Two weeks since the last post, and so much backlog I don't know where to start. This is kind of rambling, but it's late and I'm tired, and if I don't get something out I'll never get caught up...

Lots of work has been done in the garden - new shrubs, a lot of perrenial flowers. Pictures of that tomorrow night. A couple of tubular skylights have brightened the office in the middle of the house.


The first hole is opened up in the ceiling.

A gas leak was repaired by the local utility, who sent the customary coffee-drinking #2 guy to observe the guy wrenching.



The deck project is underway, with some sod cut away, and the perimeter of the deck visible where the lawn now ends - and crudely outlined with a hose in the photo below.



Major electrical work was done earlier in the week, with a new panel in the garage to replace the one we learned was a potential fire hazard, and some interior circuits added where they were needed, and corrected where they were flawed. No photos here...not much to see for the $2,000 or so of expense. Still great to have that done.


Roses are blooming in my yard again. Roses!

Last weekend, Pat and I went to a Shambhala Buddhist group picnic at a nearby lake. Tonight, I went to Soup Night at the Buddhist center before checking out Bike to the Movies (see below).


At the picnic. This very nice fellow is one of the creators of the weekly Soup Night meals.


Soup! Two great soups every week for anyone who drops by.

I went to a Bike Week event yesterday in Old Town. They were judging bikes in various categories, mid way through a week or bike activities, like Bike to Work day, and tonight the Bike to the Movies event, where hundreds of riders pedal to the New Belgium Brewery to watch films on a giant inflatable outdoor screen.





Walking away from the bike event, I enjoyed a couple of Fort Collins sights...there is a large marble sculpture being created in Old Town Square - no one knows what it will be when finished, as the sculptor works in view of the public every day.



Then I passed by the food co-op, a member-owned organic grocery.



What a great town.

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Another week gone by in the new house, and I haven't made the time for a post. It's been really busy with projects, but Pat has been home and Mona came down to visit for a couple of days.


Mona has breakfast with us on the patio next to the kitchen.

Mona brought a bunch of nice things with her - some plant starts for the garden, some household things, food goodies (including a cherry pie made with cherries from her freezer we picked last summer in Wheatland), and some reading. Since Mona helped us choose this place it was nice to have her over as the first overnight guest.

One of the imminent projects is the construction of a small deck in front of the house. When we first saw the place, the front was so devoid of character we might have not even bothered to have a look.


The original MLS photo of the front.

When we decided to buy the place, we knew we'd do something about the front. Some landscaping would help, but it really needed a more inviting entry, and the deck combined with landscape improvements seemed like the obvious choice. I found a construction guy who seemed OK to work with, and we came up with a preliminary design - a 12X12 deck with a corner integrated bench and a ramp for acessibility.


The front as it appears today.


The front as it will appear with the deck added - a first draft.

Construction of the deck should take place the last week of this month. After that, I'll be doing some landscape work around it, and possibly adding a new flagstone walk across the front yard to the sidewalk from the mid-point of the front edge of the deck. We plan to reduce the amount of grass in the front in favor of some native plants with low water requirements on either side of the new walk.

Between now and then, there is a tile repair guy, a skylight installation, and a major electrical upgrade to be dealt with...

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Guess I have been sort of fixated on things related to the new house recently. Bear with me and eventually we'll move on soon to other stuff.


Yesterday, I got some patio containers planted with annual flowers and herbs.

It's hard to focus on much else with so much to do here at the beginning of our stay in this house. Today I had two people over to go over landscape design ideas, a guy to quote on tile repair in bathrooms, and a deck construction guy. Tomorrow the skylight installation guy is coming to quote an installation in the office ceiling, and I forgot to call back the electrician about replacing the panel and upgrading us from 100 to 150 amp service.

Meanwhile, between thunderstorms, I managed to get some more stuff planted in the garden and make some pretty decent turkey soup.


I got a sketch of the new deck design together last night. The deck construction guy had some good ideas that resulted in a few modifications. We have incorporated a ramp for disability accomodation. We had a very nice friend in California who had to struggle with steps, so if we are lucky enough to find a similar friend here they will feel welcome in our home.

Twice in the past day, as various people have been in the house, I have been asked if I am an artist when they observed my easel and a few paintings in the kitchen. Oh right - I was going to be doing that here. It doesn't seem like things will ever settle down to allow for that, but I guess that's my objective.


