But along came Chester that night. He's a curious little guy so he went in the trap to check it out even though there was no food to entice him. Phil walked outside the next morning to find Chester in the cage staring at him. Phil could tell he was a young adolescent raccoon. So what to do? Drive him down the mountain to Dillard? Give him to the coon hunters for dog training? Phil couldn't do it. He took the cage to the little path beside Two Holt, opened it, and watched as Chester ran to the closest dogwood tree and climbed it to the top. Later in the day, Chester was gone. It's been a week and Chester hasn't come back for a visit. I hope he's moved on to another little cabin to visit on his rounds and I hope he grows to be an old, fat, happy coon.
Every night this little raccoon came around Two Holt. He walked right up to the screen door and looked inside. I named him Chester. Phil was talking to the electrician about the raccoon and the next day the electrician brought a trap with him. He told Phil to put food in it and he would catch the raccoon. He also told Phil that he would have to drive him down the mountain to release him or he would find his way back. Or, he said, take him to the hardware store and one of the guys there would take him to train their hunting dogs. I was horrified! I begged Phil not to catch Chester. I reminded Phil that Chester lived there year-round while we were only there late spring through fall. I reminded him that Chester had probably lived there before we ever thought of buying Two Holt. Phil assured me that he would not capture Chester. He left the trap for the electrician to take back home.
But along came Chester that night. He's a curious little guy so he went in the trap to check it out even though there was no food to entice him. Phil walked outside the next morning to find Chester in the cage staring at him. Phil could tell he was a young adolescent raccoon. So what to do? Drive him down the mountain to Dillard? Give him to the coon hunters for dog training? Phil couldn't do it. He took the cage to the little path beside Two Holt, opened it, and watched as Chester ran to the closest dogwood tree and climbed it to the top. Later in the day, Chester was gone. It's been a week and Chester hasn't come back for a visit. I hope he's moved on to another little cabin to visit on his rounds and I hope he grows to be an old, fat, happy coon.
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Yay! Phil's home from Two Holt with pictures of all his hard work! Look at sweet Two Holt with her covered deck (which won't be painted and screened until spring), fireplace chase, and fresh paint! Notice the outside deck lights are up, too. And the floodlight on the fireplace isn't THAT bad. ;) Here's a little closer view of Two Holt's side stoop entrance. Looking down the deck from one side and then the other! The picture below looks like a camouflaged fireplace, huh? That's the bottom paint color Phil applied before putting on the top layer of paint. As you can tell from the second picture below, he then distressed the mantle a bit to let just a hint of the bottom paint show. I'm liking it! The granite countertops should be finished before Labor Day and pictures of the island and other counters will follow. :)
I never realized how many decisions have to made when painting a deck. The color of the beams and posts, railings and pickets, ceiling, and lattice underpinning all await the final paint choices. First, have a look at how the deck appears presently. I'm thinking of printing a large copy of this picture and photocopying the image on paper after adjusting the copier for a much lighter copy. Then I'll use color pencils to color in the different areas and see which scheme appeals to me. I can play around with lighter and darker shades of color that way. Here's my current thinking: The 16-foot posts will be the color of the siding...Benjamin Moore's Timber Wolf (gray). The railings and pickets will be the color of the cottage's trim "Chantilly Lace" (white). The picture below shows the gray siding and white trim colors. The lattice beneath the deck will be two shades darker than Timber Wolf to help it visually anchor to the ground and hopefully make the lattice work recede into the background a bit. The beam across the top and the two beams beneath the railing will be Timber Wolf, too. The ceiling is tongue and groove with those exposed beams. Do we paint, stain, or use a semi-transparent stain? Should the beams be the same color as the tongue and groove or a shade or so darker? Blue ceiling, white ceiling, natural wood look ceiling, or gray ceiling? Pale or bold ceiling? IF we go with blue, here's the shade I'm leaning towards--Sherwin Williams "Atmospheric". I love, love, love the picture below! You can see the Sherwin Williams "Atmospheric" blue ceiling against a gray home with white trim. Yay! AND this is exactly how I planned to hang and display one of our old cottage windows! Isn't it great? That blue just keeps calling out to me! But who knows...by tomorrow I may be totally on board with a wood stain ceiling or a gray semi-transparent stain ceiling. Hmmm...
Why are men obsessed with floodlights? Phil and I totally disagreed over the need for a floodlight at Two Holt. I finally agreed to add a floodlight...only because he was going to do it anyway. I told myself that it was silly to argue over a little floodlight on the corner eave of the cabin and maybe it really would be a good idea to be able to light up the pathway of steps up through the rhododendrons. So Phil happily proceeded with his plans and sent me the picture below to show off the new wiring for the floodlight. REALLY, PHIL! You wired for the floodlight to go smack dab in the middle of the fireplace chase? Don't you know that when the floodlight bulbs go in, it will look like two big chrome Mickey Mouse ears?? Phil assured me that he would place a "pretty floodlight" fixture there. Puhleeeze! I was not a happy camper. :( But today Phil sent me these pictures of the porch railings going up and I am smiling again! He really is working hard and I can't wait to see Two Holt again on Labor Day weekend. And how about a little side-by-side picture of Two Holt from another angle... Oh...remember how we were in such a predicament about insurance on Two Holt way back before we ever signed the paperwork? But we found insurance and all was good, right? We got a notice that the insurance company would be canceling our policy in September! Yep! Reasons? Old roof, clogged gutters, needing paint, and open foundation! Roof? Check. Gutters? Check. Paint? Check. Open foundation? Ut oh. So Phil has another little item added to his "to do" list. It's a good thing we've bonded with little ol' Two Holt!
We should be posting more pictures soon--the kitchen island is built (not installed), the fireplace is in, and those big appliances that were in the kitchen are being moved out of the way. :) I'm back in Alabama and working hard at school. Poor Phil is left to finish up this year's projects at Two Holt. I spoke with him this afternoon and he's very frustrated. The fireplace guy can't complete the fireplace installation until the contractor finishes the outside fireplace chase. The contractor has started a new job and is dragging his heels in finishing his job at Two Holt. The kitchen island is built but can't be set up until the electrician does some wiring. The tankless hot water heater is installed but is inoperable until the electrician does some wiring. The granite people are waiting to install the counter tops. The electrician has over-extended himself and is telling Phil he might not finish this job until sometime in September. We think it's time to look for a new electrician. Yes, Phil's a little frustrated... but SHARON's having fun doing a little online shopping for Two Holt and the packages have all arrived! Check out this antique child's snow sled that will hang over the island as a pot rack! And this adorable window box which will be under the side porch kitchen window. :) And the last little present for Two Holt is this sweeeet chandelier with flameless candles which will hang over a dining table on our screened porch! I can't wait until Labor Day weekend!
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Phil & SharonMarried 40 years and hoping to enjoy many more! Archives
December 2019
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