lupinfarm's journal: a pretty little wilderness

[lupinfarm]

I suppose this is an introduction post, you know you love reading about other peoples lives, it's just how we are.

Name: Stephy

Birthday: January 8th 1989

Hometown: Harlow, Essex, UK

Relationship Status: Single

Political Views: I don't know, last time I voted, I voted Conservative though, which was the year Harper was elected.

Religious Views: I'm not into the religion thing, but from birth to age 9 I was Catholic, It wasn't until my dad's cancer diagnosis that same year that I essentially gave up religion.

Activities: School, Helping out on my parents teeny weeny 8.5 acre farm, Hanging out with my chickens, yep, Chilling with my cat, Accio.

Interests: Music, Writing, Literature, Animals...

Favorite Music: "Indie," or "Alternative," Nirvana, Courtney Love, Hole, Pearl Jam, Offspring, White Stripes, Mountain Goats, Neutral Milk Hotel, Scouting for Girls, etc. etc.

Favorite TV Shows: Heroes, House, Bones, Ugly Betty, Supernatural, and HEARTLAND

Favorite Movies: !Atonement!, The Great Escape...

Favorite Books: To many to list. Most recently, Paper Towns by John Green, but really all time favourite is Atonement by Ian McEwan.

About Me: I'm nuts, end of.


Second list of random things.


02. Gender: Female

03. Disneyworld or Disneyland: Disneyland, mostly because I've never been to Disneyworld, my uncle works for JPL in California so Disneyland was always the way to go.

04. What is your favorite color: All colours, really just Turquoise and Red.

05. What is your favorite kind of gum: Minty.

06. How much do you weigh: LOL far too much still, 240LBs, but I'm 5'10 and "big boned," according to my doctor 40LBs left to lose!

07. How tall are you: 5'10"

08. Can you swim: Yes

09. Do you like to swim: Sure

10. Living arrangement: What? I live in a house, in a bedroom, on the top err half floor of a 1.5 storey house.

11. What's on your mouse pad: It's a kitty cat with it's eyes all closed wanting to be pet, actually for about 2 months I found this mousepad on the floor, face down, turns out my cat was a bit jealous.

12. Favorite board game: Don't have any, but I like Crainium.

13. Favorite magazine: Young Rider for their helpful riding exercises, and Hobby Farms

14. Favorite Actor: James McAvoy

15. Favorite Actress: Ohh buggery, Keira Knightly, Emma Watson, Evanna Lynch, Georgia Groome...

16. Do you have an accent: I kind of do, when I was a wee lass lol I was picked on at school in Bowmanville for my essex accent, and would practice in front of the mirror "speaking Canadian," so now my accent is a little on the tranny side, not sure where it wants to be.

17. Favorite smells: Fresh cut hay! and Fresh baked cookies, Eggs and Turkey bacon on the george foreman (is anyone else amused by george foremans new commercial?)

18. Least favorite smells: Dog poo, "Poo slurry," from the big cattle farms and the factory farms, "Chicken poo slurry," from the factory chicken farms.

19. Favorite sound: Snow crunching under my boots.

20. Do you prefer pools or oceans: Well, last time I was able to go in the ocean was 5 years ago, so I'd have to say pools.

21. Do you watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer: HA HA, no.

22. Pencil or pen: Pen

23. Who's better - boys or girls: Err? ... Boys, for obvious reasons, plus they're not as "catty," as the girls I've had experience with. Yeah, highschool, what a delight.

24. Would you like to own a motorcycle: Nope

25. Do you sing in the shower: I don't even like being IN my shower, forget singing in it, we'll call the bathroom the "fixer" part of "fixer-upper farmhouse," my shower sports mouldy ceiling, mouldy tileboard, and mouldy caulking. It's getting a temporary tile job done this chrimbo holls so we can bare to stay more than 10 seconds in there.

26. Who's the best looking Disney character: I don't care

27. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning: "AWWWWW but I'll have to stand out on the highway in the DARK waiting for my bus!"

28. How many rings before you answer the phone: Two, I have to make sure it doesn't go to the fax.

29. How do you want to die: I'm thinking instantly Ooo, how about vaporized?

30. Have you ever called a 900 number: Uh no

31. Gold or silver: Silver, or white gold.

32. Would you ever go bungee-jumping: Oh yeah, who wouldn't want to be thrown off a high surface with only a glorified elastic band to keep them from plumeting to their death?

