Summer Solstice
Posted on | June 21, 2010 | 8 Comments
The sun has set here, I sent it west. What a lovely day to be the longest—sunny, hot, and breezy. I skipped the gym tonight and walked down to Fort Sewall at the tip of Marblehead Harbor to enjoy the final rays. Happy Summer!
Picking Strawberries
Posted on | June 16, 2010 | 14 Comments
I went strawberry picking this morning at Connors in Danvers, Massachusetts via a new friend suggestion. The field smelled like a giant decadent strawberry daiquiri, um yum! If it wasn’t frowned upon to drink cocktails before noon on a Wednesday I would have sparked up the blender as soon as I got home. The picking was great! The strawberries were still small and perfectly sweet.
I loaded up my 6 quarts thinking I was going to use them all for jam. But I realized I have a whole list of strawberry concoctions I want to make like sconces, pancakes, muffins and my favorite salad in the world: spinach/blue cheese/toasted walnut/strawberry salad. So maybe I’ll going picking again on Sunday at Russell Orchards in Ipswich for jam?
Did I share with you why I’m trying to break my internet habit besides the obvious? Over the last four years I’ve done more sitting then is acceptable for a person that is healthy and mobile. I’ve been trying to workout and Monday I took my first, Whole Body Ball Workout class—which means I had to jump on balls, twirl balls, and do stuff with hand weights. I always feel stupid in classes. I wonder why my arms look so long and awkward, why my boobs are sagging (is it the bra?), where did all these smoking hot moms come from? Lord. The class kicked my ass which made it difficult for me to squat down to pick strawberries. Sitting down in the straw and picking in a 360 degree rotation was the best method. I should probably go back to the gym tonight? The soreness must mean my butt is getting tighter, right?
Below a very short video. I’m trying to get the hang of the focus on the video mode while I am doing something, but it’s kinda cool? Maybe I should try one of those flips or I should get the new iphone? But I really don’t need more crap to carry….
p.s. my fav song to get my butt running on the treadmill right now, Say Hey by Michael Franti & Spearhead. Which isn’t new but it’s perfect for summer!
Related Posts:
Getting Ready For Canning
Picking Strawberries in Maine: July 2009
Picking Apples & Eating Cider Doughnuts At Russell Orchards
Stripping Wallpaper In Guest Room
Posted on | June 14, 2010 | 20 Comments
The weekend was a wash out. We didn’t get any work done on the boat. On Saturday afternoon, we stripped wallpaper from the walls of the guest room. It’s a pain in the ass job. The best method we’ve found for our walls is using a Sonic Crafter oscillating tool with the scraper attachment. With a little force most of the layers of wallpaper peel off. In some areas we need to go back and do some detail work. The walls under all the wallpaper are a terracotta color. It feels kinda chalky?
We switched off scraping throughout the afternoon—my hands couldn’t handle the vibration. In about fours hours we got majority of the room done. My enthusiasm for our speed was abandoned when we discovered bad cracking and damage on the inside wall. We started jacking up the house when we first moved in and the damage was due to house being lifted. At this point I gave up. The wall in all likelihood will have to be replaced, so why waste my energy? We had a huge mess on the floor and I was hungry. I took a shower and Greg finished up stripping the damage wall. He’s much more patient then me.
On Sunday, I cleaned up the entire room top to bottom. Taking care to wipe down all the walls and floor so that the dust wouldn’t travel all over the house. I took a two hour nap feeling overwhelmed by the project again. The project consumes you to the point that you live in denial of it. Mess, wood, and tools fill our rooms but I hardly notice it anymore. In a way I find it amazing what you can deal with when you have no other choice. I realize I’m sounding a bit dramatic but you have days when you feel like giving up and wonder why you are torturing yourself. I would kill for a bathroom that smelled nice and didn’t have stained vinyl on the floor.
Related Posts:
Guest Room Prep
Video: Paint In Den Stripped
Cleaning Up Living Room Mess
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A journal about new england life, decorating inspiration, and renovating a 262-year-old house in Marblehead, Massachusetts. read more...
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