Before and After

Not everything you do when building is good. This might be a surprise but I'm here to tell you, feces occurs.

Here are some examples:Shower floor-not bad looking but would never have drained the way it should. Thanks to Chris (one of the Gumbatis) who bailed me out, we now have this:
...a beautiful riverstone that is complementary to the walls and concrete floor. And, it's what I originally wanted-which just goes to show-go with your gut. The book Blink explores the mysterious, complex thinking process that occurs in the first 2 seconds after we encounter something new. Looking back, decisions made "in the Blink of an eye" have probably been my best decisions.

Cabinets-kinda, sorta... This is Nick working on the cabinets. The photo is blurry because he's moving so fast, all the time.
I haven't been to the house since last Saturday as I've been working (I do have a J-O-B) and packing. But I understand that the cabinet drawers are finished and the pantry is in and it all looks wonderful. The countertop will be poured tomorrow. I'll take a field trip later today to check progress.

I really dislike moving but it does give me chance to look at things and ask:
"Do I love you enough to go to the time, trouble and expense to move you?" Funny how many things don't pass that test. I've found that as I get older, I need less and less "stuff" cluttering my space. I want to really enjoy what I really love and not have to be burdened with things "just because". It's interesting how many people will try to talk you into having more stuff. I have really whittled down the kitchen and people are amazed but we only keep things we use-and we cook everyday sometimes twice a day. All I can say is, less stuff feels good.

Anyway-here's my progress-this is probably 50% of what needs to be packed, minus clothes:

The photo reminds me-that chair has got to go!

We're still at it

but so busy I haven't taken time to post.

• Cabinets-50% finished.
• Floor-sealed but don't like the sealer-really strong odor and left unsealed spots.
• Shower floor-done and beautiful.
• Office-painted.
• Sam's window-finished and trimmed.
• Our bath-cabinet built, stained and countertop surface done.
• Our BR window seat-built and stained.
• Wood stove-in the house, not fully installed but it's in the 90s now, installation not a priority.
  
• Exterior-cracks repaired and paint color chosen (for cement stucco skirt and garage).

I'll post pictures tonight. As I have no new pictures-here's a link to The Small House Society
Enjoy their pictures.

And, Site Meter is Back!! Now I can learn more geography-I'm off now to look up Wollongong, NSW...

Feeling a little Sisyphean



Everytime we leave the house at night we have six more things to finish. EVERY NIGHT! That means these details are replicating.

I know that we will never be "Finished" (with a capital F) but it would be nice to be finished.

Progress was made on the landscape front (and back). We met with Scott Calhoun from Zona Gardens (and also a neighbor) who will be doing the design. We read his book, A Yard Full of Sun and attended a reading he did awhile back, so were pretty sure of our choice. Meeting him only made us more sure of our decision. Our first priority will be to get a wall on the south side and then we will work on the other elements over time.

Back to pushing that rock...

Oh no!

My SiteMeter isn't working. How disappointing! Part of the fun of keeping this blog is checking the stats. I've had visitors from Australia, Bulgaria, Russia, Morocco, Korea, South Africa, Portugal-quite the geography refresher course. Anyway it feels lonely not seeing those numbers increase.

I checked the SiteMeter weblog and they are indeed having problems-...upgraded server...working to correct...aware of delays...no data being lost... yadda, yadda, yadda.

Hope the problem is solved soon, they're killing my stats!

It's all in the details...



The south windows trimmed with leftover bamboo flooring.











Transom above hall bath door.
Door into shower.
Color in hall bath.


Light fixture, hall bath.














Window reveal in MBR-reed mat with lime plaster washed back then frescoed with ochre pigment.