NEEDLING

Sitting outside on this sunny morning, eating strawberries, drinking some English breakfast tea, and reading short stories by Pierre Siniac.

Couldn’t be any better.

On Tuesday, I visited a small cottage in Taylor, Texas, that I decided I wanted to buy. On Thursday after further thoughts, and one last visit of the little house, I sat down with my mother—who happens to be my real-estate agent—and we filled out an offer on the house. I signed all the papers, gave them back to my mom, and went to work. Yesterday morning, I got up at the wee hours to go to San Antonio for a wine seminar. We tasted some amazing Italian reds. Wines I simply would never have the opportunity to drink otherwise as I’m not rich enough.

A Tenute Silvio Nardi Brunello di Montalcino 2000, 100% Sangiovese. WOW, that’s basically all I can say. I don’t have the skills nor the knowledge to describe what I was tasting, so all I can say is: WOW! and double WOW! Or the Sette Ponti Saia from Sicilia, 100% Nero d’Avola. This second one could actually be in my price range for a special occasion. Think dark tobacco and spicy coffee. The red zin lover, which I am, will go gaga over this one. Again: WOW! (How’s that for an educated wine critic? By the way, Mr. Wine Connoisseur—or whatever he decides to call himself—is currently writing a “wine” entry, that he will publish on this here blog, with my permission of course, and he will do so, or so he says, on a random but more or less regular basis … don’t hold your breath, who knows how long it will take ... though, I’m holding him to it!)

Upon coming back home in the afternoon, cracking my first beer of the evening, I received a call from my mom telling me the seller has accepted my offer, and that we were ON! Next step: hire an inspector to inspect the house—I have ten days to get this done—so that I can be sure there are no termites or irrevocable water damage, or anything of the sort, before I close.

I’m very excited. I cannot stop imagining all the improvements I can do to my little house … building a privacy fence around the backyard, opening up the kitchen to the living area to widen the space up, move the water heater to the storage room from the kitchen where it currently resides, bring in a claw-foot bathtub, build a back deck, put in French doors in the back bedroom, planting several fig trees, peach trees, a little water fountain with some red fish in there and some water lilies … non-stop, so much I could do, given the time and the money. We’ll see. First, the inspector has to go take a little safety trip through the cracks and crevices of my little cottage.