Confessions of a One-Track Mind

I am obsessed with a house in the south of France. From the first look at the first picture, I was enthralled. I've always liked Mediterranean-style houses with their terra cotta-tiled roofs and haphazard architecture of archways and alcoves. It seems so warm and inviting in the afternoon sunlight! It has seized my imagination, and I can envision making a home and a life there.

I want to move right in and bring it back to its original beauty. I want to scour the golden kitchen tiles and scrub the stove and cook a meal with luscious local produce to fortify me for tackling the rest of the house. Perhaps I can serve it in that lovely aqua blue and white tureen---after it's been well-washed.

I'm guessing that's the entryway, that room with the staircase that's been tagged. Tsk, tsk. THAT'S going to take a couple coats of Kilz to cover! Then, perhaps, a coat of soft blue, like the trim color of the doors next to the first stove picture. I'm not sure if those are stone floors or some really nasty carpet. Powerwash one or pull up the other...I think I might need to buy a power-washer outright. I'm going to need it.

I *do* love that wrought-iron bannister, though. A bit of TLC and some Rustoleum should see that right. And then, I think a mural of Paris on those two walls...blue on blue, a dreamy panorama....

Lots of cleaning and painting awaits me, inside and out. I particularly look forward to rehabilitating that patio with the arches. (There has to be a better place to store all that firewood.) That's destined to be a charming spot for dining al fresco, ringed with benches cushioned in exotic Middle-Eastern fabrics* and a big table near the grill.

The power-washer will come in handy again poolside. Drain the pool, then thoroughly blast it and the surround with bleach. Ah, how I look forward to summer afternoons happily floating in its depths, emerging at last to enjoy a refreshing beverage in the arched retreat.

I think I see rosemary growing wild in one of those courtyards. Wonderful! Chicken and potatoes with rosemary and lemon juice is simple but scrumptious!

However, there's a leaning tree that needs to be cut back or cut down completely, and that little entryway with the wall beside it needs something for an accent. I'm not sure how well annuals would do there, though, since it appears that that slope may have to contend with drainage.

Dreaming? No, it's meant to be---just look at the number plate on that vintage green Jaguar: It's got my initials on it already! Once I've got that running and the leather interior has been saddle-soaped and reconditioned within an inch of its life, it's time to explore the countryside! I'll find all the best farmer's markets so I can eat well, and prospect for interesting used pieces to furnish my dwelling so I can live well.

Adieu, mon cheres! A bientot!




* Or toile. The more I think of it, a nice blue-and-white toile sounds as if it would give the space am engaging tone.

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This was featured in today's Bring a Trailer:



I saw it and whimpered slightly. Although I'm not overfond of Fords (since every one I've encountered made in the last 30 years has been a PoS), this one is a) the same age I am, and b) a diesel. (Of course, it's already up to $10K+ on eBay, and the reserve hasn't been met. As if.)

For the longest time, I've harbored a fantasy of getting an old diesel vehicle and converting it to biodiesel. Mind you, I was thinking of something more along the lines of a vintage Mercedes-Benz, but this would be great for hauling stuff to Goodwill or home from the hardware store. *le sigh*

You can't say I don't have an active imagination. (Albeit somewhat impractical.)

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* It's a Bloom County reference.

Describe your alternate life (Snagged from karaokegal)

After my dad died, I didn't make any major purchases or commit to any changes for six months. I got laid off from my job, and took that as a sign that maybe it was time to do something more with my life. After talking it over with my brother, I put most of the contents of the house into storage, found a renter for it, and took off in Dad's 1974 Comet for points west.

I've always been crafty; learning how to solder for my last couple jobs was fun. I've always loved shiny jewelery. It seemed natural to find a silversmith to apprentice myself to.

I settled down in Taos, NM. I lived frugally; I rented a small cabin on the outskirts of town, grew my own produce, took long walks in my spare time, exploring various ghost towns and flea markets. I incorporated found objects into my projects, and began to earn a reputation for myself. that includes my reputation as a clothes-horse: I got down to a size 10 and have kept the weight off for almost 25 years now.

During the long desert nights, I wrote a novel, a time-traveling Victorian western, that was made into a movie with Kurt Russell as the rugged hero, and later became a long-running TV series.

This brought me enough money that I was able to buy some land and build a house. It's an awesome place, constructed to use solar energy for heating in the winter, but still cool in the summer. There are solar panels which provide my electrical needs. Very New Age-Frank Lloyd Wright. My walk-in closet is the same size as my bedroom, and houses my collection of custom-made cowboy boots and a lot of hats.

I met the love of my life at Burning Man. The tall, dark-haired man in a blue plaid flannel shirt and jeans was studying a pair of cufflinks made from the rowels of an old pair of spurs. When he asked me about them, I knew he was the one. There was something about the resonance of his voice that echoed in the canyons of my soul.

He's a former professional athlete who managed his money well and started a consulting company that critiques the hotel industry. He travels a lot for business, and I go with him as often as I can. We've been married for 15 years, and the romance is still there.

My jewelery has been featured in the Sundance catalog and appeared in major motion pictures and on the red carpet. I'm working on another novel, a dark comedy about what might have happened in the life I left behind so many years ago.

The working title is "Tropical Depression".


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Short of winning the lottery, there's no way I can take a vacation this summer. But if I could? I would SO be there.

Heck, at $12 a ticket, I could barely afford to see it if it was around the corner.

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* After visiting adventurat and invading the set of SPN....


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At this time of year, it's going around. You know what I mean: that Christmas meme. I've seen it on at least three of youse guys LJs, so I know I'm not the only one hoping for a special surprise something.

( The meme and its rules )

The guy from down the block came by and started work on the yard---the front and sides have been whacked into a semblence of order, and he's coming back tomorrow, weather permitting, to do the back. The amount he quoted made me stagger---he'll be getting a check for it, which means add $30 to the total unless it doesn't clear til after next Friday. (Thank God for overdraft protection, is all I can say.) I don't have a choice; my court date is next week, and the sawgrass in the backyard is *literally* five feet tall. I've been trying frantically to get someone, anyone out there, and so far, he's IT.

On the plus side, he lives right around the corner, so it'll be easy to get ahold of him. He's going to make me a deal on services by the month after the initial clearing. Having seen his house before he moved in and after, I *know* he can do a helluva job. I'd really like to have my place look good and stay that way. H.W.S.N.B.N. did the bare minimum of yard work, and it's been a long time since I've had a reliable yard guy.

The backyard has potential (like so much else around here!), but I rarely use it because it's inconvenient---the sliding glass doors have been frozen in their tracks for a VERY long time---I don't think they've been opened in---I amend that, I know damn well they haven't been opened in at least three years. What I'd LIKE to do, given money and a good DIY'er, is to replace them. Not with more doors, but with a door and a windowed wall beside it.

( Cut for sizable lame renditions of architecture )
Snapping back to reality, I have work tomorrow AND I'm probably going to be awakened early by the growl of a mower. *moans* I will think positive and NOT pray for rain.

PS, tonight was the first time I've seen "Playthings", and I'm STILL snickering about the "butch" comment, and Dean's revenge. Gotta love those boys!