The Cabin that Moxie Built: 2009

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Look ma, no water wings

Foxtrot, the dog from Jersey that was reportedly a boxer (not), went for a swim yesterday in the pond. Well, perhaps a dip is a better description. He saw something, stopped to look and then just lept. Ended up in the pond where he, thankfully, was not bitten by the snapper that lives there. He did come back when I called him (good dog) since he is one intense dog when he is chasing something. He now smells good - we had to give him a bath outdoors. What a terrific start to the day!

A cool treat

Because mice were sharing our home with us during the early part of our stay, much of our food had to be frozen. What we found is that Nutri-Grain bars (the ones in the purple box) are delectable frozen. Give 'em a try that way. You won't be disappointed.

Moxie is his name-o

So yes, we have decided to keep the cat. We've named him Moxie in the tradition of naming our cats from whence they come. Sago, the cat still in Maryland because we couldn't catch her to bring her with us for the summer, is named after the mine where Dave found her. And since the cabin is Moxie, well, the cat is named Moxie. Talcott just didn't work.

Moxie went to the vet yesterday, got his shots, etc. Oh, and yes, it's a HE! He was none to happy about the ride to the vet, especially the trip down the right-of-way to the road. Heck, I didn't care for the ride either! Moxie is fine and heads back to our great vet on September 2 to be fixed -- but shhhh. We've not told him.

Cell service to improve!

Woo hoo! A recent story in The Register-Herald reports that Verizon Wireless service should be getting better soon in Summers County. This is terrific news.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

The little kitty that could

So you may have heard we have been adopted by a kitten. Not sure if boy or girl; really, who cares it is so cute! But man does it meow; but over the past couple of days, it is meowing less and sounding less anxious. We are taking it to the vet next week for checkup and shots. Very lovable, loves our dogs (too much) and thus we are looking for a home for it. If you are interested in adopting it, let me know.

The concrete pad

This is the new concrete pad, soon to be used when Dave is lifting and using his Shopsmith (not at the same time). I actually helped. Truly! I fetched water and helped mix the concrete. We used leftover Silestone (we got dumpster diving) for the filler. And I broke it up into smaller pieces with the sledgehammer!

More Grand WC pics

Here are more pics of the decorated bath.

Top picture: The vanity, French mirror, toilet paper man, and some decorations. Middle picture: One of the switch plates my dad spray painted. Bottom picture: A close-up of the vanity. The sink is a copper bird bath. The spicket is a copper watering can. The water is turned on/off by cool doorknobs from Anthropologie. And of course, more mosaic!!!

We love WV Public Radio!

With no television reception even before the digital conversion, we rely heavily on WV Public Radio for news and entertainment. Sure, I miss WAMU and all of its local and national programming, but it's nice to hear stories about our future home.

Friday, July 24, 2009

This lovely place

You cannot imagine how beautiful this place is. These don't come close, but it's as good as we get. . . Both are views from the porch. The top pic is looking up out of the bowl we sit in. The second is the pond in the early morning fog.

The Grand WC

So you've seen the under construction pictures. Here are photos of the bathroom done (well, mostly done; some sewing still to do).

Top picture: Dresser from CL or Freecycle with Dave-and-Susie-mosaiced top, lamp that was in the Hyattsville house when I bought it, and a tapestry I got for free on CL. Middle picture: A bit of the new floor, toilet paper man, and the dresser/vanity we mosaiced. Dave used a copper bird bath for the sink. Close-ups at a later date. Bottom pic: The Vegas tub, pictures from my father's aunt and uncle (presumably from travels to Europe), and more mosaic work.

An adventure!

Well, we finally made it to the dump. Quite the adventure. Not really, but we did manage to get rid of the stuff on and under the porch. Now we can walk the length of the porch!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Frogs make a sound when they are being eaten

Yes, they do, Dave heard it. Different from the regular frog sound, he says. I would imagine! We think one of the turtles got it. And apparently we have a number of turtles - the big one and a few smaller ones. Exciting, huh?

We found the dump!

Yup, the dump is a big deal. Means we don't have to bring all our trash (and we have lots of it) back to MD. Why so much, you ask? Well, remember we are renovating the cabin. So we have carpet and carpet pad, little pieces of drywall, regular trash (that can't be burned). . . .

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Bathroom under construction

No pictures here of old bathroom but take my word that it was ugly and icky and had to go. In its place we designed (not really, but it sounds good) an over the top water closet fit for us!

Dave and my father did all the work. Except for some minor stuff removal (vanity, medicine cabinet), the men in my life did all the work. The tub is from Vegas (a great find on Ebay), the walls done in venetian plaster (Doug's work on Trading Spaces fascinated Dave), and the the flooring is this fake wood stuff from Home Depot -- way better than Pergo, I think. Will post the brand and a close-up later.

Water = good

You may know that when Dave and I were out here in January, we ran out of water. More accurately, there was still water, but it was not running into the cistern. Thank goodness it was winter or else there would have been no getting near us! No water for four days!

