Old Stuff – Page 4 – This Old House 2

The Love Machine…. apparently

When we took Ruby and Torch for a paddle

on the pond a few days back, a woman was sitting in her car

in the parking lot and struck up a conversation with my husband

about the truck.

This truck always get attention when it’s out and about.

No matter where he takes it, someone’s gonna tell him how much they love the truck.

Particularly women.

So after I am standing in that parking lot for 15 minutes

patiently twiddling my thumbs while that lovely woman

went on and on..

The husband and I finally pull the boats down toward the water and he says…

“If I had that truck when I was single I’d be getting laid every day“.

I’m thinking that’s a little ambitious.

*sigh*

They don’t make them like they used to

We went to an antique car show on Sunday morning.

Come take a stroll down memory lane….

The truck above had this Sept. 14, 1939 paper in it…

Our friend Colin,

who won first place in his division that day with his Camaro –

Herbie~!

My Favorite…

A souped up Falcon

I think someone should start making these modified camper deals

from old car bodies…

how awesome is that!

It even has a tiny potty!

The original Adam-12 squad car

Something that really stood out as we oggled over all these

awesome time machines…

They don’t make them like they used to.

Think about it…. 50 years from now,

what will an antique car show look like?

Are you going to walk among and reminisce over rows of 2012 Jeep Overlanders,

Nissan Pathfinders, Toyota Tundras, Ford Explorers,

Camrys, Accords, Fusions, Mitzubishi anything?

The same could be said for housing.

*sigh*

We did buy a vehicle before heading home…

couldn’t resist and the price was right…

When I started this little ole blog, it was all about the rebuilding of this farm and house we live in now. Then some a$$ started behaving like a psycho with very rude comments and I deleted the whole thing, including the raising up of This Old House once again. I’m still heartbroken over the loss of the blog at that stage, I deleted too hastily and regretted it immediately. I was not able to retrieve it, no matter what I attempted.

Anyhow, years and almost 1,000 blog posts later, (I kid you not!) I still love this space for sharing of stories, funnies, good times and bad, garden tips, recipes, pet and livestock issues, your stories, our collective opinions on current events, new friend making, the list goes on and on.

Now and then I hesitate to post what I’m thinking or how I’m feeling about a certain thing that might be controversial. At first I didn’t want to offend anyone if my view came from a different angle. I didn’t want to share negatives because jeez, we see enough of that all the time, don’t we? But, blowing sunshine and light out into this space all the time just didn’t feel real, wasn’t really all of me, and so I’ve ventured into the controversial now and then and you’ve waded in with me, respectfully. I love that about this space. And you are all part of the reason it’s such a joy for me to contribute to it. Because you contribute too.

Maggy had this to say in an e-mail to me this morning…

” Thanks for the thought-provoking posts and keeping your blog ‘real’ .. it’s what brings me back, time after time.”

Maggy, If I manage to make just a handful of the people who stop by here to read my drivel feel the same way? Well, I’m the happiest girl in town.
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I want to share a portion of an opinion I read on friend Mandy’s FB wall regarding the Zimmerm*n Mart*n case.

“It’s disgusting how everyone is trying to turn the Ge*rge Zimmerm*n thing into a race or gun issue. Neither one of these people is a hero, and we shouldn’t think to have them be the focal point of any firearms or race discussion. Don’t let the actions of two people of questionable morals you don’t even know turn you against one another. ”

Tragedy, it was, indeed. Neither the young man or the overzealous neighborhood watch guy deserve what they have now… death, and a life altered horribly by poor judgement forever. But what she said above? I couldn’t agree with her more.

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Rolling Stone Magazine just lost another reader. I am horrified by their choice of cover, as are many many others. Walgreens and CVS have vowed not to sell the current issues on their stands, BRAVO. Boston Mayor Menino sent this response to Rolling Stone…

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So, what have we learned this year in the garden? Apparently, Tomatoes, cucumbers and Squash absolutely LOVE the tropical heat, humidity and rain fall we’ve had in the month of July. Holy cow, the plants and vegetables are HUGE.

Frasier is not a small dog. These are HUGE yellow squash plants.

Here ya go… Karen at 7:30 am, no makeup, no shower yet,

still covered in sawdust from mucking stalls and coop chores,

No air brushed wrinkles or freckles,

no dark circle removal.

How’s that for keeping it real 🙂

Notice those tomato plants are as high as my shoulder!

It’s a jungle, I’m telling ya.

One more thing to share this morning…

I’m pimping my garden shed just a little.

I found this old metal rack at an antique ~~junk~~ shop

and glass bottles in other antique ~~junk~~ shops.

I bought that old stool for the potting shed for $20… I think I shoulda haggled more..

and can I brag for a minute about these Lady Elsie May roses?

My iphone does not do the color justice.. they are a beautiful peachy magenta rose

that requires no attention what so ever.

Connie of Hartwood Roses let me know that roses are not as fussy as we think they are..

and she was so right.

Well that’s all the rambling I’ll subject you to today.

It’s going to reach 100 and the humidity is swimmable,

I wish I were kidding.

Stay cool, folks, and thanks for stopping by.

My very own fixer upper

Me: TEXT – Hey, what do you think of this house? Any potential?

The electric and flooring are shot.

(photos sent)

Him: TEXT – Where is that house? and… something looks …really off.

Me: TEXT – LOL….it’s in our driveway.

Now, I know it ain’t much…

and it’s kinda flimsy and old and dilapidated and outdated.

But.. I’ve always wanted to decorate a dollhouse, don’t ask me why..

I have never been a fan of actual “dolls”. Terrified me as a girl.

But a dollhouse? That needs renovation?

Awesome. $40 find in an old treasures store?… even more awesome.

