Everything Else

In the theme of critters declaring war on the Old Vic (see previous raccoon wars posts here and here), I now know the Gree Mini-split AC error code for (insert best Samuel L. Jackson voice here), “I’m tired of these … Continue reading →

Well, we caught one and relocated him. Security system detected another a day later so the trap was redeployed. Didn’t see anything for more than a week, then reinforcements arrived. TWO of them entered the trap but didn’t trigger it. … Continue reading →

War is coming… I just hope I’m not outgunned…

My sister had her neighbor paint this for our Christmas present this year. Oil on canvas…about 10×12. The gifts people think about are always the best. We like! We hope you have had a Merry Christmas and have a great … Continue reading →

Sorry for the lack of updates folks. This summer has been tough on getting projects…at least MY projects done. I’ve been frantically dealing with other folks crises on a pretty regular basis…derailing most of my own plans for work. These … Continue reading →

We’ve not spoken in a few minutes…a comfortable silence…each absorbed in our own tasks. Alone, yet only an arm’s length away. I find myself staring across the table at her…suddenly somber and pondering the world and my place in it. … Continue reading →

Saturday night somebody couldn’t decide whether to go straight down the road, or turn…so they split the difference and crashed into our fence and pecan tree. Note that this is the SECOND time this year somebody’s crashed into our fence… … Continue reading →

Had a great Halloween Trick-or-Treat Saturday night…an artifact of small-town Texas…if Halloween isn’t on Friday or Saturday they move Trick-or-Treat to the nearest (Friday or Saturday) so it’s not on a school night. Apparently they’ve figured out sleep deprived kids … Continue reading →

“Breakfast!” She plunked a plate of bacon and eggs and a glass of iced tea in front of me and I smiled. I was enjoying the service…and the server. With difficulty I brought my gaze up to meet Her eyes … Continue reading →

So, some nimrod managed to *not* turn…and drove his/her vehicle through the fence at The Old Vic late Wednesday night or Thursday morning. The took out my mailbox and pole, 40 feet of fence, 4 poles, the gate, my ugly … Continue reading →

Somebody drove a car through the fence at the Old Vic last night… Pretty sure now the universe is just messing with me. At least…it appears…they didn’t hit the house… Got my work cut out for me for the near … Continue reading →

If y’all ever wonder what the 300-pound, strong as an ox, rides a motorcycle with impunity in metroplex traffic, has knocked out a horse with a single punch (that’s another story), tough as nails biker dude finds as absolutely terrifying … Continue reading →

Y’all might have seen our area in the news this last week…a series of major tornadoes (one an F4!) hit the area, one coming within a couple miles of our Suburban Blah House. We watched the news from the Old … Continue reading →

So yeah…using a tool…to do some tool kind of stuff…’cause tool kind of stuff is the sort of stuff you do when tinkering on Old Victorians… …and then of course…I needed the tool to fix the tool…which I couldn’t find … Continue reading →

Heavy rain Friday kept us from decorating early, but the weather broke Saturday in time to get some of it done and have a nice Halloween night. The spider in his web made his appearance of course: The web is … Continue reading →

Definition: Vicfragoretondere: The act of crashing your riding mower into things because while mowing the grass you are looking up at your Old Victorian and thinking, “Man that’s a gorgeous house.”

It is not lost on me…that I update this status…this instant communication available world-wide at the touch of a button…from a room that looks pretty much as it did in 1900. Far from lost…that incongruity along with many others, pleases … Continue reading →

Me and my sweetie picked up a couple new pieces for the Old Vic yesterday… Not sure what the point of a small, eight-legged table is…but we thought it was cool so it fits right in! It’s about 3 feet … Continue reading →

We put some things into motion yesterday. Big things. It’s time to say goodbye to something significant about the Old Vic. Seven years of hard work…mostly not on the Old Vic. Years of planning, going WAY back before we bought … Continue reading →

My plan yesterday was a simple one…my woman was well over 100 miles away from me so it went something like this: 1) Coffee. 2) Ride motorcycle. 3) Woman. Like any good plan…I accomplished all these. Like any intelligent plan…it … Continue reading →

