Tuesday five
1. My sister-in-law contacted me via email today. It started out as a recruitment attempt to fill her pottery class (which otherwise will probably not run due to lack of people). It ended with her verbally slapping her forehead in a 'I'm sure you have enough on your plate just now, what was I thinking' sort of way. It's true that the house and impending move is sucking a fair bit of my time away. But it's draining even more of my creativity. I'd be a dry well for doing pottery at the moment.
2. I told her to call me back in the fall to see if I'm any less drained. This is probably optimistic on my part. I've almost won (or at least fought to a standstill) the house creativity war. I'm already eying the next front, the landscaping. And because one can't really do anything at all the first year, it's almost certain that I will still be thinking about that in an obsessive fashion come September. Does anyone know anything about knot gardens?
3. Further on the house (because it's almost impossible to think of anything else at this stage), the flooring is mostly laid. The grouting has yet to be accomplished in the bathrooms and downstairs hall, and the library is waiting for the finishing carpenter to.....well, finish, ironically enough. The marmoleum looks fabulous, in my smug opinion.
4. The plywood ceiling is still in progress. For those who are interested, I was inspired by the idea of a wood ceiling for a few reasons. I have a heartfelt loathing of the horrible stucco popcorn ceilings, to begin with. I didn't wish for there to be a flat, white drywall ceiling there, however, as there is a central fireplace. I've never yet seen a fireplace that didn't have an occasional fit of temper and spew smoke back into the interior, making a white ceiling an invitation to disaster or at least frequent painting. I felt that a stained maple plywood ceiling would allow for a bit of smoke staining in a more graceful fashion.
Also, I feel that a carefully chosen stain colour will both echo the flooring and give a warm glow to a room that has pale walls. I'm hoping that this will cheer the dark, drear months a bit.
5. The cold room is only waiting for shelving, an exterior door and accompanying weatherstripping to be functional. There are small vents leading to the outside world, one at the top and one at the bottom, to facilitate air circulation. Both are currently stuffed with rags, although I think I will cover both with screens, to keep out creepy crawlies.
It probably seems like an eccentric choice, to have a cold room in this day and age. It was something I missed in the last house, however, as well as the current one that I'm occupying, and therefore decided to incorporate in the new. (I'm more of a product of my upbringing than I'd like to admit, undoubtedly). It should have sufficient room to store home canning, wine (home-made and otherwise) and produce such as apples, carrots and potatoes. I'm still working out the details for storage of the produce, although it will involve baskets/boxes/sand in various combinations.
2. I told her to call me back in the fall to see if I'm any less drained. This is probably optimistic on my part. I've almost won (or at least fought to a standstill) the house creativity war. I'm already eying the next front, the landscaping. And because one can't really do anything at all the first year, it's almost certain that I will still be thinking about that in an obsessive fashion come September. Does anyone know anything about knot gardens?
3. Further on the house (because it's almost impossible to think of anything else at this stage), the flooring is mostly laid. The grouting has yet to be accomplished in the bathrooms and downstairs hall, and the library is waiting for the finishing carpenter to.....well, finish, ironically enough. The marmoleum looks fabulous, in my smug opinion.
4. The plywood ceiling is still in progress. For those who are interested, I was inspired by the idea of a wood ceiling for a few reasons. I have a heartfelt loathing of the horrible stucco popcorn ceilings, to begin with. I didn't wish for there to be a flat, white drywall ceiling there, however, as there is a central fireplace. I've never yet seen a fireplace that didn't have an occasional fit of temper and spew smoke back into the interior, making a white ceiling an invitation to disaster or at least frequent painting. I felt that a stained maple plywood ceiling would allow for a bit of smoke staining in a more graceful fashion.
Also, I feel that a carefully chosen stain colour will both echo the flooring and give a warm glow to a room that has pale walls. I'm hoping that this will cheer the dark, drear months a bit.
5. The cold room is only waiting for shelving, an exterior door and accompanying weatherstripping to be functional. There are small vents leading to the outside world, one at the top and one at the bottom, to facilitate air circulation. Both are currently stuffed with rags, although I think I will cover both with screens, to keep out creepy crawlies.
It probably seems like an eccentric choice, to have a cold room in this day and age. It was something I missed in the last house, however, as well as the current one that I'm occupying, and therefore decided to incorporate in the new. (I'm more of a product of my upbringing than I'd like to admit, undoubtedly). It should have sufficient room to store home canning, wine (home-made and otherwise) and produce such as apples, carrots and potatoes. I'm still working out the details for storage of the produce, although it will involve baskets/boxes/sand in various combinations.