Tag Archives: old house

The oldest house

Posted on September 11, 2022 | Comments Off

I have mentioned several times over the history of this blog how rural and sparsely populated this area is. In fact, until just last year, we were the only county in the state that didn’t even have a stoplight…and we were proud of it.

But times change.

This was brought home to me last week as I pulled out of our driveway and drove down our short road. I noticed a new house being built. Well, I knew it was being built; it’s a former neighbor who is moving back to the area. We’re happy as they were good neighbors.

This set me to thinking about all the new houses that have cropped up since we moved here over 35 years ago. At that time there were only six houses on the whole two and a half mile road. Now there are twelve. Yeah, I know, not many but still doubled.

This led me to reflect upon which house was the oldest house. And…it’s OURS!

When we bought this house at auction (that is a lot of money to spend at the drop of a hammer), it was in the position where it could have been rented out and run into the ground in about ten years, or someone could put some money into it and fix it up. We chose to do the latter. We had been looking for a place such as this for over a year. We could either find a house in the country with no property, or property with no house. Despite what the Hallmark channel would have you believe, it’s difficult to find a nice old home in the country. Still a desirable goal but increasingly scarce.

The road out front was gravel (since paved). We do have city water but it had only been in for about three months which is probably why there wasn’t too much competition for the home (few people knew about the city water which would have made the property more valuable.) It’s also only a few miles from the state’s largest natural recreation area, a desirable place. But it’s the setting that everyone always comments on as they drive up. The house sits in the middle of the property. We found a cornerstone that dates it to 1883 but I think it’s probably about forty years older. Probably an original land grant, several of which we saw when we were in the market.

The front of the house is log with layers of clapboard, insulation, and siding on the outside, and lath and plaster, new drywall inside. The walls are about a foot thick which makes for a very quiet home. I’ll regale you with all our adventures in remodeling a house this old some other time.

I’ve often reflected on why someone would build a house in the middle of the property rather than on the road with easier access. The road used to kick up lots of dust but this was before automobiles. Probably because the house site is flat with several close water sources – creeks, dug wells, springs, etc. I have also noticed over the years that we found many pottery shards and Indian artifacts, chips, etc. This may have been a dwelling site long before the country was settled. The attraction of water sources, abundant wildlife, a large river a few miles away would have been the same for native Americans as they were for settlers.

This also led me to reflect on the house numbering system. (I had a lot of time to think on the drive that morning.) There are some places in Japan where the house numbering system is based on the age of the dwelling. The first house on the block is number 1, the second house on the block is number 2, etc. That is totally confusing for a person who was raised in the Midwest where roads are laid out in grids, usually of a mile. How does anyone find a house in the Japanese system? Do people go around and around the block until they spot the desired number?

I am not an historian but I do enjoy learning how a community or area got settled. It reminds me of Pete Hammill’s book Downtown: My Manhattan, Harriette Simpson Arnow’s Flowering of the Cumberland, and other similar stories. Who came first? What was it like then? Why was this area selected? I’m sure that your local library, county museum, or historical society can direct you to information on the settling of your own locale.

Anyway, these are some random thoughts I had on a little trip to town the other day.

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Posted in country living, old house, Uncategorized

Tagged country living, indiana, old house, renovation

Putting things into perspective – not talking about art

Posted on March 15, 2020 | 8 comments

Sunrise, a new day, a new beginning.

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you. Helen Keller

I don’t usually comment on current events or situations, but I thought I’d do a little reflecting on the current situation that is occupying everyone’s minds these days. With the craziness of people hoarding toilet paper or buying twenty pound bags of rice and beans, I’d like to add a few of my own thoughts on the matter

We live in a 140 year old house. I often think about how many chicken dinners were cooked in the kitchen. How many people have passed through the doors over the years. That the former owners lived without electricity or central heat or running water and some of that wasn’t really that long ago. They boiled their clothes in a tub outside. When we first moved here, there was an outhouse in the backyard. Although we removed it, it sure would have been handy when the kids were little so they didn’t have to come in the house to use the bathroom.

Our place is about twenty-five miles from the nearest real grocery, not counting the local dollar store for bread and milk. This means we keep the cupboards stocked a little better than most. But we also grow a pretty good sized garden which helps.

