Tag: House

Old Family Photos… in the Loo?

 Why not? …. who’s rules am I following, anyway…

This downstairs bathroom needed something.

  We still have boxes and boxes in the basement that have not been unpacked since our move. These family photos used to hang in our old dining room and I love them dearly – so why not put them where they will get full attention.  You’re just sitting there, guest or resident…….might as well have something to look at, right?

 Some of you might be disturbed by the random assignment and slight crooked
appearance of  these photos..I don’t read instruction manuals
and I don’t measure before I hang pictures. It’s just how I roll.
 

I don’t always iron curtains when they come out of the dryer, either – although these are getting ironed
because they’re even too wrinkly for me.
That’s the dog sink – their food is underneath and they go IN
when they need a bath. 

 My grandmother Elsie – I still have that wedding dress.

 My Dad, who I resemble… except for the ears.
Mike’s father, who passed away recently.
Handsome, he was.

And this is one of my favorites.  Mike’s dad and his brothers are hanging out on the edge of their
“swimming pool”.  Their father had a fruit and vegetable store and he had lots of crates from
the produce.  This “pool” is made of crates in a circle with a tarp laid over it and filled with water.

 My aunt and uncle, who still kiss like this at 78 and 80 years of age. She made that dress for their engagement party.   They sleep in a full size bed, not even a queen. I asked them why they never got themselves a bigger bed and she said  “I can’t sleep if we’re not touching back to back, cheek to cheek.”    I don’t know if that’s down-right adorable or too much information.
Either way, it makes me smile.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink

…. because there are dirty dishes in there that I’ve been ignoring all day.

  Thank you all for the compliments on our kitchen – In our previous home the kitchen was too big and it felt  isolated from the rest of the house. This time around I wanted a more open feel, especially when we have company. This Old House lent itself perfectly to my ideal, mainly because in the old homes the kitchen, or “keeping room” was the main Hub of the house activites.  Our dining room, kitchen eating area and island work space are all one big area, the entire back of the main frame (the original box) of the house.

 These are the chickens who reside in my kitchen sink window –
I’ve been contemplating building a coop out back for the real deal…
Feel free to tell me it’s a crazy idea….any time now!

These wingbacks were given to us by the previous owner of the house. They date back 100 years – and the upholstery was probably original.  The stuffing-cushioning were in pretty good shape, so I reupholstered them in this coral/cream/brown print and they look like new again. They don’t make things like they used to.

The two prints above the fireplace were my grandmothers.  They are floral prints from the Smithsonian, one in the month of August and one in November – my grandparents birth months.  Many years ago they  were hung on the wall over their headboard.

 Our small kitchen table and breakfast nook – This area needs some decorating help. Haven’t gotten to that yet.

Dining table area –  this is a tiger maple set with black crackled chairs –
Haven’t figured out what I want to do with the windows yet…
KIM!!!!!  HELP!!!

 I don’t know why there is fog to the right in this picture. A  previous tenant, perhaps?

What this New Englander does…

…when it’s colder outside than a witches behind after flying over Antarctica on Halloween.

 I saw something like that on someone else’s blog and it just cracked me up – forgive  the plagiarism 🙂

 I love the beauty of snow in winter, the soft muffled silence in the outdoors,  the crystal icicles hanging from rooftops   (did you know… if you see a lot of icicles hanging from a house, it means there is poor insulation and heat that was paid for with hard earned money is escaping via the roof?  You learn something new every day! ) .

  I’m happy to report there are no icicles hanging from this old house. The bad news in that little bit of information is… the house was rebuilt so tight,  we just discovered that when you attempt to start a fire in a second fire place and the first is already lit, the house fills with smoke and the alarms go off and the fire company and alarm company both call you immediately to ask what’s going on and do you need assistance and you tell them no please don’t come it’s just smoke and everything is OK we’re cracking windows and they ask what is the password please ma’am and you… had better…. remember it.

 I didn’t.

I knew it was a pets name so I rattled off every pet I have ever owned in the past 45 years.  That’s more than a few and I’m sure there was more than an eye roll on the other side of the phone.

