Weekend Coffee Share 5/28/17

Posted on May 28, 2017 by Maggie C

If we were having coffee…

I’d offer you some cold brew out on the deck. We’re finally getting some sun and warmth and blue skies and flowers and singing birds. I love it!

Now that my kitchen is functional, I’ve turned my focus on the yard. I’ve started moving the seven cubic yards of wood chips from where they’ve been camped all winter just outside of my back yard gate. I need to clear access for the fence installers that are coming next week to set up a new fence along my back property line and replace the gate on the street side.

Is it just me, or does this pile of wood chips resemble George Washington’s Mt Rushmore carving?

It will be a solid privacy fence. What’s that saying… “Good fences make good neighbors.”

Hold on… I want to look up who actually said that. Probably rude of me to hop on the computer while I have guests, but it will only take a sec.

Ah… Robert Frost. And it’s not a saying, it’s a line from a poem, Mending Wall. Interesting. I didn’t know that.

Frost writes about stones falling from the wall that separates his property from his neighbor’s. In the spring it’s time to mend the wall.

A few excerpts:

I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go…

They work together until they come to the end of the wall.

There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’

The poet presses the point:

“Why do they make good neighbors?
…
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense…”

The neighbor continues working for a bit.

He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’

You may read the entire poem here:
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/mending-wall

*****
Sorry for the interruption of our coffee date, but I get curious about things. And I learned something new!

My neighbors and I don’t have apple trees and pine trees between us. They have an eclectic collection of – how shall I say this – crappy junk! I have daffodils, grape hyacinth, California poppies and St John’s wort.

Maybe they hate looking at my flowers as much as I hate seeing their junk. Who knows? But I’m so excited for the new fence! The installers will set the posts and show me how to put on the boards. It costs less if I do some of the work myself. And we all know how much I love to attempt new DIY projects.

Maybe I’ll write my own poem about putting up my fence. Seriously. Okay, so I’m no Robert Frost, and my vinyl fence won’t be as picturesque as a countryside stone wall. But I’ll give it a shot. We all know how much I love to attempt poetry.

I guess I got a bit preoccupied today with fences and walls and neighbors and Robert Frost. And I’ve had too much caffeine now, so I’m antsy to get to work on… something. It won’t be shoveling wood chips today. It’s too hot. I have lots of projects to choose from, though.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a great week!

#WeekendCoffeeShare is graciously hosted by Emily at NerdintheBrain.com. You can go there to check out what others are sharing over coffee this weekend.

Weekend Coffee Share 5.13.17

Posted on May 13, 2017 by Maggie C

If we were having coffee, I’d be pretty stoked to show you the progress in my DIY kitchen redo. You might be stoked to be able to make it to the kitchen without having to don a hardhat, steel-toed boots and a nail-proof vest.

I’m far from done, but it’s starting to look like a kitchen again. Since you are only here virtually, I’ll share “before” and “now” photos:

BEFORE

NOW

I still need to paint and hang cabinet doors and tend to a number of small items, but the big parts are done, at least on this side of the kitchen. The opposite side is still a mess. If I showed you “before” and “now” photos of that side, you’d think I was losing ground instead of gaining. So let’s just look at this side of the kitchen and pretend the other side doesn’t exist. Except for the coffee pot, of course.

I wanted to get the project to a point where the kitchen is functional again, and then be able to focus on other interests for a while. Like my yard.

There are so many outdoor project ideas I have for this summer, if the weather would only cooperate. For now I just stand at my rain-spattered window and watch all the growing things beckon to me to come out and play. Then when I realize their “beckoning” is just from the wind and rain pelting the plants into a desperate frenzy, I wrap my sweater a bit tighter to ward off the chill and return to the kitchen for another cup of coffee. And maybe a bit of touch up painting.

Thanks for stopping by and letting me carry on about my DIY doings. It might not look all that impressive to some, but I’m having fun trying out new skills and ideas and just seeing what unfolds. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I just saw my dog run by with a pie tin in his mouth. I really need to get those cabinet doors hung.

#WeekendCoffeeShare is generously hosted by Emily at NerdInTheBrain.com. Hop on over to see what others are sharing over coffee this weekend.

