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The Gentleman Farmer

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The Gentleman Farmer

Category Archives: Totem Hall

Picky, Picky

24 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Gardening, Gentleman Farming, Living, Seasons, Totem Hall

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

bountiful bush bean, dark star zucchini, farm chores, heirloom vegetables, kitchen garden, lioness f1 squash, organic gardening, plants, procrastination, solstice, sumter cucumber, tequila sunrise pepper, vegetable garden, vegetables, victory garden

Most folks call it a vegetable garden.

most say this is a vegetable garden…

Others prefer to use kitchen garden.

some say this is a kitchen garden…

Me, well, for me I go old school; it’s a victory garden.

i love the smell of veggies in the morning…

Here at Totem Hall we let our freak flag fly and do our best to live the whole granola crunching organic lifestyle. Let’s see, for this year’s edition of my victory garden, I planted corn, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, basil, eggplant, tomatoes, watermelon, and, for the sheer heck of it all, potatoes. All are organic, with a big percentage of my garden being heirloom varieties. In case you’re curious, I do talk to my plants. Why not, it works for Zonker.

zonker’s down with it…

On solstice day, I had the first picks of the season. Yeah, yeah, I know the harvest should be earlier, but what can I say, I planted way too late, a victim of well, my tendency to do this or that before doing this or that.

in search of zucchini...

in search of zucchini…

our first squash...

our first squash…

picking bush beans...

picking bush beans…

and the end result...

and the end result…

 

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Flower Porn – Just One

20 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Gardening, Totem Hall

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

flowers, french 75's, french 78's, grill, king salmon, lilies, nature, plants, pool parties, witty banter

More than the swimming, more than my French 78’s, more than my grilled King Salmon, or my witty banter, the guests at our first pool party of the season were all about a singular flower that I had never noticed before.

i'm guessing lily...

i’m guessing lily…

I so do get it…

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Adjust This, Cowboy…

19 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Gentleman Farming, Totem Hall

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

adjustment bar, bad innuendo, field mow, fieldwork, frozen, nuts and bolts, taylor pittsburgh mower deck

My bar needs adjusting. There, I needed to say that, just for laughs and giggles, and well because my bar really does need adjusting.

the adjustment bar...

the adjustment bar…

For those who just can’t get through the day without knowing, the adjustment bar helps with a mower deck’s angle of attack. You see, most folks tend to have the front of their deck too high in relation to the back. This will lead to backside dragging (a problem whether you’re a human or a machine), which results in blown out, abused, and otherwise perfectly trashed back panels. A little adjustment here, a little adjustment there, and before you know it, the front side has the most is the perfect pitch to the back and you get the most loveliest of mows.

no saggy back end here...

no saggy back end here…

At least that’s how it works in theory. In my reality, I adjusted too hard, cranked one too many times, which, as you can see by my ruts in the dirt, led to a not particularly aesthetic finish. Adding insult to injury, my nut froze to my bolt. The only solution: saw it in two.

those damned ruts...

those damned ruts…

frozen...

frozen…

I leave you to think about that for a bit…

 

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Magic Carpet Ride (Part 1)

17 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Interiors, Passages, Totem Hall

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

8-track cassette, area rugs, bongs, floors, heart pine, master bedroom, pong, shag carpet, the 70's, wall-to-wall carpet, wings haircut

childhood living…

Growing up as I did a child of the 70’s, shag carpet stretching from corner to corner in colors not found nature were as much a core tenant to my existence as the 8-track cassette, Pong, and for that matter, bongs.

As I gained awareness and said goodbye to my platform shoes and wings haircut, I swore that never again would I live with wall-to-wall carpet, shag or not, and for the most part, I haven’t. Here at Totem Hall, our floors are overwhelmingly heart pine. To protect the floors, to provide comfort, and, of course, show off interesting visual patterns and textures, we use area rugs, mostly old, mostly well loved.

