Marching Toward Spring, In Snow Boots

Welcome, March.
The month that will bring us the first day of Spring.

In keeping with the Old Wives' Tales, March 2015

in the Northeast USA is indeed coming in, roaring like a Lion.

More snow today, piling onto the accumulated snow

that's been whiting us out all Winter.  

I am not sad to see this February pass into memory.

It had its moments.  Valentine's Day, for instance.

The regular visits of our Cardinal pair to our window bird feeder.

Isn't Mr. C. adorable?  

He leaves the feeder each time, and flies up to the driveway,

where he perches on the side mirror of my minivan, and regurgitates food to give to the

handsome Cardinal he sees in that mirror.  Yes, it's a bird thing.

The term "bird brain" suddenly makes perfect sense.

February had its beautiful, quiet moments.

Our yard received its PhD.

(Piled Higher and Deeper.)

Out on the East End of Long Island, the family beach house

was battered by a late January blizzard, and snows that followed.

One after another after another.  A rough winter for sure.

Still, there is a frozen beauty that is quite spectacular.

The snow gave our two dogs chances to look adorable.

Gilda, our Redhead, loves awful weather, the rougher the better.

She eats snow, rolls in it, wears it, lies down in it ...

she only comes back in the house if lured with a tasty cookie.

Her coat has grown so thick and weatherproof this winter,

that she's beginning to resemble a small one of these:

A glamorous Highland Cow.

As for Dylan, he is missing his romps in the yard, but is

managing to find his own fun indoors.  He is creative.

All in all, February held 2 family birthdays for us, and some other revelry.
However, I bid it goodbye, gleefully, with a smile and a jaunty wave.

Spring will come.

I don't really want to know what will be revealed when all the snow
in our yard is finally melted from those areas we have not been able to get to.

If you, too, have dogs you understand.

But I am looking forward to March

skipping away like a sweet little Lamb.  

Goodbye, Old Man Winter.

Don't let the screen door hit you

in the (euphemistic term here) on the way out.

What have you, my blogging friends, been doing to get through this Winter?

19 days, ladies and gents.  19 days.  Spring!

First one in the northern USA to spot a blooming crocus, wins. -- Cass

And special thanks to Karen, the Graphics Fairy, for the vintage images!

Dear Craigslist: You're (Almost) Fired!

Last weekend, I inflicted a batch of Craigslist
coffee tables upon you, that might or might not
be right for our coffee-table-deprived study.

Oh poor, poor That Old House.  There is no coffee table in its study!

Craigslist pretty much always comes through for us.

But ... not yet.  And I've checked every day.  

I know, such a chore.

A new old coffee table, big and feet friendly,
will be put into harness in this room, currently coffee-table-less:

For the ebay bargain of the decade, this table, click here.

So, time for the next batch of likely suspects.
Do any strike your fancy?

This one, by Councill Craftsman, is high-end, and has storage,
and loads of park-your-wineglass space.

And a glass topper.   A little stodgy, maybe.

Don't know the origins of this rather Plain Jane fella, but it's got nice curves.

Hmm ... those lower shelves?  Dust catchers.  I know myself....

Should we try going edgy and industrial?
A wood pallet on rusty iron legs.

Interesting, if probably a passing fad, and no worries about rings from wet glasses.

Also, a great reminder to get a tetanus booster.

This dainty number intrigues me.  Large, wide pine plank top, with nicely shaped spindly legs.

But the back legs don't have feet.  Really.  Clearly a cobbled-together piece,

but I kind of like it.  The legs would get new paint.  I like that it is not much of a presence.
There's already a lot of stuff in that room.

This one is ... interesting.  Nice big squarish top, sturdy, all that metal scrollwork...

... and then it hits me: I have two long-haired dogs.  Metal scrollwork and fuzzy dogs?

No.  I can't imagine how hard it is to clean the bottom of this thing - all 4 sides are covered in grille!

Yeah. These guys could lay down some serious fuzz on those metal swirls.

Dylan DiPoochy, left, and Gilda Von Tease.

So, I guess I can't help myself.

More metal scrollwork, but the ends of this table are open.

Easier to get that vacuum hose inside, to suck up dust and fuzz-wuzzies.

(The envelope, please!)

The Oscar for Best Hilariously

Goofball Coffee Table, goes to this one:

Yes, chickens, it is made of two artifacts described in the listing as "Eskimo snowshoes."

The asking price is a thousand dollars, but it says offers are considered.

Gee, I hope I can resist ....

By the way, that nice burled wood coffee table from last Friday?

Gone.  Gone.  Gone.  Sigh.

When Craigslist tosses up A Good Thing, pounce. -- Cass

Linky Parties for Friday

It's Feathered Nest Friday at the French Country Cottage.  Click here!

Miss Mustard Seed is gathering Furniture Friday posts.  Click here!

My Romantic Home is home to Show And Tell Friday.  Click here!

At The Charm of Home, it's Home Sweet Home Friday.  Click here!

