Spring Cleaning | The Tavern House

It's spring cleaning around The Tavern House (aka Uppie's Farm). The Tavern House is the name of our house. We didn't make it up. It's what people used to call the house. The Tavern House was built in 1725 as a private home. At some point, we think in the 1800's, it became a Tavern and stagecoach stop for travelers coming from Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia on their way to Cape May. At the end of our road, there was also a shipbuilding yard, which I can only guess also contributed patrons to a local tavern. On some of the old maps, it's referred to as The Hotel. At some point we know there was a fire, but how and when it became a residence again, we just don't know.

Clockwise: spigot, blueberry bush, raised beds, hosta

We often refer to it as Uppie's Farm. Uppie is my wife, or at least that's what she's know by to our nieces, grandchild, and a growing number of people. We've come to that point in our lives, where grown adult friends are starting to call us by our nicknames. It won't be long now till friends and family all start calling me Grandie. Uppie's Farm is how our nieces referred to our home when they lived in Switzerland. We had a big yard, chickens, pigs, a garden, so naturally they thought of it as her farm. I just live here.

Clockwise: Tavern House, Side Porch, Sconce, Mailbox, Front Porch, Hedgerow

Today is a nice Spring day. Not really nice, but the kind of day that's nice to work in the yard. Or at least it's a nice day for someone to work. I prefer to take pictures and write about it. So Jane hired a young guy who's cleaning out the gutters, clearing brush away, etc... He's no joke.

Jane got a new rain barrel for Mother's Day. It's here a bit early. I still need to hook it up, but being I'm about as handy as a one-armed violinist, I'll need to get one of our daughter's husbands over here to help.

Clockwise: Rain Barrel, Brass Spigot, Black and white, Intake

They're made out of old Whiskey barrels, refurbished, and then fitted out with intakes and a brass fixture. They're pretty actually. Ours is currently sitting by our back door. Not sure if it will be able to stay there or not.

Jane's hired man Paul, cleaned out the raised beds a few weeks ago and spread mulch, so the garden already looks pretty good. He also totally cleaned out the raspberry bushes, which were completely out of control. We replaced them with two blueberry bushes, which we're hopeful about. Jane also planted some leafy greens, which are just about the only thing you can put in the ground this time of year. Our perennial herbs look good but even they need to be controlled or they spread like weeds. As they say, the definition of a weed is any plant NOT growing where you want it to.

Clockwise: Romaine, Oregano, Black-Eyed Susan, Red Leaf Lettuce, Chives, Rosemary

Jane wanted to paint the living room this Spring, but it just may have to wait until the Fall. I think she's already over the idea of having someone in the house. She's moved on to other things in her mind.

Clockwise: Kitchen Window, Child's Boots, LR Window, Basket, Firewood, Pots/Pans

Admittedly, we're in between seasons. It might be nice our during the day, but that doesn't mean you don't want a warm fire blazing later than night. Although as the season has definitely changed, Jane cooks differently. Not because we have access to different kinds of fresh foods, but because things that might have been acceptable a few weeks ago, are now "winter foods." She claims that a lot of it is how much time she wants to spend cooking, rather than doing things outside.

A summer meal, is a meal without a lot of preparation. You want to spend as little time as possible, and you want cook inside as little as possible. Everything should either be raw, or able to throw on the grill outside. Winter meals can take all day, involve not only the oven, but every burner on the stovetop. What else are you going to do?

Final photo are a few from upstairs. Not everyone sees this area of our house, and Jane might not like showing a room she didn't inspect first, but I think they look great. Even the damn bathroom.

In a weeks we should have baby chicks, as we have a dozen or so in the incubator. Only problem is we don't know if the eggs are fertilized. Jane thinks our Rooster may be gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Clockwise: Master Bedroom, Upstairs Bathroom, Stairwell, Bedroom Floor, Bed

10 Things I Like : Volume 001

This morning I was inspired by an article in an Australian quarterly journal recently, which is, in and of itself, rather random—even by my standards. The article listed, in no particular order, the top ten things this author liked. They revolved around his staying in a cabin in Northern California. What I liked was the looseness of the structure. The unstructured structure, if you will. I also liked that it was a positive way to look at the world. What I normally find entertaining or funny are cranky people telling you what they don’t like about things. That’s still probably funnier, but this might be healthier.

So I think I’ll randomly post these when the urge presents itself. This is Volume 001.

1. Sick Day
Sometimes there is just nothing better than staying home sick. Maybe not everyone feels this way. My wife for instance. She hates being sick. She’s a doer. She likes to do things. I’m more of a sitter. Or even better, a layer-downer. Being sick is quite compatible with my personality. I can lay on the sofa, napping and watching TV for anywhere from a couple of hours, to days on end, and no one will say anything because I’m sick. It’s rather glorious. I don’t even care that I feel like shit as long as you leave me alone. Except nausea. That’s terrible. And now that I quit smoking and I’m not drinking at home (when at all), there’s not even any reason for me to get up, except to get a drink of water or pee. It’s a simple existence, and that’s what I like about it.

2. Birdsong
It’s been an early Spring, with the weather unseasonably warm, so we’ve often had the windows open throughout the day, sometimes even into the night. Our county is a well-known bird-watching area, because it’s situated in a good place for migration. There are constantly birds coming or going, north or south. Some of them find their way into our yard. And some of those, sing. It's nice.

