Old House Soul

When you rehab an old house there is decision upon decision

requiring your head and heart to find the balance

between dollar and dream

between stretching the budget and protecting the old girls' soul...

The rehab of this old farm house, lovely old girl that she is, hinges

(for me)

on restoration, reclamation, rejuvenation ~ not altering renovation

I love 'the old' of her

creaky doors, wide-plank floors, wavy windowed glass

leaded panels, old brass handles, ghosts and crows that sass...

Every (single) time the heating fuel truck rolls to a stop out front
under the maples that touch the sky bare branched
I wince

It's never pretty when I see the meter read

of how much the old girl consumes to keep us warm(ish)

I'm so often advised to

"replace those old windows and doors &

it'll save you a fortune in the winter!"

No doubt it would...

But how could I wrent from her these?

No.... Never...

Can not. Will not.

She's watched the world pass with these

for a hundred and forty years.

Her pride, her history.

My joy every day as I gaze thru or walk thru.

No - I say they stay.

(as I pull on another warm sweater)...

In My World

I hope you've not grown weary of these pictures of mine...
There are points in the week(s) when they are all there's time for.
There are other moments when I honestly feel they let me share
parts of my life that that would be shortchanged by mere words.
Sometimes my photo montages, my images

(or 'snaps' call them in the UK which

I've always been fond of calling them)

are my version of 3 or 5 or 6 random thoughts -

but visual rather than texted.
If ever they elicit boredom, or a yawn let me know
Otherwise, I'll continue sharing them with you ....



Tin hat? Tin everywhere perhaps?! lol

If this is true I find it (among a list of many things) disturbing to say the least......
                 (and note to self: keep the 'dumb-phone' I currently own, lol)

                   http://news.yahoo.com/smartphone-spying-204933867.html

BARN SALE CONTINUES!

By popular (and lovely!) request
the barn sale at etsy continues!!!
~~
The old red barn is overflowing
that means I need to add more things to etsy

that means I'd love to find 'new homes' for

the lovlies currently residing at etsy

So.....

CYBER BARN SALE

at Etsy 
*click on the text that reads 'old red barn'

under the etsy images at right

to visit the Big Red Barn Etsy-ness and click on the
BARN SALE tab at the top of sections...

Spread the word, pull on your barn boots

& come visit the big red barn etsy cyber sale!

Various currentlly listed items will be on sale (see barn sale tab on etsy)

Some new items will be added both small and large (see the entire shop)
Some new items will be included in the barn sale (see barn sale tab on etsy)

Oh What Fun!

Smalls, China (plates, cups, saucers)

And whatever more I can have ready...

Wherever your travels take you on Thanksgiving
be it across the country, state, county, city, town
(or just across the kitchen to the dining room, lol)
be safe, be happy, be yourself, be bemused, be kind
Be thankful - if not for much, then for some, if not for some
then search for one small thing life holds that gives you contentment...
Past or present, here or gone, current or yet to be
The possibilities for thankfulness are vast.

For my part, the count of "thankful" found on my list is long & deeply treasured.
I've arrived at the point in life where one has learned even the challenges
yield something of benefit ~ if you strive to view from all aspects.

One of the most recent additions to my 'thankful for' list is each of you
Each who has made me feel warmly welcomed, shared, followed, laughed, struggled, been 'real'
New friendships found ~ across the miles - bound by keyboard and heart, warmth shared.
Thank you each for sharing my farm, my fields, my ramblings ~ and for sharing yours with me

