Tantivy

First of all let me tell you that Dean's doctor's have said that nothing is so wrong that a change is lifestyle can't make it much better. Better eating habits, more exercise and stopping a few meds should make all the difference. He has a leaky valve in his heart but it isn't that leaky and the doctor think that it won't get worse for many years. He will have a stress test in July, after he has lost some weight, but his blood pressure is already much better and except for the toe that he dropped a heavy drill on, he feel pretty good.  Now on to the not so important but still good stuff. THE WINDOWS. Today, if you walk out onto what used to be the back porch, you can look out the windows!What a difference a little light makes. AND, I had a little talk with Dean and after he finishes the plumbing for the gas dryer, Drew and his crew will be doing all the remainder of the work. Dean will still have plenty to do, but a crew of four will be able to finish the pro...

Vicki and I spent Wednesday and Thursday at a Paper Boot Camp taught by Anne Bagby. Anne is a wonderful artist whose work may be found in many places, including her website . Our first assignment was to produce, on paper we brought or got from Anne's stock, ten pages, each painted and then stamped with at least three stamps. That might sound easy, but it kept us all busy for several hours. Other assignments followed, but I haven't been able to photograph them yet. Here is a sample.  This was done in class I added this after I got home.    Vicki called this the gingerbread man.     This brown paper was supposed to be a divider paper between two pieces of SafetyCut, but I decided to use it.   I couldn't get rid of the glare but you can see what it is like. This will be a background for a piece.   This one is done on scrapbook paper that had just a little pattern.  Don't you like these colors? The wa...

Two exciting things in my life and one that is rather worrisome. #1. There is no way to picture this, but Dean finally decided that he wouldn't try to do all the remaining work( and there is much still to do) by himself. Drew and Crew will be back on Monday. We are installing windows and then if Dean wants to make windows he can and we can replace the ones we buy. He also won't try to do the siding, roof, electric, insulation, flooring, etc. by himself. The hard part is that it is because he has realized that he is not as young as he once was and just isn't up to it. That is the worrisome element. According to Drew (our contractor) some of those jobs will be a handful for him and his young crew to do and there are four of them. Dean will supervise and Drew is fine with that. #2. I have been looking for one of these kneeler/benches for about two years. I found one at Lowe's Friday.  Getting on my knees is not as easy as it once was and getting up is no piece of ...

Things continue at Tantivy. Slowly. Oh. So. Slowly.  I have moved the dining room table to be able to get the washer and dryer through to the partially finished place behind the kitchen. The dining room isn't that bright but right now I wish it were. That green just makes my heart sing.  We have a new pet door. The other had to be taken down to come in and out and was a real pain to replace. This one has a clever little gate for us to go through or take the dogs through. We really don't need the tiny door but I imagine that Sarie will like it.   This is the neatest and cleanest part of the house. Bella will back me up on that.  Behind the washer and dryer is my "studio". I am thankful that the weather is nice now so that I can move back into the real studio. Though far from perfect, having my own work space is wonderful.   The laundry set provides something of an obstacle.   Outside, things are beginning to bloom. Th...

Or do I cry? Here are some views of my laundry area as it has devolved during the construction.  The "hanging" in the center back is a sheet in the doorway to the new cellar room which has no door to the outside at present. There is an opening, just no door. Handy, don't you think? We don't ever get locked out of the house. This picture was taken with a flash. It is truly not nearly this bright. Think dungeon but with a light bulb - maybe a 40 watt bulb; maybe less - a refrigerator bulb   I had cleaned off the end of this table so I could put clothes on it to bundle them for a trip up the rickety staircase to the folding spot - my bed. (I used it after pulling back dog-hair covered blankets, etc. Gross, I know. )Dean, spying a horizontal surface, decided that it would be a good place to take apart the already-replaced lawn mower battery because he wanted to see if any of the cells still work. I don't know exactly why the saw is there except that it wa...

Even then, there is beauty. Truly. Tonight I was cleaning up after supper and looked at these eggs. How beautiful they are. Our friend Jonathan has chickens and we get them from him. They have wonderful golden yellow yolks and whites that don't run all over everywhere; these are eggs as they should be. (But I am not going to crack one just to photograph it.)   In the next room, destined to be part of the kitchen, I never got the little shelf cleaned out. It is mostly Dean's stuff and I think I had the strange idea that he would take care of it. Well, he didn't, so I have been tackling it the last several days when I had a chance. I have also been painting at one of the rental houses and acting as Vick's sounding board for her remodel. The time seems to get away from me. Anyway, here is a reminder of what happens when you take down the chimney from an old coal furnace. Yuk! Thick black dust!  I haven't let the drawing go. Drawing faces is just one of the th...

A few things to celebrate. The little wild violets are blooming next to our driveway. Dean's father always yanked them from his yard, saying they are weeds, but I love their dainty flowers and beautiful dark green leaves.  A biggie on the list. The real TA DA!! The foundation is finished and back-filled. Inside work to follow. We decided today on the size and orientation of the steps and tiny deck. It will be just big enough for us to sit out there for a cup of morning coffee. Two chairs and a tiny table  For just a while the yard was empty of equipment, but then Dean told "the guys" to park the van and trailer there so we could not park on the  street for a change. Still, it was a glimpse of things to come.  This is a window in the basement that once looked to the outside and later to the crawl space under the porch. Now it opens into the much brighter and cleaner space where we will store hand tools for yard work, seeds, etc. and maybe a few bottl...