Busy Day

There was a lot happening at the condo today....it included painters, a plumber, and a tow truck driver.  If you're interested in all the tedious details....read on.

Yes...my car had to be towed to a shop back in Massachusetts. It's not a bad thing at all to be housebound in Maine until Paul comes back this weekend.  It's kind of like being snowed in...other than the fact it was a beautiful sunny day.



There are rooms in this condo I don't think I have ever shared here.  So much of it has been...and still is a work in progress....but progress was made today.

There's a very large master suite in the back of the condo.  It's been sitting partly painted since last summer.....but today was the day to finish the job.  Because it has a very high vaulted ceiling I called the professionals back in. And...because they had time...I made a last minute decision to also have them paint the small first floor guest bedroom. Three guys can get a lot done in just a morning. I still have two more bathrooms to paint at some point....so was glad to have this little room off my list. I clearly wasn't getting to it.

This little guest room will have a full size bed and a desk. It will double as an office and another place I can work on a project and make a mess.

I wanted the color to flow with the rest of the house so I chose Benjamin Moore's fernwood green...a lighter, softer version of what's in the kitchen.


I absolutely love it.....it's calming and very serene. This room has a great window...but none of those shots turned out. So you just get a corner.

The master bedroom room is hard to photograph.  It's very large and when the shades are open there's too much light and when they're down it's too dark. And...there's no overhead light. But hopefully you'll get a sense of it....maybe. The painters painted three accent walls the same dark blue that's in the study at the other end of the condo. Clearly I love that rich nautical color...and the two rooms couldn't be farther apart.

There's a large bay window that looks out to the back yard where you can see the woods and the sunsets. This will be a great place for sun loving plants....like succulents.    

You can see that the ceiling vaults way up.  I have NO idea yet how I'll decorate....but time will tell...I'll figure it out eventually.  

At the other end of the room is this little alcove which is painted Edgecomb Gray...the same color I used in the living/dining room and the studio.  The gray and the blue look great together.  This space is big enough for a couch so could be a TV/ reading area. Who knows? Maybe I'll take up yoga.

The third accent wall is this triangle above the alcove.  To the right of the alcove is a hall to the ensuite with two large closets on the way. It's great space. 

Like I mentioned a while ago...the whole down stairs except the kitchen came with quilted, insulated roller shades and they really help with the heating bill.  The shade in this room happens to be blue when it's down and makes the room dark and cozy. The little green bedroom's shade is white when it's down.  Valances for ALL the windows in the down stairs are still on the list.  It may be a while.

The plumbing update isn't as exciting but the guest toilet now works and a new kitchen faucet is on order. And I got a good lesson on our systems. 

If you missed out....here are all the posts about the condo so far.....a work in progress.  

Tomorrow is going to be a craft day!.....and a walk.

Location

...location location.

Our new location in Portland is really growing on me! Our home/condo choice surprised a lot of people...even us. In a recent post I reflected a bit on things "falling into place"....and that's still how it feels.  There's work to do...but that's OK...we have lots of time. And, there's something about putting a little sweat equity into a home that really makes it yours.

When we sold our house in South Portland we were determined to find another one in the same area.

Portland Head Light

We loved being across the Casco Bay Bridge from Portland...so much to do and see and easy access to the water. But we quickly learned that because of those perks it meant low inventory and high prices....which worked in our favor when selling the last house. Homes we could afford were too small with too much to work to do and selling for way more than they should.

The Bug Light

So we widened our scope and reevaluated our priorities and landed in a condo on the north side of Portland. Portland is really a small city....so anywhere in Portland is close to everywhere. And, we were always open to a condo...it just needed to be right....enough.

We love the idea of the simplicity of a condo while we are part time now...and know we'll appreciate it when we are full time during retirement. Paul made two comments during the process that have resonated with me:
"We've been happy everywhere we've lived."
"There's something nice about people getting together to talk to each other about how to live together".....even if it isn't always easy.

We wanted simple and quiet and we wanted space for hobbies and guests. Truth be told Paul and I are homebodies.....we actually like staying home. And...we're good at taking field trips and going on outings. Acadia National Park is just 3 hours away. Jane's Beach is just 25 minutes away. Bug light Park is just 20 minutes away. Portland Head light is just 25 minutes away. East End Beach and downtown Portland are just 15 minutes away...and the bike path around Back Bay is just 10-12 minutes away.  And...as Paul learned last week roaring rapids on the Presumpscot River are just a mile away. And have I mentioned that there's a pool right across the street? Location Location Location!

