MEMORIES FROM "THE GOOD OLD DAYS"

It is almost time to close up our screened porch before the snow flies, but thought I would take you on a tour first.

Both sides of my family were farmers and ranchers after homesteading on the prairies of Colorado. When we cleaned out my father's shop, I just couldn't get rid of some of the things that remind me of those days long ago. Somehow, they have accumulated on our back porch.

The candle holder is a part from an old piece of farm equipment, and the toy truck belonged to my husband as a child.

This stool is made from an old tractor seat and was at my Dad's workbench for years. The blanket is from the Chimayo Trading Post in New Mexico, and was purchased a long time ago on a sheep buying trip by my Grandfather.

A sheep crook that was salvaged from an old sheep herder's wagon.

A branding iron for cattle.

This little table is where our grandchildren play and eat. The little tractor and wagon were mine as a child. We call the little silver man driving "Granddad Man"! He occasionally gets lost, but we have always managed to find him. In the background is my Mother's wooden ironing board from 1937.

A chicken coop and a stoneware chicken water jug.

This old rake holder holds my Dad's spurs and several wooden and metal brands for sheep.

Old stoneware jugs -- for "moonshine", I guess.

An old red tool box with tools from my family, plus others that Bob has collected over the years.

This is a lantern that belonged to my Great Grandfather.

In the background is a Dutch oven used in a sheep camp. Bob made the rustic stool, and there's an old copper wash boiler where we store the kid's balls.

Hope you enjoyed the tour into yesteryear. There are a lot of memories here!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Sally

THE KITCHEN PROJECT IS DONE FOR NOW!!!

Every summer we usually have a big painting project. Last year, we painted the outside of the house; and this summer it was time for the kitchen cupboards. This was something we had talked about for several years knowing that a lot of people consider painting natural-finished wood a BIG no-no. After 22 years it was time to do something to those cupboards. They were quite weary looking, plus it has always been so dark in the kitchen. There is very little natural light as the only window opens out north onto our screen-in porch.

After all, it wasn't as though the cupboards were custom, hand-made cherry cabinets. They were 1980s builder-grade oak cabinets; so, the decision was made to paint. We did a trial run on the bathroom cupboards using a primer coat, two coats of satin paint, then two coats of polyurethane with lots of sanding in between. We liked the way they turned out, so we decided to forge ahead. It took us a month in a mess, but the painting part is now done; and we are very pleased.

The above picture is the way they looked before. We also took out the old, cheap fan over the stove and installed a new micro hood. In the future, I would like a chandelier over the meat block and a new rug.

Is a room ever done?