Almost In!!

Posted on by Sandy Webster

No turning around now! The builder says I can follow my things right into the house on Monday! Amy and Ben will be here on Sunday to lend a hand. The cats trip to the vets to be boarded is canceled because they can come with me and help with the boxes…they so want to see them all emptied and waiting for their inspection.

So here are some changes these past few days at the house.

And today, this little beauty is in place!

Then while the cleaners and touch up painters were busy, my landscaper and I went to our favorite nursery…..and bought all the right things!

While we were gone his helper worked on the sculpting of top soil.

Here are some of the plants for along those mounds and water pond.

The opposite side of the house is filled in with camelias and azaleas we picked out this morning. I will take a picture tomorrow. Next week we will select some large rocks and have a pallet of smaller rock delivered. Those will be placed in areas where the mulch will not be put down. The landscaper will also pick up the Japanese lace leaf maple and lovely drooping Blue Atlas cedar that will be in the front yard with an Asian sculpture and large rocks.

The selection of plantings and mounds will afford a degree of privacy in a subdivision where the houses are only twenty feet apart. Because of the floor plan there are only two windows that look toward another house to the side. And you can see from the triple windows in the living room, if I keep my shades half way down, all I see is my small Japanese garden.

And this morning when I dropped in to see the men and have coffee, this was sitting on the table.

It is a glass cake plate! One of the men shoved it toward me and the one who brought it in for me said it was because I always brought them donuts and he thought I should have it. Before thinking, I blurted out, “Do you know how many cake plates I have given away?” Undaunted by my rudeness by not adhering to the stop sign visualization rule to stop and think before speaking, he went on to point out the merits of this particular cake plate! If you put the top on the plate as it looks now, then you have sort of a fruits and dip arrangement that keeps the flies off.  BUT, turn the bottom part upside down and you have elevated the cake to a degree of enhancement and still keep the flies off.

I offered it to the other men there and received no takers….most of them said they already had one. So I stared at the cake plate. Tried lifting it up whole and decided it was too heavy. So out to the car it went to be safely packed for delivery to the new house.

His cake plate gift was the very first thing moved into the new house.

Sadie and Dilly have taken to perching on the porch things that they sense are going with us.

There are a couple of things about the house that might take a bit longer…the glass shower doors are hung up somewhere. I asked for some pullout shelf/drawers under the bathroom vanity.

But all in all I am very pleased to be moving in and getting the feel of the place.

Next you hear from me it will be from there or maybe the library because the internet may not be hooked up.

Til later….

More Progress

Posted on by Sandy Webster

The building is quickening. Now the garage lights and door have been installed. And this morning when I went over, the screen porch has been finished.

The landscaper will get on the job later this week. This morning the builder told me that the shower grab bars, glass doors, towel bars and the mirrors I took over will all be put in.

Not much more to go as far as I can see. The beautiful gas double oven is still in the box….maybe tomorrow.

I have been so busy here with the last of the packing. There is nothing left for me to do downstairs.

I have one more rug upstairs to clean with baking soda but will wait until the cats are dropped off at the vets. So much cat hair!! There are just a few things in the pantry and cupboard to pack up. Most of my clothes from the closet went into garbage bags to haul over. Two small weekender suitcases will hold the rest of the things I will need to stay in a friend’s apartment until I have been given the okay to move in with my things at the new house.

This morning I called the movers to make sure we were still on for a week from today. They told me that anything I don’t already have in boxes they will carry out to the truck. They also will unhook my TV, pack it and place it where it goes in the den. They would even hook it up if I wanted. And the big thing is they plug in the refrigerator and connect the water line. They also will install the washer and dryer. Such a relief to have that all taken care of. For the twenty minute drive over, I can take the food from the refrigerator and not have to toss it out. They will roll the rugs and make sure they are placed first in the house before furniture is taken in. And best of all, they arrive at 8 0’clock in the morning! The whole day to get it all sorted.

This week I received a call asking if I would like one of my late student’s pieces of art work. She is the one who did so many pieces based on the Old Testament. Rather than go for one of them, I was given my favorite piece she did of the many anti war works.  We shared that as artists, making work about the futility of war. This is her piece titled, Cope. Two left feet from dolls attached to an old military pouch that looks like the innocence of a child in breeches, standing in a pile of spent bullet casings…several holding rolled up pages from the old testament. The small book sits below with a metal cover that says, “Cope”. I love it and am thrilled to own it.

Lin had the best things to work with.  The feet straddle a small foundry mold placed into an old wooden box. Dirt from where she sourced the casings settles into the bottom when the bag of spent bullets are poured around the feet. And just the word, cope, is so powerful as I adjust to changes in my own life.  I have always kept a picture up on the wall of Lin working in my studio. I think I will fold it tight and slip it into the back of the book, Cope.

