Other Cool Things

In my office are two very large identical desks. I have a thing about pairs. One is for my Apple computer. I love love love my Apple. I also normally keep this desk quite clean. It is intended as my oasis of calm & order. The other is where I restore my lights. This table…

I have written several posts about Gilda, my gold cat. My old gold cat. My favorite ever cat. She arrived in my life, totally unexpectedly, one day in early 1999. My dear friend Christina (who lived across the street) and I were talking in my driveway when a tiny kitten, perhaps just five-weeks-old, scurried up…

  As the heavens raged, I received a text from a friend. A house was being demolished tomorrow. He knew I had always admired it. My heart felt crushed. Another text: the house is open. Wanna see inside? It was pitch black outside, save the dramatic streaks of lighting. Rain dashed against my windows. The…

Twice daily I feed about a dozen stray cats which hang around my immediate neighborhood. Some were left by neighbors who moved away, some ARE neighbor’s cats but aren’t being taken care of, some wandered into the neighborhood, and some were dumped in the neighborhood. Sigh. One such cat I named Emerald because he had…

Seven days ago I did a post about an old stray cat which kinda sorta adopted me. He went blind at some point, and it was evident that he was now in a rapid decline. My days and patterns adjusted to Emerald’s ever-changing new realities, and of late he became extra picky about the food…

Recently, my beloved treasured adored cherished fabulous Gilda departed after sixteen years together. Even more recently, the extraordinary Emerald departed. And the inside of my house became…silent. And felt dead. For my whole life I lived with animals, and suddenly at fifty-nine my house was devoid of furry creatures. However….just outside…I have a lot of…

For my whole life I have watched incredible buildings be demolished. And I am now old enough to frequently hear, decades after some magnificent treasure was smashed to the ground: “Gee? Why did we knock it down? Looking back, it was actually an incredible building. We should have saved it.” Yes, should have. The wonderful…

I was SO excited when I first saw Atomic Ranch magazine on a newsstand in 2004. A whole magazine about Mid-Century Modern houses? Ross happy! Instantly, I subscribed and now have every issue. But…but…this is the only magazine subscription I have where I don’t look through it the day it arrives or the day after….

I can’t watch or read any news right now for I get instantly depressed. Moreover, with being knocked out by a flu, I am also finding it hard to concentrate. A double whammy. So, it was with immense pleasure that I happened upon the website to The Landmarks Trust, a UK-based organization which does something…

Recently, I mentioned that I had lost 26 pounds. This thrills me. But my pants kept falling down. My belt had no more of those little holes, and about a month ago I began constantly pulling my pants up as I walked around. This was annoying, yes, but the solution was a trip to Walmart…

In a previous post I wrote about my efforts to protect the historical narrative of the 1894 Cross House. If X feature is missing, like a bathroom sink/vanity, I will do research to learn what sink/vanities looked like in 1894, and will then go on the hunt for such an item. All the lighting was…

NOTE: This post is under the heading of OTHER COOL THINGS on my blog. This is where I reserve the right to post about things other than restoration, like about kitties or a movie I liked or, eek, about politics!   During the 2016 election campaign I paid a lot, and I mean a lot, of…

I was working to finish the restoration of a 1960s crystal chandelier for a repeat client. It needed to be in a box tomorrow morning for FedEx. While working, Stevie cat sauntered across my desk and bonked against my chest. This, as he recently taught me, was the signal that he wanted my lap. Being…

Yesterday I wrote about the extraordinary arrival of Spot in my office. The poor dear is skittish to an extreme and spends her time in the house mostly hidden. But yesterday she appeared on my desk, and then stepped into my all-too-happy arms. Tonight I was working at my desk when I heard an almost…

    I just go bonkers over such intact rooms, and at the same time fear that the new owner will tear out all this beauty to “update” the house. Let’s all pray for this Spanish/Deco treasure.    

Travis sent me an email with attached images. He also wrote: “I thought you might enjoy seeing someone screwed up a 1931 kitchen.” Oh. That didn’t sound good. So I, with trepidation, looked at the images. But…WHAT was Travis talking about?                            …

I end most of my days reading a bit in bed before turning off the lights. For seventeen years this ritual was hugely blessed by my cat Gilda. As soon I settled in, with book in hand, she would snuggle alongside the left side of my chest, and drape her paws and head across my…

Yesterday, Ashley brought something to my attention. She warned me that I might faint. The warning proved timely.                                                               The house appears in mint condition…