Dave dug out the cistern and alas no water. Then he started to dig up the pipe from the spring to the cistern. Lots and lots of mud. The next steps required pros so I found a great plumbing company (the key is they called us back -- later we determined they rock!) to help us out. Two guys came out and spent half the day digging with Dave, snaked the pipe and cleaned it out. Hooray! Water!

The cistern filled up and while Dave and I agreed to wait to bathe, I needed a soak. The water was so muddy that I couldn't see my feet even though they were near the surface. Who cares? Hot water! As time went on, the water got less murky until I could see my toes!

The top picture: This is where water comes out from the spring. Through the screen (the black thing with the green at the top). The bottom picture is the cistern with the lid off (the pond is in the background).

Master bedroom door color

So we chose a light orange for the door. NOT pastel, however -- ugh. Before I can paint, the door, though, I have to strip it. Soon. Then will post pics.

Did you know?

Summers County has one traffic light. In the whole, entire county.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Freecycle and CL help furnish the cabin that moxie built!

Free is good. Particularly when we have to buy building supplies. A taste of what we have gotten for free or very little money on CL:

Dresser in bathroom, free -- holds typical bathroom stuff
French mirror in bathroom, we paid for this but such a deal!
THIS END UP coffee table and chair in living room, free
Two storage shelving/drawer units in living room, free
New oak flooring, free -- for loft flooring
A gazillion (seriously) video tapes of all genre of movies
Futon and tv with VCR, inexpensive from CL
Hoosier, $200 but such a deal and Dave cleaned it up quite well!
Rustic shelving unit in kitchen, free

And then there is all the stuff we have inherited from family:

Antique sideboard from Mimi, my grandmother
Twin beds from my parents; they were my dads when he was a kid
To be picked up metal double bed from Nana, my other grandmother
Vanity in bathroom, from my mother, was my changing table when I was a wee baby
Various side tables, mirrors and other things from Mimi, Auntie Kay, my parents, and my in-laws

And then, of course, stuff Dave and I have accumulated:

Table and benches Dave made years ago
Dresser that was in the MD house when I bought it
Table and chairs that were in the MD house when I bought it
Washer and dryer that were in the MD house when I bought it

Friday, July 10, 2009

The loft during renovation

Some of the "during" loft pictures.

Loft work

Here is what we are doing in the loft: Fixing framing and drywalling the whole thing, putting a new floor in including a sub-floor, installing new windows, moving the ceiling fan box and adding two ceiling fixture boxes. Think that's it. Oh, and painting the railing and steps, which of course I started and have to finish once Dave is done.

Did you know? Windows let light in and keep bugs out!

Yes, it's true. They do. Really! Here are some pics of the new and old windows. Thanks, Dad and Mom, for pitching in with the windows. But a word to the wise. We bought Pella replacement windows, thinking they were fab. But we stripped the screws and much drama ensued. So stay away from Pella!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Suggestions for the master door color?

Usually, color comes to me. Not so now. What I know is going on:

Off white, light yellowy beige: The walls and a stuffed chair (thanks mom and dad!)
Brown wood (medium and dark): Dresser, blanket chest, bed, wood floor
Pastel blue and green: The bedding from MIL is light blue (I think) and there will be a light, pastel green Oriental rug on the floor. Oh, and I am making some kind of window treatment out of a beautiful tablecloth -- light aqua with thin gold stripes.
Metal: A *fabulous* chandelier in the brass/gold family and to-be-made silverware bedside lights

Any suggestions about the color for the door? Clearly, the gray has to go.

Dave loves Susie

Dave visits more often than do I. Actually, he keeps me away sometimes so he can get more work done. I know, I know. If you know me well you are wondering why that could possibly be!

Anyway, in a trip down before our summer 2009 trip, Dave finished the wood work and chinking in the master bedroom. While all is very cool, the door frame was made with love!

Honey, we're not in PG anymore!

Things could not be more different between Summers County, WV and Prince George's County, MD. Some facts about Summers County from Wikipedia:

As of 2000, the population was 12,999
The county seat is Hinton
The county was created by an act of the West Virginia General Assembly on February 27, 1871 and named in honor of George W. Summers (1804-1868)
The county is comprised of 368 square miles of which, 361 square miles is land and 7 square miles, water
12,999 people, 5,530 households, and 3,754 families residing in the county (2000 Census)
Household median income was $21,147, and the median income for a family was $27,251 (2000 Census)
20% of families were below the poverty line (2000 Census)
Out of the total population, 34.30% of those under the age of 18 were living below the poverty line (2000 Census)

Monday, July 6, 2009

Mmmmmmm - Mountain Jambalaya

One of Dave's new favorites is Mountain Jambalaya. I combined a number of recipes to come up with this one! It makes a bunch so I freeze it in freezer bags. I put enough for one meal (for the two of us) in each bag and shazam! Thaw it out, make some rice and there ya go.