It has been busy!

Nothing much to see here. You’d have to be tagging along on all the shopping trips. I’m learning much more about styles of architecture, styles of decorating, and choosing paints. We’re taking on a tenant at the end of the year. So, those rooms that we’ve ignored and just stored stuff in? They need to be emptied, repainted, and generally prepared. I won’t be doing it alone, so I’ll still have tatting time and organ time. I’m hoping to finish the purple square study on Thanksgiving. We’ll see. I’m not hosting, but I will be visiting for part of the day and there be lots of people to catch up with.

Oh! Before I forget, San Carlos Cathedral is working towards fixing up their organ. It’s a gem! The first pipe Wurlitzer I’ve heard in a church. The sound was a bit anemic as the leather needs replacing, but it filled the church nicely. True Classic American. Please keep the Parish in your thoughts and prayers.

For those celebrating Thanksgiving, please enjoy the Holiday!

More Bach, more snipping, and more washing

I took in another concert at the Carmel Bach Festival. One of the draws for festival attendance is the events that are related to the theme of the festival, but not core literature that is popular to perform. You come to hear Carmel to hear Bach. You go to other locations around the world to hear Mozart, or Beethoven, or Wagner, or Marsalis, or Scaggs, or….well, you get the idea. There’s always an event that stretches you a bit. Last night was one of those events for me. Bartok and Dvorak were offered right alongside Bach. The pieces chosen are familiar repertoire; I just hadn’t connected them together with Bach. I’ll be looking over the concert notes and thinking about that connection a little more today. Perhaps during my walk, or when I’m mulling why I’m up to version 6.2 of the shawl angel.

Yes, 6.2

I know my idea is good. I know it will come together. I know even the best designers do quite a bit of snipping and binning. I know I will work it all out. I know I have as much time as I need to take. I know also I’m a bit weary of it all.

Off to wash some walls in preparation for priming. Yes, priming. We’ve decided the accent wall is just too bold a color for using the Swiss Coffee alone. We’ll be washing, maybe sanding, priming, and then the color coat(s). I don’t have as much time as I need for that, so I’d better get started!

Working vertically and horizontally

My binder is starting to fill. The projects are taking shape. I am knocking tasks off the lists.

For any of you that have lived in older homes, you remember just how many panes of glass there are. I lost count at 100 in this house. We discovered a couple of months ago that 6 panes had been painted over. The same color the walls were painted…..2 coats ago. And then repainted. The clerk in the paint store gave a wry smile when I asked how often “why did they paint that?” is heard. I know people make more than one decision when remodeling that doesn’t make sense later. I’ll probably make some of those same choices. But, seriously…..paint up a window? So my vertical work is scraping paint off the glass. I make sure that I get my tatting in before I start. And that I do the hand wash to clean up before I start cooking dinner.

The horizontal work? That’s finding what’s going on the floor in the studio. I want something removable and interesting. If you’re thinking carpet, you’re close. I’m thinking rugs. So, out came the tape measure and the role of blue tape. I could kiss the person who thought up blue tape. Much better than the masking tape I grew up with. I’m sure it was a woman! Yesterday I did some “thrifting” as my daughter calls it. I found a decent rug that will need cleaning. 1 down…..mmmmm……half a dozen to go. With 4 doorways into the room and 5 columns smack in the middle, smaller and a variety of shapes seems the way to go.

So, first up today: finish the snowman.

Then, scrape some paint.

Then, draw out the room to scale so that I can take it with me to the stores.

ready...set....ACTION

So, for years my blog has listed thoughts about organ music. I’ve not written much about organ music: the odd concert comment, a piece used as the basis for a tatting pattern, the occasional indulgence in playing for the fun of it. Well, I’ve realized that with an organ arriving for the studio, I’ll have to change that.  I have room in the “new” house to keep my music accessible. Maybe even at my fingertips. Now, if this had audio to where I’m sitting with my laptop, you’d here chuckles and chortles and sighs of anticipation. Even though it’s tempting to take music to the piano to polish up for the big debut, I’m forcing myself to keep focused on getting the house ready! Yesterday, I found more resources in a local paint store. I also checked some books out of the library. I found working on the last house, if you have no clue what questions to ask, you can't learn what you need to decide. So, the process has begun in earnest. Between organ pedals and tatting shuttles my life will be very busy. I must get organized (pun intended) NOW!!!