Historic Barns of Northwest Ohio, Pt. 2: Second Annual Barn Tour

Last year, our local historical society arranged for six barns to be open to the public for tours.  Hard to believe that a year has passed since then!  Hubby and I had so much fun touring the countryside and exploring the old farms that when another tour was announced for this year, we bought tickets right away.  This year, we headed to the eastern half of our county to tour six more barns.

It was a beautiful day again, just like last year.  The sun was shining, there was a great breeze (it actually got windier as the day progressed), and we got to see some great farms!

The first barn we went to was built in 1865, and is now a reception venue available to the public:

The owners of the barn fixed it up so that they could have their wedding reception here, and have since opened the barn for others to use, too!

Their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheWStarBarn

The Athen Ry band, they were really good! https://www.facebook.com/theathenry

 

 

The next barn was a working cattle farm that used to be a dairy farm:

Best friends, bovine-style.

I love the rhythm of the framing.  The ceiling is 55' tall.  It had a cathedral feeling to it!

1877 farm house.  The owner said that the walls were composed of a thickness of two bricks, then an air layer, then another two bricks.

Fall is coming!

One of the largest barns in the county--80' across this side, and 120' deep.

Great combine!  'Merica.

The third barn we visited was set up a little like a museum, with farming implements and artifacts displayed in the bays and on the walls:

Commode!  More comfy than an outhouse...?

I loved the texture of the wood floor with the antique nails.

While we were there, this group of historic cars drove up and parked.  Visitors were allowed to look in the cars and ask questions of the owners.  They were pretty neat!

The next barn was a quick tractor ride across the field, to the farm next door.  This barn housed a quilt display from the local quilting club:

Wasn't sure what this was...used for hauling something!

This next barn was made using a new type of construction, that was more stable than older barns.  It was also quite large, with additions through the years:

In comparing the framing of this barn to the others, there is definitely less wood used on the sides, yet is supposedly more sturdy and secure, not to mention cost-effective.

Original sign from the dairy operation

A great old planter.

I loved the hardware on the door--the stars are great!

 

The last barn that we visited was also the oldest, dating back to 1854.  It has a heavy German influence, and was the most decorative, with oval louvers.  The barn has been fixed up and is available for parties and receptions:

This little guy was resting after a hard day of greeting people at the barn door!

A great "chandelier" hanging from the rafters of the barn.

Not sure what the purpose of this stuffed bird was, but he was keeping a "birds-eye" view on the situation! 

The barn from the front--I love the deeper red color with the yellow, black and green accents.

 

 
I've always thought old barns were interesting.  As a city girl, I always thought the grass was greener on the other side of the fence--the side where cows mooed, goats baaahed, chickens clucked, and corn grew.  I always thought that it would be fun to live on a farm, but alas, we knew no one who owned a farm, so I was never able to experience farm life.  I think I would have enjoyed it, though.  In a way, touring these historic barns brings together so many things I enjoy: historic architecture, rural living, adorable animals, nice fall weather, and last but certainly not least, just spending time with my best friend.  I'm so glad that the Historical Society has arranged these tours over the last two years--we haven't been disappointed.  We're definitely looking forward to next year's tour!

Organization--The Spice Of Life

Some people love chaos and confusion.

Some folks love order and method.

I am the latter.

I can't stand things to not have a place, a "home".  However, our home does not allow all of my stuff to have homes.  Especially a full set of cast-iron enamel pots and pans.

I purchased this set back in the spring to replace our mismatched, gifted and otherwise acquired pots and pans that have accumulated over the past ten years of marriage.  We had wanted a set that we picked out to call our own, so after much thought and research, we decided on this set:

Williams Sonoma, Le Creuset Ocean

However, our kitchen did not have enough cupboard space to house the pieces in a convenient manner.  For the past three months, I've had everything stacked, with dish towels between each piece, in a lower cabinet that required me to get down on my hands and knees and stack, unstack, and dig out the pot or pan needed each time I cooked.  The towels were between each piece because the enamel on the pots and pans scratches when the rough cast iron edges rub against them, and I don't want a set of pots and pans that are scratched up.

This color, Ocean, is too beautiful to be covered in scratches!

