Category: Uncategorized

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

 Now there’s a good book, and I bet you thought this might be a very interesting post.   I wish I had something witty to write here, but alas, the reason it sits up there as the post title is because these fountains I’ve been drooling over at the local garden center remind me of those old Savannah gardens.

One of my most favorite things to do this time of year is browse the local greenhouses.  I rarely leave empty-handed, and today it took much willpower to walk away from these fountains without a purchase.  Could have something to do with the fact that it would require a second mortgage or a big lottery win.  

   Savannah… Someday I’ll get there for atleast a visit… it’s on my list.  Perhaps I can convince the Man that it would be cheaper to just buy the  fountain. …for now.

Shutter Island

   I haven’t seen the movie yet, but the book is mind-bendin. If you’re looking for a page turner that keeps you on the edge of your seat, this is it.  I also read Mystic River by the same author, Dennis Lehane.   A good read, but not quite like this.   What surprises me is that the movie has already come and gone in  theatres without a huge amount of fanfare.  The book is often better than the movie and this might be the case with Shutter Island.. however I’m finding that hard to believe. The cast seems a perfect fit  and the mood created by Martin Scorsese is legendary.

Taken for Granite

Yesterday the granite was installed in the kitchen and I love it. We opted for the “leather” finish, which really means it wasn’t polished to a high sheen, left in its more natural state.   The granite guy was aghast at my choice because he said it had alot of imperfections..as in huge veins and blotches of different stone and colors within the granite.  That’s exactly why I love it.
I found these funky reworked wood mirrors in the restoration hardware catalog.  Installed yesterday in the master bath. Now that the floors are laid down, the vanity has been installed too.
This morning I hijacked various perennials  from my current garden….
and put them here…
Thank you, Advil, for making it all possible.

Learning to be still….

  The first year there was a lone goose.  He or she stood out there in the front field day after day in the spring rain and sunshine…waiting?  Longing?  Confused maybe.  Alone for sure.  The next year the goose returned, still alone. 

   This year… not only did he or she arrive with a mate… they moved down to the pond behind the house and started a family.  My son came bounding in the house this afternoon… “Mom, bring your zoom lens!”…
  and we saw this….
 One of the very first things we did as a family when we moved to our current farm was hop on the lawn mower and tractor and go down to the pond to mow.   The grass had grown tall and the phragmites had taken over a large section of the pond and we were anxious to clear it out so that we could lounge around out there and enjoy the peaceful setting.   It occurs to me now that we didn’t do enough of that. We got tangled in the every day race.   We haven’t quite learned yet how to be still.
 Perhaps in This Old House……

Floored

 After a two-week delay, the flooring finally arrived and the crew is working at lightning speed. The boards are made of eastern white pine, from 14 to 18″ wide.  They’ll be installed throughout the house within the next week.  Once that’s done, we can install the kitchen island and toilets, vanities, etc.
Keeping Room into kitchen….
Master Bedroom…
 Mike’s office….. let there be light!
The upstairs hallway between kids bedrooms….
The fireplace in the family room and up into the loft has almost reached the roof…..
The shrubbery for the backyard is waiting to be planted.  There are boxwoods, Lace cap hydrangea, knockout roses, spirea, andromeda and two large evergreen type tree/shrubs that will live on either side of the mammoth window at the back of the house.  I forget their name.
 
The barn/garage truss’ are up, rain has slowed the job.
And this is mygoat shed  my chicken coop my painting studio Mike’s garden tool shed.  Notice the old window at the back of the shed… taken from the original Chester house, which is the  portion  you see in the background here..

Stepping out of the Box

I had a mission this morning.  The kitchen is coming together at This Old House and we noticed the area over the stove and under the hood looked mighty bland.  Something needs to go there, but what?  I did a net search of  tile medallions and mosaics, etc, but wasn’t coming up with anything exciting.  Mike wanted grapes.  (sigh… you think this has something to do with the red ? )   and I was thinking something interesting and sort of mediterannean.  Subliminal wishful thinking maybe,  I have no idea.

So anyway… I drove down to the nearest Tile place.  They have a great selection, huge!   I was optimistic that I could put together some sort of  grape-like mediterannean point of interest for over the stove.

I browsed… ..and browsed.   Three saleswomen sitting at  their computers in  the center of  the showroom ignore my browsing and I figure since I’m the only one in the store they’re busy with yesterday’s massive orders and will get to me when they get to me.   After 20 minutes it got to me. 

Finally some assistance.  And this is how it went:

SalesWoman:     You need help?

