tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2414168261163713862024-03-14T07:42:48.068-04:00this old, old houseAnd its young, industrious owners.whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-43541729630595742472010-03-22T19:00:00.000-04:002010-03-22T19:00:01.884-04:00We've moved (the blog, not the house!)Hello! We've stopped updating this blog for the time being. <a href="http://whitneyarlene.com/blog/?p=436">Whitney will continue to blog</a> about the house, being a homeowner, and Buffalo at her <a href="http://whitneyarlene.com/blog">website</a>.<br /><br />You can, of course, continue to explore our posts about NACA, buying a house, and Buffalo-related housing issues.<br /><br />Thanks for reading!whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-54869731177900709732010-01-24T23:11:00.003-05:002010-01-24T23:20:46.030-05:00Extreme Makeover Park Dedication<center><object height="300" width="400"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fwhitneyarlene%2Fsets%2F72157622702361443%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fwhitneyarlene%2Fsets%2F72157622702361443%2F&set_id=72157622702361443&jump_to="> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fwhitneyarlene%2Fsets%2F72157622702361443%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fwhitneyarlene%2Fsets%2F72157622702361443%2F&set_id=72157622702361443&jump_to=" height="300" width="400"></embed></object></center><br /><br />Thought I'd share this photoset in light of <a href="http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/934109.html">tonight's Buffalo-based Extreme Makeover Home Edition</a>. Congrats to our neighbor Delores Powell, <a href="http://oldoldhouse.blogspot.com/2007/05/here-comes-neighborhood.html">our fave organization PUSH Buffalo</a>, and the rest of the crew that made it happen. <br /><br />Y'all rock.whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-91602894525724234282009-11-10T18:26:00.000-05:002009-11-10T18:26:00.037-05:00Scenes from our house painting (exterior)We painted the house this summer, did I mention that? I could swear I wrote a post about it but when I tried to find it, I couldn't.<br /><br /><br /><br />Anyway, here's a photo of the house in the beginning of the summer:<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56zso5PxFcaBgnrNU3_sXqiA4syH0AgsgWlJAlKZE4nsz0mEFocSDC_XYtiyKxwgZa3r7XMwJIxCXLgN8W0So4f8VpSJEc3OJSGWy9XUgvB_zbkjnmLqdUqU7HuAVDk1_x-ODz2rrP9Pb/s1600-h/prehouse.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402591795969815922" style="WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56zso5PxFcaBgnrNU3_sXqiA4syH0AgsgWlJAlKZE4nsz0mEFocSDC_XYtiyKxwgZa3r7XMwJIxCXLgN8W0So4f8VpSJEc3OJSGWy9XUgvB_zbkjnmLqdUqU7HuAVDk1_x-ODz2rrP9Pb/s400/prehouse.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>As you can see, the paint was starting to peel. The sides were in much worse shape, trust me.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZvMpU2vbSR7DOrv5Igwj7dmukY4jI-ZJZ0lycGHzXuyFHuy2Ib0ntrTcI4UK9kmTALBDiGcoylSDXqdALlJQP9dr-OVRwrNzJA-3U4XHQ2hj0bl8mW6aean4HNkblvcIfNOZKgLZPNa0/s1600-h/house1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402592152246713346" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZvMpU2vbSR7DOrv5Igwj7dmukY4jI-ZJZ0lycGHzXuyFHuy2Ib0ntrTcI4UK9kmTALBDiGcoylSDXqdALlJQP9dr-OVRwrNzJA-3U4XHQ2hj0bl8mW6aean4HNkblvcIfNOZKgLZPNa0/s400/house1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Sean and Steve did the majority of the painting and had a little accident we refer to as "the caulking incident." It was the time they caulked the whole front of the house with non-paintable caulk and had to go over the entire thing again with paintable caulk. Yeah, it was awesome.<br /><br /><br />It's also the reason we ended up painting our house white. Because it was the only color that didn't show the caulking mistake. Because the caulk is clear. Because when we tried to paint over it with green the paint beaded up and ran away. Oops.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFkVWFuktyrmsqLRtIkqaIUJcPblrXlPIpQA16T2RHysBnm8Y1JeoGQbOWM-uSBqZVgNC9G7h2jArPduWeHZrRIoM1aTls2a-ARRpxj5YJ-3aRHuGJ8S3iojepZQ017RYpNljUkpSOYOz/s1600-h/house2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402592251408097314" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFkVWFuktyrmsqLRtIkqaIUJcPblrXlPIpQA16T2RHysBnm8Y1JeoGQbOWM-uSBqZVgNC9G7h2jArPduWeHZrRIoM1aTls2a-ARRpxj5YJ-3aRHuGJ8S3iojepZQ017RYpNljUkpSOYOz/s400/house2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Anyway, it turns out we really loved the white. It opens up the whole back yard and we'll add some splashes of color to the door and window trim this Spring. We're also going to get a new fence in the backyard and I will (finally) hang up my window boxes.<br /><br /><br />Oh, and we're going to paint the cement porch--any color or paint suggestions?whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-7254155019182056222009-09-22T19:11:00.000-04:002009-09-22T19:11:01.107-04:00Dreamy interiors<div><div><div><div><div><div>I'm inspired by Andrea Scher's <a href="http://shuttersisters.com/home/2009/9/19/superhero-photo-challenge-dreamy-interiors.html">photo challenge at Shutter Sisters</a>:<br /><br /></div><blockquote><p><em>I am manifesting a home. A dreamy house right here in my neighborhood... I<br />have a detailed list of all the things our ideal place would have, and gorgeous<br />light is one of them.<br /><br />[...] This week's challenge is to show us your dreamy interior, or perhaps<br />its an image of someone else's you can link to.</em></p></blockquote><div align="left"><br />Krisatomic did a similiar "inspiration" post a few weeks back and I found it lovely to step into her collection.<br /><br />I regret that not all of my photos have the appropriate name/credit attached to them, so many were right-clicked and saved as I browsed the web. Nevertheless, enjoy: </div><div align="left"><br /></div><p align="center"><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/130/378850299_f38eed931c.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 333px" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/130/378850299_f38eed931c.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />"For Jane" originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/yvestown/378850299/">yvestown</a>. </p><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCCZkOlYQ0Z3ItqS0JMo467PQ4BFnq6xh3-j3DQH74Fce9hkJ-aJRVwekW178__g9FGScpS5wu1GJdj5y0nMsyrdPrZuvsDmmqcFRqr-fHYQBOBZqmPndHWiypMM7Z8evphdxXt4qI0vw/s1600-h/druct-014.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384390618100363298" style="WIDTH: 322px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCCZkOlYQ0Z3ItqS0JMo467PQ4BFnq6xh3-j3DQH74Fce9hkJ-aJRVwekW178__g9FGScpS5wu1GJdj5y0nMsyrdPrZuvsDmmqcFRqr-fHYQBOBZqmPndHWiypMM7Z8evphdxXt4qI0vw/s400/druct-014.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Lovely attic room with a great cottage feel.