“Honey, the dryer won’t dry.” I immediately knew something serious had happened…my lady doesn’t comment on broken stuff unless it’s well and truly broken. The last time she came to me saying that something was broken was when the vacuum … Continue reading →

They say a little hard work never hurt anybody… CUAgain, Daniel Meyer

My sister bought a substantial piece of property (acreage) that has a derelict house project on it. Her dream was to own her own home and have a place for her horses. The “project”, which for obvious reasons she calls … Continue reading →

Here we detail the nitty-gritty of the work on The Old Vic project, post pictures and such… But…I’m also doing something new. Yes, it’s related to the Old Vic… Some of the stories in and around our adventures in the … Continue reading →

One day, I’ll have to jackhammer this entire porch out and put in a proper one…it was not correctly backfilled and there’s no rebar/mesh in it…this corner chunk blew out some years ago, but had been getting worse. I can’t … Continue reading →

We are so geek…walked into the living room this morning, eyeballed a couple new “features”, and had this exchange with the wife… “Symmetrical book stacking. Just like the Philadelphia mass turbulence of 1947.” “You’re right, no human being would stack … Continue reading →

My very good friend Larry Algaier passed away yesterday shortly before noon. He was a man of honor and integrity who genuinely cared about people. He worked tirelessly in whatever capacity needed to support his friends, family, and community. He … Continue reading →

A couple down the street from us (at the suburban “blah”) house, seemed to be having a yard sale. An amazingly disorganized yard sale, but there it was. Since I was walking Shorty the Corgi I decided to take a … Continue reading →

So…yesterday I had to visit the Homeowner Hell store to pick up a couple tools. I was installing a new dishwasher at the suburban “blah” house (again), and I needed an adjustable wrench and a level. Seems most of my … Continue reading →

Surprised my wife with this old curio cabinet Saturday. She’s been eyeballing it in one of the local shops for a while, but then would eyeball the price tag and sigh. But…they were having a sale and even then, I … Continue reading →

A new jar of fire ant killer. Note that it even has feet to look taller. This is how much product was actually in the container after I unsealed it. Yeah, THIS much. Deceptive packaging. Taken to the extreme. I … Continue reading →

Twenty mile an hour sustained winds…blasting us out of the northwest. Cold…and depressing. Nearly a 50 degree drop over the weather a couple days ago. The winds are gusting to over 45 mph. You can hear them coming…roaring through the … Continue reading →

Some cabinets for our utility room in the Old Vic…reclaimed (for $100). They will fit nicely, and I couldn’t buy the wood for that price (they are upside down in the picture, they will go on the wall in our … Continue reading →

Any tool, in the hands of a competent craftsman, becomes an instrument. Got some learning to do. Gotta wonder though…what the cats will think?

Take action.

Very heavy and steady rain this morning. A reality about an Old Vic, with it’s many roof lines and valleys and a problematic roof (various ages of the different exposures) is that it leaks. It doesn’t *always* leak, and it … Continue reading →

Sooo…pre-storm weather. 72 and balmy. Warm night for sleeping so I had the box fan on. Just me (and cats) all alone in this massive old Victorian house. Box fan vibrates a bit and can “walk” on the hardwood floor. … Continue reading →

We had some pretty serious storms a week ago (Saturday night). Unfortunately we lost some shingles. Not sure how to reach this at the moment… We’re not ready to re-roof yet. Insurance is no help here…this could be repaired for … Continue reading →

My history, my life, my loves, successes and failures, pain and pleasure…all have culminated right *HERE*…and I still don’t know if I’m riding the right road. But fortune favors the bold. Succeed or crash spectacularly. I’m “all in” in every … Continue reading →

Y’all may remember my philosophy that if ya own tall stuff ya ought to own the tools (or know somebody that does) to work on it? The Left-handed Fargle-snorker is a result of that tendency… Turns out I’ll have need … Continue reading →

Well…drat…I guess I gotta keep my desk job for a little while longer… CUAgain, Daniel Meyer

Full power (brakeage) restored! Sometimes all it takes is pigheaded stubbornness (“I *WILL* fix these friggen brakes if I have to END the universe trying!”) And parts. Needs parts. Okay, well, sometimes all it takes is pigheaded stubbornness, a maniacal … Continue reading →

