Spring Rising

It's the day before Easter and due to be the most gorgeous day of the week. J is still in bed and I am finishing up my first bowl-sized cup of tea for the morning. We are continuing our Easter tradition of fasting from sun up today until sun up tomorrow when we will celebrate the risen Christ and the true meaning of breakfast in ways that IHOP cannot imagine. I suppose telling folks about our new tradition is technically a scriptural no-no, but I am frequently torn because I would love to invite others to join us. Last year we fasted with D and April and D's friend Jamie and the feeling of solidarity and shared meaning was lovely in my mind. I enjoyed the thought that we were all experiencing the day together and yet in our own unique ways--a mini God analogy right there. And since, between J's evangelical background and my amalgamation of Catholicism and hippie-like Spiritualism we are technically in a multi-religious relationship, forming new traditions has become an important bonding/coping mechanism. I threw coping in there because I am the nostalgic one that still craves my annual fix of incense and palm fronds.

Alas.

All that being said, staying busy today is the name of the game and it's a perfect day for playing in the garden. I'd like to hunt down some pink camellias having satisfied myself that the camellias in the college boys' yard didn't die after the past year's drought and confirmed neglect. J did start a rain barrel project which I am excited about, but I plan on using that for my vegetable garden and continuing with my personal conviction not to water landscaping. Right now that works perfectly because we have no landscaping to speak of. Our master plan goes as far as camellias.

Speaking of a master plan, J and I attended the home expo a few weeks back and managed to win $1000 in free flooring from (insert shameless plug here). Who knew something as fun as flooring could be such a disaster to agree upon? What will add resale value, feel good, be sustainable, add warmth, eliminate cleaning, fit our budget, and match anything we decide to do in the future? Considering it is a wonder that I can even coordinate enough to dress myself in the morning (Can I hear an "Amen!" for 12 years of school uniforms?), I'm not sure how to satisfy all of the issues that need to be considered in this suddenly earth-shaking decision. At the root of it J and I are yuppie snobs with a miniature budget who shudder at the thought of laminate but can't afford bamboo. The worst kind, really. Right now it looks like Colonel Mustard in the kitchen with chocolate grout, and sand colored tile. I'm sure we'll keep you posted with all the scintillating details.

In the meantime, there is a bluebird couple expressing interest in the available real estate recently installed in our front yard. From the sound of their conversation I think he likes the fact that the roof is new, but she is unsure about the neighborhood. Perhaps some bright annuals and a few pink camellias will change her mind. I'm off to the greenhouse.

Steward of a House

I spent this afternoon mostly on my roof. Not because it's got a nice view of our surrounding neighbors backyards, which it does...but because I finally deemed it time to fix the shingles. It's an old house with a not sooo old roof, but I suppose it's old enough. You can watch some of the shingles flutter up when the wind gusts hard enough out of the west. Some of them you can't, because they're not there anymore hence today's home stewardship endeavor. I'm not entirely familiar with roofing, but I've seen some of the people who make a living at it and figured I could easily pick it up in a day thanks to google, and Home Depot. So aside from enjoying the passing clouds and occasional rooftop warmth when the sun peeked through...with aching ankles and knees...

















I replaced some weathered, worn and tattered pieces of shingles with new, solid, dependable ones. Now when I picked them out I knew they weren't the color of my roof...
...but my roof no longer looks as it did when it was brand new. They did not however look like the spots that had recently been patched right before purchasing the house, which could have been the original color. I had brought Jada along for the Home Depot trip which though I love and respect her opinions, I sometimes find more humor and/or frustration in them than seriousness. So when she said go with the Weathered Gray I thought "yeah that's great it'll look just like our old gray weathered roof does now after years of southern climatic forces..."

So up I went with 50 pounds of shingles on my shoulder, a hammer, some roofing nails and a chisel (I don't apparently own a pry bar). It's a pretty easy process really for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of grating their knuckles like mozzarella, scratching fiberglass splinters in between their fingers all day, and cleaning asphalt out from under your fingernails. You gently lift the shingles, pry up eight nails, remove the old, clean out the debris, replace with the new, and renail the eight nails. After my first patch I stood up carefully, inspected my handiwork, and like all good artists, began critiquing my work as well as the new color scheme I had unleashed on my roof.

Now I've always been a fan of plaid...


but something here just didn't seem right...I guess I just never thought of it as a style for my roof.

I'm still not convinced about the resale value as far as the house goes, but as long as it's still under my care, I will love it and care for it and repair damaged shingles with weathered gray ones until I run out. After that maybe I'll go pick out another color to add further to the shingle vomit that will cover my house in an effort to prevent replacing the whole thing. You could say I have a 20 year old, 2 year old, 1 day old roof...kinda like that Johnny Cash song about his car...

...at least I won't get water damage...right?

Ohio: The heart of my all

I can't claim the Derita family as blood, but since we've shared so much over the years neither can I deny how much my family loves them. Photography wunderkind Stephanie Derita was always a fun, smart, and beautiful little girl so it comes as no surprise that she is now a talented, gorgeous woman with an eye for the story behind the picture. The following are a few pictures she shot while visiting my family home in Ohio in the summer of 2007. I appreciate how she captured the corners of the place that make it dear to me and how each picture is both interesting in its appearance and weighty with story. Keep it up, Steph!

A journal Jason made (and signed) for my dad...



The type of thoughts you'll find on my parents' kitchen window sill...

















good food...










My godparents: Chip and Felicia



















Home, sweet home...