Bean by bean...

My father's mother used to say, "Bean by bean we fill the pot!" This week has been a bean by bean week. The windows and doors in the living room are now trimmed, and yesterday we moved all the tools out, vacuumed the floor, and oiled it. This morning we began transforming it into a cozy living space!

Meanwhile, we've hired Rich Popovic again, to finish the siding for us. Check out the exterior! The front face is finished- it looks like the brown house of our dreams!

Siding, Snow, Moose, Kitten

The title says it all! This has been a week of happenings: the siding is finished on the wing, and we hope to finish the main house while the weather holds. We had an unexpected snow earlier in the week, which lasted just a day of dusting on the ground. Yesterday we had a wonderful visitor just passing through: a magnificent moose walked up from the swamp, past the front of the house, and off into the woods! Slow and stately, like a giant ocean liner, he loped on by.
Last but not least, we welcome Marie Laveau, Queen of the Indoors, Kitten Supreme!

Power to the people!

PSNH came through! Today the truck came and hooked the house to the wire that all summer has been coiled to a tree. Harvey Tolman is on his way to begin to finish his job, and soon we will be fully powered!
It's been another week of many developments. Arthur Sussman installed the kitchen sink and shower. We said goodbye to Micca and turned him loose on the NH and Maine coastal folkies. Penn decided to stick around and help for awhile longer. Maggie came for October break and slept for the first time in the corner of the vast, unfinished upstairs that has been designated for her room. Dylan celebrated his 24th birthday with the whole family gathered around the kitchen for presents and traditional birthday cannolis.
Sadly, our sweet cat, Tabitha, shot out the door one night and hasn't returned. She was the cuddliest cat ever, and we miss her.
Dan is working hard, racing winter (first snow flurries this morning!) to get the siding on the house. He's started on the wing, as Hunt works to trim windows, but the two of them will continue work on the main house until it truly turns into my life-long dream of a brown house in the woods!

Peepers, propane, and the comforts of home!

As you can see, we are now in the lap of luxury! Thanks to the wonders of propane, we have HOT WATER!! And with the clever use of extention cords we have use of the stove and fridge.
We are joining the ranks of the locals whose guest rooms swell at leaf-peeping time, though in the case of this week's guests, the timing is coincidental. Micca Patterson from London is pictured, and our friend Penn Berens from Cleveland, a childhood friend of Hunt's, is also here, sleeping in the popup camper!
The kitchen cabinets have arrived and are being installed this week, along with the black basalt formica tops. Harvey Tolman is hard at work finishing the electrical wiring. Will we have full electricity by next week? Watch this space!