The new wall is painted a lighter shade of turquoise than the foyer. The working space is tight so it's all about accomplishing one small step at a time. Once we put the shelves up on that wall and can empty the free standing ones then it will be easier to move around the room to work.

Even though we had house guests this last weekend and were keeping busy with the fun of entertaining, Eric found time to build a wall for the water closet in the pantry. His precision in measuring, cutting and fitting the wood was a joy to witness.

It's tiny but economy breeds a creative use of space. The wall is only six feet long but enough to house a 4x2x2 stock tank and a marine toilet. I can see shelves for candles to light when soaking in hot water on cold winter evenings.

Last year it was the bathroom project that I documented in phases. This year it's the pantry/water closet/guest room that is going to appear here. It means a wall and shelving being built, plumbing for a toilet and soaking tub installed and the painting and decorating. The ceiling is going to be finished with foam board just as was done in the bathroom. There will still be room for the freezer and all the cooking tools that I keep there. With the shelves going all the way to the ceiling I feel confident that this year's garden bounty will be canned and stored with ease.

My brother-in-law, Mike, was the valued help I had last year on the bathroom remodeling job, this year I have a house mate, Eric, who is very accomplished help on this project. His enthusiasm about having a second bathroom and more storage has motivated both of us to get it done. Right now the room is a terrible mess and a difficult place to work in but we are confident it can be done. So the "doitlikeawoman" team is at it again.

I like this color (Ace's Autumn Sunset) on the bedroom walls but it has become just a bit much. Until I decide whether I'm going to paint it all with a new color I decided to hang canvas on two of the walls. I've done this before and found it made the room cozy and quiet. Like being in a Berber tent.

"...And the night shall be filled with music

And the cares that infest the day

Shall fold their tents like the Arabs and silently steal away."

The Day Is Done
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The doitlikeawoman team is at it again! We put up temporary pasture to utilize the

Organic Lawn Mowers to bring down the grasses on the west side of the property. The equine are happy to have some fresh feed as they have mowed down the big pasture fairly well and hay is expensive now. Moon is the first to try it out and being the herd boss, there is a lot of screaming back and forth between the three. Moon is calling to them with her mouth full.

One of the joys of living out in the country is not having neighbors or traffic past the house. It makes having an outdoor shower sensible in the summer and early fall. It was a necessity last year when the bathroom was torn out for remodeling but I enjoyed it so much I decided to keep one every year. There have been some modifications and improvements. I bought a hose designed to handle 160 degree water, I've tapped into the washer supply valves in the basement so the water can be left on all the time and I put up a bracket to hold the shower head ( garden spray nozzle ) for hands free showering. The gate with the outdoor carpet still serves as the platform but it has been moved to a more discreet site just in case there happens to be a farmer passing on his tractor.

This year the new vegetable starts have taken a greater hit by the mice eating them down to stubs. My roommate came up with an idea to keep the mice out yet allowing me to water. He built frames to hold hardware cloth (screening material) that lay over the tires. This morning all the tiny peas, beans, salad greens, squash and eggplants were still intact. What a excellent idea by a good man willing to work hard on this project. I promised to change his mind about squash by me cooking them in a way he's never experienced. Grilled zucchini, roasted butternut, fried green tomatoes, baba ganoush, stir fried chard. He's in for a surprise.

I used his tiller (yes, the man comes with one of those too) on the entire garden area then weeded and put down hay. This year I'm planting corn and sweet potatoes in the newly prepared ground.

Having another equine in the pasture with Dinah has required making more room in the barn. Due to natural equine hierarchy, there can be problems when the two of them are made to be in close quarters together. Dinah is used to standing in the barn out of the weather but won't go in if Moon is there. Enlarging the space seemed to be the solution.

I had used panels to fence off one end to keep her from the stack of hay. Enlarging their usable space by putting up field fencing across the entire end of the barn was the solution. Since I had willing help, the job went more quickly and with laughter. I've found that doing it alone like a woman isn't as much fun as doing it like a woman with the help of another person. Besides, there is something to be said about the upper body strength of a man. I can't buck hundred pound bales of hay and my room mate can.

Old farmsteads are filled with abandoned equipment and dead appliances. It's been a constant job picking up rusty screws and nails from the pasture and yard. Today I haul off appliances that have been sitting in the field as the county is offering free drop off at the transfer station. Thankfully my sister has a flatbed utility trailer to make the job easier and a room mate with big strong arms for loading. The property is looking better all the time.

Today was a gorgeous day for working outside. I wanted to prune the apple trees and do some yard clean up. Eric asked if I wanted the dead trees cut down. Oh you wonderful man with a chainsaw! He started with the cherry tree that I could only partially take down last winter.

Then he moved on to the stump in the front yard before I could even make the suggestion.

The dead birch tree came next. Before I was through moving the stump pieces the tree was down and getting cut up.

We finished the clean up by burning the russian thistle and raked weeds from around the yard.

This house mate thing rocks! He's amazing.