Blessed Harvest Shared To Each Of You And Those You Love!

~~~~

AI Anyone?

If you are intrigued by
(as I admit I am) the application
and interaction of tech advances
in this case Iphones' AI then

THIS Iphone SIRI ~ Singer interaction

will amuse.....

*hat tip to the programmers at Apple for

humor and ingenuity, lol*

~ hat tip to the singer Jonathan Mann for the concept of the SIRI duet~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~After all, being able to work from the old girl depends upon cyber-ness~
Growing food, the 'someday' chickens and red barn etsy all (oddly) co-exist...

As the saying goes
"Ain't life strange"?!?

Between Here And ...

These curves of wood with tight-drawn strings cradeled within these collective hands & joined by voices lean yet strong sketch an image on my heart.....
(My words above hyper-link Youtube Here and Heaven (Live) Goat Rodeo Sessions Sony 2011 (c)

Sometimes

Sometimes I Sit And Think
Sometimes I Sit And Dream

The Best Days

Are
The Days

I Do Both


A teeny tiny late-ish start to Halloween Decor

Oh my! How can Halloween be just around the corner?!?  I, once again find I empathize and identify with the Rabbit of Alice In Wonderland (aka I'm late, I'm late for {yet another} date)!  But it won't impair the enjoyment of the pieces I do manage to place in the remaining days counting down to Halloween - no not one little bit!  It's such good fun!

Thus far, only the mantle is dressed ~ but isn't he the cutest?!
Flanked by two traditional pumpkin pals seen in the top image
I believe it's a spookily cheerful little beginning!

Tea a la a bit 'o the UK

This, well..... this is just one of those remarkably curious wrinkles of fate that is wonderful.  Found on a  recent treasure hunting trip ~ which, for me is every time I step foot out the door. It's like breathing for me.  I'm incapable of not looking, not seeing, things that are orphaned, about to be dumpstered. Add to that the facts that a) people know that of me b) people who don't know me seem to sense it. Put all those fiddly bits of information together and the fates seem to wind my path to the amazingly beautiful "things"....

This amazing collection was no exception to the way these things seek me out. Found in the back of an open shed, in one half of a study but very dusty box that originally held fruit shipped from Africa and covered with crumpled papers it appeared an empty box filled with discarded paper.  A bit of poking revealed a very old & time faded tag with a UK pounds price. Thru dust and damp and detritus I dug. This is what I eventually unearthed....

This image is, I'm guessing sans proper count, 1/3 of the total number of pieces.

Unbelievable.

It was 50 % ~ 'gotta-go' reduced.

Amazing.

It's older than the dirt it was covered in, lol
"The old girl" (aka farmhouse)  is pleased
She loves an old world tea in the dining room
with ancient cups, delicate sandwiches, cakes and scones!

Can't wait to research it, then see how much of it I can realistically fit
 into my tea-cessities collection cupboards

An enjoyable challenge without doubt!

Will any escape me to be adopted/shared?

Not if I can help it, lol - but cupboard space being what it is - we'll have to see! roflmao

Are You Ever Too Old?

 For A New Pair Of

 Polka-Dotted Fall Rain Boots?!!??

(Personally, as you see, I think not, lol)



The 'reveal' of the project lol

My last post gave a tease-view of my current and finally completed project
Without further delay, here's the reveal
(Wendy's right I do like to keep ya'll guessing)
(Robin's guess-comment had me laughing out loud :-)
Thanks for both your comments sweet ladies!

Now, may I present my
new/old kitchen table!
One of my beloved sewing machine bases & safety table glass
blended with antique chairs and comfy english floral cushions
to create (to my eye) a blanace of soft and hard textures
antique and contemporary components
wisked into a pleasing outcome....

(and after this project I felt entitled - if not deserving, lol - of a brew or two)!

Thanks for guessing-along-with-my-'what's she up to'-game!!



One of the things I've been working on.....

Only a tease of a hint of just one of many things

happening this week!
I know, I know, mean eh? lol

Snippets Of The Days....

A Bit More Paint In Place!

My heartfelt thanks to each of you who've

adopted treasure a la Etsy or Flickr or in person, lol (you know who you are, lol)
Each and every dollar has gone towards paint for the old girl (house)

and advil (for me)!  :-) 

She (old house) and I have many clapboards and gallons still to go....

But thank you for your oh-so-appreciated treasure-adoptions!
Old house and I hope you continue to hunt treasure with us which will = more paint

(I'll keep adding more items from the barn to tempt & amuse you)

And anything that wins your heart, anything you adopt for your home
will immediately morph into more gallons of 'pretty' for the old girl - yay!

**Tho I may be buried with paint cans at my feet
and a paint brush in my hand
I will not rest, I will not falter, I will not run out of advil or heatpacks
until old house is restored to gleaming white stately beauty again!***

(don't mind me - I must be channeling a bit of Scarlet O'Hara, roflmao)

For those who have endured followed my saga of scraping, ladder climbing, priming/painting
(tho I see I haven't added any of the pictures of pre-post scraping - probably not very interesting)
I thought you would like to see a bit of the progress!

(sans a picture of the pile of advil bottles...)
On the left of the picture group you see some of the newly applied beauty....

Also in the pictures are my clever way of propping open the
kitchen window (all the sash cords & weights were long gone when I met her)

So, each window thus far has received a newly fashioned hi-tech 1x1 stick..
Very old world, very simple to operate, lol (very cheap!)
But I haven't gotten one cut and stained for the kitchen window yet  :-)

The old girl has a wall of beautiful built in cabinets I don't think I've shown you

(squeeeeeeee!) so there's a pic of those.

And two random 'round the farm pictures
~~~~~~~~~