The power goes out once in a while when a storm has knocked a tree onto the lines. We’re prepared with oil lamps (yes, you can still buy those at farm supply stores), or kerosene heaters, or a camp stove. We don’t have to use those items often, but they’re handy. When Hurricane Ike rolled through the Midwest in 2008, the power was out for five days. Fortunately it was summer so we just opened the windows and “pioneered” it. Our teenagers took off to stay with friends when the batteries in their devices ran down. My husband and I enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Although we’re both retired now and don’t have to go anywhere, we’ve got plenty to occupy our time. Clean up after-winter debris and prepare the garden for planting. Finally get around to cleaning those attics. Painting, of course. Plenty of reading material. Go fishing or biking or hiking.

We still have electricity and running water. Really, folks, I don’t think those things are going away during this crisis. The factories are still making toilet paper and food deliveries will still arrive from the warehouses. Be patient and put things into perspective.

I have people from all over the world who follow this blog. Many are not so fortunate as we are regarding supplies and medical resources. Let us be grateful for what we do have. Many of you are working from home or have restricted activities. Why not take this time to enjoy your families? Try a new recipe or two or ten. Pretend you’re on Chopped and see what you can concoct just from your cupboards. Spend some time with your kids or significant other. Write your memoirs or plant some seeds. Call your parents. When was the last time you talked to an old friend? Now might be a good time to catch up. Try a new hobby, particularly if you already have the equipment sitting in the closet or basement.

Maybe we can all view this time of uncertainty and turmoil as an opportunity to reset. Turn your faces towards the sun and feel the warmth.

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Posted in country living, old house, opinion

Tagged country living, gardening, old house

Do plants move?

Posted on April 21, 2019 | Comments Off

This is a follow-up to my post last Wednesday about some spring flowers. As you can see, more flowers are blooming.

Red Trillium. This lovely wildflower just popped up next to my studio this year. This is the first time in three decades that we have seen this plant here and have no idea how it got there.

Today I had a surprise. As I was doing some mushroom hunting – right next to the house is the best place actually – I discovered this beautiful red trillium. This is the first time that I’ve ever seen this trillium in this place. Yes, up in the big woods which is half mile away, but never close to the house.

So my question is this, how did the flower get here? Were the roots in the ground for decades? Did some animal move it there? Sometimes it’s easy to see how plants move from one place to another. (I’ll rant about the Russian Olives that the DNR planted over at the lake which is two miles away and which are now establishing themselves here, but that’s a story for another day.)

From one little patch of flowers, these delicate Virginia Bluebells have now established themselves all over. And I plan to move them into the woods very soon. They die back after blooming to totally disappear until next year.

Here are the Virginia bluebells. When we moved here, there was only one small patch in front of the house, over fifty yards away. Now they spring up in the most unusual places. This patch is behind the dog house. However, they’re so beautiful with their pinky turning to sky blue flowers. And they totally disappear after blooming until next year.

Columbine is a beautiful, delicate flower which self-propagates through prolific seed production.

These columbine are very prolific. I planted one plant fifteen years ago. They have now established in many areas. Their seed pods practically explode but I really don’t mind these flowers as they are so pretty and delicate.

These beautiful old-stock lilacs were here when we arrived. They were probably shared from someone else’s garden, as we have since shared them with others. That is how old plants moved.

Finally, this is a beautiful old lilac. I have a few bushes around the yard but have often dug up starts to replant elsewhere. Today, I noticed one that I had my son plant along the road ten years ago is now blooming next to the mailbox. My son has some starts from the same bush at his home.

Not in bloom now is some golden sedum which has popped up in the most unusual places. Or the jungle of forsythia bushes which are now also planted along the road. They’ll get a hard pruning when they finish blooming.

So, how do plants move? Well, obviously humans have some influence, and birds dropping seeds. But otherwise, I’d like to believe that it’s magic, maybe faeries or garden elves who are just having fun with us. Hey, it could be true.

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Posted in country living, garden

Tagged bluebells, columbine, country living, flowers, gardening, indiana, lilacs, moving plants, old house, red trillium, trillium, virginia bluebells

Spring has finally arrived

Posted on April 17, 2019 | Comments Off

I haven’t always had luck with tulips. They’re like candy to the deer. I planted these last fall right next to my studio. Mikey the dog will keep the critters at bay.

Spring has finally arrived in this part of Southern Indiana. It’s so beautiful that it takes my breath away. Remember that crayon you used to have in your box called Spring Green? Well, it’s all over the place now. At this old homestead (over 130 years), there are many established flowers and trees. Plus we’ve added many more in the three decades that we’ve lived here.

