The bookshelf is done and the books almost all installed. It seems to me to be a natural addition and I really like it. Finishing the back (bathroom side) and adding a couple of vintage serape are the next steps to completion.

Eric has loaded up the young gelding and the camper for a trip to the coast. He'll spend a few days with his trainer, Bruce Hall, at the academy doing some fine tuning of Shrek (the gelding). He's left the ranch with the pellet stove loaded, more bags of pellets on the porch and me to enjoy a few days of solitude. I'll be entertaining to my hearts content so I'm back to the kitchen to cook for the weekend.

The back of the wall goes up and the braces of quarter rounds for the shelves are nailed into place. The braces are painted and stained.  Eric is very precise with his leveling so I'm left to applying product.  He's been getting ready to leave yet finds the time and energy to get this project done.  It is so appreciated by me.

Eric is back from his trip so the wall construction continues with application of product onto the beams and rear wall. It made such a difference. A pleasant difference. I wanted to avoid wood stain that was too dark and have that look of a 70's water bed frame. I think we achieved the right mix of linseed oil and Special Walnut stain from Minwax. The shelves and bracing will be stained with the same mix. The back wall is Autumn Sunset from Ace.

I was alone on the ranch this weekend and filled it with the completion of many small nagging projects not necessarily on the list. The bathroom trim painted, furniture rearranged, a new front porch light installed and the bird table moved. Best of all was the installation of a water filtration system in the kitchen.

I had the cistern and well water tested. The cistern is in dire need of cleaning as the water from the well is clean and bacteria free. It's on the list of big projects but one I'm dreading. I don't want to go down into that big dark wet space. Seeing what is going to come out of the bottom is a scary thought also. The hole created by mice so they could drop to their deaths wasn't repaired soon enough before the little critters had fouled the water. The filtration system keeps the crud out of my food and drinking water but I still have to get rid of the body parts. Ick. I do feel better now that the kitchen water and ice cubes are free of cysts, bacteria and mouse toes.

We extended the pasture out to the driveway not only to give more grazing room for the horses and the mule but to access a yard hydrant for filling the stock tank. Wow! no more hose to drain this winter. The handy and protected water source is going to make filling the tank in the frigid temperatures a piece of cake. It can snow, it can freeze, it can rain and it won't be a problem.

I never liked the idea of the bathroom being visible from the dining room. Just bad feng shui all around. The great room is big and boxy so I got an inspired idea to build a wall blocking the view into the bathroom and my bedroom. Adrianne's Erik completed the idea by suggesting bookshelves for the dining room side of the wall. This weekend we started the process.

I had purchased Mexican styled corbels online from Grand River Supply. It's hard to find pre-made columns that are 6"x8"x10' so we constructed them by adding lengths of 2"x4" to 4"x6"x10' beams. The bathroom side will be a solid wall and the dining room side bookshelves. It's going to be perfect.

We ran out of materials as this wasn't the project we had planned to complete this weekend. The extended fencing is still top of the list so it's back to the lumber yard for plywood, sheet rock, and shelving.

This has been an impressive year for getting projects done around the ranch. Having a house mate who's willing and able to pitch in has been an ingredient to all this productive activity. I truly am appreciative. His cheerful ambition has made living here and doing remodeling a joy. I look at this house and all that has to be done with a new set of eyes. I am grateful for it all. I feel blessed.

1. Harrow and seed main pasture Done

2. Wash windows and install new plastic insulation to single paned windows Done

3. Enlarge pasture fencing on the east to yard hydrant Done

4. Move stock tank Done

5. Clean cistern

6. Install wood stove in shop

7. Install windows in goat shed for green house Done by Eric! Plus a new door

8. Work on tassels

9. Have spa day at Rena's

10. Finish Christmas stockings Done

11. Move above ground wiring underground

12. Finish WC installation

13. Lay carpet in bedroom

14. Put carpet in great room

15. Build divider wall in dining room Done

16. Deal with jukebox Done for now. It still isn't making a sound but at least there is a plan for fixing it.

17. Take dogs to vet Done

18. Move round pen

19. Yard cleanup Done

20. Move bird table Done

21. Finish fencing on west side of property

22. Organize bathroom cupboard

23. Clean and finish basement

24. Refurbish lamp for pantry

25. Change timing belt on Ford Done

26. Build driveway entrance

27. Put summer clothes away take out winter clothes Done

28. Clean up and put garden to bed Done.

29. Put hoses away Done.

30. Insulate house hose bib Done.

Ta Da!..It's in place and working so well that it's eerie. The house is actually hot. It's beautiful and smells wonderful. How is it that I didn't do this before? Putting a pellet stove in for heat is one of the best things I've ever done around here. It's right up there with the bathroom and kitchen remodeling jobs. I'm a happy girl.

I found the cost of a hearth to place under the new pellet stove more than I was willing to pay. Since I have many saltillo tiles and that look is now in two rooms of the house it made complete sense to make a hearth that fit in and wouldn't cost me any more out of pocket money. I had everything on hand. Yeah..no driving to a store!

A pellet stove typically requires two inches of hearth behind the stove, five inches on each side and six inches in the front.

Eric cut a piece of 1/4 inch plywood 36 inches square. I used all purpose ceramic tile adhesive to affix 12 inch tiles to it. After waiting 48 hours for the mastic to set up (required for adhering to plywood but less if using concrete board) I used the same color grout (suntan from Lowe's) as in the bathroom and WC.

After cleaning the grout from the tiles and leaving it to dry and set, I sealed it with tile sealer. That step too requires drying time. Now it's time to move it into place and put the stove on it. Once it is determined where the hole will be cut, the stove will be installed and turned on. Yippee! A whole new chapter in home heating.

Winters around here are pretty cold with temperatures dropping into the teens most of the time. I only have one hose bib on the house that needs covering with insulation but it sticks out too proud for a regular insulating device to cover adequately. I've made my own.

I found a child's sand bucket on the dollar table at the local grocery store. I removed the handle. Then I filled it half way with expanding insulating foam. I put a plastic bag over the faucet and placed the bucket of foam over it. The foam expands up and around the faucet filling in the spaces. The handle holes were perfect for attaching it with screws to the house. Voila! an insulating cover that fits and doesn't look like a breast. Who came up with that one and then had the audacity to call it a Dolly Parton?! Can we all say "demeaning"? No imagination. The next one I make will be a plastic horse head. I'm sure there's one out there I can fill with foam. I ran out of time this year to find one and we're expected to have temperatures in the twenties this week.

A rooster head would be attractive. Ooo a mule head would be perfect. A big sunflower? Front end of a John Deere tractor? Even a flower pot. See guys...imagination. Breast on a house....not here.