</div><div align="center"><br /> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCixijTgr1bxhBgD5kgsc0-833ENws0zvJ3nJlDO3244aMg75ZxBJX50e03sQBm5jqQQ0Sh8hRtv034FdVUmB87IjS8YRaIxk5jkmwCIS6zdmi88VxCYb1S_k7nFG-K-Gijg0kQoOxsM2-/s1600-h/2969168423_310d063656.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384389554727127538" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCixijTgr1bxhBgD5kgsc0-833ENws0zvJ3nJlDO3244aMg75ZxBJX50e03sQBm5jqQQ0Sh8hRtv034FdVUmB87IjS8YRaIxk5jkmwCIS6zdmi88VxCYb1S_k7nFG-K-Gijg0kQoOxsM2-/s320/2969168423_310d063656.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Love the open shelves in this kitchen.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfI8-Njk0HgSTv-RiG7fCIzBvdQb6Dscz5snQW2sfI8_mtmnu9MBVxBpmZuXe5zz9t76KziRQlzXM9I5ZWfBkv6pTN4tg8sjJFWETwtzmZuqPFIYCqLQA_GrixIjeggoD-o9sRFiBTsbPd/s1600-h/houseobsession4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384389710872182418" style="WIDTH: 230px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfI8-Njk0HgSTv-RiG7fCIzBvdQb6Dscz5snQW2sfI8_mtmnu9MBVxBpmZuXe5zz9t76KziRQlzXM9I5ZWfBkv6pTN4tg8sjJFWETwtzmZuqPFIYCqLQA_GrixIjeggoD-o9sRFiBTsbPd/s320/houseobsession4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Another open shelf and a great half door!<br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdf6i-SZcPi2tG4mWHxVg2yHCE-oSXBf7S6-H2ll-UmD9GXvV9oq9NwUPuWSnLWCp5iS5H3hn1IpQ0pK3iaR2ZzOun3b70ELlw-mrAFlDB6QUNYhJ-kUQwzRwL_nh_IagzDaf36jjpyIBE/s1600-h/windowseat.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384389881982489890" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdf6i-SZcPi2tG4mWHxVg2yHCE-oSXBf7S6-H2ll-UmD9GXvV9oq9NwUPuWSnLWCp5iS5H3hn1IpQ0pK3iaR2ZzOun3b70ELlw-mrAFlDB6QUNYhJ-kUQwzRwL_nh_IagzDaf36jjpyIBE/s320/windowseat.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />So many Buffalo homes have towers like this...</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F6sdNuXKl9cXd45KIznwwjJ2LQKKL4xRviOgC28OXS_D4H22pUd1J0C1P2dfQz1jJUF2b3VW7xXb4mVgIafViyOXjPzwZDJ_Of63B-X98eA_DP0m85sMwVtbbNtjIVvrJxAhE0zOOko6/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384390033139562866" style="WIDTH: 270px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F6sdNuXKl9cXd45KIznwwjJ2LQKKL4xRviOgC28OXS_D4H22pUd1J0C1P2dfQz1jJUF2b3VW7xXb4mVgIafViyOXjPzwZDJ_Of63B-X98eA_DP0m85sMwVtbbNtjIVvrJxAhE0zOOko6/s400/1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The mini-gallery looks cool.<br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgeBbkuSsIiKqh9JWRJraoLbPecSvqgWPkCOdLwYMH3Go17XknWpB70eS2P62m_9vrkKXMNmbXQ_PJ78XCyb2OueeFFmwJo8XVvmKPmqdk5Yr7kurm_6BWeUtFaQs4RtzReHNU_nei3VVL/s1600-h/7.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384390190594706930" style="WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgeBbkuSsIiKqh9JWRJraoLbPecSvqgWPkCOdLwYMH3Go17XknWpB70eS2P62m_9vrkKXMNmbXQ_PJ78XCyb2OueeFFmwJo8XVvmKPmqdk5Yr7kurm_6BWeUtFaQs4RtzReHNU_nei3VVL/s400/7.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Scandanavian flavor + colors + playfulness = charming<br /><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii55nCiwipIynFvNdPaw9FfXMhiI5PVkJxUYHaNQyHp5CATFrACUegsgY4PHNW2MNcUtkAxft20hFRw2KfE9687rqF0s6hLCPr3cycOBhOxGpSL4CYdxRs4P7R3YXgd0vZSptjfPiWYT61/s1600-h/3620050423_46c25e71cb_o.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384390458237544946" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 194px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii55nCiwipIynFvNdPaw9FfXMhiI5PVkJxUYHaNQyHp5CATFrACUegsgY4PHNW2MNcUtkAxft20hFRw2KfE9687rqF0s6hLCPr3cycOBhOxGpSL4CYdxRs4P7R3YXgd0vZSptjfPiWYT61/s400/3620050423_46c25e71cb_o.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Who wouldn't want a cup of tea here?</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uGU1Q00RluTwCMzs5U9XcQibkcqXOIUSCdYYfLIKnG68QLw1zSiI7Vwad1dj2_zY-YabqaP4ntvbk6QuCt0EiW5vU3ZvO64Mv82V3Ax3o07xz32yEZETOxwnPsTn9H67tBZM2AeaXuHP/s1600-h/poesi2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384392060962996546" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_uGU1Q00RluTwCMzs5U9XcQibkcqXOIUSCdYYfLIKnG68QLw1zSiI7Vwad1dj2_zY-YabqaP4ntvbk6QuCt0EiW5vU3ZvO64Mv82V3Ax3o07xz32yEZETOxwnPsTn9H67tBZM2AeaXuHP/s400/poesi2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Another dreamy attic space.</div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-59652995268760421582009-08-19T12:46:00.002-04:002009-08-19T12:49:12.226-04:00Lunch time rant: Erie County Holding CenterBad news just keeps rolling in for the folks who run the Erie County Holding Center. Check out <a href="http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/767924.html">this article</a> from the <em>Buffalo News</em> today:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><p>Linda Arthur moves slowly on arthritic knees. She's 60 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall, and a breast-cancer survivor who reaches for her medicine at noon<br />each day.</p><p>And she's dangerous.<br /><br />Or at least she was treated as a danger to society for a weekend in December when jailed in the Erie County Holding Center. She was denied her medicine and other basics of civilized life: toilet paper, a toothbrush, soap, water, a blanket, a bed.</p><p>It all stemmed from a neglected parking ticket.</p></blockquote><br />The sad thing is that this kind of treatment is a regular occurrence at the Holding Center. Just read the <a href="http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/748556.html">14-page Justice Department report </a>on the Center's deplorable conditions. My lawyer friends, a few of them acting as public defenders or assigned counsel, frequently share horror stories that match the report's findings: clients beaten in elevators, denied essential medication, and otherwise treated like garbage.<br /><br />I know that there exists the sentiment that people in the Holding Center are criminals, deserving of whatever ill comes their way when behind bars, and I think it's crap. As the <em>News'</em> story demonstrates so well, people in the Holding Center aren't always mass murderers and child rapists. They are your neighbor, your kid who did something stupid, a family member who didn't pay her parking ticket. Hell, they are <a href="http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/766745.html?imw=Y">your favorite hockey player</a>.<br /><br />They deserve due process and they deserve humane conditions while being held.<br /><br />I took a minute to write this while scarfing my lunch down because I wanted to get the word out about a related event happening tonight and every Wednesday in the near future*. If you can, please come out to demand some change and if you can't, at least drive by and give the crowd a good honk:<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>PRISONERS ARE PEOPLE TOO</strong> rally outside EC Holding Center</div><div align="center">Every Wednesday during rush hour traffic - 5:00-6:00PM</div><div align="center">Outside the Erie County Holding Center (Delaware & Church)</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">*I know, two posts from me in less than 24 hours? Is it still the same Whitney?