The year 2020 was a tough one for all. I had hoped to just hunker down in my studio and work on the Mouse House until the quarantine was over–you know, make lemonade from lemons. However, the cosmic forces had other plans and immediately after my last post, the pipe UNDER THE CEMENT FLOOR OF MY BASEMENT STUDIO burst, causing a flood which turned into a complete remodel of our basement. Everything (EVERYTHING!) had to be put into storage so the floor, wall, furniture, etc. could be replaced.

In September, when the basement clean-up was finished, my volleyball coaching job was in full swing and then that was quickly followed by the holidays. Now, I finally have time and space, so I am back in my happy place trying hard to keep squeezing the lemon into some sugar.

Last week I focused on finishing trim: the baseboards, chair rails and moulding against the ceiling. I used my little miter box and saw and did a pretty good job, but I forgot that carefully cut trim only fits in square corners–angles which are not “true” in the Mouse House. I reminded myself that precision isn’t necessarily my goal and did the best I could, deciding that the corner gaps add charm.

With that completed, I’m now ready to focus on the details of this thing and plan to show the things I’m making room by room in the next posts.