Who loves L&O?

I am a long time "Law and Order" fan.  I love to watch the old episodes on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and sometimes catch a repeat with dinner during the week.  I hardly ever watched any first run episodes on NBC - I watched the reruns on cable.

Several years ago I read an article in the weekend section of the Wall Street Journal that watching reruns of L&O was the secret vice of a huge percent of 35 - 50 year old women.  The author suggested to the reader to bring it up at any gathering of baby boomers (back then 35 year olds were baby boomers) - he bet that at least half the women there would fess up to being L&O addicts.  I tried it out a few times, and I was surprised at how right he was.

Anyhow, I just read that beginning this Sunday night, BBC America will start running the first season of "Law and Order - UK."  The scripts were adapted from original US episodes.  This Sunday's episode is from the Ben Stone era.  I have set the DVR, because I will be watching Mad Men when it comes on, but I look forward to seeing the crown prosecutor and the defense counsel talking trash in the changing room while donning and doffing their barristers' wigs.

All of a sudden - it's Fall, Yall!

Who gets excited enough about a cloudy, rainy day to run out and make a picture?  I guess I do.

Concrete dream dashed

We pulled up the carpet in the basement today - I had hoped there would be pristine concrete underneath.

Not!  Something has been glued down in the past - it's black, and sticky, and yuck.  Very handsome floor man says he can clean it - of course it will take three days and all sorts of evil, toxic substances to melt the goo before he can scrape it away.

So - what shall plan B be?  Not hardwood - it's a basement - generally dry, but still, things could get damp.  Laminate?  I don't think so - it's just pretending to be wood or tile or cork or whatever.  I'm thinking tile might be my best choice.  Any opinions out there?

The Once and Future Woman Cave

Most of you who have been to my house have never seen my basement - because for the last several years it has just been a junk room.  When I first moved in, the basement was my den and I spent a lot of time there.  Actually, I think I can blame Spencer for moving out of this den - the timing coincides with when he came to live here - I didn't want to tote puppy up and down, so I just moved up!

After getting rid of a ton of stuff in the MOAYS (mother of all yard sales) Labor Day weekend, I am moving quickly on reclaiming the den. Tomorrow the carpet guy is coming to pull out the old stinky berber carpet.  I am hoping the concrete underneath will be in good enough shape just to use with maybe some rugs, or maybe I will look at staining it.    The stairs will be recarpeted in a dark pewter close napped carpet - I just think carpet will make for safer stairs.

Ok - here are the before pictures - first - the bar is gone.  The bar came with the house, and the reason that it is outside is because I tried to get rid of it at the MOAYS, to no avail.  So, last Friday I posted this pic on Craigslist under the heading FREE BAR, and an hour later, it was gone.

Here are some interiors.  The paint is the has not been touched since I moved in 14 years ago.  I slapped up the chair rail border over the trout-fishing border that was there before. 

The overhead bar lights are coming out and a big screen is going where the bar ware currently sits.  A 55 inch set will fit in there - do I follow my nephew Eric's advice - "buy the biggest tv that fits in the space."????

The furniture goes too.  The paint and the furniture are going to be very neutral grays and whites, then I can punch up the color with accessories - here are some things I have found that I really want:

I am also moving the pub dining table and monster lamp (pictures here from an old post)  from my sewing room down to the den, and revert the sewing room back to a guest room.  I can stash all my sewing in the adjacent storage room, and the table can do double duty.

Stay tuned for progress, and as soon as it all done, everyone is invited to the new woman cave!

Labor Days

Yes - three Labor Days.  This was the weekend of the big yard sale.  I had a pod full of the stuff we took out of my mom's house, along with some some of my junk accumulation.  The best friend in the world, Laura P, came over and brought a van full of stuff from her house.  We spread out all the way up my driveway and into my neighbor's yard, who by the way, also gets the award for best neighbor evah.  He did all the heavy lifting for us and was right there until the end boxing and organizing the left overs to go to charities.

We held the sale from 8:00 to 4:00 for three days, and cleared out a lot of the stuff, made a little money, and believe it or not, had one whale of a good time doing it. We met some of the nicest people, cutest kids, and some folks I fully expect to be featured on "Hoarders" at some time in the future. Even the weather was absolutely pleasant and dry.

I am also looking forward to the massage that is owed me - I bartered an old chair with a massage therapist!