I've been in this battle with the oven for a while now. Well, I guess I'm not in a battle with the oven, but I'm battling over the oven, which I really liked until the nonstick coating inside decided it was so nonstick that it wasn't going to stick to the oven and started flaking... Continue Reading →
It's after Thanksgiving now, which means it's officially acceptable for me to upgrade autumn things for winter things, but it also means that I'm in that post-holiday turkey-induced slump where I don't have much energy or motivation to trudge up to the attic and dig out the Christmas decorations, so I'm just going to write... Continue Reading →
I've been writing a little less than usual because I've been doing a little less than usual. The weather has turned positively wintery (we even had the tiniest dusting of snow this week!) and most of my activities have been boring, routine maintenance things like making sure that the hoses got disconnected from the outside... Continue Reading →
Our house is prone to weird air currents. We are getting used to them, but the hows and whys are mysteries we may never solve. In summer, when it's hot outside, the upstairs also gets very warm. This is neither a surprise nor a mystery: heat rises, the second floor has no air conditioning, and... Continue Reading →
Along our usual walking route, Pippin and I pass a few houses that are being restored by the local historical society. It's been a long process that still isn't finished, and while I often grumble a bit over not having access to the sidewalk for the past three or four years, I really am glad... Continue Reading →
We had to have our fence repaired. One of the major selling points for this house when we purchased it was the fenced yard for Pippin. The fence, like so much of the rest of the house, wasn't pristine, but Pippin has never tried to escape and even if he did, he would need a... Continue Reading →
I try to post here two or three times a week and usually post on Mondays, but I didn't get it done yesterday because I was busy being a Responsible Adult ™️. I mean, I didn't go apply for or pay off a loan or call to make my very own doctor's appointment or anything,... Continue Reading →
I first encountered trumpet vine many years ago riding my bike on the Katy Trail in central Missouri. The Katy Trail is a recreational trail that has been established along the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad and goes across the state from Clinton to Machens. In the hot, muggy summer, tendrils of trumpet vine creep onto the... Continue Reading →
Over the past couple of weeks, I've been wondering why it's so much easier for me to write lately and wondering whether I could have managed to maintain this blog and more traditional employment. I'm fairly sure the answer to the second of those mysteries is "no." I took a little break from writing for... Continue Reading →
Every so often, usually after Kalen and I finish a house project, my mom will casually ask, "What's your next project?" and I'm always hesitant to answer this question. I'm learning that homeownership in general invariably involves a never-ending list of tasks, and even more so with an older home. Some of the tasks are... Continue Reading →
