We lost round one in trying to get the Sam Rue House registered under the National Register of Historic Places. But I swear I will persevere. The very “busy” people at the N.J. Preservation Office have not even returned multiple phone calls I’ve made. I am in the process of getting some facts together. I have called the coordinator of the Upper Freehold Scenic Byways Project, Dr. Meirs, who gave me some other local historians to contact regarding my house.  The letter of rejection stated I was not able to show a "significant" occupant of my house used the said house in a "productive" manner. Well, I will change all that. We need to visit George Rue and talk to David Church, who is a direct descendant of General James Cox.

Until that time, many things are happening here. Today the smell of wood fire is outside, we have fired up the wood stove for the first time of the season.

We have been hard at work on our den renovation project. I picked a Martha Stewart Color, “Drabwire” for the walls, reminiscent of her outside color for Turkey Hill.  It took two full days of very intense painting to get the clapboards all done, as they soaked up the paint.  I still have to fill and paint some of the many nail holes that we now see in the boards.

Ed decided we needed more than plain molding (this den project came with nothing finished!!) So we did a fancy multi-faceted crown molding treatment on the back wall. I have also did some molding treatments on the back door, and painted the plain ugly luan a dramatic dark green called “bark”.

We have a friend of my brother’s coming over soon to assess our windows, we do have the Navisink Country Club windows in our carriage house and hope to use them on the side.

Perfect fall day today, crisp, cool, the gardens are winding down to accept their fate and settle in for the long winter slumber. Ed wants to go apple picking!

The molding for the door, painted and ready to go on...

And some of the molding done as well as the door. I promise to get better pictures later!

Here is some of the clapboard painted. What do you think?

The sign says it all...locally, in  Imlaystown....

Yesterday our next door neighbors had a first anniversary party.  There was a bunch of their family there to celebrate the event.  People sang, danced, and hugged. Food was eaten, drinks were poured, children played.

I had the strongest feeling that, this was just one in a long line of parties that have taken place on this corner.  People at one time rejoiced to other names, other families. The faces and names have changed, the dresses are different, cars bring people now instead of horses, but the sentiment is the same.    When Ed and I came home, before I even mentioned this eerie feelings of many generations, Ed said the same thing! This corner has hosted strong families for three hundred years and continues to. I am so happy to keep this tradition going.

--We are currently looking at getting some carriage house lantern lights for our carriage house. Ed is home next week so maybe??   Our greenhouse is doing well and continues to prosper.  Our garden is out of control, zucchini, green beans, peppers, tomatoes, cukes abound to just name a few of the things this earth has given us this year.   Alana got a few peacock eggs from her boyfriend, Joe, and they are in the incubator? Peacocks roaming our backyard soon? We shall see.  A few weeks back, Ed finished the last piece of fencing. We still have LOTS of clearing to do on the east side.

--Did I mention Ed thought he saw a ghost in the bathroom a few weeks back? And Kim is convinced that the house is haunted- she has spent a lot of time here recently.

--Please "Rate My Space" I have four rooms from our house up the HGTV "Rate my Space" site.  I would appreciate construction comments and good ratings for people who cannot appreciate how much it takes to renovate. 

-- We sent back more info to the state to be considered as a NJ Historic Place. Keep your fingers crossed

Enjoy the summer as it progresses.

Penny

Not in our house thank goodness, but we have had a deluge of rain.  It started last Friday when Ed started to put on the new corrugated red roofing on the carriage house/greenhouse entryway. And it intensified on Saturday became a steady rain by Sunday and has not stopped til now!  Everything is totally soaked and I am afraid I smell mold in the house again, but I discovered that we had a leak under our kitchen sink, which Ed fixed last night (I hope). So I think that was it!

In the meantime, Ed snuck in one more roof panel on Weds and I set about trying to finish the garden wall I started during the rainy weekend. It is made from reclaimed bricks that someone Ed works with donated to us. We are reusing and the bricks have a mossy quality that makes the wall look like it's been there for years. I kind of love the look! 

I will try to post more pictures this weekend if I get a chance.  Ed also rototilled a new garden area on the inside of the fence. 

Peace... enjoy your Friday!