HFM

We just brought this 6'x6'x2' beauty home from the Salvation Army for the kitchen project: The china cabinet, not the MMA dummy. No, the MMA dummy didn't come with it. Yes, I'm disappointed.

Last weekend, we had a house guest: the one and only StarrhillGirl, who AJ has known for 30 years, and who is a follower and frequent commenter on this blog. Pickles, as usual, did her best to be a good host. For example, after the bed was made, she immediately swooped in to perform turndown service: Thanks, Pickles! We spent the weekend relaxing and enjoying the warm weather. While StarrhillGirl and AJ read and napped on Sunday, I got some work done on the mural: Meanwhile, Pickles made sure that her spot on the deck didn't get neglected: It was a great visit, but so short! We can't wait until she returns for more fun! This week, it's going to rain all weekend, so there will be no work on the mural. That's just as well -- I have a paper due on Tuesday, so I really should be focusing on that anyway. I think another couple of weekends of work and the mural should finally be done, though -- can't wait to get back to it!

We had some warm weather this past week, so we got to go outside for some long overdue projects. AJ took some pots and pans and baking sheets down to the antique stove, to make a final decision about whether she wants to cook on it. If the decision is yes, we will seriously look into restoring it; if the decision is no, then will just use it as a piece of furniture, as originally planned. The decision is yes! We'll start making some phone calls and get a restorer out to take a look at it. On a related note, in the course of researching the stove, we found out that this thing isn't for burning wood, it's a trash burner: We also found out that the stove is likely from the 20's, based on the shape of the legs. The front yard also got some much needed attention. I took care of the weeding, and The Mars Estate Head Gardener moved some plants that were getting too big: Some of them made their way upstairs, into these planters: Others were moved to the back yard. Here is the e...

In addition to getting the paperwork completed this week, we also were able to squeeze into Mr. Bunkport's schedule and get some final gutter work done in between rain storms. Here is Mr. Bunkport, on the new neighbor's (the one who gave us the orchids) roof, fixing some downed vinyl siding and putting up a new gutter: A thing of beauty! And here he is, putting up a gutter outside of AJ's office: Another thing of beauty! And another task for my to-do list: removing a piece of the washing machine vent to make room for the gutter left a little white strip above the window that I need to touch up with the blue at some point. Of course, it's unusual (and ill advised) to run a gutter and downspout toward the house instead of away from it, but I asked him to do it so that I could put together a small rain catchment system. I put it together on Sunday, using copper fittings (to match the copper water line below the window, and the copper downspout on the back of the house) and...

Today, 104 weeks from when we started the big renovation project (almost exactly two years -- the first construction post on this blog was on March 16, 2014), we finally can call the project totally and completely done: the last of the nightmare of city paperwork is now officially complete. We are DONE!

I don't know how it's happened, but it's already February. Between work and school, the year is already getting away from me. Pickles has let me know just what she thinks about that: Here are a few updates from the past six weeks. 1. More tidying and decluttering! 2. A new neighbor moved in and brought us this beautiful orchid: 3. Momma Arave sent us an exciting & accurate interpretation of our lives here on Mars, made out of horseshoe crab egg pod things that wash up on the beach in Virginia. It features AJ on the taiko drum, and me at the DuserHaus counter, with beer glasses: And complete with a mouse behind the cabinet: Thank you, Momma Arave! 4. We have decided to redo the kitchen this summer! And we're planning to do most of the work ourselves. As everyone knows by now, the floor under the current kitchen cabinets has gaps that cold air & inquisitive mice sneak through. After we tear out the cabinets, we will have Mr. Bunkport seal and level those parts of ...

It's been a very busy month here on Mars! A friend from work, Masha, returned from a trip to Russia, and brought back a new little (about a foot tall) resident for Mars. This is Kuzya:   In Russian homes, Kuzya keeps an eye on things, helping to prevent catastrophes and assorted bad things from happening. Masha thought that Mars could use a little help in this department. Indeed. Thank you, Masha! We also did some more tidying & decluttering this month. I tackled the kitchen Junk Drawer, which really should have been called the Drawer of A Thousand Pens: How did that happen? I would blame Kuzya (who is apparently also responsible for low-level mischief around the house), but I know this happened before he came to stay. We got rid of a medium-sized box of old kitchen utensils and mugs and things, as well. Progress! Our friend Jon has been taking a pottery class, and offered us some of his beautiful work. I have been wanting something to display some marbles and pieces of broken ...