So I thought you’d just enjoy a walk in the country. Some of these flowers and trees are already on the wain while others have yet to bloom, the redbuds and dogwoods are just coming out now. Maybe another post about them later.

An in and out day with the scudding clouds chasing the sunshine. I love the spring greens.

Little pansies are so cheerful. These came from an early foray to the local garden center about a week ago. I couldn’t help myself.

A cheerful crab apple next to the garden. This is a start from the original which was a Mother’s Day present to me many years ago.

More tulips basking in the sunshine.

A friendly little toady emerging from the leftover leaves. He looks a little ragged. I expect he’d like a nice breakfast of some juicy bugs.

The east fields, still soggy from the night’s rain. More clouds and sun shadows.

Bluebells and narcissus. These have become naturalized in several spots of the yard and I have more plans to move some starts elsewhere this spring.

I love violets. They come in so many variations but these deep purple ones seem to be dominant.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged blue bells, country living, crabapple, crawford county, flowers, gardening, indiana, landscape, narcisus, old house, pansies, tulips, violets

A visit to the garden in late spring

Posted on June 10, 2018 | 1 comment

One of my blog readers recently asked to see more of the garden than just my flower paintings. So I thought I’d take you on a little tour.

The immediate yard around the house is about two acres and it sits in the middle of the whole property. Much of that is in woods, fields, streams and some fields. Very private. Love it.

The Big Chicken standing in a bed of Lilies of the Valley

As visitors drive up the long lane which turns at the end, they’re greeted with my giant chicken. His head bobs on a spring in the wind. Children and silly grownups like to beat on it with a stick so it sounds like a metal drum. It stands in a patch of lilies of the valley which acts as a ground cover of sorts.

The main garden, about 40 x 60.

To the left and south of the house is the main garden which is about 40 x 60. We have this plowed each spring and then I plant it in thirds, rotating crops each year. Here you can see two crops of sweet corn, many varieties of tomatoes and peppers, some eggplant, squash, beans, herbs, and always always flowers, including a whole row of sunflowers. I do all the planting and hoeing between plants. My husband rototills between rows. However, by late July, most of the garden takes care of itself.

The spring garden. Onions, garlic, pea pods, kale, asparagus patch, with spinach and lettuce bolting in the cold frame.

This is the spring garden which is pretty messy this time of year. Three kinds of onions, garlic, kale, lettuce and spinach bolting in the cold frame, asparagus, and to the far left two more kinds of squash.

Some patio pots. These are usually in direct sunlight.

I have several flowerbeds and an herb bed, but I found it easier to maintain flowers in pots. So, there is an eclectic collection of about 40. Some flowers for sun, some for shade.

More pots, this time with shade plants.

A little pot on my studio porch. Just because I had extra flowers.

At the far east side of the yard is an old perennial bed. This time of year you can find weigela, yellow garden loosetrife, lilies, lambs ear, coreopsis and much more. It’s always something. The columbine is past. Yet to bloom will be yucca, gladiolas, purple cone flower, and I have forgotten what else. And, I love my favorite flying pig garden sculpture made from old farm implements. It bounces in the wind, too.

East perennial bed with flying pig.

There is always something new to see in the garden. I tidy it up once or twice a year but am not obsessed with having every weed pulled and tamed. There are successes and failures. Some plants readily reseed themselves. Some even seem to move! The raspberries will be coming soon. The day lilies are blooming. It’s just a pleasure to walk around nearly any time of year.

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul. – Luther Burbank

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Posted in country living, garden

Tagged country living, flowers, gardening, indiana, old house

Making do – old stuff

Posted on February 4, 2018 | 2 comments

In this day of throwaway and disposables, sometimes I’m reminded of how precious the handmade and recycled objects of our lives can be. This old house is over 135 years old. The early homesteaders were very frugal and made the most of what they had.

Old sandstone stoop. See the chisel marks for the stone. The stoop was flipped over when it got worn so the bottom side shows more wear.

Here you can see the sandstone stoop for our back porch. Although sandstone hardens with exposure to the air, eventually it will wear down. In this area, worn out sandstone stoops are turned over to extend their lives.

Old sheet repair. Notice how finely this repair is made.

Here is a photo of an old sheet which received some very fine mending. Would anyone do that today? I doubt it.

Repaired window with old glazing.

This is a photo of a broken / cracked window. Instead of having it replaced, a second sheet of glass, probably from another broken pane, was cemented to this one.

Handmade door closure on attic door.

