Since it’s going to be hot and steamy today (what else is new?) I thought I’d stay here on the porch after our cup of coffee and blog from the glider while it’s still pleasant outside. The wi-fi is just fine out here. I used to do this more often when Don was out of town, but I tend to forget that it’s a possibility. (Traffic noise is a pain in the tush, but if I can block it out on any particular day, I’m okay.)

Yesterday, Don took down much of the chicken wire fence that enclosed our corral. There has to be a way for trucks to get up to the area where half of the maple has fallen as well as the two dead ash trees that have to come down. And he needed a project. But he told me he felt a wave of sadness because we were taking down the enclosure for our dogs that had been there for nearly 15 years. It needed to be taken down because it was rusty, had pulled apart in places, and it just plain looked crappy. But, my thoughts have been full of our dogs since yesterday. We kept the ‘chute’ that enclosed the area just outside our kitchen door. That’s where Scoutie would run down the hill and leap into the kitchen. Plus, that section of fence and another section beyond that are part of my memorial gardens and I currently have morning glory vines growing there. The trucks are going to have to go in on the far side of that fence. I’m not taking down my garden just when it’s taking off.

This whole thing is a pain. Our plans for next year (if we’re finally earning some money) are to enclose a future vegetable garden with deer fencing and construct some raised beds. It will be in the sunniest and flattest part of the former corral.

My package from Italy arrived yesterday. Miniature happiness.

Oh my goodness. This was made by a woman named Carlotta who lives in Bologna, Italy. I discovered her Etsy shop when the annual Kensington Dollhouse Festival (in London) did a virtual show this year. They had to cancel their annual show due to COVID. They highlighted many of their usual exhibitors and had links to their webpages or Etsy shops. I clicked on Cinen, Carlotta’s shop, and fell in love with her work.

This is the kind of piece that would usually be used by a miniaturist in a miniature shop of some kind, but I think of it as a large vintage piece of furniture, formerly in a  shop, that the ‘owner’ has repurposed in her living room. This takes up most of the wall in the living room section of Dove Cottage, which will (hopefully) consist of an eclectic mix of vintage styles, patterns, tchotchkes, etc. I can’t wait to fill it with books and pottery and art. Those twelve drawers open. What fun it will be  to fill them!

Forgot to add that the original piece was a bit too tall for my little cottage, especially considering I haven’t even put the floor in yet. I messaged Carlotta and asked if it would be possible to make it about a half inch shorter. Frankly I figured this would be a no-go, but she said yes. She had to reconfigure everything, including drawer size, and she did it all for the same price as the original. It arrived after 14 days in transit, beautifully packaged and intact.

I couldn’t make anything like this. With my modest means, I do try to support miniaturists when I can. Their skill continues to astound me and I like having their pieces in my little houses. I guess you could say that I collect artisan miniatures. And I am head-over-heels in love with this piece.

Today – and don’t be jealous – we take the old chicken wire to the dump. I know…what a fast-paced, celebrity-filled life we lead!

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.