Songbird.

Cute Loot...

White Bright.

Bless you, white paint. Oh, and, myhomehardware.com has outrageously low prices on cabinet hardware. Similar stainless brushed nickel for a fraction of Ikea's going rate. So, I updated the colonial hardware and coated the fruitwood and walnut stained cabinet and wainscoting in gloss white. Also, replaced the mysterious exterior light fixture with an inexpensive light bar and added a wall cabinet (there was no existing towel rack or cabinet... not even a toilet paper holder???). Swapped out the dated faucet with one I had saved from an old remodel project. Works well I think.

Before:


















After:


















More Photos Here

White Lies.

I'm not a fan of painted wood. I have invested countless hours to the stripping of paint from baseboards and antique furniture to reveal natural grain. That said, sometimes it should be done. The pine doors and trim in my new place are stained with an unnatural fruitwood finish reminiscent of 1979 (colonial hardware completes the look!). This, combined with painted walls, wood floors and mixed trim is the opposite of cohesive.

The mixed dark woods overpower the small space. However, the obvious trim and frame lines that chop a room into sections disappear and become neutral with a couple coats of gloss. The only problem with deciding to paint trim and wood is... well... like pulling a loose thread in a hand knit sweater... It's hard to know when (where) to stop. So, it becomes an all or nothing proposition I suppose.

I'm pretty happy with the end result in the foyer. The fresh coat of white creates the illusion of an open airy space and offsets the dark wood of the floor. Not bad for $17 and a days work.

Weeds.

Well, settling into the new place has been a bit difficult. Moving from a half acre of mature trees to, well, no acre for starters. Instead of calling birds and squirrels scampering across the roof, I wake to the hum of the #2 CoTA bus. But, still, this city brownstone has potential.

I felt a little more at home after getting my hands dirty in the courtyard pulling weeds and relocating plants to the sunnier side. I scored a $3 gallon of exterior paint from Lowe's 'rotten paint' bin (aka mis-tints). A huge improvement in the look and feel (see 'after' photo below). My trusty firebowl and benches fit but, without trees, I doubt Mother Nature will provide much kindling for my once nightly fire-making ritual.

The first weekend project complete... Voila! (More photos HERE)

Rule of the Roost.

Another Farm Camp success!

After spending a night under the stars 'cowboy style' (no tents), campers awoke this morning to a big pancake breakfast then helped prep a Farmer's Market for arriving parents and guests.

There were baskets of leeks, carrots, and blackberries, but Gabe was eager to demonstrate improvements in his hen-keeping skills in lieu of shopping.

I followed him to the orchard where he quickly wrangled Roadrunner, world's fastest hen (really quite impressive) and gave me a tour of the coop. After catching and introducing me to every hen and the only nice rooster, Gabe hurried me off to meet the new lambs, goats and piglets. I was informed there were even new ducklings this year but he had helped release them this morning.

This year marked Gabe's first ever participation in beekeeping at the farm. From using the smoker, to removing honeycomb... he set aside his fear of being stung (which he has yet to experience) and went to work... loving it. Another first... this year he made a rooster friend (pictured). It seems they're not all nasty after all.

Ahead of His Time.

"If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen."

- Henry David Thoreau

Goodbye Cottonwood.

Going....


















Going...


















Going...


















Gone...


















The five story cottonwood that graced Chapel House with its shade for over half a century... will be missed.