I can't believe I'm including this selfie...but this was my inaugural swim tonight....and decided that I didn't really care what I looked like.
It was a lovely night and I had the whole place to myself.

Worse Before It's Better

We had about 6 inches of snow overnight in Portland...and it was a cold blowy morning for a walk.....I didn't last long. Then it snowed, and sleeted all day long....a good day to be working inside.

Sometimes things get worse before they get better.....and that's certainly the case at the condo.  Paul and I have been moving things to Maine for months....putting away the things we could and stashing the rest here and there.  Most of the pieces of furniture that things need to be put into...are still in Lexington. We've moved all the art and most of the decor, almost all of the kitchen stuff, lamps, and all my art supplies....etc etc. 

But then I threw something else into the mix that's making this week....even more crazy. The condo has hardwood except the two downstairs bedrooms.....and it's getting replaced on Thursday.  So today Paul and I moved everything out of both rooms....which includes 3 closets one of which had all the Christmas boxes.....and a lot more. The rest of the condo is buried for a few days.

But this is what retirement looks like this evening.  I guess we didn't move everything....Paul's chair and ottoman are the only things left in this room and in just over a week it will be reimagined....and reinvented.  Although it's a bit daunting thinking about reinventing the whole condo...I'm also looking forward to it. I'm just going to take it one shelf, one wall, one task at a time....joyfully puttering.

And....I couldn't help myself....I had to make a few more stars using papers with metallic accents. I've been mounting them on white card stock... then cutting them out leaving a white edge.  This not only gives them a little frame...but it makes them more sturdy.  

And just for the record...I had one in my pocket all day long. 

Waffles at the Condo

 I hope you saw the full moon last night! It was spectacular! 

This was a "supermoon" when its orbit is closest to the earth at the same time it's full. The next one will be October 7, 2025.

And the morning light on the pond made us stop our my tracks!

Margie would have been 93 today!

Margie was at her best in the morning....so many of our family celebrations included waffles at the condo. And a breakfast menu worked for everyone's food preferences so it was a win!

And during a recent visit while she was in rehab Margie told Janice that her favorite meal was "waffles at the condo." 

So last evening Nate, Sam and Kelly joined us for waffles at the condo to celebrate Margie's birthday.

Out came the birthday frogs...a few balloons... and the "Happy Birthday" banner we've had since the boys were young. Happy Birthday Margie!

Stained Glass Shuffle

It always takes me a while to get back into my groove after being away....transitions are a challenge for me.  And when I immerse myself in a project like I did in Colorado....it stays with me for a while.

So for those who might be interested....I thought I would give a few perspective shots of Liz's place....and take you on a little tour.  And....I also wanted to share about the Shupe stained glass shuffle.  

(Warning....I had a Condo Board workshop tonight....so I'm finishing up this post very late for me....so the editing will be worse than usual.)

Liz's bedroom is off on it's own at one end of the condo to the left as you enter the front door....and the kitchen is to the right.  We only did a few things in the kitchen.....so I didn't take any photos...and you've already seen the bedroom.  

The kitchen is open to Liz's den/TV room....a warm and inviting space with a fireplace and sliding doors out to one end of her lani.  Do you see the stained glass panels there on the left above the bookcase?  They've done a bit of a shuffle.

Years ago I made stained glass pieces for all of Paul's family....Margie and Dave, Liz, and Alyson.  These three panels were originally made for Alyson's first home.  They fit perfectly in the passthrough between the kitchen and living room and softened the glare of the kitchen light.  She took them with her when she moved....but never had a place for them. So they recently got shuffled to Liz's and they fit perfectly in this spot above the bookcase.....it's like they were custom made for this spot.

This is what they look like from the other side.

And the piece I made for Margie and Dave's Colorado home has gotten shuffled to Alyson's lanai.  

I told the story of Margie and Dave's Mountain View here in this post: http://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-mountain-view.html

But this is the photo I love of it in the late afternoon light in their Greeley home during one of my visits.

And I already shared the piece I originally made for Liz....which she has shuffled to her new bedroom.

Now back to Liz's tour.

As you leave the den and kitchen area you enter the dining room and library area....and most importantly the puzzle area in the middle.  Liz always has a puzzle going....just like Margie and me. The table was a staging area for a while....so she can finally get one going again.

