House and Puppy Updates

Hello Friends....apologies for the lack of posting and emailing. No excuses...just apologies,

Hello dear Harmiarit, I have your emails and will reply from work tonight.

Our home has been in bloom in waves of varying colors since April.




The lilac grove was spectacular and now it is a very dense green haven for a family of bunnies who are hiding from the fox. First we feared the fox was a coyote but further investigation revealed it was indeed a gray fox. I am taken back to dear Bev's trials with her fox and livestock ....since we have only Oliver, for now the fox can roam at night.

The yard and the way back yard have both grassed in nicely and as luck would have it DS2 enjoys mowing them.

We have a new mower, actually we have never owned a mower before and with the land there is next year will bring a ride on for sure. He does a great job and it keeps him busy while he waits to hear about a job. The youth of today just can't find jobs, apply and wait and then never hear. It is sad. I won't go into my political views as the blog would get shut down. I did email our VP though, and received a form reply. Then a few weeks later a more personal reply from the correspondence secretary which means to me I am being monitored and tracked. Feel free, I am one of the few not getting a tax stimulus check, apparently I make enough money to share with the rest of the country. You're welcome.

We have been working on the dining room, here are some befores...




I am not sure why sponging was the way to go, or why there is a hole and large amounts of wax on the wall

or why when we took the old light down

to hang the new chandelier


we found another tin ceiling(4 inside) that has been covered with plaster.

The old light left quite a stain which is why we added the ceiling medallion. The light was centered to the room, we wanted the chandelier centered to the table, so it has been swagged. I like the medallion. It goes with the feeling of the house.

The wallpaper is browns and pineapples and I love it, the woodwork is caramelized onion and is a perfect match.

We are trying to bring most of the downstairs back to its Victorian farmhouse origins...so far I think we are doing a great job. The wallpaper for the dining with the newly painted woodwork( I would prefer not to paint but there is years of paint on the wood and the Victorian flair was to do painted wood to match the walls)certainly contributes to that feeling.. The back splash in the kitchen is at long last finished as well.

The dining room will be done next week and then the planning for the living room.

Oliver turned 6 months on June 28. We brought him home on March 15 at 20 pounds, he is now 70. We have been feeling very melancholy about him. We researched and thought we did well before buying him from the kennel we chose, seemed to have great rep. Ollie was scared and had kennel cough when we got him home, but we already had health insurance for him and had fallen in love with him so nursed him back to good health. He sleeps on a cooling mattress o n top of an orthopedic mattress in a very comfortable crate but has had free roam of the house for a few months now. Turns out the kennel is being petitioned to close and is being labelled a puppy mill. Makes me sick. We had planned to get three more dogs from them but will not. DS1 dog will come from a private local breeder and the others from rescue. Oliver has a great life now but is afraid of boxes...we think it has something to do with his beginnings. Oh well, we love him and he loves us and here he is in all his 6 months glory.

So there you have it. Tonight or tomorrow I will add a knitting update. TWO Monkey sock mailings, a Shetland Triangle shawl mailing, much yarn, an Atenti bag, a wedding bag(there is a family wedding tomorrow, the 4th of July, enough said on that subject),a baby sweater, progress on Rogue...so many plans....I am back.

OK I must make molten chocolate cupcakes for work tonight, then wedding tomorrow, work Saturday and then I am on vacation until July 17....woot!!