Daydreams flow so easily off the synapses of our minds.
Nary a ripple of effort, nor sheen of perspiration on the brow.
In the week that has passed since last I posted, I have hatched...
(Oh the painful irony of that pun. I'm almost impressed. . . almost.)
many an idea. Some rejected, some retained. Money mentally spent, and then put back in the account. The way I figure it, this project is going to be a real bargain since I have rejected so many pricey ideas.
I have been a little frantic all week. Wanting what's in my imagination to become reality. Turns out reality is a pretty harsh taskmaster.
I have developed mountains of respect for building contractors for one thing. I have been to the hardware stores four times. To the lumber yard twice. To the carpet store to buy a remnant. To an antique store once and barely escaped buying a small beautifully refinished desk that I fell in love with at first sight, which had nothing whatsoever to do with furnishing the.....
Oh dear. We've come up against it now. I haven't decided what to call this building I'm working on. I am not a fan of the common name bandied about these days for a woman's backyard get away place. "She Shed" sounds mildly obscene to me for some reason. So that is most definitely off the list.
I have thought of it as a 'tiny cottage' and then immediately made up the word 'tottage', in the venerable tradition of Mark Twain who was fond of inventing words. But there's cute, and then there's obscure when it comes to words. Do you think 'tottage' is just a little too much? And I could never pair it with 'dotage' as the pronunciation is off. Because it IS a place I'm working on in said time of life. Though along with advanced age, dotage is supposed to imply some loss of mental clarity. I hope I'm not THAT old yet.
(Can you possibly come up with a more inviting opening for a snappy insult?)
Resist the urge (). It will be a character building moment for you.
Anyway, I have been so busy acquiring materials, cleaning, and tearing things apart, that I haven't been able to give the naming my full attention just yet. But tottage is still in play.
I admit that I feel just a little over my head with all that needs to be done to make this project work. I'm not that strong. I don't have the right tools. I can only work a few hours at a time. It's nasty hot out and most afternoons we have been getting some high winds to go with the heat. I have a limited budget and am trying to be practical.
Trying real hard.
For instance: I originally had a powerful desire to install a little wood stove in there. I mean powerful. One could even say burning desire.
I mean look at all that adorableness! That's 350.00 before you buy anything like stove pipe or insulating materials for installation. Besides it would give my brother a heart attack if I asked him to help me put one of those in my ...... oh dear.... structure. How's that.
Anyway, there have been discouraging moments to be sure. Hot, sweaty, feeling my age moments this last week. And there's nothing romantic about this sight:
Or this:
But I have made progress replacing the shrunken or cracked battens:
These were done the hard way. Pounding galvanized nails into good quality plywood is ... well.... gruesome. However Mr. P has loaned me his drill and the rest of them should go up much easier. I have about six more to put up on two sides.
The inside has become a construction zone too...
But every now and then I get a glimpse at how pretty it things will be in here when the hard work is over. The light panel in the roof makes sure that this will never be a dark place.
Among today's accomplishments, was the installation of electricity.
I bought a hideously expensive 12 gauge outdoor contractor's extension cord and ran it over to the house where there is an outlet by the chimney. It has three grounded plugs in that fan shaped thing. And it was just the right length.
As you can see, this is going to be a rustic place. No paint or insulation. But I am working pretty hard at covering up the gaps in boards and will block up the vents that are under the roof. They served an important function for the chickens as they need proper ventilation. I just want to reduce that as much as I can now. It will NEVER be an airtight place. But it will be snug and dry.
Anyway, that is the progress as of today.
The only thing that I haven't found yet is a small armchair and perhaps a footstool. The chair is probably the most important purchase. I want to be comfy so I can read or weave, or stare out the window. I will have to be careful not to settle on anything less that perfect for that one object. I've put a call out to the universe about it.
Waiting for a reply.
