Going Underground

It was literally freezing here a week ago.

But not now!

It is muggy and gross and warm for CT--it's even 78F in our house (because we haven't turned on our AC system yet--usually we can wait until mid-June!).

Except it's only 67F in our basement.

So you can guess where we're playing today . . . .

Partying with a Penguin Pinata

Mama arrived home right ahead of the storm, in time to get down the canopy off the deck and get inside without getting wet.

And there, inside, we surprised her with her birthday party! Sis had carefully wrapped several different bags of candy from Ye Ole Pepper Companie, the oldest candymaker in the U.S.--we got her sassafras, ginger, and horehound drops, plus lemon and peppermint Gibraltars, and some Black Jack molasses sticks. Sis also stuffed colored tissue paper in the mugs she and Bud had decorated with special marker for Mama's desk, as well as wrapped the pocket watch and knot-tying kit I had found for her. Additionally, they had wrapped the entire center of our house with pink and blue streamers, one of their favorite decorating techniques, made but not frosted chocolate cupcakes (regular and mini), gathered the ingredients for punch, and stuffed the penguin pinata with a variety of Tootsie Roll products.

Mama was very surprised and then pleased by the excitement. Bud and Sis were so exuberant in encouraging her to open her presents that I think they unwrapped most of the for her and then waved them in her face. But despite all the delight, Mama and I were extremely distracted by the darkening skies and weather warnings, which eventually included a tornado warning.

But this time we could go to the basement, and not in a frightened hurry like last time. We just decided to do the penguin pinata in our basement! Brilliant. As the kids and I finished stuffing it with candy downstairs, Mama gathered the flashlight, water, phone, computer, and cats, and then just closed us in. But with the lights shining brightly and the thrill of a pinata, the kids barely noticed, even as the rain started and the thunder and lightning increased (Sis did realize Shirt was gone but he was soon recovered, along with Bud's penguin "Pengy.").

After several turns with the baseball bat, a nice hole appeared in the pinata and we gathered the fallen candy in glasses. Sis would only pick up chocolate Tootsie Rolls; Bud mainly looked for the pink cherry ones. Then we sat on the carpet and ate them, laughing and enjoying the novelty of candy for dinner.

Eventually, the rain lessened and the sky lightened into a bizarre yellow-orange, so we headed upstairs for dinner and punch and cake. The kids are now in bed asleep, not at all bothered by the storm.

I think the finished basement was the best present we could have gotten Mama today.

-=-=-=-

Chocolate Rolls

A recipe from Gale Gand, on Food Network. It’s the only recipe of hers that I’ve really gotten to work. These are tasty, especially with orange extract, but sticky. I cut them in logs but rolled them into balls not “Tootsie” roll shapes, but they do taste a lot like Tootsie Rolls.

1 ½ cups chocolate chips, melted

½ cup corn syrup

¾ teaspoon warm water

½ teaspoon orange extract (can use other flavors; I think I used 1 teaspoon)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and cover. Let it sit overnight to firm up. Roll into logs and cut into 1 inch sections. Wrap in decorative foil and papers.

Gale Gand, “Sweet Dreams”

Space Travel

Wouldn't you know it? Today is the first nice day forecasted in weeks--mostly sunny with warm temperatures almost in the 80s.

And we've been in the baesment all morning!

Yep, the basement is done. Mama and I mopped last night (which we'll probably do everyday for awhile as it is dusty from the construction) and then let the cats explore. Albus was thrilled, Hermione was less assured. This morning we let the kids take some toys downstairs and start playing in the room (they had visited several evenings to check on the progress), leaving the door open (there is a lockable cat door but the cats aren't there yet) so the cats could join us.

And up and down we went all morning, bringing down more toys, just to try them out in a new space. Bud doesn't like being left down there alone, bright as it is, and so traverses the stairs whenever anyone else leaves. Sis doesn't mind as much. I played with them but also worked in the kitchen a bit, able to hear everything.

Still, it's a little odd. It is very loud and echo-y now, as there is almost nothing in the tiled space. And you can hear every seemingly thunderous step on the floor above. That, and less than a year ago, we all huddled in that very same place where our multi-colored carpet and Lincoln Logs now sit, watching hail fall, winds swirl, and a tree hit the house before the lights went out. Then it was a space that no one in the family readily entered (well, except the cats, who were maniacs about trying to get downstairs), dark, dank, dusty, cluttered. And now it really is this whole new place. Walking down there is something like entering a time warp (or worm hole!)--you feel like you're just in a totally strange location, so different is it from before.

But a good different, which I'm sure it will be still once the newness wears off and the lived-in look is achieved. It's optimistic (and no doubt misguided), but I feel like it's another opportunity to reshape how we do things, in that we are purging more stuff, organizing what we have, and just being with each other in a new way since it gives us more space, more freedom (since it encourages some separation), but also an area for experimentation and exploration (it's going to be our own creative workshop area). It's a cleansing, so to speak, not only of the physical basement but of the experience of that storm that upset us all. So let the sun shine--we can see it through those windows and door that once let us watch the storm--we're going to enjoy our new room.

Basement Update

The tile is one the floor but awaiting its grout. The walls are primed but awaiting their coats of paint. There will soon be new stairs and a bannister (on the botttom), new doors to storage and mechanical things, a new cat door in the door at the kitchen, and all the other last bits. He says he'll be done by Friday. Which is still amazingly fast, just two full weeks.

But then the hard part begins, getting everything back to "normal." Well, no, wait, I don't want normal. I want better. So there are books, furniture, toys, and so many things to relocate, things to toss, things to reorganize. The fun part, right? Actually, I'm really looking forward to it. To the house working. But I think it will take awhile (and some money, which we don't want to shell out right away, so some items will be catch as catch can--i.e., if we put a tv down there for dance and performance purposes, it will be our old tv on our old tv stand) probably a lot longer than actually renovating the basement. Gommie, we promise to have space for your aerobed in the new "library" by the time you're here in a month (or, maybe even a futon in the basement, if you want to try that!).

Let the Work Begin

The basement guys just arrived and are starting to renovate our basement (half of it, anyway) this morning.  We've talked about it for years, realized it was important (at least emotionally and psychologically) after the storm last year, and were excited about it as the kids got bigger and took up even more space!  It'll add about 25% to our occupiable space (basically it's half the area of our first floor).  And so, today is very exciting and we've been looking forward to it since we decided a few months ago to do it--except there isn't anything for us to do now that it's started, except wait approximately 2 weeks for it to be finished. Still, exciting.