by Peg
Removing a small packet from her purse, JR showed me some of the pictures that Ellie had selected from various country living magazines. While none of the photographs depicted exactly the decor that Ellie wanted, they provided a starting point.
Three hours later, JR and I had decided on a proposal to present to Ellie regarding the makeover of the cottage. Our plan was to combine the old with the new. In keeping with the spirit of American country, which reflects American individualism, we would work closely with Ellie so that her personality would be the driving force in picking colors, fabrics, and accessories throughout the house. She’d already told JR that she favored stainless-steel appliances for the kitchen and hoped that they could be combined with country furniture and accessories.
“And the best part of the whole thing,” said JR, “is that her aunt Jenny left Ellie an entire house of antiques in Indianapolis. Ellie said even though she hadn’t been to the aunt’s house in years, she remembers seeing things such as a trestle table, a grandfather clock, rocking chairs, dry sinks, sleigh beds, and quilts. Lots and lots of quilts. You know, Mom, I think that between Designer Jeans and Aunt Jenny’s antiques, we can give Ellie the home she’s always wanted.”
“And you know something, JR, I think you’re right,” I answered. And she was.
Because of Aunt Jenny’s penchant for saving everything from skeins of yarn, buttons, old hatboxes, teapots, and baskets to kitchen implements of wire, JR and I had no problem finding appropriate accessories for the cottage. Our only real challenge was the kitchen. While the two upstairs bedrooms and bathroom, like the downstairs living room, dining room, and half bath, were easily turned into real country charmers, the kitchen with its sleek stainless steel appliances presented us with the problem of how to blend old with new.
After considering a variety of countertops, we settled for poured concrete in a light rosy beige, which complemented the diamond-patterned painted wood floor of creamy beige and faded red. We at first considered open cabinetry but found it made the walls of the kitchen a bit too busy, so we switched to cherry wood cabinetry with solid doors and recycled hardware pulls and handles. We used cherry-stained beadboard on the walls and around the sides of the oversized kitchen island. The top of the island was done in stainless steel, which helped to bridge the old with the new. As with the other rooms of the house, Ellie picked the accessories that refelected her likes and not ours.
Because of JR’s pregnancy, we switched roles, with me doing most of the grunt work and JR handling things such as trips with Ellie to fabric stores, flea markets, and garage sales. In the process of doing so, JR and Ellie formed a close and enduring friendship. I like to think that Aunt Jenny and Dona would have been pleased with Ellie’s decision to turn the old cottage into a splendid example of an American country home.
Epilogue
Charlie was released from the hospital the following week, and because of the close bond he’d developed with Martha Stevens, she made regular visits to Kettle Cottage to check on his progress once the cast was removed. Because of Dr. Peter Parker’s skill as a surgeon and Martha’s skill as a physical therapist, Charlie was back hacking away on the golf course long before Sleepy Hollow closed it for the season.
To celebrate Charlie’s release, Matt and JR hosted another terrific backyard barbecue and invited half of Seville, including Herbie Waddlemeyer, who was still mourning the loss of his bowling shirt—the one with his name on it—to welcome Charlie home.
Sally Birdwell used the occassion of the barbecue to announce that the Birdwell house was now a licensed and certified bed-and-breakfast inn. Billy used the occassion to pass out cards for his new catering business. And last but not least, Ellie and Peter Parker used the occassion to announce that they would be getting married just as soon as Doc and Lucy returned from their vacation in Hawaii.
The twins were on hand, of course, and were very excited that a baby brother or sister would be joining the Cusak clan in December. When the kids were out of hearing range, Matt filled in some of the blanks regarding the Deville/Wilson investigation, as it came to be known. He revealed that the Seville police arrived on the scene expecting to conduct a raid on the meth lab and take Abner and Stanley into custody. What they found instead was the barn ablaze and the two criminals making a break for it in Salerno’s SUV.
With Matt and Sid Rosen in hot pursuit, the drunken Abner lost control of the SUV, smashing it into a tree. Neither Abner or Stanley had bothered to buckle up and were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
The fire department arrived too late to save the barn, which was a shame given the old structure’s history as a stop on the underground railroad.
Matt recognized my van parked by the clump of trees and thought for sure that I had perished in the barn fire but thanks to the 911 operator, who contacted Rollie Stevens, who then contacted Matt, he was sent on to the railroad station where he heard our feeble cries for help.
The town council was so impressed with Rollie Stevens’s handling of the case, they voted to give him a raise. Needless to say, the elderly police chief did not retire, much to his wife’s dismay.
Ellie was the only one of Dona’s entourage who decided to put roots down in Seville. She had generously signed most of the real estate she’d inherited from her mother over to her father, who didn’t waste any time getting back to Indy and in touch with a certain multimullionaire. The only piece of real estate she kept was the old cottage that Aunt Jenny had specifically left to Dona, who in turn left it to Ellie.
