Scrumblies and Glidgets

Gerta, my house, has dandruff.

That's the only conclusion I can come to after wiping down the kitchen countertops and finding the usual assortment of crumblies, microscopic dustballs, idgies, and yes- 'floating' Pepper dog hairs. (I think Pepper is in cahoots with Gerta.)

As I washed off the uck-ies once again (as in every time I wash dishes), I sighed to myself as I hit all the high spots and didn't look too closely in the corners. I have slid down the cleaning ladder when it comes to my old days of personal sparkling and pristine. 

But I have to say..... I simply don't remember past homes being this much of a pain in the behind. Hence back to my new theory of Gerta having some type of household dandruff.  When I think of it this way, all the dust, fuzzies, fine woodburner ash, and countertop yuckies start to make sense. It just keeps drifting down and floating around. And around, and around.

While in some ways thinking of living in a dandruff environment is a bit hideous, it's also a bit comforting that it's out of my control.

I think Gerta is wearing me down.

Gerta and I Come to Blows

Today, I decided to battle Gerta- and mostly won.

We've been here two years now, and one of the niggling irritations I've lived with has been our bathroom tub.

After years of being an outfitter's house with lunking, hulking hunters and then a ranch house, our tub has had a permanent haze of dirty-ish ickyness that has stubbornly refused to disappear.

I've tried everything- bleach, ZaBoom, borax, Mr. Clean magic erasers, CLR, blah, blah, blah; you name it, I've tried it.  No dice.

I'm sure Gerta, who loves being a dirty beige ranch, has been delighted with my frustration.

Today, I got down and dirty myself.  After hours ruminating on possible ideas, I took Bar Keeper's Friend (yes, I'd tried this in the past as well), made a paste with water, got Dan's electric sander with a softer sanding pad, and let loose on the walls and tub.

I spent a good hour sanding away, spraying white, gooey paste all over me, the walls, the tub, and the floor.  Dan said I sounded quite industrial.  I imagined a good stiff upper cut to Gerta, and dreamed of it being a knock-out punch.

Ha!  It worked.  The built-in grime slowly erased (as well as likely parts of the finish).  While not perfect, the damn tub finally resembled what a good tub should look like.  Victory was mine!

Then, in retaliation, Gerta punched me back.  The do-hickey that keeps the water coming in shower form versus tub flowing form broke.  That meant we didn't have a functional shower, which is all we ever use.  Panic was in my eyes......

Gerta can be a bitch at times, and thought she had me down.

But not all was lost; I called the Ranch Manager.  He came down and saved my day- after much clumping and thumping, he got the shower option working again.  Take that, Gerta!

My next project?  I just bought vinyl floor stripper for the kitchen.  Half the marks and 'dirt' are permanent... I'm hoping I can strip them away.

We'll see what Gerta has to say about that...

Gerta's 10 Ranch House Rules...

1. Don't dust until the dark wood end table looks grey on top.  This will take about 2 days.

2. Sweep only when you feel lots of crunchies under your feet.  This will also take about 2 days.

3. Limit steam-cleaning carpets to 3-4 times a year.  Even after cleaning, they will look pretty much the same after a week.

4. Expect the dogs to get loose and run though the fields, then merrily come back into the house and trample the carpets with black mud from the creek about 2 days after steam cleaning the carpets.

5. Two tips for #4: 1.Wait until the mud dries, then sweep up.  2. Do not panic when all the dog footprints still faintly remain; they will blend in with the general condition of the carpet in a week.

6. With no air conditioning, leave the still-broken back sliding door open for air.

7.  Keep a screen-less kitchen window on the opposite of the house also open; this way the flies that come into the house have a way to fly through and not get stuck inside.

8. Note: when sweeping, be sure to dust off all windowsills and counters of the dead flies; some of those critters are not so smart, and with 50 degree temperature swings each day and night, they often croak.

9. Juggle the front windows open for cool air, and closed because of all the dust from the road out front.

10. When the dogs come in from a run and proudly place a dead gopher on the carpet in the living room, do not scream.  Tell them 'good dog' and quickly place in the garbage.  This happens often.