Our solution was simple: an industrial set of shelves that would be large enough to house each piece of cookware, but small enough to fit in the corner of our small dining/kitchen space and not look out of place.  We looked around for a while before coming up with something we really liked:

Shelving unit from World Market, $350 plus delivery

Unfortunately, it was more than I was willing to pay.  So, we went with this:

Whitmore industrial shelving unit, Amazon

We found this rack at Meijer for $63.  On Amazon and other sites, it was at least $10 more!  We snatched it up and I went to work assembling the shelves the next morning.  It was really easy to put together, and perfect for our needs!

We bought some S-hooks from Lowe's for hanging the skillets (that was a brilliant idea from my husband), set a layer of shelf liner on each shelf, and placed my two houseplants on the top shelf, along with a half-gallon Ball jar from the '30s whose color looks great with the cookware.

We're really pleased with the look of the rack, and the pots and pans are so much easier to access now!  Amazing the change that a little corner shelf makes when you need just a little extra space.

Nobody's Perfect

How many times have you heard the phrase "nobody's perfect"?  Not only have I heard it my whole life, but have also used it my whole life--and usually pertaining to something I did that didn't come out quite as I'd hoped.

I've noticed something about the internet--everything seems to portray perfection in life.  Bloggers gain followers based on the content of their blogs, and so everything they post is perfect.  No one wants to write a story about their failures, right?  Most often, failures are embarrassing.  But honestly, they happen more than not, and I'm not ashamed to share stories of life gone wrong.  Take my garden this year, for example--I had wanted to give the soil a rest and thought that planting wildflower seeds and flowers from the nursery would be a great idea.  Fresh cut flowers all summer?  Yes, please!  We had grand plans for the super-lovely flower beds we would have.  Here's what we imagined:

Image from HowStuffWorks.com

Here's what really happened:

Mega-fail.  Drought, squirrels, rabbits.  More squirrels.  More rabbits.  My beds turned into a spring buffet of tender, sweet vegetation for the critters, and there was nothing I could do to stop them.  And to add insult to injury, the squirrels continued to plant and grow peanuts in my bed, long after they had the audacity to eat my plants.  As if giving me growing peanut plants was their way of saying, "Thanks for the buffet, sucker!".

It was not appreciated.

Another good example of imperfection in real life would be our homes.  Who really has a home like the ones in magazines?  As much as I'd love to say I do, the truth is, I don't.  I don't know anyone who does.  We're all so busy with work and life that there's just no time to make our homes magazine-perfect.  And anyone who has kids would know that nothing stays put away long enough to take a picture of a clean room.  Or...a hidden inground swimming pool.  Doesn't every third house on the planet have one of these?

Photo from Pinterest, from WebUrbanist

I always feel inadequate when I look at Pinterest.  So many people on there making every meal from scratch.  "I made my own homemade chicken stock from the chicken I roasted that I raised from an egg and slaughtered all by myself yesterday!"

Photo by Julie Persons, from angryboar.com

Really??  Are you Amish??

Or the "do it all" women: "Make a cleaning list that can be done every day to keep your home looking like a maid cleans your house for you!  Windows on Monday, wipe down the baseboards and door trim on Tuesday, vacuum and dust on Wednesday, change the sheets on Thursday, sweep the floors on Friday..." or, "I also like to bake bread from scratch, using flour milled with my own grinder that came from the wheat I grew using only natural pesticides..." or, "I like to make my own yogurt from milk I milked from my milk cow in the back yard...".   Usually, all of these things are done in one day, because these ladies are just that good.

Image found on HubPages

As much as I'd love to be able to do all of these things, I can't.  I, like most people, have to work during the day, and I live in town, where they frown upon keeping cattle in the back yard.  I think most of us idealize the country way of life--I know I do--but few of us can actually live out the dream of being a homesteader.  Jobs, activities, commitments and location have a huge impact on what a person can do in the span of 24 hours.

So, what's my point?  It's kind of simple, really.  The internet does not portray reality any more than television does.  Don't fall into the trap of comparing yourself to some stranger who had the good fortune to inherit their grandparent's farm and can "do it all".  The world is full of people who want to make others feel bad just so that they feel better about themselves.  IT IS A TRAP.  Live your life the way that works for you; don't try to be like everyone else!

In other words, nobody's perfect.  Go, be imperfect and have fun!