Vincent Salerno, who eventually made a full recovery, returned to Columbus, Ohio, the home of his employer, and was soon off investigating another questionable accident. He stopped at Kettle Cottage on his way out of town to thank me for being, as he put it, “one snoopy broad.”
No one in Seville seemed to know or care what happened to Maxine Roberts, Todd Masters, or Marsha Gooding. I think that Hilly Murrow unknowingly said it best when she mentioned the trio’s departure on her TV news report. She shook her head sadly and said that the people of Seville would probably never see the likes of them again. So far, so good.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT COUNTRY STYLE
To begin with, unlike other decors such as Art Deco, art nouveau, contemporary, and modern, country style is not one style but several styles such as English, French, American, and Tuscan. Tuscan country is currently enjoying immense popularity in the United States.
One of the nicest thing about country style is that it is eclectic and allows you to borrow from other areas. For instance, you can decorate a kitchen with a stenciled backsplash, painted open shelving, a maple trestle table, mismatched ladder-back chairs, textured walls, and an arrangement of apples or oranges in a Depression glass bowl you inherited from your grandmother, and you’ve got yourself a country kitchen that borrows from all of the country styles mentioned above.
So start looking around and go to that garage sale down the street or drive over to the flea market next weekend. You may or may not find exactly the accent or furniture piece you want to add to your country decor, but you may find that you enjoyed meeting a lot of nice folks. Remember, above all, country is never formal. It’s mix and match with ease and simplicity.
PAINTING TIPS
No matter what decor you settle on for your home, chances are unless you plan on paneling or wallpapering every room in your home, something that was popular in the 1960s, you’re going to end up painting. Here’s a few things I’ve learned over the years that I think you’ll find helpful in your next painting project:
Consider using a coat of high-quality primer on the walls, especially if you’re painting over a strong color with a softer color. It could save you from applying a second coat of paint.
Do not, and I repeat, do not paint when you are tired or if you’ve got a house full of unruly children under the age of twelve.
When you are painting don’t plan on cooking anything. Either make yourself a PB and J sandwich, order in, or eat out. If yo
u eat out, go to a dimly lit restaurant because chances are you’re going to have paint in your hair, on your fingernails, on your clothing.
If you’re pregnant, I suggest you either get someone else to do your painting or postpone doing it yourself until after the birth of your baby.
Never paint without proper ventilation, good lighting, drop cloths for furniture and floors, and plenty of clean rags.
Be careful when using masking tape. It isn’t foolproof and you could end up with a mess should the paint bleed through the tape. Also, sometimes masking tape can pull paint off the surface when you remove it from the area you were trying to protect. If you’re not good at cutting in with a brush (it does take practice), then consult your paint dealer and ask what brand of tape he or she would suggest you use.
Although most people today use a water-based paint, oil-based paint is still readily available in a wide variety of colors. Should you select an oil-based paint, be aware that cleanup requires turpentine or something equally strong, unlike water-based paint where cleanup requires nothing stronger than soap and water.
Prepare the surface before painting. Oil-base high-gloss paint can magnify any surface flaws such as cracks, nail holes, and a lumpy, bumpy surface. A good washing, spackling compound, painter’s putty, and a light sanding can rid your walls of flaws before the new coat of paint is applied.
Because the drying time of today’s paint is considerably less than in previous eras, use the paint additive suggested for the type of paint you will be using to slow the drying time down and make the paint easier to work with. Again, don’t hesitate to consult your paint dealer. It’s their job to guide you through your painting project.
If the ceiling is to be painted along with the rest of the room, paint the ceiling first. Then move to any trim such as crown molding and work your way down, painting door and window trim and ending with the baseboard. Once that has been done, then you can start on the walls.
In real estate location is the thing and in painting good equipment is the thing. If you’re going to be using an oil-based paint, you should consider buying a high-quality natural-bristle brush. If you will be working with the more popular water-based paint, then purchase a high-quality synthetic-bristle brush.
If you find that you have to put your paint chore on an extended hold, clean your brush and then wrap it in plastic wrap. It will keep your brush moist and ready to pick up where you left off.
When painting windows, first push the inner sash up and the outer sash down until the two sashes have almost but not quite reversed their position. Start with painting the lower portion of the outer sash before painting the entire inner sash.
After the lower sash is completely dry, move both sashes back to their regular positions, leaving both sashes slightly open until all the surfaces you’ve painted are dry. Failure to do so can result in windows that are extremely difficult to open.
And finally, what color to choose? If you are totally confused by the virtual mountain of paint colors available and the stack of swatches you’ve accumulated in the junk drawer of the kitchen, it might help to take a good look at the clothes in your bedroom closet. See what color is the most predominant or the one you like the best because it flatters your coloring (everyone from coworkers to your mother thinks that you look smashing when you wear anything in that particular color). Perhaps you would like a room in that color as well.
When all’s said and painted, your home should be a backdrop for your personality and taste in colors.