It is Very Quiet Here

It is 7 am and so quiet here except for the sound of an occasional gun shot (it is prime hunting season) and Lewis banging on the door because he wants to go out (again!). Yesterday was a warm day and while Irv was at Home Depot (another again!!) I took the dogs to venture a bit on the Barn Island Trail.  I love this outcropping of rocks on our neighbors yard.

It feels like Vermont yet you can feel the ocean breezes and hear the fog horns.  

The trail is beautiful.  This really is why we are here-funky house, on again, off again heat, quirky tradesmen, and a farm near the ocean

The Heat Is On...Then Off...Then On...Then Off

Irv spent another 'men only' weekend addressing the various heating issues-furnace and fireplaces-as well as feverishly painting.  This time moving into the final unpainted room on the first floor which we call 'the fireplace room' or 'the library' or 'that other room'.

Good news.  The heat was on when Irv arrived.  Bad news.  The heat stopped when he left (out of propane).  Oh dear.  Luckily the chimney sweep showed up Friday and Irv was able to spend his evenings in front of a fire with a book.  

For a nice change of pace,  he was able to take a walk on the hiking trails behind the house that are part of the 995 acre Barn Island Wildlife Management Area.  Here is a link to the hiking map (the hippie house is located near the entrance). www.theday.com/assets/pdf/NL80928210.PDF

No show Weekend

We seem to be having a problem getting any heat source in this house.  No show on the furnace guy who perhaps is having some personal problems. No show on the chimney guy because it was too windy on Friday.  The brand new oven needs a replacement fan.  Can't get no heat!  Thank goodness it was a warm weekend.

Mighty dog Lewis had his struggles this weekend starting with throwing up in the car 10 minutes from the house then 3 times after that-then he was starving and wanted to eat (how do they do that?).  Then he hurt his foot somehow and could barely walk all Saturday but recovered in time to bark his fool head off at 4 am this Sunday morning and insisted on being walked (with no limp).  Twice.  He said he didn't know it was daylight savings time.  Thank goodness the coffee maker works. 

The kitchen at 5:30 am.  

Waiting for heat to arrive

It is 6 am on Saturday and Irv is up in CT solo this weekend.  I just checked the weather and it is 28 degrees and there is still not a working furnace in the house.  Ouch he must be cold !!  Hopefully  today the new furnance gets its test run as the plumbers were there yesterday working on it.

Irv did manage to go out one night to a restaurant on Stonington harbor ( he can  actually go out at night because I have Norman the rage dog with me) and took this evening picture.

With the exception of the heating system, he is happy that now both  boats -- Tashtego 1 and Tashtego 2 are now up in CT at their new home.  

     Tashtego 2 

And much progress has been made on the barn which was missing several windows, missing siding on the back and was in need of repairs on the garage bays due the over zealous chickens pecking the doors. Our British carpenter did a great job.  Here are before and after pictures.

The before...

and after....

Finally our  friends Ken and Kathy will be happy to know that the harpoon they gave Irv has found a home as well.  

Making progress under a Hunters Moon

What a spectacular Fall weekend.  This weather has been amazing and excellent for painting.  So many things to write about.  First, the sky.  Since Lewis generally wakes up at 5 am I now find myself walking him outside and noticing how really beautiful the sky is that time of the day-especially on a clear morning with this weekends moon.  Orion is prominent as are all the constellations and it is so quiet except for the occasional car of a neighbor going to work early.  

The tree guys came and trimmed the trees and took away lots of wood.  While they were there, our very British carpenter Richard was there as well 'fixing up' the Doll House as my father calls it.  I realized that as I was talking to the tree guys that we all saw the pile of logs we wanted removed differently.  When I looked at the pile all I saw was messy rotting wood that would attract mice and insects.  The tree guys saw the pile as income.  Richard saw the pile as something to burn in his woodstove.  Both guys could not understand why we would want to get rid of it.  The Goat House (as we are now calling it) looks much cleaner.

I am having a hard time writing this because my hand is so numb from painting but four rooms are done-half of the first flloor.  This is a not so good picture looking from the front door into the newly painted mudroom and into the newly painted kitchen.

Yes that is the house harpoon in the corner.  

Irv and I also decided it was time we actually cook in the kitchen.  We turned on the oven in our brand new stove and there was a buzzing noise so loud we could hardly hear each other talk.  It even continued after we turned the oven off so much so that Irv had to turn the oven off. When I called the Appliance store where we bought it they said 'oh, that's normal' Whatttt?  Oh no I said.  Repair guy coming next week.  Arghh.  

Our laconic furnance guy did not show up last week and Irv is getting nervous as the nights are starting to get colder.  He said he will be here this week-we shall see!  Unfortunately we have no wood stoves (all removed because of none were installed to code), no yet working fireplaces (chimney sweep not coming until Nov and we don't want to fill the house with smoke again), and I got rid of the wood.  Oh well, let's hope he shows.

It's a Man's World Weekend

Irv is solo up in CT this weekend. Not even the dogs.  But he is not alone but for the company of other men.  Friday - Irv and the tree guy.  Irv and the phone/internet guy.  Irv and the furnace guys.  Saturday - my father stops over with other guys to fill Irv's potential 'Man Cave' in the barn with someone else's stuff (only temporarily).  Every time my Dad comes over he gives another guy a tour of the property.  They all seem particularly enamored of the basement which my father has dubbed 'the Arizona room'

This is an old picture of the 'Man Cave' when the owners were still living there.  It is on the second floor and has a balcony off to the side that overlooks the tree house (yes there is a tree house in the back, I guess it is more like a play house-it needs some TLC like everything else).

The only picture of the 'Arizona room' is an old one from before we moved in but you can get a sense of its aura

Sweet.  This is the listing photo.  Yes there is a tree down there. Really. And evidently the floors are heated.  We shall see when we get heat.

The painting continues while Norman rages

Another weekend and we were determined to get one room painted.  Our good friend and master painter Nancy came up and we spent the weekend painting the kitchen and living room and they are done!!  Hurray.

We were able to go out Friday night to a bar in Westerly Rhode Island where they serve the largest Martinis (for only $10-12) that you can't finish one and expect to walk out of the place without assistance.  I only drank half this time after learning my lesson the night of our closing and realizing later what hit me.

Unfortunately Nancy got to witness one of Norman's night rages-when we returned he had torn through 2 window screens, soiled an upstairs bathroom (why that room-perhaps it was symbolic since it is painted red-red for rage?), and the ultimate indignity he peed all over Irv's espresso machine which was on the mudroom on the floor behind a closed door which he managed to open.  I am sure the neighbors heard Irv's screams (but then again they might have been passed out by then).  

Thing are shaping up but we have a long way to go.  It was nice to sit on our deck Sat night and watch people riding horses in front of the house.  The dogs did a double take (the same look when the spyed the large bull sitting near a fence on the farm nearby).  Whattttt is that?