Come in! Come in!

"If you are a dreamer, come in. If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a Hope-er, a Pray-er, a Magic Bean buyer; if you're a pretender, come sit by my fire. For we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!" -- Shel Silverstein

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Almost home.

Slowly, slowly, it's coming together.

Home.

We've been gradually converting this wee vacation/retreat cottage we call Llangollen into a year-round home.

Phase I was completed this weekend. We moved all of our "stuff" here. Well, most of it. Those things about which we haven't yet decided  -  or what will be in the way during renovation  -  we put in storage on Saturday.

Renovation is Phase II, which will begin in a few weeks. All new insulation, siding, windows, doors, a new sun room and deck.

More on that. Later.

What you see above is the former dining room which has been converted into a library/office.  My beautiful antique desk is off to the left. The bookcases will eventually be replaced with an entire wall unit (During Phase III next year. Phase IV is the yard, car port and outside shower - next summer).

That's Ms. Manning's rocking chair in the middle of the picture. She gave it to me just before she died in 2000, and I've had it in my office ever since. She was an amazing woman. Truly.

I'll tell you that story. Later.

That table is the one our daughter and future son-in-law made for us last Christmas. The top is a mosaic tile of a Celtic tree. I'm delighted to finally have a place for it where it can be used and seen.

Oh, did I mention that the wedding is this Saturday? The 28th?

I'll be telling you that story. Later. Count on it.

I confess to being very proud of that ficus tree you see up against the window. It was a gift to our youngest daughter when it was just 'this big'.   That was about five, six years ago.

I can't believe we actually fit it in the back of the U-Haul Truck. That it made the trip here unharmed. That it actually seems to Really Like the light in that window. I'll be watching it very carefully over the next few weeks.

I have another plant - an Elephant Ear  (at least, I think that's what it is) - which I've put in the corner in the sun room. It was a gift six years ago. It almost died once, but I nursed it back to health. I'm afraid I'm going to have to move it, but right now, it's the only place I've got where it fits. I've drawn the shade so it doesn't get direct sunlight.

I sure wouldn't mind if anyone has any experience in moving plants and would like to share any helpful hints or 'tips' for longevity.  I'm really rather fond of these plants - especially this ficus tree.  She's a beauty, isn't she?  The real miracle is that they are alive and thriving.

Because, you see, I really don't know what I'm doing. They are thriving despite my ignorance and stupidity.

It's a real miracle.
This is the breakfast nook that's part of the kitchen. That window overlooks the water.  There, near the window, are my two Christmas cactus.  Got them about five years ago when they were only 'that big'. They are Very Happy with the sunlight in the kitchen. (The door to the left goes out to the laundry room which leads out to pier.) 

Our dear friend Bill (who worked like a dog to help us move - on both ends of the trip) took down the old table (which was attached to the wall) and then moved the dining room table and put it in the kitchen.   (Thanks so much, Bill!) We have a Huge Table out on the sun porch which comfortably seats eight to ten. This little nook is a lovely option when it's just me and/or Ms. Conroy.

Now this, THIS is my favorite place in the whole house. It's where I say my morning prayers. Drink my morning coffee. Do most of my writing. Out on the sun porch.  Facing the water.  Where it's so peaceful it sometimes takes my breath away.

Tonight, I got all the bins of clothes emptied and put in the bureau or hung in the closet.  I've still got some summer shoes, cosmetics, my TV with VCR/DVD to bring here. The coffee pot. Some odds and ends.  We've still got to clean up the rectory. Polish the floors. Wash the carpets. Like that.

That's a Very Boring story I don't want to tell and you don't need to hear.

That place is rapidly becoming part of the past.

This is rapidly becoming home.

8 comments:

IT said...

I've had a ficus going for over 10 years, which has moved three times. It went from a 2ft supermarket plant to a 6 foot potted tree. They get fussed when they move, so just pay attention, don't over or underwater, and give it a little food. It will adapt just fine!

Glad ou are settling in.

Your title made me think of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6aBBf3ZYrg

Elizabeth Kaeton said...

Love, love, LOVE Mary Chapin Carpenter. Must have had this song in the back of my head. Thanks for the reminder.

Caminante said...

I have a 20+ year-old ficus that someone gave me in seminary because she couldn't fit it in her room; it lived out on the stairs for my senior year and when I left, it went with me. When I left Northfield almost two years ago, Anne convinced me to leave it behind but I so missed it that last year, I rescued it from the rectory and now it is thriving in the west-facing room of the house. It is at least seven feet tall now.

Elizabeth Kaeton said...

Oh, and thanks for the tip on the ficus. I think she'll be okay. I'm leaving Tuesday morning and won't be back until Monday evening. I'll feed her tomorrow, but I'm just a wee bit nervous about leaving her alone. You know?

Elizabeth Kaeton said...

Thanks, Caminante, for the encouragement. She's now about five feet tall. There's room for her to grow here.

Muthah+ said...

We have been here 2 months+ and we still have a 2 car garage that is full of boxes. It has really been too hot to work in the middle of the day in the garage so we wait until evening and go about it slowly.

I am so glad to see your "wee hoose" taking shape.

Riley said...

Mary Chapin Carpenter...what's not to love?

Great to hear that your plants
survived the move. I have trouble with houseplants anyway, so keeping them alive during a move would be some trick for me.

Your chair in the sun room looks so incredibly cozy, and the little pillow says it all: "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, I've become my Mother After All".
Bet there's a back story there!! : )

Elizabeth Kaeton said...

One of the kids got that for me as a "joke" present a few years back. I'm still not laughing ;~)