a work of art in progress

Summer time is the time to make little improvements to Miss Jimmy's as it is our slow season and no visitors are staying at present. Last week we constructed a beautiful rock wall in the front of the house. The rocks themselves are interesting, they are primarily limestone, with lots of holes and odd shapes. We didn't use mortar, just stacked them on top of each other, but they have to be placed a certain way to not fall. A test of a good rock wall is will the goats knock any down as they walk on the wall? So far, no! There are goats everywhere, some belong to neighbors, others roam the island in herds.
We put in two flower gardens by the kitchen steps, with rock wall borders. The next test is will the goats eat the flowers? Hopefully they will not. But don't bet on it.
My indoor project is ceramic tiles. Walt brought me these adorable 3" kitchen tiles with all kinds of fruit on them, majolica from Italy. They are now marching across the backsplash around the sink and stove. I love them! Tiles are everywhere in this house, and outside this house! Because Anguilla gets very dusty, and dirt sticks to the flat concrete surfaces, we tiled the top of the porch rails and alot of the window sills. Easy to wipe off and clean now.
I absolutely love tiles, especially the sample tiles that Walt brings home from his job at the tile warehouse. I am preparing to make a few table tops, maybe a wall plaque. When finished, I will take pics.
Other recent additions, I found an antique picture with sheet music from the 1890's, cleaned it up and put a new mat on it, it turned out great. I purchased a new piece of artwork by Sylvia Kahn and framed it, a nude, done in gouache, for the bedroom. Something old, something new, something borrowed... on loan to Miss Jimmy's is an antique oak desk from my friend Mitsou, also in the bedroom. I love it and lust to own it some day. Something blue... gorgeous sunny blue sky days!