good news everybody . . .

I know I haven't mentioned the schoolhouse for a while, and I've had my reasons. Applying for the variance for the bell tower was an expensive shot in the dark, and with neighbor issues, we were paranoid that one of them would contest it, leaving us $400 poorer, and towerless. So instead, we immersed ourselves in the code for the borough, and lo and behold, a miracle. It turns out that spires, domes and cupolas are exempt from the accessory building height requirements! The building inspector was unsure about our interpretation and had to turn the borough attorney to clarify the legalese, and it turns out he agreed with our interpretation - so we're free to start building, no variance required (and we didn't have to pay for the attorney) ...

The owners of the property have been beyond wonderful through this, and they've even offered to let us stay in their cabin overnight while we're disassembling her. We hope to have the building moved and resurrected (re-framed and re-roofed at minimum) within the next two months. It's a tall order, we'll see how it pans out.

In other news, we've been moving forwards with a lot of little projects. My in-laws are planning a huge family reunion in July, so a lot of my energy will be going towards finally finishing up whatever I can. Our last salvaged cabinet is installed, although it's still awaiting it's doors and some caulk. Naturally, that didn't stop me from unleashing my dishes upon it. I've also gotten a few more bits and pieces painted, and even found some hardware that'll work.

I've also started cleaning the slate that makes up the sink surround, which is turning out to be a far bigger project than I anticipated. Case in point, compare the left upright to the one on the right, can you tell which one was scrubbed for an hour? It also turns out that the gilding on the middle piece was redone with a gold sharpie; a gold sharpie that hasn't been happy with the scrubbing going on. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to trace the design, strip the slate, then re-gild it once I'm done.

an awful picture, I know . . .

In the meantime, have some more spring . . .

mystery wisteria, and it even looks
like it wants to bloom?