Weekend Coffee Share 4.23.17

Posted on April 23, 2017 by Maggie C

If we were having coffee…

I’d offer you decaf tea today instead. It’s a bit late in the day for me to have caffeine, and herbal tea sounds comforting on this dreary, cold Sunday. My mood is rather dreary to match the weather, so I may not be the best of company today.

Friday was gorgeous once the morning clouds burned off. I got some yard work done; pulled errant weeds and mowed my lawn. I mowed down all my wonderful dandelions, but I veered around the volunteer clumps of grape hyacinths that popped up throughout the yard. It looks kind of like a bad haircut with purple highlights. But it’s my bad haircut and I’m liking it that way.

My kitchen remodel has slowed markedly as I struggle with getting the concrete counter tops to look at least a bit smoother than my front lawn. I had hoped to be nearly done with the kitchen project by the end of this month, but there’s tons left to do. I’ve still got seven days ‘til May, so maybe I’ll really buckle down this week and see how much I can accomplish. Me and Trump.

I’ve also been dealing with a water leak in the hatchback of my car. After three auto body shop visits and a few hundred dollars expended, it’s no better than when I first discovered the impromptu lake in the wheel well where the spare tire is stored. I guess I’ll be cleaning out the garage so I can fit the car back in.

The garage was clean until the kitchen remodel began spilling over. Ripped up flooring, ripped out counter tops, cardboard boxes, paint cans and supplies, cement and concrete mix, old warped shelving… all accumulated in the garage.

Maybe cleaning out the garage is more important right now than charging ahead with the kitchen stuff. I can reap all the psychological benefits of cleaning: a greater sense of control through organizing, the buoyancy brought on by purging oneself of garbage and extraneous stuff, the satisfaction of immediate and tangible results. And a drier car.

Wow. I’m feeling better just thinking about it. Or maybe it was the tea. Or the chance to warm up in front of the space heater. Or the crackers. Help yourself to some, by the way, if you haven’t already. Where are my manners?

Here’s hoping for a productive week.

#WeekendCoffeeShare is generously hosted by Emily at NerdintheBrain.com.

Weekend Coffee Share 4/16/17

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Maggie C

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you I’m boycotting my kitchen today. It has nothing to do with not wanting to cook a nice Easter dinner for family. I boycott that scenario every year. No, today I’m avoiding the kitchen because I’m frustrated with my DIY kitchen remodel project. But I don’t even want to think about that, so instead I’ll tell you about my yard.

As you see by the photos, I have lots of dandelions. Lush, healthy, organically grown, beautiful dandelions. I took the photo of my front lawn through my living room window. The neighbors don’t seem to appreciate my weeds as they have a habit of becoming everyone’s weeds when their seeds blow. So I thought it might not go over well if I am observed in my yard proudly photographing this year’s bumper crop.

I still have a ways to go on the whole not-caring-what-other-people-think thing. I suppose on the flip side, it could be seen as a not-being-a-good-neighbor thing to let my weeds grow and spread to the others’ chemically-induced pristine lawns. But we all have our neighborly vices. Screaming kids, barking dogs, loud parties, random rusting appliances abandoned in the front yard… and wayward weeds.

Anyway… what I was going to tell you before I got sidetracked with broken appliance yard decor is that today I came across a recipe for dandelion jelly! I’m kinda stoked to try it, but my stove is still unavailable, what with the whole kitchen remodel thing that I’m not talking about today. I’m thinking maybe if I pick the blossoms and show up at a neighbor’s door with all the ingredients, perhaps they’ll see that weeds aren’t all bad, and they’ll welcome me inside to make the jelly in their kitchen.

Or they might just scream, “Run! It’s that weird weed woman!” and slam the door in my face.

Maybe I should just go out and mow the lawn, sending all my beautiful weeds to mulch heaven. I’ll ponder that idea while we enjoy the rest of our coffee. It feels like a good day to sit back and relax, admire my flowers, and let the lawn, the kitchen remodel and myself have a pleasant day of rest.

For all who celebrate Easter, I send wishes for a happy, blessed day.

#WeekendCoffeeShare is graciously hosted by Emily at NerdintheBrain.com.

Weekend Coffee Share 4/2/17

Posted on April 2, 2017 by Maggie C

If we were having coffee, I’d suggest we sit outside. If you bring a jacket, it’s warm enough to enjoy the sunshine. I’d show you my lawn, which isn’t much to look at right now. I don’t use herbicides or pesticides, so the lawn is mostly au natural weeds, moss and clover. At least it’s green.

