Old House

There's always something to be done when you have an old house. This year the sunroom is being finished. The windows were repaired and now the trim is getting a paint job inside and out. El Esposo gets a little break, though. We hired out this work! So he has more time for digging! More on that later...

Start the New Year Right...

...visit with your family!

Dad and Marlyn came to visit on Wednesday of last week.  They rode the train down from northern California!  Taking the train just about doubled the time it took to get here, but it made the trip part of the actual destination!  Riding the train is fun.  They thought so too.  You can read, people watch in the view cars, watch the scenery go by, and you don't have to worry about traffic or tule fog!

We had a great visit.  They got to use the spare room which had just recently been outfitted as the bridal room.  I don't think I have posted pictures: 



I don't seem to have one of the other side of the room where the sofa bed is. Hmmm...Anyway, the sofa bed is still there, and I turned the twin bed sideways and bought linens and pillows to make it a daybed. My old sewing machine (from a friend who inherited it from her mother), a bookcase, and the family corner cabinet fill in the rest. (The top picture was taken the night of the wedding and the thing that looks like a lamp on the right is the photographers light umbrella!)

The room is on the southeast side of the house so it is nice and bright during the day. Dad and Marlyn slept well, so I think it is now a pretty comfortable guest room. Just a couple weeks ago it was not! It was the staging area for all the painting! I do still need to get a D-shape curtain rod and shower curtain for the bathtub.  It has a shower nozzle and can be used as a shower.  I don't have a picture of the bathroom, but it has become the orchid keeping room.  All the orchids that people got at work when the new jobs started have lost their flowers and been given to me to rehabilitate.  We'll see if I can convince them to bloom again!

Our visit was really fun. I know I inherited/learned my love of reading from Dad! I should have taken a picture--the Aunt came out to the dining room one morning while we were having coffee and said it looked like a Starbucks--all of us sitting around with our books and me reading my morning computer blogs!

We ate well (thanks to the Aunt!), we visited the Central Coast (and quite pregnant!) niece at her workplace, we talked computers and iphones (maybe I got my love of the tech toys from him, too), we stopped into a used bookstore downtown and came away with treasures, and we relaxed and talked and read.  Dad even spent some time reading in the sunny mezzanine--it's pretty cold up there in the winter with all the leaky windows so he didn't stay long!

With all that reading going on, El Esposo got inspired!  Dad was reading David McCoulough's Truman.   EE really liked others by him, Undaunted Courage, about Lewis and Clark, and 1776.  So he sent me to the library in search of McCoulough's John Adams.  He started it last night and I turned off the light and closed my book before he did, so I know he is enjoying it. 

Dad and Marlyn left on Friday morning and I returned to work.  What a short work week...back on Tuesday, off at noon on Wednesday and then in late on Friday!  It was a fun visit and a great way to start off 2012!

Happy New Life!

It has been a week since the wedding.  The new bride texted me yesterday that they were on their way  home from Tahoe (where they spent the family part of their honeymoon--he has two young kids).  She was planning to come by the house and collect her things.  Since I was at work yesterday, she will be coming today.

So... given that the traces of the wedding will be erased from the house today and it has been a week since the event, I thought I better get on the ball and post some pictures!  In fairness to myself, most of my blog readers are family who already know what the wedding looked like.  On the other hand, I have become a "behind blogger," always catching up on the event that just happened.  (Like the fun visit from Dad and Marlyn--but that will be my next blog post!  I'm getting ahead of myself!)

Here are some of the photos...I left the flash off most of my pictures because I was enthralled with the romantic, sparkling light.  Consequently most are a little dark.  Also, I don't have many good photos of bride and groom.  I left those to the wedding photographer!  I told someone I felt like the parent whose son is the ringbearer or daughter is the flower girl--except that it was my house that was in the wedding!  So you can see that my photo focus was not necessarily the happy couple ;-)

I scoured the city for white and pink poinsettia bargains on Dec. 26.

I was glad I hadn't "prettied up" the dressing table area!

She wanted to be married near the windows out to the camelia garden.  Guests faced windows to a garden sparkling with white lights.

The ceremony from the back.

I captured this photo of George from outside!

