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This is Lord Dudley Mountcatten surveying his domain.
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Here’s Lord Dudley Mountcatten noticing an interloper in his domain.
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten’s reaction was priceless.
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After some closer inspection?
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And a positive baby woodchuck identification…
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten was clueless.
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And looked back at me as if to say, “What am I supposed to do with that?”
🤣
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As you know, my husband takes on a lot of projects around our house.
A lot of projects he probably shouldn’t.
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Yes, he saves us money we’d otherwise spend on contractors… but those savings come at a price.
Workmanship he would never accept from a contractor are commonplace. Like these unevenly matched boards I’m sure to stub a toe on.
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Mitered corners?
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Not his strong suit.
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Gaps?
Yeah, we’ve got those too.
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The composite decking is finished.
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And while this end looks pretty good…
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The other end was a total clusterf*ck.
I gasped when I went out there and saw how far off the edge was… thinking, surely he’s going to fix that.
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But no.
That’s the finished product.
Close on the left, but not nearly close enough on the right.
This is what you get when you don’t hire a professional.
🥴
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While driving in Portland the other day we saw some very large egrets by the shore.
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And when I say large?
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I mean large.
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Not sure who sculpted them or why.
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But it was an interesting sight.
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Day lilies are popping.
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And they’re such a great burst of color…
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I wish they were at least week lilies.
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Here today.
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Gone tomorrow.
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Good thing there are a plethora of buds.
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😊
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My father painted this large canvas when he was in Hawaii during WWII.
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I never questioned when a man at war would find time to paint because my father painted anywhere, everywhere, all the time… even if he only had ten minutes.
This painting has hung over our bed in 4 different homes and hangs there still.
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My father was mostly a water colorist so his oils are rare, I only have two. The frame is basic, handmade with whatever was nearby at the time. My mother never liked it… so it was hidden in a closet until I got married and adopted it 40 years ago.
Am I overly fond of Hawaiian palm tree scenes? No. Does the tropical island design blend with our house in rural Maine? Probably not. But historical provenance and sentimental value trump decor every time.
Point of this blog?
Since we seem to be redoing everything else in our home.. I decided it was time to update this old girl as well.
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Which wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped.
Mind you, I knew this would be pricey… isn’t everything these days? But since it’s an oil that didn’t need to be restretched, an oil that didn’t need a mat or glass … I was hoping to get away for $300-$400.
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This frame?
$825.00
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This one?
Almost $1,300.
*Gulp!*
It’s clearly been a long time since I had anything framed.
😳
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Work has resumed on the front porch replacement and there’s a whole lotta thinking goin’ on.
( If you read that while humming Jerry Lee Lewis, you’re my people)
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As I mentioned before, my husband is not a contractor. Not a builder by any means.
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He’s never worked with composite decking before… and if you think it’s as simple as laying wooden deck boards you’d be wrong.
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Our old deck had small wooden boards running vertically, from lawn to house. That’s what the frame was set up for. So of course my husband decided to run the new ones horizontally because it means less cutting and measuring.
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And while he added a few more supports, he didn’t make them 16” on center like you’re supposed to. More on this mistake later…
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And since he changed the plan, he now has to picture frame the boards which means mitered corners.
This has never been his strong suit and just one of the reasons why I wanted to wait for a professional to tackle this project.
🥴
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Nothing earth shattering, just a woodchuck family having a nosh.
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Carrots and broccoli are their favorites.
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And they make short work of it.
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Momma had five children…
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But we rarely see them all together anymore.
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Lord Dudley Mountcatten is not happy with the constant remodeling noise, but his curiosity gene is strong enough to warrant a quick exploration of the project when my husband takes a break.
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Checking out the missing siding.
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Walking balance beam.
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Attacking a clamp.
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And looking in the window he usually looks out are all on the menu.
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As is using the new pea gravel for a litter box.
Though we probably won’t share that part with my husband.
😉
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Let’s take a walk around the garden, shall we….
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Candy cane dianthus.
Almost good enough to eat.
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A tri color pot of begonias on the kitchen porch.
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A red astilbe, clashing with the barn red barn.
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Pink astible out back.
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I love the blooms on these flowers. They’re delightfully weird.
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I can’t remember what kind of daisies these are, but they’re doing well and no one is eating them… so I really don’t care.
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Purple bee balm.
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A fabulous magenta shade.
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Something purple.
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Something red.
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And something wonderful the woodchucks nibbled down to a nub shortly after I took the picture.
😩
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Weeee!
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Bye bye flat and awful industrial grade dusty rose horror the previous owners laid….
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Welcome soft, plush, hella expensive but worth it Karastan Instinctive Flair Renoir Bisque.
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Seriously, until you walk on this barefoot you can’t begin to know what I’m talking about. It’s smooth and silky and sheer perfection.
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The installers were here for 6 hours, working nonstop… and they did a really nice job.
So nice, my husband took them out to the man cave/Barn Mahal for a cold beer.
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And then proceeded to show them all his treasures.
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They were a captive audience.
🤣
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River's world..... 