</span></div>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-67710925463166195332009-08-19T07:58:00.002-04:002009-08-19T08:01:48.310-04:00Slideshow! PUSH Houses on the West Side...I swear that an update is coming soon but for now I wanted to share some photos I took on Monday. They're part of a project I'm doing with PUSH Buffalo.<br /><br /><object height="300" width="400"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fwhitneyarlene%2Fsets%2F72157621955782707%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fwhitneyarlene%2Fsets%2F72157621955782707%2F&set_id=72157621955782707&jump_to="> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fwhitneyarlene%2Fsets%2F72157621955782707%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fwhitneyarlene%2Fsets%2F72157621955782707%2F&set_id=72157621955782707&jump_to=" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><br /><br />These homes are all on the West Side: Chenango, Massachusetts, W. Utica, 19th.whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-52867239177471120982009-04-26T20:28:00.001-04:002009-04-26T20:29:52.741-04:00News from the neighborhood...<span style="font-style: italic;">Cross-posted at <a href="http://buffalolocavore.blogspot.com">Buffalo Locavore</a>.</span><br /><br />This weekend was pretty darn exciting over on the West Side. Just a couple short blocks from my house <a href="http://fivepointsbakery.com/">Five Points Bakery</a> opened its doors and sold out of bread within two hours. Sean and I walked over today around noon and were lucky enough to snag a loaf for our late breakfast. It was delish.<br /><br />Besides the fact that Five Points is owned and operated by a couple living a block away from the bakery, besides the fact that their bread is 100% grain and made from locally-grown wheat <span style="font-style: italic;">stone ground on site</span>, besides the fact that Five Points partners up with the good folks at Promised Land CSA (my CSA!) to purchase their wheat and products--THEY OFFER A BREAD SHARE.<br /><br />I am so out of control excited about this share.<br /><br />Five Points is offering a 13-week, $65 bread share. They'll have four shares every year, one per season. The summer share offers a multigrain pan bread, a honey wheat loaf, a cinnamon raisin, and a specialty bread. You select the kind you want and stop by one of the pick-up locations every Thursday to take it home. You can also add muffins, cookies, and their house-made pizzas to your share as well.<br /><br />As we walked home from the bakery today, Sean and I talked about the summer ahead and how easy it will be for us to eat local. Between our CSA share, our new bread share, and an endless supply of deer meat from Sean's brother (that's for him, I'm a vegetarian), we hardly have to grocery shop.<br /><br />Now, on to the chickens..whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-21036264540380042332009-03-22T21:46:00.003-04:002009-03-22T22:35:37.260-04:00Holy moly: two yearsTwo years ago yesterday, Steve and I closed on our house(s). Seems sort of unbelievable but at the same time, not really.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3550/3281698861_fa1236cb7d.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3550/3281698861_fa1236cb7d.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />For me the biggest change over the past year is that I've grown into my role as a homeowner. I've become more comfortable with the ins and outs of maintaining a house and with all the drama associated with being a landlord. I've relaxed a bit, to put it simply.<br /><br />Being a homeowner is no longer the defining part of who I am or what I do, like it was when I was 23 and had just made an investment bigger than I could even imagine. Don't get me wrong, I'm still naive and learning at 25 but I'm happy to say that I'm no longer freaked out by the fact that I have a mortgage.<br /><br />The first couple years of living in our house and on our block were really about orientating myself: to the West Side, to the way a house works, to what would eventually become our system of managing household finances (ok, still trying to figure that out), even to working full time. It seemed crazy to me that I would ever have the time or energy to start a garden or a block club--two things that I plan on doing in earnest this spring and summer. This next year will be a Year of Getting Out More.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2335/2277983265_d39474d445.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 379px; height: 284px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2335/2277983265_d39474d445.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3642/3324316730_acf097109a.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 385px; height: 257px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3642/3324316730_acf097109a.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><br />Of course the biggest change of all is the addition of two lovely people named Sara and Sean. They've both embraced the house and neighborhood in fresh and different ways, which has helped me do the same. I'd be lying if I said the household wasn't occasionally challenged the question of what's their/my role in this whole house-owning adventure, particularly because Steve and I, well, bought the houses together. But we're learning how and when to make decisions, and I feel blessed to live with three people as thoughtful and loving as them.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/2865467204_edd2c1befd.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/2865467204_edd2c1befd.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This blog is also over two years old by now. Many thanks to everyone that's read and commented, and (please) keep it coming. I'd love to hear your suggestions on the blog's content, especially if there's something related our house or experience about which you'd like to know more. Let me know in the comments of this post and again, thanks for reading.<br /></div></div>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-31699882028216778092009-03-14T13:59:00.002-04:002009-03-14T14:01:13.108-04:00The Boo/Hiss board + a contest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/3281681861_40140071cd.jpg"><br /></a><div>The Boo/Hiss board is located inside our kitchen and was one of the first things I put up when we moved in. It's really a "Boo/Hiss" <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> "Thumbs Up" bulletin board but whatever. Here's how it looked a couple weeks ago:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3563/3281674253_22630018a4.jpg"><img style="width: 430px; cursor: pointer; height: 303px;" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3563/3281674253_22630018a4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Because I'm a pack rat I like to save scraps of paper that have virtually no value. The Boo/Hiss board disguises my hoarding tendencies as fun, snarky and maybe even worthwhile.