What a day....trucks and materials and dirty shingles from 1903 all coating tons of snow banks around the granery (cathouse) where a new roof top is installed so that Kevin could still have his fork lift here in order that the new liner for the broken chimney flues resulting during the blazing 7 ft high tower of flames......and so on and so on.....just what I needed in the midst of barn refurbishing...yes?...a chimney fire!  

A couple friends brought me ..us.. pizza for "cheer" during a horrible cold I had..  so in my usual unthinking mode..I threw the pizza box into the fireplace where it instantly exploded ..next apparently setting the chimney burning with sounds like shots as it whooshed it's way up  up  and through the top over the roof with showers of sparks.....we know... since no matter the cold....we tore thru the door and out to see if we would need to vacate.

I turned and tore in...grabbing the phone dailing 911 answering...yes we would stay out of the house...here is where we are located...okay....but I did go back in to drive my car out of the garage....below zero...in no time three sheriffs...the mayor...lots of firemen..were swarming over the house looking for hot walls...even up to my closet...the attic..(was told that place was tight)..

Suffice it to say I kept my house...have a new liner ....a cleaned hearth and better system for enjoying calm....  quiet evenings with a book..... in the conversation pit where the rug is wrecked and I'm waiting for an estimate....

Now back to the sigh of ...is it really finished out in the barn..are they not going to need dinner tomorrow?????  will the last cute sconces be installed by Mike even if Kevin is gone to other snow filled yards  ...  maybe it would be cosy to turn up the cove heat right above the top bunk...climb the ladder with a mystery from one of the drawers in the nutty sort of chest with 8 inch square spaces I filled with paper backs by the dozen...........

Ooooh flannel sheets spotted color exploding ...lush bright blanket ...feathers galore comforting..Yes...next week when I get back from Chicago...a must...find a friend???

It's almost sinful to have this much fun.   Altho the fire did sober any suspicion that all days are fun...but I can segregate my fun days pretty well from the not so fun days....I've lived long enuf to have learned how........come and see what I'm talking about....OK???

GOODBYE...your friend JoAnne

 

Here I am again after an unbelievably stretched out space in our chat time...and now it is the best news I have for you since the long planned work downstairs in the BARN is about 99 and 9 tenths finished...we actually set up the two sets of bright blue...color of this ink...bunkbeds...plus...the tables...chairs...dressers...shelves...lights that will move to let you read in your bunk...the rooms are named...THE CRIB...THE ROOKERY...and I won't tell you why until you ask...I am so happy

Then in Nov we did get the kitchen and bathroom finished so the hunters got to use those spaces last fall... and once not too long ago...I was locked out of my house temporarily and so I popped into that sweet space...made a pot of coffee...spent time writing in a kitchen journal I keep out there on my writing and reading desk/table with it's auction lamp find...and killed time til I could manuever getting into my house again

Folks are making plans to use the BARN a wedding...some retreats are on the calendar...and in my head I have many ideas...too many

So keep coming to find what those ideas are...such as making tassels from string...cord...skinny satin...for adding to your creative corners...and a regular quilt making day or night or both...as I do have Jim's mom's wood squares...

Writing...Reading...with discussion of John Steinbeck at last...also Bluegrass...starting slow and maybe working up to a Festival even two days with gobs of guitars and singers and fun...

goodbye for now