33. Do you like dressing up: No

34. Would you rather be short or tall: I'm tall, 5'10, maybe like 5'8... nah, I enjoy being this height really.

35. Do you enjoy reading: Yes

36. What book are you reading now: Re-reading Atonement by Ian McEwan for the 50 billionth time, also re-reading Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns by John Green for my Writing course ISU

37. Favorite books: See above

38. What was the last movie you saw: James Bond: Quantum of Solace

39. Favorite movies: See above

40. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal: I have two bears, Spencer and Adam, LOL, but they sleep on my chair, I sleep with my kittycat, Accio. He purrs as loud as two tanks, and is an all-seeing, all-attacking, all-hating radiator.

41. What is your sign: Capricorn

42. What are your personality traits: Right....

43. What's your biggest fear: Failing, I want to go as far as I can, and do as good a job at what I do as I can.

44. Would you ever have cosmetic surgery: If it was completely painless, and risk free, oh and free

45. Future child's name: I want one child, adopted (because I believe that, like pound advocates believe, with all the orphaned children in the world, why not adopt? CAN'T WE ALL JUST STOP BREEDING, actually no, because according to specialists, if we stop breeding we'll be a dying nation due to a large number of baby boomers retiring, and not enough working age to support them... blah blah blah), I think Georgia.

46. Favorite foods: Butter Chicken mmm

47. Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla

48. Do you like to drive fast: Yes, but I also like to keep my money from going to the cops unnecessarily.

49. Storms - cool or scary: I hate them, period, not scared, just hate.

50. Do you like to dance: Sure, random outbreaks of disco inferno keep me young (I'm almost 20) HA HA.

51. Do you do drugs: Nope.

52. Do you smoke: No.

53. What do you think of people who smoke: I honestly don't care, just don't kill me with your second hand smoke.

54. Do you drink: Yes, I do.

55. Favorite drink: Non-Alcoholic: Apple Juice, Alcoholic: Pear Cocktails

56. Do you think men and women could ever be just friends without wanting each other: Of course, for instance, I have a friend at school named Jesse that I DO NOT WANT, but we're awesome friends.

57. Do you eat the stems of broccoli: Yesireebob

58. If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be: Professional Writer, or Teacher of English Literature in my hometown (see above).

59. What's your "type": If it's what I think it is, "Indie," now you try to figure that one out!

60. Do you bite your nails: Sometimes

61. Any siblings: Yes, 1, Kevin 13 years old

62. What movies have you cried in: Atonement

63. Do you believe in God: No, I don't know, but mostly no.

64. Did you ever cry over a guy/girl: Yes

65. Have you ever stolen anything: Nope, well OKAY I may have stolen an allen key from Home Depot once, but I swear we couldn't find the freaking aisle with them in it, and it was a specific one we needed, and I'm shutting up now...

66. Do you procrastinate: Yes

67. Do you believe in fate: Sometimes I guess

68. Who's your favorite Sesame Street character: I didn't watch Seseme Street, It was all about the Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlett, Noddy, and Postman Pat (& and his black and white cat).

69. Do you organize your CD's: I don't really have any CDs.

70. What is your favorite kind of music: "Indie," "Alternative."

71. What are your favorite bands/artists: See above, Beatles, Doors, Kooks, Kinks, Nirvana, Hole, Courtney Love, Scouting for Girls..I could go on for about half a billion years here.

72. What was the last CD you got: The Streets album

73. MTV or VH1: They're both merde.

74. Who do you admire the most: Living on this earth or not? My parents, Jane Austen.

75. Internet Boyfriends and Girlfriends: No

76. Are you single: Yes

77. Favorite TV show: See above

78. Blondes, Brunettes, or Redheads: Brunettes and Redheads, I'm a natural blonde, now brunette.

79. Glasses or contacts: Glasses

80. What color are your eyes: BLUE, plain and simple, I really hate how people say stupid things like, "Oh with just a bit of this colour, or sometimes blue sometimes..." NO, just BLUE.

81. What is your natural hair color: Blonde

82. But what color is it now: Medium brown

83. Have you ever been in love: Yes, I still am, but what can you do?

84. Any pets: 15 chickens, 1 cat, 5 dogs...oh and I think the deer mouse with her cute little pinto babies in the compost heap are adorable.

85. Good, decent, or poor grades: I have good grades, decent according to me, I know I could do better, slacking off I have an average of at least 70 in each class, higher in two of them.