<br /><br />Seen below on the Boo/Hiss side of life, going clockwise: (1) a photo and interview excerpt with Janet Snyder from <span style="font-style: italic;">Kiss 98.5</span> in which the morning radio show host basically calls Mia Farrow a bitch because she had the gall to bring up genocide in Darfur, (2) Impossibly snide-looking boys in expensive suits on a yacht, being groomed for a life of priviledge and J. Crew trouser socks, (3) An article from the <a href="http://buffalonews.com/">Buffalo News</a> about Amherst residents rejecting a ballot measure that would protect a certain amount of green space from commerical and residential development, (4) <span style="font-style: italic;">Family Planning Advocates</span> button which shouldn't be there because I heart FPA, (5) An article about the legacy of the Vietnam War in Vietnam.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3655/3281678041_0bd6a3743b.jpg"><img style="width: 430px; cursor: pointer; height: 287px;" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3655/3281678041_0bd6a3743b.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />As you can see, I've also included the all-white, all-male "Best News Team on Television" from a CNN ad in the <a href="http://nytimes.com/"><span style="font-style: italic;">New York Times</span></a>. Also there's a business card from some weirdo Sean and I met in Puerto Rico. Not really Boo/Hiss material but we don't have a designated "Sketchy" portion of the board. Oh, and there's Janet Snyder again. If you can't read the Q&A that's ok, it's basically all about shopping and finding "the perfect outfit."<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3616/3282506300_95da0c72d6.jpg?v=0"><img style="width: 430px; height: 287px;" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3616/3282506300_95da0c72d6.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And now, some Thumbs Up, clockwise again: (1) Boss's Day card from Sean's secretary, sort of surreal for both of us that he's a boss and that he has a secretary, (2) Invite from a Mike LoCurto Rocky-themed fundraiser, (3) Article on Danny Glover's arrest in Niagara Falls, Ontario, resulting from a protest in support of Unite Here!, (4) Thank you note from CEJ, (5) Letter to Steve from a near-stranger who gave him his DMX and insisted that he pass it along to another young man when he no longer needed it.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/3281681861_40140071cd.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 427px; height: 285px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/3281681861_40140071cd.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The board might be coming down or changing focus soon so I wanted to make sure I honored all the snark and love. Speaking of prostitutes, check out our frozen-in-time Eliot Spitzer caption contest:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3663/3281683605_a11f1678e9.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 334px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3663/3281683605_a11f1678e9.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Add a new caption in the comments of this post and I will give the author of the best comment a yet-to-be-identified prize. And by "best" I mean that one that makes me laugh the most.<br /><br />More Boo/Hiss photos and explanations up on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitneyarlene/3281683605/in/photostream/">Flickr</a>.<br /></div></div></div></div></div>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-6617927756688784172009-02-15T12:48:00.001-05:002009-02-15T12:49:33.478-05:00Scenes from our front house painting & caulking "party"Back in December we spent a weekend getting the upper apartment of the front house ready for new tenants. This included painting the walls and trim of several rooms, scrubbing the bathroom until it couldn't be scrubbed no more, and steam-cleaning the carpet. Oh, and re-caulking the tub.<br /><br />Our previous tenant lived in the house for 13 years and kept it very clean. Still, after all those years the house needed (needs) some major updates, both cosmetic and structural. Our new tenants were on a tight time line so most of the updates in their apartment were, like I wrote above, of the cosmetic persuasion<br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3441/3251545345_870ae5a1a0.jpg?v=0"><img style="width: 375px; height: 500px;" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3441/3251545345_870ae5a1a0.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Our friend & neighbor Kevin helped us paint on Saturday night. Here he is with Steve in the living room.</span><br /></div><br />We decided to go boring landlord white with the painting but are flexible if our tenants want to paint it another color. Besides Steve, Sara, Sean, and me, we were joined by several generous friends and declared it a "painting party." I guess BEER + PIZZA + [any activity] = PARTY.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/3251547271_1f34844260.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 375px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/3251547271_1f34844260.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">My father brought over a steam-vac and helped us clean the carpets. They were stained in certain places and generally very dirty. The above photo is of the living room after the carpets were cleaned and the walls and trim painted. Trust me, it looks so much better. Next time I'll do before and after photos.<br /><br />My primary job was to clean the bathroom and I got really into it. I scrubbed the walls, the tub, the toilet, and the floor. I put a wax on the floor at the end and then admired its shine from the doorway (me to everyone else: "DO NOT WALK IN THE BATHROOM IT IS DRYING"). <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitneyarlene/3252372240/in/set-72157613301797951/">With Steve's help</a>, I learned how to use a caulking gun and made the following video of my disappointment:<br /></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><object height="300" width="400"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2961706&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=1&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="300" width="400"></embed></object></p></div>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-67852051296802946372009-02-04T22:47:00.000-05:002009-02-04T22:47:00.589-05:00Scenes from Whit's first caulking experience<div align="center"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3320/3252371736_15e49a60cf.