The door to the upstairs attic of my studio has a hand-carved wooden lock and uses some kind of turned wood for a knob.

Sometimes living with the past makes one think more about the things we take for granted in our lives today. Next time you’re thinking of tossing something, give some consideration if it can be reused or recycled.

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Posted in country living

Tagged country living, crawford county, indiana, kit miracle, old house

Jack Frost Visits

Posted on January 7, 2018 | Comments Off

Jack Frost on my windowpane in the studio.

After a balmy winter holiday, the temperatures in the Midwest plummeted. We recorded minus 4 degrees (F) this week. Needless to say, I’m a wuss and am not spending much time outdoors. However, even working in my studio has challenges.

As I have mentioned before, my studio is an old summer kitchen about 30 feet from the back door. It was designed when cooking was done on wood-fired cook stoves (which it actually had when we moved here.) This was to keep the heat out of the house in the summer. You’ll find one of these buildings on many old farms in southern Indiana and throughout the Midwest and South. I am lucky that ours is about 15 x 25’, which is pretty large for a summer kitchen. In this case, the family and field hands actually ate in the building. It is a perfect size for a studio.

Unfortunately, the whole purpose of the design was to keep the heat out of the house so they didn’t really care about insulating the building. Thus, it’s very drafty. Although I have a gas heater, unless I want to go broke, I keep it turned down. This week I was wearing a hat, many layers of clothing, two pairs of socks (the cold comes up through the floor), and I was still chilly.

I snapped this photo of the beautiful patterns of the frost on the windowpanes. It looks like giant feathers. With all of our insulated windows and super-heated houses, window frost has become more and more uncommon.

The beauty of nature is all around us, even in the most unlikely places.

Since I was confined to studio painting, here are a couple of my recent works. Plus, I tweaked the still life with red cabbage and artichokes that I posted on here a few weeks ago. Artists are never quite satisfied with their finished work. Renoir was known to bring his paints to gallery exhibits even after his paintings were hung, just so he could make changes. I’m not quite that bad but I might fiddle around with a painting which doesn’t quite suit me.

Here’s hoping that the weather is better where you are and that warmer days will be here soon.

Artist Still Life, oil on canvas board, 10 x 10, Kit Miracle

Down by the Creek, oil on canvas, 20 x 16, Kit Miracle

Red Cabbage and Artichoke, 18 x 24, oil on canvas, Kit Miracle. Still Life revised from previous version.

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Posted in art, country living, old house

Tagged art, contemporary impressionist, country living, indiana, jack frost, kit miracle, oil painting, old house, still life

Autumn in the country

Posted on November 5, 2017 | Comments Off

Most people think of autumn as the time to slow down, but here in the country, we have work to do before we can take it easy. We’ve had a couple of hard frosts but the weather has actually been pretty balmy in the 50s and 60s. This really helps extend the growing season here in southern Indiana.

Fall view in the country, looking down to the creek.

One of my favorite things to do is look for the hardy flowers that are still blooming, even after the frost. I still have some geraniums, alyssum, Sweet William, and even one tiny confused violet. There is almost always some flower which manages to make an appearance except in deepest winter.

Hardy flowers that survived a hard frost. Alyssum, geranium, sweet William and a tiny violet.

We also like to plant a fall garden. As you can see by the photos, the frost killed the weeds but the kale is still happily growing. The cold frame will protect some more kale and lettuce until probably early December. We’ve got fall peas growing but ….no blooms. And probably no pollinators if we did have blooms. The asparagus and garlic have been put to bed under straw.

Garlic bed under the straw and some happy kale. See how well it survived the frost which killed the weeds.

Fall peas look great but no blooms, and probably no pollinators. Note to self: plant earlier next year.

Cold frame with kale and lettuce. Asparagus bed behind under the straw. We will cover the cold frame as the weather gets colder.

My husband has a deer blind in a small grove of locust trees overlooking the bottom field and creek where we often see deer. I’m not really worried that he’s going to get a deer as he’s only gotten ONE in thirty years. But….you never know. And the toll the deer population takes on cars in this area is steep. Our family alone has hit seven deer over the years.

Deer blind overlooking the creek and lower field.

Our wood pile is growing. Today the guys dragged several logs out of the woods as it’s easier to cut and split them all in one place, plus they handle the wood less than when they cut and split it in the woods. Thanks also to our son who came home for the weekend to help out. This is hard work!

Cutting firewood on a Saturday morning in November.

