Rain Rain Go Away

And don't come back for 100 years. Please. So the news of the week? More rain. On top of the "i-lost-count-total" we got more heavy rain on Thursday. On Friday I discovered my sump pump quit. Wow. It doesn't get any better than having a pond in your yard and one in your basement.

Aaaaakkk, skip that. let's talk about happier things. Like my kitchen remodel which has been going on since about when the monsoon started. Here's a photo of the old (weird) cabinet being removed. That's Anthony, the Russian, playing with Cooper. Normally he works in Florida with Barbara but she hauled him to Wisconsin to preserve my kitchen. He has friends here (also from Russia) so he's happy to be here and he loves dogs. Even thieving, little turds like Mini Cooper.
And here's a shot of the same spot two days later, after the brick chimney came out. The bricks are now ringing burn spot #1. That's where I put miscellaneous wood, weeds and other things that need to be burned. It's nice to have a bit of house history out in the yard serving a purpose.
And here's how the new kitchen alcove looks. It's not done yet, but you get the picture. The alcove is beadboard, with a recessed cabinet and one more coming above it. The best thing is now I have a work triangle. Before, it was 15' to go from the stove to the fridge. Barbara is staying true to the farmhouse theme which is authentic to my antique house.

This week will feature replacing the art deco ceiling fan, installing the sliding door, the built in table and some brackets. It's slow going as every single feature is built for this house. No one works like Barbara does and she's worth the $150/hour fee. She's saved me a ton of money because she knows her construction methods, design and historic preservation.

I know this much from bike racing: once you are at the top, you know where you can adapt situations to get the same results. There are a lot of posers in the bike racing world and even more in the design world. I'm lucky, just plain lucky to have the best brain in the historic preservation world on this project.

And on top of the the rain and kitchen rehab, I've been riding Willow to relieve stress. I love this mare. She's gem and what a fantastic influence on Oscar. They complement each other well: Oscar bosses her around the barn and fields, and she leads him down the trails in the wild woods.This photo is of Amy on Oscar, holding onto Willow. Disregard her skinny neck. Between her regular excericse inflicted by Oscar and me, she'll be looking like a mini hunter in no time.


Stay tune for more....and here's to dry days.
b