PS Have you seeen the new hydrangea teacup a la Etsy?

(shameless painter-exhaustion-empty-paint-can-need-more-paint-outburst, sorry)

Without further delay, the images of the day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remembrance

Signs of Fall At The Farm

Fall raises subtle flags that she's arrived
Aside from cool

And crimson glow......

A puffy-fuzzy-pillar seeking shelter

Still trying, while drying hydrangeas

Leaf covered wellies shed at the door

Kitchen scale on the ready for last lingering tomatoes

Yes, she's declaring her arrival!



Have You EVER Seen?

This just in!
Linda kindly took the time to share info
on this curious item of mine - thank you Linda!

Linda ★ Parker's Paradise  

Having been a HeadStart teacher for well over 20 years,

I recognize these as 'helper' scissors.

When teaching 3-4 year olds to cut on a line, the teacher uses

the outside pair of holes and the child, the inside pair.

Guide the little hand along the line!

It really does work!

Hope this fact makes you smile! :)
~~~~~

There are those moments
Those moments when you come across something
Something so interesting, so odd, so curious

That you feel certain you'll fall to the ground whining

If you can't make it yours?! lol

I came across an item

of that caliber

over the long weekend

Just too neat

Just

Had

To

Be

Mine!

In the decades I've spent barn crawling, attic rambling,

basement seeking, flea-marketing, roadside-rangling

(akin to dumpster diving but sans the dumpsters - ick!)

I have neverrrr evveeerrrrr seen shears like these!

And RED!

(Swwooon)

Any idea what these were used for, why they were designed this way?

I'm ever so intensely fascinated - would love hear any insights!



Damp And Cold

Damp and cold
Fall rains unfold
Against her ancient glass

The droplets dance
Try to romance

Old clapboards, plaster, lathe

Lace curtains long

For field winds' song

Now barred by cold wet days

Old house and I

Steam tea, slice pie
And welcome Falls' embrace 

(Ponderings by Isabella 9/2011)

Sneak Peek (New On Etsy)

Prim Bonnet (Repro) Brown Gingham Bonnet
Vintage Wood handled chopper
Collapsable Travel Cup - Neat STAR top
(all on etsy)

PS Any blog buddies who purchase a la etsy
(anytime not just these items)
will receive a little surprise extra in their parcel :-)

A rainy day (oink)

There are days to work hard. 

There are days to putter about - with busy but not complicated work.

Today was one of the putter-about days. Rain, intense at times, yet without the rolling thunder that you feel in your person, without the lightning that demands turn your gaze towards me..now!  Steady endless silently falling rain. Cool temps. Exactly the sort of day that whispers 'fall cleaning'.

One of the goals on my list for the day was to clean the french white pieces I have atop my kitchen cabinets. Each is unique, each with flowing lines and details that entice the eye without color aside from white. Casserole dishes masquerading as goose and duck, roasting dish as rabbit. Juice and milk pitchers embellished with rows of grooves and arching handles. Simple, white, elegant, curious, useful. All except one. That would be 'pig'.  He has no purpose but to be himself. And he accomplished that with great flair, lol.  He's not a casserole, nor a roaster.  He holds nothing nor pours. He simply is. And I adore him in all his personality filled function-less-ness, lol.

When it's time to wash the french white. I whine a bit - so many trips up and down the step ladder. When the task is complete it looks wonderful. But the doing - groan. That's why I always leave 'pig' for last.  Toweling him down always (ALWAYS) makes me smile......

Have a look at these random pictures of the day ~ I'm hoping pig brings you a smile too ....

The August Giveaway Winner Is.......

Putting all the entries for followers
and all the entries for August comments
Into my adored Prim Mixing Bowl
I closed my eyes, spun round three times
and chose the winner
(tho I couldn't read it till my head stopped spinning, lol
next time I may skip the three times round spin :-)

