Clutter

One Down, Five to Go

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Update: Everything has been sold!!

Today I was working at Grace Cottage when I looked out the window.

This is what I saw out the window.

In the driveway was a big rig loaded with a couple of mowers.

Vintage Massey Ferguson 10 made between 1966 and 1976.

I walked out to see what was going on and talked to a nice young man who was there to pick up our Massey Ferguson 10.  (I had no idea this was a desirable item.)

The purchaser used his mower to load the non-working Massey Ferguson.

He has a collection and even though ours doesn’t work he was happy to get it for $40.

#2 is no longer in our motor pool.

That leaves 5 more vintage mowers/tractors to pass on to an appreciative owner.

Jo

Yankee Doodle Dandy

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The open sheds at Grace Cottage are filled with all sorts of interesting things.

Two tractors we found in one of the sheds.

The machinery has been collected into the yard near the house and listed for sale.

One of two open sheds.

As we sort through all this stuff we have learned that the former owners decorated their front lawn lavishly for every holiday. We found plastic pumpkins, Christmas trees and

Uncle Sam in the shed.

 

a 7-foot tall Uncle Sam.

Uncle Sam just fit in the back of a pick-up truck.

Charlie drove him across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to our home at The Glade.

Even though weathered, Uncle Sam was beautifully detailed.

A friends of ours who collects Americana was very interested in this vintage fellow.

I can see a twinkle in Sam’s eye.

So Sug and I trucked him to his new home and a very appreciative recipient.  He thinks this unusual item is valuable.

What do you say?

Jo

Save or Toss?

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We continue to find weird items stashed on the grounds of Grace Cottage.

Before

During

After

I told you the boys — husband and son — cleared a lot of brush from the backyard.  One benefit is that we can now see the pond dock from the house.

The arrows are pointing to a large rolled rug only half of which is visible in the photo.

Under all the brush was an unusable, enormous outdoor rug which will have to be cut up and disposed of.  Who stashes a rug under bushes?

This post in set near the pond in the middle of the yard.

Also in the backyard is a sturdy post holding 2 shabby birdhouses.

Are these special?

Perhaps these can be upgraded and made liveable.  Sounds like a good project for a winter afternoon.

I’ve turned the photo on its side so you can see the stature of Uncle Sam before we free him from the shed.

Apparently the former owners decorated for every holiday.  Among the plastic pumpkins we found an 8-foot tall cutout of Uncle Sam.  I have a friend who wants him — AS IS.

I asked Charlie to stand by the boat for scale.

And I took some better photos of the fiberglass skiff that was hidden under some long-needle pines.

In addition to a boatload of pine needles, a tree is actually growing in the stern of the boat.

When they pulled it out there was a tree growing in it.  Maybe we can launch it in the pond to see if it floats.

One person’s trash .  .  .

Jo

Just Look What They Found

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My son and his wife have seriously begun to clear and clean the property around Grace Cottage — almost 2 acres.

There are more than a couple of tractors out in the sheds.

In the sheds, in the woods, in the brush, they have come across more than a few machines.

#1

#2

#3

#4

Apparently none of them actually work.  One way or another we don’t need these contraptions.

#5

Our son listed them on Facebook and someone is coming by to get all of them for a small price.

What is the chance this boat will float?

He also found a boat in under the trees.

The cat enjoys sunning himself on the pond dock.

We’ll clean it out at see if it will float in the pond.

So much fun.

Jo

The Eagle Has Flown

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Sug and I arrived at Grace Cottage early Saturday morning ready to get started on our list of projects.

Not only did Sug take down the lights she mulled the dozens of nails and hooks holding them up.

Sug could no longer stand the saggy Christmas lights strung around the house so she pulled out a ladder and began to dismantle.

There was more than one eagle over doorways. All have been removed.

She also removed the eagle (who has left his mark) from over the front doorway.

The white metal door was marked up and dirty. I scraped sticky goop from the window back and front.

Meanwhile I wiped down all the exterior doors with TSP solution so I could paint them the new color: Tradd Street Green.  I must confess I saw the color here but was unable to get a swatch of it because it is an old Duron Historic Color which my Sherwin-Williams store mixed up for me.

The first coat of paint was underwhelming, almost scary.

If I had actually seen it before buying I probably wouldn’t have gone for it but in fact it is stunning.

The second coat gave a smoot uniform finish of a complex green color.

The doors took 2 coats of paint.

Before on the left; after on the right.

In the end I painted the front door, the screen door, and the side door to the house.

The kids will be pressure washing the house to brighten it up.

Having purchased a gallon of paint there is plenty remaining for the doors to the sheds and any other place we need a little greenery.

Guess what’s next in the living room.

My next color choice is to select one color for the interior doors that will go with each room.  My doors at The Glade are dark grey, Benjamin Moore’s Secret which I love.

Have a Happy long Memorial Day weekend.

Jo

Apples — NO!

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One of the aspects of the kitchen at Grace Cottage that befuddled me was the apples that had been hand-painted over the stove.

The kitchen viewed from the dining room.

They were not decals.  Someone had painted them onto the ceramic tiles but they had begun to flake off.

I’m not sure if the apples had a meaning or purpose.

I asked Sug if she thought she could get them off.

The apples came off the glazed tiles fairly easily.

Sure enough, with a little elbow grease, they were easily removed.

The kitchen is looking better with every task.

Now the kitchen color scheme is white and pale aqua sans apple red.  I can work with that.

Stay tuned for the full plan.

Jo

Lightening the Load

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As we’ve been packing items to go to Grace Cottage I am happy to report I can get rid of a few more things that have been hanging around the house — unused but too good to throw away or donate.

A vintage set of silverplate flatware.

First is an almost complete set of silverplate flatware that Charlie accumulated when he cleaned up an apartment for a now-deceased elderly couple.

Tarnish Magnet removes the bulk of the tarnish with no polishing.

Sug and I used Tarnish Magnet to clean the whole set.

This chest is lined with silvercloth to deter tarnish.

I found an old silver chest in the top of the conservatory closet which holds the newly polished set.  I trust son and wife will find this handy.  I suggest using the silver everyday to keep the tarnish from returning.

Our extra espresso machine.

I also decided to send down our old but still working espresso machine so we can have good coffee while fixing up the house.

CleanCaf descales the lime from coffee machines.

I descaled the machine (which I’d never done before) to get it ready to go.

All good stuff that has been cluttering the house.

Then I looked around the house for other items:

  1.  Turtle lamp
  2. Turtle planter with cactus
  3. Blooming African violet
  4.  Set of canisters from Italy
  5. Espresso cups and saucers

So satisfying to give away loved articles to someone close.

Leave a note.

Jo