July, 2021: Plans

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Whew! July is here and the true onset of summer.  Churches and movie theatres have reopened so it won’t be long before we begin to entertain again here at The Glade.  It’s been a long dry spell but I have still been making plans.

  1.  Celebrate the 4th of July!!

    Land of the FREE.

  2. Work on a project:  Finish master closet edging.

    The edging is almost finished but not quite.

  3.  Shred all income tax returns pre-2011.
  4.  See a movie:  Summertime.
  5.  Plan a post-COVID party.

    I have a few social distancing party ideas.

  6.  Read a book:  The Summer Book . 
  7.  See a play: A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

    A forest near Athens inhabited by manipulative fairies.

  8. See eye doctor and skin doctor.
  9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: FREEDOM.
  10. Write a goal list for August, 2021.

Jo

June, 2021: Checked

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June, 2021 has been a great month!  Many activities and opportunities have been getting back to normal after a year+ of the corona virus pandemic.

In addition to the  numbered list below:

  • Charlie cleaned out the gutter over the side porch.

    One gutter down, a few more to go.

  • We repaired and organized the conservatory closet.

    The conservatory closet is corralling necessary clutter.

  • I put folding chairs and bug spray into the trunk of my car so we would be ready for outdoor occasions at a moment’s notice.  Charlie also readied a small cooler.
  • I saw the movie In the Heights.  Although the show is over 2.5 hours long I was engaged the entire time with the music, the story, and especially the multitalented cast.  I give it a thumbs up.
  • We saw an outdoor production of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors.

    Two sets of twins separated as infants makes for mistaken identity with dire consequences.

  • We went to an outdoor concert featuring The Army Field Band’s Federal Brass.

    Army Field Band’s Federal Brass at an outdoor concert.

  • A new septic system was installed at the shore house.

    It’s about time!!!

    Here are the items I planned to work on:

  1. Organize all bank statements.  I ruthlessly shredded old statements especially from banks where I no longer have an account. I cleared all bank paperwork from both the master and back bedrooms.
  2.  Remove one box from attic.  Another box of old paper is empty.
  3. Work on a sewing project:  hem Ilsa pants.

    Before

    After

    I hemmed my pants and while I was sewing I did the same to a pair for Charlie that had arrived unhemmed.

  4.  Paint side porch.  On a very hot Saturday I painted the siding on our side porch and refreshed some of the furniture.

    Welcome!

    This is our main entrance that everyone driving down the street sees.  I like it to look nice.

  5.  See a movie: East of Eden. I borrowed this movie starring James Dean from the public library before I read the corresponding part of the book.  I loved it.
  6.  Read a book:  East of Eden. I started reading a library edition of this book but ended up buying a copy for less than $5 from SecondSale.com.  It’s a complex story made richer knowing the origin of the title chosen by Steinbeck:  “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the Land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” Genesis 4:16
  7.  Day trip. Charlie and I visited Arlington National Cemetery on a beautiful day.

    Arlington National Cemetery near The Pentagon just south of Washington, DC.

    The whole experience was even more moving than the 9-11 Memorial due to the historical setting and  vast number of graves.

  8.  Work on landline phones.

    The wires have been rerouted.

    We began to work on our landline phone lines which have been hanging across the side window of the house since the renovation in 2013 when we moved the phone box.

  9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: REMEMBER.
  10. Write a goal list for July, 2021.

Jo

Land Lines 1

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We have landline telephones in our house.

Telephone wires hanging across the exterior of the window can be seen in the living room.

Ever since the renovation of our house in 2013 telephone wires have been hanging across the outside of a living room window.  I knew it would take a bit of manipulating to get enough line to be able to run it in a more inconspicuous way.

I tucked the wires in the existing hook on the side of the wall.

Charlie and I both got into the act by first pulling the inside wire that feeds into our bedroom from the treetops room.  Another wire from the other direction that feeds into the pink bedroom was also located.

The wires are less conspicuous and will be more so when I touch them up with house paint.

Then I pulled the wires around the inside wall to give them some slack so Charlie could pull them through the hole that guides them outside.  (I had to knock down a wasp nest before we could proceed.) We gave ourselves lots of slack so the wires could be tacked behind the shutter with some hammer-in staples.

Before

The wires have been rerouted.

Both wires are now connected behind the shutter on the window where they once draped.

The telephone system is mostly hidden by our hydrangea hedge.