 What I don’t love about winter is the freak’n cold. As I get older it seeps deeper into my bones and I find just a little less joy in the season of chill.   So right about this time of year I turn to these things for comfort and dream a little dream of Spring.

 Fingerless mitts – whoever invented these – I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I used to think they were a little silly –
until I wore a pair and my silly self was much less chilly.

 Must have reading material on night stand at all times  –

Especially this kind –

 I’m planting blueberry bushes this year – might order a half dozen from this catalog

Root beer floats hit the spot and stave off boredom – this is why I shouldn’t  make resolutions.
  I don’t keep them very well.

And lest we want to tick off the alarm Co. one more time…
I now know the code and I’m seriously considering tattooing it to the inside of my wrist. 

Runs with the big dogs

  Our little white mutt is the one who has battled cancer this past year.  She’s a tough cookie, this one -right now she’s in remission.  Bailey weighs 13 lbs. to Bens 185, yet she is the boss, hands down.  I have never met a dog with more tenacity, must be the terrier in her.  

Notice she’s got him against the fence…

She frequently takes his toys away…

  This time she didn’t.

 Was I the one who wanted snow?  ME??…..
brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

The Best Gift of the Season

  So.. as I ponder this particular holiday season, for as much HO HO HO, Good tidings and JOY  it’s supposed to bring upon you, what’s more realistic is the angst about spending money, buying the perfect gifts, trying to get a card out, wrapping all the presents, making all the lists, cooking and baking all that food and missing the people who aren’t with you for one reason or the other. I see it clearly on facebook and the blogosphere   (although bloggers tend to be happier people, I’ve noticed.. more griping goes on in the Facebook world and I always think that’s a mistake). 

 Today, although I have all of the above to worry about,  I did nothing in particular of very much importance.  What I did do.. was appreciate the family all under one roof, untethered to work or school projects or activities. There were no tragedies or emergencies.  School is out for the holiday and it’s so nice to have both chicks in the nest. I didn’t even mind the bickering between them, which was minimal…and I suspect they like having each other around too.  I love the gift of  this ordinary day, and I don’t appreciate it often enough.  There have been times when we have not had that luxury and I should know better. 

 I hope you’ve had an ordinary day too, and I’de love to hear the kind of day you cherish most.

You can please some of the people some of the time

  It may appear that This Old House and it’s acreage is way out in the middle of nowhere… however we’re just minutes down the road from the center of  what I can describe as a small New England town. We live on a scenic rural road, but to the right of us when facing the house, up on the hill abutting one of our fields is a subdivision of luxury  homes.  This is the view of that subdivision from our dirt driveway that leads to the back fields.
Our farm has been here for 200 years.  The subdivision is about eight years old.  We have been informed this morning that a formal complaint to the town has been filed by our closest neighbor in that subdivision because they can see our farm machinery from their house, see above. Their property line is right at the back of their house.  They happen to have a beautiful view of our fields. You can see from the pictures below that these fields are well maintained. There is an entire field, treeline,  drive and two stone walls between their property line and the machinery parked at the back of one of our fields.  Said machinery is still 50 yards behind me when I took this shot aiming at their house,  above. Am I clear on how far away from their backyard this equipment is located?
This view below is what they are complaining about. I was standing on the wall on our property line when I took this picture this morning. I had to see for myself just what they were complaining about.   Click on the picture to enlarge.. you will see the tops of our equipment,  and a few extra trucks are there today because we have men here helping Mike spread organic fertilizer over the hay fields. The healthy stuff, not a chemical we could have chosen.
 What disheartens me the most is that if they had any gripe at all, we are neighbors. In my opinion a decent neighbor, one you might want to have a decent relationship with simply because you live next to each other.. oughta pick up the phone and talk to each other about whatever the complaint may be.  They had no problem stopping by to ask if their child could use our fields to cut through to a friend’s house, and they had no problem asking if they could rebuild a portion of rock wall that is on our property but they consider a part of their yard.  WE had no problem oblidging because we are, afterall, neighbors. 
  Well today, as we begin spreading that organic fertilizer,  we will surely fortify the field that is directly behind them right after lunch.  I hope they appreciate that it is all organic and will make that hay field look even more spectacular come Spring.
 

