Everything's Kind of a Mess, Etc.

October, already!  Unbelievable.

The bathroom remodel project is proceeding and has pretty much claimed the house and about 75% of my sanity and focus.  Here's what it looks like now:

A tidy shell

In the foreground, below, the tile possibilities:

 

From front to back:  floor, shower (subway tile; same color as vanity will be painted);  counter samples on top of that; back splash samples leaning against the tub

I'm going to ask, even if my sister is cringing because she doesn't want me to get talked out of our (tentative) choice.  Which do you like best?

Here's Sample A, warm and rustic:

Sample B:  Cool squares

Sample C:  Cool  and sophisticated(?) rectangles

In the course of demolishing the bathroom, the contractor came across this:

Frolicking dogs, anyone?

He thinks it dates from the 1930's and the first family who owned this house.  The second family, who sold the house to us, put up bordello-red flocked wallpaper in this bathroom, which we got rid of ASAP. We put up frolicking fish:

Next:  no wallpaper at all.

* * * * *

If all that isn't enough chaos and decision-making, this morning I did this:

My friend and next door neighbor, Laura, is getting married in a couple of weeks, and after hearing from her daughter Leah about the glammy outfit she bought in NYC to wear to this event, I thought maybe I could see if I could figure out something a little more daring that what I was planning to wear.  Also, my sister and I watched part of the documentary on fashion photographer Bill Cunningham yesterday while we recovered from tile shopping, and Bill got me behind the concept of stylish vintage.

So, on the bed,  are samples of clothes that span decades: left to right. a pleated red silk skirt I wore to a wedding in 1985-the waist wouldn't zip by at least two inches, very demoralizing.  In the center in a plastic bag, a dress I wore to a wedding. in 2011.  To the right of that,  a dress bought for a wedding in 2012 and too warm for this one.  On the far right, the dress I wore to my sister's wedding in 1982 (not a prayer).

See the open jewelry box on the upper left?  Fiddling around that stuff resulted in this:

I'm stuck! We can't get the clasp open.  I'm going to have to run down to the jewelers to see if they can liberate me. I'm definitely not wearing these to the wedding, unless the jeweler can't help me out.

* * * * *

On to more chaos. Here's my studio at the moment:

Even though I swore I'd never do another quilt with triangles, this is what I'm playing around with:

I have no idea what I'm doing, although I did find myself trying this:

Who knows.

* * * * *

On other fronts:  The Food Pantry has had a change in leadership--a new manager and a new director.  Lots of changes, including my role checking in clients in the front room.  Unsettling to all of us long-time volunteers, but I'm talking myself out of being an Old Fartette.  I'm trying to embrace the changes, or at least do my best at observing and cooperating.

Before the Pantry opened on Monday, I made numerous trips to the green bin with spoiled vegetables, each time walking past waiting clients.  On my fourth trip, a large African American man who was holding court, called out, "That white lady is working hard!"


"Yes, I am!" I said.  Didn't mention the effort of dealing with change.  

* * * * *

On a more serious note:  Mr. Adorable has been hospitalized!  Some of you may have seen this on Facebook.

He has asthma and developed pneumonia, which resulted in wheezing and shortness of breath that even a nebulizer couldn't reverse.  The doctor ordered him to the ER, and he's spent the past three days in a "palatial room," (per his Auntie Claudia), at the Monterey Community Hospital in Pacific Grove.  He's better and more than a little restless:

 Killing time in the hospital gift shop until he can be sprung.  Cute even in hospital wear.