86. Is the glass half empty or half full: That is a stupid question, die, question, die. Also, What came first? the chicken or the egg, and WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH POTATOES? you plant one to make more, seriously, I think we're just spinning in circles with this whole "What came first, Is the glass half empty," business.

87. Do you type with your fingers on the right keys: Yeah I suppose I do, and with an impressive 100WPM average on bad days too

88. What's under your bed: My memory box, some shoes, cat toys..

89. What is your favorite number: EIGHT

90. Favorite sport to watch: Football (Soccer to American/Canadian folk)

 

[roosmom]

I may be thinking of a different word but doesnt lupin(e) stand for a cat persuasion, lol (or the flowers). Hi lupinfarm. I think I would love your cat. So is your house on your parents property? What kind of chickens?
Yesterday was HOUSE marathon day on USA, lol. That last forty will be the hardest, dont give up. I also am big boned.
Snow crunching....BAH...youre young yet, LOL. Good luck with the bathroom, if you need any advice or feedback, this is a good place for it.

 

[lupinfarm]

I may be thinking of a different word but doesnt lupin(e) stand for a cat persuasion, lol (or the flowers). Hi lupinfarm. I think I would love your cat. So is your house on your parents property? What kind of chickens?
Yesterday was HOUSE marathon day on USA, lol. That last forty will be the hardest, dont give up. I also am big boned.
Snow crunching....BAH...youre young yet, LOL. Good luck with the bathroom, if you need any advice or feedback, this is a good place for it.

Haha, it is definitely the flowers, Lapine is rabbit I believe, we get this a lot but less in the summertime when the lupins are all growing around the farm sign. I live with my parents still, I'm taking a second year of grade 12 to boost my marks in U level courses, and then I will be attending a university hopefully close by. I may be moving out age, but if it weren't for me a lot of things wouldn't get done around here! My dad has an appartment in the city for work, so he's here less and less, and so it is only my lazy younger brother and my mum here to do anything without me. We have Rhode Island Red X Columbian Rock girls, 19.3 weeks old, and no eggs yet, so I'm stuck buying another bag of grower unless they magically pop out an egg in the next hour.

 

[Henrietta23]

Welcome!!

 

[tfpets]

Hello,

You are very industrious, keeping up with your studies and the farm/pet/outdoor interests also! I'll bet it all keeps you on the go?

I like your plans for the future, about children. I have one son on my own, but there really are alot of children already born needing homes - I have adopted three sons also....I am their 8th mother, they have had a hard life....you could become a very precious gift to a child some day, as much as having a baby of your own - it is rewarding in its own way.

Welcome to Sufficient Self

Tina/tfpets

 

[lupinfarm]

Frustration! rats, we have rats in the barn, and I HATE rats. There are a whole bunch of rat holes, and it's all because mum took the sweetfeed and alfalfa pellets out of the freezer, and hasn't put them back in yet, the sweet feed is pretty much gone now to rats. I've got to get some garbage bins to stick in that freezer and get that grain (pellets) back in, the sweetfeed is rubbish now. Then I have to get some of those rat bomb things from FS, light them, and shove them down the holes killing all those bloody rats in their own home.

Since I'm almost frozen solid sitting in the office, I'll be going off to bed to snuggle under the covers.

Also, I was talking to my mum today, and she and I will be starting a Livejournal.com journal for our farm and our experience here. We moved from the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) in June, and it's been tough but really rewarding, and now that the economy is on the dive there are a lot of people moving into our area in search of cheaper land than the GTA, so they can live more self sufficient as well. The biggest problem we had when we moved was the serious lack of resources out there, of people describing their experiences, bad and good, but mostly bad. We wanted a good idea of the worst, so our journal will be set up tomorrow after I set the electric fencing in the bottom field up, and we'll be starting then.

 

[lupinfarm]

Us here at Lupin Farm thought, "hey, we should totally show those awesome people on Sufficient Self how questionable our sanity is, and show them our renovation in progress farmhouse, yeah wicked idea,"

So here are some photos, keep in mind NOTHING is finished yet LOL this is a bagillion year long project house

Our home is an 1870 farmhouse, the oldest on our street which was owned by the same family over the years, you start at ours, and can move around the street to get an idea of a) how their income grew and b) how the embellishments given to basic farmhouses grew just a little bit over the years. At the house we also have the original 1870 well, lined with field limestone, and when you look down it... it is a gorgeous sight, all the limestone

This is the farm sign at the end of our half a KM long driveway, it will be replaced soon as it was just temporary so we had an identity here in the house on the hill.

