A moment to reflect....

 

Saturday evening...

rescue, repair, retreat…..

Last weekend I lifted my nose from the grindstone just long enough to see that the 

Wildlife Rescue Center at the end of my street was 

hosting an 'open house'.

Sensing this was a rare opportunity (and it was, as this is a yearly event) I drove straight ahead, instead of turning onto my lane……

And my reward was…..

meeting Mister

Barn Owl

and

the largest of it's species,

this Ferruginous Hawk

 Mr. Horned Owl

a Peregrine Falcon

Red-tailed Hawk

Burrowing Owl,

a group of terrifically knowledgable and dedicated volunteers,

and an amazingly talented teenager…

who gave me permission to photograph her sketchbook.

Leaving this place left me feeling uplifted

 and filled with 

Joy

and somehow lighter, richer and secure

in knowing there are much more important things going on in this world

 than my little project

road trip….

While I'm in the company of the 'newly retired' it seems our new J-O-B is keeping fit.

And since the temps in Albuquerque have been warmish during the day, our daily fitness regime includes bike rides along the ditch…

and although I'm not a huge fan of Scottsdale, Arizona (sorry to offend the locals),

too much concrete, visible water waste and green in the desert…

I have a hard time saying 'no' to a road trip…

so at the end of the week we'll be heading in that direction…

intending to find what feeds our spirit…

perhaps a hike (or two), some music…good food, art, and even warmer temps will be at the other end.

Tucson, AZ and Silver City, NM are also on the loop….

It will be nice to breath a different air and shake off the dust of renovation for a bit. 

Feeling Blessed for the Opportunity.

Whoopsie…….

As I proceeded with what I thought was
caution and surgical removal
of the very large tree roots in the hole I'd dug,

filled with pride and determination

……I couldn't wait to plant the little tree

and worked into darkness…..

to do just that.

The next morning I received a knock at my door.

"Hello" 

said the polite 'Cable Guy'……

"I was wondering"….

"have you been doing any digging lately?"

Oops….

'Cable Guy' 

looking for the cable I cut

while digging out tree roots.

(I can only imagine what my neighbors were thinking as they looked forward to watching the Grammy's or Downton Abby….)

now with that fixed…

it's on to the next task...

Stumped again….

Since our next few days will flirt with the 70's I'm trying to get a jump on spring.

(although this weather is appreciated, we all know it's not a good thing for plants to come out of dormancy while another cold snap sneaks in…..)

As I have boxes to tick before I can finally get to finishing out my studio,

 I bought this little tree…

Crataegus crus-galli

(Cockspur Hawthorne)

thinking I'd quickly slip her into the ground so I can get to work on the rest of the yard…

and as I dug…..

I discovered…

I wasn't the only one who thought this corner of the yard was a good place for a tree. 

Now I'm….

Stumped.

Satisfied….

From the moment my head hit the pillow last night I was determined to take a walk today.

With all the buzz about snow in the northeast, I know I was to be blessed with another beautiful day today here in Albuquerque. It isn't always like this, but today it hit 64 degrees F.  

So, with my tasks completed to my satisfaction, I set out on what turned out to be a VERY long and lazy walk to the river. 

'The Rio Grande'

On the way,  I was happy to locate a labyrinth I'd been introduced to during the solstice.

Built by women artists after a huge fire engulfed the bosque many years ago, it's still cared for and used by many. 

I was alone. Set my intention, and spent some quiet time there with the hum of Coors Boulevard whispering from the other side of the ridge.

I had stopped by the nature center headquarters before heading down here on my walk and thought how fortunate we are that there are a passionate and dedicated group of people who protect and preserve this land and it's creatures.

perhaps sometimes,

from it's self.

The beginning of this year has been very busy for me as usual. And in addition to grappling for new health insurance (don't get me started), and applying for Social Security Benefits (yikes!) I engaged in an Ayurvedic cleanse called a Panchakarma which left me listless and 10 pounds lighter.

Now I'm sort of back to myself and forging ahead (amidst a major financial adjustment) to fulfill my commitment to COMPLETE my renovation project.

In the mean time, during the days that didn't allow me to focus on that, 

I completed 

THESE!

So yes. Today I'm very...

SATISFIED.

I can't tell you...

how many times I've started a post that has not come to fruition this past year.

It's been truly frustrating, as I've had some wonderful adventures, but this particular project has

overwhelmed me...

and

I'm forging ahead with this post….also started many times

Before I get swept away again.

A year has passed since I bought this homely* townhouse

*(most houses are little brown boxes in Albuquerque and this one is no exception)

and embarked upon a top to bottom renovation that involved much more work than I bargained for.

