What Does it REALLY Look Like?

The prospect of having a lot of people check out your abode can kind of mess with you on a daily basis.  I look at everything through different eyes.  Like, what if someone opens the pantry and looks in there and sees the row of Ramen noodles I've got lined up like cows at milking time.  Next to my sneakers.  I mean, what are they going to think?  If they should look in there, do I have the "right" kind of olive oil?  Is my pantry dressed to impress?  Should I take out the paper shredder?  Do I leave my "recycling award" taped to the wall?

Okay, generally, people don't open closed doors, but I'm planning on cramming a lot of stuff I don't want on "display" into the closets (all three of them), and I would be mortified if someone saw the George Foreman Grill piled on top of the laundry hamper next to the "not good" guitar, the Bali chair, and the red fuzzy ottoman.  Maybe I'll put a couple of those little "door sirens" on the doors so they'll [looks up metaphor using "squeal"] squeal like a chicken achievement (I am not making this up).  That would be embarrassing, wouldn't it?  Open the door and the alarm goes off.  Ha ha, I'm picturing that right now.  I wonder if this would incur some sort of liability on my part ...

Now, the bathroom isn't much to get excited about 'cause there just isn't much in there besides the staples.  No worries.  Same with the linen closet.  Everything is folded up nice and tidy.  The problem is the top drawer of the built-in linen cabinet - which is in the hallway and is quite nice, actually - is the respite of my unmentionables and it is a disaster.  The rest of my drawers are nearly pristine but I hate folding underwear so it all gets wadded up and jammed in there and now it could potentially be on view. A horrifying thought.  Maybe, I'll just cram everything into a shopping bag and stuff it under the bed...

See, there is a lot of thought that goes into this.

Really... It's Going to Rain... Again?!

Yuppers.  That's the forecast for tomorrow.  Ed (the painter), called this morning and said it'll be Tuesday... or maybe Wednesday... depending on the weather.  We're getting close enough to Tour Day that I am getting nervous.  Did a little painting of my own just to feel like I was making some progress.  I know he'll get done in one day what it would take me like, a month, but still...

See, I painted the window...

So, I did some more pruning, raking, trimming back vegetation so that when Ed does arrive, he can whiz through like a painting dervish.

Here you can see where I pruned back the bougainvillea so Ed can get to the soffit and the trim.  I can't believe that Mom thinks all those wires and power boxes and stuff look tacky.  I mean, what's not to love? Ha ha.  Just kidding, Mom.  I'm gonna remove some of the more unsightly wires before tour.

If it's truly raining tomorrow, I will focus on the inside and maybe do some painting in the garage (on stuff like the mailbox for the garden tools - not the actual garage).

That's all I got...

Procrastination... It's Making Me Wait....

I'm just waiting for it to warm up a little before I venture outside.  I'm kind of a weenie that way, only I'd better get off my butt soon 'cause it is supposed to rain again Tuesday (i.e., tomorrow) night!  Barely time enough for the paint to dry.  No, oh no, I'm not panicking, not at all [break to refill coffee cup with vile instant 'cause I'm too lazy to brew an entire pot.  Note to self: get press.]

Mary is working like a banshee on the trailer.  She's taken it through the car wash so she can get a handle on what really needs to be cleaned, buffed, waxed.  She's putting new trim on the tongue box and painted the tongue, yesterday.  She's already replaced the tires - we had a rather nasty blowout when we were on our way home from "Diva Camping" but it's all better now.

Oopsie

So, sneak peek time and them I'm puttin' on my pants and heading outside (actually, I am already wearing pants but I need to put on my other pants!)

Microscopic Master Bedroom.  It took me two days to assemble that bed and it's not moving again... ever. The duvet and bolsters are from LL Bean.  The limbs on the wall are a lovely red Manzanita, wrapped in copper wire, from my parents' property in California (and will likely be embellished if I have extra time).  The rocker is of oak, as is all the furniture, which is hand-made by Steve (except for the rocker).  The photo, by Thomas D. Mangelsen, is of Elk Antler Creek in Yellowstone National Park.  Denise created the fuzzy pink afghan, which 'Clem (le chat) just adores.  This room features a cove ceiling with picture rail (pictures are hung from the rails on hooks so one wouldn't have to put nails into the walls, which are plaster), and sash windows.  (The house, itself, is slab on grade with double brick construction.)  Try to contain your excitement!

Out I go!

Home Tour, Ho!

