Well, all of you can see that I haven’t quite kept up with my New Year’s resolutions. It’s been a little while since my last post. Now that we’re through with the holidays, I have no excuse not to tell you what I’m up to once a week or so.
Every holiday is a struggle/compromise to figure out where we will be for which days. Matt’s family is closer to us, so they generally win for short breaks. Luckily, both of us had a luxurious WEEK off, so we were able to get down to Long Island and continue south to Easton and Baltimore. We covered several states, but it wasn’t stressful since we spent a few days in both major destinations. (Note to my Northern friends—it was 73 degrees in Easton the weekend I arrived—no coat needed!) We basically ate lots, visited with family and friends, shopped (which we don’t do at all where we live), and went for a few walks (I require a walk on the beach when we go to Long Island). It was a relaxing break.
Now we’re back, and the ceiling needs to be finished. Did I mention we’re putting 3” maple tongue-and-groove flooring on our ceiling? Aesthetically, it was a great choice, but practically, it was not a solid idea. Maple is hard, so much so that every single nail hole has to be predrilled. Also, tongue-and-groove boards have to fit tightly against each other. Pine would be a breeze to bend into shape, but maple fights back. It takes a few pieces of scrap wood, mallets, hammers, and chisels, and all the brute strength that I can muster to hold the boards tight while Matt nails them in. There’s generally a conversation that goes somewhat like this:
M: Are you pushing?
E: (grunting through clenched teeth while straddling the ladder and scaffolding) Yeah! Nail…..it…in….now!
To be fair, there have been surprisingly few arguments considering the proximity of our workspace, standing side by side on the scaffolding. If you are planning to visit us in VT, wait until this project is over. Stacks of wood have taken over the front room, making it an ever-changing landscape as we move everything to accommodate where we are working.
In the midst of all this, I am still somewhat diligently studying wine, knitting, making books, and baking the occasional cake. I wish there was more time in my day.
Posted on Wed, January 7, 2009
by emilygold