Tribulations of a small reno project

The center of our home happens to be the hallway. As our remodeler Christopher said, "your hall has nine freakin' doorways." This includes three closets but more importantly, access to the bathroom, living room, dining room, master bedroom and family room and the upstairs. It is not even that big a hallway but when it is under a reno, it created a chain reaction of chaos for weeks.

Before: Old door, striped
walls,tile floor, bench

It all started with the front door. The drafty wood door we had was original to the house and it also had two sidelights with single pane glass. Every winter the cold hallway and frosty sidelights reminded us that it had to be changed, weatherstripping could not correct all its issues. It had to go and that meant the built-in hall seat that adjoined the one sidelight would have to be torn out as well. Of course this would now leave a portion of the hall with no flooring. The rest of the hallway had big white ceramic tile that I never cared for, so all the flooring had to come out.

The day the door was installed I hadn't been feeling well but I thought I was fine in helping carry the door frame and sidelights from the garage to the door opening. Christopher said to tilt back so we could clear the garage door. Wham, that is when vertigo hit, spinning my world around so that I momentarily blacked out, dropping and falling on a sidelight, bruising my chin. I panicked, I thought I had broken the new door we had waited on for eight weeks. Turned out, door was undamaged, got installed, however I did give Christopher a scare.

Next was the two weeks of waiting in disarray until Christopher could come back and install the wood flooring in the hallway. The day the baseboards, chair rails, tile flooring and the linoleum that was underneath came out, I asked if we shouldn't try to confine the dust, no, it wouldn't be that messy. Wrong, there was a layer of gray grout dust throughout the house. Then there was all the spackle, mudding and sanding where the chair rail had been. Now, white dust over the gray. I'm still cleaning.

After: New door, wood floor and walls

As soon as the wood floors were installed, Tim and I started painting baseboards before Christopher installed them. We also had to sand and prime over the striped walls I had painted when we first moved in. Now I know not to paint stripes unless one plans to keep them a long time. Finally the walls got painted and the baseboard went in. There are still areas of existing trim that need repainting and a new ceiling light fixture to be installed but for now, the job is complete. We (or should I say Christopher) decided to table the crown molding until next year.

I'm happy it's done. As always, Christopher did a great job. I had pondered over choices for the door and sidelights, flooring, paint colors and trim. We have remodeled everywhere in this home and property but this was a project that was in your face all the time—the center of this home. In the end, it was definitely worth it. During this period of reno, Superstorm Sandy hit the east coast. I can't even imagine the angst of recovering from a natural disaster like that. From that perspective, it makes this little project seem really petty. Back to cleaning.

The last of the autumn garden

By the back porch

Mozzie enjoys the last warm days of autumn

I love Mozzie!

Tim's Warhol-esque portrait of Mozzie

Originally and officially named Batman, our dog is now called Mozzie. The name is not only only easier to say, it also seems to suit his cute personality, and I think he likes it. I first heard this name on the TV show "White Collar," where Mozzie (derived from Mozart) is a funny little character. Batman or Batty always sounded like we were saying "Bad." So, Mozzie it is, although he may revert to Batman for Halloween.

Since I have not posted anything for a while, I wanted to share a few of Mozzie's snapshots and his first video, "Roll Over Beethoven or Itchy Back."

My, how it has grown!

The kitchen garden in front of my pottery studio

Finally… some cooler days and nights. Then it's hot again. That's August. After a horribly hot, dry season and watering the garden more often than any summer I can remember, it was certainly nice to have a break in the weather. There were days in July that I did little more than water the garden. Other than the cilantro which bolted during the first hot spell, everything else fared well especially the tomatoes which seemed to thrive in the heat. We've had tomato sandwiches, Caprese salads and been giving and tossing away a lot. Was it the organic Tiger Bloom plant food? Next year, fewer plants but who knew?

Just a few of the Super Marzanos

For someone who hates to cook, I had to make use of my bounty of vegetables. First, there were the fabulous French string beans which I used in several chicken meals and a green bean casserole. Thank you Pinterest for the recipes. Then there was the pickling cukes which made up the best refrigerator pickles with another Pinterest find. There was also the freezer pasta sauce that I made twice with nearly 18 lbs. of San Marzano tomatoes. More recently, I used the same tomatoes to make up the best batch of fresh tomato salsa. All seasoned with garlic, onions and herbs from the kitchen garden.

