Category Archives: Uncategorized

Before and afters, overpriced lamps and a cat who sits…

August 4, 2024 Rivergirl 17 Comments

The new composite decking, the new soffit ceiling panels, the new poles, the new pvc wrap and new moulding are all in place.

And though we’re only halfway done with this project, it looks better already.

The old siding has been stripped off and the windows are taped.

Next up?

The stone veneer.. which I know is going to be a total nightmare because there’s so much to cut around. Three windows, a door, a light fixture, an electrical outlet and a dryer vent.

You’ll probably hear the cursing from there.

In other news, I put a fresh coat of stain on our well house.

It amazes me how often I have to do this.

For a house covering a well, it doesn’t weather well.

And while I’m complaining…

I’ve been lamp shopping and I’m not happy.

Lamps plus what… gold dust?

Because that’s the only explanation for charging that much.

Lord Dudley Mountcatten took a detour on his walk today.

Or should I call it a sit…

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Twice the work, none of the fun.

August 3, 2024 Rivergirl 22 Comments

I lost track of the husband the other day and found him outside, in the process of moving stone.

This is the stone veneer he had the delivery driver drop at the far end of our property instead of closer to the front porch of the house as it should have been.

I suggested loading it in the truck and driving it over to the garage in sections to save time (not to mention his back) but as usual, he wanted to do it the hard way and moved it piece by heavy *ss piece to the barn porch so it would be off his lawn.

While he hauled stone?

I picked up the styrofoam, cardboard and straps it was packaged in.

And there was a lot of that.

55 sections of stone, roughly 20 pounds each. Back and forth across the lawn… for hours, in the afternoon sun.

Did I mention my husband is 77 years old?

I swear the man is a marvel.

He never quits.

Now I just have to hope the barn porch doesn’t collapse from the weight before he can move it over to the house…

🥴

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Let’s play.

August 2, 2024 Rivergirl 43 Comments

Because we don’t play enough these days.

My husband and I are very different people who have different likes and styles. We were raised differently, in different types of families with different backgrounds in different eras. And while most of our differences compliment each other and enhance our strength as a couple… there are times when the differences can rub up against my last nerve.

( I’m sure he can say the same, but hey… this is my blog. 😉 )

I was born an only child of older parents. They were quiet, well educated people who rarely watched television. Our home was peaceful. My husband had 8 siblings, an alcoholic father and a volatile upbringing. It was anything but peaceful.

I’m a reader. I like quiet.

My husband is a tv watcher. He likes noise.

So much so, that he turns the damn thing on and leaves the room with it blaring away. And mind you, he doesn’t just leave the room… at times he leaves the house and our property altogether. The man will turn on the tv, and then go get gas, or go out to breakfast… with the tv still on.

It’s a little thing in the grand scheme of life… but it drives me nuts.

Turn. Off. The. Television!

How about you?

What does your significant other do that drives you crazy….

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Muddled missives.

August 1, 2024 Rivergirl 27 Comments

We’re down to one baby woodchuck.

Momma had five, and I’m hoping she just kicked the other four to the curb like she’s supposed to when they’re grown.

The alternative is predators, or worse… humans.

Not everyone loves them like I do.

This is the front door we need to replace, and of course like everything else in our continuing remodeling nightmare… it can’t be simple.

Our house was built in 1974, added on to in 1994. I have no idea how old this door is, but suffice it to say it’s been here a while. What we discovered when shopping for a replacement is no one makes solid wood doors with one large light panel on the side anymore. So we had to regroup.

In order to fit our rough opening, we had to configure it this way…. which means the door itself will actually be smaller. Not ideal, but my husband’s carpentry skills are not up to cutting larger holes in the house.

Did I mention we will not be buying a solid wood replacement? The $11,000+ price tag almost gave my husband a heart attack. The fiberglass version stained to look like wood was bad enough…

Plus tax?

$7,133.

