Friday, December 26, 2025

Domesticity


 When I was hanging out the sheets today, the old barn caught my eye and I haven't posted a picture of it in a long time so I got this one. We're not actually sure it is a barn. Or, was a barn to be more accurate. The reason we're not sure is that it's raised up off the ground and barns are usually built at ground level. I'm not so sure how good cattle are at climbing steps. I suppose it could have been raised at one point but again- why? Was it, in fact, a sort of dwelling? We just don't know. The former owner didn't know either. It does have what looks to be a hay loft in it. 
Anyway, it's used for storage now although when we moved in there were vague plans to make a boys club out of it and I do believe there is actually a pool table in there. 
It is picturesque, isn't it? The little palm to the left of the door in the photo is one Glen and I dug up from our property in Apalachicola which yes, we do still own. And that is a story in and of itself.

Sigh.

I slept for about ten hours last night. I slept so long that Glen sent Maurice in to check on me. He really does this and Maurice does really come to check on me. In this case, I was already up and getting dressed. She meowed at me and I called her some sweet names and leaned over to give her a head scratch and she tolerated a very short one. "Did Daddy send you in to get me up?" I asked. She meowed again. Sometimes instead of getting me up, she gets on the bed with me and we both go back to sleep. It just depends. I have no idea on what though. Her mood, most likely. 
So I felt better today for sure and got some things done that I've been wanting to do. Like I said, I hung some laundry and I watered the plants inside and took all the Christmas wrapping paper upstairs and reclaimed the table we use to wrap on. Then I pushed the table over to the wall to cover up the part of the floor upon which you cannot tread because you might fall through, and put some plants on the table in front of the window to see if they can snatch a little more light. 


That's what they look like from my seat at the porch table. A different perspective. 

I did several more loads of laundry and I actually had a tiny stirring of a housewifery desire so I swept a lot of floors and was even tempted to do some dusting but I just fanned myself and waited until the feeling passed. I mean...come on! 
The muscle strain has felt much better today although I think I pushed it some, lifting and carrying heavy-ish things. My wrist is healing too but it's not completely there. 
I know I've done some other things but I don't know what. Took the compost out, picked some greens for our supper. The collards I planted a few days ago are just NOT coming up and they are generally fast sprouters and I am feeling so discouraged. I suppose it could be that the cooler weather is affecting their usual growth rate. Looking at the weather forecast I see it's supposed to get down to twenty-seven degrees next Wednesday and if that's anywhere near accurate, I'm going to have to wrap plants again. I suppose I should wrap my new baby limequat too. That tree has already brought me pleasure in that in the morning when the sun is coming up, it lights up the plant in a glowing way. Well, I shouldn't
 say "coming up" but instead, "is well up" because I certainly am not up when the sun is just peeping. Whatever, it's really pretty. 

And here's the sweetest thing. 
Mr. Moon has been working on the sink he's making me to go beside the garden where I can wash my vegetables and so forth. He called me out to the garage where he's working to see where I wanted the shelf under the sink. I do indeed want a shelf under the sink to possibly put colanders and pots and my weeding tools on. I am sure these things will become more apparent when I put it into use. 
After we agreed on the shelf height, I took this picture. 


He was so focused he didn't even realize I was taking it. 
And then later on, around five, he texted me to come out and see what he'd done. 


Would you look at that? He's going to paint it with some weatherproof paint. We talked about colors and I said I'd really like green. He agreed that would be good as mildew wouldn't show up on it so bad.
You can bet your bottom dollar there WILL be mildew.

And now I'm going to go make us a supper. The greens, chicken thighs with lemon juice and anchovies, capers and cherry tomatoes. Probably some rice. The martini has been made and the clean, sun-dried sheets are on the bed. 
In short, it is Friday.

I just wrote a little treatise on long-time love but because I have had part of a martini, I may have gone a little bit overboard so I deleted it. I'll just say there's a lot of kissing going on around here and it's not all because of a garden sink but more about just how love works sometimes. 