The walnuts have been picked up by the boy scouts who turned them in for money at the mill. What they missed, the squirrels are tucking away.

Fall at the creek. We have several creeks but pass this one every day as we go over it on the drive.

This giant oak tree has history and is one of my favorite trees on the property. I call it The Sentinel as it “guards” the driveway.

And, it’s just a beautiful time to take a walk and enjoy the season while I can.

I hope you enjoyed your visit to our country place. Feedback is always welcome.

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Posted in country living, garden

Tagged country living, deer, gardening, indiana, kit miracle, old house

Studio visit – where the magic happens!

Posted on July 31, 2017 | Comments Off

My studio is the old summer kitchen surrounded by herbs, flowers and giant maple trees.

I love to visit the studios of other artists, to nose around and see how they work, what materials they use, how they store materials and artwork. Sometimes I get great ideas but it’s just wonderful to see what the other artists do.

So I’m inviting you to visit my studio.

Over thirty years ago, my husband and I decided to leave the corporate world and purchased a small farm in Southern Indiana. This was always a dream of mine so he mostly came along for the ride. If you are not familiar with this part of the country, it is totally beautiful with woods and fields, gently rolling hills, lakes and streams. And not too many people. I like to say it’s like New England without the crowds.

We live in a 150 year old farm house with a large garden, a couple of orchards, and plenty of the aforementioned woods and fields and streams. We raised two sons here and have enjoyed living in a county that doesn’t even have one stoplight…and we’re proud of it.

My studio is the old summer kitchen so my commute is about 30 feet from the back door. For those of you who are not familiar with this term, summer kitchens were popular in the days of wood-fired stoves to keep the heat out of the house…in the summer! They are very common on old homesteads in the midwest and south. And it’s very nice for me to have an area to keep my art separate both physically and mentally from the rest of the house.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Don’t forget to visit my art website at kgmiracle.com or my Etsy shop.

My Blue Door Studio,the old summer kitchen is about 30 feet from my back door. The blue is Electric Blue, a lucky southwest color. Hey, why not?

View from the front door through the studio. It is a two-room space.

View from my artist chair to the front door of the studio.

A broader view of the front room of the studio. This used to be the dining room for the field hands during the summer.

It may looks a bit haphazard but I know where everything is…usually.

Broader view from the back room into the front room.

This large pantry in the back room of the studio is where I store many objects for still lifes. The old wood cook stove was back here, too. I can’t imagine how many meals were fixed here, as well as all the canning that was done.

Storage is always a premium for artists. Where does one PUT all this art?

This is where the magic happens. The easel for oil painting. The flat table for watercolor and some drawing. Everything I need within a hand’s reach.

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Posted in art, country living, garden, still life

Tagged art, country living, gardening, indiana, kit miracle, oil painting, old house, southwest, studio, studio visit, summer kitchen, watercolor

You Can’t Go Home Again…or Can you?

Posted on July 12, 2017 | Comments Off

Thomas Wolfe wrote, “You Can’t Go Home Again” but I think you can. I had the opportunity to visit my hometown, Richmond, Indiana, last weekend on a plein air painting adventure with Indiana Plein Air Painters. I hadn’t been back for at least 15 years and did not have high expectations due to some economic problems that I’d heard about. I don’t know about that but the town sure looked pretty to me.

Richmond sits on the Indiana – Ohio border in the eastern center of the state. It is an old town with lots of Quaker settlement as well as many other religions. Since the late 1800s, they’ve embraced quite an art scene including one of the few in-school art museums at the local high school. I grew up thinking that everyone passed famous paintings on the way to class. Little did I know.

Richmond known for it’s beautiful Glen Miller Park and Millionaire’s row, along with some of the most exquisite old houses and varied architectural styles. I could find many subjects for painting there!

The pond at the beautiful Glen Miller park, adjacent to Millionaires Row

Typical houses in old Richmond, Indiana

The event was only one day so I decided to visit my old alma mater of Earlham College and paint Stout Meeting House. The weather was perfect with a slight breeze and a very peaceful campus due to summer break.

Plein air painting at Stout Meeting House on the campus of Earlham College

Stout Meeting House, Earlham College, Watercolor/pen and ink, 11×14, Kit Miracle

Later I took some time to visit my great-grandma’s house, one of the oldest log cabins in Wayne County. I was so pleased to see that it had been lovingly restored and looked better than when my great-grandmother lived there. No one was home but I promised myself to stop by on my next visit.