Spring, Finally!

It looks like it might finally be safe to think that spring has arrived...the Saucer Magnolia tree is in full bloom as is the forsythia, daffodils, and hyacinths. The tulips are just starting to open as well.

Close up of Blossoms

Saucer Magnolia Tree in Full Bloom

Daffodills

Full bloom!  Last year a frost killed all the blossoms before they opened.  This year is quite spectacular.

Up a Tree

This morning we noticed a strange nest high up in the tree by the driveway.
Upon closer examination it seemed to be a very large raccoon!

According to MassWildlife, "Raccoons are mostly crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) and nocturnal (active at night), however they may be active during the day if food is available. Daytime activity does not mean that the raccoon is diseased." MassWildlife Racoons

I wonder what "food" it might be looking for...according to Yahoo and Wikipedia the answer to "Will a raccoon eat a duck" is a resounding "YES!"...

Here is an article from a Walla Walla Park blaming a raccoon for eating chickens, ducks and peacocks!

According to Mass Audubon, Raccoons are omnivores, eating both plant and animal matter, and opportunistic in seeking their food. During spring and early summer, insects, aquatic animals, mice and other small mammals, and bird and turtle eggs typically make up a large part of their diet. In the late summer, fall and winter, raccoons tend to consume more plant material such as seeds, grains, and wild fruits. Actually, there is very little a raccoon will not eat. Consequently, raccoons inhabiting suburban and urban areas often become night raiders of garbage cans and backyard gardens.

The ducks complained loudly, but we kept them inside their pen!

Phase II - Internet Connectivity...Check!

Last Night we moved the Cable Internet and Phone line from the dining room into the remodeled office.

Ready to fish the Internet line into the new wall...

Of course, nothing is without its challenges...  The fishing line broke off and created a bit of a dilemma as to how to get the cable into the box...  Thankfully the hallway is still unfinished and we were able to remove a piece of wallboard to fish the wire that way... Someone put the wallboard on extra snug (and then added a door) so there was a bit of cussing...

The husband stuffing himself behind the now-removed wallboard to fish wire through to box on other side...

Line in, desk moved, Internet and Phone re-connected. Amazingly enough, everything is WORKING!!

The wall before...

The wall after...more mess...

I heard a rumor that the hallway might be next...note to self, finish wiring before putting up the wallboard!

The bookcase is finished!

The bookcase is finished! And filled...not sure where we are going to put our "books", we managed to fill it with games and craft projects.  The antique desk has become full of Cassie's supplies... the upper shelves are filled with plastic containers full of glitter, pom-poms, glue sticks, beads, etc.

Priming and painting...

Final coat...it take s very steady hand...

Maybe we need two...??!!

Look, the bookshelf is taller than me!

Welcome Spring???

Yesterday was the first day of Spring, but winter has yet to release its icy hold...

Frozen downspout

Frozen buds...encased in ice

It's not all bad news for the house though, the longer winter stays, the longer I can keep the husband on inside projects. He is already itching to get outside and burn stuff.  We should have the office completed in another week or so...winter weather permitting!

Office - 97 Percent completed....

The white pine floor has been refinished and it came out beautifully. We removed the previous dark brown paint/stain and opted not to re-stain or paint and just poly.

[caption id="attachment_1039" align="alignleft" width="450"] Starting first coat of polyurethane on sanded floors.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1040" align="alignleft" width="450"] The poly really brings out the grain and color of the old floors. They were pretty dry and soaked up quite a bit.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1041" align="alignleft" width="450"] The final coat... three coats of satin finish were applied and sanded in between.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1053" align="alignleft" width="450"] Priming and painting the baseboard trim and door and window trim. We found Maki to be the best source for trim, they have what we need in stock and were very helpful. We used poplar which was cheaper than the clear pine and since we were painting the woodwork it made sense to go that route.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1058" align="alignleft" width="450"] Trimming out the window. I broke the wooden grills and I tried to get a replacement, but they sent the wrong size. At some point I need to bring the broken ones to Home Depot and see if we can order a replacement...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1066" align="alignleft" width="450"] The finished floor and walls and almost finished trim.[/caption]

This room has been a bit more time consuming than we anticipated, but no real surprise there, pretty much par for the course. Some challenges:

• trying to reset the door and then realizing that the door NEVER fit.   They put a 30" door on a 29.5" frame. I think we are going to shave it down a bit to make it fit now that things are leveled...


• picking all the crud that had settled between the floor board gaps and decided to get out what we could, but not go too crazy...


• Trying to put 1/4" quarter-round where the floor meets the baseboard and realizing that one wall was so out of plumb that it wouldn't cover the gap...  Talked husband into using 1/2" on those two walls instead of trying to plane the baseboard to fit flush and run the risk of it looking like it didn't match the other wall (the height would be lower in some spots).

So now, what's left...

• cutting the door to fit, sanding, re-painting, replacing hardware and re-hanging


• reordering window grilles...trying to get the measurements right and painting and installing those


• finding a ceiling fixture


• trying to get husband to build a built-in bookcase...


• moving Internet line


• hooking TV back up


• etc...

Back to the house...

Progress is being made in the office.  The walls are painted and the floor has been sanded down.  It took longer than expected as the first machine (borrowed) wasn't working well and so two sanders had to be rented plus sandpaper purchased.  The floor is original to the house, from the 1900s and there are gaps and lots of nails that needed to be tamped down.

Next the poly will be applied as a top coat.  We know that these floors were often painted in the past.  This one was covered in a dark brown paint/stain.  We like the look of the natural wood so we aren't planning on staining it.

Once we are done, this room will have been entirely re-done.  T reframed all the walls, we removed a closet door (to make it into a bathroom), insulated, moved the baseboard to the outer wall, replaced the window, rewired everything, put up wall board, skim-coated, painted...





[caption id="attachment_1030" align="alignleft" width="450"] Partially sanded, the rectangle in the corner is where a hearth used to be.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1032" align="alignleft" width="450"] Can no longer see the rectangle[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1020" align="alignleft" width="450"] Pine flooring from 1900s[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1021" align="alignleft" width="450"] Sanding down to bare wood[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1022" align="alignleft" width="450"] More Sanding...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1024" align="alignleft" width="450"] More Sanding...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1025" align="alignleft" width="450"] Preparing for the final sand[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1026" align="alignleft" width="450"] Pounding in the final nails...[/caption]

What's next... sealing the floor, resetting the settled door frame so the door will close, adding door and window trim, building a bookcase and then the fun parts...getting the desks out of the dining room, and actually hanging some pictures!!! Stay tuned...