But I have plans.

My ultimate goal is to do away with most of the lawn. I’ve planted some native species of shrubs that I’m hoping will take hold and help block the view of the six foot high concrete wall that runs along two sides of my yard.

Don’t get me wrong… I love the wall. I value my privacy very highly. I just don’t enjoy looking at the wall. I’m hoping the native plants will thrive and spread (in a semi-controlled manner). Right now that seems like a very long-range plan. When I ordered the plants at a County Soil and Water Conservation District sale, I envisioned getting a heavy flat of green, jaunty little bushes full of life and vibrancy. Okay, maybe a bit unrealistic given it was February.

What I found waiting for me on pick-up day was a little handful of twigs with a few straggly roots attached. Really?!? I paid money for this?? I could have gotten its equivalent by plucking sticks out of my rain gutter!

Nonetheless, I stuck the little twigs in the ground and hoped for the best. Now, a month and a half later, they are actually sprouting a bit of green. So I have hope.

Another part of the plan for this year is to lay out walkways using wood chips over cardboard. I had some wood chips delivered back in November, and the pile has been sitting just outside of my concrete wall since then. The neighbor kids used it to slide down in the snow, and I’ve had two individuals come by and offer to take the chips off my hands. I would rather they take the neighbor kids, but that’s another story.

Anyway, it’s time to take Chules on a walk, and then take inventory of my kitchen remodel project. It would be great to be done with that project by the end of this month. Maybe I’ll make that a goal.

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your week!

#WeekendCoffeeShare is graciously hosted by Emily at NerdintheBrain.com.

Weekend Coffee Share 3/25/17

Posted on March 25, 2017 by Maggie C

If we were having coffee… well, we wouldn’t be able to make it to the kitchen right now, but I’d invite you around back. I’ve got the hose set up, so I can offer you water. I could wash out that cute little flower pot for a mug.

No? Okay, well come around back anyway, and I’ll show you what I’ve been up to.
Remember that little concrete countertop I poured a couple of weeks ago? Well, I worked on grinding and finishing it this week. And now it’s going to be a very shiny stepping stone for the yard somewhere.

Apparently there’s a kind of sweet spot with concrete finishing, right when it gets that nice smooth sheen, and before it begins getting really shiny and starts revealing even more pits than what one has already sanded out. I was going for a shiny look, and managed to polish my way right past that smooth sweet spot.

With proper training, experience and equipment, I suppose there are subtler nuances between finishing stages, but I lack all of the above. Hey, it was fun, though, and I haven’t given up!

Today, I gave it another go ‘round with a pour-in-place top. Same size as the first one, but this time instead of doing all the dirty work in the garage and then bringing it into the house to install, I built the mold right onto the counter surface and poured the concrete directly into its final resting place, doing all the dirty work in the kitchen.

Hence the inaccessibility. It’s a small space to begin with, but once you’ve pulled both the fridge and the stove away from the walls, and have slopped impromptu concrete speed bumps all over the floor, well… I guess I’ll be going out for my morning coffees this coming week.

I’ll likely remove the forms on Wednesday, and assuming it’s functional, I’ll begin grinding and polishing. This time I’m going for that smooth sheen. Let’s hope I get it right. A girl can only use so many stepping stones.

Have a great week! Maybe I’ll see you at the coffee shop.

P.S. — If you notice that Chules looks a little straggly, it’s because he chose to take on the water hose while I was rinsing off my tools in the back yard. Despite what he tries to claim, I did NOT start a water fight! (I did win it, though. 😉 )

#WeekendCoffeeShare is hosted by Emily at NerdintheBrain.com. Head on over to see what others are sharing this weekend. They probably won’t make you drink from the hose.

#Weekend Coffee Share 3/19/17

Posted on March 19, 2017 by Maggie C

If we were having coffee, you might notice that the path into my house is ever-so-slightly clearer. As the kitchen makeover progresses, some of the overflow materials, tools, odds and odders are thinning out a bit. Just a bit, though.

Pardon me while I squeeze past the stove that’s been pulled out of place and now sits in the middle of the kitchen, find you a clean coffee mug and try to remember which space of countertop was clear enough to hold the coffee maker this morning.

