Construction Begins Today

The original For Sale ad from the
May 5, 1895, Ohio State Journal.

Our house was built in 1895 by A.C. Ady. According to the original sales ad submitted to the now-defunct Ohio State Journal, the house had a finished third floor which made it a 12-room house and, thus, a little more marketable on "the finest resident street in the city."  The upper floor was divided into two rooms and gas lines were run to supply heat and light. It was used as living space during the home's boarding-house years and storage at other times. It's actually a great space.

And it's about to get even better.

Our friends at MWG Remodeling (the same ones who did the fabulous bathroom remodel on the second floor) are getting started today. The ceiling of the front room will be torn out to reveal the attic and the attic window, cathedral out the room and provide a ton of extra storage space. One of the doors has to be moved, headers need to added for stability and then it's a matter of insulation, electricity and drywall. Yes, it's a project.

It'll take about a month to get it finished. But when it's ready, Daniel will have a perfect room to use as an art studio and I'll finally have the room I've wanted for years to accommodate the model trains. It's going to be great! It's going to be a huge mess in the process... but it'll be awesome when it's ready!

The New Camera & Stewie

I couldn't help myself. I am the world's worst impulse-shopper.

So, we have a new camera. It's a highish-end, Canon point-and-shoot with all the manual controls that would make a "real" photographer proud.

I'm a big fan of Canon because they make some of the best lenses in the business and their equipment tends to be more Mac-friendly than some others. Since my whole world is Mac-based, that's important! My previous Canon point-and-shoot camera has served me very well for the past four years or so but it's starting to get a little haggard and worn; time for it to retire.

I've been playing around with the new gadget this afternoon and managed to snap a great photo of Stewie on his hamburger pillow. He hates the paparazzi, so it's no small coup to get a good shot of him!

One of Stewie's favorite places is perched on his hamburger pillow where he can comfortably snooze, reach down and swat the dogs, or just keep an eye on the world from the front windows.

43-7: But Our Bobcats Still Win

It was like lambs to the slaughter.

The Buckeyes are ranked Number 2 in the nation. They're huge.
The Bobcats lost to Toledo last week in the MAC.

Most of us just wanted to see our boys in Green & White make a respectable showing at The Horseshoe. We weren't under any real delusions that they'd actually take home a "W." But, as Ohio University fans, we can't help ourselves... we tend to root for the underdog.

And the Bobcats were 30-point underdogs.

The Bucks beat the spread before halftime. The Marching 110 was terrific.

When the Bobcats pulled out a touchdown in the second half, it was a bit of relief. At least it wasn't a shutout. And we're not going to think of it as a "sympathy score," either.

But the Bobcats still win. Big.

Ohio University will take home a massive paycheck for this game. That'll help keep Peden Stadium open and support large parts of OU's other athletic programs. A big chunk of the money comes from the TV rights... so, thanks, Big Ten Network for showing the game!

The Bobcats may have been battered and bruised by the Buckeyes... but their efforts will make a huge difference for lots of other OU athletes.

Thanks, Bobcats! Great job today! Thanks for, literally, taking one for the team!

From 2010.09.18.Bobcats v Buckeyes

I Remember...

Mesmerizing blue sky.

I walked over to the grocery store early this morning. The air was cool; the sun was bright, making crisp, distinct shadows through the trees above the sidewalk. It was a perfect, nearly-autumn morning.

And then I looked up.

I remember this sky.

It's blue. A blue we don't see all that often. Crystal clear. Not a cloud as far as the eye can see. Not even the wisp of a high, icy cirrus cloud or the hint of haze. Just pure blue. Pilots call it a "severe clear."

It was just like this nine years ago tomorrow.

I remember walking home from the transit station that morning, schlepping my luggage, looking at the sky. Marveling. It was beautiful. At the time, we knew our flights had been cancelled and we'd been sent home from the airport because of "an incident" in New York.  It wasn't until a little later that we found out just how horrible a morning it had been.

That sky is seared into my memory.

It was a sky just like this morning's.