Time to put an ad in Craigslist for our moving boxes, now that the majority of them are empty.

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Tonight I prepared the first serious meal at the new house since our arrival. We've been eating out a lot because of all the chaos getting things put away and various projects to correct or improve things. With Pat away so much for business travel, I've been eating super simple things like microwaved frozen soy burgers on toasted burger buns, or big bowls of salad. I felt bad for Pat though, as he eats out every day (for every meal) while he's on the road.

So I went shopping today, and grabbed a bunch of good stuff. Unfortunately, what I picked out for the main course required baking, and the new range has a problem with the flame gas/air ratio in the oven, so that was a no-go. I'll need to adjust things later, but for tonight I just improvised with a stove-top version (of stuffed chicken breasts).

I also snipped the five blossoms available so far in the garden and stuck them in a vase. Opening a nice 2005 California Pinot Noir completed the experience.

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This morning after I woke up I went out and sat for a while in the cool breeze and dappled sunlight of the back yard. As I listened to all the different bird songs, an elegant if somewhat tattered old fox jumped silently to the top rail of the side fence. We gazed for a minute at each other, and he leaped to the ground on my side, made his way to the back corner, and sprang to the top of the fence again. After a long pause as he looked back at me, he proceeded to the next adjacent yard.

A few moments later a squirrel came racing down from the upper to the lower branches of the tree next to me, chattering angrily. I think he was scolding the fox, for reasons I didn't comprehend.

The rest of the day, I worked on various projects, occasionally getting sidetracked by the contents of yet another box I pawed through while trying to locate something that for some reason had come to mind. A few more boxes were emptied and added to the growing pile occupying a corner of the garage.



The most gratifying project today was finishing the installation of the puerta pequeña por la perrita hermosita - see below her evident approval of this new architectural enhancement of casa Balmoral...



After finishing up the dog door, I drove a few miles to Old Town to meet a few people who gather to practice Spanish converation. Felix and Dana were there this afternoon, and we had a nice time in a venerable coffee shop.



After we chatted for an hour and a half, I walked through Old Time Square, and was struck once again by what an agreeable place Fort Collins can be.

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Today I went back to the rental house on Wapiti to tackle the final cleanup items, including the grungy refrigerator innards and the stuff that had collected beneath and behind the electric range with the ill-fitting burner pans.

I managed to turn out a few good dinners there in the little kitchen, but it was always a challenge, as there was never enough counter space. I had a cheap card table set up on one side of the kitchen so there would be a place for a few more things. Not exacty the granite counters I had so blithely expected when we first ventured to Denver looking for some sort of new home almost four years ago.

Well, there aint no granite in the Balmoral Drive kitchen either, but I'm damn glad to have it.

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Finding a good plumber is a happy thing for the new homeowner.

I've been so busy since we got our stuff moved over here, I haven't made the time to post regular updates about progress. The new refrigerator and gas range were delivered on Sunday, and yesterday the plumber was here to run a new gas line and set up the water line to the refrigerator. Late last night, I finally cleared out all the debris in the kitchen, and it began to actually look like someone lives here. Finally, about 11:30pm, I went over to the old house and emptied out the freezer and refrigerator and brought all the stuff home to place in the new machine.

As I gazed at the new kitchen that was shaping up, I couldn't help but reflect on all the whining and complaining and angst I had indulged in over the past couple of years as we bounced around various rentals. Poor me - no nice kitchen to operate in, and electric ranges mocking my culinary efforts already hobbled by lack of tools that were only half unpacked. But I had an opportunity to live with Pat and the Mdog, dear friends and family to enjoy, and the treasure of reasonably good health - and each day that passed was another step toward the day when those blessings would be lost. If anything were to happen to end our time together, that thing which is most important, would it not be sad to have experienced so much of it in a state of bitter dissastisfaction?

As I gazed at the new kitchen, I knew this was not a reward for all my craving for more and fancier stuff and a 'better' experience - while it is an opportunity to enjoy what I now have, I am deeply humbled, and know that opportunity is always present, even if all one has is a hot plate and one pot*.







* Note to Mona - that's more than enough to whip up some nettle soup, right?

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