MY NEW OFFICE!!!!

FINAL PROJECT

This is my new office, completed today with the electrician coming to add an outlet.  I have a few more things to add, but it is compact and has space for all my office needs.  It frees up the little guest/sitting room incredibly.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it.............thanks Tim for your wonderful craftsmanship.

Missed Feast..........

This is a feast that I was invited to yesterday by two little girls, but I preferred to talk to their mother who I had not had more than a two minute conversation with for weeks.  I remember years ago a friend's son asked her to play ball with him, and she said she had to wash the kitchen floor.  She later thought "my clean floor is more important than time with my son?".

There is a fine line here........they grow up so quickly and yet to maintain one's sanity, time away from them or adult conversation is necessary.

BOOKS - Just finished a good book..........a quick, interesting read.....it would be a great book to take on a plane.  Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell.  It reminded me of The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan.

Coming Along.......................

A few finishing touches, a coat of polyurethane, a phone jack and outlets, et voila, it will be finished.  It came out great and I cannot wait to get everything organized in it.  I don't think I will put on doors.  I will just have to be super neat.  Next posting will be the finished project.

DAY TWO

Grayling loses her alcove as the desk is installed.

NEW OFFICE

I love to decorate and change things......it is a passion.  My latest project is to make the above closet into an office.  This is a closet in the second bedroom/sitting room, where I spend most of my time.  Right now my desk, etc. takes up a good deal of space in this already tiny room, so I have great hopes to transform the room.  I shall keep you posted on the progress.

We had gone for several weeks with no snow and then several feet in two days.  My plow guy was here five times.  No snow lately, but it is slippery walking, which I do a great deal of here.

I have found a place for the Grayling, the dog, when I go away.  They love her there, although they did describe her as a bit "velcroy", but were delighted when I called recently to make a booking. And after months and months, I am finally able to let her off leash in the park where I walk her every morning, although this involves a pocket full of biscuits.  She seems to realize now that if she wanders and does not come when I call her that she goes back on the leash.

Here is a picture of her in the cat's bed, which Fellini refuses to sleep in since I washed it, but Grayling finds it to be a rather nice pillow.

MOVIES - I have even been to the theater and seen movies on a BIG SCREEN.  As you know, I mostly rely on Netflix for my entertainment, so it was quite a culture shock to go to the theater.  I saw "The Last Quartet", "Hitchcock" and "Lincoln"....all good, yet all too long.

BOOKS - I had read Privileges by Jonathan Dee which I liked, so went back to read some of his earlier books.  Just finished Palladio, which was well written, but way too long.  It reminded me of Atlas Shrugged.
I am now in memoir stage reading The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe, which is very good, and What I thought I Knew by Alice Eve Cohen.

PLEASE JUST ONCE COULD I GET……

An amaryllis where the leaves and the flowers come up simultaneously?  You can see that I have had to enhance this one with some holly branches (I have a couple of holly bushes in my back yard).  I have another one going and the same thing is happening.  I am going to start opening the packages before I buy them.

ANIMALS……..

I have been invited to a country place for the weekend.  Having been here for five months, I look forward to a change of scenery.  I was also (mind you, past tense) looking for a bit of time away from the animals who have been glued to my side for all these months.

Yesterday I go to this woman’s house who boards animals.  She has three dogs and a cat and I should have known right there that it wasn't going to work.  Grayling entered the house and went absolutely berserk, jumping on a table, snapping at the cat, and running around like a maniac.  The poor woman looked on and said “How old is this dog?” “10”  “Oh, she doesn't act like a 10 year old”.  Enough said.  Those of you who know her understand.  Sigh……quiet weekend without dog shattered.

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS………….

I read “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn because I had heard so many people say it was a “must read”.  And I must admit it kept me reading and was cleverly written, but I believe it was not written for my genre.

Another book that I read and thoroughly enjoyed was “A Light Between Two Oceans” by M.L. Stedman,  a great story that would make a wonderful movie.  I couldn’t put it down.

I am now reading “Astray” by Emma Donoghue, short stories she has fictionalized based on true historical facts.  It is very good.

CHRISTMAS

The cards have been coming in…….wonderful cards with friends pictured with their adorable children/grandchildren.  I even got one from a man who paints each card individually….he works all year on this, which I think is a great idea.  I somehow haven’t been so motivated, so if you don’t get a card from me by Christmas, possibly you will get a New Year’s one.  But just know that I am wishing you a wonderful holiday.

THE ONE OUTLET HOUSE……..

No, I don’t only have one electrical outlet in my little house (806 sq. ft.), but I can clean my entire house from one outlet in 10 minutes.  I do only have one thermostat.  The property consists of two bedrooms, one bath, kitchen, living room/dining room, full basement, small back yard, a deck and a garage.  And you know what?  I really only use three of the main rooms, and the bathroom.  I love it!

                                             Guest/Computer/Reading Room

I had Thanksgiving here.  There were eight of us, four were children.  I had put art paper on the kids' table with markers and pencils and this kept them occupied very nicely.  It helped too that one of the guests was an artist who had as much fun with it as the kids.

                                             Zuzu, Brian, Henry and Eli

                          Fellini:  Gray?  Do you like this place?  I wish I could

                                      go outside.

                          Gray: It's OK. I love the kids, but I sure wish I didn't have

                                      to be on a leash all the time.

                                          

BOOKS:  I read a great deal here and recently have read a couple of books by young authors that I really enjoyed.  One of them is Peter Geye who has written two books, Safe From the Sea and The Lighthouse Road.  The other author is Canadian, Dianne Warren, and the book is Juliet in August.  I so look forward to their upcoming books.  Richard Russo's memoir of his mother Elsewhere is a great read too.

I will try to post more now that things have settled down.