Archive for January 12th, 2008
Saturday, January 12th, 2008Magazine Reading…
I am a subscriber to Country Home Magazine - and have been for quite some time. I love getting their magazines, which are glossy and filled with beautiful photos and ideas. But, I must admit that it often takes me a long time to sit and read the articles. So when I began developing the mini challenges for my yahoo group - A Novel Challenge - I incorporated magazines into it.
I sat down this morning with the December 2007/January 2008 edition of Country Home and quickly became immersed in it. The first article I read was a regular feature - a column written by Karen Weir-Jimerson who writes warm and funny articles with country based themes. Her December/January column is entitled: Chiming In, and is about the multitude of clocks in her home and the idea of marking time. I loved how she described the constant tick-tock and the various chimes which sing out every fifteen minutes within the cozy walls of her home. I was fascinated in her description of an old-fashioned coper-clad Chelsea ship clock which measures sailor’s watch hours rather than traditional hours. As in all her columns, Weir-Jimerson leaves us with a reminder of the bigger picture in life: “It’s the sound of life moving forward - slow, measured, true.” For a treat, visit the author’s blog here. I guarantee you will be entertained.
The second article I read was about a family who bought a old barn on 22 acres in Wisconsin and converted it to their home. With its 33 foot high ceilings and original plank walls, the barn needed a great deal of work (including shoring up the foundation and installation of insulation) before it could be remodeled. The photos of the home are amazing - and inspiring. The family installed a gorgeous stone fireplace (using the fieldstones from the property), a loft for bedrooms and master bathroom, and an all white kitchen with granite countertops. Having just remodeled my own house, I can respect the amount of work all of this entailed.
There are some other fun articles in this particular edition of Country Home. Every year I consider letting my subscription lapse because I have so much reading material already - but after spending a little time flipping through pages, I always decide to keep the magazine coming each month!