There hasn’t been much change in pond life since we built our second pond. We’ve added some fish and have watched them grow. At Carrie’s urging (and perhaps subsequent dismay at my choices) we named the fish. I picked a “Swedish Fish” naming convention for the big pond which has five fish, two Koi and […]

The repairs and upgrades are just some aspects of the pleasure of restoring our old house. Another delight is learning about the families who lived in our home before us. For example, we have done significant research about the Ostemans who were the original owners in 1921. Last week the research came looking for us. […]

The fence is cedar and replaces the chain link that used to separate us from our neighbors’ driveway. It is seriously neighbor-friendly in that it looks the same on both sides; no ugly stringers on either, and we put the boards’ best side toward the neighbors. The fence gives us a number of quality-of-life enhancements. […]

Repairing the Hutch in the dining room is like many projects in our old house. It is on the list, but not urgent. The structural and mechanical work, such as replacing leaky roofs and pipes and repairing crumbling foundations and electrical systems, usually get priority. The hutch needs some drawers repaired but most visibly, the […]

From Epicurious 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter5 cups chopped onion (about 3 large)2 cups chopped celery8 cups diced cored tart green apples (such as Granny Smith)1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage2 teaspoons dried thyme1/2 teaspoon ground allspice5 1/2 cups herbed cubed stuffing mix (about 10 ounces)   Sauté sausage in […]

Our fourth roll-off construction grade dumpster, this one especially for concrete, and a sunny Friday added up for our idea of a fun day. We had been accumulating concrete rubble for two years. There was an old driveway in the backyard that we had broken and piled up that made up the bulk of the […]

In a masonry context, “pointing” is a word that describes stuffing mortar into the spaces between bricks or stones. With the roof projects nearly complete and the electrical and plumbing projects well under way, we started our foundation repair today. The foundation of our old house is made of stone. For the most part it […]

When we moved into our old house we found the original 85 year-old utility sink stored in the basement. We also found the pipes sticking out of the wall where it had originally been installed in the service porch. Why had it been taken out of service? Perhaps because the faucets were beyond repair and […]

It’s not called “Hard Wood” for nothing! We are refurbishing our 85 year-old house. We are not restoring it to a “like new” state. We want the house to retain the warmth and dignity of its age, just without the infirmities. So when Carrie started her research on restoring old wood floors, she did so […]

Part of the roof replacement was deciding what to do with the roof vents. In addition to the usual things projecting through the roof, such as a chimney and sewer vent pipes, we also have vents for the fruit and vegetable dryer and the kitchen stove that are original to our 85 year-old house. The […]

From Elise.com 6 pork chops (or boneless pork loins)Oil as needed for browning1/4 cup chopped onion1 Tbsp vinegar1 teaspoon chili powder1/2 teaspoon pepper1/4 cup maple syrup (real or not)1/4 cup water1 Tbsp Worcester sauceSalt to tasteFlour as needed to thicken the gravy Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly brown the pork chops in a small […]

From Beef.com 1 pound boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick 1/3 cup prepared (bottled) Italian dressing 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about two limes’ worth)2 green or red bell peppers, each cut into quarters 2 medium onions, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices 1/4 teaspoon salt 8 flour tortillas (8 to 10-inch […]