Dreaming of summertime.

 

Should I let them grow.  They're blocking the barn door.

I noticed the seedlings early in the Spring but I didn't have the heart to pull them out

Besides,  I was hoping that it would be the elusive peach colored hollyhock which has disappeared from my garden.

I decided that one door is not so important when there are 5 other doors in and out of our Barn.

 I can walk through them.  They don't mind

 

I never know what color they will be

Did you know that Hollyhocks make great cut flowers? 

Have a wonderful weekend dear friends. 

It's going to snow around these parts. 

Gina 

Priorities and a challenge.

What is more important?

The flower or the door?

I noticed the seedling early in the Spring but I didn't have the heart to pull it out.  

Besides,  I was hoping that it would be the elusive peach colored hollyhock which has disappeared from my garden.

I decided that one door is not so important when there are 5 other doors in and out of our Barn.

There are 4 side doors and 2 very large barn doors.
Hand built by Mr G. before the barn was begun.  

 Now here was the challenge. 

The width of the gray trim around each door and each window is different. 

However, on the facade I wanted the space for the yellow stucco to be the same between all of the doors and all of the windows. 

How would you have measured the placement of each door and each window?

Our (substitute) builder couldn't figure it out. 

3 years of drafting school in East Germany came in handy when I took my completed drawings to the County Engineer's office. 

May all your riddles be easy challenges.  

Gina

How did he do it? An interview with my husband

We needed Barn Doors. Who is going to build them for us?

Don't you love my stork towers?

Where did the idea come from I asked him? He is always driving. How much can you see while navigating the roads of northern Italy?


You see lots of yellow stucco buildings with red tile roofs. And you see barns with little square windows and large barn doors. He came home and knew exactly how to build our barn doors better than anything we had seen in Italy.

My favorite building and my garden

Our builder didn't want to tackle the doors. The local millwork shop didn't know how to support the heavy doors, each weighing more than 400 pounds.

My non building, business executive husband came up with a very novel idea. Not only did he hand build each door but he also had the metal fabricating shop manufacture 4 steel plates (2 for the front and 2 for the back ) each measuring 8 feet tall. The steel plates were to act as "washers".

The heavy doors were hung onto the metal plates, of course. Problem solved.

The builder sent over his workmen to study the new invention.

I have told you before, I have a very smart husband.

Gina