A Moment of Reflection....

Haven’t posted in months.  

Why?  I don’t think I’ve had anything new or interesting to say.

My life seems pretty normal- at least to me.  I live way up high in the mountains of Montana, in a valley called the Cinnabar basin, and watch elk and now horses out my back window. 

I have frequent discussions with my house regarding what is the acceptable level of cleanliness that does not cause me distress.  

I’ve realized I talk to myself waay too much (conversations with the house not included), and trying to keep silent when alone is a challenge. (Thank goodness for our dogs; at least they offer a legitimate reason for vocalizing!).   

We had snow in June, and 2 weeks later temps in the 90’s.  

My big daily fashion decision is which pair of jeans and T-shirt I should wear.

 

Not exactly normal for most folks, I agree.  

Friends and family call and ask me what is new; my response is usually “Not much.”  I’m mostly content living my day-to-day, watching the many moods of the mountains.

Once upon a time, I was determined to make Big changes in the/my world.  Whatever I was going to do, I felt compelled to do it in a big way.  I had to be the best damn student/daughter/wife/designer/ creative director/mother/writer/ realtor in the land.   

Obviously, these were not realistic goals.  While pretty good at a number of them, there were just not enough hours in my day to Change the World. 

I’ve made my peace that the world will do just fine, thank-you-very-much, with my input or without it.  Looking back, I keep thinking ‘whew! how exhausting.’  All that energy put into attempted extra-achieving. 

Perhaps if I’d let my Inner bitch come out and play more often, I woulda had more energy at the end of the day.  You have to admit there is something freeing about flipping forward your first thoughts and actions without worrying how others will feel.  Getting older does give me a more relaxed perspective…

May your days of reflection bring a calmness to your soul…. And if that doesn’t work, bring out that Inner bitch!

Bwah-hah-haaa... Gerta Gets a Taste of Country Cottage, After All

Gerta and I are coming to an understanding- she can keep her tom-boyish ways, and I can spiff things up, within reason. 

Dan and I decided to update our bathroom, since it's a room we both visit several times a day.  :) 

Here's a photo of what it looked like:

It was typical 1970's decor- dark, dark wood and trim, beige floral wallpaper, off-white linoleum floor covering that never looked clean no matter how much you cleaned it, etc. 

At this point, we had already installed a larger medicine cabinet and the shelf unit over the toilet (seems we must have 'bathroom stuff' issues, and didn't have enough room to store all the stuff).

Thanks to all of Dan's talents with paint, wallpapering, installing flooring, new trim and accessories, etc., this is our 'new' bathroom:

Yay!  Bright, white, clean, and cottage-y.  Beadboard on the walls and the new cabinet doors Dan made. And I love the new floor... the new stick-em' tiles of today are awesome!  'We' even used them to cover the shelves. 

Alas, my only contribution was choosing the wallpaper that was uber-cheap on sale.  (Price was great, but Dan said it was a bitch to work with.)  Oh, and giving Dan lots of moral support.

Gerta seems to approve of the new look- so far, no home disasters or dramas.  Just goes to show you that even old-timers can like a new change.....

Gerta Gets A Makeover

Gerta is our house, with whom I have an uneasy alliance.  She's a little bit ranch dirty, and I guess I'm a bit of a clean diva.  The problem, I realized in an earlier post, is she was and is a tomboy and loves it, and she does her best to remind me that when it comes to dust, grime and rough edges, she thinks she is the boss.

Gerta reminds me of Calamity Jane in the HBO series called "Deadwood".  (Rachel sent us the first season on DVD to occupy Dan as he recovered, and we have both been enjoying it.)  Calamity Jane is portrayed as a tough, grimy, drinking, profane woman who has a soft heart, deep underneath her facade.

If Gerta were a person, I could see her cussing someone out while spitting chewing tobacco on the ground and loving it.  But... she'd keep you warm and comfortable when you needed it.

