Devil Dog on My Porch (Prt. 5) It's Not Only The Moose Watching (Prt. 4) Closing - Not a Naked Dance (Prt. 3) Our Dream House (Prt. 2) From the Beginning (Prt. 1) One of my favorite moments of housework landed me sloped on a ladder, clinging to the house in hopes of stilling my shaking limbs. After witnessing winter's fury, we decided to wrap the entire house in an insulating foam board. This after we squandered weekends chipping clapboard siding that saw centuries turn. The foam had a silver paper on the outside, similar to aluminum foil. By now it was … [Read more...]
Devil Dog On My Porch – Dream Houe, Part 5
March 16, 2011 by 7 Comments
"Really? The house is still standing?" John asked into the phone with me hanging on his shoulder listening. "Ok, we'll be up on Saturday morning." He hung up the phone. We both sat with a thump. Shaking out heads in disbelief, we kept murmuring, I can't believe the house didn't fall. Finally I grasped that our entire porch, the porch that wrapped around two full sides of our house fell to the ground. "The porch is what sold me on the house." I said as if it mattered. Ice built on the roof, slipping between the porch and the house, finally tearing the … [Read more...]
It’s not only the Moose watching…Part 4
March 14, 2011 by 11 Comments
I am convinced if it were not for the young and verifiably insane, we would accomplish little in our world; however, if it were not for the wisdom of the mature, the young wouldn't live long enough to enjoy the reward of their zeal. A long, long time ago when inspiration struck, I began a series titled "My Dream House." Many of you probably thought my dream ended when a rambunctious realtor encouraged my husband and I to dance around the closing table naked; however, I continued to dream. In fact, my dream blossomed when warmed with the sweat of hard work and watered with the tears of … [Read more...]
Closing – Part 3
February 5, 2010 by 20 Comments
The following is Part 3 in the 'My Old House' series and is linked to Mylestones' Flashback Friday. To read Part 1, Click HERE. To read Part 2, Click HERE. I ran the three steps it took to get around in our tiny New York apartment, throwing clothes and toiletries into a bag as I went. With nervous energy bubbling from my lips like the foam atop a cream soda, I allowed thoughts of our first home to cloud my mind and judgement. Suddenly I doubted my style sense, not knowing what would be fashionably appropriate for a home closing in Maine. I settled on a pair of black slacks and a … [Read more...]
My Dream House, Part 2
June 24, 2009 by 18 Comments
This story is more than the saga of our first home. It is the record of young love and the realization of a dream. If you missed part one, you can read it HERE, otherwise enjoy My Dream House, Part 2. February1998 We arrived in Maine with a Canadian cold front. I hadn't seen snow so deep since a bad New York winter in my early childhood and I had never witnessed snow banks that rose into the overcast sky with the pride of pyramids. They lined curbsides, driveways, and doorsteps. This wasn't the Maine I knew. The Maine of my vacation memories was an August Maine overflowing … [Read more...]
Dream House, Part 1
June 17, 2009 by 21 Comments
The story of our first house cannot be told in one post. In fact, our first home is a book in itself. I will start at the beginning. We were young, too young almost, fiercely stubborn, and just a little bit stupid. After honeymooning in Maine, we looked at this rugged wilderness land as something to be cajoled and ultimately concurred. My mind swam with scenes of ski lodges, warm fires, and New England history. We were naive. Our first appointment with a realtor was in January of 1998 in New Hampshire. We left New York with an excitement that the affects of caffeine cannot … [Read more...]