This fertilizer spreader is from the 1970’s… still works beautifully.
They don’t make things like they used to.

Christmas Blooms

  Did you know that the plant we know as the poinsettia was once used as a fever medicine?  The poinsettia is a native of Southern Mexico. The Aztecs used it for practical things, like the extracted purplish dye used in textiles and cosmetics.  The milky white sap of the poinsettia, which we call latex today, was used in the fever treatment.   The Founder of the Smithsonian Institution, Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851) had attended medical school and had an interest in botany.  When he discovered Poinsettia plants in the Taxco area, he sent them home to his South Carolina plantations, where he grew them and gave them to friends and botanical gardens.  One of those friends, a nurseryman… began selling them under the now famous name, Poinsettia. 

For those of you who are local, Acer Gardens in Deep River has a terrific selection at good prices this year. They carry a huge selection of bows and wreaths too.. the two on my header are from their shop.

 I have two crazy geraniums who are still thriving on my back porch.  I’m going to try to keep them happy all winter, anyone have any tips?  There is a small heater back there that we turn on when we want to sit out there. The sun warms it up during the day and it is glassed in for the winter.

Christmas at This Old House

 

 December has arrived, and with it the craziness of the Holiday season.  I’ve decorated This Old House for the first time in the spirit of Christmas, but I wish I could tell you I was feeling more of the joy.  With the passing of the “Thankful” holiday, while there is much I am grateful for, the flip side are the worrysome issues that remain.  Their weight is heavy, I’m finding they don’t mingle well with this time of shopping, spending and our tendency towards overindulgence.

  Mike’s proffession in particular has taken a hard hit in this down-turn of the economy. Along with us there are many subcontractors, craftsmen and laborers who are out of work or watching their business of 30 years dwindle and in some cases, close up entirely. Homes are being lost to the bank, life savings and retirement funds being used up for today’s survival, mom and pop stores closing for good. (our artisan shop among them). There are family and friends struggling with health issues and money woes and relationship crisis and we are not immune.  As for the job market, which I am scouring daily, it’s currently a dismal landscape.

  In the news this week is the story of a deranged father who has “displaced” his three sons after attempting suicide and admitting himself to a hospital.  He will not say where they are…what an  a**.  The police are not hopeful.  I keep thinking of what the boys’ poor mother is going through, you’de have to shoot me to end the insanity.  I am praying they will find those boys alive and give her back her life.

 As for the state of this country’s affairs. I’m not even going there.  I’ve decided to avoid the news all together because there is surely not much I can do in my little corner of the universe to fix any of that.

SO… in an attempt to create an escape for my family and myself, I have decorated just about EVERYTHING that stands still in This Old House. If you’re idle for more than a few minutes around here, you’re in danger of the same fate.

Dining room (keeping room)

 Kitchen (also part of keeping room area)

 My Christmas Cactus bloomed for Thanksgiving
 My tree collection at the dog sink in the downstairs bath
side entry mud room

 This is Country Girl Kate’s cardinal photo…

In the mancave, nutcrackers stand guard

 mitten and snowflake tree in upstairs hall

family room

 According to a google search: A candle placed in the window is  a traditional practice in many cultures with a variety of meanings. Throughout the history of man a campfire has represented warmth and security. It is the barrier between the safe and the unsafe in an untamed and unfriendly wilderness. Over the course of history, as we have moved our campfires into our homes, there, the hearth has represented these very same things. The family hearth has been the center of activity because of its warmth and practical use for food preparation. 
 In most cultures a Candle in the Window was used to signal a Family’s loyalty to a loved one who was away traveling. It let that person know the family awaited their return and the hearth was warm and waiting for them. In Ireland during times of religious persecution, the Window Candle signaled the location of religious
services.  In Colonial America a Candle in the Window was used to honor dignitaries, announce births and just plain celebrate.  
  The candles in the windows of This Old House are lit for those who are struggling. My hope is that the holiday season will bring peace and joy, good news and resolutions to all who are in need. One of my favorite quotes… “It’s better to light a candle than curse the dark”.   Amen to that.