The Greenhouse, Which I Hope Will Lead to the Green House

When I first acquired this land, I knew it was the right thing to do, but I didn't know just how right. I knew it was a place with great potential for a self-sustaining, self-reliant lifestyle, but it hadn't completely sunk in yet. All that it offers, and all that came with the place, much of it needed to maintain and care for it, was revealed to me day-by-day, starting with spades, hoes, and other gardening equipment. There are countless basic hand tools, everywhere you look, including loppers. Pruners, in another language. Five of them in various sizes. At least six snow shovels are keeping the faith out in the garage.

One of the best gifts that came with the house is the greenhouse. It's attached to the house, to the basement, to be exact, and set into the sloping ground around the house. It can be entered either from the outside, or from the garage style door on the end of the basement.

When I returned to Minnesota, one of the things I hoped for was a greenhouse that could be used to extend the growing season, or perhaps even be used all four seasons with heat added, along with other additions and/or modifications. The greenhouse needs some work, including a pressure washing of the roof and walls, and clearing of shrubbery around it, but it's all very possible. It once had wood heat in it, but the chimney liner would need replacing. I have a supplemental wood stove in the basement, UL approved, using the same duct work as the furnace, which uses propane, to heat the upstairs, so I could open the garage doors, when needed, and share in the heat from the wood stove, or the furnace. Sorry I'm getting so "technical." I'm thinking out loud. Sort of.

I've long had the dream of raising orchids. It is do-able with the right remodeling, given the care of these delicate and amazing plants. I would so love to have at least one of every kind. I had one in Santa Fe, named Clementine, but it's hard to move plants across the country, so she went home with the neighbor who came for the wheelbarrow. It was not easy, saying goodbye to her. She had six tendrils, yes, six, each with eight or nine blooms at the time of our parting. "Nothing is Permanent but Change," as the Chinese proverb goes, and I'm certain she was loved and well-cared for.

The greenhouse has wonderful light, of course, and good energy (I just typed god energy), so I've given some thought to other possible uses, such as an art studio, should I decide to get out my paints again and pretend I know what I'm doing long enough to maybe actually learn something. I love the cabin, but it would not be usable year-round, as it stands now. Here's another photo of it, for those who just arrived.

I do hope to do some refurbishing of it. How I will use the cabin is what my imagination is for.

When I was first led to this property, I saw a small greenhouse attached to the side of the wood shed, once used, but not in some time. The real discovery came, though, after I bought it and went exploring.

There is another small greenhouse built onto the back of the shed. It, too, has not been used for awhile. I can only speculate, and believe me I have, about its purpose, sitting there behind the shed, amongst a semi-circle of pines and shrubbery. Hmmmm.....  British actress, Brenda Blethyn, for some reason, is coming to mind.

Anyway, here's another photo of the greenhouse, for which I intend to find the perfect purpose. And, just for the record, I don't intend to supplement my retirement years.

Please allow me to introduce Cassie, she asked to come home with me when I was visiting Home Depot. I was looking for a pink one to remind me of Clementine, but Cassie simply would not take no for an answer. Isn't she a beaut?