Happy Friday, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon


30 comments:

  1. That will be one handy-dandy outdoor sink and gardening station! Way to go, Glen!

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  2. That's a great idea. Mr moon always has to be making and building.

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    1. He really does. Or hunting or fishing or...something. And then he sits in his chair and falls directly to sleep.

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  3. It's a great sink, what a good idea to have an outdoor one. The little building intrigues me so. What does it look like inside? Could it possibly have been used as a little school?

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    1. I don't think it could have been a school. It's just one big room with the loft upstairs. There's no electricity or plumping to it.

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  4. The little building on your property is charming.
    Your new custom-built outdoor sink with sideboards on both sides and a nice shelf below is fantastic.
    The sink is a very fine Christmas present.

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  5. Love is a strange thing, especially long time love. It is tidal I think, like many things in life. Your man made a beautiful sink for his wife, that is part of love. I shovelled tonight, that is part of love too.
    That "barn" looks more like a house, that was then used to store hay. We'll never know, will we?
    I'm glad you're feeling better. Falls are hard on our bodies as we age. Everything seems to be hard on our bodies as we age:)

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    1. Yes. I've always said marriages are like the tides. Sometimes in, sometimes out. Just as you said.
      I don't think we will ever know what that building was used for. I would like to know.
      Yeah. Falls are harder on us olds even as being old makes it easier to fall. Life is not fair.

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  6. The Barn looks like it might have been a place for family and other visitors to stay overnight, or even a place for the parents when the young married couple took over the "big house".
    The garden sink is truly great! Glen is so multi-talented.

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    1. I don't know if it would have been a dwelling. No fireplace, no electricity, no plumbing. Just one big room with a loft overhead.
      Glen is so very multi-talented. And now he'll lay the water line to it. He's a pretty good plumber too.

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  7. That is one talented husband you have there!!! Whenever I go to Spain I just drool at the outdoor kitchens so many homes have. Obviously they would be of no use here but one can certainly dream! Mind you, having snow outside is great for keeping the beers cold!

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    1. Same with me and the outdoor kitchens in Mexico! Wouldn't it be amazing to have a kitchen with a view of the beach right there?
      You are so right about the snow being good for keeping those beers cold.

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  8. Mr. Moon is a wonder. That’s one beautiful sink and work space. So glad your recovery is going well. How’s that beautiful face?

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    1. I think I'm really going to enjoy that sink.
      My face looks about the same as it did before I fell. The abrasion is almost healed. The little cut that bled so much is just that- a little cut. My nose may still be swollen. I don't know. It's not bad if it is.

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  9. Fine looking man, indeed! And please forgive the personal comment.

    Ceci

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    1. What personal comment? That my husband is a fine looking man? I love that.

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  10. That's a wonderful garden sink! And kissing is nice, too.

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  11. Glad you're healing. The day seems to have been just right.

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  12. The garden sink looks fantastic! Mr. Moon sure knows his way around some woodwork. It does seem strange that the "barn" would be elevated, but maybe if the previous owners were storing stuff like hay in it they wanted to keep it out of the damp. Maybe the animals themselves didn't stay in there.

    I did read about your fall several days ago and I'm glad you're healing. That must have been a scary moment.

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    1. And there is an actual floor so it probably was NOT used as a barn. What do I know?
      Oh, Steve- it was scary.

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  13. That sink looks great. Mr. Moon is sure good at building things!
    Glad you are feeling better, Mary.

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  14. That is a very fine garden sink and work table. I have a small metal etagere I bought at an estate sale that sits under the deep eave of the barn and the wood surface finally rotted so badly I had to replace it. I had some roll vinyl left over from when we remodeled the big bathroom and covered the new wood with that. Hopefully it will protect the wood from rotting.

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    1. I know that eventually the wood on this one will rot too but hopefully, if we put the right paint on it, it will last a pretty long time. Mostly likely plenty long enough for me to get my use out of it.

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  15. Long time love! I’d love to have read what you deleted! Oh well, it sounds like the living of it is lovely.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.