The winner found upon the folded paper:

Ravenwood Whimzies!
click above to visit her warm and welcoming blog

or click here to be wisked off to her delightful Etsy shop

Congrats on winning the August surprise drawing Wendy!!

My humble August 'Surprise' Drawing Included
A Joan Kessler Fabric Remnant (44 in x 20 in)

I adore the pattern - the background is old fashioned blue & white
ticking and is overlayed with oldtime seedpackets
flowers and bees buzzing hither and thither
(as bees are wont to do) 

Also several feet of delicate lace trim
And a vintage album for 'snaps' or poems or anything
dear to the heart for safekeeping!

My heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you
who followed, chatted thru comments, sent emails
Gosh what fun it was and is to have met you all!
Already your comments and insights have

led me down fascinating paths of thought!
Conversations greatly enjoyed.
My hope is that you depart my pages when you

visit with a thought, a smile, an idea that adds to your day
as you add to mine.....

My thanks again to

Amy of BumbleBeeLane

for the kind care she took to
share this humble little giveaway of mine!

Wendy I've emailed you - send me your addy
and I hope ever-so that you'll enjoy

these August Surprises from me to thee.....

DRAT!

Blogger keeps eating or losing or something-ing

the drawing prize picture! Argh!

It just won't do to announce the winner

without being able to show what she won!

So don't give up on me

If blogger won't cooperate with me soon
I'll post the pic elsewhere and provide a link
(just not my fav option)

Pout pout pout
(lol)



Such a kind gesture!

It was so lovely of

http://bumblebeelanecottage.blogspot.com/

to mention my August giveaway....
And to send new visitors towards my farm

Kindness is one of the treasures of life

Thank you Amy!

And to everyone who has found their way here from

Amys' wonderful blog WELCOME!

(for anyone who hasn't visited bumble bee lane, go! You'll love it!)

Some Random Pictures

I honestly don't know how I survived
(or how many beautiful moments I missed)

before digital photography!

I began taking pictures seriously when:
tripods & high speed film (no 'action' setting lol) prevented blurs.
When light meters were essential
When bad photos on printed paper elicited a a sad sigh of 'oh well'.

When there was no such thing as 'overnight/while you wait' developing.
No personal photo editing - that was for professional photographers
(and how I envied them - limited by todays standards - but still....)

I remember the absolute magic of Polaroid
(raise your hand if you remember the swinger camera?!)

I fell in love with 'freezing time' in photos back when new cameras

had flashbars bars of flashbulbs - and oh gosh, remember flash CUBES?

I confess, I fell under the magical spell of photography long ago. 

So I am giddy at the volume and beauty, the quality and quantity of pictures
I can now capture without having to sell blood to pay for the film & processing.

You can easily imagine, I have far too many photos, gleefully capturing

images by the thousands. Weeks of time disappear to editing and such.

I do my best to resist over-exposing (hey a photography pun, lol) you
to my obsession with pictures, really, I do

But these moments, views, memories~captured are a significant part of me
so they weave their way into posts and at times are the post itself...
I hope you enjoy them!

Just one more day to join in!

THE AUGUST GIVEAWAY!

Leave a comment on any post
to have a chance in the 'surprise' giveaway drawing...
And if you 'follow' publicly
You'll get a chance that way too!

So join in by
*leaving a comment on any post

*following publicly
*or have TWO chances if you do both

Hope you'll join in the fun :-)

What's a woman to do with her antique purses?

My office door

So is this 'antique purse decor' clever or crazy? lol

I'd love to know what you think

yea or nay?

 (really,  your honest thoughts are welcome and appreciated!)

Amazingly Productive Weeks!

Since the last time we chatted  :-)

MUCH has been accomplished!

Hydrangeas have bloomed in profusion (the first time ever - yay!)

