I hope everyone who celebrates their gratitude for a bountiful harvest had a wonderful Thanksgiving 😉! My head cold took a serious turn into fever town for a few days. Wednesday, cranberry lemon tart with gingersnap crust. I look cheerful in my turkey glasses, but I had to remake the d*!n tart 3 times to get it right. Nonetheless, we pulled together and managed to get a delicious feast on the table.
Thankfully there were 4 other pies that went together smoothly. Sophia was in charge of apple placement, which she did with precision and speed - much to Ivan's dismay.
On to the most important news... the RISE OF THE LATH HOUSE! Ivan, Sophia and I spent a few Black Friday hours at Home Depot gathering supplies. Ivan got right down to business, planning and building the roof structure. His plan turned out fabulously! Much better than anything I could've dreamed up.
I did a quick black spray paint of the hardware prior.
Beams/support.
Double sided braces to hold up the polycarb roofing. These will pitch 1' so the entrance is a bit higher than the back of the house.
It was quite cold, but Ivan worked into the night.
My knit beanie got lost in the shuffle. I got into the family wig bin and made do.
He bolted in the beams, they look so nice. *The cross beams are not attached to the other side yet, so they aren't even - just placed up there for now.
Sunday I began putting up the lath strips, a much easier job than the roof. Also it was nice and warm, so I am definitely on the easier side of this job. The lath slats aren't exactly straight, I used a 1" spacer and just hoped for the best.
I ran out of lath pieces (so close!). I'm off to get a few more as well as some stain/sealant. So far so good, and I'm pretty jazzed about this whole project. Ivan is going to come back in a week or two to finish the roof, add polycarb as well. After the structure is done, we will figure out exactly how to put up polycarb panels on the outside of the lath walls for Dec-Jan-Feb. Also, how to figure out enclosing the front - probably just frost fabric curtain this year. In the spring I will plant the area, which is incredibly exciting. Also seating?!
James begin attaching (under mount) the top panels for plants, or to set a drink.
How are you with your December plans? I am so behind on everything this year. My house needs a good clean and then decorating. And what I really want to do is spend my days outside.
*Forgive my construction terms, if you can call them that - not my forte!
Looks good, but a lath house amuses me because my dad was a grower who pronounced th's as f's. I used to think it was a speech impediment, but now I think it was part of the English dialect that he inherited from his parents even though he was born in Canada.
ReplyDeleteThe laugh house!
DeleteVery good work there--looks great. Will be a fine addition to your beautiful garden.
ReplyDeleteDecember plans? Gardening will continue. Everything else is optional.
I like your attitude, #1 Garden and optional Christmas!
DeleteOMG, the wig for warmth is priceless! I love what Ivan did with the roof and seeing it all come together is fantastic. What fun!
ReplyDeleteEvery home should have a box of wigs! Ivan deserves so much credit for this whole thing, really. He was the one to start clearing the area and it just snowballed from there.
DeleteWow, that's exciting about the lath house. I hope you'll share the stages to completion--it's so fun to see the before and after! Sorry you weren't feeling well--hope you're better now. Glad to hear you had a nice family Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteI will definitely continue showing the progress, thank you Beth. This cold was a doozy, I'm still dealing with it - but at least no more fever.
DeleteI so admire people who can build such! Wow.
ReplyDeleteMe too, and sets my mind sailing... what else?
DeleteIt's coming along. Very quickly. I like how it's turning out.
ReplyDeleteThank you Liz, it's coming together !
DeleteYour lath house is coming along well. What a trooper Ivan is! That wig threw me for a moment. Very cute, although I initially thought your holiday must have gone wild.
ReplyDeleteYay, I'm feeling so happy about it actually coming together. Ivan is so enthusiastic, he's fantastic! Ha ha, well lavender isn't really my color.
DeleteMy father had a lath house for seeding and spouting and such. The first thing my mother did when he died was asked my brothers to tear it down. I was sad, but I guess either too many memories, or she resented how much time he'd spent in it!
ReplyDeleteOh no! I love having a place to putter around in, sounds like he did too.
DeleteHa... the wig. I have about 20 winter hats... hee hee... I need about three right now, we are having a cold kick off to December and a lot of wind. Wind chills already... boo hoo!!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading about your tart and pies... never give up seems to be the theme here. Love it!
I am looking forward to more of the construction and that wig! Love, Carla
Oh, that wind sounds like it would chill to the bone! Stay warm Carla, maybe I should send you a wig? Ha ha!
DeleteAny lath house built by a woman in a purple wig is my kind of lath house! Seriously, it will be a great addition to your garden, given your climate, and it's coming along nicely. The last place you want to be where I live is outdoors. Although we escaped the snow dump Western New York got, it's still windy with snow showers. That's why I have at least five hats and my coats have hoods.
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha! Thank you Alana, it has been great fun. Oooof, that sounds seriously cold. Wind is the worst.
DeleteFantastic progress. You in the purple wig - priceless. And Ivan is awesome!
ReplyDeleteHa ha, I need to get out the wig bin more often. Ivan is a fantastic plant, rock, soil, and now build guy!
DeleteWhat a great project. Cudos for persistence in making the tart 3 times. It looks beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt's everyone's favorite, I had to keep my cool!
DeleteLooks wonderful! I wish I were that handy!
ReplyDeleteYou are, in the kitchen!
DeleteWhat's with these Nov/Dec head colds? I'm on my second...But look how productive you've been! Pies, lath house. We traveled to NorCal for Thanksgiving and passing Livermore I thought of you, probably about the time you were putting on lath strips!
ReplyDeleteOh no -twice! I'm guessing I got the influenza A that is rampant now, with the fever and all? Oh, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving trip. I was probably hitting my thumb with the hammer, I managed to do that several times, haha!
DeleteMost excellent progress on the lath house, but what I am really envious of is the wig bin.
ReplyDelete