Yeah, I know, I’m working on brakes a lot lately…but they ARE kind of important and besides, I am the stubborn sort. I WILL FIX THESE DAMN BRAKES…or perhaps I will end the world trying…one or the other…which one depends … Continue reading →

Soo…went by the NAPA boys…have I mentioned that they absolutely rock? Anyway, got the Hydro-vac vacuum booster for the Fargle-snorker…at least, I *hope* I do… There are two different ones, ya see…and the only way to tell which it is, … Continue reading →

“Huh. Wondered where all that brake fluid was going…” –Quoted by me when I started the Left-handed Fargle-snorker and she smoked the entire neighborhood in thick, white smoke. Me and my friend Mike were finishing up the brakes on the … Continue reading →

(click the pic for all the details) The Clarksville Fine Arts Festival is Saturday, May 28, 2011. It’s shaping up to be the best one yet. Live music all day Saturday, great acts, lots of fine artists (over 30 at … Continue reading →

Our neighbor (Hi Babe!) sent us pictures from the storm Tuesday. I would guess we’ve got some roof damage over this stuff, either at the Old Vic herself or the building on the square (or both). I’ll know more when … Continue reading →

Cleaning up this morning…found a new nook…or maybe it’s a cranny…full of crap…but I guess that’s another story. Anyway, random thought: Man, that’s a damn big light-bulb. CUAgain, Daniel Meyer

What? So very soon? Spring went and sprung when we weren’t looking. Flowers, buds, and green showing up all over town! I’m gonna have to mow the lawn this week! Pic by Raine Walker over at Wildtype

These things are getting as bad a the forest rats (deer) to us motorcyclists…y’all come on up and whack a few of ’em for me! There’s $3000 in prize money! It’s March 3-6, 2011. All the information you need is … Continue reading →

Three days of this…gad…there was work to do…weather to get out in…a superbowl to watch…people to see and code to fry…and here I sit, so sore (lower back, ribs, diaphragm) from coughing that I can hardly walk. I called in … Continue reading →

Even with all the issues…all the work needed, the peeling paint, occasional spots of rot, the leaky windows…heck, even her plain white dress…(she’s supposed to be a painted lady)… Even with all that…she’s still a gorgeous old lady… The Old … Continue reading →

I struggle to achieve great…or at least interesting things. Life is so much, well, more…that way. Surviving I’ve got covered. I could handle surviving since I was about 12 years old. Living is what I’m after. Building. Doing. Dreaming. Achieving. … Continue reading →

I have just finished with the redesigned site…the short of it is that it is now MUCH easier for me to post articles and pictures, and just as important, it’s easy for me to organize it. The result for me … Continue reading →

The last cosmic triple play of a full moon at total eclipse on Winter Solstice occurred 372 years ago on Dec. 21, 1638. The next one won’t occur until the end of this century in 2094, well after this writer … Continue reading →

We’ve owned the Old Vic for two years today. Scary stuff…the responsibility…the sheer size of the project…the future. Yeah, I worry it sometimes. I often feel I’m not getting enough done. But then I look around at what we’ve accomplished. … Continue reading →

What: Book signing at the Clarksville Literary Festival When: Saturday, October 2, 2010. 9am to 4pm Where:On the grounds around the historic Red River County courthouse in Clarksville, Texas In conjunction with the Red River County Historical Society’s Fall Bazaar, … Continue reading →

Sooo…Saturday, September 11… Stew cookoff at the fairgrounds in Clarksville…$4 gets you a bowl (fund raising to pay for the Red River county fair), and then you get to wander around to all the different booths and sample as many … Continue reading →

Regarding the post Friday about the guy taking pictures of our house that took off in his white van (THE vehicle of choice for sex offenders everywhere!) when confronted by our house guest: Well, turns out he was upset with … Continue reading →

Who are you…and why are you taking pictures of the back of our house? The driver of this van was shooting pictures of the Old Vic yesterday evening. (click for bigger): He rapidly skedaddled when our friend (who shot this … Continue reading →

106. That’s one-hundred and six. Worked on some. Basked in others. Let’s just say…August is here…and air-conditioning is a very good thing. CUAgain, Daniel Meyer

