End of an Era

A surprise this morning to wake up to snow on the ground.  It's been such a mild winter, I'm still expecting a wopper of a snowstorm in April.

We had a wonderful weekend in Concord.  Friday night the whole family met at Newick's for my birthday.  There were ten of us and we had a wonderful evening. 

Sunday was Tyler's eighth birthday at Jon and Joane's house.  It's always so much fun to go to family events and see everyone. 

Tyler is an amazing young man and so sweet and caring.  Little sister Julianna is precious.  We are so excited about then coming this summer for the wedding and a family camping week. 

Cloe the cat waited till we got home to tell us she was ready to go.  We are taking her this morning and our hearts are heavy.  She would be eighteen April 15th.  That's a long life for a cat but it doesn't make it any easier.

Life goes on.

Stenciling - 1823

The wallpaper in the upstairs bedroom had lifted at the seams.  We couldn't stand looking at it another minute and before we knew it, it was coming off in sheets. 

Taking wallpaper off is very addictive.  Once you start, you can't stop. 

The pink stenciling under the three layers of wallpaper is quite striking.  I'm sure they were sick of it back in the day, but the walls were in excellent shape considering the age.

We decided to leave the stenciling.  We'll paint all the woodwork and the ceiling.  Then we'll take up the old carpeting and paint the wide board flooring. 

That will take care of the dust and the room will be clean. 

The days have been very beautiful and this is the first day of spring.  The grass is turning green and the daffodils are coming up. 

Preparations are well underway for the upcoming events in June.  I am documenting all the progress.  There sure will be lots of excitement here at the Farm.

Merriman Quilt

Perfect spot for the Merriman Farm quilt.  The Merriman ladies from the 1800's would be proud.

New Project

I have two rooms upstairs to tackle. 

We got the old gas stove moved out of the kitchen yesterday.  It's down in the garage in case we need it for the big party in June. 

The kitchen looks like something out of a movie set.  I wonder what's under that old wallpaper.  Once I decide to look, the dye is cast.

Then there's Clara's room.  No one can figure out what to do with it because there's pink stenciling under the wallpaper from the 1700's. 

We already took her dresser out and put it in the new bedroom because it matched the new four poster bed.  It looks wonderful in there.

The top of the dresser touches the ceiling.  I have no idea how we got it in there but thank God it had feet on the bottom that we could take off. 

I went up with my coffee this morning to admire our hard work and noticed that the mirror reflects the water just perfectly.  What a plus!

We tried my laptop on the roll top desk and it works. The Wifi is in the room just below so it picks up the signal. 

Will have to bring all my poems and stories back from Concord so that I can formulate a plan on what to write about next. 

We are getting all kinds of offers from neighbors with extra bedrooms for our out-of-town guests.  The spots are filling up fast so let us know.

We are picking up a grill today that we saw on Craigslist.  Sounds like a corker as we say here in Maine.

Four Poster Bed

Good Morning from the coast of Maine.

It's a foggy morning, but a good day to get things done.  Bobby figured out how to take apart the roll top desk yesterday and we moved it into the new queen bedroom.  Now the drawers are locked and he is figuring how to free them up. 

It's in a perfect spot overlooking the ocean.  I hope I can be inspired to write something racy in that spot.  If not racy, something that won't put you to sleep.

We purchased the most gorgeous four poster bed two days ago.  We found it on Craigslist.  It goes perfectly in the room and we have a dresser that used to belong to Clara, the previous owner.  It matches the bed to a tee.  Now the trick will be moving it.

Dukie, the Maine Coon Cat, is right next to me and has his paw on the computer as I write.  He's a pretty funny guy and rules the roost here at the farm.

The biggest problem with all this fixin' and doing is running out of gas - physically.  We were in bed last night at 8:30 PM to watch NCIS, but of course, fell asleep in about five minutes.

Yesterday was my daughter Kelley's birthday.  She was thrilled with the surprise delivery of two sets of roses, one from her husband Jeff and one from her brother Jon. 

We will celebrate when we are together next in Concord for our grandson's birthday. 

