Sunday, September 27, 2015

The French Farmhouse: Welcome to Our World

Welcome to the home of Marcel and Lisbette Filibert. They have looked forward to meeting you and showing you their farmhouse, where Marcel has lived for his entire life, and where he brought Lisbette to live after their marriage. Three daughters and one son were born to Lisbette and Marcel in this house, but their daughters have married and have established their own households. Only Etienne, Marcel and Lisbette's fourteen year old son, remains to help with the farm labor. There is always much work to be done, but there is time today for the family to greet visitors. Although theirs is a humble home, the Filiberts possess much pride of ownership and feel honored to share some bits of information about their home and its history.




 
Please come inside! Lisbette is waiting for you at the front door of the farmhouse, just underneath the wisteria vine. The door opens directly into the one main room of their house, which is sufficient for most of their needs. 



The heart of the Filibert's home is the fireplace. It is fitted with a crane and pot hooks. Cooking pots,  kettles, a trivet, and other cooking utensils are arranged along the hearth and in front of it.



Lisbette finds the shelves that are built near the fireplace useful for storing her crocks, pottery, and a few pieces of pewter.



Lisbette keeps the bread that she bakes weekly in the wall-hung bread box. Her wooden dough bowl and other baking supplies are close at hand on the top of the dough trough; she also has storage space inside the dough trough for other kitchen necessities.



After a hard day's labor, Marcel enjoys resting on the wooden settle, which has a  hinged seat that opens for storage. Marcel's pipe and tobacco are nearby, beside the one book that he owns. Marcel is very thankful that he was taught to read when he was young; he taught Lisbette to read as well early in their marriage. Together they tutored their daughters, and now Marcel or Lisbette spends some time daily teaching Etienne. Lisbette often listens to Marcel read as she sews or churns.



A trestle table, flanked by benches, is placed in the center of the main room, convenient for meals and for use as a work space. This is where Lisbette will invite you to sit presently when she serves you some refreshment. Customarily, you would be served a bowl of hot soup with crusty bread in the bottom of the bowl; but since you are a special guest, Lisbette has made a pot of strong, delicious coffee, which I'm sure you can smell already. I'm not at liberty to disclose Lisbette's source for the coffee that she serves on rare occasions; but you will not soon forget that rich, earthy flavor.



A shallow stone sink is built into the wall on one side of the fireplace. The sink must be filled by buckets of well water. The used water is drained into a bucket beneath the sink; it can then be used to water plants or for cleaning chores. Lisbette will soon use the sink to wash a pail full of newly dug potatoes. 



This is Lisbette's favorite chair, which she uses for many tasks, one of which awaits her now. Etienne has brought in a basket of apples from their tree, and although preparing the apples is woman's work, Etienne sometimes slyly takes a turn at the apple peeling so that he can enjoy a few tasty bites.

The curtained doorway near the clock leads to Marcel and Lisbette's bedroom. 



Lisbette takes great pride in the new bed, which they have owned for only a short time. Lisbette cannot get used to the spaciousness of the bedroom after sleeping for many years in the crowded space of the main room. Now that the three daughters of the house have married and moved to their own homes, the bedroom once again belongs to Marcel and Lisbette, who probably appreciate it more than their daughters ever did!



Marcel uses this chest for his shaving items, and Lisbette stores linens and clothing inside the chest; at the bottom is a drawer where Lisbette stores some of her most often used things.

Before you go downstairs to the "work" areas of the farm, Lisbette will be pleased to serve you coffee, along with new bread and sweet butter that she made earlier this morning, after she finished the milking. I'm sure that you will savor it all.



The stairs are steep and well worn, so please step carefully as you make your way down to the farmyard.



The farmhouse was built as a high house; the barn and storage areas are located underneath the upper-level living space. This end of the structure also houses the dovecote, which is reached by a tall ladder that hangs on the wall beside the dovecote door.



Marcel opened the dovecote door for you, because it can be a tricky maneuver if you aren't used to doing it. The ladder should be placed firmly on the ground and reach up to just below the door. Then you must climb up the ladder high enough to unlatch and open the door, leaning far to one side so that the door doesn't hit your head as it swings open. Continue to the highest rung on the ladder and sort of crawl into the dovecote. Easy, if you've practiced it for nearly forty years, as Marcel has done! 



Marcel keeps eight pigeons; by law, he is allowed one pigeon for each acre of tilled ground. I'm glad that it's September now, because in July and August all the pigeons in all the provincial dovecotes must be shut in to protect the harvest; one pigeon can consume fifty pounds of grain in a year! To avoid extensive damage during harvest times, each farmer must feed his own pigeons from his own grain supply. Now Marcel can allow his pigeons to fly freely again and forage for themselves, and you can go freely into the dovecote and look around.