"What, oh, what, was I thinking?"  (And I've been having that thought quite frequently as of late.)  Nonetheless, on February 14th, the little house will be open for the our neighborhood's Annual Home Tour and Mary's super cute vintage pattern teardrop trailer will be camped under the pergola, and the garden will be open - all as part of the magic of the experience for, oh, 3,000 people or so who cough up about $15 each to see what it's like to live inside a toy house in an historic district.

We've got Geologists meet Valentine's Day with a dash of Cowgirl.  Lots of planning and more planning and furniture shuffling, pruning, and, OMG! Painting!  I've called in the Big Guns (that would be Ed and his father, Ed), and he swears we'll be done in time.  Of course it's been raining nearly non-stop for a week so I'm starting to panic.  Well, just a tad...

At least the pruning is well in hand (Big Shout Out to Julie, Mom, and Dad!).  Now, I've just got "trimming" and general tidying up in the garden... get some more bark, fresh flowers, vegetables, a lobotomy...

Stay tuned and experience the thrill of preparation right along with Mary and me.  I'll even provide "sneak peeks" of what others are gonna actually pay money to see!  (Oh, yeah, disclaimer time: the proceeds from the Home Tour go into the coffers of the Neighborhood Association which is a not-for-profit association to benefit the Historic District.  The Home Owners - that would be me - receive no monetary compensation for this event - but we do get to go to some totally awesome parties!)

The microscopic bathroom has original tile, bathtub, and cabinets.

(And, as I have previously mentioned, I can sit on the toilet AND throw up in the sink at the same time!)

The entry way has been painted - very nice...

 

Mary's Vintage Pattern TearDrop Trailer.

The Kitchen in the Trailer

Come back soon as we continue our frenetic, headlong rush of insanity towards TOUR DAY!

Onward and Upward in the Garden...

More scraping and painting.  The two bedroom windows on the west side of the house have been completed and the screens cleaned and replaced.  There are more cactus and crushed stone, as well. And the screen door is installed!  It turned out so nice!  The porch will get its new coat of paint soon!

On to the garden (the garden?). Yes, the garden!  As the entire house and the garden will be featured during the tour, I need to start work out there now - the inside can wait but the plants need tending to keep them looking good - or at least mostly alive - for the next two months.

There was also a goodly amount of "junk" festering about the place.  You know, those scraps of wood that might be used for "something" and about six hose nozzles in questionable condition.  I found, as well, a lovely piece of travertine in the alley and, voila! it is now the top of my potting table.  Moved the rain gauge... There always seems to be something more to do.

My hope is that when all is said and done the garden will be more productive in addition to being beautiful.  It's so restful to work in the garden - rewarding, too, especially when we actually eat something delicious fresh from the soil.

I painted the back gate and we added also a wee little door for 'Clem to use - bottom right.  Can you see it?

There it is!  We leave it open for him and he just hops right on through.  I am always fearful of him tangling with all the cactus I planted along the fence - this way he can come through the gate and avoid the stickers.

My travertine-topped potting table.  Very nice.

 

The shell chair and gate painted to match the house.

Inspired by Chihuly. (Repetition of Form)

Miniature garden of succulents.

And so it goes...

Drum Roll, Please...

Don't faint but I've started painting, again.  This week I tackled the west gable - the hot side of the house.  And it was hot.  This gable is much larger than the gables on the garage and there is a pepper tree, lantana, and several cacti that make it difficult to maneuver the extension ladder.

I'm fortunate I'm not afraid of heights.  Climbing that ladder with a bucket in my hand was like the uber stair master!  Scraping, sanding and brushwork do nice things for arms (after they stop hurting, anyway!).  Lots of time to ponder while I'm up there, too.

I'll take it slow and go in stages so that I've completed one "area" entirely, before I move on.  The house may be two colors for yet a little while longer but I don't think it will be terribly obvious.  Not really.  The front of the house, facing north and being spared the relentless sun, looks nice still, and so it shall be last.  In all likelihood, the front gable the shutters and window boxes will wait until after Home Tour, as I don't want to cut away all the honeysuckle to get at them - they won't have adequate time to recover. I'll do the trim, though - for continuity.  And the front porch - after the security door is installed.

Tomorrow will be the windows on the west side and then I shall plant more cactus and rake the gravel and call it good!  The weather has been simply lovely and I am looking forward to more time outside.

The House of Belonging...

This is the bright home

in which I live,

this is where I ask

my friends to come,

this is where I want

to love all the things

it has taken me so long

to learn to love.

There is no house

like the house of belonging

~ David Whyte