Please check out my new blog: Let’s Fake the Music.
I’ll be writing and posting there exclusively from now on.
Thanks,
Jo
PS Let’s Face the Music will still be available for research.
Renovating an old house by a musical couple who want to live there the rest of their lives.
Please check out my new blog: Let’s Fake the Music.
I’ll be writing and posting there exclusively from now on.
Thanks,
Jo
PS Let’s Face the Music will still be available for research.
I’ve decided to give the new project a name: Grace Cottage.
I’ve also been looking around my house for furniture and other items that might be useful down there. Here’s the list:
Furniture from The Glade to Grace
I’m trying my best to simplify but I get some opposition. Yet I persist.
In what do you persist?
The town of Cape May is located at the very southern tip of the Jersey shore.
It is quaint and quiet.
Many of the houses there including inns and B and Bs are classic Victorian structures.
I live in a historic district in Maryland where many of the homes date from the 1880s and were built in the classic style. One of the most distinctive qualities is the colorful painted finishes.
Charlie and I enjoyed driving along Beach Avenue. We parked and got out at the beach. We took a short stroll on a very windy day.
After visiting Cape May we plan to come back for a longer stay.
Do you have a favorite vacation spot?
Charlie and I have traveled about 3 hours from home to Wildwood, New Jersey.
We’re staying at a hotel on the boardwalk a couple of blocks from the Convention Center where Charlie will be playing for a variety of events. The first party was an ice cream social.
In the meantime I am fulfilling #24 of my 101 tasks in 1001 days: Go to the beach for a long weekend.
This afternoon and tomorrow all day we’ll be free to explore so we’re also planning to visit Cape May just 5 minutes down the road.
Tomorrow is the Spring Boardwalk Classic Car Show. It should be fun.
What are you doing for Mother’s Day?
I prefer a high-arc faucet.
Charlie and I learned to appreciate them on our trip to Paris in 2011.
We have installed them in the house on every sink.
Now that we are planning to upgrade a new old house I have decided to change out all of the faucets while we have a plumber on the premises.
The 3 sinks all have old-style faucets.
I placed an order with Home Depot for 2 identical and inexpensive bathroom faucets by Delta.
I went a little more upmarket with a Moen Noell kitchen faucet because I also like a lever control in place of two handles in the kitchen.
What details are you partial to?
Next Monday I’m buying a house on which I chose not to have a contingency due to condition.
We had a comprehensive inspection and unfortunately the house is in very rough condition so I have made a “let’s get started” list.
Even before the inspection I had the electricity turned on. And the estate agent had the bank send a man to dewinterize the house including turning on the water.
Happily the electric works; the water runs and is potable.
Urgent Projects:
That should get us well on our way.
What system in your house is most important to you?
Last Saturday we dedicated our outdoor chapel area with 30 or so friends and relatives.
We were concerned that it might storm and threaten our plans but the rain held off until the middle of the night.
During the service each person was instructed to choose a plant, write a dedication, and place the plant in the spot where he or she wanted it to be planted.
Charlie was amazed at the care everyone gave to the task of honoring a person or time that is meaningful.
Since it rained all day Sunday the flowers could not be planted but today Sug got right on it and planted all of the flowers.
There were some left over which we placed in the empty spots.
Our meditation garden is set up for our private use. The flowers will provide a colorful serenity to the area and hopefully will attract our beloved hummingbirds.
Whom would you like to honor?
Let me preface this post by saying I love tiramisu.
However, I was looking for an easy dessert that featured some springtime lightness.
Into a google search I put the words: cream, strawberries, lady fingers. The result was a recipe for strawberry tiramisu.
The most difficult part of the recipe was finding the hard ladyfingers; I searched 4 grocery stores until I finally located them.
It takes no cooking or baking and has no raw eggs.
I thought the recipe was worth a try since it only needs to be assembled and can be made a day in advance.
If you’re only serving one dessert, this is THE one.
What’s your go-to dessert?
I like brisket but I’ve never made one before today.
For tomorrow’s party I cooked a 4.5 pound brisket.
First I let it come to room temperature (about an hour). I couldn’t decide whether to cook it in my large paella pan or cut it in half to braise in a Dutch oven. I decided on the Dutch oven so I wouldn’t have to fool with foil.
Then, following this recipe, I browned the meat in the oven while making the sauce.
I used fresh rosemary from my pots near the porch and chopped it in a small electric herb grinder. I used about half the herbs and spices since my piece of meat was about half size.
I replaced the wine in the sauce with bone broth because my family doesn’t like wine-flavored sauces.
The brisket cooked for 4 hours and came out nice and tender. I let it cool then put it in the refrigerator.
The sauce is delicious and very spicy. Instead of blending the sauce smooth I decided I like it chunky. Tomorrow we’ll heat up the sauce and serve the meat at room temperature.
When was the last time you cooked a piece of beef?
A couple of weeks ago Charlie had to take down a dogwood tree in the front yard.
While it flowered this spring it has not leafed out as the others have done so we decided it must be replaced.
I asked Charlie to move a young dogwood from a spot near the street into the now empty spot.
The hole was a couple feet deeper into the yard so it wouldn’t interfere with overhead electric wires as it grows taller.
Charlie planted it and watered it very well but it became droopy.
Dogwoods are a little finicky but can be transplanted if well cared for.
Do you rearrange plants in your yard?