The next day this is what it looked like in my yard....
On the 5th we went to an indoor yard sale and I found a large stuffed Westie for a quarter! Gabriel went nuts over it....
He carried it down the hall, shaking it vigorously as you can see from the blur. I eventually took it away from him and hid it! I didn't want it destroyed. Did he think it was a rival for my attention??!! Those are my boxes of Christmas decorations waiting to be put back up into the attic that I had just packed up....
We left the lighted creche in the woods a little longer. It was nice to look out into the cold dark night and see this....
On the 10th Gabriel and Poetry were busy watching birds out the window....
I mentioned my dollhouse on Twitter and people were interested in seeing it, so I did some dollhouse cleaning first. I took everything out of the cabinet and set it on top of the piano so Ken could put a new string of lights in the cabinet....
While the cabinet was empty I dusted everything and re-stained the floors. Then I finally got around to making my doll's bed. Showing the house to everyone certainly got me going....not unlike when I have company coming....
On the 12th can you believe it was nice enough to hang sheets on the line! The sun was out and the wind was blowing....
Ken has wanted to have our kitchen totally remodeled. I told him I HAVE a kitchen--there are other things I'd rather spend the money on that I don't have, like a greenhouse--so I suggested ways we could address some of his issues with the present kitchen by doing some modifications. The only thing is he didn't bargain on having to do the work himself...but he's been a good sport about it. I will be doing a post when we're finished called "Evolution of a Kitchen" so stayed tuned. But for now this was his first project--removing an upper cabinet so he could install an over-the-range microwave....
He worked on the kitchen, then he'd have to take a break and plow the driveway again....
Yes, it was snowing again! And Poetry and Gabriel had more birds to watch as they flocked to the feeder outside the bedroom window....
This was the temperature outside....
Yes, it's been a cold and snowy January!
Links to related posts:
Sunrise on a Cold Morning
Life in Miniature
Thanks for sharing your January, Cathy. Your neighbor's log cabin looks quite interesting and authentic. The real ones are certainly hard to come by now. Do you know the history? Enjoy your day and progress on your "new" kitchen. I feel the same way about ours--but it's fun to do little things to make them more functional. ♥
ReplyDeleteEdie (the owner) has told me the cabin was built by a guy from Alexandria, VA named Grove in 1935 as a summer house. Braddock Heights was a popular destination to escape the summer heat and had an amusement park even. The logs are chestnut and might very well have come from the property. The double front door comes from an old steamship. Edie's a published author and is writing a book where the steamship figures into the story. And I just realized you can see photos of the inside of the cabin on her website: http://www.ediehemingway.com/workshops.html
DeleteHow interesting--thank you for the link. I'll check it out.
DeleteI remember going to Braddock Heights amusement park when I was quite young - maybe a Girl Scout or on a school outing. The only things I remember were the carousel and picnic grounds. The carousel had rings to try to grab - rather terrifying! Always imaginative, I worried about falling off my horse... :)
DeleteElaine, that is really interesting! I'm thinking about doing a post about the amusement park. All that was left when we moved here in 1981 was the skating rink with the bowling alley in the basement and then a volunteer fireman set it on fire and it burned to the ground!
DeleteLove this post today!! Your home setting looks simply beautiful in the woods!!! That cabin is so sweet. Must go now and check out the link to inside pics! Gabriel and Poetry couldn't be cuter! I love Westies!! Good luck with the kitchen project! Do you think you'll get your greenhouse, too? xo
ReplyDeleteThe spot I have in mind up against the house requires some excavation and foundation building (which has to be hired out), but first I need to find a kit that will fit in the allotted space otherwise I think a custom-built greenhouse would be out of my "justification" range. :-)
DeleteNice to read about your month--interesting weather! I bet you will enjoy the micro over the stove … that is a hoot about your house cleaning the dollhouse and refinishing the floors! And at first I thought you were hanging the doll sheets out on a miniature line. :-) If you like to link to "parties"-- on my post about the tortilla soup there is a link to Thinking About Home and she does an end of the month in pictures "party" just started for the first time today.
DeletePodso, that's funny about the sheets! I'm not quite that fastidious when it comes to my dollhouse. :-) That is a nice idea that "Thinking About Home" is doing. I will have to put that on my list of things I still need to learn how to do! I've never participated before in "parties"...are you saying this post is what she's looking for? Or just a condensed version?
DeleteI know I've said it before but - WHAT A SPOT you have there, Cathy! Out in the country for sure - but somehow I think not too far from the advantages of "civilization" as my dad would say. In my book, that's ideal. PS - that photo of Poetry and Gabriel sitting together on the bed, avidly watching the birds outside? Way too cute - and so much more so shot from behind. Still having fun reading through your archives too, by the way. Which is often like taking a literature or history class [strictly OK with me]. After one of your posts which included Robert Lincoln's home - Hildene I think? I spent over an hour at THAT website just poking around and reading. One thing keeps leading me to another! Now that's the real definititon of EDUCATION! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear that you're finding the links interesting. I love history, especially when I can relate it to real people's lives. Yes, we do live in a very special spot. We feel like we live in the woods, but we're only a roll down the hill (Braddock Mountain) to just about any shopping we could want. It was a great place to raise kids--close to after-school activities, too.
DeleteWonderful post Cathy! Poetry reminds me of my cat Trina (she came with that name...I never cared for it but is seemed mean to change it for some reason). Trina passed a few years ago but I love seeing your pets! They really do make a home.
ReplyDeleteMy house would seem so empty without Poetry & Gabriel. They are wonderful company for me when my husband is off doing his own activities.
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