New Beginnings

2010 has not been, to say the least, one of our happier years. There have been many disappointments and a good deal of bad news. We had hoped, as I am sure many people do, for better at this stage of life. But, if the Queen of England can survive her annus horribilis, I am sure we can as well! We soldier on.

This is one of the smaller, easier steps:

We have a construction company working at the house, removing a wood stove, brick hearth, and chimney. We have not burned wood for years because of back drafting. When we built the house, we had fond memories of burning wood in the Annapolis Valley and the warmth, comfort, and sense of well being associated with it. We did not have the same experience here (and 2010 has been particularly lacking in a sense of warmth, comfort and well being!!). After having the stove and chimney carefully checked, we came to the conclusion that new construction, with higher insulation values and a ventilation system, does not lend itself to wood burning. And the woodstove and hearth took up valuable floor space that could be put to much better use.

We thought it would be such an easy project but we have had a crew of 4-5 people here for two days already - on the roof, in the bedroom closet, in the attic, in the family room, on the deck, in the driveway - all working, calling out to one another, coming and going.

The flooring has yet to be replaced, sanded and refinished, as well as the crown molding and baseboards. The family room and closet walls have to be repainted.

We will be in the dust for the foreseeable future but, when we emerge, perhaps we will see brighter days.