Chaos Reigns, And A Happy Anniversary Wish!

I love beautiful, well-tended, orderly, tidy gardens.
Sometimes I go and visit one, just to see what a 
beautiful, well-tended, orderly, tidy garden looks like.

Because here at That Old House, our garden patches are

enthusiastic, but tidy and orderly they are not.

Right behind the sunroom, along the old stone wall . . . this:

As the late Bob Ross might have said, "Happy, happy little flowers . . . . "

(By the way, this is after a bit of weeding.  Primping for the camera.)

My favorite spot to have morning coffee, right in the corner.

 Do you do this?  Get all your stuff planted (thank you, Anne!) and

then realize you've still got some plugs languishing in their flats? Those are white petunias, shriveling up.

Why don't I pop them in the ground?  Why?

Eh, sometimes lazy has no explanation.

Our local supermarket had Knockout Roses dirt cheap (haha . . . 

dirt cheap!) back in May.  I love me some Knockout Roses.

The smaller Knockouts, 5 in this picture, are rather hidden by the big fluffy balls

of bleeding heart foliage.  Doomed foliage.  It won't last till August.

 I know they aren't the breath-taking, showstopping divas of the Rose Universe,

but wow, those babies can bloom.  

The big, arching dark red rosebush on the left, across

from the Grandma Swing, is old.  Old.  Like, really old.

In this non-cropped view, you can see the back of the house; the old rose grows up against it,

right outside the powder room window. and just south of the really ugly air conditioning thingy.

Every year we cut it back.  Ruthlessly.  It comes roaring back.

Definitely likes punishment, that old gal.

But unlike its distant Knockout cousins, it has its first flush of blooming and then it goes on vacation, only sending out a couple of roses, like brief postcards, every few weeks.

 I'm starting to like the look of the picket gate on the steps leading

up to the driveway.  Rather cottage-y, don't you think? 

And a lovely shot of our trash can, up along the driveway.

We are nothing if not classy. 

The tomatoes and peppers were a little late settling in this spring;

I didn't trust the weather after the winter we had.

But they're taking off.  Ripening tomatoes on two out of five plants, 

and the banana pepper has a 5-inch long baby growing fast.

Nothing so far from the slacker eggplants except blossoms.

Not all of the perennials survived the winter, but these did.  Yay.

(The other threadleaf coreopsis on the other side of the door survived, but barely.  It's got one shoot!)

When I look at the crazy quilt of plants here at this

kind of crazy quilt of a house, I'm okay with it.

And I remember late March, when the borders looked like this:

  (Nice.  Thumb in the picture.  Nice.)

What's happening in your garden today?

In ours, Gilda The Red is soaking up the sun.

Dylan DiPoochy doesn't stay still long enough outside

for a good shot, unless he's in someone's lap.

Yes, like that.

Have a lovely Wednesday, whether you are indoors, or out.

-- Cass

Visit other bloggers and their Great Outdoors.
Click here!

And . . . lest I forget, let me wish our daughter Alida and her husband Josh a very happy
Third Wedding Anniversary!
Long time readers of That Old House may remember the frantic weeks leading up to their wedding,
when we were racing the clock to get the house painted, repairs made, landscaping done,
fence installed .... but in the end, all that mattered was that these two got hitched, 

. . . and they're still honeymooning.  :-)

Where've I Been? Right Here!

Happy Summer!

Well ... it's been a long time since I've updated That Old House. 

Since 'way back in February, in fact, when we still had

several feet of snow on the ground, and ice-encrusted windows.

(shudder)

It's a prettier picture now, isn't it?

(Even with all the weeds.)

Confession:  This picture is more than a month old.  The garden is much

advanced since then, but I am too lazy busy to take a new shot.

Mr. Dylan DiPoochy, dog-about-town, is happy

that trips to The Great Outdoors no longer mean a freezing bippy.

Mrs. Gilda-The-Red, pictured in that snowy shot above,

luxuriates on the Grandma swing in the garden.

Gilda is a Great Outdoors kind of gal.

Dylan?  Not so much.

He likes a nice cushy sofa better than

a patch of warm earth.

To each his or her own, eh?

And that's it for today.

Many thanks for the sweet messages I've gotten over the past

few months, for your wonderful kindness,

and I apologize for just disappearing with no explanation.

Because ... honestly? ... there really is no explanation.

I just ran out of steam.

But I think my supply of hot air is bubbling up again.

I'm back.  :-)

See you tomorrow, my friends!

I'm off to re-stock my antiques booth today.  Pictures to follow!

Love and blessings to all; I wish you a wonderful Sunday ... Cass

NOvember Roses, NO-stir Risotto, and NO Clue What To Do With an Auction Washstand

Bringing home a vintage furniture bargain can
be a lot like bringing home your first baby.

You're all excited. . . until you get home, put the baby in the

middle of your bed, step back, look at your husband and say,

"Holy (censored)!  What have we done?"