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 375px" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3320/3252371736_15e49a60cf.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><strong>Warning</strong>: Use of a caulking gun may sometimes inflate one's sense of coolness.</div><div align="center"> </div>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-70045148472194446002009-02-04T19:31:00.000-05:002009-02-04T19:31:00.837-05:00Rite of Passage: Our pipes burst!<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">So Saturday morning I woke up around 9:00 and lazed around in bed for awhile, reading a magazine and thinking about what my Saturday would involve. It was the first time in awhile that I'd had a day open and to myself, and the possibilities were endless: shall I go for a walk? Perhaps kick it up a bit and strap on the snowshoes? Maybe I will clean my apartment really, really well and even start in on the disaster that is our back hallway/pantry?<br /><br />I was planning a mix of getting-stuff-done and having fun but alas, none of it was to be. At 9:30 Sara called to report that her mom (who was visiting at the time) went over to the front house and thought a pipe was leaking. Oh, and the basement was flooded. Like past the first stair.<br /><br />I jumped out of bed, got dressed, and put on my rain boots. Sara met me outside and we ventured over to the front house to take a gander. Sure enough, the basement was flooded with about a foot and a half of water and as I discovered upon getting a face full of spraying water, a pipe had burst.<br /><br />What followed was a morning (and afternoon and evening) of trying to get the fire-hose sized sump pump in our basement unfrozen and working, as well as finding a plumber who wouldn't charge us a million bucks. There was also the issue of hot water, as in our tenants didn't have any. And then the waiting around for the plumber to get there.<br /><br />My Saturday quickly turned from a day of doing what I wanted to a day of dealing with shit. After an hour of a self-imposed pity party and a tough love talk from my boyfriend, I decided that I wasn't going to let the flooded basement and bursting pipe ruin my day entirely and that, well, I'm a grown up and I own a house and shit happens. So I cleaned the kitchen while I waited and I learned a lot (relatively speaking) about the basement of our front house.<br /><br />Nate the Plumber--and that's actually how he introduces himself--showed up just as the water in the basement was all pumped out and the lights turned back on. It was dark in the basement all day (and flooded with <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">freezing</span> water) so I hadn't been able to <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">see</span> the burst pipe, I just felt it when the water sprayed my face. Not knowing anything about electricity and with our electrician-in-residence at work, I didn't want to play around with the fuse-box and light fixtures while standing in a foot of water. Once the water was out and the lights came on, this is what I saw:<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XMU5xvD882Z2dJuSaQaxekM0WWY5FrIL3MyqqaBPrrgnDcHpP32DBp94gYGlmvQqUnR1QyWRA8jh__n01rsMVfroFrNykLJT0-mF8RSu9SWJOsS7YVgaX12heMa4BZCQRfZO5X9DNjhI/s1600-h/burstpipe.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298690167393582082" style="WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9XMU5xvD882Z2dJuSaQaxekM0WWY5FrIL3MyqqaBPrrgnDcHpP32DBp94gYGlmvQqUnR1QyWRA8jh__n01rsMVfroFrNykLJT0-mF8RSu9SWJOsS7YVgaX12heMa4BZCQRfZO5X9DNjhI/s400/burstpipe.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><p><br />Nate the Plumber went to work thawing out the frozen pipes, cutting and replacing the split pipe (thankfully it was a small part), and solving our drainage problem. He eventually concluded that the waste pipe* in the middle of the house had no access point and therefore no ability to be cleaned. We usually get the main drain pipe in the front yard cleaned of tree roots twice a year but our regular Roto Rooter maintenance didn't do the trick this winter. Nate thought that there must be a clog towards the middle of the house and without the ability to clean it, our basement would keep flooding. So, Nate and his son cut the pipe and installed a Y-shaped pipe for access.<br /><br />And so far, so good. We had a big melt on Sunday and while that would usually flood the basement, it stayed flood-free. My fingers are crossed, hoping that we've solved our problem for the time being. Or at least until the lining of my rubber boots has time to dry out.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">*Steve claims that he's never heard anyone describe this by a name other than "shit stack."</span><br /></p></span>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-77173692444763915062009-01-11T20:58:00.000-05:002009-01-11T20:58:32.200-05:00The Winter Of Incessant Basement FloodingWinter '08/09 will go down as the Winter Of Incessant Basement Flooding. So far the basement in the front house has flooded four times this winter, requiring us to do the following (in no particular order):<br /><ul><li>Sump-pump gallons upon gallons of water onto our driveway and into the street during a days-long snowstorm, creating an ice rink at the end of our driveway.</li><li>Bring in the "big guns," i.e. borrow a sump pump with a hose that looks like it could fight fires. See above.</li><li>Inquire about replacing our now-fried electrical board for the brand new furnance for the downstairs apartment.<br /></li><li>Have Roto Rooter come out to clear the root-infested drain pipe. Twice.</li><li>Cringe whenever the temperature rises enough for the ice to begin melting and then frantically check the basement for water.</li></ul>I have to say though that after I (mostly) handled the first flood all by myself, I felt pretty frickin' awesome. Two years ago I would've wanted to lay down in the fetal position and/or call my dad.<br /><br />Learning how to take care of a home, I've learned, is mostly baptism by fire.whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-4933314386941301042008-12-12T19:13:00.000-05:002008-12-12T19:13:00.354-05:00Scenes from my kitchen, sunspot edition<p align="center"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3224/2877155058_32706f13a4.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 375px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 500px" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3224/2877155058_32706f13a4.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></p><p align="left">I looked at this picture tonight while trying to find another photo on my Flickr stream. Even though I'm enjoying the snow right now, I thought this summer scene in the kitchen was sweet.