Saturday, 29 February 2020

Of Garden Sheds and Cookies and Newel Posts


It's a pleasant late-winter Saturday and I was inspired to tidy up my garden shed. It seems all winter things get put in there helter skelter. I've only done one half so far. I may go out and finish when I've rested for a bit. Here's the 'before'...


....and after.


I came in and made some Oatmeal raisin cookies. Then I made tea and ate a couple.


I was reading up on newel posts and found out some interesting facts.  In older houses the newel post was often hollow and when the house was finished the house plans were put into the newel post then the top part put on as a finality.

This stairway in our house has a number of newel posts. I didn't  ask DH if he made them hollow and if he put the house plans inside. Oh wait. I'm not completely sure there were plans. Our house has sort of grown over the 40some years since we built it. I must admit many changes were made without much in the way of plans ( as in this last addition which might have been built in 2006. I can't remember exactly.  (My DH and all 3 of our sons are/were carpenters and did most of the work themselves).  I love the nooks and crannies our house now has. If I can't live in a genuinely old house I have the next best thing.


Well, I've sat and had a rest so I'll go finish tidying up the garden shed. DH is at a memorial service for a fellow volunteer at Gleaners, a man who still came every day to volunteer. He was just 50 days short of 101 years old.  I have no doubt more than a few pews will be full of Gleaners people.

Thanks for coming by,


Granny Marigold




25 comments:

  1. I like the color you painted your pantry.

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  2. I think you are well on the way to having your garden shed all tidied up. I did not know that about the newel posts...that is interesting. I cannot imagine living to be 100 yrs old!

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  3. Thanks for sharing the trivia of house plans being stored in a newel post - this was news to me! And sorry to hear of your DH's friend who passed away. What a wonderful thing though to have been healthy enough to continue volunteering until the age of 100...wow! About your garden shed, I would be very excited if my "after" looked half as tidy and organized as your "before"!
    Ellabie

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  4. I think your garden shed look great even before you did anything to it!!
    The newel post and your whole stairway is beautiful!!
    Those cookies sure look good.

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  5. Such a fine and selfmade stairway! I love wood in a house very much!

    Spring is approaching now, it's good to make new place and put the winter-decorations on a good place. I think you live in a very beautiful house.

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  6. O you have 3 sons and all are carpenters! Congratulation!

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  7. I see that your tidying means grouping like things together. that works.
    I couldn't help but wonder how you made all the changes to your house without plans to submit for building permits. Here we have to have permits for everything structural.

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    1. Eldest son took drafting in school so he drew up the plans which were submitted and approved. The building inspectors did come and make sure things were done to code but we had a fair amount of leeway with other choices.

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  8. Your stairway is beautiful! How wonderful to have three carpenters in the family! Actually, I can imagine you had fun cleaning and organizing your garden shed. It looks quite spacious. Lucky you! We love oatmeal cookies! Yours look so good!

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  9. Your shelves look so neat and tidy now and I learned something new about newel posts! I had no idea that house plans were put inside them. I love that your house has nooks and crannies built by loving family hands.
    As for your comment on my blog, my friend who went home after her ablation on Thursday, (It was to repair short-circuiting electrical currents in her heart), is back in the hospital with pnuemonia. She went to the ER in the middle of the night last night and will be there at least a few days. I didn't think it was a good idea to go home so soon.
    Wishing you a wonderful Sunday and wishing I were there to have a cup of tea and cookie with you.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  10. Love the balustrade on your stairway. And warm cookies fresh from the oven - I don't think I could stop at just a couple! LOL Mxx

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  11. Your shed looks so nice and tidy. And those cookies looks very good! It was intersting to hear about the house plans in the newel post. It sounds like a good idea. The woodwork in the stairway is beautiful work, good carpenters in your family!

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  12. You are making good progress with your garden shed tidy up! I bet by the time you read this it will be all done!

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  13. I love oatmeal raisin cookies and yours look so yummy!! I would much rather have a cozy home with nooks and crannies than a modern new brick home in a subdivision where everything other house is the same floorplan with a different front. Hope all is well with you on the nice Lord's Day.

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  14. The neatest garden shed ever! You have a cozy home. :)

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  15. How lovely! I love your staircase!

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  16. Your 'helter skelter' before picture sure made me laugh!! If I could only be that tidy when I'm messy! Yes nooks and crannies in houses are so much fun. Ours is pretty boring but we do have a 'secret' doorway behind a mirror that leads from a downstairs bedroom to the family room.

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  17. I like your stair rail and the nice finish on it.

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    1. Thanks, Phil, I guess it ccmes from having all these woodworkers in the family.

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  18. That stairwell and post are so pretty! You must have a truly artisan home, made by loving hands. Nooks and crannies in a house are so fun! I think your shed looked very tidy in the "before" photo!!

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  19. Oh my! Those cookies look so good! Wish I had one right about now! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that staircase! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  20. Very interesting about the newel posts. The house I grew up in was built in 1886 and it has two newel posts (I believe) on its staircase. I will have to check that out. And your Amaryllis is just gorgeous. I may just ask for one for our anniversary! :) Have a great remainder to your week!

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    Replies
    1. Dianna!!! I was so surprised to see you had visited. How are you? Are you going to be blogging again?
      Thanks so much for popping by.

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    2. Thank you for your kind words, Friend. I'm well...had an emergency apendectomy in January but other than that I am doing good. No, I'm not going to be blogging again. With my husband retired, we just stay busy and there really isn't the time that it takes for me to devote to a blog.

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