Yes, I disappeared for a while. It's difficult for me to exercise emotional intelligence when too much is happening at once. So, I just back off rather than let my emotions get the best of me. My dear friend that I have known since kindergarten lost her husband a few days ago. With great sadness, I turned to my sketch pad to gently put onto paper, the emotions of the loss we all feel. "Life Is A Beautiful Mess" My heart is with you Tracy. Mi Miguel and I will both miss Harry so very much. Rest in peace my friend.
The emotion of physical pain has not escaped me this past week either. I've been nursing this horrid bruise all week. I had to show it because it's something you'd see on Ellen's talk show. You can see an alien from one perspective and from a different a little girl gasping. I rarely ever bruise but this one is a dandy.
Our dear friends own a sailboat. I have a tremendous amount of fear with water. I just learned to swim a few years ago, which is remarkable given my age. Getting over this rope line was easy for our friends and for Mi Miguel. But for me, it took an immense amount of courage.
Of course to add insult to injury, it rained. Mi Miguel can weather most any storm as long as it doesn't involve spiders. I on the other hand, was pretty sure the boat would tip over with even the slightest bit of wind.
I did make it onto the boat. We ate a picnic lunch and never moved the boat away from the dock. Maybe soon I can let go of this fear and allow our friend to lift the anchor and set sail. For now, just getting on board was huge for me. This emotion called fear can be so crippling.
Finding comfort in keeping busy I chose to continue painting the house to keep from thinking about everything. The house was so peach and pumpkin orange that my eyes just couldn't see the orange/red in this door when I so decisively chose it and even convinced Mi Miguel that this is the one. I truly did love the copper color at first.
However, while scouring over paint chips at our local hardware store. I discovered this beautiful caramel color. Mi Miguel and I bought a gallon. I painted a strip on the garage door.
Another strip was needed for me to get the full effect of the color with the stone.
With just one coat on two strips, I love it so far.
In comparison, this color is much better than the copper. Which means of course...
I need to paint the front door this lovely shade of caramel. After taking this photo, I've gotten started on the front door. But the unseasonably hot and humid day kept me from getting the job done. I've ran my patient husband through the whole gamut of emotions while trying to select just the right color for the exterior of our fixer upper.
With all these colors swirling through my mind, I had to divert my attention to the living room decor. For about five years I've had two "never used" windows with mirrors rather than glass still wearing the store cardboard on their corners. The beach cottage/coastal living look that we are trying to achieve could easily accept the look of the window mirrors. How to make them work became the big dilemma.
The 80's furniture that we acquired from the previous owner is so comfortable and too cool for a slipcover. With a little bit of paint and...
a few old prints of my beloved poppies, I managed to work the decor to flow with the furniture. There is something about decorating a home that brings out the emotion of joy in me. Joy is that feeling of smiling on the inside.
Birds, well they make me smile too. Every single species that I come across lifts the corners of my mouth. I'm sure the natives see the ibis as a Midwesterner would see a starling. They are everywhere and probably easy to overlook. But not for me. Nope, I come to a complete stop every time I see one. After a whole year, I'm still amazed that they can jab that curved bill/beak so far into the ground and recover whatever it is they are looking to eat.
While working on my mirrors I felt something mysterious staring at me. It brought out the creepy emotions one gets when you feel something is looming in the background. You can't see it but you know it's there. Enlarge the photo and see if you can find the little green eyed peeper in the leaves.
After such an emotional roller coaster this week, Mi Miguel and I woke up to find that Hermes had passed away.
Life is a struggle. Life has it's utter joy in the beauty of birth but such sadness in death. Somehow with our emotions in tow we manage to carry on no matter how much life seems to resist us, especially in our darkest hour.
With much inner strength we continue to push through those difficult times and insist on moving forward. We are able to carry on, somehow. Somehow.
Mi Miguel and I wish everyone a safe and happy St. Patrick's Day.
March's Fascinating Person will be posted on Monday. Check out my blog on March 21, 2016 and see what makes this caring person so fascinating.
