Christmas at 84 Riverview segues into Spring.
 It will, it really will.

This Blog has been brought to a conclusion, as complete.  With great imagination, I have named its successor "Cornucopia II", at the same address. Thanks to all of you who have been reading my musings. Come and see what's next!

Cast loose and MOVE!!!

Daughter Leah sorting the art collection.

The author, fixing a ceiling.

Wayne Lehman, removing one
of several truck loads of junk.

Fixing up the barn and house to sell.

Daughter Rachel helping move
belongings to new surroundings.

Add a realtor's lock box, gulp.

House sold, moving day.

My last night in my house.
Slept in attic, watched The Muppet
Movie to make it a party.

RAV4 loaded to the gills.

Last view from the deck.

Ready for a new family to move in.

A wonderful era in my life has closed, with the sale of my property in Maine. But a wonderful new era has been opening up with Roy. The change feels like the incremental adjustments of earth's tectonic plates, only without the earthquakes.

The Margaret Flint Project

Good authors should not be allowed to slip into oblivion.  This includes my grandmother, Margaret Flint. Several of her grandchildren have conspired to republish her prize-winning first novel, The Old Ashburn Place, in the 21st century format:  e-book.

It is available online for $2.99, through Istoria Books --http://www.istoriabooks.com/

Or, if you have a Kindle, you can order straight from Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/THE-OLD-ASHBURN-PLACE-ebook/dp/B005OTEB3E/ref=sr_1_1?m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&ie=UTF8&qid=1316895100&sr=1-1

Or, if you're a Nook reader, you can go the the Barnes & Noble site at:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-old-ashburn-place-margaret-flint/1105869990

Why would you want to buy it? Because you like a good story, with believable characters working out their lives in a fully delineated social and natural setting. Give it a try.

Provincetown Window Shopping

Our weekend on Cape Cod netted a catch of stories. One such features off-beat window shopping. The norm for Cape shopping is low-rise, cape-style stores with delightfully traditional wares. But a high-spirited funkiness springs forth here and there, most notably in Provincetown, way out on the tip of the peninsula. As follows:

Rubber duckies for sale in --
it had to be -- Provincetown.

Keeping with the pervasive
nautical theme . . .

Piles of dried starfish
to catch a tourist's eye.

Not the norm for Cape Cod dressing.
Still in (you guessed it?) Provincetown.

Pink and blue pedicabs to cart
tourists around the town.

Gift shops galore. This one is blatant
"Git yer souvenirs, and git them here."

We were there on summer's
downswing, as the shopkeepers
were getting ready to hibernate.

Provincetown has its standard fare shops.

We opted to enjoy this one from the
sidewalk. A tell-tale aroma warned us off.

We did cast a few dollars into the local
economy. Here is Roy in the shop
that sold everything, buying a set of
breakfast china that once fed travelers
on now-defunct airlines.

We really enjoyed our afternoon in this quite literally 'way out tourist mecca.

The Arduous Case of the Recalcitrant Wardrobe

Roy and I were advised to add a wardrobe or armoire to our second bedroom in order to make the Wayland house more attractive for sale. After much hemming and hawing, internet window shopping, and visits to almost every kind of furniture store, we bought Lowe's "better" quality wardrobe kit.

In one word: DON'T.

It was difficult to put together. Some parts were not labeled. Others were not as pictured. Because of the weight of the composite boards, we added wood glue to beef up the performance of the small pegs and screws provided. We let the basic shell dry, or thought we left it alone long enough to dry. But when we stood it upright, the WHOLE THING collapsed like a house of cards.

Phase One, when the project was merely difficult.

I don't have a picture of The Fall, but I can assure you it was spectacular.

Such an event tests the mettle of a handyman. Roy passed. I would have stuffed the whole mess into the trunk of the Civic and returned it to Lowe's. Instead, we laboriously rebuilt the cabinet, adding longer screws in between those provided. We let it dry much longer, then gingerly lifted it upright. No fall. Even so, we jammed it between the wall and another piece of furniture for the night, as it still swayed sideways.

Next day we bought a piece of Masonite-type material at The Home Depot  and nailed on a backing. No way were we going to trust the cardboard backing from the kit. Stabilized, the wardrobe stood fairly still to receive its doors and shelves. We held our breaths while Roy fitted the doors into their hinges. With a few clever twirls of a screwdriver, Roy closed the gap between the closed doors. Victoire!

Electric tools speed progress,
but they can also speed regress!

This piece of furniture looks quite bland, even innocent.

Roy and I know better, and so do you.

Handyman victorious.

If you are the lucky person to buy our Wayland house, please treasure this closet. It challenged the endurance and emotional stability of a handyman and helper, and they triumphed.