home improvement

Amending the Soil

Me and my load of crap.
Our flower beds have very depleted soil, so I picked up a load of compost this morning and spread it around the beds after overturning all the soil. It’s amazing how much compost this requires, really. I’ll need to get another load of crap for the front beds; a truckload only covered the beds on the south side of the house. Technically, it’s not just crap – it’s a mixture of compost, peat and topsoil. But it smells like crap and attracts LOTS of flies, so basically it’s crap.
You can see a bunch more pictures of the work I did here.
I got it from Indiana Mulch Company, because I priced it in comparison to the bags at Lowes and this is a way better deal. They also are handy because they’re right downtown (we pass them on the way to the recycling place) so I don’t have to drive all over to get it.
Homestarrunner's poopsmith
I in no way resembled this character while shoveling shit.

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Saturday

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Today I mowed the yard at my old house, buried St. Joseph, picked up the yard a bit, mowed Dan and Doug’s front yard, put cement blocks away at our house, did some rearranging in the garage, flattened all the cardboard and sorted recycling, rearranged some of the moving boxes that are remaining to be unpacked so we have the living room clear to relax in, cooked the grains for the dish we’re making for Jan’s wedding tomorrow, did some rearranging in the kitchen, ran a load of dishes through the dishwasher (click here to see which brand is the best one), hung some pictures in the kitchen and hung the large clock in the living room, put the batteries in my laser level and read the instructions for it, rearranged stuff on the front porch, installed six hooks on the porch so we can hang wind chimes and hanging flower pots, installed a ring on the porch so we can hook up Spike’s chain, took a five-gallon bucket of paint and a moving dolly to Stephanie’s house, brought a load of stuff back from there, visited K-Mart and bought light bulbs and curtain rods, hung a curtain rod and curtains in the kitchen, took down some of the painting tape along the edge of the ceiling, read part of a book about Indianapolis history, and did some blog reading.
Meanwhile, Stephanie and her dad and Kathy spend the day working on cleaning and painting at her house to get it ready for renting. We all got a lot done today.

Continue ReadingSaturday

Weekend Update 2006-06-19

We had our shower plumbing (check out experienced plumbers at Sarkinen Plumbing here) worked on for the third time Friday, and they finally got it right. The “on” handle was leaking to start out with, then it was fixed but hard to turn on or get good pressure. Now it’s awesome — the kind of water pressure that almost knocks you over it’s so strong. I love that. Our shower rocks.
We spent Saturday doing some more moving, with Stephanie’s friends Barb and Ollie helping, and unpacking at home. I think we’re making progress, but it’s hard to tell. As soon as we get stuff unpacked and put away, more stuff seems to find it’s way to the house. We took a load of the crappy carpet from the basement to the landfill, which was pretty entertaining.
We spent some time trying to get the cats to like each other. That’s a work in progress. For now, everyone has their own room, and they get to roam the house at different times.
Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning we painted the laundry room. We decided to do it because the washer and dryer were pulled out (we replaced the crappy ones that came with the house with mine) and we thought it would be good to do before we put them in place, since the last people who painted didn’t bother to do it behind the appliances. Sunday morning I hooked up the washer and dryer, and we started washing the massive piles of laundry we’ve been accumulating.
Sunday afternoon we went to a cookout at my Dad’s house to celebrate Father’s day and all the June birthdays. Everyone has a better camera than I do — I want a good Canon. I’ll have to work on that. My dad gave us his 18′ ladder, which we toted home, and in the evening, we took a small load of stuff from Stephanie’s and grabbed Phoebe and brought her to live in her new garage.
It was a pleasant enough weekend, although it was overshadowed by some bad news from some friends that really kinda has me feeling down. I don’t want to write more than that out of respect for other’s personal stuff. But sometimes life really sucks.

Continue ReadingWeekend Update 2006-06-19

Moving is Hard, Barbie

It seems like I’ve hit a bit of a wall when it comes to the moving and unpacking process. My muscles are incredibly sore, making the task of lifting boxes much more challenging than it should be. Everywhere I look in the new house, there are boxes piled up, obstructing the spaces where we need to start unpacking our belongings. I wonder if hiring a professional West Jordan moving company could alleviate some of this stress.

My latent OCD tendencies are causing me to feel overwhelmed by the clutter and disarray created by all these boxes. It’s like having a persistent buzzing noise in my ears; the visual chaos of stuff scattered everywhere is exacerbating my stress levels. Last night, I had a meltdown due to the mounting pressure, and Stephanie is graciously trying to support me through it all. She truly is a remarkable person for being so patient and understanding.

We managed to make some progress on Tuesday when we packed up a significant portion of the kitchen at Stephanie’s house, thanks to the invaluable help of Elizabeth. However, there’s still a considerable amount of work left to do there. Additionally, I still have about two truckloads of belongings at my own house that need to be transported to the new place. Choose Roadmoto Trailer Rentals for secure transport of your equipment and other belongings.

Continue ReadingMoving is Hard, Barbie

Caylor – Jenkins – Riddle House

Copied from the Old Northside Historic Plan, information on our house:

Caylor – Jenkins – Riddle House
c. 1876
Built by Joseph Caylor, who lived next door, this Italianate cottage has had its original frame porch replaced by the present brick porch with battered columns. The window sash has also been changed to four over one. These changes were probably made after 1910.

Dennis Jenkins took up residence at this address in 1890. He was publisher of the Jersey Bulletin, a publication for Jersey cattle breeders. A permanent memorial to Jenkins exists in the form of the bell at Irvington Presbyterian Church, which he donated upon its construction.

