Colors

As the photo shows, it is time to pick a paint color for downstairs.

We went to Rings End and purchased some Benjamin Moore samples. We also painted swatches of the colors currently used in the house. Ironically, we decided to use the same color that is currently  in our upstairs hallway.

Due to the openness of the home, we needed a color that would work in multiple rooms.

Ceiling

For the last two weeks, Jeff and I have been filling nail holes, caulking and sanding in preparation for painting. Our goal is to paint the formal living room first and then move the furniture back. After two months without, having a place to sit downstairs will be a novelty.

The ceiling has finally been painted. We will start on the crown molding and window trim next.

Jerk

I was heading home on Route 7 (4 lane road) Saturday morning and stopped to let a family of geese and goslings cross the road. The geese had made it across 3 lanes when a man in a silver Range Rover came flying down the road  in the opposite direction.

The man saw the geese and rather than stopping, switched lanes to get into the 4th lane and stepped on the gas. The lead goose was nearly hit.

I was furious and could not believe that someone would be so thoughtless. What could be so important that he could not pause for 30 seconds? I have traveled the world and believe that CT drivers are the rudest, most thoughtless people I have ever met.

I often notice that the people who drive the most expensive cars display the worst behavior.

Happy Birthday Otis!

Otis has been with us for 1 year! It seems like yesterday that Linda F sent an email asking if we wanted Cooper to have a brother. When we saw how adorable Otis was, we could not refuse.

Oti LOVES people. I don't think we have ever had such a people focused dog. Otis doesn't want to just get petted, he loves to lean into you,  as if he can become one with you.

Even though Oti is now 4 or 5, he is still a big puppy at heart. I think that Otis will never grow up. Otis sees shoes, towels, hats, gloves and anything that is not nailed down as a potential toy.

Every morning, before the alarm goes off, Otis jumps on the bed and wiggles his way up until his head is almost on my pillow. The instant the alarm goes off, Oti jumps on top of me wanting to be petted. From Oti's level of excitement, you would think Otis had not seen me in weeks. I find it odd that Otis never jumps on Jeff. I guess we know who the Alpha is in our pack.

Otis has been good for Cooper. Coop certainly likes to boss Oti around and Oti seems happy to have a companion when we are at work.

I hate when that happens

Stargazer

I mentioned before that Stargazer lilies are one of my favorite flowers. I found a bag of Stargazer bulbs this year at Walmart and planted them. I am thrilled with the beautiful flowers.

Bobbi & Linda

Hi Maine Moms -

It's me, Otis. My birthday is coming up. I've been thinking about the last year  and  wanted you to know I have not forgotten you.

Bobbi, you rescued me from the animal shelter. I don't want to think about what  might have happened if you hadn't come along. Too bad I don't like cats. Living in a home filled with home baked dog treats would have been a dream come true.

Linda, when I could no longer live with Bobbi, you graciously took me in. Considering that you already had 3 of your own Goldens, that is a tremendous kindness. Even better, you found me my forever home in CT!

Every time I chew another baseball cap (Otis 3, Caps 0) Mom threatens to send me back to Maine. I just smile and wag my tail because I know she doesn't really mean it. Even if she did, I know you'd keep me safe.

Our yard IV

 

Our hydrangea has  a lot more flowers than usual, but our rhodies had very few flowers this summer. I was disappointed since I fertilized the rhododendrons last fall with holly tone and thought this would increase the blooms.

Let There Be Light

New electric wiring was run throughout the downstairs for the renovation. Several new circuits were added to the house but they had not been connected to the electrical panel.

The electrician has now installed the new circuit breakers and we finally have outdoor and indoor lights!

Where's Steve ?

After 7 weeks of having a construction crew at the house, Otis became accustomed to hearing trucks arrive at 7:20 am.

Poor Otis, spent the morning staring out the window, waiting for Steve to arrive. I know Otis will miss having additional  people  to pet him in the morning.

Finished

The renovation is COMPLETE!

Now Jeff and I need to paint the entire downstairs. With 3 rooms, 2 hallways, 200 ft of crown molding, 200 ft of baseboard, 7 columns and  14 windows to paint,  it will be weeks if not months until we are finished.

Blog postings will be limited since all free time will be spent with wood filler and a paintbrush.

