So uplifting - I needed this today. My last dog died 3 weeks ago, and I am still mourning my husband’s death, now 18 months ago. The beauty and serenity of your home and environs bring me so peace. Thank you.🫶
I am so sorry that you're now without four-legged companions in this time of adjusting to being without your beloved partner. Be especially kind to yourself. Let friends help. And get outside to let nature help you heal. Blessings and a warm hug to you.
What a lovely home! I recently "upgraded" my open LR/DR with a lighter shade of yellow. Why does Storm King sound familiar? I am thinking a big wildfire? Keeping my eye on Montrose!
Thanks, Sue! Yes, you are remembering the South Canyon Fire in 1994 that killed 14 firefighters on Storm King Mountain. Not the same peak I see every day, but that Storm King is also in western Colorado, just west of Glenwood Springs. That tragedy re-shaped wildland firefighting priorities, but it didn't help with pay or prevent more deaths, sadly. As for Montrose, I really, really, really love it here.
I’m planning a move next year (2025) and your move has been such an inspiration. I will still be in the concrete city of Houston for another ten years but I have inspired ideas for furniture and a patio “crowded” with a garden of green. Here’s to continued good living, Susan. I enjoy your posts so much!
A move to Houston is a big transition for you indeed, Joyce. I hope it goes as smoothly as possible, and that you make space on your patio for native plants to keep you connected to nature there. Adding natives to your patio-based garden of green will invite songbirds and pollinators to join you, and I know that will be uplifting and comforting for you in your new surroundings. And yes, here's to continued good living and practicing our terraphilia, each in our own ways! Blessings.
Thank you, Christina! Our skies are bluer because we don't have all of that vegetation exhaling moisture and oxygen to make them hazy. There are pluses and minuses to each climate, and in our case, perennial drought is the biggest minus (less rain equals less forest and other plant growth, and clearer skies). I'm a high-desert rat because my spirit needs those blue skies. :)
A charming home filled with comfort and joy. How lovely to be in and settled finally! I know with the new paint it will all be just right, giving you space to dream and scheme. I've been telling the tale to new friends of finding our magical little cottage and how it's right where we are meant to be. I hope that feeling and knowledge for you, my friend.
Kathleen, thank you so much for those blessings. I am so glad you found your cottage when you did, at just the right time for you both. I feel so at home here, and so grateful to have found the home I am calling Sage House. The house and I belong together, I think. Blessings to you, friend!
Sweet! And what a lovely idea: sage shortbread. Now I'm thinking of sage-lavender shortbread, and I may well incorporate that into my solstice baking. :)
Beautiful home. You have a knack for putting it all together. I too love yellow or variations of it and peach. If I use grays and whites they have to be warm and clear. As I thought about it, I discovered I can't remember a home that hasn't had yellow inside or out or both.
Thanks, Penny. Yellow is such a cheerful color isn't it? I think of it as added sunshine, and I do love sunshine. I'm not surprised yellow has graced your houses over time. :)
Oh Susan, I LOVE not only your new home, but also your true visions and thankfulness. It is a beautiful place, phew, I HOPE this is the last move for you. Having just moved 29 years worth of treasure out of our Maine cottage, I KNOW how grueling the task of moving is.l But you've accomplished so much already and your nest is very Susan now. You'll get around that water guzzling lawn somehow, I know how tenacious you are. Now you can create! Also dear Susan, I really treasure the book you sent me, and of course your chapters are my favorites. We are sending love, love, and high hopes for everything you cherish and create.
Dear Sharon, I have been thinking of you and Jeff and how you had to clear out and leave your beloved cottage on the island. What a huge effort--physically, mentally, emotionally and spirituality. I hope that you're finding space in your charming SLO house and garden for some of those treasures, because I know they carry the spirit and memories of that place with them. And yes, moving is just bloody hard. I do NOT want to move again! So glad you're enjoying the book too! I'm sending love back to you and Jeff. Big hugs.
I so admire your ability to settle in with such ease and grace. I know it's hard work but you make it look easy. Welcome home! It's serene and reflects your creative soul.
Jude, if you had been here, you would have heard my full compliment of curses in several languages as I hauled and tugged and lugged, and puzzled over where and how and why. Sometimes I imagine moving into an RV and giving away all of my treasured belongings! And then I remember that I am a rooted being, and bereft without a permanent home. Thanks for reading and for that welcome! Hugs to you.
