Living in cramped quarters for a spell—for a good reason

                                        Dogwood blooms open late in Eureka Springs - PL

No, we didn’t go camping and sleep in a tent, eat on a picnic table, use nearby shower facilities. Nor were we relegated to the bedrooms, bathroom, and hall as when a crew refreshed the hardwood floors in June a few years back. Access to that area was by climbing or crawling into a bedroom window. This time, we could get in the house via the side and back doors.

The living room ceiling of vintage, textured plaster was being torn out because a large chunk of it had fallen many years ago, and there was a crack that would eventually succumb to gravity. After all, it was 84-year-old material. After the chunk fell, and before our California in-law came to visit sometime during the ‘70s, Dad attached 1 x 4s to the rectangular ceiling, then stapled acoustic tile to the boards. Thus, he hid the deteriorating plaster.

A couple of rainy spells after I’d lived here for some years, those tiles began falling, too. “Humidity,” the research said. After the second batch fell, I decided to clear all of those squares out, thus re-visiting the green plaster.

But how to deal with the large, odd-shaped hole, while figuring out the resolution to the larger problem? Ingenuity, of course. Using spray adhesive, bubble wrap folded between boards, glued, and painted green turned out to be the ugliest possible solution. So much for ingenuity. Fall back and punt. As teachers learned to say and do when plans didn’t work out: “monitor and adjust.”

I had a green, round cloth for a 3-legged table, and push pins, Rhonda Roberts’ CAW gift back a ways. By gluing first, pinning second, I covered the gaping hole. So what if it sagged a tad in the middle? It was too high for anyone to touch if walking under it. The bare boards stayed bare and the green plaster showed through.

It stayed like that until I was in contact again with B. B., Inc. who had replaced a similar ceiling in the smaller office/ Blue Room that Mom called “the sunroom.”

Jordy was assigned the project. He contracted with David and his team for the work, and they began early on a Monday morning. Billy and his friend Taylor had moved the furniture—sofas, bookcases, piano, coffee table, lamp table—the night before. I took all the stuff out of the windows, and off the mantel, moved the African violets to the Green Room in the back, swept and dusted.

Long story short(er), while I was gone, the 4-person team finished their work Friday morning--new sheetrock ceiling with orange-peel texture. The fan and lights were back up, but the lights didn’t work, unused boards were abandoned in the yard, nails left on the porch in a planter I use as a foot stool. Trash decorated the yard, whitewash was emptied in the flowerbeds and on the sidewalk, rags and a take-out coffee container were left on the porch.  Jordy will come Monday to sign off on the work, then Albert will come for the last half of the money.

Next project: while the furniture is out, I’ve contacted Jeff to see if he will paint the paneling, the window frames, and the built-in bookcases.

Newly refinished floors, new ceiling, new paint on the walls? All that’s left is to buy new windows with thicker glass.

I wonder what the old furniture will look like in such a sparkling setting?

               

A deferred dose of trivia

                              The journal given to me one Christmas from Linda Harrison

One of my favorite writing activities is to jot down interesting tidbits from my reading. Here are some examples.

* “Farb-y”/Farb = a word that re-enactors use to describe something incongruous with the time period of the Civil War. Example: a digital wristwatch.

* Obit for T. C., no age given: “We (funeral home) ask that any relatives of Mr. C. please contact [us].” [This ran for several days beginning Dec. 1, 2012]

* On Nov. 30, 1912, there were no newspapers in the Democrat-Gazette archives. [Wonder why?]

* Here’s a Jed Clampit and a Robin Hood in the same obit!

* Michigan is part of the Rust Belt. Also, Indiana and Wisconsin.

* There’s a Grindstone Mountain in south Eureka Springs!

* Generally, earthquakes with less than 2.5 magnitudes go unfelt.” (Go where??? LOL)

* Children’s Book Week began in 1919 and celebrates the transformative power of literacy.

* Quotes from a legislative Green Party candidate: “I don’t have nothing against …” and “I have got all my rights back.”– M. Wickline, AD-G, on Fred Smith (former Harlem Globetrotter). [Eek! I say.]

* Theremin -  haven’t heard/ seen this word for ages. It appeared in Jim Mullen’s column describing what is radio sounds like as he moves closer/farther from it. (Saline Courier 5.1.’12)

*Don’t drink Anheuser-Busch products. Sales in Whiteclay SD ruin the Indians of all ages.–N. D. Kristof, NYT (5.8.12)

*Wow!  Centerpoint (Amity, AR) school beat Episcopal Collegiate (LR, AR) in the 3A Quiz Bowl competition. Bet THAT was a surprise. (5.9.12)

* Quotes on aging/being old: “… the luster of being old.” – R. Toler, “The Paradox of Old,” from Sheer Poetry, p.73

* --“I hope I am doing this till the day I die. I don’t want to go home and be old.” –Pat Baker, owner of Baker’s Jewelry, Bryant, AR.

