The choosing of paint colors is always a delicate dance as no two people seem to like the same exact colors. I am always drawn to the names. My friend Holly and I used to read the fanciful names for colors in breathy but husky voices and crack up over such combinations as "Forest Glade" and "Blissful Blue". Recently, Cora and I stood in ACE Hardware laughing over color names such as "Shhh..." (a perfect color for a bedroom) and "Sigh of Relief" (which I wanted for the bathroom). In the end, we chose "Maiden's Hair" for the stairway and loft, "Upbeat" for the living, dining, and kitchen, "Cafe au Lait" for one bedroom, and "Geyser" for the bathroom and small bedroom.
My mom drove all the way back to Ely again this month to help us with the painting. She was hoping to also catch Raif racing in the Section Nordic Ski meet, but unfortunately he got very sick and stayed home from school for 4 days that week. It was disheartening for him to achieve his goal of being selected to be part of the section team, but not be able to ski. He listened on the radio as his teammates raced their hearts out. Fiona also was home sick for 5 days that week. It was quite a week! Mom painted up a storm, and finished in 3 days!
Other house progress has included having Ann and David come up to help with the wiring. Mark milled and installed some beautiful quarter-sawn pine wainscoting in the dining room, which is repeated in the entry but with a horizontal placement. The overhang outside was insulated and finished with pine T-n-G to match the other soffits. Special scribed trim has been installed in the main rooms to fit snugly around the floor joists. It is so exciting seeing some of these details come together, like the two Tiffany style floral light fixtures in the living room. The loft is such an inviting space with the pine ceiling, creamy walls, and sunlight streaming in. Elements of the loft echo in the stairway, with the same pine paneling and light paint color. Coming up will be plumbing, heating, installing wood inside the closets, and flooring!
Cora wrapped up her ski season with 11th place at Junior High Champs in the 7th grade division. The Ely girls' team advanced to State along with one senior from the boy's team, but the boy's team finished 4th in the section. Next year! So proud that the girls' Ely Nordic Wolves are now the State Champions!!
Mom took this photo of Raif and Cora posing in Whiteside Park sitting in one of the amazing snow sculptures during Ely Winter Festival.
Raif is participating in speech with an informational talk about solar energy. Now that skiing is done, he keeps busy with pep band, homework, and riding (and fixing) his snowmobile. Cora continues to fundraise for her upcoming dance trip in June to New York City. She was recently cast as Miss Hannigan in the upcoming musical Annie Jr. put on by the musical theater class at school. We look forward to seeing her play that role with flair. Fiona is wearing her new glasses. A trip to the eye doctor revealed that her eye drops were not helping her vision develop in the small eye, so we stopped that routine. Now she will need to wear glasses for both protection and better vision. She is busy with puzzles, learning her letters and numbers, and training for "varsity". She talks about "homework" and "practice" all the time, no doubt influenced by her older siblings.
Mark was the assistant teacher of a class at the Ely Folk School during the Ely Winter Festival about how to make a beaver fur hat. As part of that class, he took home the fur and pattern for the hat so look for that to be modeled next winter when he has more time! He also took a short fishing trip with some friends, including our neighbor Steve. They stayed near Grand Marais and caught some delicious lake trout. Sometimes he wonders what he will do with his time next winter, but I suspect that his shop next winter will be a place of creation and productivity, while his winter expeditions will be more frequent and longer in duration.
Some might call me crazy, but I am serving on two boards currently (marketing coordinator of Ely Folk School board and secretary of the yet-to-be built Ely Recreation Community Complex board) as well as participating in the Strategic Planning Committee for the Ely School District. I enjoy being active and feel that I can contribute in this way. I know that my parents instilled in me a drive to be involved in my community. Giving back and paying forward are both values I learned from their example.
Each one of us have had some down times this past month. I think of a line from the Roger Miller song from my favorite cartoon Robin Hood...sometimes the ups outnumber the downs. Reflecting on the past month shows that we indeed have had net positivity (if that is a thing). Sickness, winter blues, water in the basement, snowmobile breaking down, melting snow, spilled milk, whatever. Bring it on.
Love to hear about the lives of the Olsons.
ReplyDelete