As this little house seemed OK for my purpose,

(small, easy to care for, in a safe, quiet neighborhood, and near my tree….)

my eye went to every crack, dirty nick and bit of dust that bore witness to the last 22 years of tenants

and their (hideous to me) paint colors hidden under crusty switch plates ….

So I set out to change out every part of this house that brought me any measure of unease

and that meant among other things

turning a bedroom closet door around

 so it swung into the room instead of into the closet

and

changing other closet doors

so they became double 'swing into the room' doors

instead of the heavy sliding doors they were.

I tore out the old built in closet systems and replaced them with

new ones

(using the 'not so' easyclosets.com system)

I had a new glass door installed to replace a solid door in my little attached garage to let in light and changed out the garage door for a new insulated model.  With the help of my wonderful retired electrician (Ray) we installed a garage heater and a string of new outlets in addition to moving the ceiling fan from the living room to the garage.
All that in anticipation of turning the garage into a studio.
(pics to come as that project moves forward.)

I changed out every hinge and door latch

 on every door from painted over brass hinges to

 new 'aged bronze' models

and with Ray's help, we changed out all of the electrical outlets and switches and old cheap builder's grade mismatched light fixtures to new ones.
We also recreated a new lighting system for the kitchen and added outlets where there were none.

I re-worked the cabinets in the bathroom with stain, and some in the laundry area with paint and painted the entire house inside and out walls and molding and doors.
(Suddenly Angels appeared to paint the outside….otherwise that would not have happened!)

 I took down the existing upper cabinets in the kitchen (and light fixtures!)

(note the only light in the kitchen is the fluorescent  fixture hanging from the ceiling)

had the upper cabinets replaced with new (stock unfinished) ones that reached higher to the ceiling

(Thank you Jeff for your expert installation.) 

and I painted all of them and the existing cabinets and doors.

Of course I'm sparing you of the interim photos!

before
after

OK, no I'm not. 

This was an amazingly difficult job, due to the many issues that cropped up due to the various conditions of the cabinets to be painted.

 I also added cabinets to the two bathrooms and finished them with stain and paint.

Of course they all got

New Knobs!
(and hinges and glides)

AND

 I figured out how to install under cabinet lighting in the kitchen with new fangled LED lighting.

Then as I realized I still did not have enough storage, I bought some
inexpensive oak cabinets on line

 and refinished them

then had them installed……

with a configuration like this in mind….

(and not the $2,100 price tag Home Depot quoted me!)

Next I had the existing powder room sink cabinet refinished because I ran out of steam.

And most recently, I decided to replace the front storm door and when I took the old one down,

I realized the paint was peeling from the door frame……

and had to remove that with a heat gun and prime and paint it….and while I was there I repaired,

primed and painted the porch ceiling.

I installed a new front door lockset and house numbers...

Oh, and I always forget, I had all the windows replaced with new ones.

and replaced most of the window blinds

with new ones...

and then there was that new swamp cooler I got because pigeons were nesting in the old one.

and that list goes on and on…..

I have more to do of course, a patio and block wall, new landscaping….and want to spiff up the studio/garage floor, install the vanity countertop, and have a new railing made for the stairway….

but right now

I'm busy moving my studio again….

and unpacking boxes I've had in storage for three years

aaarrrrrruuuuuuuggggghhhhhhhhh……

How many times can I do that?

yes….

I can't tell you

how many times…

but the one thing I want to say throughout this renovation, that I did it pretty much myself….

for reasons of thrift and convenience

and

because most times calling in help does not satisfy when one knows one can do the work

at least as well and many times better

than the 'guys' she's been conditioned to rely on…

Yes, the one thing I wanted to say, was that I never really felt like I 'knew' what I was doing

or up against

until I got into it.

Like flipping the door around.

I was sure the $50 an hour handyman 'guy' I consulted could grasp that concept and all he did was complain & say how much simpler it would be to buy a new door in a frame (and discard the old perfectly good one!?)

So what happened throughout this renovation, was that I put my face into each project, took one step at a time, weighed my options, did the research, drew on my past experience, complained a bit,

coveted my tools,

and my support system

and trusted

that

I could do this.

And when all else failed, some miracle happened, and I lost track of all time and space, and was guided to the finish.

There were times I was sure I couldn't complete a task……and suddenly the solution appeared….my brain functioned, or a heavy cabinet became not so heavy.

 I feel so blessed to have had the time, the means and the opportunity to carve out this little space for myself and thank those parts of me that kept the faith that we (my guides and me)
could make this work.

Same little brown box
a work in progress.

Honey Moon...

Oasis...

I have found an oasis in the city...

A place near where I live and can bike to...

And sit...

And read...

And feel grounded 

and 

close to nature

I'm grateful for my bike, my perseverance, the city of Albuquerque, 

the volunteers at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, the state of New Mexico

and Antoine Predock for designing this 

portal...