Sunday, January 20, 2008

Winter Reverie

I returned from the Christmas holidays to a new house, but I couldn't let this season go by without at least a little holiday cheer. So, for New Year's Eve I strung Christmas tree lights along the front porch. I'm sitting inside on a rattan sofa that I bought in barn sale in the Hamptons and eating at a folding card table, but my string of Christmas lights make it feel as if I've been here for much longer. Tip: I knew I was going to want something like this for holiday decorations and for a string of Chinese paper lanterns on warm summer nights. So, I had the electrician install an electric outlet in the ceiling at the end of the porch...and better yet...connect it to a switch inside the front door. BTW, that's a gorgeous full moon rising over the ridge behind the house.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Back in Touch

First, I have to apologize for not keeping my posts up-to-date and timely. The truth is that I was overwhelmed by the pressure in finishing the house. The original completion date was mid-October, which I knew from the beginning was unrealistic. But, then things started slipping, and it was Thanksgiving with a lot still to be done before I could occupy the house. In fact, on December 9, the kitchen was still unfinished (see the photo above), and there were things to finish everywhere I looked inside. Mark made a valiant effort to finish by Thanksgiving, but too much time had been lost in September and October. It just wasn't possible.

I had been renting an apartment in a nearby town, and the lease was expiring. I was also going away for the Christmas holidays. So, to say I was beginning to feel squeezed is putting it lightly.

The good news is that I'm now in the house. I took possession on December 15. Then it started snowing; then I made the mistake of assuming I could move the few things I had in the apartment in my car....by myself; and then I was gone for the holiday. I was fried, tired and disoriented. When I came back from Christmas to spend the New Year holiday in my new house, I had a hard time simply feeling present. Not to mention I now have to furnish the house. I have some furniture, but no upholstery, no dining table, no master bed, etc....

I'm going to save the finished construction pictures and share them over the upcoming weeks. I'll leave you for now with a few more pictures from early December—not much longer than a month ago!