And then there was light...

I spent the entire day with the electrician...well, except for my two very wobbly trips to Lowe's...and a nap on the couch...and one out back on the sidewalk while waiting for Amos to get down to business.

Here is a photo of the utilitarian fan that was hung in the parlor (remember this had the half bath in it that was just plopped in the room).  It does not fit this house!  Plus, it was hung directly in the lathe board, so any regular use at all and down would have come the ceiling.  Truly, a disaster all around.

Here you see the rather beautiful chandelier that was actually hanging on the back porch!  Who would stick this outside???

Well, I bought a plain porcelain fixture and a simple rose medallion and moved the chandelier to the parlor.  My, I will say that I happen to believe it looks rather beautiful in there, much more fitting to the space.

I will note that the second trip to Lowe's came about after discovering that the fan was not set properly and needed a new box to hang the light.  The electrician also suggested getting a medallion to cover the marks on the ceiling left by the fan.  Truly, it adds to the overall fixture quite nicely.  When it was up and turned on, the electrician was rather pleased with his contribution to my home decor!  I had to restrain myself in the flicking of the fixture on and off, on and off, on and off!

Here you will see the new vanity light that was installed for the whenever-Myrtle-gets-a-job-and-can-afford-to-put-up-a-wall half-bath.  The rather ugly modern vanity is being removed, the pipes moved across from the toilet, a new vanity set in below the light, and a screen set up to block the view of the toilet.  While people can use the toilet now, the french door makes doing so a bit revealing.  I hung a lace curtain on the back of the door, which does mask quite a bit, but not really enough for anyone to feel truly comfortable in there.  Once the wall is set up, I can move the screen to the basement toilet.  Right now, I have one of the old curtains hanging down in front of that space.  With all the things going on in the ceiling, it would make no sense to add walls around the toilet and sink there, unless they were some sort of stall feature or built up short of the ceiling with a funky cap or something like that. 

I had to choose the space for the half-bath and set the light half-way between the outside wall and the wall-to-come.  Making an equal distance to that between the toilet and the outside wall, that would mean a 40-inch bath.  In the attic are four doors original to the house. I plan to have one used as a pocket door so as to maximize space.  Ideally, the wall would also have transom windows so that the light from the current two-set windows would still shine into then reduce-in-size parlor.  All that, though, will be a later day.

The electrician is an absolute master at cutting into plaster walls.  I was really amazed at his work.  Part of today's labor included putting in grounded plugs in the living room.  After the second one, he rocked back on his heels and openly admired his work.  "Just beautiful," he exclaimed.  I agree.

Cutting into the inside wall afforded the opportunity to cut through to the porch on the other side as well.  That means that I can have my fountain running again!  [When it is not freezing outside.]  Just think, between the beautiful chimes and mesmerizing fountain, I shall be gaining equanimity by the bucket loads when the weather turns into Spring!

This house is rather unbelievable to me.  I simply cannot wrap my mind around the fact that I am actually living here. 

I already have a fantasy project for him:  the light switch to the kitchen is all the way across the room next to the back door.  I would like to add a light switch by the entrance from the dining room, since I tend to leave lights off unless I am in the room.  That way, I will stop stubbing my toe on the cabinet or banging into the stove at night.  And it would be nice to have a plug in the attic.  And a light in the servant's quarters' closet.  Yep...I need that job!

Amos was grand company this day.  Oh, how I have needed a bit of comfort in my life!


Lord, I believe.  Help my unbelief!