Nesting…
A little bit of renovation is underway at the ranch…specifically, we are finally getting around to creating a nursery (is it really a nursery if they’re almost two?) for The Bee. This is tricky at the ranch, which is made up of a complex of buildings.
You remember that the ranch used to be the headquarters and retreat site for that eclectic religious organization? So, our master bedroom used to be The Temple (don’t laugh), and it’s disconnected from the main house. We promised our social worker that we would be sleeping in the same building as The Bee, so we can’t just convert the guest room into her room and keep us out in the other building, so some sort of major restructuring needed to occur.
The Bee had been sleeping in her crib in our room, which I wish I had a picture of, but I’ve now scoured my photo archives, and I cannot find a shot of the former master to save my life. It was a big room. The king bed disappeared into it, as you might imagine since it used to contain three altars and a huge floor rug where people prayed.
We’re dividing it into three rooms–what will be our master bedroom now (a sadly diminished affair, I’m afraid); a walk-in closet (which I’ve never had before); and The Bee’s room. Here is the current condition of said room:
This front area is our new bedroom, and the larger “room” behind the center “wall” is The Bee’s new room. Closet on right. Another view:
Today, we have the builder, the electricians, and the plumber here, all crawling around underneath the various parts of our house. It is also going to hit 107 degrees in a few hours, and I don’t want to think what the possibilities of encountering spiders, scorpions, and snakes under the house are today. When I shuddered at the very thought of Mr. Plumber in cool, dark underspace, R. said, “that’s why he’s making more than a lawyer right now.”
I’ll keep you updated as to the progress.



I’ve gone back and forth re: whether to call It a nursery, baby’s room, second bedroom, our daughter’s room or something else. Perhaps slightly b/c of the age thing that you mentioned (what is the age limit on a nursery), but also b/c of the elusive feel of it all. Anyway, I’m hoping to get It painted by the weekend - then the real fun begins.
Looking forward to seeing more progress & especially to see how you decorate. fun!
Comment by: wzgirl - 07.02.2007 - 1.45 pm
Thanks for the pictures and congrats on the new walk-in. I’m still thrilled to have one, and it’s been three years. Ah, the simple pleasures… I’ll be looking forward to seeing the updates. Cool light fixture, btw.
Comment by: walternatives - 07.02.2007 - 2.03 pm
My husband is a plumber and the doctors I work for always kid him about how much he makes compared to them….with no student loans! Its hard work though, even when its not 107. Good luck with the remodel. Can’t wait to see the ‘after’ pictures.
Comment by: christie - 07.02.2007 - 2.30 pm
You live in an ex-religious retreat? Cool!
Comment by: Cavatica - 07.03.2007 - 6.52 pm
I hope the spirits stick around if they are good and give you some love in your new space. That must have been one big room for you to be able to divide it up into three!
Comment by: Nicole - 07.03.2007 - 9.05 pm
Oh, the walk-in closet will be fantastic! Am looking forward to the progress, and am hoping that nobody is suffering too badly in the heat.
Comment by: Anne Marie - 07.07.2007 - 9.44 am
[…] Back at the start of July, I posted about our little renovation project: to create a room for The Bee, a walk-in closet for R. (I gave up the dream, but that’s a story for another post), and a new master bedroom for us. […]
Pingback by: The Singing Bird Blog » Blog Archive » Nested. - 08.26.2007 - 12.21 pm