Here is the front of our house, not finished yet, still have to paint the original cedar siding that we discovered when pulling out the enclosed porch, it was hiding under some red insulbrick, we suspect the whole house is this siding, but we don't want to pull off the newer vinyl siding just in case.
Here is before we pulled out the enclosed porch, the house looked so sad and forgotten.

And after we pulled it out, it's not finished and this was before we put the new door in and got the first porch light up.

This is our 30x50 foundation barn turn bank barn, it is parged but underneath the parge is definitely a limestone foundation, it needs to be reparged as its a bit on the "well used," side. We may be taking out some floor joists from the hay loft, where we suspect it may have been an open air stall area for some large working horses, rather than the 6-7ft ceiling height of the rest of the barn where cattle, pigs, and sheep would have been kept.

The first thing you see when you enter the house is our HUGE kitchen, it was updated in the late 1990's, but we painted it cornbread yellow when we moved in, we will be updating it a bit next summer, adding a white marble tiled backsplash and counter top, which will mean NO MORE CUTTING BOARDS, and a perfect place to make bread We'll also be changing out the cabinet doors (keeping the old ones just because), and replacing them with a capecod style cabinet front in a colour yet to be chosen. The sink will be replaced with a lovely porcelain one hopefully, and new appliances apart from the stove, we will get a new stainless steel big french door fridge, and will add the new stainless propane stove the year after as the one we have now is only 3 years old, but was abused A LOT by the last owners.

The kitchen has a panelled ceiling, which was done by hand by the owner before the last, all the panelling we suspect was elsewhere in the house at one time.

To the right of the front door is the living room, it is in a state of renovation, but we're hesitant to do any more as the huge front window that was installed in the 80's needs replacing (it's displacing the outer layer of bricks above it as no one put a new header in for such a large window), also the original side door will be removed and replaced with a new window, the two windows will be appropriate for the time period and size of the home.

Through the living room is our office, it is also being renovated, this is where we brooded the 15 chicks, and where Liberty stayed to heal.

Back through the living room and kitchen and up the stairs!... These are the original stairs from the main brick house, it was moved sometime in the 80's from where the office currently is, which might have been a parlor, to the kitchen area next to the door. We know this because the outline of a staircase opening is in my bedroom floor lol. The photo on the left is one I took of a grand victorian mansion that once stood in our old town, about a week later arsonists burned it to the ground, it had been abandonned for 50 years, but still remained absolutely beautiful.

Here is our hallway, it's almost all wallpapered now, you will notice the awesome pitch of the roof here, to the left is a small alcove where a dormer is, this is where my brothers 1890 school house cast iron and wood desk sits, we bought it for $50 from someone who had no idea how much it was worth, it is just missing the attached from seat that would have served as a seat for the student in front of them.

This is my brothers bedroom, it was once the master bedroom in this house.

This is the guest room at the front of the house, it has two windows and in between the old chimney brest houses the electrical panel for the house. We are currently stripping the floorboards and repainting them.

And no, there will not be a toilet in the room It is the toilet for the upstairs bathroom which we are renovating right now, photos of that in a later post.

Here on the south side of the house, opposite the guest room is my room, I am repainting my walls a light colour, and will be buying a red duvet set from IKEA, trust me it will be gorgey.

Oh and... check out our awesome new dog gate so the dogs can't go in the living room! My mum made it, how cool is she?!

She's going to be advertising custom dog gates when we go to the Farmers market in the spring to sell our Hobby Farm goods.


Andddd that's all folks, until next time when I should have more photos

 

[2dream]

Wow - what a wonderful house. Lots of working going on and its looking really good.

I will be watching for lots more pics.

I love the shot of the barn. The barn and fog - you need to frame that and hang it in your house.

 

[FarmerChick]

very cool pics
what a huge difference in the house without the porch. I love it....so nice! smart to get rid of the enclosed porch!

I love seeing where people live, it just ties them into their posts when they chat about their home and such!

 

[roosmom]

Lupinfarm, I love old houses. There is so much I want to say about your house. But I will just say, I looks really good. They have such character, style and proudness to them.
I can tell ya how to strip that floor real easy if you want. Why are you painting it? Wood floors are so warm.
Love it....keep us updated. If you have any questions just ask us, maybe we can help.