</p>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-83319686253024986952008-12-08T18:38:00.000-05:002008-12-08T18:38:00.629-05:00News from the home frontExciting news to report from the home front: we are getting our house weatherized! And I don't just mean the put-plastic-over-the-windows kind of weatherization.<br /><br />I'll have more details (and technical terms) tomorrow but here's what it is likely to entail: entirely insulating our house from basement to attic, caulking doors and windows, wrapping the basement in plastic, and completing an energy audit (we've had the first part done).<br /><br />After my mom and brother came over last night and informed me that my apartment is inhumanely freezing, I feel even more excited to get the house insulated. I think our quality of life will go up by 400%. I'll keep you posted.<br /><br />Oh and also, our tenant moved out of the front house so expect some updates on what we're going to do up there.whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-34833482154413705642008-10-28T08:16:00.000-04:002008-10-28T12:02:51.542-04:00As promised: scenes from my "new" office<div align="center"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/2972703410_570f64e9fb.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 375px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 500px" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/2972703410_570f64e9fb.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="center">New floors, bright space.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3249/2972703088_49f261fe90.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 375px" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3249/2972703088_49f261fe90.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">Finally got around to hanging some stuff up.<br /></div>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-37867167643427727272008-09-23T18:06:00.003-04:002008-09-23T18:07:53.147-04:00Oh, alsoI'd be remiss not to mention <a href="http://whitneyarlene.com/">whitneyarlene.com</a>. Yes, I'll keep blogging here but after keeping a journal online since 2000, I wanted to take a leap and get my own domain. Read both.whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-86250438553644733502008-09-23T17:55:00.003-04:002008-09-23T17:59:40.853-04:00Scenes from my office and bathroom makeover...<div align="left"><div>So my months of obsessing over all-white interiors led me to two simultaneous projects over Labor Day weekend: new (old) floors in the office and a brighter, whiter bathroom. </div><p align="left"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3225/2877928250_8c3d40cef3.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3225/2877928250_8c3d40cef3.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In the office, like every other room in the house except the kitchen and bathroom, there was ugly, black indoor/outdoor carpet. I'd like to take it all up eventually and decided to use my office--the only room with carpet <em>not</em> connected to another room with carpet--as a test run: how long would it take? would it be messy? what was underneath? </p><div><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/2877108757_fbb32e47eb.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/2877108757_fbb32e47eb.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div></div><br /><br /><div>Formerly white and minimally damaged floors were underneath. Plus lots of staples, glue & insulation, and tack boards. Ripping up the carpet and insulation was easy enough. We hauled five four-foot pieces out in about a half-hour. The messy (and dusty and tedious and long) part had to do with pulling up the staples and tack board.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/2877106049_9c6781d8f2.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/2877106049_9c6781d8f2.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I wore this cool mask to protect me from allergens.<br /></div><div><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/2877946140_bb99a72544.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/2877946140_bb99a72544.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div>At the same time, we taped off the bathroom and began painting the walls and ceiling white. Previously, they were a light tan--for a bathroom with no window, it was too dark and dank. The splash-back (is that what you call it) area behind the sink and toilet was a yellow-ish color. I painted it and the woodwork a light grey.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/2877942778_59706ce8b4.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/2877942778_59706ce8b4.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After all the staples were pried and the tack board in the garbage, I scrubbed the floor with a mild detergent and let it dry overnight. I then collapsed into bed.<br /></div><div><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3129/2877929146_0ccb3c2667.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3129/2877929146_0ccb3c2667.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div></div><div></div><div>The next morning, I set to work painting the floor. We used one container of Dutch Boy's Latex Enamel. It went on smooth and thick and thus far, there have been zero scuff marks left behind. It was too expensive either--I think $28 with a mail-in rebate.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3239/2877103877_8162ce32c4.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3239/2877103877_8162ce32c4.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div></div><div></div><div>The first coat going on! And speaking of coats...<br /><br /><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2877939660_8709e6fef3.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2877939660_8709e6fef3.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The bathroom took three coats of white. Sigh. </div><div></div><div></div><div>At this point I need to thank my mother who helped me throughout the weekend and especially in the bathroom. She OWNED the bathroom, she ROCKED the bathroom. She also got all mom on me and took charge of the carpet removal--just the kind of leadership I needed.<br /></div><div><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/2877094255_3b7df09978.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/2877094255_3b7df09978.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><br />On Monday, Labor Day, she and my brother stopped by the house to pick up my mom's supplies. This is how they found me: a wreck. The floor's second coat of paint had dried and I barely had enough energy to drag the IKEA chair into the office and fix myself a cup of tea. I forgot how exhausting a renovation project really is.