A Third Anniversary!
In August, 2014, I started this blog.
And had no idea what I was getting myself into.
When the blog went online I was told to expect around 500 views a month. “It’s just a blog about an old house in Kansas.”
Well, I thought: 500 views? Whoee!
As things developed however, this estimate proved…inaccurate.
To date, RestoringRoss has received 1,416,272 views, and is averaging about 76,000 per month. The number is constantly fluid, and my best month (this past April) had 98,000 views.
There have also been 9,001 comments. Wow. Geez.
It takes a lot of time to create content for the blog, and time is something I have little of. Yet somehow time is found (at the expense of things like washing the dishes daily, making the bed daily, mowing my lawn on a regular basis, keeping my house clean, and, oh, my lighting business).
The blog feels like I, rather unexpectedly, had a baby. This baby keeps growing and is very demanding. I fear for the teenage years.
Recently I realized that I upload more posts than there are days in the year. Wow. Geez.
What largely fuels all this is you. It amazes me that so many contribute to the comments. And you ain’t shy! “I hate the striped floors!” I am also amazed that the blog is being read across the globe. I love this!
In all my decades of restoring old houses, the experience with the Cross House is unique. I am used to such work being a solitary effort. I would work away and, save some friends and immediate neighbors, nobody would pay much attention to my endeavors.
However, this is sooooooooooo not the case with the Cross House. Partly, this is due to the extreme visibility of the house (it is right against a busy highway). Partly, too, because everybody in town knows of the house and, as I was startled to discover, it seems that most everybody in town also cares about the house. But blogging…blogging…has shined a very large spotlight on the house and what I had expected to be somewhat in the shadows has proved most decidedly on center stage. And this has been a big surprise.
Social media has also changed things. Elizabeth, of Circa Old Houses, posted an interview with me on YouTube and this has been viewed 173,000 times. (The comments are fun to read. Almost all are positive. Whoee! But one guy was mad that I did not articulate EXACTLY how to fully restore a house A to Z in a brief video. Others were mad that Elizabeth, rather than interview me over the phone, did not fly to Kansas with a film crew, stay a few days in a hotel, and do a full walking tour of the Cross House. But would these people be willing to contribute paying for this massive expense? I suspect not!)
Today, I cannot imagine my life without the Cross House. And nor can I imagine doing all this work without it feeling very much like a community effort.
Luckily, because the house is so huge, and because it requires so much work, and because restoring the carriage house will be whole other massive amount of work, I expect that there will be a decade or more worth of new content to publish.
At the end of 2018, I am hoping to move into the house and this will subtly change the blog. Rather than restoring a house I will be restoring a home. I look forward to this with much excitement.
August, 2014. The poster child for A WORK IN PROCESS!
August, 2017.
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Happy anniversary! And here’s to many happy more. I’m so glad you chose to share your journey with us.
Thank you, Barb!
Ross,
At the risk of being perceived as too forward, yes, in the process of falling in love with the Cross House through your blog, I, like I am sure most of your followers, have fallen in love with you! I have so much respect and admiration for all that you do, and especially the effort and care and extreme about of time you spend blogging, sharing with your many, many friends and fans not just your love for Cross House, but for sharing your kind soul.
Ditto for me!
Double ditto!
Love is good! Thank you so much, Mary!
Indeed. Mr MacTaggert is brilliant and I’m very impressed by his ability to articulate as well. I think he is a marvel. I’m very happy for him.
Oh, I forgot to share my thanks, and congratulations!❤️
Congratulations on your anniversary! I know I am not alone in marveling at the progress your house has made and the number of people whose life you have enriched by sharing your journey. I am living vicariously through you because I never would be able to do a restoration for many reasons! So keep up the good fight for all of us that wait for the next post and the next pictures, the next mystery you solve and the next wisdom you impart… We are all cheering you on! We appreciate you! And … Love your home!
My hat is off to you for restoring the Cross House back into the Crisp Work of Art it was and should be. I’ve learned so much about houses just following this blog.
Congratulations! I absolutely love this blog. I feel that it is an antidote for all of the mindless remodeling I see all over media and real life. These historic buildings are becoming scarce, and I love the thought, energy, and passion you pour into making this house livable, while being truly respectful of its history.
I’m so glad you are undertaking this massive endeavor and sharing it with all of us. It provides me a rewarding opportunity to live vicariously through your progress even when I’m not making any on my own house.
I can’t wait to see more of the fantastic work you continue to do!
I’m so glad you have allowed us blog readers to travel with you on your journey!
Congratulations and greetings from Nicaragua!
Hello Nicaragua!!!!!!!!
Thanks so much for saying hello!
Greetings from Rochester MN!!! (KCMO metro for > 40 years & Toledo OH also > 25 years)!!!!
Congratulations on this tremendous 3rd anniversary achievement!! I echo Mary Garner-Mitchell & others who have fallen in love with you in addition to the Cross House restoration, vintage light restoration business & Strong City restoration!! I found you because of the YouTube Circa interview & fell in love w your blog & adventures!! Toast w bubbly & fireworks & cheers to you & your Herculean & monumental efforts, documentation & responses to your myriads of fans!!!!!
Happy anniversary! There are so many things I could say, but let me start by saying how grateful I am to you for taking the time to share your Cross House adventure with all of us. I follow a few house blogs, but your blog is the only one I check everyday for updates. Here are just a few, in no particular order, of the many things I love about your blog.
1. You are a great writer. Your personality shines through and makes me feel as if I actually know you.
2. You are really funny!
3. I absolutely LOVE the fact that you are restoring rather than renovating the house. My dream was always to buy an old house and restore it to the way it was.