MASSIVE furniture REarranging has been completed (several rooms worth).

Paint priming of the old girl continues (between the seemingly endless rain - tho wet is better than drought - without any doubt)!  The grass and the plants adore the rain, it's only the paint that objects...

New things have been added to the

Big Red Barn Shop in the time that

has elapsed since my last post too.

Soooo much forward momentum is exhilarating, lol

Arriving at a moment in time when you stop, look and realize you can

SEE the progress derived from all the "process" you've

been dedicated to is wonderful....

There's still a fretful distance more to go on the painting goal

that I set for the old girl this season. But still. She's looking better.

And isn't there something heartwarming about finding the

EXACT PERFECT PLACE

for pieces of furniture you've had (and loved) forever ....

I also had a funny odd thought that led to an unexpected project

that created an entire new look in the kitchen!

But alas that will have to wait for another post with pictures.

Till then, thanks for stopping by and for your emails - you've made

me (and the old girl) feel so welcome!

Don't forget :-)
You're warmly invited to join in (by leaving a comment on any post or following visibly)
to have a chance at the 'suprise August drawing' and if you are a visible follower and leave
a comment on any post during the month of August you'll get TWO chances to win!

Please DO feel free to comment or email - I SO enjoy chatting with each of you...

Sharing old house or decorating or garden (or whatever!) stories.

The Days Of July Have Been Filled With These...

Tic Tock
Sweeping the clock
She circles
As seconds slip by...

Where the time goes?
(Nobody knows)

It simply just vanishes, flies...

Here's a peek at where my seconds of July

have seemed to fly off to!

How about you? What have you been doing
with your seconds of July?!



Progress on the kitchen-porch painting! Yay!

Spot prime - check!

Prime coat - check!
Heavy duty porch paint in gray - (mostly) check!

Thinking I may actually finish this project? Check! (mostly, lol)

Project: kitch-porch

We refer to it as the kitch-porch because we've never been certain or able to unearth its history.

The floor slopes a bit as tho it once was a back porch to the fields.

It's been windowed in for many years but may have once had only columns.

All hints it was a porch.

But it also has a stove vent access port cut into wall.
Once upon a time it had lino over the floorboards.
It's directly off the kitchen.

Hints it was a summer kitchen.

I suppose the history & story are lost to time.

No matter what it was much TLC and rehab required! lol
The real fun is finding the right pieces of furniture, accessories etc
(can't wait to share those steps & images here with you)!

For now I'll leave you with my
removed-everything-and-sand-spot-prime-(pre-full-prime)
the floorboards image
Yes, a lot of rehab! lol

Stars & Stripes a la Farm

Beautiful earth warming life growing sun the last few days....

Out strolling the land, camera in hand

I spied parts of our flag

(in green and yellow
of corn & stella)

Stripes

Stars

Happy (farmhouse) 4th of July!



Anyone Seen Summer?

As I type this you'll find me wearing a sweatshirt AND the light is on in the room because it's so grey outside. So cool windows are closed. Lightning, thunder, heavy rain most of yesterday once again ~ leaving me with blinking power, no-longer-functioning sat-tv and needing to wear my pink wellie mud boots. Each of these normally unheard of this close to July! It's not a problem of significant status considering what so many are dealing with for certain. But it's weird.

AND the flickering power has put me behind in my uploads of pictures & details my very first blog/barn giveaway (exciting)!

So please swing back over the coming days ~ I'd love to have you join in the fun!

In the meantime I'm hoping it warms enough to shed the sweatshirt and dries out enough outside to do some weeding and lawn mowing (that's one thing about cool and rain, the plants 'n grass love it, lol)

