It’s been a good productive week. We’re wrapping up the finishing touches on the screen porch, had our new refrigerator and gas (propane) range delivered and installed, started repainting the kitchen, explored some of the lovely trails within just a couple of miles from the farm, had a delicious lobster roll at the general store while stopping at the post office…. we love this life in New England.
Jenny still gets up most mornings and rides her bike up to Harrisville Pond to swim with the local ladies (they call themselves the Mermaids). It’s such a treasure that these 10-12+ ladies go wading into the mist-covered pond/lake every morning for a swim to the point and back, rain or shine (just not when there is any lightning). They’ll continue to meet until the weather cools too much for comfort, then they’ll start meeting at one of the (many) trailheads nearby for a morning hike.
Speaking of trailheads, we’ve started exploring some of the trails nearby. There are over a hundred miles of trails within 10 minutes of the farm. Just under a mile down the dirt road from us is Sargent Center, a camp owned by Boston University, which has about 22 miles of trails around Halfmoon Pond. A mile-and-a-half south of us is the Hiroshi Loop trail; a 1.9 mile loop along the Nubanusit Brook. At one point there is a skiff/raft that you can pull yourself across the river, and join up with the Sargent Center trails. Closer to “downtown” Harrisville is the old railroad trail that runs along the Nubanusit. Then just three miles south of us are a couple of the trails that run to the summit of Mount Monadnock. Tennessee has enjoyed some time on the trails, as with us working on the house, he feels neglected, and pretty bored. With all of the rain we’ve had recently, the forests are lush with colorful mushrooms, and the rivers are running fast and cool, which is great for a hot, thirsty pup.
Jenny is beginning the process of stripping some of the millwork and antique built-in cabinetry around the house. We’re hoping our current heat gun can take the pressure, but we may need to upgrade to a commercial-strength model at some point. Yes, precautions are taken for lead paint abatement (for all you OSHA fans out there). It will be nice to peel back the layers of paint to reveal the crisp lines of antique mortise and tenon cabinetry and hand-planed boards. Although, Jenny is considering just painting a 9th coat on everything since it is more tedious than it looks on YouTube videos.
We also began the project of remodeling the kitchen this week, and had a new refrigerator and range delivered. Where the old range was will be replaced by a new soapstone farmers sink and soapstone countertop along that wall. We’ll also replace the open shelves with upper cabinetry on that wall (and new lower cabinetry). Then where the current sink is will be opened up for a seating area with a small table and chairs, so we can enjoy breakfast with the sunrise. There are no current plans for a dishwasher, as with just the two of us (while Allie is away at college), it’s not a big deal to wash up the day’s dishes before going to bed.
This week, we were finally able to pull out the pressure canner, and we canned up some beef stew to enjoy this fall/winter. Jenny has also been collecting berries from our property, and was able to gather enough to make up some delicious jam- YUM!
Since buying this property, we’ve been digging into the history of Daniel and Abigail Warren, the couple who built the farm, and we knew they were buried at the Dublin cemetery down the road. Having not gotten around to calling the town caretaker to get a location of their grave site, we decided to just stop in one day while coming back from town. As we were driving by just before, Jenny pointed to a spot and said “we should start looking there by those pink flowers on the hill”, so when we pulled in and parked the truck, she walked over to where she pointed, and there they were! It appears to be a replacement gravestone, as the original has likely long since been worn away as many others also have. Two of their seven children are buried alongside them (Jesse and Abigail, both of whom died unmarried). It was nice to also see a flag placed by the Sons of the American Revolution, recognizing Daniel’s service in the Revolutionary War.
Jenny’s home from her swim now, and making breakfast, so I’d better wrap up this post. It’s time to get busy, and since it’s Friday, we get to go to the dump today! YAY! We hope to wrap up the screen porch today (before and after’s will be in the next post!), and get a second/final coat of paint on the kitchen walls.
Thanks for following along, and as always, let us know if you have any questions about life in New England, living in an antique home, or anything else.
See you next time!
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