Oh no, nearly a year has passed by since my last posting.  Plenty has happened since then; after only 6 months my (elderly) first renter needed to move back in with his daughter so my little guesthouse became available again in January.  I was taking time to improve it more, including badly needed paint in every room and a better arrangement for the kitchen cabinets and counter across from the sink when someone interested in renting suddenly contacted me and the time frame was suddenly bumped up A LOT.  I was able to have nearly everything ready for her in early March and I’m very pleased with the new tenant, who is also retired and has written professionally.  She’s truly enjoying the little cottage and has decorated it nicely.  

In April I learned that my house would be on our Historic District’s Mothers Day Home Tour.  I already do quite a bit for that event, including running it, designing the tickets and 28-page program, along with doing the publicity and handling pre-event ticket sales, so adding all the odds and ends around my house and yard were a wee bit stressful!  Thanks to the help of friends, I was able to pull it off, though.  My new tenant was gracious enough to help with the garden and also allowed the approximately 800 visitors through her house, too.  I’m impressed that after only a couple of months, she has decorated her little place both attractively and efficiently. 

Among the things on my to-do list was re-painting my dining room set.  The photo shows a chair back before distressed and antiqued it.  

The set looks perfect next to my latest acquisition, a magnificent wooden soda cooler with marvelous patina.    The painting above is one I did years ago, based on Van Gogh’s dreary “Potato Eaters.”  I livened it up just a bit and named it “The Cookie Eaters.”

I also worked on my backyard.  Those photos will come in a future post - and I look forward to writing it before another 10 months go by!