A little paint

Our Manor House , now near a century old,
has a most curious floor plan – by today’s needs.
The entire front of the house is ‘guest friendly’,
and residence would have used the back porch entry.
This gave ready access to kitchen and the staircase
to the three bedrooms, bath and kitchen nook upstairs,
(and a myriad other secret rooms and cozy places).
The main entry has a large covered porch (370 sqft),
in an ‘L” shape that allows a corner door into the ‘parlour’.
This first room sweeps across to the formal dinning side,
together a ‘great area’ 16’ X 30’ with fireplace.
Doors lead into a separate ‘sitting room’ (now a family room),
and the kitchen (16’X16’ with two pantries).

Anyway – I am finally getting around to redoing the front room.
There are many cracks in the ancient ‘lath-plaster’ walls,
and some remnants of water damage on the ceiling.
The windows are fine – fine dark wood frames and original
‘wobble glass’ – so I don’t have to paint those, but care
must be given to protect and seal. There is a wood rail
set all around the room above the windows
that calls for a different color treatment. The added 15”
to the ceiling will remain white, I think; as will the beams
and open spaces of ceiling also cracked here and there.
To hide the patches and irregular texture of repairs,
I have decided to first paint a dark mauve –
then follow with a lighter pale amber using a sponge technique
to replicate wall-paper. I’ve never tired it, though.

The point of this is how I feel – covered with plaster dust,
teetering on ladders – scrapping, sanding, taping …
‘At peace’, that’s what. For this house speaks to me – her name is Tegsh –
and with each stroke and caress she releases some of the love mem’ries
trapped within the walls, and I am taken back to dances, parties –
and laughing children – and a sadness …
that no one else has cared to help her live again.