We all know that I am currently ill, and abed atop a hot water bottle.
However, I don’t want to talk about that today. Today, I resist torpor and complaining. Today I only want to talk about beautiful things.
I have to thank my dear friend, Madame K, for asking about my projects, and how things are going. It reminded me that I am not made of illness. I am made of creativity. She always knows just the right thing to say.
You see, my trade is creating beautiful things; whether that’s a cottage kitchen, live music, a flower garden, students excited about the possibilities of music, or a musical based on a 1728 play. And, I am privileged to have been able to spend my life as a creator.
So, with illness and frustration aside, I walked around the house today and took photos of things I’m working on that I find beautiful.
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The front yard flower garden. I’m definitely an English cottage garden type person. (No surprises there.)
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A (mostly) finished corner of the kitchen, with our now-exposed huge beams. I had to fill in the space at the top of the wall, of course. I stained new rough-hewn wood to match the old beams.
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Another kitchen wall. Still needs some paint work, but I left the little cellar door rough on purpose. I like to see the history.
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A staircase wall in progress. Because I decided to go with stucco in between dark-stained beams, (Tudor-style), I went with artwork that reflects that.
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And that’s all I know about that! I’m off to rest and have a little bit of dinner. Yep, at 4:00. =)
Since I recently updated my ancient Facebook account (I only look at it once or twice a year — Marketplace.) At any rate, probably best not to post anything to me there. I’m on Instagram as well if you’d like.
Since we’ve already had a lot of folks joining us here that I haven’t spoken to in quite a while, I thought I’d do a little bit of a catch up. (Yeah, this is going to be a very long post. I’ll intersperse some photos.)
J and I now live in Westchester, in a charming downtown, short walking distance from the train station and less than an hour from midtown Manhattan. A few blocks from the Hudson River. We bought this 1100 ft.² 3/1 project-house cottage just about six years ago.
The original part of the house was built in the 1840s, it was extended in the 1880s, and I’ve been renovating since we moved in.
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(A fun photo in the cellar!)
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It is truly my avocation. When we bought it, the first thing I did was tear the front room of the house off and rebuild the original covered porch. Every board, rail, and post — hand cut, all wood, all me, no pre-fab whatsoever.
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The day we closed, and a few months later.
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There was a big initial construction push; but then … two bouts of cancer, several operations, and finally a quadruple 10-hour operation with four Columbia specialists last July. This sidelined reno for about three years. I have my challenges, but I am absolutely fine now. I am nearing a year in complete remission. I’m officially disabled with the tag, parking spot in front of the house, etc. But, you probably wouldn’t know it just to look at me. It’s a neuropathy and chronic fatigue situation, besides the fact that they removed a lot of my insides. (Seriously.)
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Renovations resumed just recently in full! While we were on vacation, we had our close friend, nextdoor neighbor, and contractor tear down the 1 inch thick plaster-and-lathe ceiling in the large kitchen to expose the huge 180-year-old beams. (This was something I was never going to do on my own. Too big, awful, and unpleasant.) I’m now in the process of doing all the finishing work and putting the kitchen back together the way we want it. Very cottage-core, or course. The work is challenging, very creative, very satisfying, and I’ve learned to pace myself. Updates will come on that soon. It’s looking gorgeous.
I am, as always, a Director of Music and Organist at a local church, which I love. I’ve been there six years as well. My friends there were an enormous help during my very serious health challenges. I also teach piano and other instruments privately, but I’m very selective about who I teach, and only have seven students over three days, 30 minutes each.
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I suppose if I haven’t spoken to you in quite a while, I’ve also developed quite a travel bug. I was in London a few months ago, we were in the Catskills a week ago, I’m in Orlando in a week and a half, and in July I’m visiting my mom for a week in Tampa.
While I’m in Tampa, our contractor is tearing out the fiberglass tub/shower situation and putting in a huge, deep, wide tub. Also tiled walls, and vintage shower fixtures. (The tub will be a big help for me. One of the things that helps me most is doing my PT exercises while in hot/warm water.)
Ahhhhh … finally! Dodging and stalled by illness, gigantic operations, side effects, and general ennui, Phase One is happening in April and May — reno of the “cooking side” of the kitchen. (The “washing side” will come later.)
A corner of the living room is already piling up with big boxes full of ovens, induction burners, storage, new pans, wall-mount stuff, an exhaust fan, and yes, restaurant-style stainless steel prep tables and shelves.
This weekend, the gross cabinets and broken hood are coming off the back wall, and the old range is going to the boneyard. There will be some plastering to do as well. While we are on vacation in May, our next-door-neighbor contractor is pulling down the plaster and lath ceiling. This will leave us with big giant 1840s rough beams, plus a foot-and-a-half more ceiling height!
I’m following an interesting trend — no conventional range. I’ve noticed it in a few new-build apartments and tiny houses several times. Have you noticed a lot of our appliances are turning into countertop units — air fryers, instant pots, et al?
So we’re going with all-countertop. The oven will be a convection unit, but it can handle a moderate turkey. It’s also an air fryer, steam oven, programmable several ways, blah blah. For the stove, we’re going with induction burners.
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I could’ve gotten a unit with four, but it’s rare we use more than one burner at a time, and extremely rare that we use more than two. (We most often use the oven.) I figured why waste space. The gas line for the range will be turned off, capped, and left in place in case the next folks want to do something differently.
Here’s a picture of what it looks like now (I know… It’s disgusting and mid-construction besides), and a pic of what it will look like after this first phase is done. (Although the restaurant prep table I bought is wider, and I decided to go without wheels.) I call it “Industrial Cottage Chic,” but really, it’s just my style.
It’s been one day, and I am already, “Are they out of my house yet?,”
Tomorrow is what I call “Mezzo Buildio” — taping, spackling, finishing up some drywall issues, wiring the lamps.
As you know, I kind of exist in a “I never really feel well” state, so I have been managing myself pretty well. =) Haven’t tried to help, haven’t carried anything, continuing to rest up and recover from the few days of prep. Needless to say, the dogs are a challenge where construction is concerned.
There’s an organ in the kitchen. A LazyBoy by the pantry. A bedroom’s worth of furniture scattered all over the house. Our living room looks as if Little Nell might crawl out from underneath the piano at any particular point.
Know anyone who keeps a box of antique reproduction iron hardware around just in case he needs it? I have a box of salvaged mid-19th century iron nails too.
98% sure it’s going to be the big hinge.
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The pantry is nearing completion; enough that I’m getting ready to build the doors. My drying rack arrived from the UK today!
I’m mulling over whether I want to go buy lumber right now. I’m tired, but if I do it now, I won’t have to go out tomorrow. Also, it’s raining. On the upside, the store would be slow. On the downside, I’d have to load lumber into the SUV in the rain. Plus I want to make some crème pastissiere and choux pastry. We’ll see. My tired back and cold toes will let me know soon.
Of course, like most things in this house, the pantry has taken much longer than anticipated. I’m used to it and fond of it. I’ve been known to build things purposely crooked so they can live in harmony with our slanting floors, crooked doorways, and cobwebs. So, everything takes a while. It’s a small price to pay for having the privilege of owning a 180+ year-old, super crooked Weasley cottage. =)
Out of curiosity, I just looked up a photo of Molly Weasley’s kitchen. I hadn’t realized it specifically, but that kitchen clearly sunk in and stuck in the back of my brain — it looks very much like what I am building right now. She even has my plate rack.
Sit Still Phill 