Reno Update!

Gooood morning, dear readers! There is now a faint strip of light to the east at 6:30am, but with all the snow on the ground right now, it's hard to imagine summer and 4:30 sunrises. I'm putting off thinking about the garden and seeds for awhile yet-- it just feels as though our house needs to be put in order before going there. So on that note, here is an update on the renovations:

The carpenters are finishing prepping the house for drywalling, which will start next week. They're also swapping out all the old windows upstairs and installing new ones, including these in the front:

Formerly, there was only the one window in the centre. The house looks much more... substantial? Solid? House-like? It looks better, anyway-- and the two bedrooms on that end have waaaay more light!

The plumbing is finished! So that means the two bathrooms upstairs are plumbed for toilets, sinks, and our two clawfoot tubs, and the plumbing for the main floor bathroom sink has been shifted over to allow for a door to the laundry room. We have two vintage cabinets to yet be converted to vanities, both with vessel sinks awaiting. I'm excited about how terrific that's going to look.

The electrician has been working hard for weeks now. He had quite the challenge sorting out the puzzle that was the wiring in this place. But he's almost done-- upstairs has been completely wired for lights, baseboard heaters, fans in bathrooms, etc. Paul took some of the flourescents out of the workshop (there were far too many) and they are now installed in the attic-- a temporary arrangement until that space is finished. The wiring on the main floor has been revamped, with baseboard heaters pulled out of the living room/dining/kitchen areas. This space will be heated by the woodstove and a gas unit in the dining room.

The drywalling will take about three weeks or so, and then... WE PAINT! My favourite part, as those of you who know me, know. I've never felt such accute pressure to pick the 'right' colours... currently my thoughts are turning to all the beautiful greys available, as a backdrop for two of my jewel-toned quilts and our paintings in the main living area. We also have a vintage dining room hutch, currently painted white, that I think I'll paint a deep, glossy red or peacock blue. Yum. Stay tune for
Jo-Anne's Adventures in Colour.

After the drywall and painting is done, the kitchen goes in and the new flooring goes down, where needed. As you know, there is already beautiful hardwood throughout, except: at the river end where we expanded into the old addition; in one office on the main floor; the upstairs hallway; and the main bathroom upstairs. In all the upstairs bedrooms and the en suite bath, we've decided to use Benjamin Moore porch paint on the old original plank flooring. We'd used it in the Victoria house and it lasts for years and years and stays beautifully glossy.

The electrician has tried his best to preserve as many of the upstairs plaster walls as possible (that is, to cut into them as little as possible when installing wiring). So we'll have some of the original plaster to patch and paint, which will be great. Some walls we just couldn't save-- the whole upstairs hallway needs drywalling, and one bedroom was a lost cause as well. The bathrooms are pretty good, so just the ceilings will be done in drywall.

And so we're looking at a timeline of some time in March to move in.... not bad, really. I think I can make it. The workshop was feeling pretty bleak after Christmas, so I've set up my sewing machine and am working on another quilt-- and have two more planned. Between that, my work, dog walking, snow shovelling, evenings with Paul, it should be ok. We had Becca and Dean and friends Sarah and Gregg over for dinner the other night. Paul has been working like crazy getting Kootenay Beekeeping Supplies up and running. Our first order should be arriving in about three weeks (don't ask me where we're going to put it all.... just don't ask). There is still lots of interest out there from folks looking to buy beekeeping equipment, and Paul will be attending a local beginner's course to introduce himself and our product line. He's going to be terrific at this.

Next time, I'll post new pics of Billie and share with you a description of our hilarious evening walks. Until then, ciao my darlings!

How Very Merry It Was

Well, it's January 19th and I finally feel restored enough to tell you all about how our Christmas turned out. I'm sitting here with Billie at my feet-- she just fished my tea bag out of the garbage and had a pretty good chew of Acai Green before I got it away from her. If I keep hiding treats in the folds of her blanket, she might stay out of stuff long enough for me to write this.

So how did our first Christmas at Flying Leap go? Pretty well, actually, even though it had some hallmarks of a marathon. It started on December 15th, when Paul and I drove to Kelowna to pick up my son Luke and his partner Erika from the airport. It had been one and half years since we'd seen them (Becca & Dean's wedding) and of course I cried. They looked so young and healthy and beautiful, what's not to cry about?

