How far would you drive to drink beer with friends?

I suppose that would depend on the value of the friendships. For these friends, 800 miles was not unreasonable.

Book of the week,(for those that want to know,)

Great week of eating too much, drinking a bit and a lot of catching up. 

We are now meandering across Texas, looking for sunshine and adventure. 

A Little Calm Before the Storm

 

The storm we are talking about is not the predictable rain, wind and lightening. Our storm is about the frenzy to which we return every spring, aka the neglected garden; the rush to get the weeds and spent plants removed and get new plants in the ground.

We are expecting a stormier spring than usual since ABN, due to shoulder replacement surgery last fall, was unable to properly put the garden to bed.

 

Knowing these daffodils will be blooming in just a few weeks, ABN was a little reluctant to leave this week

 

And we have a ballet to attend, quilters coming for Quilt Week, a college graduation and the house renovation.

If you read our last post, you will know the renovation starts with foundation work which is scheduled for the end of May. But first there is packing, moving, and removing.

 

The good news is it will take only 2-3 days and will not require a French drain (the new landscaping will not be disturbed!) However, all that stuff we pack will have to be returned and unpacked. If you are a crafter or married to one, you know that is a lot of stuff! Yeah, we are talking about ABN’s craft studio. And Captain’s wine cellar which will have to be rebuilt. This could take a while!

Whew! We need a little calm before the storm! Texas, here we come!

 

 

This old house

 

seems to have ears!

We don’t think we have ghosts. (However ABN is convinced that an old woman, who looks a lot like her mother,  is  hiding in the house. She tends to hide things and she jumps in front of ABN’s mirror. But we digress.)

Like a lot of folks, over the New Year’s weekend we discussed our plans for the year which include major renovations to our nearly 100 year-old house. If you have been in our home recently you may have noticed a number of cracks in our plaster walls. Over the years we have applied bandaids (aka patched and painted.)

That is no longer an option as the cracks have become larger. So to the root of the problem we must go.

You guessed it! We plan to have major work on the foundation, the walls replastered and, of course, repainted. So, what does that have to do with listening walls? Two days into the new year, we had roofers come to repair a leak in the ceiling. The next day the plumber came to replace the guest room commode. It’s as if the roof and plumbing were saying “Hey, what about me? I need an upgrade too!”

Exasperating as they are, old houses are charming and full of character and ours is full of wonderful memories. Thank goodness the walls don’t talk! (Do they?)

Wishing all our friends near and far a peaceful New Year. The Wanderer has plans to be on the road and may be headed in your direction.