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Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Summer's Close.

With the kids all back to school and a definite crispness in the air, summer is gradually drawing to a close. Yes, it went down to down to 5 degrees Celsius last night and the days are numbered for sleeping in our summer bedroom. That is always a sad event for me because that is my most favourite room in our house.

This is an old-fashioned addition onto the back of a red brick house built in 1923. You have to walk through the regular bedroom and take one step down through a door to get to it, my "outer sanctum"! There is a cottage feel to it, decorated in French Country yellow, blue and white, with beautiful wide pine floors. It is totally windows all the way around with a door that opens onto a balcony big enough for two deck chairs and a small table. It seems like you are in a treehouse because our huge maple tree is right at eye level! For a small room, it is the most quaint and inviting room I've ever had!

In the heat of mid-summer, we have all the windows open and two fans going full speed. As the calendar flips over to August, we bring the fans down and start adjusting to the cooler night time temperatures by closing half the windows. (There are nine windows and each has two parts that can be opened and closed separately.) September is here and most of the windows are totally shut. The sheets have been changed to flannel...sigh.....

It is so hard to close up this room.......it represents the freedom and open spaces of summer we never want to relinquish. Both of us hang onto it like a dog with a t-bone until finally, we have to let go. The closing date is always Hallowe'en night! By then we have had a small heater out there for a few weeks. We snuggle into our cosy bed for the last hurrah of this special summer room and feel like two bears hunkering down in their dens to hibernate.
Distant dreams of a fabulous summer lull us to sleep.

Mother of Invention, thinking I'd better enjoy this room for the next few weeks!

12 Comments:

Blogger Barbara said...

I wish I had a "summer house". Your room sounds so inviting with its many windows and its feeling of openness. You will just start looking forward to opening it again in the spring as you hunker down to winter inside.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

 
Blogger Old Lady said...

I love when it is cold cuddle weather.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

 
Blogger Mother of Invention said...

Barbara: We've had several people want to duplicate the plan/idea at their houses. I always thought it was cool! It is always cause for celebration when we christen once again in spring! It is always weird to look out the window in the door and see frost on the windows!! Then, I sometimes go out there briefly to get something from the cedar chest! BRRR!

Old Lady: Yeah, snuggle time is coming and my cats are ready for it! HA!

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

 
Blogger Reya Mellicker said...

The room sounds wonderful, and special, too since you can only use it during your relatively short summers up there. Great portrait of your seasonal adjustments, thank you!

Thursday, September 14, 2006

 
Blogger Lynn said...

You described the room beautifully.
I would have a hard time leaving that room too.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

 
Blogger Mother of Invention said...

Reya: Yes, that's what makes it special..if we used it every day, we'd take it for granted and not appreciate it as much...not to mention we'd freeze our sweet bippies off! (Where'd that expression come from? Haven't used that in a LONG time!)

Lynn: Thanks! I should really post a pic but I'm slow on the techy things! By the time I get around to it, the room will be in hibernation! HA!

Thursday, September 14, 2006

 
Blogger Richard said...

There is no way to heat it to extend the time you spend there a little longer?

Thursday, September 14, 2006

 
Blogger Mother of Invention said...

Richard: It would mean completely tearing it apart, insulating, putting in new windows and a new roof...all doable but not in the financial plan right now. It might also take away from its charm as a simply summer room. There is a room beneath it that we wan to reno, and when we do that, we'll consider doing that room also...but very carefully so as not to change the flavour too much.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

 
Blogger Richard said...

Hmmm ... I was thinking more along the lines of a few baseboard heaters rather than renovating it into a all season room.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

 
Blogger Mother of Invention said...

Richard: Oh. Possible I guess! We do have a plug in coil heater (I think it circulates oil) that throws out quite a bit of heat so it may do just as well as baseboards. There comes a point in November though, where you may be paying more for the heat you're pumping into the room than you would be just to close it and sleep in the room that's part of the house and not lose some of the heat from the house out that back room. It's not insulated and they're really thin old windows ...probably R zero!

Thursday, September 14, 2006

 
Blogger brooksba said...

Sounds like a wonderful room. I know I always sleep better in the fall, when the air is cool and crisp, pulling the blankets up to my chin and just breathing the autumn air. Sorry that you'll have to close up the room.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

 
Blogger Mother of Invention said...

Brooksba: It is a sad yearly event closing this up! No one I know has one of these rooms..it's so unique and we'll never change it.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

 

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