Home Again

The spell of high heat and humidity in August pushed me over the edge, and I moved back home a bit earlier than I had intended. This led to a bit of awkwardness at first with the contractor's schedule, but we are now down to the last few "punch list" issues--things like doorknobs and hinges, grommets in the desk surface for computer wires and the like.

My furniture is still in storage so I'm sleeping on the garden level (aka the basement) on the futon couch. Perfectly comfortable, even if the environment is still quite dusty and chaotic. At least there was an air conditioner for those several unbearably hot days. Now we are in early fall, bright, clear and cool. Perfect for sleeping.

Next week the painting prep will begin and I'll finally have to make some decisions on color. Very difficult! You'll see color swatches in some of the pictures.

The kitchen appliances are fully functional, including the range hood (no more fears of cooking garlic and fish!), and the glass shelving and cabinet fronts are in place. Here is the wine storage area populated with some glasses adopted from Dad's house including the short white wine glasses I brought back from Finland (I gave them to Mom and Dad as a gift but I think I'm the only one who liked them!).

The ladder is installed in all its glory. It is a helpful thing to have, and I used it a lot when cleaning the glass in the cabinet fronts. The amount of storage is truly awesome, and I am resisting the impulse to fill it all up.

The counter will require seating and because it is about 45 inches high, the stools will have to be about 34 inches--not the most common size for bar stools. So I am currently surfing the web and driving myself crazy trying to choose bar stools. Alas, there is a certain amount of predictable tackiness in this product category--the longhorn cut-outs, and bowling motifs for example.

The cabinets now have their frosted glass fronts. I was worried about so much mahogany feeling dark and heavy so I went with all glass fronts on the lower set of cabinets. When the rest of my kitchen stuff is back, I think it will look good. Janet and Brian put me on to the two-drawer dishwasher. Perfect for one person--I cycle back and forth between the drawers.

Here is the Walker Bramble china, adopted from Dad's place. I associate this with special dinners throughout childhood, both at our house and at Grandma McAdoo's and the cousins' houses in Ohio. It's a pattern from Walker China, made in Bedford, OH where Mom grew up and was a wedding present from Grandma and Grandad McAdoo. Walker made the heavy white china famously used in diners, as well as commemorative pieces, and customized sets for hotels, railroads, passenger ships, the Coast Guard, etc. This was the fancy stuff. I know it's a bit "retro" but I've always liked it and look forward to getting a lot of use out of it. Currently these are my only dishes, and the sterling flatware set are my only utensils, adding a touch of elegance to my "camping."

Some things do not change. Mr. Bo is in his normal dinner spot and hoping I will notice that his food bowl is getting empty!

No pictures of the master bath today, as the closet had to be torn up and fixed and it's a bit of a mess now, but here is the guest bath--one of the major improvements, and one that I hope many will appreciate when they come to visit! I was using this bath initially when I moved back and discovered that the shower head is aimed too high (a shorter person could stand under the shower and not get wet!). However, a new junction between the hose and the shower head has been ordered and will solve this problem. Notice the safety grab bar. I'm seriously thinking of having a teak floor made for both showers. This one in particular is trecherously slippery.