when we start up the mower engine again.

Our Barn Doors are Open

The barn doors are permanently open right now. A delay in their order means the barn remains 'unfinished'. And, until they are here, and installed, the farm equipment remains in the ugly, green temporary barn. The barn is strategically located between the east and west fields for easy access to both, all the while sitting just off the main driveway. What you can't see in the picture is the great amount of space up in the barn loft. Lots of room for barn cats! ;O)

Falling into Place

It's been exactly two years since we bought this beautiful piece of land on Sherman Hollow Road. We are now mostly moved in and living here and calling Hinesburg and our new house 'home'. A few more blog posts and I should be able to wrap it up! Maybe I'll start a new blog devoted to the development of actually turning it into a working farm. Stay tuned for some final photos of land, house and barn, then a link to a new blog all about Sherman Hollow Organic Farm!

Settling In

It's been a little over a week now that we've been in our new home in Hinesburg, and the pile of boxes is going down. But there's still a long way to go. One thing's for sure, we've been sleeping well after a

hard day's work. This is the great spot we wake up in!

Just in time?

The landscapers finally made it to the house yesterday. Hopefully the plantings will have time to take root before winter hits. They put in some quintessential Vermont plants like lilacs, hydrangeas, lilies, cat mint and more. Now I can fill in with some bulbs and plants of my own.

Exhausted

I guess moving really wore Don out! We are officially 'in' at 251 Sherman Hollow Road after some very intense moving on a rainy Saturday. This photo was taken mid-morning on Sunday. We are still moving out the dregs from South Burlington so aren't officially 'out' of there yet.

Official Business and our first mail delivery

Our very first piece of mail at 251 Sherman Hollow Road was also our very first income for Sherman Hollow Organic Farm, and to make it really special, it came from my favorite uncle. He is selling some syrup for the farm, down in Virginia. I think that's a very good omen for our new home and new business! Thanks Uncle Hank!

Honey from our Bees

Don has harvested the first crop of honey from his two hives. It wasn't a huge harvest since it was a 'building' year for the bees, but I think we got 20 or more pounds of honey. And it's deeeeelicious! We had some fresh from the comb on hot buttered toast.

Change of Address

This afternoon we put up our new mailbox. By the end of the week we'll be switching our address from 12 Butler Drive, to 251 Sherman Hollow Road.

What's First is Last

Originally, the barn was going to be the first thing built so it could store construction tools and materials during the snowy winter. But a too wet fall along with an initial poor site plan put the barn on hold till spring. And then some other unplanned interruptions further delayed getting it built. So, now, just in time for

winter, the barn is going up.

Belly up to the bar

A beautiful 'bar' height counter was made by the cabinet maker, Bruce Simpson, and installed late last week. It looks substantial enough to take on a bottle of wine or two, or some mugs of coffee or beer, or whatever else you wish to serve. Some high bar stools will need to be acquired.

Now we're cookin'!

The stove, dishwasher and fridge arrived last Tuesday. And the maple butcher block just needs a couple of coats of mineral oil before the kitchen is good to go. We're practically ready to cook.

Yard Work

Anything Grows Landscaping has been busy grading, raking, seeding, mulching and laying stone paths.

Teal Zeal

The painter thought he got the wrong color when he opened the can of Teal Zeal to paint the powder room and so he didn't paint it...until I quizzed him as to 'why?' a few days ago. Guess he just didn't believe I wanted a room that color. I assured him it was the right color and to go ahead and paint it. So now we have a very teal blue powder room. There will be an old fashioned mirror picked out to go under the light fixture.

Counter tops

The counter tops have arrived and have mostly been installed. The kitchen island is all maple butcher block that is still covered in cardboard. I've only heard negatives about choosing white laminate counters. But I've had them for 25 years, love the 'color"..is white a color? and the fact that a little bleach easily takes care of any stains.