What happened??

So, I got my roof replaced (refer to previous posts) and it's been well worth the time and effort. After this long strange spring, with all the temperature and precipitation changes, the summer has arrived. I missed most of the spring because I had my nose to the grindstone, but that roof isn't gonna pay for itself!!!
  I did actually sneak in a few hours digging in the yard, only because I was going to lose my mind if I didn't! The self flagellating Calvinist residing deep within me sometimes feels the need to work under the most unpleasant conditions. I tried to hold off turning on the AC until the first day of June. That didn't happen.
 The drum on the clothes dryer stopped turning during this time, as well, but miraculously decided to work again when repairman waved a magic wand (AKA screwdriver) over it. A mystery, yet unsolved.
   Photos of yard improvements will be posted...someday..upcoming art shows, actually one in progress right now. At JCC, the Collaborations Show with members of TennesseeCraft-Southwest.  It's a really good show and will be up till the end of May. Other shows are in October and January 2020.
  Life is good.

Tree redo

Some of the smaller trees in my side yard and a couple near the driveway were taken down before the roofers came. I don't know if you can tell from the photos, but it looks way different now. Lots of gardening opportunities have opened up. Thinking of camellias, but haven't decided on the color yet.

New ceiling

And a new much brighter light fixture! The drywall guys did it in one day! Of course, I've cleaned up in the sewing room since this photo was taken. It's so nice to be in there now.

My She Shed

I've been so happy living in this sweet old house for all these last few years. The neighborhood is really coming up, with the Sears building transformed into the Crosstown Concourse, mainly. Great eateries, YMCA, and the Crosstown Brewing Company, all a ten minute walk away!! My neighbors are the best, too!
   It did cross my mind for half a second to move, since property values are good right now, but the thought of finding another house in this area, sorting through all my shit, packing it, hauling it somewhere else, unpacking it......well...that seemed like less of a good idea. Then there was the partial ceiling collapse in my sewing room that reinforced the whole sorting packing horror story in my mind. If one room was that bad, doing that with an entire house would put me in the loony bin!
   New drywall on the ceiling has been installed and it's so nice, I decided to fix up other things.
    Like the roof! The last roof was put on at least 20 years ago, and was the third layer. Yes, there was a complete tear off. But it's been so worth it and it only took two and a half days.

A Gift

Since February, I've been spending a lot of my time in creative endeavors, most of it sewing in one form or another. Coming up in June, some of my artwork will be in a group show. It's exciting to have work shown, but I wish I'd had time to make something new....and I wish I had the time to play in my yard everyday and scrub this hovel to a higher standard that I really should subscribe to...dream on.
 Since I love my artwork, I'm good with the pieces I'm entering in the show. They are pieces I look at everyday and make me happy that I made them.
  I'm starting to feel the same way with my yard. I have found it to be another creative outlet and I see it everyday, so it's always on my mind. The physical activity required to make any patch of dirt look like art is not much more than any other medium. So, I'm happily digging when I can, usually early in the day. I do live in Memphis.
  Life is maybe the best gift a person could get, I'm glad I got mine and the gift of patience to go with it. I just want to get a gift of time.
 

Front yard redo

For the last several months, I've been wanting to make my front yard-the sunnier side anyway- more restrained. Today was the day to begin. The shady side is lovely, with ferns, azaleas and hydrangeas growing gloriously.
   Monkey grass has ruled the other side like a thug!! So this morning, war was declared!! I got my weapons and had at it. There were a few stalwart plants that had been hanging on under the weeds. I was very surprised. Now they will have a better chance to get some sun and nutrients. The leaf mold was actually good and the dirt was loose.
   I got about a third of the monkey grass cleared out and will have to wait till I get back from my trip west to finish. Hopefully, there won't be a big freeze while I'm gone and I can get some of the perennials I've been cultivating into the ground so next spring will have a jump start for a much better looking yard.
   I don't want to dig too deep, because there are a lot of jonquils lurking beneath the surface and I need to know where they are.
   This yard has been in progress for 20 years or so. Maybe I'll be progressing with it for another 20 years. 

Frustration abounds

But not for long.....
The past few weeks have tested my patience and resolve. Family trouble, love problems, friends in need, computer dead ends....ugh!
Lots of negative energy built up around me, so I worked on a yard project that was floating in my head for months. An art project or two await my capable hands. I will find peace in all this.

This project is more complete than represented in these photos, and photos of art projects are elsewhere than this machine. I will endeavor to post updates as soon as I figure out how...

Yes, where have I been?

