Our Dining Room

Before

In this first photo our Dining Room is how it looked when I purchased the home.  Among other things, the drop ceiling, florescent light fixture and outdated wallpaper had to go.

Dark Dining Room - the way I purchased it. Drop Ceiling, Old Wall Paper, Florescent Light Fixture over the table. 

During

In this photo you get an idea of what it took simply to remove what was there.  After the drop ceiling was removed the holes and cracks in the ceiling needed to be repaired.  Once the florescent light fixture was taken down, a professional electrician installed a new chandelier (removing the knob & tube electric in the process).  And once the wallpaper was stripped away, a new skim-coat of joint compound had to be put up, sanded and primed.

Demolished Dining Room - taking down the drop ceiling, light fixture and pulling off the old wall paper.

After

DONE! In this photo you see the results of my backbreaking work.  The ceiling is not yet finished, however, as there are a few places where I’m not yet satisfied with which need to be sanded and scraped and then painted. But, as you can see, my Dining Room has come a long way.

Finished Dining Room - curtains and all.  A few little spots here and there that I'm not 100% satisfied with but there will be time to deal with those later.

Bright and Warm Dining Room - VERY INVITING.

(And, yes, that is an open bottle of champagne on the edge of the table. After doing all the work myself, I certainly deserved.)

Lastly, I wanted to give you the names of the Behr colors I used (thanks to their fantastic website that allows you to put colors together - it's practically fool proof). The orange on the walls is called Caramelized Orange 250D-7 and the cream (which is a PERFECT CREAM if ever there was one) is called Vanilla Custard W-D-220. I highly recommend these warm tones.

FANTASTIC POTATOES!!! in FORTH OF JULY COLORS (almost)

Yesterday Morning it was a bit cool out (high 70's) so I decided to clean up my vegetable garden before the sun's heat set in (ended up reaching mid 90's).  

While cultivating with my glove-less fingers around my potato plants I struck gold. Well, gold in the form of Red, White and Purple Potatoes!  I was able to harvest enough to give some to friends. 

Red, White & Purple Potatoes (with a few pink ones and some lovely carrots)

Happy Independence Day to all. 

Millerton Gardening

Flowers

Some of my favorite flowers are the ones I grew up with like snap dragons, lupine, gaillardia, dahlias and foxglove.

In Southern California (the land of perfect weather) oddly enough, snap dragons are grown as annuals. This red beauty is not only a “volunteer” from my neighbor’s garden, but it wintered beautifully and now it’s doubled in size and the flowers are stunning.

Lavender lupine, purple heliotrope, nasturtium and stocks make a  great focal point.

Gaillardia.

This is the second year for my lovely lupine and gaillardia and now they are blooming profusely.  I have also planted dahlias, which must be removed and stored away in the winter.  The smaller variety works great in hanging baskets.

Yellow dahlia with lavender lobelia and red and green coleus. 

Pink dahlia with dark pink and white petunias.

My Vegetable Garden

How does your garden grow?

My brothers in California have very nice vegetable gardens but suffer from critters, like the notorious gopher, pests and dry warm weather in the inland areas or damp over-cast weather (causing mildew among other thing) which can damage crops.  And while Millerton might not have as long as growing season as Southern California, it has a strong one.  The recent summer rains and warm weather has made my vegetable garden grow leaps and bounds over what I use to grow in California.  And Millerton’s soil is so full of compost and related nutrients, it’s not necessary for me to fertilize.  The best part is I never have to water (although sometimes I do because that’s something I enjoy).  

My cucumbers are twining up the white birth branches nicely.  

In this area I have sugar snap peas, carrots, beans radish and brussels sprouts.

The potatoes are coming along nicely. No blooms yet but the plants are strong and healthy.

This doesn't look like much, but those skinny little things poking out of the ground are my asparagus. This is the first year and we should be able to start harvesting in 2-3 years.

Millerton - Things to do. (or not as this case may be)

A Cool and Quiet Place to Nap.

Nothing more needs to be said.

Millerton - Things to do

A Welcomed Watering-Hole Comes To Town.

After a fun Saturday in Manhattan this past weekend, we headed north.  As we were driving up to our home our neighbors invited us to tag along to a new restaurant and bar on Main Street called, 52 MAIN.  With our respective children in tow, we managed to spend a couple of hours socializing with locals, listening to live music and enjoying some delicious spirits.  

This tapas bar’s atmosphere was lively and more importantly, Millerton finally gets a fun spot to meet, drink and be merry. (http://www.52main.com/)

Unfortunately, we had just had dinner so we did not sample any of the items on their menu. A great reason to go back!!!

