No, there really aren't "vacation" days on the farm. No, not really.
Today was a very busy day. At least, I can honestly say, that most of hard work didn't involve me.
Almost 2 months ago, a large ash tree fell on our house during a storm. Well, today was the first day in the long road to actually fixing the house. DeGroot Construction was out doing demo - getting rid of debris and pulling off old, warped siding. They supported the old summer kitchen and tore down walls.
Hubby and I had come outside to see how things were progressing when Hubby noticed a pile of "stuff" on the grass nearby. He asked, "Did they find that stuff in there?". As we walked over, I saw the a piece of pottery, which I picked up and turned over. That is when I saw the words "Minnesota Stoneware Co. Red Wing" on the bottom.
I tried to keep from squealing like a little girl. I tucked it under my arm and hurried to bring it inside to wash off the dirt and grime. It is in excellent condition!
One of the guys said that they had found it in one of the walls that they were dismantling. Thank goodness they didn't just chuck it into the dumpster with the rest of the debris!
I fired off a picture on Facebook and called my Mom, an avid Red Wing Stoneware collector. She told me it looked like a spittoon and was probably pretty rare. "Take it to Larry!", she ordered!
Larry runs a fabulous Red Wing Pottery antique shop in Red Wing, MN. He is an expert on all things Red Wing Pottery. I walked into the shop, which had about half a dozen other Red Wing collectors (involved with the Red Wing Collector's Society). I have to say, I brought a bit of buzz-worthy stoneware in this morning! I may be in the next Red Wing Collector's Society newsletter! Larry confirmed it was a Lady's Spittoon and was quite rare. Everyone loved the story about where and how it was found.
This afternoon, Hubby and I harvested the garlic scapes. I proceeded to make a Walnut and Garlic Scape Pesto with Pastureland Cheddar. That only used up half (about 40) of the scapes. My hands (and breath) are quite garlicky. But, it is quite tasty.
Yes, it has been quite a day. I hope to do more posts this weekend about other things, including our Summer Festival on the Farm that we held last weekend. It was great - more the come.
