A Poem

Ah, world, what lessons you prepare for us,
even in the leafless winter,
even in the ashy city.
I am thinking now
of grief, and of getting past it;

I feel my boots
trying to leave the ground,
I feel my heart
pumping hard. I want

to think again of dangerous and noble things.
I want to be light and frolicsome.
I want to be improbably beautiful and afraid of nothing,
as though I had wings.

— Starlings in Winter by Mary Oliver

Baking Cookies

Of all the time honored holiday traditions for our family the baking of Christmas cookies is definitely a favorite.



December is also a special month for us because it is Gracie's birthday on the 18th & her mom's on the 24th. So we have a lot to celebrate! Our little Gracie turned 9 years old this year & still thinks that cookie baking & birthdays are somehow intertwined.





What a treat for me to have all three grandchildren for a day of baking cookies!


And now that they are all getting so much older they are really able to be real a part of the process.



There are so many jobs to do from mixing the dough...



......to rolling & cutting out the cookies......


.....to the best part of all the decorating!



We make two batches, one of sugar cookies & another of gingerbread. And for decorations we like to use sprinkles as well as icings......




There is always the annual sprinkle jar tower building contest which just seems to spontaneously happen every year.




And of course a lot of tasting going on.

Thoughts

I had a post prepared on Friday but the tragic news in Newtown Ct. changed all that. Nothing quite seemed the same after learning of the tragedy. What had been appropriate one day no longer was. Sadness replaced frivolity. Heartache swelled for those who had suffered & lost so much. There was a prevailing sense of sorrow for us all.

We made the trip back up north to spend the holidays with our children & grandchildren, passing through Connecticut as we drove. All of the flags were flying at half mast as we passed. The cold grey weather seemed to reinforce the solomon mood to what had to have been one of the saddest Sundays that state had ever known.





I found comfort in these words by Robert Kennedy, whose family also knew such great sorrow.

Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live.

Robert Kennedy




What can we really do but cherish those we love & strive for a better tomorrow.

The House

Here are a few photos of the interior of the house, where we try to live comfortably while all manor of work is going on. The house is a duplex &

 we have already rented the downstairs apartment. We live in the second floor apartment. I like being up in the trees with the birds.

We have torn down walls to open up the living space between the kitchen & living rooms.

 It continues to be a work in progress.

The bath has an old claw foot tub which though romantic is not always so practical. I am afraid that the sunlight in the photos make the rooms seem to be in much better shape than is the reality.

 There are multiple fireplaces ( non working though), that also give the rooms an old fashion romantic feel.

I am looking forward to using the room below as my studio. Hopefully after the holidays I will commence to start painting in earnest. 

When the chaos of the work inside becomes too much, we can always go out on our porch & relax in the sun. So far the weather has been beautiful, although I realize that winter will have to come at some point.

Happy December to you all wherever you may be & whatever you may be doing!

T'is the Season in Charleston

Even though the semi-tropical climate in Charleston belies the notion of a white Christmas, there is no shortage of festive decoration.

In spite of the palm trees & the ever present pastel colored bicycles, lamp posts are still traditionally adorned for the holiday season....

.... as is the free trolly ....

....& in many cases every window, door & balcony.

Here are just a few photos of some of the pretty decorations I saw today.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend & perhaps getting into the holiday spirit!

A Walk Around the Block

 Just taking a short walk around my new neighborhood is a delight. Many of the houses in this area were originally built at the turn of the century as duplexes and were advertised at the time as "having plumbing and beautiful iron gates".

Today the houses in this diverse & eclectic neighborhood are a real mixture of the well cared for & the beautifully deteriorating. 

Some have been lovingly restored while others have an air of mystery & neglect.

And some still have their beautiful iron gates.

Although I appreciate the beauty of the well maintained homes, with their attention to detail & historical accuracy, I have always been drawn to the patina of the old & worn .

Oh, the stories these houses could tell!

From the shabby to the chic this is definitely a very colorful neighborhood. And I mean that literally, with houses sporting many different shades of pastel hues.  

There are many styles of architecture that are unique to Charleston too, like the tiny freedman's cottage below.

Or the "Charleston single" which has a front door opening onto side porches. You get an idea of how closely the houses are built to one another in the next photo as well.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this little walk around the block. I feel blessed to be living in such a unique & colorful neighborhood.

Turning Another Corner

Just like that, I have moved. Throwing caution to the wind, my husband & I have bought a house, site unseen, packed up our truck, piled high like the Beverly Hillbillies & headed down south to a new adventure. Well, I may have over simplified & condensed the tale just a bite, but the facts remain the same. And now we find ourselves in our new home, a 100 year old fixer-uper in Charleston, SC.

It is difficult to explain to sensible people how we might have made this step, but it does seem as if we have a history of such behavior. It was with the same reckless abandon & sense of adventure that we purchased our little cottage in France more than twenty years ago. My only hope now is that we are not too old to do it all over again .

Seeing the house for the first time, after having seen it only in photos & seeing all of the work that needs to be done, was a bite overwhelming to say the least. But I have had time to adjust to its flaws as well as its many charms.

And there is so much to love about this city! I love the weather, the birds, the history, the architecture, the food....& on & on. Just as my life has taken a new turn, this blog will have  a new life as well, following the ups & downs of fixing up an old house, while exploring the beautiful city of Charleston. I look forward to sharing it all with you!