Restoring the Ceiling

They are putting up the finished pieces now, almost done. We will miss them - what a treat to watch these craftsmen at work! The restored ceiling is beautiful.

Molding the Pieces

First they applied a liquid rubber compound to pieces of the original moldings.














Then the rubber molds were imbedded into more plaster inside a wooden frame and new pieces were cast.

Mike and Fritz are at it again

Many of you might remember Mike and Fritz-they are the masons who repointed the castle's limestone walls this summer. We are blessed with their presence once more as they repair the ceiling in the Great Room. It is a fascinating process to watch as they remove the old damaged plaster and cast new molds in their basement work room. Soon, they'll be fitting them back together and the ceiling will be restored to its' former elegance.

Is it spring yet?

Iris reticulata is one of my favorite early spring bulbs, but as I'm looking out at the snow and lusting for color I'm appreciating them even more in my kitchen window. They are easy to force, requiring a cooling period of about 8 weeks. I potted these up after teaching a class on forcing bulbs class last fall, put them in the garage to cool and promptly forgot all about them. I found them a couple of weeks ago and brought them inside-there are rewards to being forgetful. Next year I plan to have lots more.