Snowstorms

 While heating his house with wood, Leif's first and recent snowstorms, when log piles are key.

We recently took down 7 more big trees here, making several piles and clearing the front yard of trees too close to the house.

Four large Walnut and a Sycamore tree will dry out here with some given to artist woodworkers.

Other piles are dead Ash ready to split and burn.

Leif cooks outside on his vintage Weber all year.

18" of snow the winter we bought Old Farm & gutted the entire upstairs.

Planting Bulbs

Every Christmas, Bill's sister gives all her siblings Amarylis bulbs planted to grow upon arrival, and during the month of January, pics are shared. It is fun to see how all the different varieties become most beautiful. Ours are planted in Maxwell Mustardo's gorgeous ceramic ice bucket and tall vase. 

I also bought 110 flowering bulbs on sale now (buy one bag 75% off, get 2 more free) on the Cape; where I will plant striped tulips, tall white tulips in porch planters here and a dozen Giant Allium in 3 lawn planters by Bill for Leif's modern landscape.

Good to watch on Netflix: "Tulip Fever"!

Bill's 3 large planters...

Planter by Nicholas Newcomb.

Earlier, I planted 25 white Mount Everest Allium from Holland in Christian's rock garden with many small white ones already packed in.

A Custom Dining Room Table

Leif's dining room table is made of rare Brazilian match booked petrified (submerged tree base used) Palographico wood, with a thick beveled top and straight legs. It was custom made for a tall family and we have cut it down a bit.

A Well Stacked Porch

This is the third time I have stacked our side porch for winter, to feed our large Jotul and smaller Morso woodstoves. Larger logs are stacked to the right, kindling is kept in the old wine barrel, ashes in the antique 13" wide copper bucket, and a hatchet on the hand carved "Kubbestol" is for splitting more kindling.

The broom is NYT's endorsed "Casabella Wayclean" wide angle, & huge pine cones are from CA.

The lights are antique brass English carriage lights electrified. Kubbestol is made by Finnish friend Benny, the brick steps by my father and planter & porch built by Bill. 

Happy New Year!

We celebrated New Year's Eve helping Bill load two more large/tall sculptures up and out of his basement studio, and into my vintage Volvo wagon which is cavernous for the cause!

They are now loaded into the Takaezu Studio kiln, and it is a happy New Year. 

Replacing Sheetrock

Replacing sheetrock in a house is a relatively inexpensive DIY project, which included some allowed home owner remediation here. Bill & Leif have now finished replacing sheetrock & insulation etc. in this house. Whew!

We used ridged foam boards, a plastic vapor barrier & new wood to accept sheet rock screws in the office which is partially below grade.

PU Art Museum Visit

Visiting the new Princeton University Art Museum now is lovely, shopping for gifts or having an exquisite meal in their restaurant "Mosaic". The new restaurant is on the 3rd floor with angled windows viewing old spires of buildings behind Nassau Hall and large composite wooden beams making up the ceiling.

The entrance mosaic "Let me kindly introduce myself. They call me MC Prince Brighton", is by renowned Chicago based artist Nick Cave. Visits to the museum are free.

Toshiko Takaezu's opening piece and her bronzed bell below.