The Ritual

I have an afternoon ritual that I go through everyday when I get home from work. It starts with feeding the piglets. My two cats are on a bit of a diet so they seem like they are on the verge of starvation when I get home. Then I plop down on the couch and do a bit of surfing. I have three or four sites I go to on a regular basis. I spend about 20 to 40 minutes on-line, depending on how much I write.

First I go to The Old House Web Forum. There are always interesting discussions with a nice group of mostly like-minded people. It is fun to answer peoples questions. I especially like the old house mystery questions. People find something odd from a by-gone era and can’t figure out what it is. Sometimes It is not always apparent to anyone at first what it might be. Of course, I always have plenty of questions myself to ask.

Next I sometimes go to The Old House Journal Forum. I used to go there more often, but I don’t like the lay-out of the forum very well. It is not user friendly. There is A LOT of clicking and waiting to go around to the different areas of the forum. There are always interesting things going on there, so it is still fun from time to time.

Next I head here to see what’s new on the House Blogs. There are a few that I read on a regular basis. I tend to read blogs that are either well written or are pertinent to what I am doing at my house. It is interesting that I can read something that I’m not really interested in if it is well written and or cleverly written. Also, if it is something I have been through in the past, or plan on doing in the future I will read it.

Next I check my email. I download the email headers only because I get a lot of Spam. Fifty emails is about normal. Some days it is over 100. I’m lucky if 4 of those are legitimate emails. I’m always on the lookout for the emails that start with [Petch House]. This, of course, means that someone left a comment on my blog. A blog comment means my life is now complete. All is right with the world. I’m not blogging to the Dead Letter Office in cyberspace. My existence in this world now has meaning. Ok, that is a bit much, but comments are nice.

Finally, I head to Ebay if I’m looking for something specific or am currently bidding on something. I couldn’t imagine trying to do what I’m doing with my house without Ebay. Especially living so far out on the boonies as I do. The selection is incredible and prices are usually very good. On Saturday I just won an auction on an 1890s, 4 piece cast iron fireplace surround and cover unit. The 2 were missing on the fireplaces in my house. I bought one on Ebay about 9 months ago and have been looking for a similar one for the other fireplace. I want them to look like they were bought at the same time. Getting 2 matching ones was out of the question, but 2 similar ones will be nice. Below is the one I bought 9 months ago. The tiles and mantle are original to the house.




This one is in the dining room. It is a pretty intense scene. Maybe Civil War inspired. There is a broken canon on the ground and the horse has been wounded. I didn't really realize what the scene was when I bought it. At first I wasn't sure I liked it, but the more time I spend with it the more I like it. It is a very powerful scene. Most people don't realize what they are looking at. The one I bought on Saturday is a little more ornate, but has the same bottom grate and same size cover. The image on the cover is some type of harp - maybe a lyre - with flowers and ribbons. That one will go in the back parlor and it will be very fitting because I have 2 large antique Cambridge Tile Works tiles for the hearth that have French Horns them. I had thought about putting a piano in that room someday so it should all tie together nicely as The Music Room.