You can easily view all my blog entries by title on Facebook by searching Florida Warmth and Water Blog
We will be doing our N restaurant next on our list of alphabetical restaurants. You can check out the letters A through M on Facebook by searching Florida restaurants A-Z
With the seawall construction behind us, we have a lot of work ahead of us. The new seawall is just the beginning of giving the house and back yard a whole new look. The peach paint is slowly disappearing.
Even though we are working outside, I keep making changes to the decor inside. A few months ago we got an exceptionally good deal on this sofa sleeper and matching loveseat.
The blue doesn't match our decor but I had plans to slipcover whatever furniture we bought anyway. This is the couch with the slipcover. Now to find one for the 80's chair you see in the photo. We also need a loveseat slipcover and another sofa slipcover.
We have full sun coming through the shades this morning. But you can see the route we're going with the living room. Soft colors, relaxing furniture and a comfortable ambiance is the theme here.
Mi Miguel and I got up bright and early Saturday morning. While he fixed the water softener, I worked on the game plan for the pergola/patio area for the backyard.
We ran to Lowes to pick up a new door handle for the front entry door and a few other must haves. The original doorknob was still on the entry door. The new one gives it an updated and brand new look.
We then knocked out the painting on the back of the house. This is the Florida room all peachy.
This is the Florida room becoming a soft green. The soffit and gutters are finished now too. The row of windows on the Florida room aren't that attractive right now. But we have big plans for those too.
This palm had a stalk growing about 6' along the ground with many roots shooting out. In order to paint we had to clear the overgrowth from the house. We spent a portion of the morning clearing this unusual (to me) palm tree.
When we cut a root or branch or frond, it looked like an average blonde limb.
When a few minutes passed, the severed area on the trunk and the limb started turning a bright red.
This the trunk up close. Notice the flower shape in the center.
I've never seen anything do this when it's been severed.
The front archway area is looking a lot cleaner, but we still had a ways to go.
Now with the root system and palm gone along with the rest of the overgrowth, it looks a lot bigger and less messier.
We are working our way around to the garage. This is the L shape still peach.
After a few hours, the L shape and garage are painted and above the garage door is painted now too.
This side of the house is also painted. We should have waited to do the side though. Doing more painting took us from being tired to being exhausted and sunburned.
While Mi Miguel painted above the garage door, I sketched out a patio area for the wider archway area. If I haven't mentioned it yet, yes, we are keeping both archways. Now that they are cleaned and matching the house better, we have grown to love the arches.
After Mi Miguel paints the stucco, I'll be painting the garage door cream. It will be the same as the vestibule and shutters.
While we were taking a break, I couldn't help but get a few photos of Mi Miguel's betta. He was very active and showing off his handsomeness.
The reds, blues and teal colors are magnificent in the sunlight.
I caught him just as he was flipping his fins and tail around. the swirl effect is beautiful.
We have three sides done and one more to go!
A full day of house painting left both us worn out and hungry for real food. With paint covered hands, we made a mad dash to the grocery store for rib eye steaks and all the fixings. While Mi Miguel relaxed, I made him an amazing dinner that gave us back all the nutrients we lost over the weekend.
Work Hard Stay Humble. Okay, we got that. We're sore and tired but we are definitely humble.
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Bright and early yesterday morning, dirt was delivered to our house. Photo was taken through my tinted car windshield that's why the sky is such a deep blue.
The boards have all been removed from the wall.
This is what our back yard looks like now. Our lawn is now five feet deeper without the boardwalk.
Sod will be brought in today to complete the job.
The fearless crew works from this raft. No fear of alligators here.
This is so much more attractive than the boardwalk and dock.
The boardwalk had seen better days and had a lot of safety issues.
The corners are securing the back yard and should keep it contained. Before the reconstruction our back yard was eroding into the canal.
Once the sod is placed, we can start working on our patio and pergola.
If all goes as planned there will be a boat docked at the new seawall. This is the old dock that has been removed. The above photo is before.
This is the exact same spot where the old dock photo was taken. The old seawall, boardwalk and dock withstood the test of time for over thirty years. The new one should withstand just as many years.
The seawall crew has put the sod down and this job is complete.
Now to get busy on that pergola so the rest of the yard will look nice.
The view of the entire seawall. We are pleased with it.
