Considering a New Project

I have long loved houses with character-not the worn, peeling paint, shabby chic kind of character.  The real thing that is part of the structure and design of the house.  Columns with either fancy of plain capitals.  A big front porch.  The front door with such beauty it takes my breath away.  Wood. Real wood siding. Original windows. Gorgeous woodwork that has never been painted.  Hard wood floors.  Cresting on the roof ridge. Fireplace. Built in cabinets in the dining room and kitchen. Floor plan that has been altered so little since it was built, that taking out one bathtub and it is original once again.

Ever since I finished my degree in historic preservation, I have been longing for an historic house with lots of character and wholly unaltered.  Something that needs TLC.  Working on others houses and buildings if fun, but I want one that is mine.

There is such a house for sale right across the street from my current house. It is just an ordinary vernacular white two-story frame house.  I hope to blog about everything from considering the purchase to decisions about the work and restoration that hopefully will happen should I decide to buy the house.

With my fingers cross, and hoping my husband doesn't kill me for taking on this project and the expense, today it is a dream. Turning it into the reality of my life will take my head as well as my heart.

Wish me luck!

Saturday Mornings

My life has changed so much over the past few months that I hardly recognize myself.  You are familiar with the philosophy God is in the details? Well, God is in technology these days in our family.

Keeping in touch with family is highest of priorities. I am not a phone person; random phone calls are intrusive to me most of the time. Invariably, one of us is too busy to talk. We laugh about stalking Google Talk to catch someone online, but it's true. Differences in time zones and schedules make it challenging to connect.  Little snippets of chatting happen throughout the week, but Saturday (and Sunday) are the best days to have a long video chat and, yes, phone calls for those who don't use technology.

Hanging out in the kitchen-keeping room is a weekend treat with time to make cappuccino, read the paper, enjoy the sunshine and spend time with hubby and Cotehele.  Homemade waffles are a weekend ritual enjoyed by all. Cotehele patiently (ya, think?) waits for her own little waffle with real maple syrup and fruit.  I always enjoy the chance to bake.

Blueberry Danish

Lately, Saturday morning is my time to catch up on the week's blogs.  I admit to being a visual person.  My brain has processed enough work all week, that I love scrolling thru blogs just for the pictures.  Beautiful, creative, interesting images take my breath away.  These are a couple if visual blogs I enjoyed this morning.

The Enchanted Home

                                                                Conspicuous Style

This afternoon we are having a shower for my "adopted" son and daughter. 

It's their first child - a Boy!

They have been very gracious to invite me to go with them to the ultrasounds.  

He is a cute little guy.  Grin. 

~~ Pictures tomorrow~~

 If I don't get too caught up in the celebration to remember to snap a few.

  TTFN

Hey!

To my blogland friends, I just want to take this opportunity to say I miss blogging, and I miss you all.   Work has become overwhelming and it is not likely to get any better for at least a month.  Hope all is well in your part of the world.  I will be back when I can.  So long for now.

Quick and Easy

It has been nearly impossible to grow anything that is surviving in the heat and drought this summer.  Native flowers are doing fair with as much pampering as I have time to give them.  Everything else - the water hogs especially - are pretty sad.

The most lush plant in the yard came up all by itself.

It has had no special treatment, no fertilizer and very little extra water. 

I have always heard when a plant is in the perfect place, it thrives.

Last summer two hybrid small-tomato plants lived in this bed.  

Tomatoes that dropped on the ground were left to compost in situ.

 I didn't have the chance to plant any garden this year. What a lovely surprise it was to see little tomato plants poking up through the mulch. 

I pick about a quart of tomatoes every other day.

Hope they pop up again next year.

Sweet Puppy Update

Last winter I blogged here about a very sweet puppy we passed on our walks. I am happy to say that Madison has has found her forever home thanks to some very diligent and committed doggie people here in town.


". . . they adore her!!! Just a little glitch . . . She's not fond of their cat but, they're working on it.Great family, he's a school teacher, they have 3 kids (that Madison just can't get enough of) and they hike a lot with her:) She has a huge fenced yard to call her own and a big doggie bed all her own. She's a queen now!"

The Way the Wind Blows

I have lived in the midwest all but three-and-a -half years of my life.  I will not say how long that may be, but it is a long time.  Weather has been very destructive over the years.  Ice storms, tornados, flooding, high winds . . .   I was in nursing school when a tornado struck Xenia, Ohio. The students went over en mass to help. It was an emotional and humbling experience.  I have never before and not since seen such destruction. The city was obliterated. Much like Joplin, MO.

Many years ago, straight line winds blew through our community. I was in awe of the power of nature. Of course trees, and big tree limbs were down.  But to see a tree uprooted and set down in an asphalt driveway-like it had been planted there and grown tall was amazing.  Of course the devastation and disruption of people's lives is terrible.  Walking around town, though, there was such a spirit of warmness,  cooperation, and help. People were so friendly and talkative. It is sad it takes such an event for the spirit of community to emerge. A short while later it disappears.




We have been blessed not to have felt the worse of the forces of nature. I do not know why, maybe just lucky.



Storms came through Indiana about 9 p.m. a week ago Saturday.  We hear storm warnings quite frequently. It is not that we feel immune, in the 29 years we have lived here, we have sheltered in the basement only twice.  Silly us, we usually stand at the north window and watch the huge pine trees bend nearly in half.  Last night's storm had such force.  Big, old trees were uprooted or huge branches were ripped off to land in places trees were never meant to be.   This is a friend's yard. The tree hit the house with such force it knocked the sashes out of the windows.  He was not hurt even though he was in the kitchen at the back of the house that took the brunt of the falling tree.

Cotehele and I walked at the park today, and found a good bit of this tree had split.

A block from downtown (it's two blocks long, hehe) this tree was pushed out from the roots and fell across the street toward the library.

My heart goes out to everyone who witnessed the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair last night.  Tragically, five people lost their lives and many others were injured.  I am sure the tragedy will be on our minds when we go this week.






Nature also has a powerful healing quality. Beauty can be found amidst disaster. As we walked toward home, the light was beautiful shining behind the clouds.

What's Next?

I don't know how a social media provider with a primary purpose to stealthily invade one's privacy can be so ubiquitously popular.

There is no announcement or notification to users when functions or pages are added to everyone's account. The latest invasion of privacy is that if a phone syncs with facebook, all the phone numbers stored in the phone are visible on your Phone Contacts facebook page. All the contacts with a facebook account have a clickable link whether the contact is a facebook friend or not. When this was done, I have no knowledge. Is this page accessible to anyone beyond the owner of the account (me)? I do not know. The data IS available to facebook.

Okay, I admit I check facebook several times a day. Especially when I am very busy and do not have time to really communicate with people, checking status updates is quick. A short comment and they know I am thinking about them.  BUT, I need a social media provider that lets me communicate with family and friends on my own terms, in my own way, at the time of my choosing without invading my privacy and using my information as a source of revenue.  Is that possible??

Here is how to remove the Phone Contacts from your facebook account. It is done at a price . . .turning off the phone sync. How is one to stay informed without syncing? I don't know if this is a carrot or a stick, but I am ready to start a fire and roast the carrot.

1. All of the phone numbers of your contacts are now on facebook!

2. Go to the top right of the screen, click on ACCOUNT

3. On the left side of screen Click on EDIT FRIENDS then click CONTACTS

4. You will see all phone numbers from your phone (FB friends or not) are published that you have stored in your mobile phone.

5. TO REMOVE, go to the right column, click on "this page" and follow instructions.

I want to deface myself.