This is the time of year when I take a look around and decide what needs to be done either to keep up or to improve the property.  There’s always some simple maintenance, like patching plaster and touching up paint, tightening faucets, re-caulking showers (one of my least favorite jobs), etc.  That kind of stuff is sort of a no-brainer.   Then there are things that should be replaced because they’re showing signs of wear & tear.  Some of those things I replace often, like towels.  Other things, like area rugs, need to be replaced because after ten years they’re showing signs of wear.  The house also needs new shutters, the existing ones are probably original and they’re falling apart.  These are the projects I do myself.

Then there are some larger projects with which I need help.  To that end I’ve been having what I call “The Running of the Contractors”.  It’s kind of like The Running of the Bulls, but different.  So far this year that has included a roofing contractor to replace a leaky skylight in the apartment, a masonry contractor to install a cobblestone apron at the front of the driveway (an attempt to keep the stones in the driveway) and a concrete countertop guy to look at replacing the sink counter in my kitchen.  The first two of those three projects should be done by the end of this week; I’m still waiting on the countertop estimate to make my decision on that.  I’d like to do it, but it’s not critical and I may need to spend the money elsewhere.

I still need to talk to my house painter, there’s exterior painting and power washing that need to be done and I want to see if his crew can install new shutters for me.  There’s also some landscaping work that I need to have done, parts of the brick foundation that need to be repointed and a couple of exterior carpentry jobs that can’t wait.  Oh, and it’s really all got to be done by the middle of May if not sooner.  It’s a small window of time, but with the exception of the kitchen countertop, this is all exterior work that needs to be done in reasonably good weather.

Looking at the above list, I’m well aware of how short time is.  No doubt about it, summer is coming.

Related posts:

1. Change of Season, Season of Change
2. May Already?
3. Middle of the Busy Season

Wellfleet's December blizzard

Ok, that doesn’t look so bad does it?  Nah.  But you can’t really tell from the photo just how much of the white stuff is on the ground.

This might give you a better idea:

The courtyard behind the house after the blizzard

Are ya gettin’ the idea?  The cold weather stuck around for almost a week, and so did the snow.  Temperatures did finally start to creep back up above freezing on Thursday and we had highs in the low 40’s & 50’s for three days, so it’s pretty much gone now.  It did make for a white Christmas, the first one in the ten years I’ve lived here, so that’s good.

Speaking of Christmas, I hope everyone had a good one.  A good friend invited me over to her house for Christmas dinner with family & friends, which was lovely.  I made a chocolate-orange poundcake to bring, a recipe that could use a little more tweaking but was still pretty darned good.  I also made sparkling cranberries.  Those were just on a whim, a friend had sent a link to the recipe, they looked gorgeous & easy plus I had fresh cranberries in my refrigerator.  I’ve gotta tell you, they were really good.  Here’s a picture:

Sparkling Cranberries

Can you imagine a more perfect addition to a holiday table?  The best part is they can accompany food or just be eaten as a snack.  They are kind of addictive, though, so watch out!

Guest-wise, things have been fairly quiet around here.  Thanksgiving was busy followed by a totally dead weekend, then I had a stretch of about 8 days where there were guests every night and then nothing the following weekend.  That’s not so unusual, though.  The period between the holidays is often one of the slowest of the year and I’m fine with that.  I have a few guests this week and then we’ll see what the final holiday weekend of the year brings.

Here’s wishing everyone a happy, healthy and safe New Year.  See you in 2010!

Related posts:

1. Holiday Musings
2. Solstice
3. Please Plan Ahead – a cautionary tale