With the dining room finally finished....there is a nice flow and balance between the dining room and the library. It's now warm and cozy and tells a full story of the many layers of Liz's life and loves.

At the far end of the condo is another large bedroom and bath. Her husband Chuck  built this beautiful cabinet that you see through the doorway....which now holds Liz's puzzles. Chuck is missed.....he passed away a few years ago after a long illness.

Liz is using this as her project room/office and it's still a work in progress.  There will eventually be some sort of a fold out guest bed here....and for now it's the staging area and catch all room.  Everyone needs a room like this.  Liz has a desk and a nice long table near the window for her card making and other projects. It's a pleasant space with lots of potential. 

Cake

"A great many things can be resolved with kindness, even more with laughter, but there are some things that just require cake."
from a curly girl greeting card

Linda loaned me the perfect puzzle.  It's really one that could have been done in one sitting....but I stretched it out over a couple of days.  I've been in a cleaning/puttering mode here at the condo so this was the perfect transition project in between tasks.

I finished it by candlelight this dark and rainy afternoon while I was waiting for Paul to arrive.

It's such a charming image....4 lovely ladies with attitude and their prize cakes.  It was the right puzzle at the right time.  In just a few days my condo is going to be full of ladies...more on that soon.

As I was cleaning I found sweet little reminders that just a few weeks ago there were kids in the condo:  hair bands, a barrette, and a couple of little lego pieces.  I'll be sure to get these back to Leighton and Emerson.

And....I can't help but share another story about Elle and her stars....which actually can be read as a comment on yesterday's post. Elle sat in a meeting yesterday and quietly folded a star.  When she was done...she passed it to the person sitting next to her "sharing it forward." I couldn't be more tickled. Pure joy!

Sense of Satisfaction

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."  Thomas Edison

Paul and I walked by the strawflower patch this morning.  We've had a couple nights of light frost...so they're starting to droop because the stems got nipped.  I may get my nerve up and knock on the door and ask if I can have a bloom or two....they are perfectly dried....and still very beautiful.

It's been quite chilly lately....but I took advantage of the warmer sunshine this afternoon and  finished my outside chores.  I had a full cart of cutbacks to spread back in the woods....it kind of looked like a big bouquet.  

It will all decompose...but it will also provides shelter for little critters this winter.  There are a few places I have a compost pile going...and I turn it as best I can in the spring to promote the process.  

There is a real sense of satisfaction doing some physical work. And I love getting to this point when this fall work is pretty much done and it's time to start nesting inside.

So the back garden is all tucked in for the winter. ...nothing left but the boxwoods.  

And one of the joys of condo living is that a crew will come through a couple of times and pick up all the leaves as they continue to fall.

I just couldn't dump this gorgeous fern. I have absolutely no space in the condo to winter it over...but I'd sure like to.  It could last several more weeks this close to the condo and that will give me time to collect what I need for a fall winter display in my big urn. I do love a welcoming arrangement at my door.

I spy Betty The Bear.  Do you see her? It took me a few days to find her....

but there she is taking a little train ride in the TV/play room.  Thanks for playing along Paul! 

BTW...Paul's dad made that wooden train puzzle....and I adore it.

Everything Has a Story

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or to be beautiful."  William Morris

I have several paintings I've written about by my good friend Lynn from Madison....most of them are this watercolor zentangle style. They've been sprinkled all over both my houses and now the ones from Lexington are finding new homes at the condo so it's a good time to celebrate them again.

Two of them had a prime spot in the dining room in Lexington and they were the perfect focal point.  And now...they've found a perfect spot at the condo.

Because of the glare...I had a hard time photographing them....but you get the idea. 

You can see more of Lynn's work in this post....and some of it will need to find new spots at the condo too.  https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/search?q=lynn

I have probably reworked and tweaked this shelf a half dozen times....and I'm sure I'm not done...but it's where I'm landing for a while.  I love mixing textures and putting things together that might not normally belong together like toys and old books and even a tobacco spear from my time on the farm. I'm so happy the way Lynn's pieces fill in the gap with just the right colors and feel and the black frames tie into the lamp and accents on the shelf. By the way....Paul made this maple shelf in the early years of our marriage and I love the simple lines and beauty of the wood.

