NOMAD DREAMING

A brave flare of vagrant purple daisy marks spring at the #6thavenueshala. #spring #6thAvenueshala #voodoodollhouse #flowers

First shrub leafing and budding early March at #6thavenueshala. A tentative id puts this as Lonicera tartarea . Honeysuckle family. Unfortunately not strongly scented but definitely beloved by bees. #spring #flowers #6thAvenue #voodoodollhouse #honeysuckle #loniceratartarea #garden

Arrived this weekend to find holes opened up in floor of kitchen and another room, piles of debris, the old gas furnace and humongous hot water heater tank gone, (yay!) the lantana all excavated on west side. The sewer lines need replacing before we satisfy code for plumbing. Apparently. I await the quote. The good news is that a shiny, new, on-demand water heater is now installed. Not connected, because no electricity. Yet. Debris piles. Uh huh. I expected this when I took o

First reroofing project done. This new metal roof over the gabled sections has a guarantee on materials longer than my life expectancy. Getting the building permits to do the reroofing was a heroic challenge. Now I wait for plumbing and electrical contractors to bring water and electricity up to code. Another round of permit gathering and inspecting. #voodoodollhouse #6thavenueshala #voodoodollhouse #sixthAvenueshala #renovation

The roofing materials arrived last week. Metal which has a guarantee longer than my life expectancy at this stage. I picked the pale desert sandstone colour to be cooler/not absorb the sun’s radiance so much. It looked darker in the brochure. Seems white in these pictures. Waiting now on permitting bureaucracy before a a new roof will go on the gabled portions of #6thavenueshala #voodoodollhouse #renovatio #6thAvenueshala #voodoodollhouse

On Saturday I replanted the mailbox in bright desert winter sunlight. The post is reinforced with recycled wood from the little adobe casita porch project and recycled nails from the voodoo doll house renovation. Shhhh don’t tell Mother that I used nails in wood. She taught high school woodworking in the early 1950s, in a town known then as Eshowe. Dovetail or dowel joints would be what she would want to see me craft. #voodoodollhouse #6thavenueshala #renovation #6thavenuesha

Took down a ratty old blind from the kitchen window. In the process, removed this many nails, screws and piercing devices. Voodoo doll house, I rest my case. So full of piercings it should be in the Guinness Book of Records. #6thavenueshala #renovation #6thAvenue #TorC #voodoodollhouse

it is still Day 1 of 6th Avenue rehabilitation and after the nails, the screws. 54 of them plus plugs. Much wrist exercise. Took down 9 shelves from the passage between bedrooms/bathroom. The old house is breathing into her open space again. More wall repair. #6thavenueshala #TorC #6thAvenue #renovation #voodoodollhouse

Day 1 of 6th Avenue shala rehabilitation: taking nails out of interior walls. More than 33 in the front south bedroom, half that in the back east bedroom. Seems a previous inhabitant made a voodoo doll of the house. Ah well, the nail pockmarked walls tell stories of past pink painted glory. Spackle is in my future. #6thavenueshala #TorC #6thAvenue #renovation #voodoodollhouse