Distinguished Gentleman

In 2 more months, Cooper will be turning 9 years old. The other day I noticed that Cooper is getting white hair on his face and throughout his coat.

When I spoke with Dr. Duffy, I mentioned that Coop was getting old. Dr Duffy laughed and said that 9 was not old, when Cooper turns 12 we'll talk about old.

The longer Cooper is with us, the more his Golden personality shines. I often wonder what Coop would be like if someone had cherished him in Alabama.

Railing

This is our old wrought iron railing along the staircase. It screams, welcome to 1960.

The iron railing has been replaced  with oak and the staircase opened.

Baseboard

The baseboard molding and baseboard heat has been installed.

8 paws, 140 lbs

I went to walk Cooper and Otis. Both leashes were in my left hand as I opened the garage door.

The door opened. Coop began to bark and both dogs charged outside. I looked over and saw the coyote in the front yard.

Imagine 8 paws and 140 lbs of muscle tearing down the driveway with me acting as an anchor.
The coyote took off running. I hoped Otis would not snap another leash. Coop is not terribly strong, but Otis is built like a linebacker.

Once the coyote was out of sight, the dogs lost some of their enthusiasm in the chase. All I can say is it is a good thing I had my running shoes on.

Closets

The new closet doors have been installed.

Adding the additional closet has doubled our storage space.

Hooded Merganser

Jeff said, "We have a Merganser on our pond." I said, "A what ?"

It turns out that the contractor Steve, who is a hunter, had noticed the Merganser swimming on the pond. We have not been able to get a photo of this shy creature.

The white markings around the duck's eye show it to be a Hooded Merganser.

Photo by ODNR:

Windows

The window trim has been installed for all the windows.

Our yard III

The Easter Lily was planted in the garden after it flowered last year .The sunflower sprouted from a seed that the birds and squirrels missed.

Crown

The crown molding has been installed.

Previously, the crown was only in the formal living room and dining room and did not have much detail. The new crown is taller and more intricate. The crown will now run thru all rooms and the hallways, except the kitchen.

Our yard II

Some more photos from our home. The construction crew and dumpsters have kept the deer and woodchuck away and allowed my lilies to thrive.

Primed

After 7 gallons of primer and 14 hours of  labor, the entire downstairs has been primed. For anyone who is wondering if I help paint, the answer is YES.

The crown molding can now be installed.

Marley's

We went to Marley's restaurant in Wilton for the first time. I had heard a lot of good things about this restaurant and was excited to try it.

On the positive side, Marley's has a varied menu and the food (when finally served) was tasty.

On the negative side, the service was TERRIBLE. I had made a reservation and the restaurant was half empty, so we were seated promptly. We placed our drink and dinner order and the wait began. The drinks were delivered and the waiter disappeared. The waiter did not stop by to ask if we wanted additional drinks or to explain why after 45 minutes, our meals were not yet served. Diners who arrived after us ate and left, while the 4 of us waited for our dinner. We flagged down the waiter and were told that cooking chicken and steak took a LONG time and that is why we were waiting.

Note: How is that a plausible explanation, when another couple arrived after us, ordered the same things and were served in 15 minutes ?

I believe that our order was misplaced or forgotten. After an hour wait, dinner was served. We did not order coffee or dessert. I think we are all afraid that  it might take another hour for this to arrive.

The saving grace was that we were out with our Westport family and enjoyed lively conversation while we waited.

Surgery Update

Good news! Otis will NOT need chemo or radiation treatment.The biopsy showed clean margins (no cancer cells) at the tumor's edge. So, there will be no need for follow up treatment.


Dr Duffy said that we need to continue to check Otis for new lumps. If we find any new tumors, they would need to be biopsied.

Otis should have a long life ahead of him.

Columns

As mentioned before,there is a post and beam which divided our living/dining room. We decided to "hide" the post by building a half wall and wrapping the post in a column.

This is the result.

I think that the formal living room is now a more elegant area.

Fresh Balls

Our Westport family came to see our construction project and brought a bag of tennis balls with them.

Cooper grabbed a ball and raced upstairs. I knew Coop would put the ball in his hiding spot, so that Otis could not destroy it.

Cooper came downstairs a few moments later, grabbed Oti's ball and raced upstairs. Oti was too interested in our visitors to object.