I count three pigeons on the terra cotta nesting pots; the others must be away at the moment.



 Marcel and Etienne clean the dovecote floor daily to collect the pigeon droppings, which they use to fertilize their crops. Apparently, they do not clean the walls.

Now you will need to carefully back out of the dovecote door and find your footing on the ladder rungs. Then you can climb safely down. Ah. Terra firma! Did you breathe a sigh of relief? (Even simple things in life can be fraught with anxiety!)



 Marcel has brought in a load of grapes from their small vineyard. He will find time in a while to squeeze the juice from the grapes. It's an interesting, although messy, task. If you'd like to watch the process, remember to stand well away from the spattering juice.  



 You've reached the entrance to the wine store, which is located beneath the dovecote at the west end of the farmhouse.  



Because the ground floor temperature is fairly constant, this is a superior place for Marcel to store the wine for his family's personal use.



Lisbette's baking day has diminished the woodpile; Etienne will have an extra chore tomorrow.



 Lisbette has provided Marcel and Etienne with a convenient wash bench near the stairs that lead up to the family living quarters. Marcel has wisely removed his muddy boots before venturing into the kitchen; he has experienced Lisbette's wrath on the rare occasions when he wasn't so wise! 

One of the farm cats enjoys the afternoon sunshine on the sun-warmed garden chair. 



 An assortment of farm tools and implements are stored neatly out of the way on the walls at either side of the wide barn entrance.



 Someone unwittingly left a barrow of onions at the barn's entrance! Etienne should hurry to move them out of reach of the cows. No one in this family likes onion-flavored milk!



The two Guernsey milk cows seem unaware of the tasty onions within reach; they're content to munch on their dinner of hay.



This manger holds the daily hay; Lisbette's milking stool stands nearby. 



The farmhouse draws its water supply from a shallow "balancing well," which is operated by a lever  attached to a water bucket and a chain.



Two washtubs hang on an outside wall, convenient for Lisbette's washdays, which are less frequent than she would like; but water is at a premium at all times. The larger tub also serves as the family bathtub, which is seldom used; but Lisbette sees that her family makes liberal use of a washcloth and soap!

 Etienne can keep an eye on the rabbits from his room just a few steps away.



Only a low wall with a wooden gate separates Etienne's small room from the main part of the barn.




 Fortunately, he's too busy - and often too tired - to notice the lack of either space or privacy in his sleeping area at the end of the barn, which he shares with the workbench and tools for the farm.   



The upper and lower bedroom windows are visible from this end of the house.



Six hens and a rooster currently reside in the chicken coop that is located at the east end of the house.



The rooster presumptuously prefers a window roost to the one provided for him in the coop.



The modern-day construction of the French Farmhouse has drawn to a close, and this has been a farewell visit to Marcel and Lisbette's home. They are hereto transported back to the quiet contentment of a less hectic age and will resume their lives in the year 1853. Although their more primitive environment will hold great hardships and hard labor, their happiness and satisfaction with their lot will also be great. Life will be good.

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This is the Real-World habitat of the French Farmhouse and the New Mexico Adobe House. The table that Robert built holds both the houses with just enough space to spare and resides in the basement family room of our Lincoln, Nebraska home. Above the adobe house hangs a large watercolor depicting the Taos Pueblo in Northern New Mexico. There is also a pencil sketch drawn by Robert of the same pueblo, and a smaller photograph of a portion of the adobe house that I owned when I lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Above the French Farmhouse hangs an old print entitled "The Haymaking," by Leon Augustin L'Hermitte.




19 comments:

  1. Hi Marjorie! I feel transported back in time as well as educated about farm life in the mid-1800's! What a journey you have taken me on and with such skill did you relate the story of Marcel and Lisbette and their hard-working son Entienne.
    I am Fascinated by all of the details of this build, both the house and the farm. You have made every aspect of it interesting and alive with activity. I didn't know that farmers were only allowed a certain amount of doves, or how much the birds consumed. What did they keep them for though? To eat?, send messages? or were they just kept for their droppings?
    Love the cows too, and that includes BOTH OF THEM!!! :D The chickens, the cat and the rabbits, the well and the bake oven with the wood chips trailing away from the wood pile..... Awk!!!! There is just so much to see and to enjoy! :D I love the interior too with the thickness of the walls giving the rooms a coolness from the heat outside. The butter churn in front of the settle, the single book, the shaving apparatus in the reclaimed master bedroom and all of the useful kitchen implements and crockery.... again, this is all a FEAST for the EYES! Thank you for this MARVELOUS JOURNEY to southern France Marjorie, where the grapes grow fat and juicy and the wisteria grows fragrant and free! :D

