Spring So Soon?

The weather has simply been amazing; from a mild and short winter to an early spring.  Here it is the last day of March and everything is in full bloom and the weather guy is forcasting a high of 91 tomarrow!  This is the first time I've witnessed our daffadils bloom the same time as our tulips. 



Oft's Bed & Breakfast: March 29, 2012

  The growing season appears at least 4 weeks early this year.

Another spring event is restocking the pond with our fish.  In late fall, we remove our fish from our pond and drain and clean it for winter.  This gives us a chance for repairs and this spring we actually painted the bottom.  It seemed like it might have been leaking water through the pores concrete. 

Our fish stay in a 40 gallon tank in the basement during the winter.  The painted had sufficiently dried and we filled the pond and let it set for a couple of weeks.   It was time to bring them out.   

We have 3 smaller (6 inch) and one large (12) gold fish.   Its amazing how gold they are.  After draining the basement tank, the large gold fish is placed in one bucket and the smaller ones in their own.   The buckets are taken  out by the pool and pond water is slowly added over half an hour to temper them to pond conditions.  After they are use to the temperature in the pond they are released.  Its always fund watching them become reaccustom to their outdoor home.  

Winding Up the Past

We still have the family farm that was bought in 1880 by Great Granddad Eggert Oft.  The farm always game me a place where I could go out and do some manual labor and simply clear my head.  There is something about walking the same ground as my dad, grand dad and my great granddad did in the past.  I bought a mower for the ATV last year and its relaxing going out to mow the same land I did as a child growing up on the farm.  It's good to reflect on your "roots". 

Linda and I bought ourselves a little something last spring.  To recognize and celebrate the family farm we had a farm sign designed and I mounted it by the lane.  A 132 year celebration of our use of a chunk of prairie the good Lord saw fit to let our family use (with the blessing of the state tax collector).   

Cousin Mike Oft next to the Farm Sign

We had an old, very old barbed wire fence that had to be pulled out.  It dates back to granddad at least and some of the barbed wire design suggests some of the wire might go back further. 

Anyway, the fence was half a mile long; over 2,600 feet composed of antique steel posts supporting five strands of barbed wire and one strand of electrical wire.  I had planned to pull the fence in the spring but the weather was so nice in January, I jumped at it and actually got the wired pulled. 

I did it the old fashion way, the way dad would have had me do it 50 years ago.  I took one strand down at a time, starting with the electric wire.  I started on one end and walked the half mile take the wire down and when I got to the end, I turned around and started rolling it up.   I got about four roles per length.  I did that 6 times walking more than 6 miles wrapping up 3 miles of wire.  The job did in a new pair of leather gloves.

When I picked up the individual rolls it made quite a pile.  The wire was really rusty but some strands were still in usable condition.  I used them to string up a 200 yard section of fence by the Highway.  I think dad, granddad and great grandad would have approved and said; "job well done." 

Nearly 2 miles of barbed wire

Lights! Camera! ACTION!

When we opened as Oft's Bed & Breakfast we never dreamt the different types of clients we would have and not all of them stay the night.  Some simply visit to take pictures. 

We've been discovered by photographers of all types.  We've had several brides have their photographs taken here and a dress designer show cased her designs in our parlor.  Kate Walz is 14 and designs and models her own creations.  A very remarkable young lady!  Our home has also used been used as the backdrop for Senior Class pictures and even "glamour" photos. 


Kate Walz modeling one of her own designs

The most recent was a video shoot by Reliant Studios in Lincoln.  They do video promotional advertisement spots and they wanted to use an old Victorian setting to interview their CEO (who's from Arlington) and the rest of their staff for their own advertising. 

Staff Reviewing CEO's Interview

The interviews were shot in our formal parlor and we were informed they needed some "B-roll."  We found out "B-roll" was back ground or filler for the video.  They took moving shots of our Jude Box and even a zoom in of our old record player spinning away.  Below, is a shop of their set up for the phonograph the shot. 

Video Shoot at Oft's Bed & Breakfast

Does anyone out there old enough to remember the "Bob Cummings Show?"  "I think this is going to be a good one!"