Just Because

Merry Christmas!

Greetings from Tumble Moon! Deer Boy is ready to add sparkle to the end of a gloomy 2020, while ringing in a promising New Year full of hope. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Country Retreat

Tumble Moon (Update 19)

October 18, 2019. And so, the big day finally arrived. The furniture was professionally moved in by a white gloved service. For the past year, all the major pieces had been shipped to them and then stored in their warehouse. I can’t tell you how many times the move day had to be rescheduled because of illness, inclement weather, schedule conflicts, or the holidays, but most of the time, it was the inclement weather. Tumble Moon’s soil can take days to dry out after any kind of rain. We needed to do the unloading while the ground was dry—dry enough to be able to bring in the large truck, unload the furniture, set all pieces on the ground around the truck, and then select the heavier pieces to move inside first.

Country Retreat

Tumble Moon (Update 18)

The wooden chairs will remain inside, but the rustic table is meant for the front porch. When I’m not staying there, all porch furniture will be brought inside for safe-keeping.

October 10, 2019. Every surface was scrubbed down, and bronze hardware fixtures were installed in both bathrooms. This included hanging hooks, towel racks, toilet paper holders, and towel rings. Most of the flatware, dinnerware, and drinking glasses were unpacked. While most of the furniture is still in storage and will be moved to Tumble Moon next week, three floor lamps and some furniture were brought from my Dallas home where I had been keeping them until the construction had been completed.

Country Retreat

Tumble Moon (Update 17)

March 27, 2019. All the curtain panels were hung. The fabric for the downstair’s cafe curtains is a slightly different color and design from the upstair’s panels. Click the “more” link below to see additional images of the curtain installation.

Country Retreat

Tumble Moon (Update 16)

(clockwise from top left) The stained wood floor; braided rug, one for upstairs and one for downstairs; coverlet no. 2; sheets; ticking for 2 pillow cases; grey-green fabric for 2 pillow cases and coverlet no.1 and then again for puffy duvet; it’s complicated; chintz is for the chaise longue

February 1, 2019. Charley and I selected Tumble Moon’s bedding and some other fabrics from Mary Cates and Co. I was going for a simple rustic look like the Shaker style. Click the link below to see my inspiration photo.

Country Retreat

Tumble Moon (Update 15)

The Viasat satellite dish was installed at the rear of the house.

January 18, 2019. Other than electricity, there are no other available utilities for Tumble Moon’s rural vicinity. Even my iPhone’s Verizon service is extremely unreliable when out there. So I arranged to have Viasat satellite internet installed. In a perfect world, I would have loved to be unplugged when out there, but as a single gal, this would not be prudent. With satellite and wifi, I can now use my iPhone, have a security system, and stream channels on my smart tv.

Country Retreat

Tumble Moon (Update 14)

This frame is one of a pair, and the woodworking style is called Tramp art.

November 15, 2018. This frame is one of a pair that I have purchased for Tumble Moon. I’ve been trolling online quite some time searching for this style called Tramp art to use as vanity mirrors at Tumble Moon. Charley ended up finding them right here in Dallas. Not only are they quirky and rustic, but they have the perfect dimensions to fit in the wall space above each bathroom sink.

Country Retreat

Tumble Moon (Update 12)

Mounds of Asian lady beetles colonized Tumble Moon’s interiors. My photos weren’t near as impressive, so I’m sharing a photo taken by John Gavloski of Manitoba Agriculture.

May 2, 2018. I, Charley (architect), and Michael Parkey (landscape architect) met with multiple contractors at Tumble Moon in Saint Jo. It was a very long hard day. One of the contractors was the son of my general contractor, who has been undergoing extensive treatment for some serious illnesses. The son had been brought into the company to take care of things while his dad took care of his health. He had not met any of us and had to be filled in and brought up to speed which included going over the building of the side-door deck and steps and of course, the front porch’s elaborate system of steps and terraces. This was at least the third time, and hopefully the last, going over all this. I had construction documents drawn up to give Jacob, the general contractor’s son. He’s an engineer, so this was helpful.

Country Retreat

First and Last Post for 2019

An antique Swedish toy horse, circa 1850, now greets me at the top of the stairs.

Tumble Moon status updates are currently being created. This year’s construction progress had quite a few hiccups, and then there were months where no progress was being made. Needless to say, it’s been an extremely frustrating year. Since it’s been a year since the last update, I have decided to break up 2019’s developments into multiple posts. This will take some time, especially since there will be a ton of photos to organize and then upload. So check back sometime in late January 2020. In the meantime, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!