July 17, 2009

Things are going well. The weather is finally warm enough for guests to go tubing down Rapid Creek and the evenings are still cool enough for a nice fire in the fire pit. The mosquito population seems to be lessening - I think we had a bumper crop this year.

Last weekend we had our Silver City VFD annual fundraiser. We have a pie and ice cream social in conjunction with a volksmarch. This year we added an artist paint out. Check out silvercitysd.com for an update of the event with pictures.

We have had some great rains and a bit of hail. The flowers are going strong and everything is so green. The rains caused a bit of problems at our house - the roof leaked but we spent the last 2 days re-roofing and it is watertight again. The first thing we did when we bought the place 15 years ago was roof and we've gone full circle replacing roofs.

The mountain biking has been good, as has been the fishing.

June review

Can't believe June is almost over. We have had some fun guests and lots of children. The s'more's have been good and we have had a bumper crop of mosquitoes. Don't let that deter you from being outside as the evenings have been wonderfully cool.

It is finally warm enough to get the inner tubes out, the attrition rate is quite high and there is lots of patching to do. I need more if anyone has an outlet for tubes. Creekville is fully built by the local kids and inhabited almost every day.

Our current guest is having great luck on the creek for fishing. The water is still running good. We had .83" of rain last Friday, keeps Rapid Creek running and the grass green.

Our garden is doing well. There are a few weak spots but the moisture is good and things are growing rapidly. The main feature is the raspberries and there are lots of blooms.

The chickens are all moved to the new coop and everyone has settled in well. We put new nest boxes up yesterday. By this time next year we hope to have enough eggs for guests. Right now 3 chickens barely keep us in eggs.

Time to go to work.

5/29/09 summer is starting.... are we ready?

We are finally getting summer weather and it is beautiful.  The wild Iris are blooming and the Pasques are done.   Autumn has the hammock out and the chicks are getting big.  We put them outside today in a pen.  They are 3 weeks old and getting their feathers.

We are winding down on the spring cleaning.  Tally is shampooing the Bullion Cabin, the last cabin to spring clean.  It sure feels good to be almost done. 

It has been awhile since my last blog.  During this time we spring cleaned 5 cabins, planted our garden, went on a few bike rides and watched a musical performance of the choir at the middle school.   I also painted the outside of the Boxcar Cabin then decided we did not like the color.  We have picked another color and my sister in law repainted yesterday.  It looks great.  I will post a picture ASAP.

We have been hosts to a lot of fishermen lately and they are having great luck in Rapid Creek.  SD Game Fish and Parks is in full swing stocking the creeks.  Pactola Reservoir is full and Rapid Creek is running good.  Maybe I will go fishing this week.  We can get fishing licenses online through SD GF&P don't even have to leave the house.

The big event this week was the moving of the future chicken coop.  The 4 x 10 old outhouse was moved to it's new spot.  Tally actually loaded it onto the back of our trailer, don't ask me how he did it, I was hiding in the garden.  When it was on the trailer he drove down past the garden to show it off to me.  It was quite funny.  

When carpets are all shampooed Tally will work on the coop.

Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day.  We had a great week.  The Signature Cabin is totally spring cleaned and the Tree Cabin is half done.  Monday Tally hopes to finish the east siding, the north siding is totally finished on the Boxcar Cabin.  I will try to get pictures up ASAP.  Tally almost got the siding done friday but every time he got going it would start to rain.  Tally would bring the tools out, cut and put up a few boards, the rain would start, tools would be put away, Tally would come inside.  As soon as he would come inside the sun would shine.  Out he would go to start the cycle again.  After lunch he finally just helped me clean a cabin.  We even had a snow squall.  Snow in May??

Yesterday we took a break from cabins and went to a branding.  It was fun to take a step back in time as they branded pretty much the old fashioned way.  It was such a smoothly run operation and a joy to watch.  There was every generation represented and all had their part.

I did pick out the color for the Boxcar cabin, it is a shade of red.  If I get ahead on the cleaning this week I will start the painting, we are painting the grey part and keep the green trim.

It gets quite hectic this time of year but when the dust settles (dust??? what dust) it all seems to get done.

To top off the week we picked up our chickens on friday.  They are so cute.  Guess when the siding is done and cabins are cleaned we better get the chicken coop done.  There won't be any eggs for guests until late July or so.  We will keep you informed on the egg production.

4/30/09

Wow, the days are flowing by.  The days have been warm and fairly productive.  We brought home a trailer load of siding and I have been staining.  Tally put a few up and we are on our way to getting things done.  

I have been thatching our yard.  Seems I can't put long hours into it at a time but bit by bit it is getting done.  The chickens are running around eating the grass and bugs behind me as I rake.  Gus, the dog, sits quietly and guards me and the chickens.   It really is pretty to quietly rake and listen to the birds, frogs and the wind in the trees.  The raking motion of the thatcher also gets me in shape for the fire season.  Lots of digging when you build a fire line.

Yesterday we worked at the Civic Center.  We had different hours so Tally rode his bicycle home.  It was a grueling 2-3/4 hours with a headwind.   As he hasn't really been riding much it was good for him to do a long ride.  He was exhausted after the ride and very stiff today.

Give me some sunny days and I will get the spring laundry done.  I am starting with the Signature Cabin as that is the next one rented.  

Oops, here it is Thursday evening 9:00 PM and it is currently snowing!!!  

The Pasque flowers (Crocus) are blooming, they will be pretty in the snow.

soffit finished and siding started

4/23/09

Time is of the essence as we took advantage of good weather and got the soffit and facia done.

We pulled off the masonite siding and discovered the historical red shingle siding.  

Now we have the shingles off and the exterior prepped for new siding.    The sawmill isn't done making the boards.  We are to get a spat of rainy weather so I hope we can go pick them up and I can start staining while the weather is poor.  Of course there is always yard work if it isn't raining too hard and Tally and I can spend some very productive days inside getting a start on the deep spring cleaning.  

Silver City is starting to come alive with spring.  The crocus are blooming in the woods and in our garden.  All the draws are running with water.  There is more water than we have seen in 14 years.  We did a 14 mile mountain bike ride (had to take time off sometime), it was beautiful with running water along each road.

The resident gobbler is his usual noisy self chasing all the hens in town.  He is pretty full of himself and tends to gobble until mid summer, can't leave any hens out of his harem.  There is a pair of geese in the pond across the road, we are hopping they have a nest and stick around.  

cabin progress and good weather

Beautiful day today, I believe it was in the 70's.  Can't believe we had 8" of snow last weekend - April 4.  We took advantage of it and skied the Nugget/Stewart loop, 4 hours and 7.5 miles later we made it home.  

With the Easter holiday and dinner at the parents behind us it is back to the grindstone.  Lots of progress was made yesterday and today.  Board staining is ahead of boards getting put up.  Tally has the gables done on both sides and only has a bit of soffit left. 

Tally pulled some of the masonite siding off and now I believe we are committed to re-siding the cabin.  It adds a few more weeks onto getting things done but it will look so much better.  

Reservations are on track.  I am caught up on desk work and able to get outside stuff done and help Tally.  I think I am helpful anyway.

We are open all year but do drain the cabins if there is a gap between guests.  It is officially time to get the cabins up and running and thoroughly cleaned.