My Beautiful Garden.

I love gardening so much. It’s not easy, it takes a lot of time and patience and to be good… well, it’s an artful dance with your flora to keep the blooms coming all spring and summer long.

The tulips in early spring were magnificent.  But now, before removing the old leaves, it’s time to plant (that way you’ll know where to plant and not worry about digging up the bulbs).

The purple Clemants (Diana's Delight) was planted last weekend.

Purple Columbine

As you can see, my White Peony is delicious.

The purple Columbine is a show-stopper although I still love the wild Columbine in pink and yellow that grows everywhere.

Old Rhododendrons 

Iron Bunny

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The Lupine, orange Nasturshims, heliotrope and Stocks are a bright spot to be enjoyed.

Lamb's Ear and Johnny-Jump-Ups

Enjoying the view

Digitalis (Fox Glove) and red Snap Dragons

I’m attempting to “color coordinate” the front of the house.  Eventually, hopefully, it will be rows of silver, white, purple and pink.  My Lamb's Ear is beautiful and so easy to divide. Same goes for the pink Anemone and Shasta Daisy. The Johnny-Jump-Ups reseed themselves nicely and actually “wintered” this year. As did the Digitalis (Fox Glove), the red Snap Dragons, and Chrysanthemums.  The pink Hydrangea I’m turning to blue – they had a rough start with a mild winter (they thought it was spring) and then a cold snap that froze may of their young and tender foliage.

Memorial Weekend = a very busy weekend….

Before the barbecues and parades, things needed to get done.  And with any vintage home the list is divided into: things that must be done, things that should be done, and things to do for fun.

Well this past Memorial Day weekend was glorious. So obviously, very few indoor “need to do” projects got done.

Last week I came across this photo in a magazine.  

I thought the floor was stunning and decided to recreate it.  The article reported the color as Valspar’s Liberty.  Unfortunately, Liberty is only sold at Lowes and Lowes is 45 minutes from Millerton and I didn’t have time to schlep to Kingston. So, I made a bold and courageous decision and found a color that somewhat matched.

The final product… I think it’s perfect! What is really amazing is that the color reflects off the white creating an intoxicating blue aura. Sadly I ran out of time and wasn't able to put the hammock up - but that's probably a good thing since napping on a warm spring day, near the Rhododendrons doesn't leave a lot of time for chores.  

 A lovely spot for a cup of coffee 

or a glass of wine in the evening.

More to come.... Next weekend I'm hoping to finish the trim in Pewter and then hang curtains to really put the porch over the top (and hopefully keep some of the mosquitoes at away).

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)

Here is a list (in no particular order) of some fantastic uses for Hydrogen Peroxide, besides the obvious “for cuts and scratches”… just do a little research on how much and how often it should be used.

Oral rinse & tooth paste:  If  you want a little boost, combine baking soda and H202.  Experts say you should not use it daily though.

Disinfect everything from your chopping block, to your toilet, to adding it to liquid hand soap. It will get rid of salmonella, mold and many other types of bacteria.

Hair lightening: Spray it on your hair after your shower and it will lighten it.

Landry: Use it on stains or to brighten your whites.

Plants: Add it soil to kill plant pests or spray it on your plant to remove leaf pests. Be very careful about its strength. You can also add it to your water when you’re watering your house plants which will add oxygen to the soil making them very happy.

Skin: Dab a bit on pimples, acne or eczema. Do this sparingly and apply a good moisturizer after use as it will dry out your skin.

Pets:  If you furry loved one has a skin rash or “hot spot” or if their ears are bothering them… try a little Hydrogen Peroxide.

Ears: Put a bit of it in your ears to remove ear wax.

Common cold and flu: From what we have read, hydrogen peroxide works quite well and is supposed to be effective 80% of the time, especially if done when the symptoms first appear. While it seems contrary to what we have been taught about colds and flu we know quite a few people who have tried it with great success.

Foods: As a produce wash, to keep fruits and veggies fresh longer. I’ve also read if you spray it on your lettuce and greens it will keep them fresher.

Well Water: Hydrogen peroxide is effective at reducing many of the problems associated with both residential and farm well water, including, dissolved ferrous iron, iron slime, manganese, calcium and hydrogen sulfide.

Millerton Spring 2012

It’s early May and the weather couldn’t be more perfect for gardening. 

 This past weekend I cleaned and preened.  