Old House Vouyering

I don't condone (or recommend) voyeurism, lol
But when it's old houses we're peeking at it's different, yes?
This old house magazine has a feature many OHL (old house lovers) know well

which featured homes for sale needing to be purchased, reno'd and saved

                          I didn't realize it was also available online now.
Best of all it not only shows current save this old house
but also shows followups each for two of the homes featured each year
If you have time, it's amazing. Sometimes sad, often happy, always inspiring...

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/save

Enjoy!

***Remember to check back on Thursday June 30th for the start of giveaway and sale*** 

Tea time ~ (Teacessities)

I am hopeless, addicted, must-have-been-British

(in another life)

I adore all things Tea

Here's my latest addition

Granted these are not old but they are so pretty!

Each teapot sit atop a matching cup
(or function as personal teapots alone if you prefer)
Are they not the cutest?

The pedestal cake plate is perfect for cupcakes, yes?

I knew I would wither ~ or at least whine alot ~ if these were not mine
So now they are

And I am a happy girl
After all there IS such a thing as teacessities*

 (tea necessities, lol) It may be a made-up word but it's true!

**Remember** I'm having a raise money for house paint sale
at the Big Red Barn Shop end of June
AND a giveaway here at the same time!
Read HERE for more info - and I hope you'll stop by to see the latest treasure(s) :-)

Rain rain go away....

Old house lathe, plaster, epic rain = crisis ceiling trouble! I know, I know, the plastic container on the top of the bookcase to catch leaking water is such a beautiful decorator accent!

(No doubt this is a designer look that is destined be seen in all the home decor mags under accesories for old house disasters, yes? roflmao)

Giveaway & Big Sale at Big Old Red Barn Next Week!

Woot!

I calculated how much paint the old girl needs
(a bazillion gallons)
THEN I calc'd how much that paint will cost....
and well, there's going to be

a Funds For Paint SALE
in the Big Red Barn Shop!

I thought it would be fun

to have
A  GIVEAWAY at the same time

Soooooooo

The end of next week it'll all happen
(the last few days of June)

So be sure to check back

thru next week for details!

I have sooooo  many things to add to the The BRB offerings
and I have a way fun idea for the giveaway entry

Woot!

PS I'm feeling lonely here in bloglandrambling, lol
So anyone who's a visible follower will receive an additonal 

chance to win the giveaway AND a preview notice for

the new BRB items  :-)

(just sayin' lol)

Now, I better get busy!

Double woot! roflmao...

Lookey What I Found! LOL

$10.99 plus exact
shipping (tax if
applicable)
Found in
collectible
At Big Red Barn
 Flickr

Is there anything as neat as seeking, 'pouncing' (lol) and bringing home neat finds? I say not too much is better than that adventure :-) 

These are some newly found finds - they're going up for grabs because I need to buy paint for the old girl - a LOT of paint. Oh my. A bazillion gallons it seems, lol

One is a three part cake carrier - old metal/tin.  I've never seen one with three parts. It has the expected bottom caker and the top cover. The unusual piece is the third bottom piece. Almost like a washbasin, or shorter version of the top cover.  Anyone know what that was used for?

Another find is s sweet inside birdhouse! Each of the four sides painted differently and the roof is all buttons and beads - sooooooooo cute!
*all finds decorative and non-child-use*

So there will be things finding their way from here, there, and everywhere for evaluation in the ancient Big Red Barn. If found worthy of love (and a little work to bring them back sometimes) I'll put them up for seeking/finding/claiming in the Big Red Barn Flickr shop (click on barn pic on the right of blog).

Old house and I thank you for helping us afford a new 'paint-dress' for her.
(and yes I AM doing the painting - certifes me as wack-a-doodle for sure, lol)