Dairy Free Pizza...It Can Be Done

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that I recently discovered that I can't tolerate dairy anymore without having health problems.  Because of this, I've had to cut out dairy, including cheese, butter, milk, cream, etc., etc.  One thing that I really miss is pizza.  I miss the gooey, stringy cheese, and there is just no substitution for it.  However, I think I might have found a way around it!

In honor of Sunday afternoon football, which is on TV now, here is the play-by-play of my new recipe for dairy-free pizza.  This recipe makes one pizza and breadsticks.

Here's the lineup!
Playing offense:
#1, Olive oil (QB)--Cal Tech

#2, Refrigerated pizza dough (or use your favorite recipe) (C)--University of Iowa

(At the time of writing this post, the Pillsbury pizza crust is dairy-free)

#3, Hummus (G)--Purdue University

#4, Pizza sauce -- store bought or homemade (T)--University of Tennesee

#5, Earth Balance spread (RB)--Indiana State University

#6, Garlic salt (WR)--University of Michigan

#7, Garlic powder (TE)--University of Michigan

#8, Nutritional yeast flakes (optional) (T)--University of Phoenix

#9, Toppings of your choice (second string)--I used arugula, spinach and diced tomatoes

Here are the plays:
First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Drizzle olive oil onto a large baking sheet with shallow sides.  Use your fingers or a paper towel to spread the olive oil around to coat the pan completely.

Next, tear a small chunk of dough off of the roll.  Set it on one side of the pan.  Press the larger chunk of remaining dough into a round or rectangular shape, to your desired thickness.  Do the same for the smaller piece of dough--these will be your breadsticks.

Now, drizzle a small amount of olive oil onto both pieces of dough, and spread evenly.

Spread hummus onto the larger piece of dough--use as much or little as you'd like.  It's your taste.
Dab pizza sauce on and spread it evenly.

Drop small dollops of Earth Balance spread onto the top of the pizza sauce.  Drop small dollops of EB onto the breadstick dough and spread to create an even layer.

Sprinkle both doughs with garlic salt to your taste.  Dust the breadstick dough with a layer of garlic powder.

Sprinkle nutritional flakes onto the pizza dough.

If using meats like pepperoni, etc. (or anything that needs to be baked), add them now.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the dough turns golden brown on the edges.

While the dough is baking, prep your toppings.  I washed and tore the greens into bite-sized pieces, then blotted them dry on paper towels.

Once the pizza is baked, remove from the oven and add the rest of your toppings.  Eat right away!

A side note--my crust was a bit soggy in the middle, presumably from the liquid in the hummus and sauce.  To solve that problem, pre-bake your crust for 8-10 minutes to give the center a chance to cook before adding the other ingredients.  I used a refrigerated dough because I didn't have time to make my own dough, but I think it would be even better with a homemade crust.

Final score: Andrea, 7; pizza with cheese, 0!

If you try this, let me know what you think!

Summer, Where Have You Gone?

Psalm 74:15-16

The day is Yours, and Yours also the night; You established the sun and moon.   It was You who set all the boundaries of the earth; You made both summer and winter.

I am struggling with the loss of summer for another year.  Where has it gone?  It seems like just yesterday that the the trees were only starting to open their leaves and the days were getting longer.  Now it's September and it's hard to believe that we'll be buying pumpkins and apple cider soon, and warming ourselves by the fire pit during those brisk fall nights.  I've enjoyed this summer, but now it's almost gone, and I'm sad about having to say goodbye for another year. 

Song of Solomon 2:10-13

“My beloved responded and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along.  For behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.  

The flowers have already appeared in the land; the time has arrived for pruning the vines, and the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. 

The fig tree has ripened its figs, and the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.  Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along!’”

However, I am blessed to have spent another summer with my beloved.

Proverbs 10:5

He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.

Our big project this summer was fixing our porch and building our flower bed in the front of the house.  The fruits of our labor have been very enjoyable, and some of our plants will continue to bloom into the fall.  I thought I'd post an update on how it's doing!  The summer has been very dry, but thankfully not scorching hot, so with some watering and Miracle Grow, it's done well. 

We have lost a few plants, mostly to rabbit nibbles and zealous squirrels planting peanuts.  I'm eager to see it begin to grow again in the spring, but it's time to let things start to fade for the year now.  The frost will be here before we know it, and another summer will be little more than a memory.