Me:     Yes, please.  We bought this tile ( simple off-white brick tile in my hand) for our kitchen and I would like to design a simple mosaic or medallion for over the stove in an approximate 20″ x 20″ square.

SW:      With THAT?  THAT tile is very hard to do any sort of design with.  You are stuck with only these few options over here.
 (pointing to small upright rack with about four selections of tile I’m not attracted to. And notice she’s already informed me that I am “stuck” with these choices. She even thinks they’re bad. )

Me:     Why is THIS tile so hard to do something with, it’s got no pattern, is a simple brick shape and easy color and I’m thinking in this whole showroom we should be able to come up with something.

SW:  Well, no, you really can’t.  I think this here is the only stuff you can work with. 
(pointing again to ugly rack) 

Me:  Well why can’t we do something like a border with  this over here…. (pointing out a really cool off-white matte finish border, real simple and the right color)…..and how about this awesome fruit basket medallion over here in the same matte finish and color for the center of the whole thing?

SW:  Oh, I don’t know… they aren’t the same kind of tile. 

Me:  Why do they have to be the same kind of tile? It’s something we are making that is different than the tile all around it, it SHOULD be different??  Atleast it COULD be?  No?….

SW:   No, not really.  This is it.   Well I suppose that might look OK, actually… certainly different.  Yes maybe that would work .  Hmmmm…. 

Me:  *sigh*  OK.. so I also need an accent color in there so it pops out alittle, because so far it’s all the same color as even the cabinets, let alone the backsplash. 

SW: You can’t fit tiles inside there, they won’t fit. 

Me:   What tiles?

SW:  The ones you are using along the wall    (the brick I came in with).

Me:   I’m not USING that inside the mosaic thing, we are going to find something that fits, right? The accent color?

SW:  Oh, ok. Like what?

Me:  You know those little tiles you have on the back wall?… how about something like that?

SW:  That might work.  

We looked through the little tiles on the back wall, I picked glass mosaic tiles with red hues and brown marble squares too… and I think!.. I think and hope and kinda pray… that it’s going to look good when it’s all done.  When she computed all the stuff into the system and ordered the components for the simple medallion/mosaic whatever… one-hour-and-a-half-later (!!!)

 SW:  “I think this is actually going to look good.  Different “

 Me:   “Sometimes it’s good to step out of the box”. 

Stay tuned….

It’s Complicated

   I loved this movie from start to finish… what an excellent vehicle for Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.  John Krasinski was adorable in the role of soon-to-be son-in-law too…. Hillarious, honest, just the best movie I’ve seen in years.  And oooh, to live in that house…

If you haven’t seen it already, worth every penny of the DVD rental.  

Mom

   It takes just three letters to  form one of the most significant words in life. I’ve owned that name proudly for 21 years.  It’s a badge of honor, a demanding job title, a responsibility beyond any other,  a source of great joy with a potential for great sorrow.  I had no idea what it would mean before that  very first moment when the nurses handed my tiny little baby girl over and we walked out the door of Yale New Haven Hospital  into “real life”.  I remember thinking…   you mean, I’m responsible for the safety and well-being of this tiny little person,…. all by myself? …..with no one to check to see if I’m doing it right??.   And don’t look at Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome over there because he will pass out if he comes within three yards of a dirty diaper.  Have you ever seen those fainting goats? I’m not kidding.  

  There’s nothing I’de rather be doing, mothering these two.  I consider myself lucky every day.  I’de say they’re turning out pretty good …so I must be doing something right after all. 

  As for my  mother, there were surely times during my teen years that she questioned her sanity and mine, but I can say now that she is a best friend and one of my most ardent supporters. What would I do without her?  I don’t want to know any time soon.   Thanks, Mom  🙂

Happy Mothers Day

 

Things I will miss…

 Packing today… throwing out, putting aside for goodwill, procrastinating, prioritizing and generally making a bigger mess.  Also, noticing the little things that I will miss about THIS not so old house…

 The birds love this place. Each spring there are atleast two or three nests in various spots..the front door wreath, the flood lights, under the overhangs… even the bluebirds seek shelter there in the bitter cold months. I hear that’s rare. 

I’ll miss the old azalea in link pinks and whites….
 The other things planted years ago that come back each spring and multiply….
This copper beach sits right outside my office window….
These guys are sitting on a wall waiting to hop on the truck come moving day…
And I’ll miss the sound of Ben chewing on the trim outside while  I enjoy my morning coffee….Why will I be missing  it?…. because at This Old House Mike has made damn sure when Ben goes out  the fencing will not allow him to get that close to the trim…like… ever again.  So yeah.. it’ll be missing.  *sigh*