No good pics this weekend…not a lot of work happened on the Old Vic. We helped friends install a walk-in tub on Saturday (my part was installing two new electrical circuits for the pump and heater). Sunday we cleaned up … Continue reading →

Yeah, I know summer officially starts on June 21…but we’re here in Texas and we know summer when we see it…hot, sunny, chance of thunder-storms…sweat pouring out of my salt-stained shirt…AC running overtime…temperatures at NIGHT not falling below 85 degrees… … Continue reading →

We (kind of, sort of) took this weekend off. Several things conspired. Lots of work at…well…work, not enough sleep (due to same), and also we got the wife’s car back from the body shop. All the extra running around simply … Continue reading →

Note: I’m reposting this from 2006…because I can’t figure out a way to say it better. A moment of silence to ponder. A moment of awe as I again understand just what they have given . . . and why. … Continue reading →

Alternate title…”Crunch 3″ The alternate title…the alert reader might think, implies there might be a Crunch 1 and a Crunch 2. Heh. Yep. Well, the wife and I shortened Da Altima about two or three inches last weekend. Not that … Continue reading →

Some of you may be wondering…why no recent posts strictly about the house? Well…remember the one about scraping paint? Yeah, we’re still there. We’ve done some other things…the standard yard work, cleanup (this weekend was our town’s big cleanup week, … Continue reading →

We DID work this weekend…more about that later. In the mean time, just a quick reminder. Always remember…no matter how busy or frantic things become…Weekends aren’t just for working. Take the time for the ones you love. CUAgain, Daniel Meyer

Last weekend was a huge software upgrade at work…I’ve worked a LOT of hours leading up to that and for the upgrade itself… So…not much happened at the Old Vic last weekend. This weekend is more scraping and such. Oh, … Continue reading →

My Mom always got to our chocolate rabbit’s ears…I suppose I should be scarred for life! CUAgain, Daniel Meyer

Was wondering why my work shoes were a bit uncomfortable lately… Pulled all these out of the right shoe. CUAgain, Daniel Meyer

No work for me this weekend. Resting. Processing. Recuperating. Recharging. I putter. Watching some TV. Listening to music. Reading. Writing. Plotting my next project. Sunday I manage a nap…and for the first time in days, my dreams don’t wake me … Continue reading →

I started this week as a juror on what seemed a fairly mundane case. The prosecution’s case was very carefully put together. He knew his business. The defense had nothing. There was no reasonable doubt. There was no doubt at … Continue reading →

Y’all make it a GREAT one!

Those of you following along probably realize by now that I need to purchase about 2.3 million dollars worth of stuff from Home Depot for the Old Vic project… Heh…and THAT’S just for the stuff I need to finish this … Continue reading →

Something’s nagging at me… *glances at the calendar* Wait…what? *stares hard at the calendar* Good gravy…a year. *ponders that a bit* We’ve owned the Old Vic for a year? *fights down panic a bit* Yep, a year. Where DOES the … Continue reading →

I hope y’all (technical Texas term) had a great Thanksgiving. We did. We spent Wednesday stuffing family full of food! Friday…well…we spent Friday lazy-ing about the house, basically recovering from Thursday. Well, that and eating leftover turkey and ham sandwiches … Continue reading →

We always have things to be thankful for…and Thanksgiving reminds us of that. It’s also a great excuse to get together with family and cook enough food to feed everybody twice! It’s not a bad time to sit back a … Continue reading →

Yet more electrical work. Not much to show…as in “interesting pictures”. Basically I’ve been crawling through attics trailing yellow wire all behind me like some sort of giant mutant spider. *shudder* On second thought…strike that mental image…I do NOT want … Continue reading →

Thanks to all that have honorably served. You did it right. CUAgain, Daniel Meyer

Working on a halloween decoration…putting it together in this picture…it will be outside hanging on the edge of the porch.. To give a little size perspective…that is the “round room”…our entry parlor…the room is something like 24 feet in diameter…that’s … Continue reading →

Can you hear the scary music? There are terrifying things afoot in this picture: This picture was taken by the wife…catching me working on the water heater. There are scary things going on here. That the wife caught me working … Continue reading →