    I loved every inch of it

    elizabeth

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    1. Hi Elizabeth, and thank you for all the compliments; I really appreciate such positive feedback, especially following a long project like this one - and a very long post! I'm so happy that I didn't lose you along the way! In answer to your question about the purpose of the doves, their primary purpose was to provide their droppings for use as fertilizer. Apparently, pigeon fertilizer was so rich that it had to be diluted - and the droppings were often bequeathed in wills! ?? But the birds provided eggs to eat as well, and of course the pigeons were tasty - and they breed rapidly, so they were a convenient and reliable food source. Thanks for your interest - and thank you for those lovely words: "Where the grapes grow fat and juicy and the wisteria grows fragrant and free!" Memorable words - and I will remember them!

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  2. Wow what an amazing house and an amazing journey you have taken us on. I love everything about this house and the realism is fantastic. Thank you for taking me on such a wonderful tour.
    Hugs Maria

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    1. Hello Maria,
      I'm so glad to know that you like the French farmhouse. Thank you for joining the tour! I appreciate hearing from you.
      Marjorie

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  3. Me ha encantado hacer este viaje por el tiempo y la historia de la preciosa casa de campo,es maravillosa!!!! Dan ganas de poder hacer una visita a la familia y pasar una temporada con ellos,gracias por todas las explicaciones!!
    Me gusta especialmente la cocina!!!!
    Besos.

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    1. Thank you, Pilar, for such nice comments on the French farmhouse! I'm so happy that you liked the tour of the house and farmyard. I understand how you feel about being able to spend more time with the family. I feel that way myself! (I'm going to miss them, even if they are living in my basement.)
      Marjorie

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  4. Привет Marjorie! Вы воплотили в жизнь грандиозный проект! Ферма выглядит реалистично! Это гигантский труд и великое терпение! Я читала сообщение с большим интересом. Вы продумали все! Ваш труд вызывает огромное уважение. Я поздравляю вас с окончанием проекта!
    Татьяна

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    1. Hello Tatiana, and thank you for coming along for the tour of the French farmhouse! I appreciate your thoughtful and complimentary comments. I'm sorry that the project has come to an end - it took a very long time, (and it did require great patience at times) and I'll miss it. But there's another project soon to come!
      Marjorie

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  5. Hello Marjorie,
    What an incredible visit. The first picture just blew me away. The main room is wonderful. I love the fireplace and your wonderful collection of pottery. The touches of blue really bring the room to life. You8 have amazing furniture. You know I love the breadbox, but the settle and trestle table are superb. The floor really stands out and is fantastic. The bedrooms are so warm and welcoming. Your ageing looks so incredibly realistic. Outdoors the wine store and the baking oven are absolutely perfect. Your project is such an incredible success. Well done. I am happy you have such a terrific display. Both houses look lovely!
    Big hug
    Giac

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    1. Hello Giac,
      I am happy that you're happy with my farmhouse project! Thank you for all the wise comments and all the encouragement that you've offered throughout these Farmhouse Blogposts. I truly did have a wonderful and satisfying time during the entire construction period - it's hard to have it come to an end! I appreciate all the very nice things that you've said about each phase of construction, including this last post. Thank you. But don't go away. I'll be back!
      Marjorie

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    2. Hello Marjorie,
      Fear not, I'm not going anywhere...you're stuck with me! ;)
      Big hug
      Giac

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  6. Such attention to detail and history. You've done a simply stupendous job on this project. Everything is incredibly realistic and clearly done with love. Bravo!

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    1. Hello, Claudia - How nice of you to stop by for the French Farmhouse tour! You are very welcome to visit anytime. Thank you for your interest and for the very nice words!
      Marjorie

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  7. Marjorie, both of houses look amazingly really. I'm watching each space, each detail (I adore Marcel's pigeons!)...you have done great work.
    Warm hugs !
    Magda

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  8. Thank you, Magda. I'm glad that you enjoyed the "tour" of the farmhouse. I'm a little sad that all the blogging about the house is finished; I'm going to miss it! But I'm starting a new project, and I'll get to share more posts about that soon. So stay tuned!
    Marjorie

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  9. Wow!!! How much it is beautiful!!!!! These all beautuful,climatic details!!!! I adore your work!!!♥♥♥AMAZING

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  10. Hello Niele - So sorry that I didn't see your very nice comment earlier - but my appreciation is just as great, although a little late! Thank you for taking the time to write a note; I'm happy that you like the French Farmhouse.
    Marjorie

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  11. what a great scenography!
    brilliant!
    you have a talent:)
    Best regards:)
    M.Arta

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  12. what a great scenography!
    brilliant!
    you have a talent:)
    Best regards:)
    M.Arta

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear your comments!