Last year we planted a pink dogwood in our front yard, and this month it has been breathtaking. I took this photo a few days ago, when the blooms were a bit past their peak, but I love this side view of my Little Free Library, seen beyond the dogwood branches.
Category Archives: House
Photo Friday: Write-In
I posted yesterday about the April writing challenge known as Camp NaNoWrimo (National Novel Writing Month). Most NaNos include write-ins. These are events at which a bunch of writers get together to write, each on our own projects. These are usually my favorite NaNoWriMo events, but the pandemic means we can’t hold them this time,Continue reading “Photo Friday: Write-In”
Photo Friday: Cardinal in the Snow
We had a mostly mild winter, and were hit with only a few days of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. There wasn’t even a lot of it — this is Virginia, after all — but the roads were sloppy, briefly, and I didn’t really want to go out. So I mostly stayed in on thoseContinue reading “Photo Friday: Cardinal in the Snow”
Photo Friday: Butler’s Pantry
No, it’s not really a butler’s pantry, but that’s how I think of it. This cabinetry fills a wall across from my kitchen. Having it designed and built was one of my first home-improvement projects after we moved into the house in 2019. When we first looked at the house, it was clear that thereContinue reading “Photo Friday: Butler’s Pantry”
Tudor Dreams
Every now and then, while watching Escape to the Country, I see a house that captures my imagination. I posted about Escape to the Country a few months back; it’s a BBC real estate and travel show that helps couples who want to move from the city to a home in the British countryside. OftenContinue reading “Tudor Dreams”
National Organize Your Home Office Day
It’s National Organize Your Home Office Day! If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I like offbeat holidays, and what’s not to like about a day set aside for organizing your home office? I admit that I will probably not use the afternoon to arrange files in the yet-to-be-sorted file drawer, or toContinue reading “National Organize Your Home Office Day”
Shower Door
The main floor bathroom shower was leaking into the basement, the result of my teenager being careless about ensuring that the curtain liner remained inside the tub, combined with a need for new grout in a few seams between floor tiles and cracked sealant between the tub and the door. My solution: replace the showerContinue reading “Shower Door”
Friendly Fire
After weeks of cold weather, my writer’s group was able to meet again on Thursday. Until last year we met twice a week in coffee shops. Of course, when the covid-19 pandemic struck, we had to stop gathering in indoor venues. After a few months of not meeting at all, we started up again lastContinue reading “Friendly Fire”
Pepino Returns
After dealing with several mice in the house, we were finally convinced that we had succeeded in getting rid of them. We hadn’t seen or heard a mouse in weeks. And then, on Saturday night, I walked into the kitchen to see Pepino scurrying across the floor to disappear under the refrigerator. Damn. Bob saidContinue reading “Pepino Returns”
Take a Book, Leave an Argument
About a week ago I wrote of the surprising level of contentiousness on an online forum for people who love their old houses. That’s not the only group I belong to that seems innocuous but is sometimes the site of bitter arguments. The other group that gets weirdly argumentative is a discussion site for LittleContinue reading “Take a Book, Leave an Argument”
