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.
An Update
I have not posted in a bit although work continues on the Cross House almost daily. The last week has been focused on repairing roof tiles, and reworking the built-in gutter in the SE corner. All this should be done this weekend. I hope. The work is not very photogenic. This interlude is not part…
Continue ReadingYet Another Hypocrite
This is a political post. Please across down if interested. Amy Coney Barrett is Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court. This is curious for two reasons: In 2016, Barrett gave an interview where she stated that it…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. This 1920s chandelier is one of the most unusual I have ever restored. And, let me tell ya’, the process was a bitch! I cursed. Cursed! Often! Scaring kitties in the…
Continue ReadingUncovering The Past
The cementitious roof tiles were, I believe, installed circa-1930. They are, mostly, in good condition and will last till the end of time. However, along this valley I discovered numerous cracked tiles, no doubt caused by being walked on. This is bad. A quick fix is to insert some metal under the cracked tiles…
Continue ReadingPainting Dr. Seuss
Wow. It really IS better! I also replaced the horrid strapping with an L-bracket on the bottom. Better, too! You know, downspouts are vital. Gutters as well. MOST of the exterior damage to the Cross House was caused by a lack of downspouts, and gutters not being properly maintained. Sigh though, because with…
Continue ReadingAnd…Some Good News
This is a political post. Please scroll down if interested. From Wiki: ActBlue is a nonprofit technology organization established in June 2004 that enables left-leaning nonprofits, Democrats, and progressive groups…
Continue ReadingA Downspout. By Dr. Seuss.
I cannot just do a straight vertical spout with an elbow on the bottom because the elbow would be at a 90-degree angle to the gutter, meaning that it would pour water at the roof rather than straight into the gutter. So, I need one elbow to move the spout over to the…
Continue ReadingI Will Miss Ruth
This is a political post. Please scroll down if interested. And decent people around the globe are utterly devastated. Which brings me to Mitch McConnell. During Obama’s last year in office, Mitch refused to have hearings on Obama’s Supreme Court…
Continue ReadingDecorating The Exterior
While this post is about the Cross House, it is also political. Please scroll down if interested.
Continue ReadingDO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!
Sigh. This is the first time I have done sloppy work on the house. But, there is just no time to repair this small area right now as several Heritage Grant line items are pressing. So, I have purchased myself some time. This small area is actually better. It is just not right….
Continue ReadingOur Lack Of Standing
This is a political post. If interested, please scroll down. I talk with Trump supporters. And, when I do, I always get the same answers to my question: “Why do you support Trump?” Consistently though, the answers are…
Continue ReadingScientific American did WHAT?
This is a political post. If interested, please scroll down. Scientific American magazine was founded 175-years ago. They have never endorsed a candidate running for president. They have now. It…
Continue ReadingRoss did…WHAT????????
Sigh. More shingling. Well, there is just no time for this. The last 3 line items on the 2017 Heritage Grant need to be finished by the end of the year, and this bit of work is not part of the grant. So, even though I’m right in the corner already, and even though…
Continue ReadingWhat Next?
With the second-floor south finally finished… …what next? With the wood scaffolding in place at the SW corner, I am going to rework the built-in gutter which caused massive damage over many decades. I hope my plans FIX the issues. Pray. Repointing the north chimney is a line item on the 2017 Heritage Grant. The…
Continue ReadingInching Along…TO A MIRACLE!
Well, you know what this means, don’t you? THE SECOND-FLOOR SOUTH IS COMPLETE! Squee!!!!!!!! Squee!!!!!!!! Squee!!!!!!!! Squee!!!!!!!! Squee!!!!!!!! I cannot believe it. I am in shock. I have…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. My online vintage lighting store.
Continue ReadingIt’s Nice Having Smart, Decent Neighbors
This is a political post. If interested, please scroll down.
Continue ReadingVisitors
I have previously written about Harold, and his late wife, Wilma, two of my favorite-ever people. Harold has now visited the Cross House twice, and on his last visit he came as Santa Claus. Then, last week, my iPhone rang while I was up on scaffolding painting. I did not recognize the number,…
Continue ReadingBefore. After.
My online vintage lighting store. I purchased the fixture online, and gasped at its scale when it arrived. It is HUGE! Also, it was obvious that the shade had been repainted several times. Poorly. So, I blithely stripped off the non-original paint expecting to find some brightly colored enameled finish as is common to…
Continue ReadingAnd…The Other House
This past week has been mostly touching up the inside corner I have been working on for a while at the Cross House. Very, very soon, I will be finished with the corner and, thus, the entire second floor after 695 years of work. Concurrent to this, is work at my current residence, about 20…
Continue Reading