From 1919 to 1925, Charles L. Riddle, Jr. resided here. Riddle was president, treasurer, and general manager of the Charles L. Riddle Company. They were dealers in wholesale plumbing supplies and electric light fixtures.

The Charles L. Riddle Company is mentioned in Indiana’s Historic National Road: The East Side, Richmond to Indianapolis because it was located at 462 W. Washington Street in 1919. According to that book, “The Charles Riddle Store sold automobile tires, tubes and electrical supplies.”

After doing a bit of searching on the former residents of our abode:

Charles L. Riddle
Charles L. Riddle Co., Merchant’s Heat and Light Co. wagon, 1919

Regarding Dennis Jenkins and his Jersey Cow publication (from the PDF file, courtesy of The American Jersey Cattle Association):

Into this void came The Jersey Bulletin, established in 1883 by Dennis H. Jenkins, a railway clerk in Indianapolis, Ind. “To it belongs the credit of being the first magazine published exclusively as a dairy breed paper,” writes Gow. Its 16-page premier issue was dated October 1 and in the “Salutatory,” Jenkins wrote:

“The mission of the BULLETIN will be to give promptly all the Jersey news of interest, publish the transfers and movements of Jersey cattle, the experience and views of practical breeders, collect all items of value or interest, employ able writers on the subject, and to make it, in fact, perfectly indispensable to every one who has an interest in this great (breed) of butter makers.”

Continue ReadingCaylor – Jenkins – Riddle House

Weekend Update 2006-06-12

We spent the weekend moving and unpacking, and unfortunately we missed both Pride and the Talbott Street Art Fair in the process. (We have our rainbow flag out at the new place, though! So we’re trying to represent.) We did get a lot done, although there’s still a huge amount to do. I think I have my house cleared out down to just a couple more truckloads of stuff. Stephanie’s friends helped her pack lots of stuff Saturday and move five carloads over to our house, and Stephanie did a lot of packing Sunday afternoon. But most of Stephanie’s stuff is still at her old house, so we have several busy weekends ahead of us.
I managed to unpack some of my books last night. I’m hoping to bring over another load of stuff tonight, and get the washer and dryer hooked up, too. Currently, we have boxes all over the house; I’m hoping to get some of them put away.
We brought my cats over to the new house, so all the kids are in the new place. Mine are all in the guest bedroom right now, getting used to the new house. Lucy is still hanging out in the upstairs bathroom, and Spike has staked out the dining room as his territory for now. So they all sorta have neutral corners, although Spike was chasing Lucy around upstairs this morning. Poor Lucy.

Continue ReadingWeekend Update 2006-06-12

The furniture is moved

So I spent 6/6/6 packing my house, mostly. I got to mow the lawn at the new house! I love lawn mowing, and the grass was knee-high in the back yard at the new place. On the Old Northside mailing list, they announced a gardening contest — you don’t compete with the neighbors, (we’re out of our league there) but with your own yard. You take a bunch of “before” pictures now, and at the end of 2007, you take “after” pictures, and whomever has the most improvements wins. Considering we just inherited the largest weed collection in North America, I think we’re shoe-ins for this contest. If people need Atlanta, GA landscaper for their garden, they can get them from here!

Stephanie took me out to eat for dinner. We were going to go to Colorado Steakhouse because I love their prime rib, but they’re closed for remodeling, so we went to Outback Steakhouse. Outback’s prime rib — not so much, really. However, you can always hire contractors for commercial projects from this site!

She gave me — a cool blue pillow, the Curious George Xbox game, the DVD of Good Night and Good Luck, an excellent terra cotta firepit for the backyard, and some great other stuff that I can’t remember because my brain is totally fried after yesterday. My girlfriend is excellent. Please let her know!

Yesterday the movers came and moved all the big furniture and boxes. Also, the Pod people picked up the pod, an electrician (click here for options) came to work on the kitchen lights, and the cable guy came to set up cable. We are now wired at the new house, and Stephanie can finally get her email.

I still have some truckloads of stuff to get to the new house (kitchen, hanging clothes, gardening stuff, and, oh yeah, the cats) but we got a major amount of stuff done yesterday. And of course, we have to pack and move all Stephanie’s stuff. We might be about 3/5 of the way done? I think.

And I still have to sell my house.

Continue ReadingThe furniture is moved

My prediction is…

That someone will call and want to see my house today or tomorrow. Because that is the worst possible thing that could happen right now, so of course it will. I haven’t done laundry, I haven’t done dishes, the house is only half-packed. We have electricians, plumbers and locksmiths coming to the new house, and we have to finish painting there. And at some point this weekend, I have to pack enough personal stuff to start staying at the new house.
I’m not sure when to schedule my nervous breakdown, but I’m sure I’ll fit it in somewhere.

Continue ReadingMy prediction is…

Painting, Day Two

With Carolyn’s help, we managed to finish painting the library and get a first coat of paint on the dining room. Tomorrow we start on the living room and finish up the dining room. The colors we picked are exactly what we expected, and they look fantastic. The rooms look much bigger and brighter — with the lighter colors, the sunshine bounces around the room and everything looks clean and cheery, not all somber, like it did with the darker colors.
I must say, the weather could really cooperate a bit more — it went from rainy and wet to sauna, without a pleasant interval in between. I resorted to throwing the air conditioners in the windows at the old house just to cool everything down.
Eventually, I’ll write about something other than houses and real estate, I swear.

Continue ReadingPainting, Day Two