For. A. Door.

Kill me now.

And speaking of doors, while my husband was slogging away on the front porch, I was out back sanding and repainting our bulkhead doors.

Yes sir.

They are red.

😊

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A nice meal and a cow.

July 31, 2024 Rivergirl 19 Comments

After walking around the clam festival for a few hours we were hungry, but not for fried clams. Seems counter intuitive, I know… but the stomach wants what the stomach wants.

We drove to the next town, Falmouth… and found one of our favorite spots positively deserted.

Having no problem finding a seat at the bar I sampled a Melano Fizz. This consisted of cucumber-infused vodka, melon liqueur, italicus apertivo, simple syrup, and fresh lime juice.

In a word? Yum.

My go to appetizer here is the crab arancini.

Husband went with the lobster bisque …

Which was lovely and loaded with lobster but served in one of those ridiculously small bowls made to look large.

Toddy number two was the hibiscus berry sangria.

Nice, but not nearly flavorful enough for me.

My meal was a wonderful carbonara with fresh pasta and grilled chicken. It was so good I paid no attention to my husband’s meal and failed to photograph it. My bad.

On our drive home?

Cow!

Cow, on a rock…

Who didn’t appreciate her meal being interrupted by the paparazzi.

😉

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This is the part where I cringe…

July 31, 2024 Rivergirl 27 Comments

Along with all the other things that are being replaced on the porch? You can add the front door. It’s original to the house and has been leaking cold air in the winter ever since we moved in. It’s shifted, barely closes properly and requires me taping it shut every December so the wind doesn’t whistle its way in.

A new door is necessary but that doesn’t mean I want my husband in charge of its replacement. He’s the king of gerry rigging and that’s not going to fly here. I wanted to wait and have a contractor to do it… he says he needs to do it now before he installs the stone siding.

So this is where I get nervous.

Storm door removal?

Fine.

Protective glass covering the side panel removal?

Fine.

But then we moved indoors where the new floor was recently installed.

In order to replace a door you need rough opening measurements… and this means removing the moulding.

My husband’s track record with this task is not good.

But thankfully he managed the job without splintering anything.

I know he’s going to faint when we go door shopping because it will have to be a special order.

Ka-Ching.

This paycheck sucking project never ends.

🥴

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Easy is a relative term.

July 30, 2024 Rivergirl 13 Comments

We purchased a product for our front porch remodel called Versawrap. They’re PVC covers for wooden support poles that add a decorative element as well as eliminate the need for paint.

We discovered their easy to install claim was a misnomer when we wrapped our first pole… but when we moved along to the top and bottom moulding?

We realized it was an outright lie.

Easy my *ss.

There are teeny tiny dovetail inserts which hold the pieces together and trust me, they are not easy to seat.

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you it took us over an hour to place the first crown moulding section.

If three sides clicked? The fourth would not.

If four sides clicked? It wouldn’t stay in place.

Frustration was the word of the day.

Two sets of moulding for each pole.

Four poles.

This is not my idea of a good time.

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Because clams deserve a festival.

July 30, 2024 Rivergirl 21 Comments

Every July the town of Yarmouth celebrates clams… and we drive south to pay homage to the humble bivalve.

Parking is difficult so we leave the car in a lot that seems like it’s 6 miles away and walk a wooded path.

This brings us to the rear of the carnival which we try to bypass quickly.

We’re too old for that nonsense and honestly, the smell of greasy fair food that early in the day is not my idea of ambrosia.

We spent a pleasant hour strolling through the artists and crafters, appreciating their talent but slightly stunned at their prices. If the goal is to sell things, they may have missed the mark.

I spent considerablp less by opting for some sweet notecards.

Please note our backyard woodchucks do not present me with flowers, they eat them…. and if our resident red squirrel brought me macarons instead of chewing holes in our walls? I might not dislike her so much.

I may not have bought framed art, but I did take full advantage of the used book tent.