**Info, FAQ on how to bring Big Red Barn pieces into YOUR home/decor on the tab at top of blog)



$8.99 plus exact shipping!
(tax if applicable)
Found in KITCHEN
on Big Red Barn Flickr


New Finds ~ Woot!

Old Wood Floors

When I first met old house she had a LOT (I should really put that in 24pt type, lol) of dirt and hidden beauty. In that order ~ dirt/hidden beauty!  Large sections of her floors were buried under modern lino. The roll lino was over stapled luaan (sp?) subfloor. Once those two covering (and hundreds and hundereds of staples) were removed the original wood was finally released.

And the original wood? I could see the age, the wear, the potential. But it had never been touched before it was covered (except for old paint - apparently at some point the floor had been considered nothing more than a drop cloth).  So her floors were, like the rest of her, sound but needing to be raised to the surface like sunken treasure....

I spent weeks and weeks pulling coverings, pulling staples, sanding. When I fell face down on the planks "the man" worked for weeks and weeks. Then we worked together on this room shown (and others) for just short of forever.

It was so worth the effort ~ and cost of Advil by the case ~ lol

These days it's the yearly waxing. I use bees wax (I love it on the wood floors)!

There's nothing
quite like seeing
these ancient
planks of wood,
cut long before
I was even born

Square nailed planks
that hold stories.....
echoes of
conversations I can only
imagine
gleaming in the sun....

I wonder who cut them?
I daydream of the people
who walked these floors
(generations of them)
before they came to be
        mine.....

I'm still saving up for a  proper floor polisher buffer****

****see the post 'fix~math' as to why I have yet to get aforementioned floor polisher/buffer, lol*

PS  I'm sizing the pics of TREASURES FOUND this late afternoon or evening - so if you've stopped back to see from my post Monday  :-)  it won't be too much longer till I have them up to see and share - Promise!

Treasure Found!

Oh my gosh did I find some AMAZING things this weekend!
I'm off to take pics to share with you now (a few moments of sun - yes!)
So check back to seeeeeeeee lol

A favorite views is of one of the old cow grass pastures.  Edged by the woodlands it's kept mowed lest the trees overwhelm it completely. I love both the woodlands and the open pastureland expanses. Deciding what is the perfect visual balance of both for the farm is harder than it would seem.....

Two useful old house reno/life tips

House Reno (and life) Tips

1. a good day is made better by a cup of coffee & fresh homemade donuts
   (see below)
   
2. A bad day is made better by a cup of coffee & fresh homemade dounts
   (see above)

Old House "Fix~math"

So there we were, this tired old house. Tired me. Her paint peeling, my nerves and sense of 'how life would be' unraveled.

We clicked. We bonded. She seemed resigned. I was resigned (tho to what I didn't know ~ I was simply out of desire to battle my current much loved homes circumstances). It seemed as tho this old house and I had  somehow been destined to help each other out of parallel hard times. If a house and a human can share a feeling at that moment of meeting we did.

An old rundown house is a frightening, fascinating, worrysome, wonderful, horrible very good thing.....

And old rundown house requires 'fix~math' - to fix anything at all simple double the calculated cost and tripple the time expected to complete the repair, lol.  Divide it all by the anxiety involved and multiply it by the pride you feel with each inch of progress you achive together as you gain each  final outcome. Progess made each season, each year. 

Magic and menace, joy and despair, frustration and jubulation. That is the thread that runs thru the tapestry of reweaving an old house. The same thread that runs thru a life-plan that has to be ripped out and restarted.

Clapboard by clapboard, caulk to paint, hope to dream.  She and I have grown to be friends over the years. Sometimes she still pisses me off but far more often she's the best kind of friend ~ always there, giving me whatever it is I need.  I love her. In a different way than I love my first home, the home my husband and I built from the ground up. And I think old house has grown fond of me.
