Juicy

I love fruit.  The way other people love chocolate, I love fruit.  So when house hunting, every time a house had a fruit tree, that pushed it much farther up on the "this could be the one" list.  The fact that the home I chose has not one, but two citrus trees, was definitely a consideration when placing the offer.  Yes, I know, you can always plant trees, but these were mature.  Which got me excited that I wouldn't have to wait years for newly planted trees to grow, but that I would have a bountiful crop of grapefruits and lemons as soon as they ripened.

 

Once the grapefruits were nice and large, and just the right shade of pinky-yellow, I picked one gleefully.  My grin was quickly replaced with a pucker.  This thing wasn't just normal-grapefruit-sour, it was melt-the-enamel-straight-off-your-teeth-sour.  SO disappointed.

But over the weekend, all that changed.  We had gotten a deluge of rain in December, so when I returned from my recent vacation, I picked another.  Apparently all these trees wanted was a serious soaking.  When I cut into the grapefruit, it was the perfect rosy pink.  And it was juicy and delicious.  And the grin is back.

Welcome home

Travelling through Ecuador and the Galapagos over the course of a few weeks was amazing.  All the people I met were wonderful.  And the Galapagos Islands were teeming with life.  Although I’m always excited when embarking on a new adventure, this trip was especially memorable.  Experiencing a new culture, and seeing such a wide diversity of wildlife in its natural habitat, was truly phenomenal.  Sea lions and iguanas share the sand, with barely a notice of the other.  The penguins and blue footed boobies chirp happily, perched on rocks above waters swimming with sea turtles, sting rays, and sharks.  Each day I was away was a reminder of why, and how much, I love to travel.

But, ahh, it’s great to be home.  To my own bed, with soft sheets, and my perfect pillow.  To my beautifully renovated bathrooms, where the water pressure is constant, and hot water flows freely.  (After weeks without such things, I will no longer take them for granted!)  I’m enjoying getting settled back in, pouring over photos, and sharing holiday stories with friends and family.  After a nice break, I’m ready for the year to come, which is sure to be filled with many house-related projects.  I may even get adventurous, and incorporate some of the vibrant colors of Ecuador into my decorating.

‘Tis the season

I live in a festive neighborhood.  These people go all out.  Not over-the-top, in-your-face Griswold all out, but in a pleasant way.  A cheery way.  A way that brings a  smile to your face as you drive those last few minutes home, even though you’ve been sitting in traffic for too long.

So, with all this Christmasy joy these people are bringing to my evenings, it would only be right for me to reciprocate, and put up some twinkling lights of my own.  Alas, it is not to be.  And not because the magic of the season doesn’t live in my heart, because it absolutely does.  Just not in my actions.

This year, despite the boxes of Christmas finery tucked neatly away in my garage, I traded in Christmas lights for chrome.  Gave up putting out Santa, in favor of putting up a new shower.  The time usually spent decorating the tree got transitioned to choosing marble and faucets and tile.  Next year, though, I’ll be sure to keep renovations to the pre-December months, and devote myself to decorating my house.  So it too will bring a smile to the faces of my neighbors.  Instead of just to mine.

Full speed ahead

I’m oh-so-close to the finish line.  The master bath is almost completely done, with just a few small finishing touches left.  But the shower doors that didn’t exist last week are now in, and the super shiny chrome towel bars are a great replacement for the dining room chair I was using as a stand in.  It truly is the space I envisioned.

The smaller bathroom is coming along quickly.  The vanity is in, and it is a huge improvement on the 1989 cabinet it replaced.  The light switch has been moved to another wall, which impresses me tremendously that you can just change up the location of such a thing.  (The fact that I’m impressed is a perfect piece of evidence for why I would never try to tackle electrical work…)  Now, just waiting for the piece of marble I picked out over the weekend to be cut and installed.

Then it will be time to gather all the accessories!  All the nailed down stuff looks great, but decorating will be the final touch.  I’ll get rid of the hodge-podge of towel and bathmat colors that worked for the old bathrooms, and go with something entirely new.  Any votes for the new colors?

Surprise!

I got home from my Thanksgiving vacation, and was welcomed to a few unexpected things.  I walked into my master bath, and it was nearly complete.  Faucets in, doors on the cabinets, and a shower head installed.  So, mostly complete, but not quite there.  Still a little difficult to take a shower with no shower doors.  Not a concern, as I had a fully functional second bathroom.  The one I’ve been using while the first was being renovated.  And here’s where the bigger surprise came in…

That smaller bathroom?  Completely demoed.  Which was completely unexpected.  Because the contractor and I had agreed (oh so many times) that we wouldn’t take the second out of commission until the first was complete.

But, being undaunted by this unanticipated bit of exuberance to plow ahead on the part of my contractor, I threw up a temporary shower curtain, brought a dining chair into my bedroom to use as a towel rack, and hopped in the shower.  Where I resolved to put all future agreements in writing…

Thankful

With six full days of work done on the master bathroom renovation, I have so much to be thankful for.  I am grateful that all the horror stories you hear about contractors not showing up, and being unresponsive, are mere fiction in my world.  Appreciative that all the elements I picked out one by one, rather than in unison with one another, are coming together very nicely.

I’m perfectly pleased with the custom-made (in the USA!) vanities and linen cabinet.  Custom style, custom color, and of sizes that could not be found anywhere.  You never know if reality will live up to the imagination.  But it has.  In fine form.  They’re gorgeous, and are just what I was hoping for.  And most of all, truly and utterly thrilled at how quickly it’s all coming along.  Each day, amazing progress is made.

And thankful that a friend who has been house hunting for quite awhile finally has keys in hand to her new home.  Everything always works out in the end.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A blank canvas

Tuesday morning, I had a fully intact master bathroom.  When I got home from work, I was greeted by an empty room.  Save a couple of pipes sticking out of the walls, there was nothing left.  Nothing but space.  Space for all the wonderful new things I’ve diligently been picking out for the last few months.

It’s hard to believe, after the many meetings with the contractor, the cabinet maker, the stone yard owner, and various other purveyors of bathroom-related goods, the time for putting it all together has arrived.  So with all the old stuff gone (and anything salvageable donated to charities, of course), I’m left only with dreams.  Visions of the completed, modern, much more functional bathroom.

And just as you would use a true blank canvas, this one will also be splashed with a little paint.  I’ve got a few choices up on the wall, and a couple of days to decide.