Monday, September 29, 2014

Glass half full?

I am such a pessimist that I am hyper-sensitive to announcing an event before it comes to pass.   However.

Ahem.

We have started packing.  Yes, to move.  Into The Log House.  THAT Log House.  I. KNOW.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm hyperventilating.   Give me a moment, here.  

No, it won't be all finished before the move.  No, it won't even be close to being finished --  but it'll be habitable, and that's all I need, baby.  And, yes, I realize my standards have changed in the past 8 years.   Exactly.   Since we are only moving 9 miles away, we will be packing and moving in drips and drabs.  (The "drabs" mostly refers to my wardrobe.)   It will probably take us a month or two.  But, still!


Here are some photos of the little things around The House that The Hubs is finishing up in advance of the move:

That old steel door that used to be the front door?  It's now the back door.  Well, you can't win 'em all.  But it makes that hallway so much brighter!



The Girl takes advantage of the partially-assembled bunk beds to do some climbing.  


I will spare you the photos of me, with hair on end, sorting and packing up our (too) many belongings in the house in town.  You're welcome.

Stay tuned, faithful log-devotees!  Big thingz is afoot!

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

[insert door metaphor here]

Today is the start of fall.  Yes, I know that the weather is still as summery as yesterday.  AND that autumn doesn't technically start for weeks.   But for those of us whose employment follows the traditional American school year?   The first day back to school = fall.  The bairns don't return to the rigor of formal education until Thursday, but for me, it's today.   Sooooo...  I was going to whip up some sort of fab-O metaphor about portals to new....   this -- or doorways to the future.... blah.....   but it's 6:00am and I should actually be gathering myself to go to work, so cook it up yourself.

And furthermore, get off my lawn!

[ahem.  sorry.]

The good news is: we spent yesterday afternoon up at The Log House.  The BETTER news is that we put in the new front door.  YES WE DID!!   (and by "we," as always, I mean Bob and FIL Jim)

Sometimes, what makes it possible to build your own home ... er... freehand ...  is that you use "found" materials as you go along.  In this case, the found material is the front door we've been using for a few years.

Hey, it was free.
 
I asked The Hubs last night how we came to have a random extra old steel door lying around.  Apparently, a family friend got it from a store that was replacing it and gave it to my Father-in-Law Jim.  Thus -- free door.

But, rusty old free steel door NO MORE!   Okay, well, not on the front entrance.  It's just getting moved around to the rear entrance for the musicians and vagrants to use.   No, sorry.  That can't be right.  I mean for dashing out in the freezing cold winter to feed the wood boiler.   At least, it'll grace the back door until we can convince the children to give us all their lemonade stand earnings so we can afford another door.  Do you KNOW how expensive quality exterior doors are?   I nigh unto had a stroke when we priced them.  

But I digress.

Here's the old door gone:

Looking out


With a really handsome dude


Sorry, kids.  No college.  We got ourselves a nice front door.

So, usually, when there's work going on up at The Log House, I either hear about it after it's done and run up and take pictures, or take some before and after shots and in the meantime, go about my business.  

But in this case, I stayed for the whole thing.  Because -- well, how long can it take to put in a new door?

Hour ONE.

Apparently, I forgot that it was being installed in a hand-hewn log home.  AND that I have no concept of such things.  Because:  dang.





Four hours later, it's in.  Well, no casing.  And there's an area over the door that needs to be filled in....  but whatever.

Look who's being helpful!  That's right:  me.  



Nice door, eh?

The time we waited while the sausage was being made...  er... I mean, the door was being installed, wasn't entirely wasted though:




The Girl made good use of the new carpet.

Wanna come knock on our new door and pretend like we live there NOW?   'Cause I'm pretending that, too.  

Well, after I pretend that I'm ready for a new school year.  Yeah.  Pretending that too.