12 Sept 2011

Like Son Like Father

Jerry continued the piling up of Haz Mat stuff and we wondered where we were going to put everything else and how we were going to haul all this “stuff” off.  It will take us more than a couple of trips!  Jerry also “caught up with Cole”…….he broke his first hammer!  LOL  So, Cole, you are no longer alone in the hammer destruction department. Jerry also had to deal with a couple of récupérateurs who had their eyes on the vineyard wagons, angle iron and giant pulley in the garage.  They haggled a little and left and said they would return in the morning.

Demolition Man!

Jerry and I also did the first piece of demolition…we took the wainscoting down in the foyer.  It was a small thing to do but we are so excited to get the house ready for the artisans that we just had to do something we were not ready to do!  We got the wainscoting off but we don’t have anywhere to put it yet because the garage is full to over flowing!  So it is now leaned back up against the wall where we pulled it off.

Religious stuff

I headed upstairs to one of the bedrooms.  There were two big boxes up there that I was just dying to peek into.  The smaller of the two boxes was full of religious photos, a rosary, statues of Jesus, Saints and the Virgin Mary.  The religious photos will be taken out of their frames and put in a scrapbook I am starting. I just can’t throw them away.  The frames are not worth keeping---I say that before anyone can message me back yelling about the frames!  I haven’t decided what to do with the statues.  The rosary will go in the scrapbook as well.

Religious Pictures



old rakes

In the second box was a bunch of nothing…clothes, rags and a bag full of broken to bits tea cups.  I was désolé about the tea cups!!!  I continued on cleaning out the middle room of that “suite” of rooms.  There were several old hand rakes, one of them handmade out of a piece of wood.  I have never seen rakes shaped like the ones I found.  All the handles were homemade and there were two pieces of wood with the rakes.  Apparently a couple of them needed new handles!  There were also some plow blades and chain in a box.  The chain, blades and rakes are going in the tool pile in the basement. (all except for the wooden rake…I am taking care of that!). 

I swept the floor in the two bedrooms and dusted down all the cobwebs I could reach.  We have to get a ladder since I am too short to reach the ceilings even with the broom.

How to clean tin ware- suggestions?

Several of the villagers stopped by to see the house and they all proclaimed the Maison très jolie and wished us bonne chance and bon courage!   It will take me forever to remember everyone’s name but it is wonderful to know the populace of our new village is as curious as the populace of the neighborhoods where we have built and remodeled houses in the USA !  LOL

Jerry and I quit early since we have a rendezvous at the pub in Tourbes.  It will be the first time we have seen everyone since we have been back and we are both excited to get to visit a while!  Time to clean up and go party!  Have to keep our priorities straight… Right?

At the bar we were greeted by most of our friends here, about 25 in all.  Jake roared to high heavens to see his old friends. Biggest crowd I have ever seen excepting when the Scots are here. Chatted over beers until almost 10, (late for us) and again closed down the bar. It was an absolute shame not to be able to spend quality time with each one, but there were just too many. We met up with our friends Ola and Jenny and had a good talk. They are going home next week and will return in October. At the end, we got a free one from Udal which is Tereze’s (bar owner) daughter’s half brother. Such intrigue!