In spite of her foibles, Gerta has a new look.  All the buildings on the ranch were painted this last summer, and Gerta went from her yellow house/green roof to a new beige house with gray roof:

Gerta's spiffy new look

What she looked like a year ago

She also got a new garage door installed; previously, there was a picture window in its place.

We are close to finishing what started out as our first project on the house- the front door.  The original door could have been a finalist in the 'Ugliest Door Contest':

We came up with an abstract mountainous scene, which Dan cut out of wood and carved and I painted:

We also painted the door off white.  All that's left is putting a finishing frame around the piece.

Next on our list is an update of the bathroom.  Since this 'first project' took a year, we'll see how quick that gets done..... :)  Pictures to one day come!

Mud-Puppy Party

Ring around the couchie
Paw prints leave an ouchie
Bad dog! Bad dog!
We all had fun......

One day last week while I was at the main lodge working, Dan was home in the living room resting.  The dogs had taken a run outside and disappeared in the fields behind our home.

Suddenly, both dogs came roaring through the back door chasing each other and did a mad dash around the couch, circling several times.  Unfortunately, they must have run through the stream beside the home that offers pitch black mud, and left a few souvenirs.....

It's actually MUCH worse in real life

This gives you an idea of the final result.

Who puts off-white carpeting in a ranch home, after all??  You can see the carpet steamer in the first photo, waiting to be put to use.  Although discouraging, I had to laugh.  Aggravating but funny.

Since then, the carpet has been cleaned and looks as good as it will ever be.  Chilli and Pepper are continuing their best-buddy adventures...

Dust is NOT the Enemy

Today I power-cleaned my house- swept, washed floors, did laundry, dusted, gave the dog a bath, and cleaned the kitchen and bathroom.  I got into the ‘evil’ spots; those little nooks and crannies that any homeowner knows about, but hidden to the casual visitor.

I did it because I finally had the time to get the work done, and for the peace of mind that, for a little while, I could rest confident in the fact that my house is clean.

Somehow, I was raised to think that dust was a thing to fight.  A dusty house was a dirty house.  It was a negative status symbol, a sign that a woman was not in control of her home or her life.

I accepted that, and fought the enemy diligently.

Until I moved to Montana.

Here I’ve learned the silly simple truth that dust is part of life.  It’s in the roads, in the fields, in the air on my dog, and yes, it’s in my house.

I promise you now, that if you visit my home, you will find dust.  I’ll Swiffer it when it makes the furniture turn grey instead of brown, but there will always be some around.

Along with the aspens, the mountains, and the blue, blue skies, dust has kinda become a friend.  It’s constant, it’s dependable, and it’s always there….

Tom Boy vs. Cottage Clean

I’ve written in past posts of our home we live in that I named Gerta (see here ).  The name seemed to fit her- she’s a former hunter outfitter/cowboy wrangler’s house with good bones and plenty of space.

I now realize ‘she’ and I have been locked in a subtle battle for many months, and we’ve had strong differing opinions in regards to her personality.

Built in the 1970’s, Gerta is dressed out in dark brown wood paneling and trim, a bedroom with orange shag carpeting, beige carpeting in the great room, beige linoleum in the kitchen and bath, etc.  In my perfect world, she would have had light, bright colors with that popular airy style that people envy today.

I quickly accepted the fact that Gerta would never be a dreamy refuge without an exhausting amount of work and funds, so I focused on my second goal- a ranch house that was tidy, clean and spiffy.

That’s where the battle began.  Silly me- I imagined our new home would like and appreciate a fresh-scrubbed look.   

I was wrong.

Over the months Gerta has shown me that she loves the Tom Boy look- dirt smudges, crumbs and all.  It’s ‘ranch dirty’ for her; and the harder I try to clean her up, the more she sabotages my work.

Take the time I finally got the basement cleaned up from moving- got all trash removed, washed and waxes the floors, etc.  She decided to let the basement flood with water backing up from the drain pipe.

