New addition to the family

Starla and I finally broke down and bought a new TV. It is 40", LCD and Flat panel. We are enjoying it greatly. We are in negotiations on paying for Hi-Def.

Sleepy dog.

Ruby had great fun at playcare today. She was beat when she got home though. I'm not sure why she dragged Tugsy into bed with her.

Presto. New bathroom.

Here it is. Multi-colored slate. Green walls. Toto toilet. Copper vessel sink and faucet. Antiqued vanity. Those tiles are still pretty pink, though. Thanks for the help Mom.

Church flowers

This morning Starla and I had the pleasure of providing the flowers for Sunday worship. We provided them in honor of Calliope.

Bathroom floor #2

This one might be original, too. Except for the fish I imagine. Soon it will be slate. It's getting a new toilet like upstairs. The sink will be a copper vessel. The faucet is copper, as well. Starla and I must pick a paint color and a vanity to mount the sink on.

Happy Family

Thanks mom. What a pretty little set of sock monkeys. I think Calliope will love them.

general of the opera

I played a crazy general in the ALO production of Merry Widow. It was fun. I didn't do much singing, though. Mostly dialogue.

Mom's blog

News from the Bell is up and running. Check out the link to the right. Look for lots of animal pictures in the future.

MIA

Well, I've been missing in action. Asheville Lyric Opera's production of Merry Widow has been in rehearsal all last week gearing up for 3 performances this weekend. Beaver Lake has iced over a couple of times. Not enough to skate on, though. It looks beautiful especially when the snow falls on it. The last two weeks have found me feeling very blessed to live next to a lake. Our views are so pretty and we are still so close to town. It is kind of like living in Central Park. Except you have fewer mounted police officers. And the parking rules are easier to understand. Coming soon.....another bathroom gets demolished and redone. Look for the pictures.

A little girl's bed.

Here is the finalised nursery. The crib turns into a twin bed when the time comes. Please notice all the UGLY dolls in the storage unit. Could you sleep with all those eyes on you? I hope she can. (Hint - Click on the picture to enlarge it.)

Ruby's new bed.

Starla found this for $10. We got three for Ruby's various sleeping locations. Sometimes she even uses them for sleeping.

At last another place for Starla to lounge.

In case you thought we were running short of surfaces for Starla to be recumbent. Here is a picture to allay your fears. Our new sofa came yesterday. Now, of course, we need all new pillows.

Bathroom done.

The sink and toilet are in. Everything is pretty much done. I have one small leak to address but that should be doable. Plumbing is my least favorite thing to do. Scratch that. Paying for some one else to do my plumbing is my least favorite thing.

My fingernail.

Happily, I did not hit my fingernail with a hammer. Rather the thing I hit with a hammer hit my fingernail. I think that is slightly less embarrassing. So, I've had a pool of blood under my nail for the past month or so. Recently, it has grown out enough to start flaking away. The top nail flakes away leaving the dried up blood and new nail underneath it. Pretty gross.

Puzzle time.

January has been puzzle month for me for the past two years. I received a puzzle for Christmas each year. Last year was Klimt's "The Kiss". It was pretty hard. But this year was Van Gogh's "Starry NIght". It wouldn't have been any harder than Klimt except it was a photomosaic puzzle. That made it quiet challenging. I quite enjoyed it. Keep the puzzles coming.

Slate floor

As promised, a slate floor. It is still a bit dusty from the grout. I will clean it and seal it this evening and then it will be ready for a sink and a toilet. (By the way, try homeclick.com if you are looking for bathroom fixtures. We saved $100 on a Toto toilet.) I did not put in the heated floor. Maybe next time.

Upstairs bathroom.

Here is the floor underneath the vinyl that was up there. Neat, huh? I wonder if it was original. I am putting in black slate. I think I have decided against the heated floor. I just don't want to do the extra work. I've got too many other litttle chores to complete. Besides, Starla is planning on redoing the bathroom in a few years anyway.