I poured one of the concrete countertops – just a little one; 24” x 15.5” – and set it in place yesterday to see how I like it. It seems rather thick at two inches, especially for such a small top, but I’ll leave it there for a while to see if I warm up to it. If nothing else, it will make for a good practice piece as I try to get the hang of filling the air holes, polishing and finishing the concrete.

Painting, more painting, resizing cupboard doors to fit around the new range top vent, ripping up old flooring, pulling staples… it’s slow going for me, but mostly because I’m in no hurry. I spend a lot of time just standing in the middle of the kitchen, surveying my “progress,” and alternating between a sense of pride and a sense of panic as the thought, “What was I thinking when I decided to take this on?” runs through my mind.

It makes my eskie Chules anxious to see me just standing there. He thinks if I’m in the kitchen I should be fetching him a snack, and if I’m not going to feed him I should stop staring at the walls and go play with him. Or at the very least, sit and watch him as he naps.

The sun’s actually out today, a rarity that I should probably take advantage of. I’ll let Chules take me for a walk and then consider doing some yard work.

Thanks for stopping by. I apologize if I bored you with my kitchen update. As the weather moderates I can begin regaling you with stories of my landscaping projects (something about which I am equally clueless as I am with the DIY kitchen project).

I hope you have a great week!

#WeekendCoffeeShare is graciously hosted by Emily at NerdintheBrain.com.

Weekend Coffee Share 3.4.17

Posted on March 4, 2017 by Maggie C

If we were having coffee, I would invite you in and advise you — as usual — to mind the obstacle course of clutter on our way to the couch. The clutter has rearranged a bit. The long cardboard box holding my new bifold door is gone from where it has lain on the floor in front of the living room window for longer than I care to admit, and the door is now bifolding where I installed it in the kitchen closet doorway.

The two large bags of Goodwill donations that sat on the flat box of wood veneer at the front door entrance have finally been duly donated. The box of veneer panels is still there, but is thinning as the veneer gets cut to size and used to line the newly painted kitchen cabinets.

The saw horse bench in the dining room has been dismantled, mostly because I needed to use the “bench” part to make new shelving for the aforementioned kitchen closet with the aforementioned new bifold door.

The kitchen linoleum sports even more paint splatters, although there is less linoleum to splatter as I have begun ripping it out in anticipation of new flooring.

As you may have guessed by now, the kitchen remodel is still in progress, albeit a very slow progression. The wheels of remodeling turn slowly in my house. But that’s okay. If I weren’t puttering around with the kitchen, I would likely be sitting around getting bummed by the dreary gray skies and rain that have comprised this winter. I am soooo ready for spring.

I’m also eager for warmer weather so I can attempt the concrete counter top construction. Once poured into the melamine mold I built, the concrete will have to hang out in the (unheated) garage for a week or so to set and cure before I move it into the kitchen. I have no clue as to what I am doing with this, so the whole process will be yet another adventure in my DIY home impairment saga.

My dog Chules doesn’t mind the weather, but he is soooo ready for the kitchen remodel to be over. He doesn’t like the noise of the circular saw and the shop vac, although I think he secretly loves brushing up against the fresh paint and coming away with colorful stripes to adorn his fur.

The coffee has run out, so I guess it’s time to get on with the day. On today’s agenda: moving the cabinet doors into the glass studio and setting up space so I can begin painting them. Chules will be so disappointed that the doors are going to be white. No chance for stripes on his white fur.

Thanks for stopping by. If you have any pointers on making concrete countertops, feel free to comment. Maybe sharing ideas will help cement our friendship. (See what I did there?)

Have a great week!

#WeekendCoffeeShare is graciously hosted by Emily at NerdintheBrain.com.

Weekend Coffee Share (2/4/17)

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Maggie C

#WeekendCoffeeShare is graciously hosted by Diana at ParttimeMonsterBlog.com.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I’m feeling conflicted this morning. When I take part in the “Weekend Coffee Share,” I literally sit down with my morning cup of coffee and share what’s on my mind. I don’t preplan a topic and I sometimes surprise myself with what comes out.

Today, my mind is on so many things, I don’t know which of them I want to write about. I want to be lighthearted and talk about the Super Bowl, and post photos of my dog, and tell you about my latest DIY home impairment project.