No Longer a CraigsList Virgin

It's my first posting on CraigsList!

The Carriage House at 692 Neil is going to be available at the end of the month. The woman who has lived there for nearly six years is moving out and moving up. So, it's time to find a new tenant. That's where the infamous CraigsList comes in.

The leasing sign is posted in the front yard like a realtor's "for sale" sign... but only the people actually driving by see that. When the ad is online, it's available to tons more people! And with a lot of students and professionals making the late-summer move, now is the time to get the word out there.

The posting was free. And relatively easy (once all the confirmations went through). It has photos and a link to the website with even more info.

So, cross your fingers! Let's see how well it works!

First Heirloom Tomato Harvest

It has finally happened! The very first heirloom tomato has ripened and been plucked from the vine. And it's a beauty with a bright, red sheen and a wonderful smell. It'll be amazing with some mozzarella cheese, basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Mmmmmm!

We had been watching it intently for the past few days, waiting as patiently as we could. First a little pink. Then a few patches of red. A little more red. Then a gorgeous, ripe tomato! We couldn't wait any longer (plus, we didn't want to risk the squirrels getting to enjoy it first). We had a small ceremony and Daniel made the official snip.

We planted a variety called "Oxheart" tomatoes. We are told it's an older variety. They have distinctive ridges and a slightly oblong, heart-like shape, thus their name. Can't wait to see how they taste! A few more are starting to ripen now and should be ready in the next few days.

The cherry tomatoes continue to ripen on the vine by the dozen (they're going to become salsa this weekend along with some of the onions from the farm share).

And the peppers are looking good! The jalapeños are producing and so are the banana peppers. They'll both end up in the salsa. The green bell peppers are finally starting to show the beginning of fruit... so we will look forward to them in a few more weeks.

Ahhhhhh, summertime!

Garden Finally Starting to Produce

At long last! The backyard garden is finally starting to produce results. We planted heirloom (oxheart) tomatoes and a bunch of "large" cherry tomatoes... jalapeños, habañeros, banana peppers and green bell peppers. The plants we bought that were labeled as orange bell peppers seem to actually be yellow banana peppers. But that's okay... they'll still be yummy!

This morning's haul was pretty good. A bunch of tomatoes and a couple kinds of peppers. Combined with what we get from the CSA, this should be a good start on some salsa! Yay!

Making Jam for the First Time

Recipe: Traditional Strawberry Jam

First and foremost... of all the things learned today... know this: Jams, jellies and preserves are made over high heat. Do not attempt this on a 90-degree afternoon! LOL

There is no explanation for why I wanted to try this... but it is something I've wanted to try for years. Now that we have the equipment to do it, it's worth a shot! It actually turned out to be a little more fun than expected!

I remember, as a little kid, my grandmother's friend, Boggess, making jam in her kitchen. We'd go over to visit and the apartment would be a million degrees because the giant pots were on the stove with jam bubbling away. Sometimes, I got to help stir... and, even better... got to taste!

This batch of jam turned out pretty well. Guess what some of you are getting as holiday gifts? ;)

CSA Deliveries Going Strong!

This summer, we signed up for Community Supported Agriculture, a CSA. We get a share of everything the New Century CSA Farm produces this season. Each week, the delivery truck shows up and drops off a whole bunch of produce; whatever is ripe this week goes in the cooler. We've had a ton of sweet corn and even more lettuce. The peppers are starting to come into season and we're getting our first, big tomatoes and potatoes. It's been great so far! Looking forward to fresh blackberries next week!

Crunchie Bars!

We found Crunchie bars in the US! Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati imports them! Woo hoo! Let the munching begin! Yay! We bought an entire box to toss in the freezer. They'll keep for ages 'til we finally have a chance to get through them. Sooooooo yummy!

Here is some info about them from Cadbury NZ... and a couple of recipes that approximate what's inside the chocolate.

http://www.cadbury.co.nz/Products/Chocolate-Bars/Crunchie-Bar.aspx

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Crunchy-Part-of-a-Cadburys-Crunchie-Bar-50122

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crunchie