4. I learn so many interesting things from reading your blog.
5. I love seeing the pictures of all your progress and hearing about the discoveries you make.
I could go on and on, but I think you can see that I LOVE your blog!
Kerri! You make my bald head blush! Thank you!!!!!!!!
Happy Blogiversary!
Happy Anniversary! I discovered your blog about a month ago and spent a couple of weeks binging on your writings, musings and photos! You and the Cross House make me want to visit Emporia. I live in a c1855 farmhouse that, as with most old houses, needs work. We are slowly putting our stamp on it, as time and money allow. Keep up the great work – you and the Cross House inspire me! Old Houses keep us young!
Yea!! Right on Adam!!
Congratulations Ross & Yay all of you & Yea Kerri & ditto to everything you wrote!! Yea!! Right on Adam!!
Amazing transformation!!! You truly have a gift.
Congratulations and sincere thank you for inspiring and delighting us. …still awaiting a video 🙂
Dear Ross,
I want to send you my congratulations too. I believe that your success is a tribute to your ability to communicate your thoughts and perceptions about your experiences in a way that often makes me feel like you are writing to me as to an old friend. As I have said in previous replies to your posts, you are able to convey your enthusiasm, triumphs, and disappointments in a way that creates feedback loops of positive energy that inspire me in my own endeavors. Your writing conveys to me a sense of the personalities of those who are helping you to do such an outstanding restoration in a way that makes me feel like I know these people too. My hat is off to you. I dream, believing that there is a reasonable possibility that it will happen, that I might be able to find the time to visit you at the Cross House and to make some valuable contribution to what I perceive to possibly be your crowning achievement. I say possibly because I think that you have reached a point in your life that the sky is the limit for you.
…………..And now, ladies and gentlemen, please stand for our national anthem……………………….
Your friend,
Stewart
Thank you, Stewart!
Honestly we should not only be calling it just the “Cross house” but include your name in it as well! Official plaque and all.
Zounds!!! The MacTaggart/Cross House.
Or the Cross/MacTaggart House. That gets Ross’ full name in there!
How about the cRoss MacTaggart House?
I told Ross a long time ago, I think it should be simply named “The cRoss House.” Ross seems to be content to stand in the shadows of the granddam and give her the limelight.
All the former commenters have covered everything so well, and I don’t want to be too repetative. So I will just say that this anniversary probably means just as much to us, your readers, as it does to you, for I would hate not to have the opportunity to be “in on” this restoration and the learning process it presents. So thank you, Sir Ross for the magic you’ve performed on your house and the magic of the words we get to read.
After stumbling across your blog, I read every post, and at least half of the comments (it took me several days). I am too much of a city boy to ever live in a city of under a million people, but I honor your commitment to both the house and Emporia. Truthfully, I wish there were more “Ross’s” out there who could do what you do and be who you are in all corners of the country. We would all be better for it.
Happy Anniversary! I am simply in awe of the seemingly endless amount of energy, integrity and talent that you are investing in this wonderful restoration. Like so many others, I wish I had the time, resources and knowledge to embark on an adventure like this, but doubt whether I would have the stamina to see it through. I am hoping to schedule a tour in the next couple of months if you have time and would love to treat you to a cold brew on that porch and ponder the possibilities of Christmas decorations amidst a beautiful snow….what a postcard that would make!
Thank you for your entertaining me while allowing me to follow your journey.
Happy anniversary! I LOVE the blog! I grew up near the Cross House and have watched it’s decline over the years and am thrilled to see it’s restoration. Even though I live in St. Louis, I keep tabs on what’s going on in Emporia! Thanks for your hard work and dedication.
I just want to thank you for what you’re doing and how you’ve included us in your journey. What you are doing is absolutely astounding!
I’ve dreamed of living in an old home all my life and THIS Cross House restoration has brought out interests in me that I never knew were there. How to properly restore a home to respect the fabulous craftsmanship, the many different architectural styles of that era, being giddy to know what Lincrusta is, and on and on and on.
I would love to be able to brag that I’m your biggest fan girl, but I know others feel the same way that I do.
XOXO
Thanks everybody for your lovely comments!
It not only feels good to receive such gracious thoughts, but it is hugely helpful to learn what you like about the blog, and that you may find it informative, too. All this helps fuel the motivation to keep posting!
There’s not a day when I miss having a look at your blog. I have binge-read it as a start last year and now it’s been part of my daily routine, along with checking a few other restoration blogs and OHD of course… I’m so admirative of the work your doing, and it inspires me to try and do some in our limestone home/barn which is just 1% of your gigantic beautiful house (75m2 and 35m2). Reading several American restoration blogs is an inspiration because you’re so good with working with wood and you have some techniques that are not common here in france (outdoor painting, reglazing windows, creating wainscoting… things i wanna try here at home). Yesterday i had a look at the restoration pics the previous owner did of our house, that was a lot of work, and once again i regretted that he replaced wooden windows and doors with muntins with plain PVC 🙁
Happy anniversary and I always look forward to the next post. Thanks for including all of us that read your blog in this renovation
Thank YOU Ross, for all the time, energy, money and meticulous adoration you pour into restoring The Cross House. Then on top of all that you consistently share the stories, photos and research with the rest of us old house lovers AND THEN dialogue with us in the comments.
Do keep in mind, your readership count may be below what you imagine. There may be others like me, who receive email notifications in a daily or weekly digest for your blog posts. I may skim the emails without actually hitting the site to activate the counter or make a comment, but I read and view your blog remotely. When I have time I may click on a story or photo to view larger or come to post a comment, but it is by no means an accurate count of my readership. YOU HAVE NO IDEA how widespread your readership might be.
Thanks again for all you do. LOVE you lots! G:-)