First, proof that the butterfly bush is still alive:

After I took this, I cut back more of the old wood. Growth is really slow this year, but we haven’t had much rain. Thankfully, we got rain off and on during the day yesterday and lots of rain last night. We may get some thunderstorms today, as well.

What do you see in this picture that is new? If you follow me on Instagram, you already know the answer.

I recycled yesterday and when I went to the transfer station/town dump, I noticed this:

I took a quick picture for IG and went on my way to our local nursery. The IG post said something about the discovery of the dollhouse and that I needed another dollhouse like a hole in the head.

I promptly forgot about it as I went to work laying down more mulch and adding another plant to the shade garden. I was busy doing outdoor things until about 2:00, at which point, I came in the house, took a shower, and had lunch. Not until about 2:45 did I check Instagram. I saw comment after comment about the dollhouse, that I should get it, that I could redo it and give it away, or auction it off, etc.

Suddenly it hit me upside the head. I had to rescue it.

I jumped in the car, hoping that the transfer station was still open. I knew that someone else might have snagged it by then, which would have been mildly disappointing, but – let’s face it – I have more dollhouses than I know what to do with and I haven’t done anything with at least three of them. It’s been a dollhouse dry spell for quite a long time.

When I pulled up, there it was. Still sitting on the ground, all by itself. I asked Dan, who runs the place, if I could take it. He said I could. Dan sees things that people throw in the large dumpsters and occasionally pulls something that he thinks someone might want. He almost always pulls toys that are in good shape, knowing that someone will love it.

So I grabbed it and he said if he came across any more dollhouses, he’d save them for me. (Gulp.)

Here it is. It’s an inexpensive house and, though not put together as badly as Hummingbird Cottage was when I first got it, it needs work.

Not the best picture as it’s very gray outside and there’s not a lot of light.

I’m thinking ‘Carpenter Gothic,’ a style I’ve always been drawn to.

As you can see, I’ve already started ripping up the ugly green carpet and the kitchen tiles. Whoever put it together did a good job of it. I need to repair a few things and add wood putty to those slits that show on the outside and inside The shingles are the same shingles that are on Hummingbird Cottage. I’ll get rid of the trim at the top because it’s out of scale and makes the dollhouse look too childlike. As you know, my dollhouses aren’t for kids, they’re for adults!

The bedroom.

Bathroom.

Kitchen.

Living room.

There is trim missing here and there:

It needs a fair amount of work. But somehow, even though I have my modern dollhouse (which I have done next to nothing to) and my loft, also next to nothing, and my 1/2″ scale house that I’m supposedly building, this little freebie has jump started an urge to work on something. Just like Hummingbird Cottage, I get energized by the chance to rehab, flip, whatever you want to call it.

I’m glad everyone urged me to go back and get it. After I picked it up, I wondered what I had been thinking when I left it behind. I know what I was thinking: we have no room for it. But, what the heck. With the horrific things happening to our country, I need something, in addition to reading and gardening, to keep me sane.

Maybe the angels thought the same thing and led me to it.

More later.

Don told me that Christy (the lead in Anastasia  and one of my favorite people in the world) had a rare night off last night and she came to the show with her boyfriend. He got to talk to her afterwards. She loved it. I’m so glad she got to see it before it closes. I like it when my worlds – Anastasia  and Escape to Margaritaville  – collide.

Happy Thursday.