Coming back downstairs after we transformed the "chapel" into the "ballroom." They exited the ceremony by going upstairs to the bridal room while we did the required chair moving to get ready for their first dance!

Beautiful! And lots of fun!  There were over 40 people, live music by George Butts (do click on this link to hear his music--he's great!), dancing in the living room, good wine and food.  I must say that New Year's Eve is a perfect night for a wedding and they planned a great one!  Happy New Year and New Life to Nancy and Dave!

Polishing the House for the Wedding

These arrived yesterday.  Well, some of them.  The wrong outlet covers were shipped but Rejuvenation is a great company and they are speeding the right ones here by tomorrow.

El Esposo said that now I must don gloves to switch the lights on and off.  For a second I believed him.  If you know him well, you would have almost believed it too!

Waiting for Baseball Season and a Refrigerator

Huh?
Two exciting things around here:

Baseball season starts on April 1st, with spring training games here in CA starting last night! Giants vs. A's. We sent the tickets for last night to T. El Esposo will be going to Wednesday's day game. Although the tickets for last night were sent on Thursday, as of Saturday they had not arrived :-O Some quick thinking by T and a little luck (they arrived back in our mail yesterday, returned to sender!) and we were able to electronically relay them so she and her boyfriend could go to the first game in her new hometown!

AND

The refrigerator has arrived at its destination to be restored. And get this! They will be taking pictures throughout the process! It's like our kid is at camp or something!! It is expected to take 6 weeks or so for the restoration. Here are the before pictures they sent.


When it comes back it will be its original white with the green plastic accent on the handles. Notice the tiny freezer inside! The bottom is not the freezer, it is just a small storage area. The door leans forward from the bottom, it isn't a drawer. Maybe it was for cookie sheets and such? Does anyone know? Notice also the two upper racks on the door. They have little holes for eggs to sit in!

The refrigerator and the Giants' season, I can't wait to see how they both turn out!

Old House Kitchen Fun

My Seattle friend has a bungalow with an small galley kitchen. This week, she had some kitchen fun in the form of a new range hood for her stove, stainless steel backing behind the stove, and a new linoleum floor. (Real, old-fashioned lineoleum--I'm not just using that term as a generic for flooring material.) Take a look at the pictures. And while you're at it, notice the FABULOUS wall paper! My Seattle friend has great taste! Her brother helps with all his design knowledge, but she has a great eye for color and beauty. The wallpaper has been there almost since she moved in.

Here is the range hood that started the project. Notice the wallpaper! I love it!
While she was at it, she got stainless steel backing to protect the wall around the stove.
The refrigerator has been moved to the dining room so the vinyl floor can be replaced. She has wanted to replace the floor since she moved in. That was before her son was born and he is now thirteen! It's amazing how long you can put up with something ugly once you move into a house and start living there.

Here is the floor all prepped for the installation of the linoleum. Can't wait to see it! I want some of my own! The kitchen leads into a cute breakfast room that looks out over the backyard.
The installation of the floor in the breakfast room...
Doesn't it look great? That green looks a lot like the green that is under the beige-painted kitchen floor here at our house. Its a great color for an old house kitchen.
Now I am thinking about a new floor, too! I wonder if they have eggplant color linoleum?!?

I Love Our House

But for reasons besides the obvious. Last evening, from the upstairs bathroom I looked out and behind the silhouette of trees was the most beautiful sunset. Purple, echoing the tile of the bathroom and an exact match of the paint chip I have up on the window trim. Orange, echoing the orange hand towels that I bought when we had the poppy orange bedroom (really--we did--I loved it!) at the other house. I love the towels and have been using them in the purple and green tile bathroom since we moved here. A little to carnival-esque I thought, but still, I like orange!

Little known reasons I love this house:
Reason 1: This house has a bathroom the color of sunset!
Reason 2: The upstairs bathroom has a great view of the sunset. Actually it also has a great view of the golden morning light on the trunks of the trees. So I guess the real reason is that the upstairs bathroom has a great view. Perfect for long tooth brushing!

