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.
A Sad Day
Today, I arrived at the Cross House and parked. Before leaving the car, I checked for a news update on my iPhone, as I normally do. And then…I cried. The news seemed impossible. She has been Queen my entire 65 years. While my life has been tumultuous, she was always, you know, there, rock steady….
Continue ReadingCleaning the Curve. And Pondering a Curiosity.
The interruption of the Lincrusta, and its reeded top trim, is curious. It was there in 1894. It was gone when the circa-1950 wallpaper was installed. What happened? I do not know. Replacing the Lincrusta will be easy. The top reeded trim can also be replaced although not quite as easy. My thought…
Continue ReadingWanna Meet My Du Barry?
The man who sold the set said it was his grandmother’s. After her death though no family member had a place for the set. So, it has now moved from Wichita to Emporia to begin a new life.
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingHeeeeeeeee’s Baaaaaaaack!
I think 592 days have gone by since my last post about the Cross House. Well, maybe not quite that long, but certainly the longest since beginning the blog in 2014. Justin has been working elsewhere for the past few weeks so that, of course, has slowed everything WAY down. And because I am just…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingDecor Ponderings
So, y’all know I have been redoing the library. You know, the room I did in 2014. Sigh. The redesign process started when I began to experience a subtle…but nagging…suggestion in my brain: Hey, Ross, wouldn’t it be cool to return the small door to its original location? This would mean removing mounds of books,…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. The fixture is not large (at 16-wide) so is ideal for, say, a small dining room, bedroom, or foyer. I can also envision the chandelier in one of those 1930s bathrooms with colorful tiles trimmed in black. My online vintage lighting store….
Continue ReadingA Tale Of Two Parties
This is a political post. If interested, please scroll down… I have done numerous posts about how hard the Democratic Party works to help makes the lives of most Americans better. Conversely, the Republican Party works hard to…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingDE-FUNKING
All long-term restoration projects involve…creeping funk. This is when somehow, when you are not looking, every room gets filled with clutter. In one room miscellaneous trim fills a corner, a stack of wood shingles sits in front of the mantel, small boxes rest adjacent, several doors (from where?) rest against another wall. And so on….
Continue ReadingThat Sound You Hear?
This is a post about freedom Scroll down. Today, in conservative Kansas, We The People resoundingly voted NO to deny all women the freedom to choose what is right for them. And that sound you hear? That…
Continue ReadingCannibalizing The House
So, y’all know I have been making a mess of the library. I am going to take down the 2014 white shelves I installed on the west wall, to the right of the mantel. This will necessitate rounding up trim for the wide pocket doors into the parlor. The trim was removed (I think) circa-1950…
Continue Reading