Progress

At last the back of the house, save the fireplace housing, is complete. Inside, trim is being tailored for each window and the repainting has been finished. It looks fabulous, waiting for kitchen cabinets and tiling. Overall, we reckon we are about four weeks behind but still hope mid April might see us move in.
Yesterday morning the snow had all melted, but now we have another half inch fluttering down.

Nicholas

It feels so wonderful to see the outside, and inside, of our home pristine once more...in many ways we took the "ghosting" in our stride, but in retrospect, I now know how discouraging it was for us. Yesterday, seeing the outside nearing completion with the siding, and seeing the entirety of the internal surface area freshly painted, feeling the relief in seeing that, it was as though a great weight had been lifted from our spirits...it was only then I fully appreciated the stress of what had been happening these past 6 weeks.

Here is the view from our bedroom yesterday...and, at long last, work has begun once more! The carpenter is back on site and has begun to create the trim for the windows and doors...as you can see, the trim on the far left window has been nailed into place, once all the trim is completed, they will finish the painting.

Nicholas' studio has become the carpenter's workplace for the next few weeks...as he creates not only the finishing trim, but also the built-in cabinetry for the office/library, as well as the living room...

Meanwhile, downstairs in the gallery, the ductwork is nearing completion, the tiles for bathrooms and flooring are to be delivered Friday, and there is a hope that the kitchen cabinetry (which has been available since early February) will be able to be installed by this time next week.

As if reflecting all the new possibilities, the growth, the perpetual nature of change and new beginnings, this is what I saw this morning when I got into the car...

Snowdrops...in England, and clearly here as well, they are the first of spring's flowers to push through the frozen earth, welcoming the early warmth of the lengthening days, promising renewal, beauty and a new season.

They are very small, they could be easily unseen, stomped underfoot by careless, distracted steps...but in stopping to notice, there, alongside the little flowers, I saw a remnant of two seasons ago, a leaf from autumn that had lived under the snows of winter, alongside the possibilities of spring...

So too, my life, perpetually ready to blossom from all that has come before...