Those are “jumping shoes” but I think I can jump higher without them…
This photo is of my blurb in June’s issue of This Old House. They said they wished they could have run a larger story on our house, but that since it wasn’t finished…no dice. Which is understandable. I’m honored to still have a small part in the magazine. They asked for us to keep in touch, and I certainly will!
This is us at 6am. On a pallet on our living room floor. Our room was off limits. Around 5:30am we were awoke by a noise and Maple staring at a black object clinging to the bricks. From far away (and without contacts) they look like bats. But we were familiar with this guy. We’ve seen his kin in our house a few times now. We’ve pretty much got our routine down. Get the cats out of the room, find a towel, gently gather the bird with the towel, go outside, and release. However, this guy seemed smaller than the previous ones so we thought it was a baby. But upon further research (thanks to someone in an LJ community) I learned that this Chimney Swift was an adult…well, maybe like a teen bird. I think he was just a bit shocked.
Once we saw that he wasn’t flying away we tried to put him back in the chimney. I sealed off the opening with layers of towels so he couldn’t see light. We shut all of the doors to keep the cats out, and made our pallet to finish our good night’s sleep.
My friend’s mom gave me 200+ plums that she picked right from her backyard. I’ve actually never had a plum, so I’m at a loss with what to do with them. I’ve been finding some delicious sounding recipes, so I can’t wait to try them tomorrow. I want to make a juice, jam, “salsa”, and of course have a few as is…with a tad of sugar. And maybe a pie! I’ve never made a pie! It’s about time I try! (lol @ rhymes)
*Introducing the Silver Bowl Series. Eventually, I will compile all of the shots taken of fruits and veggies and whatever else lands in my silver bowls.
OH! and of course today I found our missing camera. It was under the bed. I was folding towels when Maple started pawing at my toes that were under the bed. I bent down to say hello, and there it was! We kept telling ourselves it had to be somewhere very obvious. And it certainly was!
We pickled 4 jars of cucumbers and made a jar of our own salsa. With a fresh onion that was picked today! First one ever! I also gathered the seeds from the dried white flowers that I had picked two weeks ago. By the end of this season I hope to have seeds of everything we’ve planted this year. And just continue to grow from those.
Earlier we watched a documentary called The Business of Being Born. Although kids aren’t in our immediate future, we do hope to have one someday. The idea of home births have always seemed more appealing to me, so it was an interesting documentary. I totally teared up in several places, but I am a big sap. Especially for babies. I need a room full of screaming ones NOW!!! haha. I’ve come to understand it’s pretty common for women my age to have some sort of motherly urge, especially when in a strong, healthy relationship. b b z. More like kitties….gimmie kitties over kiddies right now.
Crash Boom Bang Theatre is doin’ it for Skits and Giggles.
We’re catering to the late night crowd and beginning the evening of entertainment at 10:30pm on July 5th at The Flying Monkey Arts Center.
If you’re 21+ feel free to BYOB…it’s party time! Or you can nurse your 4th of July hangover with a lotta laughter.
Today Andy and I went to pick up our tub from the sand blasting place! It was a fun little outing.
Bridge & Blaster
*The bridge photo was actually taken on our way to Decatur, where we purchased the tub last week.
The sand blasting place was located about 25 minutes North of us waaaaaaay out. It was a nice drive though, and Andy found a record player on the side of the street! Maybe it’s salvageable.
On our way home, we stopped at a produce / flower stand and met a sweet kitty named Sara. She followed us around in and out of my arms while we looked. We ended up getting 3 lovely (huge) ferns for only $5 each. They are now hanging from our porch and look nice! I’m sure they will soon be home to a bird or two.
(You’ll have to excuse my greasy bangs and squinty eyes)
When we got home, we wrapped the porch with blankets and tarps so the spray of the paint wouldn’t get carried far by the wind. We started hanging near the top of the porch, but then Andy spotted a baby bird in one of our plants. So, we brought it down some so we wouldn’t disturb the nest. While the mom was away, I snapped a quick photo of the little fuzz. I was very careful not to touch the plant at all, and I’ve seen the mother come and go since then, so I think all is well.
genuine clawfoot & my dad and Andy unloading the tub
freshly sandblasted and before paint & first coat of primer (one that stops rust!) & second coat
me painting on the first coat of glossy white
The first coat of the actual glossy paint is dry to the touch, so we were able to cover it with a tarp in case these thunderstorms that are predicted roll in. This weekend it’s supposed to be rainy, so we probably won’t be able to apply the second (and third?) coat of paint until early next week. Also, we need to go shopping for our faucet!
Today a plumber came over to give us an estimate of putting in the tub and he came up with $450. I’m not really sure if that’s high or not, but I called my dad to see what he thought. He helped us hook up our kitchen sink and master bath toilet. While he’s no professional, he knows what he’s doing…plus, it’ll be a lot cheaper. And I know he loves helping any way he can. Hopefully we can keep the cost under $200. The hardest part will be drilling holes through the ceramic tiles, but I’m sure it’s not so bad with the right tools.
So far:
tub = $100
sand blasting = $40
spray paint gun = $50
primer & paint = $30
installation guesstimate = $200
________________________________
total thus far = $420 (lol)
*Now, had we followed all of the quotes from “pros” thus far:
tub = $100
sand blasting, priming, painting = $575
installation (drilling holes) = $100
installation (hooking up plumbing) = $450
__________________________________________
total = $1225
**Saving $800 and DIYing and knowing soon we’ll be able to soak in the tub with a glass of wine = priceless.
okra & corn (with ants…gotta remedy that)
broccoli (when do I harvest?) & baby pumpkin
Dragonfly (Evinrude! Remember?) & Butterfly & Garden Gnome
Cilantro Harvest. Anybody need any? We have so much!
Pickling cucumbers and tomatoes. We are hopefully going to get those cucumbers pickled this week!
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