February 14, 2021 Happy Valentine’s Day! Tulips are one of my favorite cut flowers, I love how they start to gently droop around the vase as they relax and open. Bob usually gets them for me on Valentine’s Day instead of roses; being a little different seems to fit us, don’t you think? 🙂 This year he got me flowering bulbs, which I can plant outdoors for next year (hmmm, where will we be by next spring??)
Things have been happening… it looks like we will drive back to NH to meet with our architect in a week or two, to see the plans, walk through the house, and start to make revisions. The Meyers have been awesome, keeping an eye on the house, and accepting a delivery (my wind sculpture, more on that in the spring when it can be installed!), and checking the trap line. Two days ago, on the 12th, Than reported that there was 6″ of new snow, the garage was holding steady at 44 degrees, and the traps yielded 1 mole and 1 mouse, for a grand total thus far of 91 mice and 2 moles!
I’m pretty sure that anyone reading this blog thinks we are riding the crazy train, but look at this…. the internet is a weird place and who would have thought I would stumble upon someone with a crazier tower than us?? (Abandoned house with tower in Bristol, ME)
Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire all have a cool New England mountain and water vibe, but there are both subtle and obvious differences between them (that could be an essay in itself). Here are two more photos to demonstrate that NH tower culture (at least ours) is cooler than Maine’s. 🙂 We’ve been told that one of the ideas for our tower was originally an exterior steel structure like the one on the left! And to answer your question, no, we do not really know why there is a tower at 34 Sheep Road, except that the former owner was an intensely creative inventor and engineer, who actively designed, re-designed and participated in building this tower house according to his own inner vision. His mother sent us a book on Tower Houses that she had once given him, and believes it may have been a spark to his inspiration.
Back in Maryland, where winter is about 2 weeks shorter than NH on both ends, it is still plenty cold enough for a nice toasty Defiant wood stove. Here you will find Sydney rotating sides for even heating, and regulating her temperature by moving closer and backing away, or moving to the heating pad in her crate for some winter sunshine. At times she will almost put her head under the stove and when you touch her fur you can’t believe she can stand it that hot! Bob says she is completely spoiled, but at 14 and a half, she is really slowing down and enjoys her her little pleasures. 🙂
Last spring, a stay-at-home activity was organizing the woodpile – there is a fair amount of old wood that needs to be burned this season. Now that we know we’ll be moving (eventually!) it was time to use it up. From January 10 to mid-February, we kept it going almost all the time, which really added a cozy warmth and saved on our electric bill, but does produce a lot of dust, and can be a pain to maintain. I think after 15+ years, we are about done with that. Gas fireplace in our future!
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