Thursday, January 29, 2009

Country Look


Sleeping around the fire seems to be the thing to do this early Thursday morning. The dogs have been outside and barking over something. Which is probably the coyote pack that is hanging around. Or the big bull moose that is coming ever closer to the house.
Yesterday morning we watched him walk carefully on the little island that the river ice had crashed down over. It was tough trudging for him. The ice is all over i
n big chunks so he has to try to step around and through it. No small feat especially when it is all covered in a couple of feet of snow. His big dark shape could be seen through the willow brush. Him nibbling at the bottoms of the bushes. Trying for the nutrients hidden in the lower part of the plants. He did come out onto the river ice and walked up towards our house then back onto the island eventually down the river ice to the far side. Back into the bush he goes. There is a mama and calf not far from us too. Now the moose are moving down into the valley. Partly to get away fro the wolf packs and partly to eat the plants they need. Higher up plants being to deep in the snow or lacking the nutrients they need this time of the year. You will often see them eating at hay bales with herds of cattle. Or licking salt blocks. They are pretty awesome to watch.
On m
ail day(Tuesday) we actually got a parcel from my mom. It was 2007 Christmas present~~now that was fun. That is a well travelled parcel but finally it made it here. Two large bath towels, 2 large washclothes, and lots of homemade soaps. Mom had machine sewn some beautiful motifs onto the towels so we look right uptown now in our bathroom. There was a fat candle in it too so it is now in the bathroom with its cranberry something scent.
I often wonder about interior decorating. The country look from magazines. You know the gingham and calico and all that stuff. Well I do have red gingham ruffle on the one window in the kitchen with hand embroidering bordering it. I think it is called snowflaking It is lovely. But they never tell you in these magazines how to make the saddles, shovels,pitch forks, brooms, axes, power saws, and their parts, boots, various jackets. Feed bags full of feed, salt blocks, mineral blocks, large body parts of dead cow being drug there by dogs, jars full of nuts and bolts, lanterns for when the power is out,jars of needles and medicines,gas jerry cans, truck parts, compressor for pumping up the tire on the truck cause you can't afford to buy new tires. Now I sweep and organize it on a daily basis but should I put a gingham table cloth thing under it all or over it all. Or if it wasn't so cold I could put posies in a old tin or something so it looks "rustic" and pray the cows that are supposedly fenced in don't spy it and come and eat it~~and do you know what cows do when they get up on the prch and eat your pretty posies?Let me tell yuou somehow you had better hope you notice it before it freezes~~! Of course there is the straw bed that the dogs are constantly strewing all over the porch too.Well the battle goes on and some day I will get it right and we will actually have a country look to die for!!
In the m
eantime I have to figure out how I am going to clean these logs in here today. I don't want to pull out the moss stuffing between the logs so vacuuming them is not an option. The old tie back your hair and scrub with a rag trick coming up. I will just do the living room for today as it is fairly easy to get to the walls in here.
I have been looking over the old chicken coop and thinking of how to fix it up for the bunnies and some chickens in the spring. We want to move the bunnies out of the greenhouse come spring and get ourselves an flock of chickens again. Last ones got old and some that were farm bred great chickens I gave to some shirttail family members as we had no way to heat the barn they were in and it got really cold so they went to where life was a little cozier.The greenhouse will need some work too so there is things to keep one occupied around here and seeing as February is just around the corner one needs to get started on it all. I can start some plants in late February early March.
So I will be off to my indoor and out door chores. If any suggestions on making it look country come to your mind feel free to send me your thoughts. Maybe I could paint flowers on the jerry cans that might be a great idea. Dan you imagine my Dennis when all the men see him pull his flowered jerry can out of the back of his pick-up. He will be the talk for sure. They would hear about it all the way to Sylvia's Cafe which is the only place to get gas. An hour away. But all the local ranchers gather there for coffee especially on mail days. Oh that would be fun!!LOL I think I better go now

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men...
Galatians 6:10


Happy Day to You
Roxanne

2 comments:

Elizabeth-Plain and Simple said...

Good to hear from you. It sounds like your place already has the perfect country look. All the things that you described are a part of your life and thats all that matters. Many people buy these same items for decoration only and never use them. They are trying to achieve the country look. You are actually living it. Red gingham ruffled curtains on your kitchen window, homemade soaps, scented candles, pretty bath towels, sounds lovely to me. And I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of your Dennis with the flowered jerry can. Thank you for sharing this post and as always, I look forward to your next one.

Many blessings,
Elizabeth

Linda said...

Haha, friend you don't have to " try" to be country - you ARE country. We're supposed to be copying you. How can I possibly make the grade of being genuINE country if I have no horshoes or bridles or vintage car parts? Those boots that you have warming ( thawing?) by the fire are genuine rustic country boots. Don't toss em out, save them to sell on Ebay! I bet you could tan a tiny piece of that old dead cow's hide and sell it on Ebay as "rare organic cow hide"

But of course my very very favorite part of your genuine Authentic country home is the delicious smells ! Nothing like the smell of fresh baked bread, wood smoke, and good old fashioned coffee. ( Don't get too into those scented candles, we don't want you getting too citified on us) And that final crowning touch of horse liniment - now THAT is real country. Others can only envy and decorate to make up for it. Haha love you!!