Speaking of books, I am trying to keep up with all the additions to the new house.

The past couple of days I have been watching home makeovers programs on Netflix. At first they looked nice, fresh, clean. And then after a while all the makeovers looked similar…soft blue or grey hues against white walls. Then on every shelf or surface of any kind the decorator carefully placed things from her own warehouse of endless objects. It occurred to me that none of these homeowners appeared to have belongings of their own. There were no “stories” on the walls, sitting on shelves, or put within arms reach on a coffee table. It was all picture perfect…ready to be photographed for a magazine I suppose.

Anyway I did not pick up any tips except I think I would covet some of those ever so fluffed up pillows on the bed. I will check on Amazon once I get settled.

Til later…..

 

Could Be Good News

Posted on by Sandy Webster

I might be in my new house when my furniture goes in on the 29th this month. This morning when I walked over a painter told me that the builder was calling for the final cleaning to be done next week. There have been a lot of changes.

Starting with delivery to an open garage of the toilets and hot water heater yesterday.

All fans installed and appliances delivered to the house.

A meeting with the shades person….and choices made.

Then this morning I see the microwave/exhaust vent is in place along with faucets in the kitchen and shower. The garage now has its door and outside lights installed.

Toilets installed.

Yesterday I took the day off to draw in the books.

And the meadow is changing…..

So today I went ahead with giving the insurance company the date to start insuring my belongings in a new place and filled out papers at the post office to have my mail forwarded. It felt good. What little bit of packing is left can be finished this weekend.

If something unforeseen happens I still have the option of moving into a friend’s apartment. The cats will still be boarded at the vets so as not to be traumatized by the movers. I am looking at a new smaller rug for in front of the fireplace. Something with a muted mud cloth pattern would be nice.

I still need to clean two rugs for the den and guest bedroom.

The builder was about to order a laundry tub yesterday morning when I stopped by. He asked what I thought of one that had a built in cabinet below. I said it would not do! I needed the old fashioned kind with four legs…otherwise there was no place to put the cats’ litterbox. So he ordered a much less expensive one that will require him ordering faucets for. But at least the cats will know that the litterbox remains in the laundry room.

It may take a couple of weeks to get the high speed internet hooked up but there is always the library for me and my computer.

I was telling my family on the group call last night that even the memories surrounding this place have slipped out through the windows and taken advantage of open doors to go away. They said that the memories will all come bursting out of the boxes as soon as they are opened.

But I think they have all found their way to the new place and are picking their places to reappear in the company of new ones.

Til later….

The Wine Helps

Posted on by Sandy Webster

To say I was sick of packing and looking at boxes would be an understatement. But when I see the completely empty spaces, I see real progress!

When they pick up all the shelving units from my studio storage area, they will have to pack up my drill press as well. It doesn’t fit in a box and I cannot lift it. The shelves and that old work table will go into the garage on the side I will use as a studio of sorts. Mostly for printmaking with the etching press and proof press out there. My fingers are itching to start carving again.

I never thought I’d see the back of the under stairs storage but it is all cleared out and I stood back there to get the picture.

And I thought of giving the large easel away but was talked out of it. So into the garage it goes for the time being.

And at the new house there are some new things happening. All flooring and baseboards are in. New granite counter tops in the kitchen and bathrooms.

And the shower is complete except for the glass door that goes here and in the guest bathroom shower.

I delivered all the light fixtures and fans on Friday. I might be a couple of lights short and will check on that tomorrow.  Seems I need to get a ceiling fixture for the entrance to the front door and a second ceiling light for over the sink island.  I did not want those hanging down pendants so opted for a recessed fixture that the builder and electrician think needs to have a mate. Easy.

I have started packing the pantry. Good grief! Why was there so much in the way of canned goods and pastas in there?! Did I think I was not going to the store before the year was up? This morning on my weekly trip to the dump quite a few out dated jars and cans went with me. But I did keep three jars from the back of the shelves….maple syrup our son harvested and cooked down in 1984 as a school project. When he comes for Christmas I think we need to open a jar and have some over pancakes. As I remember the syrup had a very smoky flavor due to the open fire he had to use to cook it down. And I remember that it is a bit thin for syrup because how many hours upon hours can any of us watch sap thicken. Harvesting from our own maple trees was so much fun. Just like making wine from the wild grapes along the road and dandelions from the yard. Does anybody even do those things nowadays?

A new drawing in the house book.

Maybe when I walk through the meadow to the new house tomorrow morning the builder will greet me with the house keys…..maybe not. For now I am enjoying a glass of red while I write this. Friday night friends picked me up to go to the winery to meet their friends. It was another chance to practice my social skills….woefully fading over the last few years. It was delightful. I think I am getting better at it. No where near ready for a whole room full of people, but a couple at a time seems doable.

Til later…..