Adventures In Lavender

So we’ve been in the house about 2 years now and the renovations continue.  Why does it seem like things always need to get worse before they get better?  We’ve made lots of progress, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking.  As spring 2018 approaches, I look out the window at the muddy, yet snowy, dilapidated mess that is our yard and wonder….did I really accomplish anything last year?

Ugh, motivation I suppose, but honestly, we have been at it.  The past year has been a busy one.  We’ve been weed pullin’, lawn mowin’, deconstructin’, you name it…it’s been getting done!  The buildings on the property have been a definite focus.  A hazard at best, we’ve torn down the worst and started renovating the salvageable.

Sadly, one of my favorite parts of the old Benjamin’s Greenery, this uniquely designed greenhouse, had to come down.  Held up by a few posts standing on brick pavers, the infrastructure of this building was too unstable to leave.  Once again, my superhero dad and his trusty sidekick ( my youngest brother Casey,) tackled the job and brought this once state-of-the-art architecture to the ground.

Unfortunately we decided to start this adventure late in the fall, so although it was progress, it remains an unsightly project beckoning for someone to clean it up. Oh daddy dearest……….

This unused shed was no match for the mighty Casey Wilcox.  He single-handedly tore this down in a day, while painstakingly saving every nail and tin panel.  If we ever get the posts dug up, this one will be reassembled in the backyard to house all of our campfire wood.  (After all, what’s summer without an occasional bonfire?)

Remember this one?  A wire brush and a little paint go a long way.

Now if I could just get the roof to quit leaking……

and then there’s this…the place where all the planting begins.  I’m determined to bring this one back to its former glory.

The  foundation and the metal frame of this greenhouse were still in great shape, so I’m just slowly cutting new wooden supports, one by one.  This will probably continue through summer 2018 before all of the rotten stuff has been replaced, but we’ll get there.  Can’t rush perfection, right?  Once we get that done, we’ll decide what type of roofing to use….the plastic has long since ripped and blown away.

So much to do, but we’ve still found plenty of time to enjoy all that Shadow Wood has to offer.  (I suppose eventually I will still need to explain the name Shadow Wood and how we came into the lavender business…)

There’s been no shortage of beautiful sunrises

and sunsets….

and critters….

and apples….so many apples.

So I guess the year was actually pretty productive.  I just can’t wait until the snow melts and the world starts looking green again; but until then I guess I’ll just hang out on my couch with a blanket and a piece of warm apple pie!

 

Our little corner of the world is located in the north woods of Wisconsin, in beautiful Minocqua, Wisconsin; an unlikely place to be growing lavender.  Challenge accepted.  This summer has been quite an adventure, with our little agriculture project doing better than we had ever expected, and turning into something a little bigger than we were ready for, but we are taking it all in stride and having a great time.  ( I say “we”, but I’m pretty sure it’s just me…I think the hubby and three teenage boys are just glad that we’ve settled in and I have something other than nagging to do.)

But first things first..

This past year or so has been a whirlwind for our family, moving from my sons’ home of 15 years, (an entire 1/4 mile down the road,) and starting over.  I spent the last decade forcing my family to live in a constant construction zone, because in true Wilcox fashion, there is nothing I love more than a good “project,” and I’m pretty sure they were a little dismayed to find out it only took me a month to wrap everything up and make the joint look brand new as soon as I knew we were moving out. “And we’ve lived like this for how long ma?…”

Well, guess what….we moved into another GIANT project.  I’m not even sure how we ended up here.  We had no intentions of moving at the time this all transpired.  My youngest son Devan and I had been discussing one night how great it would be to live on a farm.  Just for the heck of it, I typed in “farms” on Trulia, and this amazing property, a few driveways down from ours popped up.  Not exactly a farm, more of a greenhouse, but totally an amazing, super fantastic, piece of Minocqua history.  I remembered seeing the stone barn foundation on my drive home from town every day, and it peaked my interest, so we checked it out.

Formerly Benjamin’s Greenery, and formerly-formerly Bassett’s Greenhouse built in 1935, this property had everything- a bit of acreage, old buildings, a story, junk (one of my other favorite things in life,) and most importantly..projects!  I decided right then and there that this would mine.  I could not let this place fall into the hands of someone who would not appreciate the rich history, the backache, heartache, the joys that made this house a home.  After the lengthy process of purchasing real estate, (mortgages are WAY more involved than I remember from 15 years ago …shout out to my friend and realtor Pat VanHefty for getting it done,) the deed was sealed.  Thank you a million times over to the Benjamin family.  I know my good fortune derived from their misfortune, and I don’t for a day forget what they have been through.  These thoughts drive me to want to breathe new life into this place and keep the memory alive.  Sorry about the weeds Donald.  I try…..

So here we are.  We moved into the old farmhouse in February of 2016.  A few walls needed to come down to accommodate our family, but this was a relatively easy job.  I gotta say, this house was built to last.  The floors are level, the walls are plumb, none of that “fancy fabricating” was required that my dad taught me when working on our first home.

The rest of the grounds were another story.  I think I had to sign a waiver for one of the buildings just to get insurance.

   

Oh yes… a project indeed.  This doesn’t quite bring you up to date on our current situation, but more to come…..