So many things are showing signs of Spring life. From perennials that are sprouting new leaves and beginning to flower to seedlings just popping through the ground. 

As you can see, our Japanese Maple is vibrant as is our lovely Azalea. 

Each year I attempt to add a few new "Old Favorites" to our garden, including many I  grew in Southern California.  

I am so very excited to report that my Sweet Peas are about two inches high! We planted them by seed about three weeks ago and I've been checking them consistently. But until Saturday, no signs of life.  Now, they are adorable little seedlings that will, in a few months, provide beautiful and fragrant blossoms.

In Carlsbad, California, from March through May, they grow Ranunculus in fields.  http://www.theflowerfields.com/ You'll find rows and rows of them in every color imaginable.  I LOVE Ranunculus but had no idea I could grow them in Millerton.  Well, you can!  After a few weeks, our babies are up and are tiny little bushes of about 3 inches in diameter.  

Freesias, like Ranunculus, are beautiful, a favorite from growing up in near San Diego, and smell divine.  They've pushed through and they're pointy head is about 1/2 inch through the surface.

Unfortunately, both the tubers of the Ranunculus and bulbs of the Freesias will have to be removed from the ground and stored away come Fall. But it's a very small price to pay to have such beauty.

About two weeks ago I reseeded our lawn in a few areas and the grass is about an inch high. Likewise our Morning Glory seeds have sprouted and are about an inch high.  

Interestingly, likely because of the mild winter, two Johnny Jump-Up plants not only wintered nicely, they are lovely little clumps full of blossoms.

Making their annual appearance are the Lily of the Valley, the Chrysanthemum (who said they were annuals), the Lambs Ear, the Anemones, the wild Columbine, my “Fancy Ferns”, Lime Light Hydrangea, Wisteria, Korean Dogwood, and Hellebores (pictured above) which love this area under our large Azalea.  

This is just a short list of what's happening in our flower gardens in Millerton and certainly does not include what's up with our vegetable garden.  More on that subject to come.

HAPPY SPRING!

Spring is here!

Last Spring we were in Costa Rica. This Spring we were in Millerton.

The weather this past week was so beautiful I just couldn’t bring myself to do my indoor chores. Rather I focused on readying my flower and vegetable gardens and started an herb garden.

Here are a couple of photos. More to follow.

Spring is here!

It was so beautiful this past weekend I just couldn’t do any of the indoor chores on my list. Instead I began to prepare my vegetable garden which includes, raking leaves, adding fresh compost to my raised beds and planting some vegetables.

While preparing the earth I came across the Jerusalem Artichoke tuber…

...I digress... Last spring I planted one small Jerusalem Artichoke tuber I had purchased from a local grocery store. It created this lovely plant which looks similar to a sunflower (often Jerusalem Artichokes are called SunChokes because of the plant’s similarity to a sunflower).

I used my pitchfork to gently uncover the tubers and look what I ended up harvesting!!!

A true bounty.

If you find one of these in your local store, I suggesting giving the Jerusalem Artichoke a chance.

Below is a recipe from Jamie Oliver.

Also this past weekend I planted potatoes, carrots, snow peas and sugar snap peas.

Spring is here!

Sautéd Jerusalem Artichokes with Garlic and Bay Leaves

Jerusalem artichokes are sweet and almost garlicky and mushroomy and gorgeous. Although called artichokes they’re actually tubers – like rough and ready potatoes. You can scrub and roast them whole like mini jacket potatoes and split them open, drizzled with a little chili oil. You can even use them in a salad with smoky bacon. A Jerusalem artichoke’s best friends are sage, thyme, butter, bacon, bay, cream, bread crumbs, cheese and anything smoked.

To serve 4, you will need 600g/1lb 6oz of Jerusalem artichokes. Peel them, then cut them into chunks. Place them in an oiled frying pan and fry on a medium heat until golden on both sides, then add a few bay leaves, 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced, a splash of white wine vinegar, some salt and pepper, and place a lid on top. After about 20 to 25 minutes they will have softened up nicely and you can remove the lid and the bay leaves. Continue cooking for a couple of minutes to crisp the artichoke slices up one last time, then serve straight away. Personally, I think they go well with both meat and fish and are particularly good in a plate of antipasti, or in soups or warm salads.

Spring is here!

Tulips making their shy appearance.
Miniature Iris make a bold statement with all of their flair.
Crocus pop up where every they want to.
Moss and the last of melting icicles
The sun and warmth end a very easy winter.
I love spring, especially after a mild winter. The hidden or forgotten treasures never cease to amaze.