CUAgain, Daniel Meyer

Cash reserves help in times of reduced or no income. But inflation eats cash reserves, returning nothing. As prices rise the money can buy less. Any interest earned only offsets a small fraction of the loss of buying power. Have … Continue reading →

Here I sit…in the office…wearing a dress-shirt, dress-slacks, and sneakers. Yep. Sneakers. Heh…usually it’s motorcycle boots…but at least they meet the dresscode. Why the sneakers? Well, it’s about a nail, a wasp, and a prybar. It was swell, but the … Continue reading →

The 2nd annual Clarksville Fine Arts Festival ROCKED! Lots of folks came out to see us, including friendly faces from the Dallas area (Hi Y’all!). There were dozens of outstanding artists, a Friday night gallery show, some fine Texas wines, … Continue reading →

I don’t know why…but I have this sense of urgency about the project…like I *must* get (insert whatever list of stuff needs done here) completed *right now*. Since there is a LOT to do about the house, you can probably … Continue reading →

Come out and see me at the Clarksville Fine Arts Festival this Saturday. I’ll have books, about 25 watercolors, and close to 60 pencil works. Even a few prints as well! There’s food, music, and art! It’s going to be … Continue reading →

CUAgain, Daniel Meyer

If you’re reading this you know we’re rennovating our old house. This is our home for the future, and as such, we are trying to be involved in our community as well. Y’all might know I’m an author (I think … Continue reading →

Smooches for everybody! CUAgain, Daniel Meyer

My company has announced some extremely severe cutbacks despite the fact that we are profitable. Wall Street demands more. Gotta pay out those executive bonuses afterall. Anyway, shortly they are going to lay off somewhere upwards of 500 workers…that’s an … Continue reading →

A tale of how a motorcycle ride, in a completely unexpected way…suddenly took me home. Continue reading →

In another 23 hours or so…we’ll be closing on The Old Vic… Butterflies are holding an acid rock concert in my stomach. They brought all their friends! CUAgain, Daniel Meyer

He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. ~Clarence Budington Kelland And I still don’t know. The right thing? The smart thing? I’m never really sure. All my adult life, I’ve waited … Continue reading →

Just this morning we cleared the last of the hurdles. I just went to the bank and got a “heap big” cashier’s check. We close next Monday morning at 10:30am. My gawd…what have I done? LOL! CUAgain, Daniel Meyer

Got a call today…my NEW bank…NOT “TIC” from the “Bank Job” post, called. It seems we’re ready to go on their part…just the title company stuff now. We should be able to close December 1. I’ll feel even better when … Continue reading →

Around 3pm yesterday, I’d expect that my friends…ya know…the ones that owe me favors or just seem to always be there to help…all looked up at the same time, shivered, and said something along the lines of, “I’ve felt a … Continue reading →

Okay, I’ve given up on my bank…ya know…the one I’ve done business with for decades…well, not really decades, just ever since they “borged” all the other banks and credit card companies (and home loan and car loan) that I used … Continue reading →

Trying to buy a house is like trying to pull teeth…from a Dragon…a fire-breathing one…that’s awake and has had no anesthetic…AND she’s crabby too! Should be pretty simple…we need a bit of financing, our credit report and income/debts readily support/permit … Continue reading →

So, money’s tight…at least, that’s what the media and the prospective presidential candidates are striving to convince us of. Many folks, including us, are tightening our belts a bit and doing our best to cut down. The news is downright … Continue reading →

Something over 300 years ago an English poet named Alexander Pope said, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” I’ve always liked the quote…simply because to me, it means “No limits.” Angels have no fear, you see. I’ve met … Continue reading →

About Saturday’s post…Yep, we’re going back to take another look. Not sure why we torture ourselves so… After all, if we weren’t looking, and didn’t find anything we liked in an (barely) achievable price range…then we wouldn’t be agonizing over … Continue reading →

Must my reach always exceed my grasp? Must my dreams always push me beyond my current capabilities? Financial, equipment, time, market, employment…always, something is just not quite there. Yeah, a dream is available. Yep, I could probably swing it for … Continue reading →