Happy. Healthy. Heathen.

Never fails.  I’ll go months without writing,  then I’ll write 3 posts in a week!

I’m going to have to come up with a new category, maybe called:  Cottage Living.  I’ve already posted about my plumbing experiences, and now I have the most wonderful experience to share!

To review:  I live in a 75-year-old country cottage.  My family lived here when my children were little for several years while we were building the big family house on the farm.  This house was a little crampy with 4 children and 2 adults; now that the children are grown and gone, it’s just the perfect size.  Some of the time it’s just me and the dogs, some of the time the Squeeze blows through as he can with work, some of the time we have friends who come stay a bit, and when I’m really really lucky, one or more of the kids comes for a day or two.  This precious house is perfect for all of that, even if it does only have one bathroom!

It’s got a big open kitchen, a large living room and master bedroom, a cute office for school, and a sweet little guest room.  It has a back porch with a swing, a front porch, a carport, and a patio where we have Cocktails at Sunset.  The yard is huNORmous, with room for the bonfire ring, big old trees with perfect limbs for climbing, even blackberries across the back fence.  Here it is in springtime:

It’s located on 8 acres of paradise, with barns and a pond, farm animals…stay tuned for the Spring Break post when daughter Glenda comes home to help with springtime farm stuff – fencing, chicken-coop mucking, garden tilling.

All of this preliminary description to try to get my point across:  I love this home.  It’s cozy and comfy and mine and I am so happy to live here.  Having said all that, there is a need I have that this house hasn’t been able to fulfill.  Til now.

I try not to be too materialistic.  I try to value people and relationships over things.  I try not to be too attached to my possessions, and most of the time I’m successful.  I love my car, I admit it, but I recognize and realize it’s just a car.  I’ve already said I love my house, and I know how fortunate I am to have this lovely place to live.  But the thing I own that probably means more to me than anything else I own is my book collection.

I have books from my childhood, books from my adolescence, and books from my adulthood.  I have history books, and philosophy books, and books on humor, and nutrition, and economics, and the environment.  I have mysteries, and thrillers, and horror, and science fiction.  I only part with a book with a good reason, and “because I’ve read it” isn’t one.

After the plumbing affair, I asked for a reference for a carpenter from the wonderful plumber, and he referred to me Earnest Stem, cabinet maker.  After a few phone calls and a visit to the house, we came to an agreement, and shortly thereafter, Earnest set to work.  Now we’ll let the pictures tell the story, again.

Here’s the point in the story when Earnest enters.

And now….Here’s the finished product!!

So here’s the link to Earnest’s page.  I unreservedly endorse and recommend him.  He got this work done in 2 days, he was there exactly when he told me he would be, his rates were very reasonable, and he did a fabulous job.  Tell him Gayle sent you.

One more shot.  We had to move a built-in corner unit in order to install the shelves.  This corner unit must have been in place before the carpet was added, because when we moved the unit…

So check back!

Thank you Earnest, for my beautiful library,

and thank YOU for reading!