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.
THE HOUSE: The 2021 Year End Report
As I noted in my very first blog post in 2014, life has an annoying habit of unfolding…unpredictably. A year ago I assumed I would end 2021 having accomplished two things: Finishing the 2017 Heritage Trust Grant. Moving into the house at last. At very long last. Well, one of these goals happened. Sigh. What…
Continue ReadingA Very Special Event At The Cross House
Hippies. They were once everywhere. And in the early 1970s, two hippies, Phyllis and Louis rented the Octagon Bedroom. Louis proposed to Phyllis in the room. Later, the couple moved to the expansive third floor and were, obviously, THE coolest hippies in the city. While living on the third floor, the couple conceived a baby….
Continue ReadingThe Cabinet Returning To Life
The upper cabinet is not installed yet. It is just sitting in place. I will take it back down so as to finish its interior which will be a ton easier with it sitting on a work table. I was not sure how to proceed though. Repaint the interior white? Or…
Continue ReadingVisitors!
A few weeks ago, Dianna contacted me. As a Christmas gift to her 14-year-old son, Justin, she wanted to know if he could come by the house for the 2-hour tour package. “He loves the house and has read every post!” This made my heart soar. For, I thought Cody was the only young person…
Continue Reading‘Twas the night before Christmas…
…when all through the huge house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. At least, it was hoped. The stockings were hung by the eight mantels with duct tape (What? You think I’m gonna hammer nails into my fabulous mantels?), In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there with wads of cash,…
Continue ReadingPrepare To Gasp!
My online vintage lighting store. Moderne is an aesthetic which developed as Art Deco waned in popularity. The Moderne aesthetic was relatively short-lived, and reached the height of its popularity in the late 1930s. Emerald City, in the movie Wizard of Oz, is Moderne gone Hollywood. Many lighting fixtures labeled Art Deco are more…
Continue ReadingA Quickly Moving Mission Beauty
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingMy Near Death Experience
This past Wednesday morning, a rushing cloud engulfed a mountain. Suddenly, the sun went away, and a brutal wind began to blast everything. The low pressure system raced to the east for the next eight hours, barreling over the plains at over sixty miles an hour, until it landed on top of… …Ross. I…
Continue ReadingBeast to Beauty. Eventually.
What a figgin’ mess. The plan is to relocate all this venting to UNDER the decking. Thus, the vent pipes will vanish from view, and I can then restore the basement window and reinstall it. And a beast will become a beauty.
Continue ReadingMini Bling!
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingStories From My Past
I skipped school a lot when I was in 9th grade. I couldn’t deal with the constant bullying. “Fag! Queer!” But, if a student missed a day, they had to have a note from a parent the next day. Of course, I could do no such thing, so I created the notes, and signed them…
Continue ReadingA Discovery!
Today, I was standing on a ladder in the carriage house dining room, priming the ceiling, when Cody shrieked: “ROSS!” I froze, paint roller suspended in mid-air. And I waited. And waited. Did he need help? Then, Cody came into view. Holding something in his hand. Was it a dead mouse? It was not. It…
Continue ReadingHappy Butts
Tonight, Steve, Brad, Cody, and myself had Taco Tuesday at the Cross house. Yes, it is Wednesday. In anticipation, I had cranked the radiator thermostat up to 70-degrees. Just after Steve and Brad departed, Cody walked over the the dining room radiator, placed his hand on its marble top, and said: “Wow! This is really…
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