Looking west down our land, with the Grand Mesa peeking out in the back.
Autumn has thus far been quite fickle here at Quiet Farm; we’ve had blue-sky days of close to eighty degrees, and we’ve had misty, rainy days filled with murky low clouds. We’ve had a couple of hard frosts, but no snow as yet.
These will be even more gorgeous once they’re back on our original doors.
As we’ve mentioned previously, we’re trying hard to maintain the original spirit of our 1901 home during our renovation. To that end, if it’s old and we can salvage it, we’ll do so. N has diligently hand-scraped layer upon layer of carelessly slopped paint off these doorknobs and plates; it’s a tedious project, to be sure, but the results are spectacular.
So much possibility here.
We’ve joined a local CSA this fall and are excited to share photos of our bounty each week. This first pick-up we received leeks, garlic, potatoes, daikon radish, spicy greens and celeriac (or celery root). We believe firmly in the CSA model and also believe that CSAs make everyone better cooks; you’re often compelled to use ingredients you’d never have selected at the grocery store. Hearty, warming fall soups, roasted vegetables and intriguing salads are on the menu at Quiet Farm this week.
The “before” photo of our light-filled sunroom, which will eventually be a home for plant starts and a sewing corner, too.
On the to-do list this week: install flooring in our sunroom. This is our first attempt at installing what everyone calls foolproof click-lock laminate. This room needs to be waterproof, dirt-proof and easy to clean, so we’re giving this wonder material a shot. We’ll report back on our successes and our failures learning opportunities, dear reader.
Atmospheric, no?
Up next: monumental painting projects (but we bought a sprayer!). More flooring. Stripping and refinishing vintage doors. Storing irrigation pipes for the winter. Never a dull moment around here, friends. Have a great week!
Finding Quiet Farm 
Your sunroom looks gorgeous! I love the black and white photo too…how Wizard of Oz.
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Thanks, Sara! That was a misty, dramatic day for certain. The weather here is always interesting.
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Hi Elizabeth! Your Quiet Farm is a diamond in the rough and changing daily into that jewel near the Mesa! I was thinking of you today as my husband and I are in NYC and will be dining tonight at The Blue Hill, a great farm to table restaurant. Take care and I love your Quiet Farm updates. Karen
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Thanks, Karen! Enjoy your dinner at Blue Hill – it is one of the best in the world. My sister and I ate there in 2012, and N and I attended a farming conference at their upstate location, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a couple of years ago . They are both incredible.
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Glad to see you have a beautiful sunroom. Looks bigger the the one you had at your old house, good luck on the dirt proof. Plants need dirt! Your Moses in a blanket will be really comfortable in there. Love the photo of your road, so peaceful looking.
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Thanks, Jim! It is a lovely room and it faces west so captures the setting sun over the mesa. At the moment it is dominated by a massive ficus tree that we rescued from a Master Gardener plant sale! We’re not sure if it will survive the winter in there, but we’ll give it a shot.
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Nice job guys!!! When I was redoing paint in my 1944 home I found a water-based stripper. Worked great, and not sloppy like that orange crap. Takes 3 layers off at a time (I had 6-8 layers of paint). Just in case you’re interested. Have a great fall and winter!
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Thanks, Susan! We might reach out to learn more about that product – we’re having a tough time getting the paint off these old doors!
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Ooooh, that last foggy picture is eerie. I just wrote about the smoke that moved in from a small fire yesterday. The morning started out clear and blue. I went inside for a while. When I came outside, it was smokier than it had been for any of the big fires.
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We still have a few fires burning here too, which is so disheartening. It’s shocking how quickly they flare up.
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Just last night, one of the trucks that was here to help keep the Rincon fire contained rolled down the hill and started another small fire! Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the fire is contained. We are learning that an arsonist has been starting many small fires around Santa Cruz and outlying areas. At least one was apprehended, but the arson fires continue, as if it is a fad or something.
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