hanging in the balance

I need a chandelier. The one we’ve been living with is not only fugly, it’s taken to burning through bulbs, which Joe says is probably a result of old wiring.

Normally, the prospect of shopping for light fixtures fills me with joy. And chandeliers—I swoon. But I’m kind of surprised by what I’m discovering I like, which is fairly traditional and wildly expensive. Here’s the first round:

The prototype. I am in love with Murano Venitian glass. Who woulda thunk? I doubt I’ll ever swing this with Joe, especially the price tag, but I can’t help myself, I keep coming back to it.

This one is vintage, and sold. Just as well for my wallet.

Martha Stewart’s version. Also not being made anymore. Clearly I’ve got a thing for that traditional shape though.

Although I’m definitely anti-brass, I think I’d enjoy something like this in a different metallic finish. But I don’t know … too spidery?

I think a visit to a lighting showroom is in order. It may help to see these in person. Or we may be eating by candlelight a lot more.

adventures in landscaping

I’ve been reasonably pleased with how the yard’s coming along. All our plants came back, and are blooming gorgeously. The grass seed is finally starting to sprout, and will hopefully stick around for a while this time.

But I’ve got bigger plans, so I have a landscaper coming over to consult today. They mailed out a brochure and questionnaire ahead of time, and it’s helped me outline my goals. I jotted down a few to discuss. Among them:

• How to fix the lawn
• How we can add evergreens to the front bed. Joe came around to what I’ve been telling him about year-round appeal, just like I knew he would.
• What we can do to discourage squirrels. This is underlined twice.
• Why my composter doesn’t work.
• What the results of our soil test mean. No one told me it would be in periodic table of elements code.

My longterm plan is to makeover the backyard. It’s huge, and private (all our neighbors have fences and we have lots of hedges), and easily one of the best features of this house. I want to eventually add a patio and grill station and make it into a nice place to hang out and entertain.

Joe is just hoping they look around and say, “Wow, fantastic work, nothing we can do to improve on this.”