* Sunday, Aug 26 ’12: from Walter Shapiro via yahoo! Online: “I am not sure I could have survived the 103 steamy ballots that stretched over 16 days at the July 1924 Democratic convention in the decidedly un-air-conditioned Madison Square Garden in NY.” – from a retrospective of all the conventions he’s covered in his career.

*In one family: Farrell, Carroll and Darrell; in another family: Clice, Cloice, Crandal, Calbert, Clessie, Clister.

* COMPLETE NAME: Dusty Wren

* Wedding or engagement announcement header: “Major – Stuff”

* Sherma Couch bore a son on Dec. 16, 1968 in El Dorado (obit)

* “It’s hard to keep 218 frogs in a wheelbarrow long enough to get a bill passed.” – J. Boehner on the number of lawmakers it generally takes) 5.21.12

* “… dull as a froe …” – letter-to-the-editor, AD-G

* Jay Leno owns about 135 cars and 90 motorcycles (Parade Magazine)

* “I think the key to life is low self-esteem.” – J. Leno

* Brock is a name for a badger. – B. Ampezzan on Lou Brock.

* “Baseball is the background music in our lives.” – Lou Brock

* “I absolutely loathe hydrangeas.” – Madonna (Sept, ’11)

But I LOVE hydrangeas!

These are photographed by C. Hoggard

c 2018, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA

A successful riff on a recipe

Nowadays, I don’t often cook. I microwave and oven-cook a lot of frozen Schwan’s merchandise: omelets, bacon, scones, steak burgers, cubed chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, broccoli florets and meatballs. Occasionally, I'll fry salmon patties, favorites of Billy AND moi.

I keep a stash of snacks aligned on the counter: Triskets, raisins/dried cranberries, graham crackers, packaged cheese/ peanut-butter crackers, mixed nuts, and the like.

Fruit, pickles, jello, juices, skim milk, water, cheeses, deli turkey, onions, and (sometimes fresh )tomatoes reside in the fridge and cereal, canned goods rest in the cupboard.

After being invited to daughter/son-in-law/granddaughter’s home for a Sunday supper recently, I decided to reciprocate the following Sunday.

Assessing my “on-hand” foods, I decided on spaghetti and meatballs, the latter frozen, the former that had lived (and been ignored) for a long time in the back of a cupboard. It was not an entire box of the pasta. I was concerned that it wouldn’t be enough for five adults, counting the 16-year old and Kid Billy, who would be off work and able to join us.

So, I turned to the computer for “recipes with/ meatballs.” The one I glommed on was called “Meatball Soup.” Most of the ingredients were on hand: one bag meatballs - check; 32 ounces beef broth - check, although I used four beef bouillon cubes instead; two cans diced tomatoes – check; one potato chopped – no, I used the spaghetti instead; one medium onion, one-half cup – check; one-fourth teaspoon garlic pepper blend – no, I used garlic salt, celery seed and two bay leaves.

Since my crockpot wouldn’t hold all this, I used my Dutch oven and cooked it on the range.
After cooking, a bag of frozen, mixed vegetables was to be added. But I only had a frozen bag of Gumbo veggies with Cajun seasoning. That would do, though it contained okra—not one of my favorite foods.

It taste-tested to my satisfaction, but it wasn’t soupy enough. I added a can of Rotel tomatoes and as much tomato juice as the pot would hold.

I do believe it was the best-tasting soup I’ve ever made, or ever eaten. Most of the dinner guests had two helpings in a salad bowl-sized dish.

Some dinner rolls were in the freezer. I cut them in half crossways, slathered margarine and garlic powder (the only item I had to buy) over them. Toasted in the oven, the bread was a perfect foil for the soup, AND I cleared out more room in the freezer.

For dessert, I mixed cans of cherry pie filling and pineapple chunks, cut up several Halo oranges, jarred peaches and frozen pears. Pecan pieces and coconut (after I determined the guests liked it) rounded out the mixture.

Afterwards, we sat in the living room and visited for over an hour
.
Later, I thought ahead to Easter. What else did I have on hand that I could prepare for company?

For another time, I'll tell you about one other online coup.


c 2018, PL, dba lovepat press, Benton AR