I didn't realize I had been away from my blog for such a long time. My, how time flies when one is having fun. The last post was in January of this year which seems so long ago. yet I continue to get through each day. I wake up, have coffee, read my horoscope and the funnies. On Sunday, there's the NYT crossword to while away the morning.
  In February, life took a turn for the worse. My sweet boy was taken away from me and I am bereft of his presence, for how many more days is anyone's guess. I still wake up to each day to face what it will bring and manage to find something positive. I post photos and silly things on Facebook in a vain attempt to console myself. I miss his voice, his funny jokes and stories. I miss our morning routine of getting ready for school and the afternoon pickup. "How was your day?"
  All my negative energy that was generated by his initial absence, got channeled into a home improvement frenzy. Thanks to Dr. Cooper for giving me such a gift. I guess 4 1/2 yrs of therapy has paid off!
  I've painted nearly every surface in the front of my house-emphasis on MY-to suit me. Moved furniture to my liking. Built raised garden beds around the deck I built last fall. Got a tiny farm with yummy lettuce for sandwiches.
  Still, I find myself at loose ends. I did start walking again, to get myself back into the great physical shape I once had, plus the mental outlet walking provides. There's nothing better for the soul than a fast paced stroll in the sun (or clouds) to turn around a somber mood.
  There are better days ahead. That Pollyanna down inside me promises this will work out. I go back to court on May 13. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me.

Holidaze update

This is the card we sent out this year. Of course, the new bathroom is featured. The caption on the card says "Scrubbing up for the holidays". The decorations are staying up till New Year's.
   Last night I had a lovely solstice fire in the new fire pit and got a really nice photo with my Iphone. Now I have to figure out how to get the photo from the phone to here. If anyone has a suggestion on how to accomplish that, please leave a comment. The only thing I can figure is to send it to myself in an email and transfer it to my pictures folder, but I'm sure there has to be an easier way.
   The fire last night was so nice, I plan on having another one tonight.

Moving on

Okay, I'm still in total love with the new bathroom, but I'm sure everyone is sick and tired of hearing about it. So onto other topics.
   This morning there was an earthquake about 40 miles from Memphis. It happened a little after 7:30 am and was not too much shaking, but just enough to be weird. It was as if a semi came up the driveway and lasted about that long. Weird.

I added a pocket

    In the last post, I mentioned I was asked to teach a class making Amy Butler's Barcelona Skirt at Sew Memphis, the groovy new sewing shop in Midtown. Since it is important for the instructor to know more than the students, I made the skirt. It is pretty cool.  In my haste to complete the skirt, I failed to try it on and need to take it in at the waist a bit. I should know better.

Potholes

   As I also mentioned somewhere, I entered a quilt in a show to be held in Cincinnati and received notice today it did not make the cut. Boohoo...... Oh well, at least I entertained myself while constructing it and that's what really matters to me these days. It has the block letter quilting (love) on it. 
   Other things are in the works for the near future and I will file maybe not so full reports on that as the time comes. One of the activities will be my new position as communications officer for MACA in 2013. I was honored to be asked, as well as slightly bemused, because I am not the most computer savvy gal in town. But I figured (at first thought), it's just posting on the Yahoo group and updating the FB page. Then (horrors) I remembered the website!!!!! Thankfully someone already built it, but now I will responsible for updating it. All I can do at this point is to look on this venture as a learning experience and beg for help from others I know who would be willing to impart their knowledge to me. Stay tuned, boys and girls........

Bathroom again

As promised, here is a picture of the new light fixtures. The newspaper on the mirror is staying until the painting is finished.
  And yes, I will move on from this project to some other endeavors, especially art work. November 10 and 11 is the Memphis Tour of Fine Craft. It will be an open studio concept and is being presented by the Memphis Association of Craft Artists, of which I am a member. I have volunteered to be a hostess at the different venues and am looking forward to seeing all the art, watching demonstrations by various artists, and meeting people touring the studios.
 That same weekend, I am teaching a class at Sew Memphis making a simple A line skirt. Sew Memphis is the new fabric shop in midtown and I am honored to be a part of their mission to promote sewing as a life skill to the next generation.
   Sewing has always been a huge part of my life since childhood and that skill has provided a roof over my family's head and put food on the table for us. (For various reasons, I was never able to get a proper education, so I had to rely on the knowledge that was available to me.) In my later years, sewing has given me a way to express myself creatively. Hopefully, the arthritis that is currently plaguing my fingers, will not put a complete damper on the fun and relaxation I get from sewing. I'd cross my fingers for luck, but that really hurts some days.
   Stay tuned for new and wonderful projects.