Monster tomato plants!

The 577 garden has also produced my share of food bank contributions of eggplants and kale. The yellow squash plant there has also provided the perfect amount for our meals. I was able to control them better than the baseball bat-sized zucchini of past seasons. Recently I also brought home a sunflower head that had gone to seed for our backyard squirrel. Mozzie (a.k.a. Batman) and I observed yesterday as the squirrel stuffed his cheeks much to his delight. I'll bring home some more and maybe the birds can manage to get a few.

I'm looking forward to harvesting the cool weather crops this fall especially the Brussels sprouts. There will also be more beans, leeks and kale. However, I am continuing to maintain my status as a small-time gardener who doesn't want to go into the canning business. :)

Thyme to garden

The kitchen garden this June. That's oregano
in the center pot, need any?

Since I have been staying home with Batman, I have been able to putter around the garden a little more than past summers. This month I have also taken the first real break from my usual
pottery fanaticism. The hot weather we've had lately has made me extra lazy. I hope to be able to leave the house for longer lengths of time soon since Batman is feeling more secure in his new home. It is my plan to work again at the Potters Guild a few times a week.

After a very slow start at my 577 Foundation garden, things are finally coming around. I had planted 2 types of dwarf sunflower seeds plus zinnia seeds, in anticipation that I'd have lots of cut flowers this summer. Much to my dismay, the seeds were either bad or the birds ate nearly all the seeds or both. I believe I will be fortunate to end up with only four sunflower plants. I have now filled in with zinnia plants, yellow squash and other late season sale plants. My food bank eggplants are still rather sad however I have been experimenting with some new organic fertilizers, Happy Frog and Tiger Bloom. I have high hopes that they will soon be respectable. Tim, Batman and I have been regularly visiting 577 after dinner. "Batty" loves going there.

Batman's favorite spot is the shady steps
of the pottery studio.

The tomato plants have seemed to really respond to the Tiger Bloom because the tomato plants both at home and 577 are now loaded with blooms and green tomatoes. I planted three San Marzano tomato plants at 577 and hope to stock up on tomato sauce this summer.

June joys

Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville

When in Asheville, the presidents
stay at the lovely Grove Park Inn

June 1 marked the end of our vacation in Asheville, North Carolina. It was a fun trip. We were fortunate to have good weather, while it rained in Ohio. Did a lot of walking, saw lots of art, mostly pottery, ate good food and spent time in the mountains. It was a great change of pace and the hilly terrain reminded me that I could be in better shape.

There hadn't been a day since Benny died that I haven't broke down and mourned his passing. His death hit me the harder than Jerry's and I thought losing Jerry was bad. Not only was our house suddenly dog-less but Benny was my intuitive, feisty, special buddy. It probably was selfish of us that we let him hang on for as long as we did.

As much as I adored all the dogs I've ever had, they all required regular grooming and I thought it might be nice to have a dog that we didn't have to clip. Tim's only wish was that we would be able to lift the dog if necessary. After caring for Ben & Jerry in their ailing days, we did a lot of carrying. I also didn't want schnauzers again who are predisposed to getting diabetes. So after we came back from Asheville, I immediately started looking online at rescue dog groups. I couldn't wait another day. I needed to help fill the void that Ben left. You can search by breed and that is how I came to find Batman in Wauseon.

 Our boy wonder—Batman. He really looks
menacing here, he forgot to smile.

Batman was given up for adoption when his ailing owner had someone move in with him who had a Mastiff that apparently bit Batman. He still has a few little scars from that attack. Batman, a.k.a. Batty, is an incredibly cute, affectionate, well-behaved, four-year-old French Bulldog. He loves riding in the car and walks well on a leash. He enjoys going over to 577 while Tim and I tend to the garden there. His only problem is that he has an extreme fear of being abandoned. He doesn't want to be left alone and follows me everywhere from room to room. Each day he getting a little better and braver but it will take a while. I'm spending a lot of time at home right now. Fortunately, he makes me smile and he is a joy to have. Yesterday I finally didn't cry.