Everything has a story from the Hummel bookends we got from a friend for our wedding after he spent a year in Germany, to Paul's grandfather's coffee grinder, to a special vase from my grandmother.  I love Paul's Big Little Books from his childhood, and my vintage waddling toy collection, and the small jar of marbles I recently got from Angie. There are some of Adam's stars and heart rocks, and a wooden goblet made by my brother Rich who passed away several years ago.  

I picked up this beautiful little art piece at a consignment shop on an outing with Anita several years ago. It's an original painting and because it was very affordable I was able to have it professionally framed and I just love it. And even more so I love that it's associated with a memory of a great day with a dear friend. 

The hand carved figures came from Margie and Dave....and I've always loved those too. The small piece in front is a Aboriginal rattle I picked up on a trip to Australia when I was in college.

Everything has a story and everything is beautiful....to me.

No. 1123 1/2 D

This is a long silly story about solving a problem with something we already had. That's often the case with problems....the solution is already in our hearts or our heads...or right there in our homes.  We just have to pay attention and connect the dots.

I have to tell the WHOLE story to adequately illustrate the history of the problem....and the journey we've been on to solve it.  Paul often reminds me to assess my audience to see if they're losing interest....I tend to go on and on until people start to glaze over. So it's OK if you want to bail out now or somewhere in the middle. I'll never know.

Part One:

We've had a coffee table problem at the condo since we moved in almost 4 years ago. OK....I know what you're thinking.....it's not all that important in the big scheme of things....but for day to day quality of life it was somewhat of a problem. For most of our marriage we've used a trunk we bought with wedding money. It was our coffee table when the boys were growing up....and most of the years since.  I've loved it...and still do....but it was too big and too high to comfortably put our feet up.  And since we're doing a lot of that these days it had to go to another spot in the condo.   

I auditioned several things I already had including a small upholstered bench that was the right height and size....be we missed the hard surface for drinks and food.  We know how we live.  Paul and I sit on the couch a lot to visit, play cribbage and other games. We sometimes have dinner there....and often have snacks and a beverage.....so we needed a table. So for the last few years we used a small and very short rustic box/trunk I had gotten from Linda.  It was perfect for putting your feet up....but not quite big enough to be a long term solution. 

Part Two:

Back in February our perfectly good coffee table from Lexington arrived in the move. It's a great table....and served us well in Lexington.  But again it was too big for this space and actually just a little too high for comfortable lounging. We're retired....it's time to lounge.

I was back to trying to creatively trying to solve the problem....and every day growing more and more frustrated and determined to figure it out. I'd been keeping my eyes open at consignment stores hoping to find a bench or something I could reinvent....something interesting and out of the ordinary. I even tried to find a carpenter who could build one and searched for a new one online. No luck.

Part Three:

We've been doing the furniture shuffle since the move as we figure out what to keep and what to get rid of.  All of a sudden we had an abundance of tables: console tables, side table, dining tables, work tables....you name it we had it. One of our tables I had picked up at the curb while visiting Jane. I could never turn down a good table so I gladly scooped it up and we've used it in front of the kitchen window for these past 4 years.  It was like a little desk and had two drawers for those things you want easy access to. It was study and kind of funky and it worked perfectly.

But now with our over abundance of tables.....I shuffled one I love that came from Margie into the kitchen....and Jane's cast off was homeless again.  I auditioned it in a couple places around the condo....and it was just about on its way to the Goodwill.

Part Four:

We still needed a coffee table. We had a table that we couldn't use that was just about the right length and width. Could this solve the problem? With the help of a circular saw and a willing husband.....yes it could!

Ottomans are usually 16 or 17 inches high...but they're squishy....so a hard surface had to be lower.  After auditioning several heights using things around the house we settled on 14 1/2 inches for optimum foot resting but not too low for snack and drink holding.  Then Paul got to work. 

Pretty darn cute....the table and the carpenter! And I appreciate his good humor in letting me take the photos.....he's a good sport.

It's a bit rustic in an interesting kind of way....and it has a great story.  Part of that story is Jane's story (which I'll have to ask her about).....and part of it is our kitchen table story.  And chances are Jane didn't buy it new....so there's a part we'll never know.

Another part of the story we do know is that it's "No. 1123 1/2 D" because it's stamped on the back.  What in the world does the "1/2" mean?  But now it's a table that's been cut in 1/2......so it seems just perfect. 

And that's my story.....the whole story.