OTHER COOL THINGS is the blog page where I go off topic. In other words, this is a page where I ramble about a wide variety of subjects which have nothing to do with the Cross House restoration or Emporia.
OTHER COOL THINGS is where I might suggest a great new restaurant. Or a movie I enjoyed, or book. Or a favored blog.
OTHER COOL THINGS may — fasten your seat belt — open discussions about dangerous subjects such politics or religion.
OTHER COOL THINGS will, in short, be a page where I ramble about anything which captures my special attention. Like, perhaps, a nice moment I had with my favorite cat Gilda.
I love comments, so please do not hesitate to toss your two cents in, even if you disagree with me.
My blog posts are below. Enjoy!
Gilda. My favorite ever cat.
Ross Did….WHAT????????
Last spring, when finally decorating the parlor of the 1894 Cross House, a lot of readers came to the conclusion that I had no taste. Some came around when the parlor was finished. “I love it!” I am uncertain if everybody came around. During the ensuing months and months, I developed an uneasy awareness that…
Continue ReadingRuination. Vanquished.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! And a great big: WHEW!
Continue ReadingThe Liar-In-Chief
This is a political post. If you hate politics, do not scroll down. If you do scroll down….caveat emptor. You might think this is just silly. It is not. Trump lies…
Continue ReadingRepairing the Oh Poo
Fifteen days ago I did a post about the radiator system being turned back after years of disuse. And all went kinda sorta maybe well…save the parlor ceiling being damaged by a leaking radiator connection. Yes, poo. I am crossing my fingers that in a few days…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingFrench Beauties!
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingZ O U N D S
I then contacted Dr. Doug: “Can you fix this mess?” And the good doctor replied: “Yes.” Wanna see the results? Scroll way down… …
Continue ReadingMore Faux
I have done several posts about the mystery of the dining room finish. The room, like most of the rooms in the house, retains its original 1894 faux wood finish. But this is obscured by later finishes. In all the other rooms, the later finishes are shellac, which darkens over time. Luckily, shellac is easily…
Continue ReadingThe Terrifying Snake
When I purchased the Cross House in 2014, it was blessed with newish three-zone central AC, with three “towers”, as I call them. Tower #2 was in the corner of the library. Which meant that the room now had a boxed-in corner. Oh, the horror. So, I relocated the tower into a closet. In the…
Continue ReadingAre We Winning? Yet????????
This is a political post. If you hate politics, do not scroll down. If you do scroll down….caveat emptor. FYI: “Travel to the U.S. has been on the decline ever since…Trump took office, and new data shows the…
Continue ReadingA Faux Story
It has become quite the trend to paint over “depressing” dark trim in houses. This is tragic as simply removing non-original layers of varnish/shellac can reveal…
Continue ReadingSpending the Afternoon in Florida!
Well, not really. But, it felt like I did. While yesterday was like 60 degrees in Kansas, today the temperature plummeted into the low thirties. I arrived at the Cross House, opened the door, and smiled. It was warm inside, thanks to the newly reactivated radiator system. The thermostat for the radiator boilers was…
Continue ReadingLying Bastards
This is a political post. If you hate politics, do not scroll down. If you do scroll down….caveat emptor. Even though the GOP controls all three branches of governments, our government has been shut down…
Continue ReadingRepairs Commence!
I am SO not looking forward to recreating all the hand-painted work. Sigh. I am not even certain the new work will match the older work. Pray for the ceiling. Pray.
Continue ReadingKenny. Ross. Frustrated.
This all reconfirmed my previous experience: the dining room is going to be a problem. In the parlor and library, it was effortless (relatively speaking) to restore the wood in each room. Ditto, so far, with the oak in the stairhall niche. Ditto ditto with the round bedroom mantel….
Continue ReadingThe Liar-in-Chief
This is a political post. If you hate politics, do not scroll down. If you do scroll down….caveat emptor. In my experience, Trump supporters are also hostile to the…
Continue Reading