Chasing rainbows and other signs of spring

The day I shot this rainbow photo in my backyard was probably the last day we had a decent rainfall. Since then, the flowers of May still bloomed in the yard but the garden hose provided what Mother Nature did not. Here are some of those blossoms that are now gone—

 

Rest in peace Benny

May 3, 1998—May 6, 2012

No more insulin shots, no more pain. 

I miss you so much—my smart, feisty, loving little buddy.

I like to think that Ben & Jerry are together again.

Latest backyard project

Christopher came back and sided our backyard shed with cedar shakes to coordinate with the pottery studio. I think it jazzes up our mini-compound. So now when the shakes start to weather to gray, both structures should do so at the same time. It'll bring a little New England to Perrysburg.

It's doesn't feel like May today but it is supposed to be 80+ degrees this week. Last week I bought a few perennials and the front porch Boston ferns however garden shopping will start in earnest this week. It's funny how the list of projects never ends.

It's only March…

Did not make it to Florida, all Direct Air flights were cancelled until May. Instead, warm weather came here. Unseasonable weather for March, several 80+ days, had to bring out the shorts and tees, flowers and trees are all 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule.  Frost returns this week, will see how the plants do. Off to Rhode Island on Wednesday with Tim holding down the "fort."

Facebook out, Pinterest in…

There was a time not that long ago that I was checking my Facebook page practically every time I logged on my computer. These days I go on just for the occasional glance at posts or pictures, to send a birthday message or to contact a friend.

Current obsession: Pinterest. For the longest time I couldn't understand the point of pinning pictures. Now I get it! It provides a way to sort into categories and save links to everything you are interested in without having to bookmark sites, dragging images on your desktop or remember URLs. It's also a way to share what you find with others that share your various passions and vice versa. Whether it's remembering a favorite piece of art, a link to a recipe or a how-to video on YouTube, this is an organized way to follow favorite "pinners"(one who pins) and your own interest "boards." Right now I'm building a library of links and pictures at quite a fast pace, I'm sure my collecting frenzy will become more selective in time. Your boards are an open book for others to see so you can choose to follow a friend's recent pins or check a subject board of theirs you'd find interesting. You can "pin" (find and save an image off a site) or you can "re-pin" (which means you are saving a pin another person you are following has found. One can find friends under an interest category, then they can choose to follow that person who shares the similar tastes. I now have "friends" from all over the country as well as in Europe, Israel and Japan. Very, very cool. (and addicting too).

A portion of my boards. Each photo represents a link to the
original photo and site. You click on the photo and it directs
you to the original site.

Rain, rain, go away

We had so much rain last night that there were two ducks that came back twice to check out the giant puddle in our backyard. Our un-tiled clay soil out back simply cannot absorb the water fast enough between these spring-time downpours. I am just grateful that it's just been rain and not scary tornadoes. It's 8:30 p.m. and 72 degrees, isn't that freakishly warm? The perennials and bulbs in the yard are sprouting everywhere. With the warm winter we had, it looks like it'll be a year for weeds and bugs.

The giant puddle early this morning

new blog name to start the new year

Since I am now maintaining 2 blogs, I felt that yackety-yack is a better catch-all name for what I write on this blog. The other blog, also renamed Bits of clay, will focus on my ceramics-related thoughts and news. Originally this blog was intended to focus on my printmaking and pottery endeavors but it seemed that other activities, such as gardening and traveling, became prevalent blog topics. Perhaps this variety of postings better reflects my 4.5-years since retirement and that's a "good thing."

We made it through the easiest January I can remember. I had thought I'd be spending much of January stuck at home but that hasn't  been the case. I've actually seen a bunch of friends for many a lunch last month, including Ronnie from Cleveland. I was also glad for Benny, our blind dog who has difficulty navigating outside, particularly if there are banks of snow. He's hanging in there, we take one day at a time and he doesn't seem miserable.

Spring is coming! I recently picked up some bush bean, sunflower and zinnia seeds at Downtown Home & Garden in Ann Arbor. It seems like others are also getting psyched, checking out the gardening catalogs and making garden plans in anticipation of warmer days.

Looking forward to my girlfriends trip this March with Becky and Terri. Heading back to Florida, this time, Fort Myers, Key West and Sarasota. Sometime between now and then, I need to schedule a trip to Rhode Island.

Check out my ceramics blog for what is really keeping me busy these days.