While I was on the ladder I washed the outside of the window.

Jo

Day Trip: Arlington National Cemetery

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On a beautiful day in June Charlie and I drove southward about an hour and a half to Arlington National Cemetery.

The Women in Military Service for America Memorial at the entrance to the cemetery.

When we arrived we parked in the ample lot a few steps away from the visitor center.  Although I expected to pay a parking fee the gates were open and parking was free.

We covered a lot of ground in this huge cemetery.

The sprawling cemetery covers more than 620 acres in which are over 440,000 graves. Twenty-four funerals were scheduled on the day we toured the cemetery; there can be as many as 30.

The tram is well worth the fare.

We walked to the visitor center where I purchased tickets ($15) for the tram which tours the cemetery and stops at three pertinent areas where one could get off and reboard a later tram.  The stops were:  Kennedy’s grave, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Arlington House.

The cemetery is actually built into a hill so much of the walking is challenging.

The tram had a live narrator who pointed out highlights of the cemetery, famous interments, and historical facts.

Inscription: Here Rests in Honored Glory an American Soldier Known but to God

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier guarded by 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

We chose to hop off only at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where we witnessed the changing of the guard which happens every half-hour in summer.  The ceremony of devotion, precision, and self-discipline was inspirational.

The bright white dome is the Jefferson Memorial and the dome father along is the U.S. Capitol.

The setting of the Tomb of the Unknowns overlooks the U.S. Capitol and the Jefferson Memorial.

Changing of the Guard — a solemn ceremony.

There are no broken, crooked, or dirty markers at Arlington National Cemetery.

Every moment in Arlington National Cemetery made me proud of my country.

Jo

Installation — A New Septic System

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We have had a permit in hand and a contractor to do the work to install the new septic system for nearly a year now.  The health department has been holding things up due to a high water table.

The original proposition by the health department.

However, before I signed the contract and sent the 50% deposit of over $12K for the drain field only, I asked my son to get a second estimate.  In the end we went with the installer recommended by our plumber (the only game in town it seems) even though his estimate was staggering.

We were so excited when the sand for the “sand mound” septic system was delivered.

The first official meeting to get the ball rolling was an on-site gathering of the contractor and a representative from the health department.  They inspected the area along with supplies that had been delivered and discussed the details of installation. And once again the project was put on hold by the health department.

This machine makes manpower obsolete.

When they finally got started  2 months later we were happy to see progress on the system.  We had expected it to be installed by the end of last year.

Most of the system is underground except for the sand mound which can be as tall as 8 feet.

They brought large machinery to prepare and install a new BAT (best available technology) septic tank, a pump tank, and a sand mound drain field.

The septic is being installed behind and to the left of the house.

The septic system takes a good chunk out of the almost 2-acre backyard.

When everything is finished we can clean up the areas that were mud holes before the new system was installed.

Note the trees missing in the next photo.

The view toward the back of the house is now devoid of scrub trees and bushes the removal of which made way for the septic system.

For now, just having a working sewage line is a total upgrade.

A view of the back of the house — many of the trees on the left have now been removed.

The foliage blocking a view of the sheds has been removed.

Septic System Posts:

Jo

Does It Have to Fall on MY Head?

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I went into the conservatory closet to get a tablecloth and the overhead shelf gave way.

The hanging tablecloths alone were very heavy.

I removed everything — both the hanging tablecloths and the music books on the shelf above.  Charlie and I worked together to put new large screws into the wall bracket which had worked itself loose.

The contents of the bookshelf from the treetops bedroom are again strew all over that room. Another project for another day.

I knew I couldn’t just rehang the heavy tablecloths and replace the books onto the shelf or it would likely come down again.  So I cleared the bookshelf in the back bedroom and brought it down to house Charlie’s music and hymnals near to the piano just around the corner.

I filled the shelf above with lightweight bulky items so we wouldn’t have another mishap.

The bookshelf unit is narrow front to back so we pulled it forward and slid our card tables behind it since we often use them when entertaining.

I’m going to keep towels for the conservatory bathroom on the shelf above the coats.

The tablecloths were hung on the other side of the closet with a few of Charlie’s coats.  This is also where we keep the downstairs vacuum cleaner.

Thankfully the closet has doors to hide the contents.

An unexpected but successful project.

Jo

Painting the Porch — Again

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We painted this porch the first time in August and September, 2015, when we painted the exterior of the entire house after the 2013 renovation.

