Saturday Meanderings

Happy August! How can it be August already? I feel like summer is just starting. It’s been an interesting week and quite frankly, I am happy the weekend has arrived. Welcome to Saturday Meanderings where we chat about mostly good things this week.

Coated Table Linens

Have you ever heard of coated tablecloths? When I was back east for my high school reunion, my sister, Susie, introduced me to these amazing acrylic-coated linens. The vendor, Amelie Michel has pop-up warehouse sales in Essex, Connecticut, but also sells these beautiful French linens online. See It here.

My sister swears by these tablecloths because they clean up beautifully, even after many washings. Read more from Amelie Michel’s website:

Our coated French tablecloths are beautiful, practical and suited for indoor or outdoor use. They wipe clean yet drape softly over the table with none of the stiffness of traditional oilcloth. Enjoy your pretty table, knowing the inevitable spills and splatters will disappear with the swipe of a sponge. So don’t be afraid to host children around the kitchen table, wine lovers in the dining room, or messy BBQ meals on the patio. Gather, celebrate and relax!

I purchase a few for the outdoor terrace table in Phoenix, however, I brought one up to the cabin and we used it this week. Not only is the pattern attractive, but it repels stains! Naturally, Amelie Michel also sells non-coated tablecloths, napkins, runners and placements in beautiful French fabrics.

I highly recommend these if you have children or friends who spill their red wine! You can still set a beautiful table and not worry about ruining your tablecloth and napkins.

Kitchen Inspiration

The kitchen in our cabin is a good size, but truly does not function well. There is a lot of butt bumping when more than one person is in the space. Open the refrigerator door and you block a pathway. Loading dishes in the dishwasher and no one can get by the door. Storage is not well laid out, giving me one upper cupboard for food.

However, I do not want to gut the kitchen and start again. Construction costs are too high and finding talented contractors up here is difficult. But with a bit of imagination, removing one wall and rethinking the kitchen island, I believe I can design it to be more attractive with better function. Keep the cabinets but paint them. Appliances will more than likely stay.

Here is my inspiration~I love the painted cabinets, the bead board backsplash and the lighter countertops. Since we are up in the mountains, I can make it a bit more rustic, but not dark and woody. I love this Instagram account @ elle_the_home_bird. Elle is a designer in the UK and she has a way with color and using different materials for a modern vintage look.

More to come on this as I ponder next steps.

White Mountain Home Tour

Each year, our community hosts a home tour, where, for a fee, you can house snoop for a good cause. All the funds go to a local veterans group. The homes range from newly built ones, to an original one from the 1950s. Square footage ranges from enormous to tiny.

This original cabin has never been remodeled. The kitchen still has the Formica counter tops and linoleum floors. But it is filled with charm and happy memories of cabin life.

Such a fun way to spend an afternoon. Even though the newly built ones have everything you could ever want, they are not as warm and comforting as the older cabins. I guess I am not a new home person seeing I live in a 110-year old home! Do you have a favorite?

Visiting a Hatchery

I have never been to a fish hatchery before. Have you? There is so much I don’t know. There is good fishing up here in the mountains, and that is due to the stocking program done by the Department of the Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at their National Fish Hatchery Complex at Williams Creek.

National Fish Hatchery system has been at work improving recreational fishing and restoring aquatic species that are in decline, at risk, and are important to the health of our aquatic systems. Across the country the network of National Fish Hatcheries work with states and tribes to conserve, restore and enhance the fish and aquatic resources of America for future generations.

Approximately 1.5 million fish are produced annually at Williams Creek National Fish Hatchery. In addition to Rainbow trout, they raise Apache Trout which is native to Arizona and not found anywhere else.

Personally I am not a fisherman, but I do love fresh fish and am thankful we have a federal program that manages all of this. The drive to the hatchery is remote and through beautiful, untouched wilderness. We see wild horses, cattle and thankfully no rattlesnakes.

Getting Served

This week I receive a subpoena to testify at a trial next week for a 5 year old neighborhood zoning case. However, the subpoena requires me to be at the courthouse from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for four full days and then again on August 12th for a full day. Seriously?

From what I understand (as I have never done this before), is that you literally sit on a wooden bench outside the courtroom waiting to get called. Naturally I complain about this and the conversation goes back and forth for a few days.

Finally when I surrender to having to do this, I dig out all the old paperwork and start reviewing to spark my memories of this particular case. Being at the cabin I will have to make the 3.5 hours drive back to the Valley (which is having extreme heat warnings)on Sunday.

Late last night I get a call from the attorney that the case has been settled….so no trial! I can’t recall the last time I had a full week without commitments. So, it is a week of bad news to good news, with some fretting in between. So happy this is all over and in the rear view mirror.

Necessary Changes to the Blog

My blog format for Life at Bella Terra is many years old. As a result, my theme (meaning the inner workings) is outdated. Some of the issues include, not being able to pin my photos, or interruptions when you try to comment.

In the next week or two, my computer person will be converting to the new, updated format. Since I don’t want to have hiccups in the transition, I will not be posting for the next week or two.

The next time you get a post from me I hope you will like the subtle changes we have made. Being a creature of habit, I’m generally not fond when someone alters something familiar. But these changes are necessary ones that will allow for better performance on both your home computer and mobile device.

I look forward to sharing the new Life at Bella Terra look and hopefully, you will be happy with what we have done.

If you missed my blog post this week about the Utility Hallway Re-do you can see it here.

Enjoy your weekend! I am walking a 5K tomorrow with my daughter, who is running a half marathon. If you live in a very hot area, stay cool and hydrated. Remember to be safe out there!