I saw a perfect picture for over the roll top desk at Goodwill.  I wonder if it will still be there at the store.  

Off in search of treasures.

Spring Ahead

The coffee guys just called wondering where Bobby was.   We were up, but just barely.  It seems to take a few weeks to adjust to the time change.

Yesterday we finished up the double bedroom upstairs (Shubael's room).  We made up the bed with an eggcrate mattress on top and tried it out.  It's very comfortable and I can see why Shubael loved the little room overlooking the ocean for miles around.  You can see the water while you are in bed. 

Brother Phil will be the first guest in the little room, so we may have to rename it "Phil's room". 

We moved the sink from the bathroom into Phil's room to make more room in the bathroom.  Now you can sit down without hitting your head on the sink. 

Today we'll start pulling together the Queen's bedroom.  (that's me).  The most interesting piece still has to be moved.  There's an old rolltop desk that I'd love to have in that room.  It goes back to 1890 or so and reminds me of my Dad and his hardware store in St. Stephen - Mallory Bros.  He had a big old rolltop desk in his office.

I'm still looking for a queen headboard but no biggie if I don't find one. 

I should take pictures of the "before" and "after".  In the meantime, I'll load on  a couple of the "after".

Surprise in the mail

Yesterday was an exciting day.  My wedding attire arrived in the mail. 

It was supposed to have been mailed on April 25th.  I was thrilled that it came early and even more excited when I opened the package.  It fits perfectly.  It's the type of outfit that can be easily taken in if needed.

The Internet is a wonderful thing.  I couldn't find anything even close to what I wanted in the stores. 

I rejoined Weight Watchers.  I'm a lifetime member.  My goal weight was 124, but that was forty years ago so I think that number will be adjusted.  I need a constant reminder not to put things in my mouth that have mega calories. 

Bobby is off for coffee with the guys.  He'll mail a birthday card to my sweet daughter who will be 43 next week.  What a joy she has been in my life.  She is so full of goodness that I swear she is an angel on earth. 

I am so blessed.

Safety First

Every old farm has a dug well.

I noticed a wooden cover out by the barn and asked Bobby if it was a well.  It is!

Bobby couldn't get to Brunswick fast enough to get a cement cover when I told him about a little girl who fell in a well and died. 

Anyone who buys an old property should assume that if there was a house there at one time, there's a dug well close to where the house was. 

The tulips are coming up, the lilac tree out front is budding and there are signs of spring everywhere you look.

We are making progress on the upstairs and have created two new lovely bedrooms.  We want to have lots of room for our children and grandchildren to visit. 

I talked to an old high school friend this week and she reminded me I said I'd never get married again.  I never expected to meet "my one true love" at this point in my life.  I'm happy to eat those words. 

We inquired about a marriage license yesterday.  Time is whizzing by and the day will be here before you know it.

We rented a tent and a porta potty for the big day.  We also put feelers out for a bartender and a couple of kitchen ladies. 

It's very hard to have a "low key" event.  It seems to have a life of its own and I am trying hard to keep control.

We're hoping for a very casual camping weekend. 

One picture at a time

Here's Chris and Gabby. 

Snowstorm March 1st, St. David's Day

The day of the second snowstorm of the winter we got a wonderful surprise. 

I was busy in the kitchen cooking and the doorbell rang.  (we got a new one that we could hear - it's loud). 

There stood son Christopher and Gabby.  I was so shocked as it was snowing very hard.  They had a few days off, so they took off for Maine and stayed in Camden overnight.  They were on their way to Portland. 

I threw a couple of extra potatoes in the pot and we had a wonderful dinner and caught up on the family news.

Last night we had friends over to dinner and Bobby made his famous Seafood Cassarole.  We had all the right ingredients having made the trip to Bath for fresh scallops, crabmeat, haddock and for extra flavor, a can of chopped clams.  It was a wonderful evening and so nice to make new friends. 

The bedrooms at the old farm are taking shape and looking good.  We are off to look at a headboard in a neighbor's basement. 

The snow is almost gone after heavy rain.