Almost finished

The bathroom project is nearly done. All that's left is the painting, so I need to get busy. Marty came by today to fix the closet door, which got jammed with all the hammering and banging around for the last two weeks. The light fixtures were installed yesterday and are just gorgeous!!! Photos tomorrow. All in all, this has been a very positive experience, despite all the inconvenience of washing up in the basement and hot footing it to Marion's for potty breaks during the day. Fortunately, she lives only one street over.
 The guys who worked on the project were very nice, professional and considerate. They didn't mind my picture taking, questions and general nosiness while they were toiling away. Little cat Jerry will miss Brian the most as he was in and out of the house a hundred times a day, cutting tiles or cement board or whatever, and she indulged herself by being on the other side of the door to her heart's content. You know how cats are......

   Most of my day was spent cleaning up the wreckage in the breakfast room and hallway and getting the old toilet to the street. It was still working, and before I could get a sign on it to that effect, somebody came by and took just the lid to the tank....wtf???

Bathroom Redo

Brian hard at work

shower floor before grout

loving the tiles outlining the window

I just HAD to see how the teak bench would look

the grout made such a big difference

new potty

same vanity--but I like it

The renovation project is coming along quite well. It's nearly done and I will be so happy to have a real shower soon!! All that's left is the painting and today I put primer on the drywall. The plumbing fixtures are in and we need to wait for the grout and sealer to be really cured. There was a tiny hiccup today. The water faucets on the sink suddenly stopped working. I don't know what the problem is, so the plumber will have to take a look at it.

Reno and Indoor Yardening

Today was a good day. The guys who are working on the bathroom project got loads of work done. And while they were hard at work, so was I, getting the plants that have been outdoors all summer back into the house for the winter.

the big hole on the upper right is where the medicine cabinet will go

  The tiling is nearly halfway done and looks fabulous!! The soap dish and towel bars that were original to the 1934 redo have been reinstalled. The towel bars are really nice and I never saw any others that compared with them in my research of new tile accessories. Even though the toothbrush holder will never be used by a modern toothbrush, the old one just has so much charm and needs to be up on the wall with the soap dish, which will house shells from now on. It is too hard to clean if actual soap is in there. The soap dish for the shower had to go. It had become a petri dish--yuck.  The toilet paper holder was "glued" in so hard, it broke while the guys tried to get it out during the demo--boohooo.
  The black trim around the door and the top or the white tile is so nice. Marty showed me the tile for the floor of the shower today and I nearly fainted--hahaha--photos when that is done.

angel wing begonia

sanseveria with lovely variegations from the sun

speckled lily that thrived from outdoor exposure

xmas cactus does very well with a summer vacation

  While all this was going on, I cleaned off the shelves by the back door and brought in the plants that will not survive cold weather here. Now my kitchen is full of junk that I blithely put on those shelves all summer and I must toss or find homes for all this crap. I guess that is what I'll be doing tomorrow instead of fun stuff. Oh well, the plants will love me back all winter.

Bath Redo

the tiles showed up yesterday

bucket of blue stuff

cement board

the window of my dreams

cement board and dry wall

Here are other photos of the renovation. I would have put them on the post earlier, but realized they were still in the camera. The blue stuff is pretty amazing. Marty, the contractor's supervisor, said he painted a shoe box with this stuff, once upon a time, and filled it with water. Three weeks later, nothing had leaked out. I love a good story.
  The guys have been so nice to put the potty back before they leave. It has saved us from having to rent a port-a-potty. Bathing has been an experience. The basement is where I dye fabric and do surface design, so there is a laundry tub and faucet down there. That is where I am washing my hair and having a glorified boarding room bath, or "ho" bath, as some would say. Oh well, it's working for me.

Bathroom Redo Part Two

The project is coming along very nicely. The room was totally gutted except for the ceiling and floor, which was in good shape and I really wanted to keep the original tile floor. I love all the little hexagons and that kind of new tile is pricey.
 Once the floor under the tub was reconstructed, the plumber reworked the water pipes and installed the mixing valve. Then Brian, the tile guy, (who also does a lot of the construction work too) put in the cement board, a layer of "mud" and the plumber came back to install the new drain, which has been moved to the center of what will be the shower area. He also put in the waterproof membrane that continues a few inches up the wall and over the threshold. More "mud" on top of that, with a mini French drain (gravel) around the plastic parts. All the work you can't see is what appeals to me, because I know it's there to make the new bathroom safe and structurally sound.
 I have been watching "Holmes on Homes" on HGTV and DIY for months and was appalled at some of the sloppy, dangerous things "contractors" did to peoples houses. This old house will never be totally fixed to those standards, but at least the few renovations that have been done, have improved the quality of living here.
  They took out the old rotted window and replaced it with the window of my dreams. It is exactly how I thought it would look and functions like I want it to. 

