Flageolet and Celery Salad; the update

I have so many house photos to post I decided to break with tradition and do the recipe first - for those who just come by for the food.

I'm getting anxious for summer - and garden salads. Until then I make winter salads.

I don't buy lettuce out of season - actually, I don't buy lettuce at all. I grow it.

But there are lots of other things to use for salads.

I originally made this salad with frozen Lima Beans, which are not

available here. Now I use flageolet, which may not be available elsewhere. Use lima beans, white kidney beans (cannellini),

smaller, navy beans or even edamame.... All drained, rinsed and drained

again.

Flageolet Bean and Celery Salad

1 1/2 cup rinsed beans, 10oz (275gr) 15oz (450gr) can

1 cup sliced celery, 2 - 3 ribs

1/3 cup sliced olives - black, green, Kalamata

Vinaigrette

Cook beans if using frozen. Drain and rinse if using canned.

Slice celery - if very wide cut rib in half length-wise first, 1/4 inch thick (.65cm). Roughly chop olives.

Put beans, celery, olives into a bowl, add vinaigrette, stir well to combine. Refrigerate until needed.

Vinaigrette

Whisk vinegar, mustard, and herbs. Slowly whisk in oil until thick.

On to the important stuff:

This was our den right after we finished it in December:

We finished the living room last week and moved all of this furniture in to that room.

This is the den today:

We had to dig furniture out of the piles....

We can actually walk through the room without bumping into something.

The dogs can walk through without having to backup when they get stuck. Sedi has a very hard time with reverse since her stroke.

The book cases, which belong together, will eventually go into the dining room which is still our bedroom. Then mon mari can build new book cases for this room. Other than that change this is the final version of this room.

Well, and we'll move the crates of wine out into the barn when the risk of freezing is over....

And this is the living room:

The clock was moved in from the hall and the tan chair from the kitchen....

The piles of furniture are almost depleted at this point, just tables, dressers, beds left.

And somewhere I'll find the shelves for that tall case on the far wall. It should have more than one.

Since there is both a radiator and an insulated floor this is now the warmest room in the house. Mon mari has been taking advantage.... napping and reading when he's done for the day. It's the first time in 18 months that we actually have a room to do that in comfortably,

See the porcelain dog? No muss; no fuss!

There's the 4-corner view.

We're so excited.....

And, as long as I'm posting photos....

These are the books I spent Saturday unpacking

They're not rare treasures or anything - just important to me.

I've always liked books with pretty pictures.

For the record we now have a finished living room, den and hall; and an almost finished kitchen.

What's next? A bedroom! And, dare I suggest it? A closet! (or something similar)