Gray Matter

It's sort of funny, if someone asked me what my favorite color was, I would have never said "gray." That was my ex's answer. He liked to think he was original.

But these days, my world is turning gray. And not in a bad way. I actually really like the color now. I love my horse Paula, and she's gray. Ergo, gray is quite a happy color to me.

When I bought my truck, I didn't ask for a silver (gray) truck. I just told them what I was looking for (late model, stripped-down, V8, half-ton in good condition) and the one that came in happened to be gray--my first gray vehicle, in fact.

Then when I bought the little purple Civic and it was a complete lemon, Dad decided he'd help me out by selling me his silver Camry. He had a buyer for the Civic (issues and all) and he was ready for a different car himself. The Camry has been perfect for me. Even with 160,000 miles (which it reached this weekend), it drives like it's still brand new and (unlike that darned Civic), it hasn't seen the inside of a shop except for oil changes, new tires, and a tune-up I did only for maintenance reasons.

So, I ended up with two silver vehicles, completely by accident, but it sure looks planned. Then when it was time to look for outbuildings, Dad suggested that I get one colored "gray-green" like a sample they had there.


Turns out, it was just gray. But, I really liked the color, and the contrast of the gray and white, plus you can easily get panels and fencing in gray or white, so I went with it. A second building, the same color, will be delivered in about a week or so (I'm so excited!!).

Saturday Dad and I went to Wichita to look at stuff for both our houses (and for me to stop by the tack store and do a little shopping for the horses). For weeks now Dad has been asking me to figure out what kind of siding I want. We need it to be cheap, durable, and easy to install. He kept steering away from vinyl siding because it's gotten a bad rap in the past, but after talking with several people we finally decided that's what we'll get. Unlike the cement board siding, it won't take any special tools to install. It won't have to be painted, either, like the composite board siding. Once we've got it up on the house, that's it!

And it seems meant to be, because our local Lowes carries light gray siding in stock. Turns out, the house will be light gray with white trim and columns, with dark blue shutters and accents. Sort of like this:


Of course I'll add a lot of color with landscaping, too, and the roof is a lot more multi-colored than the roof on this house is. Add the large white pillars up front and the french doors I think it will look really nice.

Another thing we discussed was the kitchen window. We're planning on finishing the north and west sides of the house first, so those windows have to be in, regardless of what's going on on the inside (right now my bedroom is where the kitchen will be). I've always wanted an herb garden in the kitchen, so depending on the carpentry cost, I hope to have a window over the sink that is pulled out from the house a few inches, like this.

Notice the space behind the sink?

Here's how it would look from the outside.

Except in our version, it would have its own tiny little roof with shingles. There's one by my dad's house in town that is exactly what I want, but I haven't gotten a picture of that yet.

Here's a close-up of the space behind the sink.

And that's actually the type of window I'm considering as well--a side-slide. I think on a nice day, you get the most air circulation from a large side-slide, and that can be pretty important in a kitchen, if you're canning or baking a lot!

We also ordered custom shades for Dad's house, and I was able to pick up a shoulder guard and work saddle blanket for Paula. It was a full day, and I'm so excited to get those two sides of the house done. It will take a while since that winning lottery ticket hasn't turned up for me yet, but in due time, this old place will turn into a pretty lovely little farm house.

A couple more unrelated notes--I did get a treadmill fairly reasonably with all the features I wanted and I've been working out on it for an hour each day. I have already lost those two pounds I gained (yay) and my back is already doing better. I've been able to take up my pilates again, too, so every other day I'm getting in 1.5 hours of working out, on top of my usual chores AND I'm also removing the plaster and lathe from the second story again--in a month the big trash bin will be here and I have to be ready to fill it up! So, keep your fingers crossed I can get off this plateau that I've been on for years now!

Second unrelated note, my friend Alan is starting his blog (Bearcat Bartender) up again, so please stop in for a visit and some great tips on making tasty beverages.

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the Superbowl and all that buzz, either. That's for tomorrow's post....