2 shingles were broken on a sheltered wall on our side porch.

I replaced the broken shingles.

After fixing some broken shingles I am again painting this porch.

I gave the new shingles 2 coats of paint and the rest of the porch one.

I used paint I had saved from the original job: Sandy Hook Gray.

I cleaned the porch deck with the garden hose and laid rug pieces left from the stair runner.

I also restained the bench and rolled a little bench color onto the door mats.

I washed the pollen encrusted lighting fixtures and plan to touch up the door frame with some white paint.

Voila!

Jo

Letting Down a Small Hem

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I have a pair of black palazzo pants that are just a bit short on me.

My pants (on the left) are a touch short.

I wanted to let them down a but there was not much of a hem so I thought back to my grandmother’s sewing technique.

Black twill tape sewn to raw edge at the bottom of each leg.

She would have taken out the stitching of the original hem then sewn on a piece of hem tape with a very narrow seam.

Carefully press out the original hem crease before turning up the new hem tape.

The crease from the old hem is then pressed very well with a steam iron to smooth out the line.

Inside of new hem.

Outside of new hem.

Finally the new hem is turned up at the seam of the hem tape and sewn by hand to create a new narrow hem.  This technique added about an inch to the pant length.

No more visible ankles in flats.

Now the pants will work with a heeled shoe.

Much better.

Jo

June, 2021: Plans

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Ah, June!  Finally the classes that have required a heavy reading load are finished and I can dive into a long novel (see #6 below).

I remember my grandmother on her birthday early in the month.  Also my mother’s middle name was June.

My grandmother on the left and my mother on the right.

Here’s what I hope to accomplish this month:

  1. Organize all bank statements.
  2.  Remove one box from attic.
  3. Work on a sewing project:  hem Ilsa pants.

    The flared trousers I used as part of my Casablanca outfit were a little short on me.

  4.  Paint side porch.

    I plan to paint the entire porch especially the newly replaced shingles.

  5.  See a movie: East of Eden

    A lot of watching nd reading.

  6.  Read a book:  East of Eden. 

    Can’t wait to get started on this classic tale.

  7.  Day trip.

    An easy day trip from our house.

  8.  Work on landline phones.
  9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: REMEMBER.
  10. Write a goal list for July, 2021.

Jo

May, 2021: Checked

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In May the weather became unseasonably cool.  It was wonderful for getting projects done but seemed to stunt the growing garden a bit.

Charlie’s pea trellis is extremely ornate.

In addition to the numbered list below I,

Here’s the goal list from the beginning of the month:

  1. Make plans for a fall trip.

    Reynisfjara black sand beach is on our agenda.

    I have worked out all most of the details for a trip to Iceland this fall including purchasing plane tickets and booking accommodations.

  2.  Remove one box from attic.  Another box is totally emptied and removed from the house.  It was a fun box to root through — letters and cards from me and my son to my mother and my grandmother when the boy was little.  Some were so funny and charming.
  3. Repair dining room chair.  The sturdy repair of this chair was highly unlikely but I think we have achieved success.

    The chair is very sturdy now is set at my place at the dining room table lest it break again.

  4.  Work on a shore house project.  This space should be a cozy alcove when it’s all finished furnishing some additional storage in the large under-bed drawers.

    A view from the far bedroom gives a good impression of the nook.

  5.  See a movie:  Sleepless in Seattle. After seeing An Affair to Remember last month I was excited to watch S in S which have something in common.  I suggest you watch them in the order I did.  I had forgotten that S in S had such a great musical score.
  6.  Read a book:  A Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill.  I read the disturbing but brilliant play in a few sittings.  I also watched the (almost 3-hour) movie starring Katharine Hepburn. It was intense. I would love to see this in the theatre with really good actors.
  7.  NASCAR overnight trip with Charlie.  I booked an AirBnB the night before Charlie’s ride so we only needed to drive for about half an hour to Dover International Speedway.

    Charlie in the race car was a happy fellow.

    He enjoyed the short (6 laps) but thrilling ride.

  8. Consolidate papers from house renovation.  I have been meaning to do this ever since the reno in 2013.  However, I was more inclined to throw certain papers away now which I would have held onto then. I have only a small pile of important papers remaining.  Charlie burned everything else since I jammed my overburdened shredder for the last time.
  9. Pick a word to focus on for the month. My word: GROW.
  10. Write a goal list for June, 2021.

Jo