First of a series, I’ll start today with pattern snippets from the rugs of the master bedroom.  Please excuse any obvious need for cleaning or vacuuming.

my bedside, one of a matching pair...

my bedside, one of a matching pair…

foot of the bed...

foot of the bed…

my dressing area...

my dressing area…

not my dressing area...

not my dressing area…

 

 

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Farm Fashionable

17 Thursday Apr 2014

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Gentleman Farming, Passages, Style, Totem Hall

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

arrow, brooks brothers, business chores, clothing, cov-ver, farm chores, filson, fishing, hay, hens, home chores, hunting, jc penny, koi fish, long leaf pine, polo ralph lauren, quarter horses, russell moccasin, sears, st. john's bay, wigwam

clothes of the trade...

clothes of the trade…

Back in the day, before the deluge of the modern mail order catalog, I eagerly used to await the latest Sears or JC Penny wish book. Once I had the catalog in my hands, I would carefully go through the pages, picking this and that for some vaguely defined executive future. Happily ensconced in the world of Sears and JC Penny, I put together many an outfit to wear to the office, on the golf course, at supper, in the garden.

Here we are now; flashed forward forty plus years, and those early dreams of an outfit here and an outfit there did not quite turn out as planned. Dress at Totem Hall is nothing but practical. Horses, chickens, pine trees, hay fields, vegetable crops, fruit trees, and koi fish demand nothing less, and those are just the living entities that want attention. I have not mentioned the pool, barn, home, fencing, drive, studio, well house, all of which have their particular care and needs.

Above, spread out over the bed, is my day. Below is my day, in detail.

the basics...

the basics…

• Underwear
Brooks Brothers and Polo Ralph Lauren
(age and, well, age means boxers instead of briefs)
(southern boys always wear crew neck tee shirts, always)

the arrow collar man...

the arrow collar man…

• Shirt
Brooks Brothers
(the ubiquitous button down, worn out, frayed, usually Brooks Brothers)

might as well have the best...

might as well have the best…

• Pants
Filson
(if there is a better pair to hunt, fish, farm, garden, chore, or spreadsheet in, show me)

these boots are made for...

these boots are made for…

• Socks & Boots
Wigwam and Russell Moccasin
(heavy-duty, warm, need to fill the boots)
(ma’am, just bury me in my boots, please)

warmth...

warmth…

• Jacket
St. John’s Bay
(goodwill find, wish it had pockets, absolutely love it and I like browns)

the finishing touch...

the finishing touch…

• Hat
Cov-Ver
(my best buddy, very floppy, much worn in, much loved)

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Early Morning Early Morning

14 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Family, Passages, time, Totem Hall

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

boarding school, boon companion, children, chores, living room

My buddy...

My buddy…

I am an early riser, and that is a good thing given all the little chores that define my day, family, farm, home, business. One of my all time, absolute, favorite duties is waking my youngest up so he and I together can pull our collective selves together and make our way to his day school. This morning, like so many more before it, started with me quietly going up the stairs, turning on lights, gently shaking my son awake. He never pops right up, takes after his mother on that account. Back downstairs in the living room, making my way to the kitchen, and my misplaced cup of coffee, I suddenly realized that all this is no more this time next year. You see my youngest, like his older brother before him, is off to boarding school. In a bit of a panic, I looked around, taking in the sights, and the silence, particularly the silence, for, as I said, the boy takes a bit a time get up and running. Anyway, as I stood contemplating the silence, and the passage of time, I took several pictures with my trusty iPhone, which I now share with you, my dear reader.

Not that tall...

Not that tall…

What was her life...

What was her life…

Old and broken...

Old and broken…

Throw...

Throw…

Loose art...

Loose art…

More curios...

More curios…

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Curioser & Curioser

08 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Passages, Totem Hall, Totems

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Buddhas, cabinets, curios, Julian Barnes, Lewis Carroll, memory

Underneath the watchful eye...

Underneath the watchful eye…

And behind the "looking" glass...

And behind the “looking” glass…

Oh, well, yes, I really do owe Lewis Carroll an apology. Curious curios collected over the years, each one with a story, a memory, even though some of those stories and memories are lost to time, or distorted by time, kind of like a Julian Barnes story.

Campari...

Campari…

Rocking horse...

Rocking horse…

Magic bus...