3. Peanut Butter and Jelly
The comedian Adam Carolla once said, “Peanut butter and jelly is the only sandwich that actually gets better with time. Like a fine cabernet that sticks to the roof of your mouth. How many other sandwiches can boast that sitting in the sun makes them taste better?” I often forget how much I love a good old fashioned PB+J. Why? Because even though it’s like an American institution (A 2002 study claimed that the average American will have eaten 1500 PB+Js before they finish high school), it’s not something you can readily get outside of your home. There are the occasional gourmet varieties, but these are always overdone. When I used to shoot a lot of bigger budget television commercials, I had a standing request for PB+J on set. I would have more than one during the day. They were fast, simple, and easy to eat on the go. The first time I asked for it, I got something with 12-grain bread and some spreadable fruit. A fancy PB+J. The next time I was more specific. Wonder bread: white. Peanut Butter: Skippy. Jelly: Strawberry, Peach or Grape. That’s it. If you really want to see me go wild include a pickle. Or sometimes, put hamburger dill slices RIGHT ON THE SANDWICH. I don’t care if you don’t think that sounds good. Write your own list. This is my list. It's heaven.

4. Tea
I used to drink a lot more tea years ago. I don’t know why I stopped. Probably because I was either drinking coffee or alcohol. Since I’ve stopped drinking caffeine and cut WAY back on the drinking, I guess there’s more time for tea. Although I can’t get into tea without sweetener. Just can’t get there. I have cut back, and use honey more often than not, but still, I need a little something in there. Otherwise, I don’t taste anything. I might as well just be drinking hot water that someone dipped a scented candle in. But now I’m drinking a lot more tea. Lately I’ve been drinking something called Holy Basil, which is of Indian origin. It tastes more like black tea than most herbal teas, but it’s strictly herbal. No caffeine. It’s quite good.

5. Magazines
As my wife can attest, I love magazines. I usually have a stack, or two, next my chair. Where she sees clutter, I see possibilities. I like the whole thing. I read the ads. I read the articles. I read the sidebars. I go to the websites (this is when it’s handy to have an iPad). The better magazines even have better paper. They’re portable, entertaining, informative, and fun. The only downside is they make me want things which I realize (being in advertising as I am) is the point. But I like them anyway.

6. Newspaper
While on the subject of reading, I recently began getting the New York Times on a daily basis. I love the paper, but I don’t think I’ve ever gotten it delivered daily. At the most, I get the Sunday Edition, and even then, not every week. One of the reasons for this is I was not in an area that they would deliver to. If I wanted the paper, I had to drive to the nearest store and buy one. If it was the Times, this meant paying a surcharge on top. The Sunday paper cost something like $6-7. It was ridiculous. But then they closed the post office across the street from me and they gave me a new address. Now, I can get the paper delivered. At first I really kept up with it. I would grab it in the morning, then read it when I got home at night. It was lovely. Then I went away and I got behind. After that I bought a new iPad (my first) and discovered the digital version, it went downhill from there. I finally had to stop getting the paper...or at least during the week. Now I only get the Sunday paper, which allows me to continue to get it digitally. I didn’t think I would like the paper digitally. I hate it on my computer. I like having an honest-to-God, cut-down-trees, newspaper. But the iPad version is incredible. It’s everything, only better.

7. My New iPad
By now you realize that I have a new iPad. It really is glorious. If you don’t own one yourself, you have certainly heard reports of the wonders it beholds. Maybe the most impressive thing about the newest iPad release, is what has some saying, it’s not that impressive. It’s because while in the past, screens were a rough approximation of reality, but no real competition. Photos weren’t as good as a printed piece. Neither was type. We got used to shitty resolution. The new iPad is now better than print. It looks like you’re holding a book, magazine or newspaper. Only better. So people look at, and think, "What's the big deal?" That's the big deal! I’m hooked. I’m transferring almost all my magazines and newspaper subscriptions to digital. I never thought I would willingly do that.

8. Journal
While I’ve gone completely over to the dark side when it comes to publications, I still maintain my love of paper journals. And while I love my leather bound tomes, I find that Moleskins are much more practical. I have one in almost every bag I own, which is a lot of bags. I like blank ones best. I can scribble, draw, write, whatever. It can be deep and thoughtful, or a phone number for take out. The more you use it, the more you use it. And even though I carry my iPad everywhere now, I don’t like to type on it. Writing in my journal forces me to slow down a bit, which is good. And you can look back through old ones, which I can't imagine me doing digitally. Some things are just better in analog.

9. A New Book
One thing that is hard to beat for excitement is a new book. And while I like my new iPad and have even begun reading an old favorite on it, I still like the old analog version. I’m getting ready to start a new one by Anne Lamott called, “Some Assembly Required.” The first book I ever read by Anne was “Operating Instructions: A Journal Of My Son’s First Year.” The new book is the first year of her son’s first child. He was only 19 when she found out she was going to become a grandmother. It should be good. She’s a very funny, honest writer.

10. Spring
It’s not my favorite season because usually it’s overly damp, and I hate that. But the promise of summer is strong, and therefore I get excited. The days get longer, and the air warmer. I have already had the top on my convertible down several times. I’m even wearing flip flops at this very moment.

Soon enough we’ll be complaining about the heat.

P.S. Even when I try to write a positive piece, most of it is cranky. Oh, well.