Pantry Update

The COG is a Saint. The night before I left, I was about to start installing shelves and he told me not to do it - to just leave it until I got back. He would live with the dining room the way it was.

He deserves a starry crown in heaven.

Pantry

As if I didn't have enough to do before I leave, there was the pantry. We had to empty it out so they could get rid of the door that was on the exterior wall. Once, emptied, it looked so sad and shabby that I knew I had to paint it before I left. So that's how I've spent the day, since I got up at 5:30. It is painted, but after it dries, I still have to put up a bunch of brackets that were anchored into the old door, and then move everything back in.










The yellow-y picture is Before.The blue one is After. The middle one shows the mess in the dining room, which all needs to go back into the pantry. Before I go to bed tonight.

Decks: some progress

The decks are nearing completion and will be complete by the time I return - I leave for 10 days, tomorrow. Here are the most recent pictures. You will see that we also had some shingles replaced around the decks. The bigger deck was built closer to the ground this time which has two advantages. First, it makes it move into the yard more gracefully. Second (and this is a biggie) it makes it unnecessary to put a railing around it. Code says 30" from the ground requires a railing. The railing obstructs the view from the house, so we really didn't want it. Alas, we will have to have railings on the steps. We are now discussing what we will put around the edge to prevent falls. A low bench is one possibility, or planters.... something like that. Meanwhile, this is where we are.

Binky and Shoes: A Continuing Dialog

The Voice of Reason: The Keen shoes are so comfortable and would be so good for your feet.

The Voice of Conscience: Ohmmmmm. Simplify your life. It's best to have fewer things, but things that are comfortable and useable.

The Voice of Practicality: The green shoes would be so useful in the life you actually lead - you could wear them nearly everyday and give lots of other pairs of shoes to the Goodwill.

The Voice of Binky: Buy the pointy purple ones with sequins! Sequins! Pointy! Purple!

On Shoes

It's the old old story (you'll have to click on the highlighted bit to see the pictures, I'm afraid).

The most comfortable shoes I have ever put on my feet, bar none. (in the green colorway)

or


Really really cute, but less comfortable, shoes

My mother used to read us a poem, which doesn't really apply because I can choose, but the inner struggle is the same.

Choosing Shoes
by Ffrida Wolfe

New shoes, new shoes
Red and pink and blue shoes,
Tell me which would you choose,
If they'd let us buy?

Buckle shoes, bow shoes,
Pretty pointy-toe shoes,
Strappy, cappy low shoes;
Let's have some to try.

Bright shoes, white shoes,
Dandy dance-by-night-shoes,
Perhaps-a-little-tight shoes;
Like some? So would I.

BUT

Flat shoes, fat shoes,
Stump-along-like-that shoes,
Wipe-them-on-the-mat shoes,
O that's the sort they'll buy.

First Salad

This is the first salad from our garden this year. You can see from the size of the leaves that we could have been eating them for a couple of weeks, but with no decks, it somehow discourages one from going out to the garden. We have radishes, too, and herbs. And peas and onions coming up. Appleton Farm CSA starts in a couple of weeks.

A Day on the Cape

I don't know why this seeing an anchor from HMS Bounty is cool, but it is.











The beautiful beach we biked along










The road to the right of the picture is not a road, but a bike trail. Totally fantastic.

Canada Goose Family Visits the COG family for the Afternoon

I know they are a pest and a nuisance etc. But aren't they lovely in the backyard. Wild creatures make a landscape look more beautiful (apologies to Chief Seatl).

Decks: a work in progress

Right now, the decks are kind of stalled because they've run out of the special stainless steel nails. They were ordered, but the wrong amount came. Choosing the decking material was tough. You get a little tiny piece of material to choose from. We chose the square on the left, which matches the undertone in the old deck.

Old Decks

This is just to show you what they were like before - basically rotting and dangerous.

Happy Mother's Day

"Whenever Mother's Day rolls around, I regret having eaten my young."