I'll have to ask her......

Step by step she & I undertook the journey of finding our way
SEEKING CENTER again ~ together

I Shouldn't Have Been Surprised

No, not surprised at all. 

Many if not most of the large decisions, changes, events in my life have unfolded (or snapped me in wet towel style) unplanned and unbidden. Happily the majority improved my world. Gave my life more depth. Climbing up and down the emotional ladder rungs from confusion to insanity aside lol there's little I'd change.

This point in time, these circumstances were vastly different and intense. Challenge mixed with a heavy dose of "interesting" rolled out on the hard surface of my anger and defiance. I don't mind (now) admitting that I was emotionally at sea. Not a place I have often, if ever, found myself standing.

Trying to relocate 'center' - my center - my heart in fact ~ in this old house began from things broken. Our meeting was instigated by heart-whiplash. Never planned. This old girl never danced on the edges of any current agenda. She was on no list of mine. She was not the plan I had. Not even close. Not in the same galaxy not close.

Me. This old house. Both seeking. Both searching. Both needing. A few threads of hope hung like threadbare curtains in our storm battered eyes on the world. Her large ancient windows were dark and broken. My heart~soul~windows were equally battered dark and bruised.

Both of us found ourselves at far beyond weary. She seemed ravaged to her timbers.  My visible exhaustion was deeper than bone. I felt as tho mice were chewing on my soul.

The first time I saw her she seemed to be expecting me.

But I shouldn't have been surprised.....
No, not one bit.

So it begins

In the process of creating this blog two amusing occurrences arose.
First was the realization that today is April 1st, April Fools Day.

Second was that when my first two word verification attempts failed
the third word that presented because of those two failures was kind of quirky & amusing.
My third cyber-generated verification word was:

Word Verification	dUmsT

Which from word shortening so often when texting I  instantly saw as dumbest.  Uh-oh.

So here I am with a new blog created on April Fools Day and a successful word verification of 'dumst'  (aka dumbest). Hmmm.  I hope that's not an omen lol (and if it IS I hope it pertains to the blog and not me) We'll see... Tho both do foreshadow, to greater and lesser degree, some of the tales to be told I'm certain both past/present and future. 

                                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                       A-little-bit-o-what-I-hope-this-blog-will-be
                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some of the how it all began of course. The beginning was not pretty, not easy, not chosen yet loved.  Years of journaling about the entire process may one day evolve into something. But here, now, for the world to see, enough history enough to make some sense of it all.......

The future writings I'd love to weave into a fabric of 'the love of old shared'....

So, if you hear the voice of old houses, can't walk by a scrap yard or furniture at the side of the road you may feel at home here.  If you  hear abandoned pieces of furniture calling out to you to save them you'll find you're not alone. (I hear them too).  If you sometimes wonder (and other times KNOW lol) you are insane then we have a great deal in common.

If those unconfirmed/confirmed (moments) of insanity are rooted in (trying to) rehab an old house, repair old furniture, old books, old jewelry, old whatever you're going to think we must know each other somehow. Why?

Because (hopefully) you'll occasionally find yourself nodding, laughing, crying and understanding as you read these words I've decided to write if only for myself because really? who'll read this, lol  document/share.

If you find your way here ~ welcome.