Readers, Welcome to my blog (formerly Birds, Blooms, Books, etc). I'm entering a new decade taking on the challenge of moving from Maryland after living there 46 years and learning about my new home here in New England in the Live Free or Die state - New Hampshire. Join me as a write this new chapter of my life.

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Happy Easter!

Sorry for the quality of these.  I used my phone and its not an iPhone while I sat in the pew awaiting the start of the chorus concert.  My husband is a bass in the chorus that performed several Sundays ago at this Lutheran Church decked out for Lent.


Looking up at the ceiling.


Trying to capture the grandeur of the stained glass.
The organist is there warming up.  It had a wonderful sound.




Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Treasures I Will Say Good Bye to One Day


The old timbers in our great room are treasures of sorts.  Most came from old barns, repurposed for our house.  The horizontal one above with the peg sticking out of it and below, above the stone fireplace, are chestnut.  Chestnut trees don't grow here anymore since they succumbed to blight.


These beams came from an old church in Northern Baltimore County that was built in Colonial times, likely late 1600s or early 1700s.  So these trees were growing in this area before Europeans arrived.  A bit mind boggling I know.  The timber framer who built this portion of the house found these beams laying by the church after a major renovation had taken place which removed them.  He got a good deal and originally hadn't planned to use them in our house, but changed his mind.

But here's a new treasure that will go with us: the latest painting by my husband.  His father was a Washington DC policeman hence the jacket and baton, his maternal grandfather was a founder of the Franconia fire department and his paternal grandfather was a train engineer.  One of the engines he drove is in the Smithsonian.





Monday, March 21, 2016

More Real Every Day

A sign went up at the bottom of our driveway and another at the top of the lane at the main road.  
[We live about a half mile from the road which is our address. 1/5 of that distance is our driveway.]

Today the realtor put toppers on the signs to pique interest.

Here's the one at the top of the lane.


Here's the one at the bottom of our driveway.



The house officially goes on the market on the 31st, though I must have everything done by next Monday when the photos are taken for the brochure.  After that it will be a matter of keeping the house neat and tidy.

What to buy a house in the woods?

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Frederick, MD Church

Friday I took a break from getting this house ready for selling and went to Frederick, MD.  I have had a box of old coins that I figured we didn't need to have in the safe deposit box anymore.  A couple of years ago I took them out expecting to find out what they were worth. Well the box sat in a closet until recently along with some old jewelry. After selling the jewelry to a local jewelry store most for the melt value, the jeweler said they also buy coins but sell them to a coin store in Frederick.  I figured I would cut out the middle and go directly there.

It was a beautiful day to be out and I was sorry I didn't bring my camera.  I used my phone to take these two photos of a church I walked past.  It was the white walls against the blue sky that caught my eye.