Sick Puppy

Ruby came home a bit sick from doggie daycare yesterday. To illustrate the point she spit up in our bed this morning. She slept all night in her bed at the side of our bed. At 7:40 she decided she wanted to jump up and be closer to us. Then she promptly got sick right next to me. It's funny how you can ignore an alarm clock but a dog barfing right next to you really makes you get out of bed fast.

Ruby's new collar.

It's decidedly stylish. But Ruby has long legs and is as skinny as a super model. We think it sets her apart from other dogs without getting into the whole punk rock leather thing. I don't think it will make her any less prissy when she has to go out in the rain, though.

Upstairs WC

Here is the new paint job and crown molding upstairs. I will post more photos as I finish the renovation. It is getting a new slate floor that will be heated. New toilet. New pedestal sink. New curtains. Thanks, Lana, for helping me strip the wallpaper.

The name frame.

Here is a frame I made with Calliope's name. Starla got some flower fairies that I can decoupage onto it.

Hello humidifier

Here is Calliope's humidifier. It, also, works as a night light.

Christmas day

We had quite a houseful on Christmas day. Ten humans and two dogs. I didn't snap nearly enough photos but the ones I got are here. I prepared a grand meal for our luncheon. We had ham (provided by the Lewises). And I provided all the vegetables. Cooking for ten is as much work as it sounds like. I have a brand new respect for Alice from the Brady Bunch. I made salt crust potatoes and salt crust beets. Sadly my beets were underdone for the second straight year. Maybe the third time will be the charm. Parmesan carrots were great as usual. Honestly, how can you go wrong with anything cooked for an hour in butter and cheese. Hank said my green beans were cooked exactly long enough. I rather agree with him. I happen to like them a bit crisp myself, too. But the wilted chard with the red onions and vinegar was probably the most complimented. I've always loved greens with vinegar and these were quite flavorful. I baked three sweet potatoes until they were just mush inside. We scooped the insides out and they were just as sweet as any yam casserole with marshmallows but twice as healthy. For Keith we had canned cranberry sauce but everyone was happy to see it. Sometimes the low brow can't be improved upon. I opened a bottle of Bordeaux from the St. Julien region. It was just beautiful wine. I may have to purchase another bottle. I got it for myself last Christmas at the wine shop in Grand central Terminal. Chateau Gloria 1999 - for Christmas you see. Matt and Bryan whipped up a very light sour cream dip with onions. I didn't get any with lunch but I have been enjoying it with my Lay's for the past two days. It's nearly gone guys. Send me a recipe when you get a chance. (Also, I noticed you left the Moet White Star behind. I'm looking forward to opening it the next time we get together.) For dessert I baked three pies with homemade crusts. Maple cream, Pear-pomegranate, Apple-cranberry-ginger. I think each was good in its own way but I will likely try three different ones next time.

Keeping Asheville weird

Thank you anonymous camera man and belly dancing duo. Your work is definitely keeping Asheville weird. This morning in the cold air Beaver Lake was the location for some exotic filming. Our yard on Marlborough Rd. was their parking lot. I'll be seeking royalties.

Ruby takes a nap

Ruby just needed to stretch out and relax. Apparently, I am the most comfortable thing in the room. You can see she got interested when Starla pulled out the camera.

Ruby's first snow

She looks curious, doesn't she? Not too playful, though. Perhaps when it gets thicker she will do some cavorting to entertain us. Mostly she was confused when the snow hit her on the head or nose. Maybe she's too cool for snow now that she's growing up.

A caroling we went

Here is the group I've been caroling with recently. It has been a bit of fun but so much singing is quite a bit of work. At Biltmore we sing for 30 minutes and then rest for 30 minutes. Last time we did 4 sets over 4 hours. Anyway it will be coming to an end for me soon. Another singer will take my place and I will go on to different singing.

Watch me go

I have been working double time on the nursery. I hope Calliope likes green and lavender. I built this storage unit in the shape of a house. Starla is working on filling it up with gifts for our daughter. I'm not really sure if the gifts are chiefly for Calliope's benefit or Starla's delight. Oh well, either are fine with me.