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...

2013 Fades And 2014 Emerges

I'm not fond of New Years Resolutions

Instead I set my course towards

a) New Year Of Rest

Or
b) New Year Of Revolution

Some years I yearn for rest, for simplification, streamlining complexity

Other years I long to shake things up, seek change, growth, revolution

I'm not quite certain yet which 2014 (if I have any say) will be, lol

What I know for sure is that this new year, like every year
Will have emotions and events
Hot and Cold
Sweet and Sour

It will have challenge and happiness
Alongside success and failure

It will have a mind of its' own
(fate and nature have more pull than I do, roflmao)

 It will also have the best thing every new year brings:
365 possibilities

Happy New Year Everyone!

Starfish File #2

If you're unfamiliar but curious about my 
starfish files click here for the background story
 
In the 1940's weddings weren't always filled 

with bouquets, cakes and frills. 

Photo Credit: April Cole/Kathy Woodhouse with Digital Expressions

Times were hard,with much of the world

in turmoil. Weddings were often

simple, receptions a slice of cake and punch (no grand party).

A honeymoon trip was a nite away perhaps.

Photo Credit: April Cole/Kathy Woodhouse with Digital Expressions

But every woman thinks of her wedding day

both before ~ and after

And 'after' is where this story begins

 thanks to the wonderful kindness of

secondwind.org. 

**Sullivan's reception cake was donated by Red Head Custom Cakes.
The floral arrangements/bouquets were donated by Milam House florist.
Photo Credit: April Cole/Kathy Woodhouse with Digital Expressions

STARFISH File Entry # 1

 For most of my life I've used the legend of  'saving starfish' to be a point of navigation. A way to live, to think, to behave. A standard of choice.

The story tells of a person walking a vast stretch of  beach following an intense sea storm. Discovering the shore to be covered with hundreds and hundreds of starfish the walker begins gathering handful upon handful  and returning them to the sea.

A fellow beachcomber passing by called out "nice idea but most of them have been on the beach too long to survive. Besides you won't be able to save them all. So all things considered it's a wasted effort.

With hands overflowing with starfish the reply back was heard to be:

"You're right, I can't help every starfish even doing all I can. I also don't know which will struggle and survive and which will struggle and die. It isn't about that. What it's about is doing what I can. And whatever hope or change may come from my effort will be good for some starfish. 

And doing what I can is good for me".

There is (as we all know) no lack of terror, horror, sadness, and most frighteningly to me, selfishness to be found in the world. It fills the news, the net, the apps. I've been thinking for some time of dedicating a corner of these pages to the good, the kind, the giving, the happy, the hopeful acts of humanity. To give praise to acts of caring, of kindness..

Hence the starfish file

I'll create a folder in the near future dedicated to these posts ~ easy to locate if you need something(s) to read showing humanity and cheer. You can also find them by the tag starfish file.

And I'd be so thankful if you'd send me stories you find or stories that tell efforts of your own! to post here (with your permission). No act of kindness found online (or of yours) is too small! There's no such thing as an insignificant act of kindness or caring. I'd be so pleased and appreciative to hear from you. Join me in showing the naysayers that good is still out there (and give the rest of us 'happy reading") :-)

The Starfish Files

Entry #1

A story of two men who had nothing in common 

but both chose to improve this world.

~~~~

Leo Grand And Patrick McConlogue

You can read about The plan Patrick acted upon The choice Leo made and The outcome by clicking on each highlighted text, linked to each part of the story.

Mud Puddles And Jung

 

Jung put forward the concept that we don’t so much 

solve our challenges but rather, we outgrow them. 

Or perhaps we grow past them. Throughout our life we add capacity. We survive experiences that eventually make us stronger or at least less intimidated by the situations we encounter. We gain the ability to choose what we battle.

In my case I'd add we find we've outgrown the need to 'splash around' in certain muddy puddles. Not because we find answers but because we finally figure out that we never will find answers or change some things. A muddy puddle will never provide good drinking water.  I sense even as I type this that someone reading is thinking "but you could strain, boil, chemically treat that puddle and then you could drink it"!

True. But when all is said and done you'll still be drinking water that was a muddy puddle. After a lot of work. After struggling to alter the muddy puddle into something it was not.

I slowly have grown to understand I'm more content investing my time and effort changing direction. I'm spending more of my days searching for clear running streams.  Or a hidden pond of sparkling water. Or at least locating a clean puddle.

Choices. Every day. Every hour. At every interaction intersection. I finally fully grasp that the quality (and sanity) of my life is (at least mildly) configured by the choices I make. What do I attempt to alter and what to I choose to bypass? To release? To ignore (while muttering to myself  a bit I admit, lol -  but, hey it takes time to do it perfectly).

There is fulfillment (different from happiness - but that's another post) found by some in altering muddy puddles (and beating dead horses with sticks, metaphorically speaking).

I suppose that's the heart of Jungs' observation. Progress and happiness vary based on need, choices and growth. We can change. The likelihood of facts, situations and other people changing? not so much...

 A mud puddle 'fixer' ~ (or not)

At this point in life, which are you?

What I Found

In a tiny little town
That is "out of the way"
I found again what matters

On Thanksgiving 

(and each day)

It's a town that still grows clover

And corn and squash and beans

And most everyone is honest
And it's frowned on to be mean

There's no Walmart, there's no Kmart

But there is a hardware store

Where at Fall they put out apples

"TAKE ONE" says the sign right by the door

 

People listen when you speak to them

And expect the same from you
And we all learn from each other

As we ponder what to do

 

No one dresses 'fancy'

No one much cares what what you drive

Most talk is of tractors

Who needs help, who's sick, who's died

You'll still see 'leave a message' boards
On porches worn and faded

Sometimes is left some soup, a coat

That's well appreciated

Most of all I found again

The best of what was me

And I'm learning how to share it

And what 'giving' gives to me....

In a tiny little sleepy town
That history forgot

I found again what matters

 And remembered what does not

 

By Issy 2013

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you

and I hope you know joy today
(and a little every other day too)

Thank you for sharing my odd little world  :-)