-
Relocating the Bees at the Old House
If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. Rotting wood, incapable workers, cold weather. And now, bees. Not just one hive, either. We were blessed (and really, I do mean that. Bees are awesome.) with two hives. No work was going to get done until we focused on relocating the bees behind our old house. For one thing, the next project was to work exactly where one hive was located. One hive was behind the clapboard siding and the interior walls of the house. The other hive was in the tree that had fallen over and crushed part of the shed. (yup…just something else to repair.) Help with Hives I posted…
-
Original And Functional: Our Front Porch Restoration Plan
Our Plan We needed to work on the front porch. It had been badly renovated in the past and was in dire need of help. Because of the single-board walls on the porch, there was no way to insulate what were destined to be guest bedrooms unless we found a way to do a front porch transformation that would restore the look of the original porch while taking into consideration the structural issues we needed to address. front porch restoration plan We visited Barrington Living History Farm and the Joe E. Turner House before we started on the renovations to try and get an idea about what we were getting…
-
What Lies Beneath – Hoping for Original Hardwood Flooring
The Day We Discovered Berber Linoleum Once the house was emptied, we saw the floors for the first time. Imagine our surprise when we saw that some very forward thinking soul had installed rainbow Berber linoleum. It was so outrageously ugly that I was thankful for all the dirt and rat poop that obscured the flooring from view. Offensive as it was, the linoleum remained while we removed the sheet rock. I hoped the linoleum would protect what I prayed would be pristine, beautiful, original hardwood floors. My wishes almost came true. The North Pen and Former Kitchen The kitchen (aka the Cynthia Ann Parker Room or CAP) floor was…
-
Isabella Wood’s Letter Describing Their Journey to Texas
Click here to be taken to the Heart of Texas Tales website where the images of the original letter are found. Copy Mrs. Wood’s Letter Received Oct. 1851 Sent away an answer to Mrs. Wood Letter on the 27 Oct 1851 Copy Mrs. Wood’s Letter Ft. Grame Texas America 1st Sept 1851 Dear Mr. & Mrs. Smith. No doubt it will alarm you My writing in place of Mrs. Park, your daughter who died on the 15 June at a Mr. Lamb’s in Leon county on their way up the country 30 miles from the place where I was taken sick and three of my family. They thought me…
-
James & Isabella Wood and Family
James and Isabella Wood Scottish immigrants, James and Isabella Wood, arrived in Texas in 1851. They, and their children, contributed to the success of Hill County and are an important part of Texas frontier history. James Wood (b. 1799) and Isabella Riddell (b. 1806) married in 1830. They had ten children. One child, James (their first son to be named James, another would follow) drowned in their native land of Scotland. When they immigrated to Texas in 1851, they traveled with their nine children: Margaret (b. 1831), Jane Mason (b. 1832), Hugh (b. 1834), Isabella (b. 1835), Christina (b. 1836), Martha (b. 1838), John (b. 1841), Jeanette (b. 1848),…
-
The Art and Angst of Adding Additions
The Thing About Old Houses Old houses are either tiny or spacious. Neither likely have enough closet space. That is just the way it is. Our house was on the tiny side and it was not ready for 21st century living unless we were ready to do some serious lifestyle adjustments. I was keen, at first, to try and fit into my ancestor’s home. I soon came to the realization that there was not enough space in our historical home and that we would have to consider adding an addition in order to make the house functional for us. Our commitment to the old house complicated attempts to design an addition. We had a basic…
-
Do You Need an Instant Pot? Yes!!!
New Gadget or Must Have? I love a new kitchen gadget. I bought one of those things that peels, cores, and spiral slices an apple about twenty years ago. I have used it about five times. It works great, but I just don’t need to peel, core and spiral slice apples all that often. I have some other things that have ended up in the bottom of a drawer, taking up space. Jerry has been trained to question my need of a new gadget because I love them, and then I leave them…in the drawer. That was probably his first thought when I said I needed an Instant Pot. “You…
-
Scallops in a Lemon, Anchovy and Basil Reduction
I’ve Said This Before, But… A great recipe is a thing of joy. Scallops in a lemon, anchovy and basil reduction is one of our favorites and for good reason. It is easy to make and puts any restaurant meal to shame. The lemons give a bright burst of citrus acidity to the scallops. The anchovies provide an earthy saltiness. The basil give the dish a bit of color and a nice herbal punch. We have altered it over the years to suit our tastes. Don’t be afraid of the anchovies. They make the meal. Be sure to have all the ingredients prepped prior to beginning. This meal cooks too…
-
Who Has Time to Make Bread? You Do!!!
Bread Making Tradition Nana made yeast bread most Sundays and every holiday meal. Her Parker House Roll recipe (pictured above) was especially delicious. Buttery brown tops that were just the right mixture of soft and chewy. So good in fact, that my mother would grab another roll with honey instead of dessert. I took it for granted that, like other things she made, that I would be genetically blessed with her ability. Nope. Suddenly, I was grown, and living far away from home for my first Thanksgiving as a married woman. To make things more interesting, my in-laws came to celebrate that holiday with us in our one-bedroom apartment. The…
-
Removal of the Attached Shed
Oh! The Irony of the Shed We needed to remove the attached shed on the back of the house. Along with the chimney removal and emptying the contents of the house, this task had to be accomplished prior to the arrival of the house leveling crew. We had a weekend to get this done. Easy, right? Ummmm, well… One of my biggest fears during the three and a half years we spent waiting to purchase the house was that something would happen to it. It would burn down or a storm would blow it over or the decaying process would finally render it un-salvageable. In short, I thought it would…