And so it is with something I got at auction last year. 

Last summer, with bags and boxes of other auction and thrift finds scattered around the sunroom.  I make messes.

In the summer of 2012, I snagged a Sheraton-style

washstand at an auction in Pennsylvania.

It has been imprisoned in a storage unit.

Till now.

I've had this piece standing in my kitchen for days - kind of 

the equivalent of plopping it into the middle of our bed - while I

decide what to do with it.  Time for it to move on.  I think I will paint it.

It's such a pretty piece, and graceful: a classic Sheraton style washstand.

That hole in the top?  I have no idea what it is for.  Do you?

As for painting it . . .  I've got Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey, 

Ralph Lauren's Bone Black paint (just about my favorite), 

and a gorgeous soft aqua - although that one will require a primer.

I'm kind of lazy.

What would you do?

I'm open to suggestions.  It's headed for the booth, as I have

no room for it here, so I'd love to hear what would catch your eye.

(BTW refinishing is not a practical option; the finish is shot in too many places.)

*************************

Have you got one of these?

 It's a cast iron enameled stock pot, or Dutch oven.

I'm sure you've seen the beautiful Le Creuset ones in stores.

This is not one of those.  It's from Sur la Table, and I love it.

Plus, using it helps tone my arms, as it weighs a freaking ton.

 I've made stews, chowders, soups, chicken, roasts, pork loin,

chili, and baked beans in this 8-quart baby, since Santa brought it last year.

 But my new favorite recipe for this pot is Baked Risotto.

'Cause who doesn't like a hot pile of creamy rice?

Especially when you don't have to stand at the stove stirring it.

Although that also is a good way to tone your arms.

Oven Risotto - Ingredients to serve 4 (main course) or 6 (side dish).

1-1/2 cups Arborio rice (short grain) - I like Trader Joe's brand.

5 cups (about) of HOT broth or other seasoned liquid, or water if you prefer.

1/2 cup of wine - your choice.  I use a dry white.

A lump of butter, or some oil, for the pan.

Plus - whatever you want to add.  Cheese, onion, garlic, mushrooms, peas, 

asparagus, spinach, squash . . . whatever strikes your fancy.

 Step One:  Put your Arborio rice in the pot with some butter, or oil.

Get 'em all hot and bothered.  The ricey bits will get a little transparent looking.

Step Two: Add 4 cups of the liquid and stir.

Don't worry.  Just stir to smush it all together.

Step Three:  Put the pot in a preheated 350-degree oven.

I set a timer for about 40 minutes, so I can check the risotto.

Yes, I give it a stir then, and if it's dryish I add more liquid, usually the rest of the broth and the wine.

Step Four:  When you check it, add in any extra stuff.  I had some leftover spinach, so in it went,

along with some finely chopped sauteed onion and garlic.  You never go wrong with garlic.

Then it's back into the oven for Step Five: the final cooking.  It should take about 15 minutes

and the risotto will be all done - nicely creamy and delicious, all the ricey bits tender.  

I sauteed some cherry tomatoes, and put them and the grated Parmesan into the risotto to complete it.

We had it for dinner that night, with some mashed butternut squash

on the side, and it was delicious.  Now it's probably clear from this

alleged recipe that I was using what I had on hand;

it was an impromptu meal, the kind I always think of as "free,"

because I don't have to go and buy anything new.

****************************

Around That Old House, most of the summer

flowers are spent.  Kaput.  All done.

Someone forgot to tell the little rose bushes in the border

behind our house, along the old stone wall, that it's time to fold their tents.

 In a walk 'round the yard with the dogs today, I snapped some pics.

And there's Gilda, our Ruby Cavalier, on the far left of this picture, snuffling in the leaves.
And yes, those are the old shutters off our house; we still can't figure out what to do with them!

These aren't great pics.  I had a dog lead in each hand.

Dogs don't stand still and wait while Mom snaps a picture.   They yank.

 Dogs explore.  And sniff.  And pull against their leashes.

There are just so many great smells. you know?

Yellow roses are still in bud, and blooming.

They've got guts, these little guys.

We've already had several below freezing overnights.  Brrrr . . . .

Time to go inside, kids.

There's cookies and a soft sofa waiting for you.

Haha . . . Dylan is giving me a Bronx Cheer!  Can you see his little tongue sticking out?  Cheeky monkey!

Have a great weekend, friends.

I have absolutely no idea what we'll be doing, but I hope

it involves at least something on my TBDBT List! -- Cass

Link Parties for Friday!

At Rattlebridge Farm, it is Foodie Friday.  Rice counts!  Click here!

It's Feathered Nest Friday at the French Country Cottage.  Click here!

Miss Mustard Seed is gathering Furniture Friday posts.  Click here!

My Romantic Home is home to Show And Tell Friday.  Click here!

At The Charm of Home, it's Home Sweet Home Friday.  Click here!

And it's Fertilizer Friday at Tootsie Time.  See what's still blooming, or not!  Click here!