These two stayed with us for a full three weeks, and what a gift they were! The very day after arriving, they tackled Project 'Move the Greenhouse So It Doesn't Block the View of the River for Christmas'. The greenhouse is 8' by 20' plexiglass, and it turned out to be a half-day job of digging and heave-ho'ing (there's a lot of that required around here, I'm learning). End result: it is now situated close to where it will be permanently installed on a concrete pad in the spring, and we have a gorgeous view of the river from our new dining room windows. Hurrah!

And of course, Erika being the amazing and talented girl she is, arrived with a suitcase full of gluten-free baking ingredients and treats from Toronto deli's for us to cook with. She knew that Dylan and I are gluten intolerant, and Becca was avoiding it and Luke should. We all cooked up a storm over the next three weeks, and I believe it was 100% gluten free and almost dairy free. That includes baking and multiple feasts-- proving that those of us with extra-sensitive gastrointestinal systems don't need to be gloomy sourpusses over the holidays.

On the 19th (Luke's birthday), Becca drove with Luke and Erika back to Kelowna to pick up Dylan and Alandra, who were flying in from Montreal. More joy to see these two, who had been wedded in September in Toronto. Our household was now complete with six of us staying at the Fleap. So where did we all end up sleeping and cooking and eating and bathing and lounging, you ask? To recap: my goal last September when we were so very optimistic and naive was to be moved into the house by Christmas. So we booked flights for the kids from TO and Montreal. By October, it was 'warn the kids things may not be completely finished'; by November I was despondent about being in the house at all and wondered where the heck we'd fit us all. By early December we were going with Plan D: have the carpenters mock up a kitchen for us (the gas was in and stove could be hooked up, and it was easy to push the new fridge into place and plug it in). Contractor Jim was very accommodating-- I think he was aware of my feelings about celebrating the holidays in the garage. The carpenters cleaned up the main floor by moving lumber and tools upstairs, tore the protective paper covering off the hardwood floors in the living room, and had given things a good sweeping. I went in the next morning and washed the floors twice.

So now it was December 22nd, and we had hauled over the dishes, pots and pans, dried and canned foods, refrigerater foods, couches, chairs, and Christmas decorations. We would eat and hang out in the house, and sleep in the three side-rooms in the garage, which Paul and I had cleaned out (moving boxes around yet again) and set up as bedrooms. I was in gritting-my-teeth-I-will-do-this-if-it's-the-last-thing-I-do mode. That afternoon, we decided we'd better look for a Christmas tree before the town ran out of them and we were forced to thieve off the Queen's land. Paul had noticed someone selling trees in the parking lot of the recreation centre, so he, Alandra and I climbed into the truck and headed out. Nothing there. Starting to panic. We cruised the main drag, and sure enough, spotted a man hanging out with four trees, in the lot of the garden supply place that was closed for the season. The last four trees for sale in town, and they were beautiful! $30.00 a piece or four for $90.00, he told us. We picked the biggest and best, stuffed it into the back of the truck, and headed home. Mission accomplished!

Here are some pics of the house decked out:

Luke and Erika cooking.

My lovely daughter-in-law Alandra making miniature Christmas decorations.

Love the cardigan and Star Trek communicator.

From the dining room window.

Some of my favourite moments from the holidays: Rebecca and Dylan bent over a chess game, hearing them talking and laughing; all of us gathered around the large dining room table we bought for the new house, for so many fantastic feasts; opening presents around the woodstove Christmas morning; seeing the Nutcracker livestreamed from the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, at the Royal movie theatre in Trail; games of Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Sequence, MindTrap, Five Thousand; spinning honey with Luke and Erika, a task long overdue; talking by the fire and sipping liqueurs; snuggling into bed at night with my kids nearby-- can't beat that.

We said goodbye to Alandra on the 26th, Dylan on the 29th, and Luke and Erika on January 1st. On January 2nd we were back to one puppy (we'd taken care of Becca and Dean's Cooper while they were in Calgary visiting his family), and we couldn't believe how quiet things were. The carpenters arrived on the 3rd and helped carry the couches and comfy chairs back into the garage. It was all over, and boy was it worth it.

Some things we learned: 1) Don't book family to fly into Kelowna in the winter; pay the extra and take the chance they'll be able to land in 'Cancelgar'. 2) The house will work really, really well when it's finished. 3) Put a heater in the river end of the house, it gets chilly down there even with the woodstove on. 4) Finish the space under the stairs in the living room for wood storage-- we need a lot in the winter! And 5) This is going to be a phenomenal place for family and friends.

Much love and a Happy New Year to all!