Christmas Week 2014

All of the plans I had conjured up in my mind for decorating this Christmas have gone by the wayside.  I have a few things out that, frankly, I had left out after last Christmas when I headed back to CA.  I didn't get back to Louisiana this year, so the house just sat waiting for me.

Remember, I landed in the emergency room within half an hour after the moving van arrived.   They pretty much put stuff wherever.  It'll all get sorted out eventually, but for now things stay as they lay.  Right next to the front door is where my grandmother's treadle machine landed.  I want to get the cabinet stripped and restored to its original cherry finish.  Until then .....

Of course, having a pair of crutches in the foyer is a decorative must!  I just know everyone will be copying this vignette!  Go ahead.  You have my permission!!

Sally and I ventured out to a small antique store in this little town one day.  I found that Mikasa sleigh.  I thought I'd put some holly in it from the yard.

The red berries aren't real visible in this picture, but I didn't want to venture out on the grass to get a closer picture.  This is taken from my carport.  The back yard is on the other side of that fence.  There's a forest next to my property with all sorts of critters who set off the motion lights at night.  The crew that's been hacking away at the overgrown bushes started cutting back the holly trees and I stopped them.  "Let's do that after the new year."  I don't know how many times I told them that!

I also stopped them from cutting the overgrown azaleas in the front.  I figured a little color in the yard for the holidays is better than nothing.  I wish I could go out back to get a snapshot of the camillias.  Some are blooming and some are full of buds.

Yep, this isn't at all what I envisioned for Christmas this year, but as the over-used saying goes, it is what it is.  I'm getting better and that's all that's important for right now.

I hope everyone has a glorious holiday season.  Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas from my little corner of the world!

Progress

The other LA has been a place of whirlwind activity for the past week.  Plumbers, electricians, carpenters, jungle whackers -- but the most important of all, my friend Sally.  She flew into town on Monday and has not stopped flying since she's been here!

The boxes in the last post are gone but for a few that I need to decide what to do with.  The quilting cottage was attacked yesterday.  At first we could go no further than opening the front door and looking at boxes stacked almost to the ceiling.  There are still a ton of boxes, but the stash closet is shaping up.

It's about 60% full at this point.  The shelves on the right are holding bolts and flat-fold backings.  I'm sure things will be shifted around as I work in there, but it's nice to have 13' shelves to put the stash on.  Except for the top shelf, the other shelves are 12" deep.  Maybe I could have gone a little deeper with those but I didn't want fabric right up against the doorjamb.  By the end of today we hope to have the books put away on shelves on either side of the fireplace.  The "extra" fabric will go upstairs but that part will have to wait until we have brawn onsite!

The kitchen took us (I say that tongue-in-cheek because Sally did all the work!) almost two days.  There are tons of cabinets and drawers.  It was a lot of deciding what went where.  It really looks nice now.  Here's an in-progress picture of the pantry.

Since I'm still gimping around, it will most likely take me a few months to get everything where it's supposed to go.  I'll just have to take baby steps now, both literally and figuratively.  The knee is some better, the brace keep falling down my leg, and I need to get PT scheduled.  I'm getting real tired of pushing the walker around but it's a necessary evil at this point.  Looking at the bright side, the seat does work for toting around a small grocery basket at the market!

The jungle-whackers I referred to above came in and really have worked magic in the back yard.  I had huge azaleas encroaching on one side of the pool.  While I hate to remove healthy plants, there's now an unencumbered view of the bayou from the house.  They've done about 80% of the back.  The front of the house needs some attention, too, but it's mostly clipping of low-hanging oak branches over the driveway and trimming crepe myrtles.  Again, I hate to cut those but I think the trees will look better and will not be brushing up against the house.

Tall toilets and new shower heads and fixtures will be going in next week.  The computer closet has been wired.  Most of the TV stuff has been located so I can now schedule service here.  A new fence around the garbage can area will be built.  A lot of other things but I can't remember it all right now.  I have a new driver's license and car tags, a local bank account opened .... yep, progress is being made on the bayou!

I couldn't have done any of this without Sally.  Her husband told me to watch out if she puts her hair in a ponytail, to take myself and anyone I love and just get out of the way!  I replied that he should have warned me of that beforehand!  I want to help so badly, but I've gotten real used to her telling me to get out of her way!  I love you, Sal!!