books and homes

Last night I finished reading A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor. (It sometimes takes me a bit to get through a book as most of my reading is done late at night in the bath when I don't have people harassing me with questions and needs)
It was an absolutely fantastic book. (it is the first of two books -the second I will probably start in a day or two if something else doesn't distract me first) The whole plan of walking from the hook of Holland to Constantinople is romantic and reckless. The kind of thing a person does (and ought to) when they are young. Fermor has such a way with his story. He goes back and forth all over history as he wanders the land. He will go off on a tangent that wanders from the Carolingian dynasty with a stop and discussion about the Hellenistic period and then a slight foray toward the more obscure artists of Germany. Then he will ponder the architecture of a city or village and the book might end up on some minor culture's influence on the various invaders during the sacking of Rome. But there is always a point and it fluid and in a funny way it works. Fermor also will share excerpts from the diary. He is rather amusing about it. A little self-deprecating and also fond of that young person he once was.
As you read the book you see the creeping hand of the impending war and to some degree it is a bit like standing on a street and you can see the car coming that is about to run down someone but you can't say anything. All you can do is watch. You know that some of the wonderful characters he speaks of won't survive or will become a completely different individual.
What is also interesting is that he stayed with such a variety of people. From peasants to Barons; and each showed him a great deal of kindness and warmth. People were very encouraging about his adventure. From providing him with things when his were stolen to just making sure he had some bread to eat along the way.
This book sort of reminds me of ekdogg. If he hasn't read this, he ought to. A good long hike and history are definitely to his nature.

...
Under the heading of fun of owning one's house is the things you find and work out on your own. When we were painting last week we noticed a minor wet-patch on the carpet at the bottom of the stairs. At first we thought that one of us stepped in something wet or that Senor Onion dropped his sippy cup and someone forgot to put the valve thingie that keeps it from leaking. Then the patch began to grow and it had us puzzled. It hadn't been raining so much that the basement was damp. (we checked) and neither the washing machine or the water heater was leaking (they are both near this area of the house)
Finally Mr. Jenner solved the problem. He removed the carpet and found that in December when we had that day of the most rain ever in the history of the entire world. (slight exaggeration) and our basement had a teeny bit of flooding, most of the water disappeared -except for underneath that area as there was some plastic sheeting underneath the carpet. (news to us) And it somehow formed this little well that stayed in one place until we were tramping back and forth a great deal and it decided to come up and out.
Well.... what fun you say. I do say.
Mr. Jenner ripped everything out to the concrete and dried it out. Even the wood was soaked. Not. Good. I hope this doesn't rot.
The carpet needs to be replaced as it is. This might hasten it just a bit. But not this week.
I believe this weekend we have a visitor. And.... then next weekend we have another for a night. (trying to keep this all straight in my head)
Somewhere in the midst I have further organizing to do and I should think about what I will serve for dinner for these guests.
I will think about that tomorrow... at Tara.
Or I will just bake some cookies.