Saturday was unseasonably warm (though still pretty cold compared to NC), so I took a ride to Mother Cabrini’s Shrine and AuSable Chasm to catch some fall colors.
north country
Temps are drifting downward
It’s 6:30 am, and it’s going to be a two pot of coffee morning. Temperatures are slowly decreasing, and it’s cool enough at night that we’ve closed a few windows throughout the house. Across the lake, snow is falling in the higher elevations.
Making a home in the North Country
If my move to New York had worked out as planned, I’d be putting my North Carolina house on the market right about now, and scheduling movers. But Jill and I seized an opportunity to buy a reno-worthy 1939 bungalow on a perfect street in the city of Plattsburgh, I sold my house in two days, and life accelerated.
The house, to put it kindly, is a project. But, it’s on a perfect street. Location, you know. And it was a bargain.
Jill and her dad worked miracles to get it ready for my arrival. By the time I touched down in P’burgh, the heating system was sorted, scary electrical problems dealt with, and some surfaces saw new paint for the first time in ages.
First major project: Refinish the hardwood floors, which had seen years of abuse and neglect. This meant living in the basement and great room for a couple of weeks, and while we navigated this with little disturbance, I do not recommend it to anyone.
But, voila!
Let’s go to an illustration of before and after. Our living room, in its post-purchase glory. Ouch.
And after paint and floor refinishing:
Next up: Replace the water line into the house. We don’t touch or even look at the galvanized pipe that’s way past its expiration date, so in a week or so we’ll have a trench across our yard, a new section of sidewalk, and shiny copper pipe that’s ready for the next few decades. Until then, fingers crossed.
People who know about this house know about the cats. That’s a story for another chapter. But until then, here’s a taste.