But… I’m also thinking about how the country in which I reside is imploding. The saying, “It’s like watching a train wreck,” comes to mind. The destruction happens almost as though in slow motion, car by car by car (or day by day), and even though it’s hard to watch, you just can’t seem to look away.

I’d love to unplug from the media and ignore all the politics. I’d love to try and remain apolitical. And I feel strangely guilty for being “inconsiderate” in “harping” on my “opinions.” For being a malcontent, when I imagine my readers here or my “friends” on Facebook would rather read something humorous or warm and fuzzy.

But I read something yesterday that basically said that ignoring the declining conditions in the world – ecological, economical, political, ethical — is a luxury that only the privileged in life can afford. Or think they can. Major paraphrasing there, but that’s what I got out of it.

Of course, once a (literal) train wreck starts, you can’t stop it, and maybe we shouldn’t look away. Maybe we need to witness it, look for our own culpability, be there to help pick up the pieces and offer aid in the aftermath.

The metaphorical train wreck can be stopped, and I think we have an obligation to do what we can, to witness what is happening, to look for our own culpabilities and be there to help. It’s not fun by any means. It doesn’t sit well with morning coffee and croissants. It may seem overwhelming.

Or it may all sound like hyperbole. Like Chicken Little running around fretting that the sky is falling. I would still suggest we not look away, because there’s that other fable about the boy who cried wolf. One day the wolf was really there, and no one saw it coming.

And so I leave you with a warm and fuzzy photo of my dog Chules and his anticipation of the Super Bowl, and the humorous suggestion that he is looking bummed because his toy football has been a victim of Deflategate. And I’m off to work on my DIY home impairment project and make the most of today.

There must be a fable somewhere about finding hope amidst the storm.

Weekend Coffee Share (1/28/17)

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Maggie C

#WeekendCoffeeShare is graciously hosted by Diana at ParttimeMonsterBlog.com.

Women’s March in Portland, OR

If we were having coffee I would tell you it hasn’t been a very productive week. My kitchen is still completely torn up from my DIY remodel. The rest of the house looks like a tornado passed through; a tornado with lots and lots of white fur. And I’m tired of subsisting on frozen dinners because my range is covered by a drop cloth and a grand array of hand tools.

Of course, all of that is totally under my control to change if I just managed to get up off my derriere and do something about it. Okay, I admit I’ve been binge-watching Haven on Netflix. And going to visit my grandkids. Oh, and then there was that little march thing on Saturday. Maybe you heard about it: the Women’s March?

For someone who even has trouble being in a crowded grocery store (no joke), it was a bit daunting to be walking shoulder to shoulder among 100,000 people in the streets of Portland, OR. But in a last minute text, my daughter asked me if I would go with her.

I wrote back, “No. I can’t,” and as I paused to consider how to phrase the notion that I wouldn’t be able to handle the crowds and it would be too overwhelming to be out and about like that, I looked at what I had written. “No. I can’t.”

And I thought to myself, “Yes. I can.” It would be difficult and challenging, and maybe even completely overwhelming, and I might have to leave as soon I got there. But yes, I could at least try.

So I deleted those two words, and instead wrote, “Sure.” And we went. And I survived. And I’m glad I showed up. And I’m glad the other 99,999 people showed up as well.

Portland PD monitoring the Women’s March 1.21.17

Did we make a difference? Yes, I think we did. It made a difference for me. In me. It made me challenge my “no I can’t” beliefs, not only about my anxieties, but about my ability to help effect positive change in a country that so sorely needs that right now. I’m glad I went. I’m glad my daughter extended the invitation, even though she probably expected my response to be, “No, I can’t.”

I still don’t plan on going to the grocery store, at least not until my freezer full of entrees needs replenishing. And I don’t know if I will ever join another march. But I did it, and – dare I say – I’m proud.

Now I just need to apply my “can do” energy to house work and kitchen remodeling tasks. But first I’m going to nuke something from the freezer for lunch, and then play with my dog just in case he hasn’t shed enough fur on the furniture. Oh, and then I’ll be visiting my grandkids this afternoon.

Seems I’m just too busy to be productive! Maybe next week…

What Rhymes with Stanza?

Words at rest, words at play

Tag Archives: weekendcoffeeshare