</div><div></div><div></div><div><br />More photos of the finished (and put back together) office and bathroom soon. For now, more photos of the improvement project can be found <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/whitneyarlene/sets/72157607454517966/">here</a>.</div><div></div><div></div><div><br />Oh, and I won't be doing the rest of the floors for awhile. Maybe never!</div><br /></div>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-6289033809446148712008-08-26T17:31:00.000-04:002008-08-26T17:31:00.505-04:00Alternative reads from your lazy hostessSince I'm certainly not giving you enough to read this summer, try the following links for some Buffalo and housing-related reads:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1834675,00.html">Where the Urban Dream Life is Going Cheap</a>: What could make someone want to leave New York and move to Buffalo? You'll recognize some familiar faces in this <em>New York</em> magazine article, most notably our friend Aaron.</li><li><a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1834675,00.html">Should you become a Co-ho?</a> A <em>Time</em> piece on the growing trend of buying a house with a friend. We know a thing or two about that.</li></ul>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-22650587828049551412008-08-07T10:54:00.005-04:002008-08-26T14:06:18.484-04:00Scenes from this summer's CSA share<div align="center"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/2699552737_1faa103e19.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/2699552737_1faa103e19.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div align="center">The first week's share. Check out the garlic scapes!<br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3035/2733480815_e1f788644d.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3035/2733480815_e1f788644d.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="center">Baby beets and my new tablecloth (found at a garage sale!)<br /><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3045/2733482857_761da9d613.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3045/2733482857_761da9d613.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="center">Sean models this lovely little squash. </div>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-67331855892299504022008-07-06T08:01:00.000-04:002008-07-07T16:08:22.450-04:00Wherein I reveal myself to be a crazy plant lady...<p align="center"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3109/2641555181_81e85a669b.jpg"><span style="color:#000000;"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3109/2641555181_81e85a669b.jpg" border="0" /></span></a></p><p align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"><em>(Apologies for the cross post)</em> </span></p><p align="left"><span style="color:#000000;">I'm a sucker for mornings. My house, a rarity in the tightly packed neighborhoods of Buffalo, has only backyards on either side of it (it is behind another house). The sunlight pours in throughout the day, switching sides of the house, switching rooms. </span></p><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;">In the morning it hits my bedroom, gently nudging me out of my sheets so I can find what, for me, is often a breathtaking site: my home office, with its wooden table, bathed in brightness. As I write this, my desk is covered in a rectangular patch of sunlight; the window looks out on the building a few doors down. I've been told it was a dairy, now it is home to a Burmese family. The back half remains vacant. </span><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;">Because the house is behind another house, there is no backyard. It is on the backyard. For this reason, I have attempted to grow a jungle of houseplants inside by the windows, and have only recently begun fiddling with the patch of grass we have between the two homes. I started my house-jungle with the ficus and Christmas cactus that had both survived my post-college moves and abandonment. Brynn gave me a branch of her enormous jade tree and last fall, with a $50 gift card to Lowe's left over from my June birthday, I brought home all the sickly and marked-down plants I could fit in my car. </span><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;">For months now, I've done battle with one of these plants. It sits on my desk, close to the window I am at right now. I refer to it in my head as the Crazy Plant but according to the information card it came with, it goes by "jellybean plant," sedum, or Aurora Borealis (yeah, I did a double take on that last one too). It is a succulent, therefore more delicate than my viney and leafy darlings, and I've been a bit obsessed with its well-being.</span><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;">Its little jellybean leaves are very fragile and often fall off when I touch them. As the plant has grown, its branches droop over the sides of the pot, with tiny white roots extending out, looking for something to plant themselves in. It has doubled its size and little miniature bunches of leaves pop up around its base; sometimes I drown them when I water the plant. A few months back, I realized that one of the drooping branches was headed on a road to nowhere so I picked it up, dropping leaves as I did it, and twisted it around another, smaller branch. It's doing ok now. After that though, I decided that unless I interfered, my Crazy Plant was going to kill itself. Each time I looked at it, I became stressed.</span><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;">This morning though, after a week away on vacation, I came into the office and found the plant and its companion, another jade, thriving in my absence. I don't have much to explain for my sudden change of heart--my mellowing out about its obviously natural characteristics--but I now love the Crazy Plant. I suppose I always loved it, hence my obsession with its health, but now I love that it is crazy. It droops over the sides, in what I assumed was vain, but instead of dying, it just adapted. New branches have sprung from the side of the drooping branch. It's green and solid and really beautiful in its chaotic growth.</span><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;">I've been sort of having a hard time lately, feeling like I can't see the path ahead of me as clearly as I'd like. This morning I am laughing at myself, at my obsession over this house plant's path--a sort of small example of my worry, unfairly placed on this lovely little succulent and its growth process. I don't really know what zen means to other people but to me it means letting the chaos of life wash over me, taking moments to notice the way a plant grows and apply that same lesson to my life. I'm going to be zen about this plant from now on, and I'm going to try to be zen about me.<br /></span><span style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;">I'm a sucker for mornings.