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| Our kitchen viewed from the adjacent dining room area midway through the first day of demolition |
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| This is the dining room viewed from the kitchen. The living room, its white carpet set to be removed, is partially visible beyond the stone structure. Yesterday, my husband once again proposed removing the half of that stone structure originally constructed as an indoor barbecue. (Apparently, that was a "thing" in the early 1950s.) We're awaiting a quote. |
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| This is the kitchen after the debris created during the first 2 days of work was loaded into a dumpster |
Demolition continues today. The wall facing the back patio is coming out to extend the kitchen's footprint. Meanwhile, the back half of the house has been entirely closed off from the area undergoing deconstruction. The temporary kitchen constructed by my husband to tide us through the remodel is also complete. (Or rather, I hope it is. He keeps tweaking it, most recently creating a shelf to hold canisters and free up workspace.)
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| Our cozy temporary kitchen viewed from our bedroom |
My poor cat is spending lots of time hiding in a corner of my bedroom closet. I'm spending as much time as possible in the garden, having lunch out with friends, and running errands. A recent "errand" took me to my local garden center.
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| My goal was to pick up a tomato cage to provide support to one of my dahlias but, when in a garden center, one has to at least check out the plants, right? I came home with a Pentas, a small Prostanthera ovatifolia (aka mint bush), and a reasonably priced Furcraea. |
Everyone tells me I'll love the result of the remodel once the long list of projects is done. I expect that's true, at least as long as my sanity remains intact.
For more Wednesday vignettes, visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.
All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
There's no way back now, you have to keep going!
ReplyDeleteHorticultural retail therapy is an excellent antidote. And far healthier than any alternative.
You're right, Jessica. We're already well down the rabbit hole!
DeleteHang in there Kris. It is difficult to be sure to live through it, but one day at a time, it will flourish into something new and beautiful that was worth waiting for.
ReplyDeleteI hope so, Cindy! I also hope my husband stops adding new dimensions to the project...
DeleteYou are brave to go through such an extensive expansive remodel. UGH... I shudder at the thought. I would probably be doing a lot of retail therapy.
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends recommended shopping for a new house instead. That option is now out of the question as we'd still have to put this house back together in order to sell it and buy something else. And then I'd hate to leave this garden after all the effort that's gone into it. I've argued in favor of finding a a tiny vacation house to plop on my brother-in-law's property in the PNW for the duration, though. (That's not going to happen but dreams are also a form of escape.)
DeleteImpressive temporary kitchen.
ReplyDeleteMy husband's very good at planning and building stuff. If we'd known how long it was going to take to get through the red tape necessary to get this project off the ground, I'd have suggested he go through the steps necessary to get a contractor's license.
DeleteCheery plants are a good choice at a time like this. A reasonably priced Furcraea is too good to pass up and it's a very nice one.
ReplyDeleteWith everything out it's easy to see how much pushing that wall out will help the kitchen. Indoor bbq must have been a thing for a very short time since it sounds stinky and hazardous to say the least.
I thought the indoor bbq was bizarre, Shirley. We put a shelf in the opening up top and kept a bowl of fruit, a houseplant and some baskets there with a scratching pad for the cat down below but it wasn't a great use of space.
DeleteOh, yikes, you have my sympathies, Kris. Not an easy thing to live with. Keep your eye on the prize. :)
ReplyDeleteThe cat and I are slowly adapting to life in half a house with a truly tiny kitchen (and no dishwasher or disposal!).
DeleteMessy, but oh so exciting! Indoor barbeque, huh? That's interesting.... As for your errands - hooray! Trips to the nursery are always so restorative. :D
ReplyDeleteI've always made regular trips to the garden center but the schedule may increase from once every 2 weeks to once a week now ;)
DeleteThat Furcraea is a real looker! So have you guys ever used the indoor BBQ?
ReplyDeleteYears ago an American friend of ours was very keen to have an indoor barbecue in his house in Sydney, so that idea had travelled a long way. I’m glad you’ve had time for nursery visits...a great way to both get away from the (organised) chaos, and to lift the spirits if they’re flagging.
ReplyDeletePoor Pipig, and poor you! I noticed the open front door in one of the shots. I would be frantic with worry about my cat getting out if this were happening in my house. I hope it's over soon.
ReplyDeleteThe doors have been open continuously while the workmen are here. Pipig is now confined to the north end of the house with us. None of us can get into the rest of the house without going outside. After a day and a half staring at the temporary wall closing us off from the kitchen and beyond, Pipig has finally accepted the new normal.
DeleteOh my goodness,that surely is as bad as it gets, it must get better after this. How awful though, our home is where we feel comfortable and safe and yours has been transformed into a bombsite. But let's hope that from now on you can enjoy watching the transformation. An indoor barbecue is a really weird concept. Keep on buying plants always a good therapy. I recently bought a variegated Furcraea on eBay.
ReplyDeleteWell, it did get a bit worse but that's a story for another time. I'm looking forward to seeing the new kitchen framed out. I'm still scouting spots for my new Furcraea. I had one years ago but moved it one too many times and it went into decline. This one's not quite as pretty but, as it's about a third the cost of the original one, I really couldn't leave the garden center without it. Now I've just got to find it the perfect, permanent home.
DeleteAaaaagh! 😱 I'm sure that it will all be worth the pain Kris. My sister is going through a similar experience at this very moment. I imagine that Pipig will be very happy too once the work is completed.
ReplyDeletePipig is slowly adjusting to the adjustments in "her" space but the minute the construction workers drive up, she darts into the very back of my closet and usually stays there until they leave.
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