Day #4: Home Improvements

On this, the fourth day of not making fun of my husband, I thought I’d showcase a couple of the improvements that he has brought to our old farmhouse. As a side note, I have to give thanks to my father-in-law Mark as well, as he is always there to lend a hand. I know that if blogging had been around when my In-Laws first moved to the farm, my mother-in-law Connie would have had plenty of her own quirky farm stories to share.

So the first of the home improvements that I would like to highlight is that of our bathroom. First, Xandy built doors for all of the cabinets:

We also painted the walls, but I hate the Barney-Puked-All-Over-The-Walls Color which was also chosen by my “I don’t want any strong colors in the house” husband — but I digress…

The most impressive improvement thus far is the floor:

The ash for the floor was harvested from our woodlot and sawed at our sawmill.

The sawmill is, unfortunately for Xandy’s projects, not functioning right now. I am not too upset that it is not in working order, however, as Xandy and his father are, I believe, the only two Brown men who have worked the farm who still have all of their fingers.

Speaking of almost losing body parts, check out our new concrete lined basement:

The basement, during most times of the year, used to have 6″ of standing water in front of the furnace at all times. The dirt floor turned to a thick mud during those times. Putting wood in the furnace was always a joy!

Xandy helped to spread this concrete wearing SHORTS and rubber boots. Later that night, as he rifled through the cabinets in bathroom, I heard a, “Honey, do we have any Bacitracin?” and panicked. Xandy NEVER asks for medicine. He proceeded to lift the Dickies he later put on to show me the most horrific chemical burns on his legs that I have ever seen.

“I was wondering why my legs itched so much,” he said.

After a quick Google search, I came up with a concoction of white vinegar and water to neutralize the reaction. Vinegar — on red, oozing burns — let’s just say long pants will now always be worn during concrete spreading.

Did I just make fun of him?

Tomorrow — Day #5 — Farm Improvements.