rattled

the squeal of the saw!

the pounding of the nail gun!

the thumping of tongue and groove coming together! 

gretta, henry and i can't think!
but the new floors are looking very promising, eh?

 it's very damp and wet outside...

i've dropped into the internet warrens, want to come along?

• i put together another etsy treasury, wandering into the woods.
• i am now the happy owner of a mushroom from my blog friend, maribeth.
• jane is offering her fabulous class again. check it out here.
• i've started a flickr account, and i'm finding my way around in there. it's a fun way to play with photos and share them.
• gretta and i have been addicted to downton abbey, a masterpiece classic, available on netflix instant watch. it's a country version of upstairs, downstairs. i found myself noticing the soft, muted grays, greens and taupes of the kitchens and hallways. taking notes for the bedrooms upstairs here in ct.
• gretta's got me humming along with mumford and sons.
• i love this quilt !

how about you? any internet gems to share? or are your feet squarely planted in the real world?

daughter love

she arrived early and quickly,

and i've been trying to keep up with her ever since!

happy birthday #27, dear lindsey.

 you are becoming a more remarkable

young women every day.

xo

progress!

4 bedrooms and closets are empty.

there are bags of trash, bags for the local thrift shop 

and bags for the goodwill drop-off.

there are still piles of stuff in the living room

to sort another day.

but, heck, what progress we have made.

weary, sore, but satisfied for now.

and we will be sleeping on mattresses on the floor 

for a while. (henry is intrigued by the situation.)

many thanks to gretta,

i'm not sure batman and i could have managed 

all of this on our own.

jeeves and wooster on dvd tonight!

searching for calm

The dumpster was delivered this afternoon. Tomorrow the entire upstairs will be emptied out. We may push our dressers into the bathroom, but otherwise the contents of the bedrooms and closets must find their way downstairs. We will certainly take advantage of the opportunity to send things on to the thrift shop. On Monday the old carpets will be removed, on Tuesday the hardwood floors will start to go down. 

I really hate to send anything off to the landfill, adding my contribution to the world's trash. But the carpet was here when we bought the house 15 years ago and now we are finally sending it off to the happy hunting ground. I am looking forward to enjoying the new floors, cool and smooth on bare feet, and sweeping them clean instead of using a noisy and energy-sucking vacuum. 

The spare, simple and clean aesthetic of some traditions really appeal to me. Japanese and Shaker come to mind tonight. As we clear out the trappings of a house where four active kids were raised, I long for a more pared down look. This seems a fine opportunity to make a first pass at things. 

How about you? Are you lured by the desire to de-clutter and purge? Do you have any strategies you'd be willing to share? 

in honor of becky and batman

becky johnson,

i don't know where life has taken you since 

our college days. 

i am sorry we lost touch.

i just want to thank you for introducing me to batman,

in november of 1974.

today we are enjoying our 32nd

wedding anniversary.

i am hugely blessed to have this man by my side

as we navigate life together.

xo

on a very warm evening

We all have three essential places:

the place we live,

the place we work,

the place we gather for conviviality.

-Ray Oldenburg

back in connecticut

Batman and I are safely back from our road trip to Earlham College.  We attended lots of meetings and helped to celebrate Doug Bennett's 14 years of leadership as President of the college. We also welcomed David Dawson who will soon become Earlham's 17th President. I am not sure there is anything more inspiring than looking backward and forward all at once!

On the way home, we stopped in Ohio to see Hannah and meet our grandkitty, Javier.

isn't he handsome?

Hannah hosted a delicious Sunday brunch and we had a chance to meet some of her colleagues. Batman had not seen the school where she's teaching, so we had a tour before we hopped back in the truck and drove the rest of the way home.

Gretta (who made it safely home from her sophomore year of college, despite rocky weather last week) and Henry had taken very good care of things while we were away. I found this beautiful bunch of goodies waiting for me...winnings from the sew, mama, sew giveaway...from the gracious Pomona in England. (Thank you!)

lavender sachets, fabrics to make a few more, buttons,
notecards, some very pretty fat quarters and bits of ribbon.

I also have a link to share with you. Remember the amazingly talented Sara Argue?  Well, she organized a community art project and our Lindsey pitched in to help. You can read about the project here and see fun photos as well.

Today I was reunited with my beloved sewing machine. I hope to spend some time with her tomorrow.

It was fun to read of all your favorite colors in the comments on my last post. :-)

That's all for this Monday. Bye for now.