Tag: Garden

Don’t Fence Me In

 Actually, this particular fence is my favorite kind. A large portion of the back yard and into the field behind the house is being “split-railed” to give the dogs a big area to run without being able to run away.  A fine black mesh will also run the length of the fence so they can’t get through the split rail.  Sounds unattractive but it’s almost undetectable unless you’re right next to it.
In the above picture you can see the old well, re-installed and almost complete…
The backyard is shaping up quickly, Mike’s done a great job laying it out and getting it done.  He’s got significant motivation, you know….  he’s trying to avoid muddy dogprints tracked in from the yard and so he wants that grass to GROW… like YESTERDAY.  My transplanted perennials are still happy, so I think they’ll live.
Kitchen is coming together…..
A few more lights installed…
And today we start moving boxes over to the cellar….. ooooooh joy.

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.

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.

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..

See how the Garden Grows

  I’ve come to know a lovely lady who is also a transplant from New York. We are both passionate about a town property of historical significance that will become a hub for historical, agricultural, recreational and educational activity and Michelle has put many many hours into the project in various ways.  It’s an exciting time to be involved in the development of such a place.  She  is  knowledgeable in all things horticultural and  has graciously put together a selection of vintage fragrant peonies for my new gardens at This Old House. They include the Mrs. Jules Elie, Mrs. Euclid Snow, Mrs. FDR and Nancy Nicholls variety.  

Thank you, Michelle – 

We’re getting there….

 Lately every time I pull up to the house I find myself smiling.  After many years of admiring the place, five years of trying to acquire it, and then finally the past year and a half of work to bring it around to it’s glory days,  we will live there in just a few months.  There is a serenity in those fields,  I’ve always felt it…even as a passerby many years ago. Little did I know that I would one day call it “home”.

This old window came out of the old house, and will be used in the potting shed out by the garden.

 Raised panels going up in the office…

Giant flat rocks serve as stepping stones in the courtyard out to the main brick patio. I’m trying to come up with a perennial plant layout  along and inbetween these stones that will have something blooming at all times….any suggestions?  The courtyard will have shade much of the morning but sun for the rest of the day.

Pete put alot of time into cleaning up the backyard today. The excavator is parked on the area we plan to make a raised bed vegetable garden.  Great location, lots of sun, and not too far from the kitchen.

With my husband in Rhode Island tonight on business, my daughter away at school and my son on a school trip to Washington D.C.,… guess what I’m having for dinner?……..
I’m doing a happy dance 🙂

This Joint Is Jumping!

 At this stage of the resurrection there’s a lot of activitiy and we’re rounding the bend towards moving in! Light fixtures and lamp posts have been installed, as well as  railing on the mudroom porch.  Can a great dane jump over said railing?  That remains to be seen, and  I sure hope not.

Steve is working on the loft portion of the family room/mancave fireplace, Cooper inspecting his work.
The other Steve is building the raised panels in the two home offices on either side of the front hall and stairway.
….while Dennis secures the old mantles to their original faces…
  Jeff did an awesome job with the front stairway… those of you who read my original blog might remember it was torn out many years ago and turned into a bathroom. Basically you had to be three feet tall to sit in it without risk of knocking yourself out on the sink opposite the toilet.  Not a good plan! So the stairs were restored.
Poor picture of the mancave fireplace with old beam mantle installed
Mike installed stone steps outside the back porch leading into what will be the courtyard garden… and in this picture you can also see the completed mahogany stairs into the same courtyard from the kitchen sliders.
The lilacs are in full bloom, still fragrant after all these years….