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.
Before. 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 ReadingMade Up Outrage
This is a political post. If interested please scroll down. Someone I know posted this online: I shook my head. For, nobody is asking that he apologize for the America flag. Nor is anybody…
Continue ReadingInching Alo…OOPS
While installing the cove trim on the adjoining wall, my brain began to process, as if waking from a coma. Slowly. In increments, bit by bit, an uncomfortable awareness dawned. Slowly. All the while I kept installing the second cove trim. My brain though kept processing. Then, all at once, clarity was revealed,…
Continue ReadingA Miracle Light
My online vintage lighting store. Recently, I found a vintage light in an antique store. I gasped when I saw it. It was sitting on the floor, kinda falling apart, but was obviously incredible. Placing it in my car, I realized that the large bottom plate was damaged: This was a job for…
Continue ReadingThe Lawless Party
This is a political post. Scroll down if interested. When Obama was president, Republicans lost their minds when Obama wore a tan suit. “He’s disrespecting the presidency!” When Obama was president, Republicans lost…
Continue ReadingA TSUNAMI OF LIES
This is a political post. If interested, please scroll down. Donald Trump is a pathological liar. Essentially, if he is talking or tweeting, he is lying. When I talk with Trump supporters they do…
Continue ReadingBeing Saved By Orlando
Several years ago (3? 4?), Justin dug up the concrete driveway of the carriage house. This left a long trench, about 6-inches deep. Soon, this filled in with weeds but they did not look bad if mowed every week. There were also other small areas needing soil infilling, like the thin stretch of lawn parallel…
Continue ReadingInching Along
All the issues with this particular window were caused by a downspout missing for decades. Without the downspout, water from the built-in gutter above just splashed onto the window trim like Niagara Falls. And, this is bad.
Continue ReadingTime Travel: The Importance of Redecorating
During the summer of 1976, I had utterly failed on living on my own, and had moved back in with mom and dad. I was nineteen. I needed a job, STAT. The newspaper had small ad for a job at the famous Tiki Gardens, on Indian Rocks Beach, across the peninsula from where I lived….
Continue ReadingTIME TRAVEL. My Third “Apartment”.
This is the fourth installment of my Time Travel series. I had been dashed upon the rocks. It was the summer of 1976 and, after boldly moving out of the family home the year previous, living in my first apartment, having my dream apartment stolen out from under me, moving into my second apartment…
Continue ReadingMasked Intruders. Bearing Gifts.
In the early 1970s, Phyllis and Louis lived in the Cross House, first in the Octagon Bedroom, and then later the entire third floor. Their landlord was Frank and Esther Toms. I did a post about their third-floor apartment. How utterly fabulous to have…
Continue ReadingA Historic First
This is a political post. Please scroll down if interested. The Democratic party is the party of diversity. Sadly, this has almost never been reflected in the top ticket. So, today makes me…
Continue ReadingTIME TRAVEL. My ACTUAL Second Apartment. PART II.
In my previous Time Travel post, I deliberately restricted the story about my second apartment because I wanted the focus to remain mostly on the generosity of the couple which created the apartment. In this post, I add some stories! Because I was not in the apartment for long, I have few memories of my…
Continue ReadingTIME TRAVEL. My ACTUAL Second Apartment
In my previous Time Travel post, I detailed how the dastardly Rob had stolen the apartment of my dreams right out from under me. About that fateful day, I wrote: One afternoon, after I had brought out the cheese/cracker tray, Rob and I talked a bit. He asked: “Are you OK? You seem really upset.”…
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