A few months ago, we received a cold call from a woman inquiring about the Ukrainian flag that has been flying from our front porch since the wretched mess in the Ukraine began going on 4years ago. I explained that while I am Hungarian rather than Ukrainian I felt a Slavic kinship and more importantly, I believe that Right is Right and Wrong is Wrong.
What more could there be you ask? How about sweet peas, daffies & narcissus regaling the dining room, volunteer kale, peppers, The Youngster as always 4-6 weeks ahead of the Grand Old Gramma, and a breakfast offering of a homemade deep dish chicken potpie . . .
Will wonders never cease? Well, I certainly hope not! A once-in-MY-lifetime opportunity presented itself recently when we were picking up our weekly goat cheese and yoghurt/sour cream order from our friends Camille and Brian who own a ranchette down in Clarkdale.
Everyone here at The Surgeon’s House seems to be into something.
And the beat goes on in maintaining this old ponderosa. We discovered. We scraped. We stuccoed.
Can you imagine how over-the-moon both Angie and George were to enjoy their JUST US wedding ceremony here at the Surgeon’s House? Whether it’s a small intimate wedding or vow renewal, the Surgeon’s House offers you the ideal venue. And And And, the added attraction of the affordability of this exquisite backdrop affords you the luxury of celebrating again, and more, elsewhere in a more relaxed fashion with whomever your hearts’ desire – one big YAY all around!
Now that the front porch has been regenerated with fill and a beautiful fresh coat of paint, we gave a gentle but good scrub to the faux mosaic. Soft brushes and touch as the rule of the day.
As we cruise through February, Mother Nature is barely beginning to awaken so on particularly sunny days, our finned babies in the lower pond are vaguely navigating about while our Miss Fiona Papillon is ever-vigilant on the ‘birdies watch’ and trying to keep our feral Jasper from getting to his good eats.
Paint on the front porch has a definite lifespan of typically no more than about 2 years. Direct intense sun, other weather elements, and high traffic take their toll so we shuffle ourselves to spruce up about this time of year. We began with a complete repaint of the stairs by the garage leading to the Chauffeur’s Quarters then moved on to attack the front porch.
Man, oh man does January beg for winter projects to be accomplished. Periodically we apply a thin layer of a food-safe mineral oil to help preserve our nearly 109-yr. old counter tops preceded by a vigorous steel wool scrub-a-tub with soapy water and vinegar. It is astounding the ‘hand-juice’/cleaning product/spill remains that build up even though the counters are wiped daily. Joshua gets his workout with this task.