what's left of old window

waterproof membrane

new window surrounded by cement board

shower floor with second coat of mud

  The drywall guy came after Brian finished mounting the cement boards on all the wall areas where the tile will go. This morning the drywall guy came back to put on a second coat of compound to cover the screws and seal the joints of the drywall. Everyone left early today--well not too early--to let all the mud and compound  and blue waterproofing dry sufficiently. Tomorrow the tiling begins and things will look even better.

Bathroom Redo

it's like this all day

trailer on Friday afternoon

The long awaited and overdue bathroom renovation has begun. The guys came on Thursday morning bright and early and started dismantling everything. I had already removed lots of stuff--the cabinet, the stuff under the vanity, shower curtain and rod, and about a fourth of the wall tiles.
   They took out the medicine cabinet, which  I have repainted and plan to put back in. It's actually quite pretty and I like the idea of maintaining the vintage look of the bathroom. There was a block of wood behind the cabinet on which was written the name of the tile setter and the date he worked on the room. October 30, 1934.
   When they took out the tub, they were astonished at the lack of support under it. All the wood floor joists had rotted away long ago and all that was holding up the tub was the cast iron drain pipe and the actual position of the tub. It had wedged itself into the wall a long time ago. There is a date cast into the tub from the foundry where it was made. The date was in 1923, so this was the original fixture for this house.
    While I painted the medicine cabinet and the cover for the air vent, the guys continued the demolition. Everything is ripped out to the studs. All the old tile is gone and all the plaster except for the ceiling. The wall from behind the tub has been rebuilt. The window was really rotted away too and has been repaired. A new window will replace the old one. It is beautiful and is exactly what I described to the contractor. He had it custom made. The workers have been thoughtful enough to replace the potty in the afternoon, so we have facilities for the evening. Bathing is a challenge, but manageable so far.
   It's all a wreck right now, but I know at the end of this upheaval there will be a beautiful, structurally sound bathroom, that will look just like the picture I have in my mind.

 under the tub

rot

bye bye tub......

  Earlier today, I went back and found a blog posting from March 9, 2009 that has a photo of the bathroom after I had replaced the toilet, vanity and repainted. It was kind of like putting a bandaid on cancer. I think that is the only good "before" picture I have. Right now the room reminds me of a scene from a Japanese horror movie. A gleaming white toilet sitting in the center of destruction.

Recent Acquisitions

Thursday morning, I attended the Memphis Sewing Guild board meeting. Our gracious hostess for this get together lives in Olive Branch, Mississippi, and provided the group with delicious treats to help make the business meeting seem more like a party. Which is usually the case for any of the board meetings.
  After we had thoroughly discussed everything relating to Sewing Guild (and a little that didn't) and set the schedule for upcoming programs, we went to have lunch in the Old Town section of Olive Branch. I will not expand on any opinions about that meal, except to say it was adequately filling and the company of my dining companions was most excellent.

year of the dragon

big fat bunny

The town square had many interesting shops, mostly antiques and "junque shoppes" and I wish I'd had more time to explore them. Now that I know where they are, I can always go on a different day to see what's available. I did go to the little nursery, which, sadly, is closing. Among the offerings there, I found two lovely concrete statues for my yard. I just love this stuff.

More yardening

Yesterday, I went with a couple of gal pals on a tour of gardens hosted by the local hydrangea society. They were all very beautiful and interesting, especially the last one. We got there a little late, but the gardener was a lovely and gracious woman who said we could stay as long as we wanted. Fortunately for her we did not have our camping gear, as we would still be there. These photos are from the four gardens we visited.

front yard water garden

I saw lots of interesting statuary

shapely tree

the reason for the tour

day lilies

garden with rooms

I was so inspired by all the gardens, I got up VERY early this morning and finished some clean up along the fence and in one of my unattended beds, then planted the area outside my sewing room. This is the garden spot that I had to dig up last fall for the siding repair that took all fall and part of the winter...ugh! It looks pretty good now and hopefully will fill in over the course of the next few seasons. Maybe I can get out for photos in the next day or two. I am so sore right now from 8 hours of weeding, digging, and watering, I can barely move.