Clearing Out

Here are a couple of things that have been cleared out from our list of projects. Remember this? El Esposo had started filling in the hole in the flooring with the recycled boards from The Aunt's room. It was an albatross around his neck. A rare example of a project that was beyond his abilities (and tool box!).
So a few weeks ago he called our favorite surfer-floor-guy and got an estimate for him to finish the job. It turns out it would be easier to take it up and reinstall than to fill in the gap. So that is what they did. Unfortunately, the wood from The Aunt's room turned out to be a different, darker wood (not just a darker stain, as we had thought). So it was redone with new boards alternated with the old.

Next it will be sanded and refinished. I am a little worried about that part since I know that construction professionals like to make everything look beautiful and new and I want it to still look like a floor that belongs in an old house. We will be looking at some finish samples and I will keep you posted!

The other project that was cleared from the decks was in the front yard. I started it a couple weeks ago--removing the vinca from under the oak. Yesterday EE finished clearing it out. I looks great. I had already planted some screen plants and now I will reassess and plant more. There is a cyclone fence separating the front and back yards there and we will be adding evergreen plants for a screen. There are two lotus trees that are an effective screen from spring through fall, but in winter it is a clear view into the back yard. A few toyon to add to the prunus ilicifolia that I have already planted, and maybe another wax myrtle to join the one that I planted two years ago...
Here you can see how open it is. The sidewalk is up higher so the view from there is better screened by the trees you see here. Still, I am anxious to start thinking about this new space to plant in!

My Surprise and a Little More

On Sunday I worked in the yard all day with my propagation babies (more on that later). I had my phone upstairs so I didn't hear the two calls from El Esposo, who was at work. When he got home about 4 he said he "I'll be back, I'm going out for a bit." Weird thing for him to say. "Are you going to OSH?" I asked. He's been frequenting that place A LOT since all the digging and plumbing and electrical has been going on. "No," he says. No explanation. Hmm. Then he says, "Don't listen to your phone messages, I have a surprise." Hmmm. Ok. He is gone a very long time and we are having 4th of July dinner around 6. (The Aunt made barbeque chicken--with the skin on for a treat--potato salad and corn on the cob. Yummy!!!) While he is gone I notice that he took my car, not the truck. Hmmmmm. Then The Aunt notices that the blanket on the keets has blown off. No. It's gone. Hmmmmmmmmm. He took a moving blanket, but not the truck. He is gone a long time. What is he doing??? Finally, it is so close to 6 that I call and ask his ETA. He says he is about 10 minutes from home and on his way. As I am setting the table a strange truck slows down in front of the house. It prepares to back into the driveway and I see....
OH MY!!!!!!!


A 1947 Crosley Shelvador refrigerator! And it works! At some point the white fridge was painted green and silver, but it seems to have all its parts and it works! It is only 23" deep (EE says I should tell all the dimensions 60"x23"x33"and it will fit in the space in the kitchen of this old house! Unlike the stainless steel monstrosity that is there now. Hooray for Craigslist and El Esposo's internet shopping luck! Now he's researching restoration places. While most people are yearning for a nice big stainless steel fridge with water filters and automatic ice makers, I am ecstatic over this old thing with a freezer you see above and an old fashioned "kalunk" when it closes! The restoration place that looks the best so far has a 9 month backlog so it will probably be awhile before you hear more--or see the stainless steel monstrosity on Craigslist!--but stay tuned!

Here is the "little more" from the title:
A while back we came home from EE's dad's house with some furniture. It had been in his garage after he saw it on the porch at an old friend's that he was visiting with after a funeral. On the porch! Good man that he is, he rescued it! And since he was trying to get rid of stuff, we took it! Look at how interesting these pieces are!

I am one lucky blogger!

Odds and Ends

New Chick Pic in the Banner

As you can see, the chicks are growing fast! Yesterday the weather finally warmed up (more later) so I took them on their first field trip. They spent a couple hours in the dog's ex-pen while I cleaned the chicken tractor. It has been sitting since Bess died and it needed a good spray of water to dislodge the black widows and some bleach to disinfect it. I was surprised that they didn't seem scared to be out in the open. They were quite interested in the weeds that were just outside the pen, even though there were plenty of them inside the pen! They came back inside to an expanded brooder. I put the two halves of the dog crate side-by-side lengthwise so now they have a "double long." An old window screen over the top holds them inside.

