Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Pete

This house -- or maybe its occupants -- attracts stray cats. We've had four 0r five in the last couple of years, including our beloved, dearly departed Maud. Maud appeared in our garage about the time we moved in. Almost immediately adopted and deeply loved, poor little Maud died of a congenital heart defect before her first birthday. Then this past October came Petula Margot, AKA Pete.

Pete was another tiny stray kitten, hit by a car on nearby Market St. She was badly injured but saved from certain death by a kind-hearted cat lover who was unable to keep her. We were suckered in immediately. Little Pete had lost the use of one front leg in the accident and ultimately it had to be amputated. This doesn't stop her from getting around and into everything. She roars up and down the 42 stair-steps -- basement to third floor -- with great speed, if lacking a certain grace. She had an absolutely terrific time over the weekend shredding a roll of wallpaper, something you might not expect a three-legged cat to do, but she did it very well.

This allowed to me put off wallpapering the front hall, yet again.

Excuses, excuses.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Wow, but I've been bad

Work on the house continues. Why no posts? It's a circular problem. I want to post some new photos. We don't have a digital camera, but think we're going to get one, so I don't post. But then I want to post, we don't have a camera, etc. etc.

Significant progress has occurred in the kitchen. We've replaced the 1997 Kenmore electric range with a Wolf gas cooktop, and added a Electrolux double oven unit. We're also replacing the light-duty Menard's-type cabinets with new ones by Burtch. Our good friend X is acting as kitchen consultant/cabinet coordinator and we're very pleased with the new stuff. One teensy problem: due to the complicated geometry required to get anything into our kitchen, the oven cabinet didn't quite fit. The resolution was very King Solomon-esque: cut the baby in half, which nearly killed X. It worked, we're happy and I thnk our friendship with X is safe. The rest of the cabinets should be here fairly soon.

We also have wallpaper picked out for the entrance hall and staircase, a good winter project, and there are a bunch of cabinets in the pantry sanded and ready for their shellac. Are these two happening? No. But I do think about them frequently.