Around Persephone Manor
Fall 2025
With our fourth fall here in the magical mohawk valley, we turned to the outside of our home. This fall we finished the big, visible work that turns a house into a place people stop for. The upgrades weren’t just about fixing shingles or adding trim; they were about making a chunk of our town feel seen again.
What we did this fall
- New roof and storm doors — weather-proofing the house so it keeps giving warmth and shelter for years.
- Rebuilt porches — real places to sit and wave at slow traffic, to watch the light catch the molding, to have a chat with a neighbor who stopped to say hi.
- Full exterior paint and facade repairs — the colors I’d carried in my head since 2022 finally live on the walls; they read like a storybook from the street.
- Exterior touch-ups and landscaping progress — new planting beds, bulb returns, arborvitae growth, and the back hill/stream framed so the property reads as a place of rest.
- Drone footage for the walkthrough — perspective matters; seeing the land from above helps people appreciate the whole thing, not just the porch steps.
Why this matters to the neighbors (and to us)
A house is not only for the people who live in it. It’s a public poem. When we fix up the outside, we’re doing more than improving curb appeal — we’re offering small, repeatable joys to everyone who walks or drives by. People slow down. They smile. They honk. They tell you it makes their day. Those moments add up.
Fall 2024
As we entered our third fall in the Mohawk Valley, we found ourselves leaning further into our community. Our trips to apple orchards, corn mazes, and pumpkin patches became richer with the company of friends, gathering for dinner and spending more time outdoors, watching the leaves fall with intention. Inside Persephone Manor, the house continued to grow and evolve. This year, we made updates to our kitchen and grand staircase, enhancing the spaces where we come together. We also welcomed a new addition to our home—a cuckoo clock—followed by the timeless elegance of a grandfather clock in 2024, marking a new chapter in our home’s story. As the seasons changed, our home, like our lives, grew deeper, more connected, and evermore enriched by the memories and moments we share.