Weather

Two words...marine layers. And I do mean plural--layers and layers and layers of oppressive clouds. Along with wind and cold. Yesterday finally warmed up and the sun broke through, but the day before, after a week of the crappiest summer weather in the history of the world, I had to escape. I headed up the highway looking often at the temp gauge on the rearview mirror. I expected to see some increase near San Juan Bautista, but it had only gone from 63 to 65 and there were still quite a few clouds. So I continued into Gilroy. By then it was still only 66, but the car had warmed up so I turned off toward Hollister. The gauge briefly hit 67, but then back to 66. I decided that I would take a chance on San Juan Bautista after all and circled back. Temperatures held at 66. (This is crazy! It is ALWAYS hot in SJB.) I was wearing a t-shirt under a turtle-neck cotton cable-knit sweater as I walked around town. I wasn't cold, dressed like this, so I took my book and found a table in the sun at JJ's for a milkshake.

Inside Project

Due to the weather, I started an inside project. The vanity table that is built into the dressing room area of the bedroom is a real eyesore. First of all, it used to collect all my junk. Second, the previous owner painted a black stripe down the middle and wallpapered each edge with black and beige toile. Done as a temporary, just-for-looks thing, the wall paper peeled off early on (and I helped it!) and the black latex over oil paint was also peeling off. I have no "before" pictures of the vanity from before we moved in, but here it is as it looked a couple days ago.

Now my newest project is to take off the black stripe. In the process the beige paint underneath is also coming off. So it is being stripped in preparation for repainting. This will hopefully lead to repainting the dressing area. I have one of those cute vanity chairs and I am picturing a little skirt where the chair goes and a mirror tray with perfume bottles!

Can You Dig It?

We've got pipes!




It's complicated, but since the construction that finished up last June, we haven't had a water pipe supplying the back yard. The existing one was corroded and so it was capped off. A garden hose is replacing the pipe temporarily sending water backwards through a hose bib into the garage and the backyard piping. But not for long!

EE has been digging and digging and digging... About 100 feet of trench for pipe from where the water comes into the house in front, under the driveway and then up the fence to the garage. It is a different path than the abandoned, corroded pipe since it avoides pipe under the patio. Along the way he has put faucets for my gardening (because he loves me and because I hate dragging the hose around) and potentially for some drip irrigation in places. Now he has put electrical conduit in and will be putting in outlets along the way (for garden lights, for fountains, for charging my phone--just kidding!). We don't really use that much electricity or water in the yard--all these faucets and outlets might make it seem that way! But dig this: it's nice to have a faucet where you need it, when you need it! It's also nice to have an Esposo with such handy skills!

El Esposo's Project

You know he likes things clean. You may also know he worries about things like water leaks and bad electrical wiring. So when there was a "pop" one night and the chandeliers in the stairway went out he was worried. Twisting the mustache worried. The chandeliers are on the same circuit with the porch lights and he hadn't caulked around the porch lights. Water could have gotten in from the rains and water and electricity are a bad mix! The wiring in the house is old (some is still knob and tube) and it could have been something wrong with the wiring. I started to envision walls having to be ripped open--yikes! He hoped it was just a bad breaker, but that is rare, he says. So the electrician came and, lucky for us, what he found was bad wiring in one of the hallway chandeliers.

So, an opportunity to do some DIY rewiring AND clean the chandeliers! What could be a better project for rainy days? He took MANY pictures. I have chosen just a few--hope I picked the ones he wanted posted! If not, I will post more later.
The metal part that goes on the ceiling was brassy looking.
But after cleaning...
Here is the glass at the top, all sparkling clean! Notice how clean and shiny the socket is! That is the original socket--nice and heavy. He bought new sockets to cannibalize parts and they are so flimsy and light.

Here's another shot of clean and shiny chain, canopy and glass...
There are two of these. One in the front entry and one at the top of the stairs. They are the same. I think they are unusual, with a metal scaffold on which all the crystals hang. That metal is all clean and shiny now, too!

There is a different one in the landing that I have already posted about when I talked about the sunroom/mezzanine project. Not only are they all clean and shiny, they are all safely rewired now!
Now he is eyeing the one in the dining room and thinking about rewiring it!

I'm sure glad I am married to this talent!