Out Like a Lion

Not sure that much will change in three days, but it looks like March is set to roar to a close on Monday.  Close your eyes and picture...yeah, maybe read first and then close your eyes to picture - an image of a bird (not a small bird either) flapping its wings in flight, but contrary to the expected forward movement, it is actually moving sideways.  The wind is that wild today.  The lake is choppy with white caps.  Now you can only imagine the tossing and turning of our little trailer on the currents of this wind.  Can't anyone hear me cry "Uncle!"?? 

Pre-brithday Party

Despite living so close to family, we can go a month without seeing anyone but Mom and Pop.  So it was fortuitous that a birthday was rolling around, giving us an excuse to set aside our busy lives to hang out. 

Thomas and I got a bunch done on Saturday - textured a few more walls and hung our ceiling beam at the peak of the ceiling.  These tasks were made easier by pulling the scaffolding back into the main room, which we could do because I finished priming our bedroom wall during the week.  It is looking great!  Sunday afternoon Tom trimmed out our bedroom window jambs with wood - so pretty. 

But between hanging the beam and trimming the wood, we partied!  It was fun to hang out - hear about what everyone has been up to and the upcoming Spring Break plans.  The oldest kids are in track and field this year, so they talked about how that is going - can't quite fathom running for fun, but they're enjoying themselves.  Finally it was time for dessert and present...

Thomas got the PP cake, which made several of us giggle.

Daniel was a great sport about receiving puzzle pieces from the rest of us - none interlocking.

With a little help from his friends, the striped sleeveless-T looking shape came together, but the mystery of what it represented was all his to solve...the rolled up truck mat behind him in the picture.

Thanks for the party!

House tour

Yes - I cringed when Thomas suggested maybe October was right, just not 2013.  Here's where we are today.  Truly - a ton of progress, though I am getting nervous about colors....  HELP!

Our front hallway - the hall is textured, ceiling oiled...

I hope to build a bench and shelf for the closet.

Though I don't think he enjoys the drywall work, Tom did a beautiful design on the front hall.

 the main space - kitchen to the east, dining table in the middle, and living room to the west

the guest room is serving as a great storage space

the guest bathroom is pretty functional - this saves me from having to go back to the trailer to go...

I installed the lights...hopefully I did it right!

 the stairs lead down on the west side - I hope to build a low book shelf that will serve as part of the banister for the long west edge.

looking into the basement - future tv room and computer space and a workshop each for Tom and I

the kitchen is slowly coming together - the cabinets on the south side are installed - spaced for the dishwasher / sink / stove; the island and desk side on the north will wait until we get the wall textured, etc.

Fridge goes in the corner on the other side of the tall cabinet.

 ours is not a working water closet - still texturing the walls....

once the tile is picked out, we can get this all prettied up, too.

Our hard work is paying off.  Soon and very soon....(but not that soon!)

Fight, Fight!

The familiar schoolyard chant is only familiar to me from movies and television shows, but I feel like it would be appropriate now.  Or is it just a game?

I got to work and sat down at my computer.  And I happened to look up and see a deer bounding off behind the neighbor's property.  Then another, and another.  I watched to see what was chasing them, but then one took off back toward the direction it came from.  And another.  The chase was on, as a buck pursued a doe.  They ran in a circle around a garage.  Then another buck and doe were chasing.  Then one buck was chasing the other buck.  This carried on for several minutes.

Unless they locked horns behind the house where I cannot see, it seemed they ended their sport amicably.  They're now back out in the open and four does are sticking close together.  One buck is sticking a little closer to them, while the second seems to be tagging along behind, but the bucks seems fairly equally matched in size and rack.  They're moving along down the road - lessons learned?

They're back this afternoon!  I came back from a meeting out of the office to find the whole gang of them lounging outside my window.  It appears the doe I thought was being chased was probably the spike.  His little antlers make him look devilish.

This Lent, I am trying to slow down a little.  Maybe this is my reward for noticing today.  What a wonderful creation! 

Down to One!

President's Day was the last time we saw Tiger.  Being a tomcat, I think we were secretly holding out that Tiger was out prowling the ladies in the neighborhood.  More likely the big golden eagle I saw sitting so fat on the telephone pole a couple days after we last saw Tiger is to blame for his disappearing act than a cat in heat.  Or the owls that live behind the horse barn, whose huge nest I discovered in a dead cedar tree a few days after the disappearance.  I'm sure he put up a fight.

Crusty is even more crusty without his brother.  The loss of Tiger could end in the demise of one of us, as Crusty is perpetually under foot when we're outside.  Sadly, Tiger seemed to be the brave alpha cat (is there such a thing?), but maybe Crusty will emerge from his shadow and become a hunter after all.

Drywall, drywall, drywall....

Our little bursts of snow outside are nothing compared to the drifts of white powder coating every surface in the house.  We've been staring down the tunnel looking for the light (and fun work that begins when the walls are done).  The drywall work feels like it starts and stops in a jerky fashion akin to learning to drive stick.  We've stalled out a couple times because when the joint compound and texture work is wet, you just have to wait till it dries.  But in general, we apply the mud, we let it dry, we sand.  Repeat.  And repeat.

So what am I complaining about when it looks so good?!?  Tom and Pop have been trimming out the windows with drywall, and it really does look so good. 

They really do look so nice and add that finished look to the house, despite the walls around it screaming out for me to start texturing them.  (I think actually that voice might be Tom's, as he seems to think I have more patience for it.)

It'll be a while before we can really move on to other projects, but this past week we got a lot accomplished.  Tom and Pop tackled the kitchen window, which involved some technical work to get the drywall angled in well, the sliding door, and the window at the top of the stairs.  I sanded the bathroom and hung drywall in the remaining "holes" in our closet wall.  And best for last - while I worked all day Sunday, Tom got out the power sander and got over half of the big open area (entrance hall and the whole south half of the house) sanded.  My hero!

 

Wintery Advisory

Last week I was feeling grumpy because it was too windy to really get out and walk after work.  Exercise has not been easy for me, as I took for granted in the city that walking and biking everywhere was really killing two birds with one stone.  I hate making excuses for not walking, but the wind really can make it so uncomfortable.

On the other hand, the wind has been moving a lot of clouds in and out for some beautiful sunsets!

So Thursday, I harrumphed and decided to just get a fire started and go work on the house. The weekend before we pulled the crappy paper tape from a few seams, which then had to be re-mudded, sanded, and then re-textured.  This done, I was ready to paint.  I had already brushed the corners, the tops and bottoms of the wall, and around the switches/outlets, so I was really ready to roll - rock and roll, of course, as I turned up the tunes on my phone.  Up on the scaffolding, things were moving quickly.  The wall was sucking the roller dry, and I soon realized that with one can of primer/sealer left, I might not make it all the way around the walls.  Up and down, scootching the scaffolding this way and that, I made good progress. 

About an hour into it, Thomas showed up, said hello, and headed in to the house.  I wasn't ready to stop.  The wind was kicking up and was making so much noise, it sounded like rain.  Five minutes later I hopped down to check if it really was rain.  The sky had been clear when I got home, save for dark clouds over the mountains.  Evidently, the wind moved the clouds over us for so much needed moisture.  And then I realized I'd have to make my way back in the dark (no flashlight) and mud and rain.  The first inclination to be frustrated was overcome by excitement to dance in the rain.  It's been a long, long while.

The east wall (left side of corner) didn't get painted, but soon....

So now, what color to paint the walls...anyone??