Surgery update: Still playing phone tag with the vet about the staging of the tumor. Oti is doing much better and acts like his old self. The only issue is trying to keep him calm - he wants to run outside, but can't due to his stitches.

Prime Time

The sheetrock has been taped and spackled. The walls can now be primed. This will be a task for us to do.

The columns will be installed next.

Wilton Bears

There has been some excitement in town lately about some bear sightings.  Apparently Wilton has had 8 bear sightings this year.  Even one of the local papers had an editorial about the bear activity.

Regular readers of Wilton Diaries will not be surprised as we've had a few suspected bear events over the last couple years.

(photo courtesy of Wilton Patch)

Our yard

Pictures from our yard....

I had planted yellow snap dragons in the middle of the purple petunias. However, the petunias seem to have taken over the pot.

Office Rowing

Some people just have too much time on their hands. And by the way, 4 seat has his hands way to close together.

Surgery - Update

Otis got home around 7:30 pm tonight. Otis is groggy, but keeps pacing back and forth. Oti cannot seem to relax, perhaps it is the drugs in his system or the stress of surgery.

Oti can only eat special Science Diet canned food for a few days. Otis got a very small dinner, which he gobbled up. I know Otis is hungry and thirsty, but the post surgery instructions limit his food and water intake.

The stitches in Oti's side will be removed in 10 days. I am hoping Oti will not try to chew them out.

We did not get to talk with Dr Duffy. I think that if the vet had found something terrible, he would have made sure to contact us.

Surgery

Jeff took Otis to the vet this morning for surgery to remove the cancerous tumor on his side. Dr Duffy performs surgery in the afternoon, so we will not know until late today what the results are. I am hoping that Otis will be able to come home tonight.

Otis was not allowed food or water after midnight. Oti loves to eat and after his morning walk, races to his food bowl. Poor Otis could not understand why his bowl was empty, but Cooper was served breakfast.

Mice in the attic ?

I was upstairs with Cooper and Otis. The electrician was working downstairs. All of a sudden Oti raced to the upstairs crawl space door and began to paw at the door. Oti then cocked his ears and began to paw at the carpet under the radiator.

My first thought was, are there mice in the crawl space ???

I listened closely and heard what Oti did - electrical wire was being threaded thru the wall. The scratching noise must have made Otis think that there was something living in this space.

No Balls

I let the dogs out onto the back deck and they both ran in search of the tennis balls that are usually out there. Unfortunately, there were no balls to play with.  I reached into the ball bag and was surprised to find it was empty.

Otis and Cooper are hoping that their Westport supplier has some in stock.

Sheetrock

Most of the sheetrock has been installed. The taping and the mud are next.

New Floors

The old hardwood floor in the foyer has been replaced.

Due to the walls which have been removed, new hardwood had to be weaved into the existing flooring.

Missing Locks

When we first adopted Cooper, he had very thin fur and little feathering on his legs. Over time, Coop grew beautiful curly golden locks on his ears.

Otis is always trying to get Coop to play with him. To get Coop's attention, Oti will nip at Coop's ears. Often Coop's ears are wet, from Oti mouthing them.

The other day I heard the dogs rough housing and Coop yelped. Oti raced by with a long golden strands hanging from his mouth. I  hope in time, Coop will regrow his beautiful hair.

Insulation

The insulation has been installed. The next step is installing sheetrock.

Inspection

The electric and structural inspection has been completed. We can now begin to put the walls back up.

Boston

We traveled  to Boston for a few days and had a wonderful time. We stayed at the Harborside Inn which is located downtown, near the waterfront. This old spice warehouse is located near the North End (Little Italy) and Quincy Market.

Shops, sites, restaurants and incredibly delicious bakeries were all within walking distance. In the debate of which  bakery, Mike's or Modern is better, we both agree that Mike's takes the cake.

We took an Old Town trolley tour which was informative and fun. It was a great way to get an overview of Boston and learn about the city. Bring your sneakers if you are going to Boston, you will be walking for miles.

Some of the places we visited were the Old North Church, Paul Revere's home, the USS Constitution and the Old State House Museum. There are many places we did not get to visit, so we are hoping to go back to Boston in the future.

We learned the hard way, that GPS satellite reception is lost when traveling thru the Boston tunnels. This means that navigation must be done by reading an old fashion map.