Magic bus…

Eskimo...

Eskimo…

What we collect, what does that say about us, right? And further, where we place, how we place our little objects, what too does that say about us? It caught my eye; it means something. I must have it, cherish it, forever. It will look just right, right here…

Friends...

Friends…

Henny penny...

Henny penny…

Our little world...

Our little world…

The moon belongs to everyone...

The moon belongs to everyone…

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Pour a Cup & Roll Up the Sleeves…

26 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Business, Totem Hall, Weather

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

bedroom, chores, office life, paperwork, rain, south georgia room

Dame Dreary Day...

Dame Dreary Day…

It is a dreary, rainy day here at Totem Hall, which means that really I have nothing better to do than to roll up my sleeves and tackles loads upon loads of paperwork.

There is the coffee...

There is the coffee…

I find it so strange how much paper gets pushed about in this electronic age of ours.  For some reason, I remember promises made by the powers to be that things would be different.  No matter, invoices must be sorted, taxes filed, forms filled, balances balanced.

Paper scattered...

Paper scattered…

Paper not scattered...

Paper not scattered…

Of course, when all this shuffling and filing and crumpling get to be too much, I can always tuck in for a nice winter’s nap.

Hmmm...

Hmmm…

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Oh Those Winter Flowers

09 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Passages, Seasons, Totem Hall

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

cold snap, eager anticipation, flowers, kumquats, nature, plants, winter flower, winter friends

winter flower portrait #8

winter flower portrait #8

In my part of the world, winter is fast giving way to spring, albeit without a fight.  Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen record setting rains, followed by a brutish cold snap.  Through it all, flowers bloomed here and flowers bloomed there, and not just our winter friends, the camellias.  Though they made their appearance in town, out in the country, the only ones missing from the party are our daffodils and paper whites.  The wonder and beauty of flowers, of course, is the ability to take a snip, or two, and bring that wonder and beauty inside, something I have been able to do every day this winter, which is truly a blessing.  Anyway, to celebrate another morning of freezing temperatures, and in eager anticipation of spring, I present a collection of some of our winter flowers taken out, and about, at the Hall.

winter flower portrait #6

winter flower portrait #6

winter flower portrait #4

winter flower portrait #4

winter flower portrait #17

winter flower portrait #17

okay, not a winter flower portrait, but still...

okay, not a winter flower portrait, but still…

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Rain, Rain Redux

25 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Nature, Totem Hall, Weather

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Tags

balcony, library, measurements, rain, screen porch, south georgia room, tree frogs

Totem Hall Entry Rain Study #3

Totem Hall Entry Rain Study #3

The rains came and came and came some more.

South Georgia Room Rain Study #2

South Georgia Room Rain Study #2

These are some straight up facts.

  • 00.07 inches per hour
  • 04.37 inches per day
  • 04.42 inches last 24 hours
  • 11.26 inches this month
  • 12.27 inches this year
Screen Porch Rain Study #2

Screen Porch Rain Study #2

The tree frogs are enormously happy…

Library Rain Study #1

Library Rain Study #1

Balcony Rain Study #1

Balcony Rain Study #1

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Recent Background Noise

Perhaps my ennui stems from David Bowie's death. I read somewhere that we should consider ourselves lucky to have lived at the same time he did. I do. Many years ago, there was a girl in my secondary school, Debbie P., who was very hip, very groovy, and very pretty. Now I attended Catholic schools and so, as you might imagine, we had to wear uniforms, except, of course, for after-school activity, and that's where I get to the point of the story. Our school was putting on its big play of the year, I had a small part, Debbie was working backstage. One evening during rehearsal she showed up wearing a Ziggy Stardust tee-shirt. I was young, naive, not hip, not groovy, and not knowing who the ambiguous Ziggy might be. During the weekend that followed that rehearsal, I went to a record store and discovered just what David Bowie was all about. It was a transforming experience. Now some forty years later, I farm, David is dead, and Debbie is into Christian rock bands. Did I say ennui...

Recent Bedside Read

Granny's Wonderful Chair is still my bedside read for reasons discussed nearby...

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