It WILL Come Again, Won't It?!?

Cold and Snow 

Snow and Cold

I cannot feel my toes!

Layered clothes

Water's froze

I'm counting down the days

I'm watching close

For sun that's strong

For any hint of green

I long each day

For bloom and bee

And Springs'

Return to see.....

Issy 1/25/14

If You Love Old House Rehab

 Things I keep meaning to tell you.....

I cut my teeth (and deepened my old house love and knowledge base) on the original episodes of This Old House. The years of the show when the old house owner was on a real/honest/not insane budget and did lots and LOTS of the work alongside the expert advice of Norm and Tom and the gang.  New England. Old but wonderful houses. People with (few) dollar(s) ~ just a hammer and a dream. A-maz-ing what I learned.

HGTV (still a wonderful and favorite channel) evolved. House flipping and massive alterations to old homes predominated the renovation shows. Even TOH evolved - still interesting and full of information but not as "grassroots".  Much less 'hey, this is my life!'  TOH and I didn't break up but we took time apart from each other, lol.  I am massively committed to accurate historic reno so I grew less addicted to renovation shows. To each his/her own but it saddened me to see so many old homes 'modernized'. 'Updated' to the point of no longer looking or feeling or preserving any 'age'. I skipped past many of them each week.

That all changed when I watched my first episode of  Rehab Addict with Nicole Curtis. All the reality of TOH with a woman calling the shots, rolling up her sleeves and dedicated to saving and renewing original detail whenever at all possible. (She even keeps a pile of original scraps and bits from each house on site for her contractors/herself to search first to use original wood, moldings AND to save money). She runs machinery, throws mortar, paints, rallies neighbors, saves original windows (by re-glazing) moves concrete - uber hands on without doubt and she loves each house. This is my kind of rehab!

So if you are/will/dream of (or have the periodic nightmare about, lol) renovating an old house to original charm or if you want to see some actually affordable tips to old house reno you would probably enjoy tuning in....

photo found at diy online

 Rehab Addict on diy (not a channel I have, so no details - sorry)

Rehab Addict on HGTV Ch 229 on Thursdays at 9pm 

And this Thurs 1/23/14 they are running old episodes at 7pm & 8 pm

before the new weekly episode at 9pm.

photo found at pintrest C.Steiner

One last thing I love about the show?

The show/houses/Curtis are located in MI - SNOW! COLD!

FROST HEAVE! FROZEN PIPES!

You need heat to PAINT!

(But it's 90 in the summer! lol)

Oh yeah, my rehab life roflmao....

PS no, I don't get a dime or a nod or a holler for this post

just honestly enjoy and knowing many of you have/love/hate/are interested

in old homes and rehab thought you may want to check out  :-)

Remember

I love this picture

It reminds me that no matter how hopeless it seems

No matter how little control I may have
No matter how discouraged I feel 

No matter how much others may not see
(or agree) with my choices, my actions, my directions

This picture reminds me Aristotle was right.....

Criticism is something we can avoid easily

by saying nothing, doing nothing,

and being nothing.

Aristotle

If You Can Read This

 

This is interesting...

Tell me, could you read it?

The Upside Of -37 Degree Windchill And Feet Of Snow?

The fact this is required daily
to keep the kitchen pipes

from freezing....

*and of course the need

to consume it quickly 

lest the next day of baking find any left*

Yes, always a good point to be found
(somewhere) lol

I'm happy to share that at the moment the temps and snow

are giving the area  a rest. Thankfully. However long it lasts it's wonderful.

Winter Storm Unease

There is euphoric joy that sings out loud amid the old farmhouse, barn, pump house and chicken coup in the 'living seasons' ~ Spring Summer and Fall.  The days feel like gold and unfold with a depth that can not be easily put into words.

But in the midst of huge winter storms there is an unease....
Minus 15 degrees. Acres of snow blow and drift.
Water freezes. Animals suffer.
EVERYTHING that must be done is harder
and carries the reality of frostbite, perhaps even danger.

Roofs must be unladen of snow when it reaches the 12+ inch mark
(pulled down by a snow roof rake). You have to be sure (and quick) to get out of the way as it slides to the ground!

Water has to be drawn up ahead for creatures, for humans (in case of power outage because there is no water from the well pump sans electric).

Dark is dark in the hours of any nite, but the howling winds and driving snow add an intensity and foreboding to such frigid winter darkness. Even the huge three story thresher barn seems to strain against the elements.

Unease, tension, emotional breath-holding...

As I look out the windows I can barely believe these are the very same fields, the same stream, the same place I walk easily in the living months.

And April seems a very very long way off tonite

Wherever you are be safe and warm (if in snow/cold)
and dream of Spring with me...