Category Keeping Up Appearances
The saga of the Seattle bathroom
I bought the house in 2014. The primary bathroom was just fine. The tiles weren’t necessarily what I would have chosen, but I loved the big window in the shower, and I decorated with some eclectic things collected on travels. The before – original But there were hidden problems Beefier long in started noticing mineral […]
Meanwhile in the garden
Despite the chilly dampness of the last many months, the garden knows that we’re nearing solstice. The long days have coaxed the roses into their first flush of blooms. They’re so lovely. In the opposite corner the Mexican fleabane is as exuberant and joyful a ever, framing a wee pink dahlia. I just love those […]
Also at the little house: No trees!
A few weeks ago I got a text from one of my Boise neighbors: a late spring snow storm had broken a bunch of limbs on the trees in my backyard—some of which appeared to be resting on the power lines running into the house. Fortunately the parents were able to go over and do […]
Progress at the little house: Yard work!
With all that’s been happening with construction inside the house, the yard has been sorely neglected. Spring snowstorms brought down big branches of the trees in back, and the front yard had achieved peak hay-field look. So this weekend’s project was to bring it al back from the brink of nature. I asked if I […]
Progress at the house: drywall!
At long last, things are moving again at the little house. Drywall and wall texture are now done and it’s starting to look like a real house again. Its exciting to envision the end result, and I’m obsessed with the arches. Oh and guess what: the house next door, which has a similar square footage […]
Speaking of flowers… those lilies did not cooperate 🤨
After two full weeks —aka eternity—the lilies finally deigned to bloom. By then nearly all the berries had turned brown, the pussy willow buds had either dropped off or begun to sprout—and the lilies weren’t even white. Pink! Sigh. But it’s good lesson in the importance of getting the timing right in floristry. And of […]
The hand bouquet
The second task in my floristry class was to create a hand bouquet—meaning a bouquet constructed with stems held in hand, rather than inserted into a vase. The result was supposed to be compact, roughly symmetrical and appealing from all sides—something in the vein of a bridal bouquet. I chose to build mine with a […]
Home gym
Well, I’ve joined the Peloton bandwagon. This is what happens when you realise that two years of pandemic DoorDash orders have not been kind but still cannot even with the never-ending chilly grey Seattle weather that makes outdoor cardio such a drag. So the “gallery” hall that leads to the roof will double as home […]
Floristry! First task: the vase arrangement
Back in, hmm, maybe 2010 I spent a few days in Guatemala City with my friends Jennifer and Mark who were living there on assignment with USAID. I have a lot of good memories from that trip, but one that has had a surprisingly long lasting impact is of an enormous vase of stargazer lilies […]
Urban guerilla gardening
There’s an old, fire-damaged house down the street from me with an overgrown garden that, in happier days, must have been a pretty little garden. Every spring amidst the overgrown brambles and roses, I’ve admired a crop of unusual oxalis plants with pink flowers rather than the typical white. Well, today I saw that the […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 