So good to see where you live now! And your positive attitude is uplifting. And your home feels very familiar – it’s almost the same layout as ours, and it includes that same corner fireplace, granite counter, glass door to the back patio, and even, if I’m not mistaken, the blue stressless lounger! I would add a picture here if I could figure out how! May you be at peace there and may you turn that over-groomed yard into new life once again!
What a hoot that we live in such similar houses, Kathryn! And I love my blue Stressless recliner (and the matching couch). Blue is definitely my color.... :) Thanks for the good wishes too. Blessings to you.
I still have no idea how you manage to unpack in what seems like an instant and make a new house look completely lived in and cozy! I love this tour, and I’m happy you’re settled in a new place. Love and blessings for your new home! 💕
Priscilla, Thank you! As for how I get unpacked and cozy in such a short time, it's partly that lack of patience. And partly my ten moves in the last eleven years have given me way, way too much practice at getting settled. It makes me itchy to be betwixt and between. I. just. want. to. be. settled. Every time. Sigh. I really, really want this to be the last move! Love to you....
Thank you, Linda. As I said to Priscilla, I have way, way, way too much practice at moving. (Ten moves in the past eleven years, and all of that house renovation along with the moves too.) I now how to settle in, and I really don't want to move again! :)
So, so beautiful, thank you for sharing, Susan! I am impressed with how settled and in their spots everything looks. 🎯This has always been a good sign on my happy moves, reflecting my excitement about the move!
Maria, thank you for reading and appreciating! I was not imagining this move, was not excited about having to move again and leave my beloved Casa Contenta outside Santa Fe, but since I had no choice, I was absolutely determined to find a good place to be and to make it home. So that's what I did. (It's amazing how far intentions will get us.) Blessings!
Juliana, thank you. Southwest Colorado is a ways from California, but it really is an amazing landscape to explore. I'm north of the San Juan Mountains, so I'm not in the Durango-Cortez area that most people think of as SW Colo, but it's still the Southwest in many ways, and we've got Grand Mesa and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison too. Lots to explore and appreciate. :)
I spent one summer living in Crested Butte when it was still just an old mining town and another living in Placerville, a tiny place then down the road from Telluride when it was just an old mining town.
Juliana, One of my dearest writing-friends, the poet and singer Rosemerry Wahtolla Trommer, lives in Placerville! It's a lovely place as long as you don't have to drive over Dallas Divide in winter.... :)
So beautiful Susan! Well done. And is that your WILLA (and other literary awards) I see on the high window ledge? Many more to come from your writing in Montrose!
Thanks! And good spot: That's my Sarton and other awards on the high window ledge. I keep them there to remind me to aim far and appreciate the blessings I've been given. Once I get done with the amazing amount of administrative minutia in moving, I look forward to getting back to the book-in-progress.... :)
So glad to see that you're settling into your new home, with lovely rooms and welcoming spaces. It's clear what a difference your furniture makes as do the distant views in making you feel at home. All best wishes for transforming lawn to something more pleasing!
We have multiple natural colors in our house here - sage green, tan, and adobe. They were inspired by the previous owner's love of color (his colors were exuberant pink, goldenrod yellow, and turquoise) Yikes. But it gave us permission to go beyond ivory....
Lisa, Thanks much. I say that if I didn't love my belongings, I would never have hauled them from state to state from me on ten moves in the past eleven years. Every piece means something to me. As for the lawn, I did a little guerrilla gardening today, adding daffodils and species tulips (the little wild and colorful ones) to the very formal front foundation plantings. Rewilding already!
Your colors sound lovely and soothing, while that exuberant pink and goldenrod yellow and turquoise sound a mite energetic, except as small accents. I'm glad they gave you permission to find your own inner colors though. :)
Yellow walls! (Mine too!) What a beautiful refuge, Susan. 🧡
We're both letting the sun in! I love that connection. And thank you, Cheryl!
So uplifting - I needed this today. My last dog died 3 weeks ago, and I am still mourning my husband’s death, now 18 months ago. The beauty and serenity of your home and environs bring me so peace. Thank you.🫶
I am so sorry that you're now without four-legged companions in this time of adjusting to being without your beloved partner. Be especially kind to yourself. Let friends help. And get outside to let nature help you heal. Blessings and a warm hug to you.
