My Favorite Place

I debated about the title - is it "A" favorite or is it "The" favorite? Certainly there are lots of places in the running for "The" title, places we keep returning to like Utah's Green River, but the place and people that pull me in and makes me feel like home is Glory Farm. There's something in the hustle of a small farm, the smells in the kitchen, and the creaking floors that reminds me of my childhood, but it's the love that emanates from that place to everyone around that keeps drawing us back.

This is the third time that we've been back to the farm to 'help' with the continuing house restoration. We weren't there last year which was good timing on our part since it was the year of the house painting - an massive project if there ever was one!

This year, the puppies are the center of attention.

Not exactly what you'd expect to see in the kitchen of library staff, but then Ellen's a farmer, too.

The house is filled with history reused, and colorful crafts abound.

The garden is guarded by gates that served a different purpose in a prior life, and a scarecrow welded from farm 'stuff.' Seeds were planted while we were there, and another famous pumpkin crop is anticipated.

The chickens rule the roost in more ways than one. Turk, the City Dog, continues to avoid them!

The farm has its picturesque buildings, and a place for woodworking out in the shed.

The farm backs up to Washington State's longest State Park. Iron Horse State Park is only 1,612 acres, but spans 110 miles of the former Milwaukee Road. BJ, Turk, and I went out to locate a cache along the former railroad while we were at the farm, and the following week we were on a different section of the same park at the summit of Snoqualmie Pass.

This year my projects revolved around filling some holes in the new upstairs bathroom. The first project was a shallow bookcase to create a hinged, hidden door to the attic.

It was assembled with glue and brads, and then got a coat of primer before it went upstairs.

The other project was to glue up some tongue & groove cedar to make a door blank for the bathroom closet.

The bookcase is hinged but rests on a pair of swiveling casters that carry the weight. The door was made to match similar doors used in the upstairs bedrooms. One more hidden door was framed out to close the plumbing access.

I got to make sawdust and enjoy the farm. Can't ask for more! I am certainly blessed!