FarmHouseWifeHands

Who says wives have nice hands? I look down and first, I see my mother's hands. Then, I see hands that have weathered the demands of heating an old drafty house with wood. And countless hours washing dishes. Cleaning out water buckets for the goats and the dogs. Bathtime for toddler. Washing hands before, during, and after preparing food. And let's not forget gardening.

I have lotion in the kitchen. In the bedroom. In the bathroom. Do I put it on? YES! but then, I wash my hands or find them in some form of water, shortly thereafter. What's the point?!

Ingrown nails. Badly dehydrated and cracking, peeling cuticles. Beyond repair, it seems.

I used to have acrylic nails, getting them 'filled' every two weeks or so. I liked the way they looked. And kept polish on. Then I had my son. Haven't seen a nail salon but once or twice since, and that was for a manicure/pedicure! Do I miss having nice hands? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes. My hands are proof, to myself, that I work hard (enough).

They are my 'weather-vane' of farmlife. Through the seasons, the demands on my hands will change, and that's ok. I'll keep putting lotion on them, fruitlessly, if only to take away the "going to crack open any minute" feeling.

I have my mother's hands. They are strong, they are ugly, and they deserve appreciation.

Pekin Furniture Co

The previous owner of the house stopped by on Friday, and I had just gotten home from grocery shopping. Good thing hubby is a good host. He had put on a pot of water and offered her some hot tea. She brought with her some old articles and cutouts about the area. One of them in particular caught my eye.

(meanwhile...just know that I've attempted to get up, go get the article from the kitchen, and have managed to get sidetracked at least four times) (that said, I still don't have it. Must go get it now, focus, focus, focus! (must be fieldmouseitis again...)).

This one caught my eye.

M.E. SHAMBURGER W.H. USSERY ROBERT F. BOWLES

PEKIN STORE COMPANY

ROBERT F. BOWLES, MANAGER

DEALERS IN

GENERAL MERCHANDISE

FREIGHT AND EXPRESS OFFICE:

MOUNT GILEAD, N.C.

PEKIN, N.C., July 30 1914

I'm fascinated. Where was this store? Did it burn down? What did they have in there? Dry goods? Smoked meat? Nails? Tobacco? Back then everyone had their own cow, or goat, for milk, so there was no "running to the store" to pick up a gallon of milk. And at over $4.00 a gallon, who wants to anymore.

I paid our property taxes recently. The description of the parcel just said "Dillon Land". Rumor has it this property was sold for a whopping $600 in the 1930's. The house was only about 40 years old then.

I'm always curious when I see a deep nick or scratch in the floor or walls of this old heartpine hand-hewn house. Who did that? Was it "Pa" that dropped a hammer on the floor? Or Ma with the stove poker? There were once four fireplaces in this house. The remaining one, I'm told by my husband somberly, must come down and be rebuilt. It's painful to think of, and I am not the one who will be doing any hard labor. It's just...history. The bricks are HUGE! On one side of said fireplace the opening has been bricked in, and I kid you not, the bricks are less than half the size of the original fire-brick. The old ones crumble easy, and in my little boy's room, if you put your hand next to the right lower side, you can feel a draft. It's the oddest thing. And when it's barely 15 degrees outside, not so odd as annoying.

Anyways, about the title of this post. Speaking of old houses, and history; my husband is tearing down a house that was probably built prior to 1920 and is reclaiming any useable material from it. The picture above is what he's done with some of the interior heart pine wall boards. It has been sold, even before it was finished. Which brings me to, once again, the title of this post. I think Pekin Furniture Co., Est. 2008 has been born.

Neglect

of a blog, is what we have here folks. Not-so-much neglecting going on here at the Farm, as we've been working on the store, which hopefully soon, will be a bakery. I've had some camera issues (such as, NO camera) so I can't post pictures yet, but rest assured they will be here. Someday.

It's been nearly a month since I've updated this blog. Time flies whether you're having fun or not!

Backtrack: 8 puppies were born Thanksgiving day. Six weeks and three days old today. They got their initial round of vaccinations yesterday thanks to Kathy for the help. It's been a good many years since I poked a needle into an animal.

Fast Forward: 2 baby goats were kidded yesterday. Two males, and it's possible I may need glasses, as I first looked out towards the barn and thought there was a skunk prowling around my Nanny goat. Upon closer inspection I found two baby goats. Can't wait to love on them today! *mental note: must strip stalls and put new bedding down for pups and kids today.