I miss living in nature, having animals nearby. Thanks for the blessings - they help!
What a lovely home! I recently "upgraded" my open LR/DR with a lighter shade of yellow. Why does Storm King sound familiar? I am thinking a big wildfire? Keeping my eye on Montrose!
Thanks, Sue! Yes, you are remembering the South Canyon Fire in 1994 that killed 14 firefighters on Storm King Mountain. Not the same peak I see every day, but that Storm King is also in western Colorado, just west of Glenwood Springs. That tragedy re-shaped wildland firefighting priorities, but it didn't help with pay or prevent more deaths, sadly. As for Montrose, I really, really, really love it here.
I’m planning a move next year (2025) and your move has been such an inspiration. I will still be in the concrete city of Houston for another ten years but I have inspired ideas for furniture and a patio “crowded” with a garden of green. Here’s to continued good living, Susan. I enjoy your posts so much!
A move to Houston is a big transition for you indeed, Joyce. I hope it goes as smoothly as possible, and that you make space on your patio for native plants to keep you connected to nature there. Adding natives to your patio-based garden of green will invite songbirds and pollinators to join you, and I know that will be uplifting and comforting for you in your new surroundings. And yes, here's to continued good living and practicing our terraphilia, each in our own ways! Blessings.
Your house is beautiful. So is the view there! The sky doesn't look like that on the East Coast.
Thank you, Christina! Our skies are bluer because we don't have all of that vegetation exhaling moisture and oxygen to make them hazy. There are pluses and minuses to each climate, and in our case, perennial drought is the biggest minus (less rain equals less forest and other plant growth, and clearer skies). I'm a high-desert rat because my spirit needs those blue skies. :)
A charming home filled with comfort and joy. How lovely to be in and settled finally! I know with the new paint it will all be just right, giving you space to dream and scheme. I've been telling the tale to new friends of finding our magical little cottage and how it's right where we are meant to be. I hope that feeling and knowledge for you, my friend.
Many blessing ls for your new home.
Kathleen
Kathleen, thank you so much for those blessings. I am so glad you found your cottage when you did, at just the right time for you both. I feel so at home here, and so grateful to have found the home I am calling Sage House. The house and I belong together, I think. Blessings to you, friend!
Sage House! I love that! I would bake you a batch of sage shortbread and drop them by for afternoon tea if I could. Cheers!
Sweet! And what a lovely idea: sage shortbread. Now I'm thinking of sage-lavender shortbread, and I may well incorporate that into my solstice baking. :)
A bit of lemon zest and sage are perfection! Enjoy!
Beautiful home. You have a knack for putting it all together. I too love yellow or variations of it and peach. If I use grays and whites they have to be warm and clear. As I thought about it, I discovered I can't remember a home that hasn't had yellow inside or out or both.
Thanks, Penny. Yellow is such a cheerful color isn't it? I think of it as added sunshine, and I do love sunshine. I'm not surprised yellow has graced your houses over time. :)
Oh Susan, I LOVE not only your new home, but also your true visions and thankfulness. It is a beautiful place, phew, I HOPE this is the last move for you. Having just moved 29 years worth of treasure out of our Maine cottage, I KNOW how grueling the task of moving is.l But you've accomplished so much already and your nest is very Susan now. You'll get around that water guzzling lawn somehow, I know how tenacious you are. Now you can create! Also dear Susan, I really treasure the book you sent me, and of course your chapters are my favorites. We are sending love, love, and high hopes for everything you cherish and create.
Dear Sharon, I have been thinking of you and Jeff and how you had to clear out and leave your beloved cottage on the island. What a huge effort--physically, mentally, emotionally and spirituality. I hope that you're finding space in your charming SLO house and garden for some of those treasures, because I know they carry the spirit and memories of that place with them. And yes, moving is just bloody hard. I do NOT want to move again! So glad you're enjoying the book too! I'm sending love back to you and Jeff. Big hugs.
I so admire your ability to settle in with such ease and grace. I know it's hard work but you make it look easy. Welcome home! It's serene and reflects your creative soul.
Jude, if you had been here, you would have heard my full compliment of curses in several languages as I hauled and tugged and lugged, and puzzled over where and how and why. Sometimes I imagine moving into an RV and giving away all of my treasured belongings! And then I remember that I am a rooted being, and bereft without a permanent home. Thanks for reading and for that welcome! Hugs to you.