Anyone know how I can tell what scale “stuff” I’m supposed to buy?

floor to ceiling in rooms measures 8″. I’ve googled that question but I’m still confused about the scaling.

Some sites tell me to buy 1″ scale, others tell me to buy 1/2 scale. HUH?

I did order new wood flooring and tile for the bathroom so far.

The electrical has been ripped out.

Any advice?

I final bought my very own fixer upper 🙂

Barn Charm

We took a drive to Pomfret, CT today…

a beautiful town lined with big old homes,

oh so many fields..

and barns of faded glory.

How I wish I had brought my “real” camera.

I shall return.

History among us

One of the things I love about living in New England is the presense of history. It can be found in the architecture, in the stone walls, the remnants of fencing and foundations found in the woods seemingly miles from civilization.

One room school houses are among my favorites, no longer in use but preserved for tours…

According to Wikipedia – The quality of facilities at one-room schools varied with local economic conditions, but generally, the number of children at each grade level would vary with local populations. * Teachers in one-room schools were often former students themselves. During the winter months they would get to the school early to get a fire started in the potbelly stove. On many occasions they would prepare a hot, noon meal on top of the stove.

A typical school day was 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with morning and afternoon recesses of 15 minutes and an hour for lunch. The older students were given the responsibility of bringing in water, carrying in coal or wood for the stove. The younger students would be given responsibilities according to their size and gender such as cleaning the black board , taking the erasers outside for dusting plus other duties that they were capable of doing.

Transportation for children who lived too far to walk was often provided by horse-drawn sulky, which could only travel a limited distance in a reasonable amount of time each morning and evening, or students might ride a horse, these being put out to pasture in an adjoining paddock during the day. In more recent times, students rode bicycles.

Imagine how many hands touched this doorknob over the years…

CK + RF? hard to say….

Another historical structure I come across sometimes when riding my horse through the woods are cairns…

These below happen to be right on the side of the road where a subdivision was built, but the developer had to go around the cairns so as not to disturb them.

This one is a very large cairn, quite often they are much smaller.. sometimes just a small pile on top of a large rock in the middle of the woods… To give you an idea of it’s size… you could lay across the top of the one pictured below and not drape over the sides at all.

Websters defines cairns as “A pile of stones heaped up as a landmark.” Cairns have served to memorialize people, locations or events. They can be found throughout North America and appear to have originated here in the Northeast. Cairns range in style from a few stones placed on top of a boulder, to enormous constructions containing hundreds of thousands of tons of stone.

Native americans used cairns as burial markers. When a fellow native american passed the marker, they would place a stone on the grave symbolizing their presence, paying respect to the dead.

Given the size of this particular cairn, I think it represents more than just a boundary marker.

I’m glad someone had the sense to preserve this bit of our native history.

Don’t Miss it!!

Remember the abandoned village I photographed HERE?….

Thanks, Tim G. , for reminding me that tonight the special airs on Nat Geo regarding that very abandoned village! Click on the link below for more information.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/abandoned/episodes/connecticut-ghost-town/

This morning I’ll continue my college conversation with the kid. See below, any pointers are greatly appreciated… 🙂

Nobody puts baby in the corner

…one of my favorite all time movies..

I bet most of you knew the line…

Johnny Castle and Baby Houseman charmed many…

I was smitten with the whole deal…

What I loved most about Dirty Dancing

was the era… a time when families

still vacationed together for entire summers in resorts like the one depicted

in the movie… I believe it was Kellermans Mountain Resort.

The pool and lake activities, yard games, dinners at the hall, the Friday night dances,

bonfires, golf, ice cream and pie eating contests, the list goes on.

The key here was, it was done together.. as a family community.

Some families returned year after year… can you imagine?

Maybe some of you have experienced it for yourself..

I can only fawn over Dirty Dancing.. because those days are mostly gone.

Sunrise Resort, just up the road from the vacant Johnsonville in my previous post,

was one of the largest and oldest of what used to be

dozens of summer resorts in the Moodus section of East Haddam, CT.

It was the Catskills of Connecticut….but most are now gone.

According to Google 🙂 …. Sunrise opened in 1916 and owner Henry Engle partnered with a Mr. Ted Hilton to expand in the 1920s. Dot Lindvall, who had worked at the resort since 1937, bought it in 1965 with her husband, Frank Davis. It was then called the Frank Davis Resort and ran until 1986, when the Johnson family took ownership. I’m not clear if it’s the same family that owns the vacant town just down the road. Years ago the Johnson family closed down the family resort, as it has not been as profitable in recent years due to cheaper air fare and therefore less visiting families. The State now owns it, and plans are up in the air. Meanwhile, the property and all it’s buildings sit empty and neglected.

This is a postcard from Sunrise in the 50’s… it’s halcyon days…

And this is a shot from almost the same spot today…

The resort has been vacant for years… has this beach ball survived all that time?

Vandals have destroyed much….

This must have been a young children’s pool.. only about two feet deep,

now coveted by frogs.

As I walked through the property, I could almost hear the children’s laughter…

It’s as if a bomb was dropped and all humans evaporated from the scene,

leaving their things behind.

Makes you wonder… what’s happening over there in that neck o’the woods.

There is a folk tale… called The Moodus Noises

Ray Bendici of Damned Connecticut had this to say:

For centuries in the town of Moodus, odd noises have been heard — spooky rumblings that have been described as sounding like everything from thunder to trees falling to the Earth itself belching. No one is quite sure from where they originate or what causes them, but people do know them when they hear them.

Actually, the name “Moodus” comes from the local Native Americans who called the area “Machimoodus” long before settlers came to Connecticut, which roughly translated means “place of bad noises.”

Coincidence? The Mystery of the Moodus Noises..

the vacated town and resorts

all in the same vicinity?

Or is something wicked working it’s way through Moodus…