Dan and I frantically cleaned up the mess, washed (and waxed!) the floors again, and she literally spit in our faces again with more basement flooding- this time with water and septic residue.  More frantic cleaning ensued with carpets now being removed and floor scrubbing.  (Notice the waxing has now disappeared- one small victory for her.)

After more trials and errors, and stress and strain, it was determined that the septic system was dead.  Gerta was a sick puppy.   

But she had dragged things on until the dead of winter, and the blind digging of leach beds in the back yard (after removing mounds of snow) left a mud/dirt wasteland ready to be tracked in for months. 

Score one for Gerta.

Then there was the leaking from the ceiling in the basement (drywall removal and mess), 

and the copious amounts of dust she cheerfully blows forth from the heater vents, 

and the carpet/linoleum stains that will never go away…… I finally came to a realization.

Gerta likes dirt.  She’s happiest when the dog sheds hair, when there’s muddy shoe prints on the floor, when the furniture looks grey with dusts only two days after dusting.   

She spent most of her life with men tromping around in mud-caked shoes and week-old clothes drinking beer and talking about the deer/elk they shot.  Men whose idea of cleaning was to drag a mop over the kitchen floor once a year whether it needed it or not.

I was taking a Tom Boy and trying to make her wear a frilly dress.

The battle’s not over yet.  I now understand where she’s coming from, but it can’t be one-sided.  She has to give some, too.  And ‘giving’ does not mean more dirt.

Sigh……

Gerta- Rugged on the Outside, Warm-Fuzzy on the Inside

I christened our home with the name of Gerta, and showed some outdoor photos in an earlier post.  As promised, we are now fairly well settled, and here's a few inside pictures-

Here's the kitchen coming in from the front door. And a couple more shots panning into the living room:

The living room is vaulted, with a set of stairs going up to a guest bedroom....

Down a hallway to the left is our bedroom:



The dresser is built-in.  There's plenty of closet space on the right of the photo.

Last but not least, is Dan's new 'office'.  It's a large space that was originally a garage, then finished off.  In a previous life this was a family room.  Now, it's a work-in-progress as Dan's new woodshop.  He'll keep busy with his own projects as well as ranch repairs:

He's having a good time planning and rearranging his 'stuff'.

Gerta also has a full walk-out basement.  We'll be using a lot of this space for storage, and Dan is at work in a version of his future man-cave with animal mounts, maps, etc.  A large room has knotty pine paneling. Once finished, he'll have a good space to retreat to.

Let the tall tales and hunting/fishing stories begin!

Meet Gerta, Our Ranch House

After Dan and I had been at our home for a few days, I felt we had to give the home a name.  It was definitely a 'she', and after some discussion we both felt the name 'Gerta' fit.

She's strong and sturdy.  A bit weather-worn, but she'll do nicely. She'll keep us warm and dry, and I think we'll be quite cozy here.  We'll get her spiffed up over time...

When you climb up the mountain and through the ravines, you finally see an upper valley/basin open up.  There is one spot where you can see our home; after that the road keeps going uphill, and you can't see her until you've turned the bend.  Here's what you'll view way across the basin:

The brown building to the left houses 2 apartments where the seasonal help stay. Here's a view of ole Gerta at the top of the road:

In the back of the house is a full deck with great views.  Below is a horse corral and a paddock area. She's basically a one-story ranch style house with a walk out basement, except for a bedroom in the front on the second level.

This is our morning view from our kitchen, which is at the front of the house:

I was rushing to snap a photo before the full moon disappeared behind the mountain! 

Here's a couple of views from the back of our deck:

Pretty, huh?

We're getting close to pulling our house together inside, and will take some inside photos once we're done.  Last Saturday, we went to Bozeman to stock up on food, get a few necessities, and buy a grill.  Here's a cowboy doing some serious grill study.....

This Labor Day weekend it will be fun to 'nest'.... Dan will be assembling our new grill, I'll be hanging curtains, and we'll be working at getting Dan's workshop set up.

Yippie  Kiy Yiy Yay!