You even curse with creativity 🤣
You bet I do! Why bother if you can't be creative about it? ;)
So good to see where you live now! And your positive attitude is uplifting. And your home feels very familiar – it’s almost the same layout as ours, and it includes that same corner fireplace, granite counter, glass door to the back patio, and even, if I’m not mistaken, the blue stressless lounger! I would add a picture here if I could figure out how! May you be at peace there and may you turn that over-groomed yard into new life once again!
What a hoot that we live in such similar houses, Kathryn! And I love my blue Stressless recliner (and the matching couch). Blue is definitely my color.... :) Thanks for the good wishes too. Blessings to you.
I still have no idea how you manage to unpack in what seems like an instant and make a new house look completely lived in and cozy! I love this tour, and I’m happy you’re settled in a new place. Love and blessings for your new home! 💕
Priscilla, Thank you! As for how I get unpacked and cozy in such a short time, it's partly that lack of patience. And partly my ten moves in the last eleven years have given me way, way too much practice at getting settled. It makes me itchy to be betwixt and between. I. just. want. to. be. settled. Every time. Sigh. I really, really want this to be the last move! Love to you....
Thank you for the tour. It is so lovely. I am amazed at how you have managed to put it all together and make it look like home. Happy for you!
Thank you, Linda. As I said to Priscilla, I have way, way, way too much practice at moving. (Ten moves in the past eleven years, and all of that house renovation along with the moves too.) I now how to settle in, and I really don't want to move again! :)
So, so beautiful, thank you for sharing, Susan! I am impressed with how settled and in their spots everything looks. 🎯This has always been a good sign on my happy moves, reflecting my excitement about the move!
Maria, thank you for reading and appreciating! I was not imagining this move, was not excited about having to move again and leave my beloved Casa Contenta outside Santa Fe, but since I had no choice, I was absolutely determined to find a good place to be and to make it home. So that's what I did. (It's amazing how far intentions will get us.) Blessings!
Oh my gosh, I agree about the intentions. I look forward to seeing the new wall color(s) in the future!
Painting starts next week.... :)
Lovely colors and view. I spent a lot of time as a child in southwest CO. Need to go back and re-explore.
Juliana, thank you. Southwest Colorado is a ways from California, but it really is an amazing landscape to explore. I'm north of the San Juan Mountains, so I'm not in the Durango-Cortez area that most people think of as SW Colo, but it's still the Southwest in many ways, and we've got Grand Mesa and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison too. Lots to explore and appreciate. :)
I spent one summer living in Crested Butte when it was still just an old mining town and another living in Placerville, a tiny place then down the road from Telluride when it was just an old mining town.
Juliana, One of my dearest writing-friends, the poet and singer Rosemerry Wahtolla Trommer, lives in Placerville! It's a lovely place as long as you don't have to drive over Dallas Divide in winter.... :)
So beautiful Susan! Well done. And is that your WILLA (and other literary awards) I see on the high window ledge? Many more to come from your writing in Montrose!
Thanks! And good spot: That's my Sarton and other awards on the high window ledge. I keep them there to remind me to aim far and appreciate the blessings I've been given. Once I get done with the amazing amount of administrative minutia in moving, I look forward to getting back to the book-in-progress.... :)
So glad to see that you're settling into your new home, with lovely rooms and welcoming spaces. It's clear what a difference your furniture makes as do the distant views in making you feel at home. All best wishes for transforming lawn to something more pleasing!
We have multiple natural colors in our house here - sage green, tan, and adobe. They were inspired by the previous owner's love of color (his colors were exuberant pink, goldenrod yellow, and turquoise) Yikes. But it gave us permission to go beyond ivory....
Lisa, Thanks much. I say that if I didn't love my belongings, I would never have hauled them from state to state from me on ten moves in the past eleven years. Every piece means something to me. As for the lawn, I did a little guerrilla gardening today, adding daffodils and species tulips (the little wild and colorful ones) to the very formal front foundation plantings. Rewilding already!
Your colors sound lovely and soothing, while that exuberant pink and goldenrod yellow and turquoise sound a mite energetic, except as small accents. I'm glad they gave you permission to find your own inner colors though. :)