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Home / Books / A Home Of Her Own

A Home Of Her Own

book cover - A home of her own
“Nancy Hiller is a premier cabinetmaker with a fondness for wood and old houses, and with a storyteller’s feel for character. Here she offers us a gallery of women who have created distinctive homes, often in buildings that others had abandoned, sometimes after having been abandoned themselves, always with resourcefulness and imagination. As these women restore the outward fabric of houses and gardens and furnishings, they also restore the fabric of their lives. Hiller honors their skill and pluck, and Kendall Reeves, through his photographs, enables us to glimpse the beauty of their creations. After reading this book, you will see your own home place with fresh eyes.”
—Scott Russell Sanders, author of A Conservationist Manifesto

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…directly from the IU Press

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Cousins! I have two of the best in Gail Hiller Lee Cousins! I have two of the best in Gail Hiller Lee (not on Instagram) and @jeanaburgess1 . I have zero memory of the circumstances that inspired the first picture here, which Gail sent last night. She’s at top left; my sister @magdahiller is the one on the right inside the playpen. Our cousin Scott’s between them. (Note that the eldest cousin, yours truly, declined to join them,  though I have no doubt I was egging them on.) 

Gail and I have been in touch several times over the past few days, ever since I received a statement from the hospital for $51,000 (pre-insurance) for my chemo port placement and *one* chemo infusion. In a panic, I got in touch with her, knowing that she is an insurance broker in New York. She talked me down, big-time, and looked over our insurance policy, then enlightened me about a number of features I was not aware of. That was so helpful. I realized that other self-employed woodworkers who don’t get health insurance through their spouses would probably benefit from some of the same information. So yesterday I interviewed her for my February post at the @finewoodworkingmagazine Pro’s Corner blog (yes @benstrano more about insurance), which will focus on the stuff many of us don’t know anything about when it comes to buying health insurance.

The next snapshot shows my sister and me (on the ground; again, the oldest one, post-yoga headstand) with Jean, who has made her career in accounting and is just as impressive personally and professionally as Gail.  We are fortunate to have these women in our family.
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#cousins #cousinsquad
Fun. This is how I write—I mean, when I’m writ Fun. This is how I write—I mean, when I’m writing a profile, essay, or story, in this case a chapter for “Shop Tails,” which I am thoroughly enjoying. This here is the third draft; I just made the edits and will let it sit a while before I go back at it. 

I cannot overstate how much fun I find this process of memory, vivid images, critical analysis, and playing with words. For me it’s one of the richest sources of revelation.
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#writing #overandoveragain #editordie #wordlover #wordloversunite #grammarmatters #englishgrammar #animallover #shoptails
Proof of life. After weeks spent on kitchen design Proof of life. After weeks spent on kitchen design jobs, writing, and medical stuff, I’ve started work on a set of built-in bookcases. With luck, Mark and I will be installing these at the end of next week.

One important bit of writing was this month’s post for the blog at #finewoodworkingmagazine about what it means to be a “successful woodworker.“ People I know define success in so many ways, often by comparing their work to that of others, by how much money they make or how busy they are, and some by wowing people with their skills. So much of this is based on competition. Never a good basis for self-esteem or judging others. For my take, see the link in my profile.
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#success #definingsuccess #successful #successfulwomen #satisfaction #goodwork #themeaningoflife #meaning #lifeworthliving
Shout out to @cardinalspirits ! The people at our Shout out to @cardinalspirits ! The people at our locally owned distillery have been extraordinarily resilient in response to the pandemic — making hand sanitizer when none was available, cocktails and kits you can buy in stores, and keeping their excellent kitchen in business even when the distillery is closed for dining in. These pork belly tacos that Mark had yesterday looked beautiful, and the corn smelled divine. And here’s to a food business that serves carry-out in food-safe compostable containers! So rare. And so important. Thank you, Jeff and Erica!
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#snowday #hikeinthewoods #goodfood #cardinalspirits #yay #goodpeople #indianabusiness
I am so grateful to have this man as my partner. H I am so grateful to have this man as my partner. He recently found this ridiculous photo from 2007. We both look a lot younger! As @chbecksvoort49 says, life is so lovely when you have a good partner. Mark is a gentle, caring soul. Incredibly resilient. Deeply thoughtful. An excellent builder and carpenter. Loyal friend. Spoiler of domestic animals. Occasional annoying dude. Altogether a wonderful human being with whom I am blessed to make a life.
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#throwbackthursday #tbt❤ #grateful #gratitude #marriage
Nap time for Piggy. While I have chemo drugs drip Nap time for Piggy. While I have chemo drugs drip into my bloodstream, Tony has laid claim to Joey’s fleece. More dangerous is that he’s sharing the fleece with the pig, which has become Joey’s favorite toy. Fortunately Mark is monitoring the situation. 

And while this post is not about work, I am working on my laptop, writing post for the @finewoodworkingmagazine blog and a letter of recommendation for someone I admire (a lot).
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#dogsandcats #work #ilovemywork
A day packed with drawing time and calls with a cl A day packed with drawing time and calls with a client in Rhode Island. There’s nothing like having historians as clients during interesting times. At the end of the day I found Mark chopping wood and had to catch this image with the hillside glowing in the background.
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#saturdaywork #kitchendesign #thankyouteachers #historiansrock #ilovehistory #thisishistory #historyiseverything
By hand. This is how I draw kitchens. My drawings By hand. This is how I draw kitchens. My drawings are of course terribly prosaic compared to those gorgeous colored renderings by @johnnygreystudios but they do the job. Despite their arguable advantages, CAD images leave me cold. It has been super rewarding to get back to this particular kitchen design, for clients in St. Louis. I’m also working on another set for clients in Providence, Rhode Island. So fun! Another highlight of today: I completed a blog post about @furnituremaking which should be up at Lost Art Press this weekend and took delivery of materials for the next shop job, which will occupy my next good week (after chemo week...). A big thumbs up to good days.
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#customcabinetrydesign #cabinetmaker #customkitchens #drawings #byhand
This is the look of a cat who has become thoroughl This is the look of a cat who has become thoroughly spoiled by living in the house, after a day of suffering the terrible conditions of the shop for just one day. “Don’t ever do that to me again! I need my woodstove in winter.” 
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#catsofinstagram #shoplife
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