</span></div>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-84875802475196635032008-06-25T08:11:00.002-04:002008-06-25T11:24:54.439-04:00We love advice: bike storage style<div align="left">There are many great things about our weird--but not weird for Buffalo--house behind a house situation. For instance, we get tons of sunlight because there are no houses next to ours, just backyards.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">There, as well, some downsides. With the warmer temperatures and an increased need/desire to do yardwork and gardening, a problem with storage has arisen. Before Steve and Sara moved in to the downstairs apartment, we threw all of our crap--including rakes, shovels, bikes, ladders, and more--into the front hall. Now that front hall is their entryway and well, it don't work out no more.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">I'm not asking for you readers to solve all our problems this morning, just some help on one front: bike storage.<br /></div><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2048/2083125784_2467a77452.jpg?v=0"></a><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2048/2083125784_2467a77452.jpg?v=0"></a><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2048/2083125784_2467a77452.jpg?v=0"></a><div align="center"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2048/2083125784_2467a77452.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2048/2083125784_2467a77452.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">Tough times: our bikes in the early-December elements.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br />It's been raining like crazy lately and my and Sean's bikes are getting hit hard. Rust is even creeping in a little bit. As Steve likes to scold us, we're bad bike owners. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br />We could bring them upstairs into our hallway but the hallway is not very wide and it already sort of bursting with shoes, coats, and my dear houseplants. We're thinking of erecting some kind of tarp/outdoor shelter in the back of the house between the fence and house--any thoughts or suggestions? Anyone have luck with those hooks you hang your bicycle on? Help!</div><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2048/2083125784_2467a77452.jpg?v=0"></a>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-64697833201350487732008-06-23T22:11:00.000-04:002008-06-23T22:11:07.928-04:00Silver lining<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/2564891117_b2ae3d717d_b.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/2564891117_b2ae3d717d_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I've been meaning to share this photo for awhile, from the early spring when the lilacs were blooming. We now have roses bushes in bloom all over the West Side and it's fun to see them pop up all over, even the vacant houses.<br /><br />I went on an explore with my camera in the vacant yard next door. The grass is overgrown and full of wild flowers, crazy weeds, and even morning glories. Please don't confuse this excitement with my endorsement of slum landlords though--just trying to find the silver lining!whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-59962186304283003612008-06-23T22:01:00.000-04:002008-06-23T22:02:56.017-04:00A window in...I made lentil soup for dinner tonight--it's still cool enough for it to make sense--and wrote a letter to a friend while it bubbled on the stove. I got up occasionally to stir the pot and add a little more black pepper, a little more thyme.<br /><br />On one of these trips to the stove, I looked out the window near the sink and spotted three girls tiptoeing across the roof of their back porch. They were covered, from head scarves to long dresses touching their toes, in beautiful flowing fabric that played with the wind quite well. They soon saw me through the window and started waving excitedly. It was very sweet, the whole scene.<br /><br />And now, my lentil soup recipe (it's all improvised):<br /><br />1 tbsp butter<br />2 medium red onions<br />2 medium sized potatoes<br />one bag dry lentils<br />4-6 cups of water (you pick thickness)<br />3 celery stalks<br />1 cup diced carrots<br />1/2 cup brown sugar<br />about 1 tbsp hot sauce (or a couple dashes of cayenne)<br />black pepper and salt to taste<br />2 tbsp thyme<br />dash cinnamon<br /><br />Cook onions and potatoes in butter in soup pot until onions are soft. Add water, lentils, black pepper, and salt and boil for 30 minutes or until lentils are softened up. Add carrots, celery, brown sugar, hot sauce, and rest of spices. Cook until desired consistency and adjust spices accordingly. Enjoy over brown rice or with a piece of whole wheat bread.whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241416826116371386.post-24660725093923130592008-05-15T11:10:00.000-04:002008-05-15T13:28:41.912-04:00Scenes from our first West Side winter...<div align="center"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2118/2491518874_a06cc1cd28.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2118/2491518874_a06cc1cd28.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Somedays it was just beautiful.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2382/2491573164_da9dbd3715.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2382/2491573164_da9dbd3715.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sean and I battled my car every morning: frozen shut doors, doors that wouldn't shut when driving, refusal to start, doors of which one would work, etc.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2023/2491518028_37fb3451fd.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2023/2491518028_37fb3451fd.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br />New friends moved in, including Micaela and wunder-dog Umi.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3222/2491517754_1db4b6dcfb.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3222/2491517754_1db4b6dcfb.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br />More Umi dog.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/2491507144_5c130f85f8.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/2491507144_5c130f85f8.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The discovery of a snowsuit I bought for cold winter mornings on the farm made a day of sledding more...interesting. The flared legs aren't too visible in this photo but wow, this thing was clearly a snow bunny uniform in its day.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2032/2490689715_a51e1d45e9.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2032/2490689715_a51e1d45e9.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Lots of bundled up conversations on the front porch.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2034/2491506202_c5d79d80f6.jpg?v=0"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2034/2491506202_c5d79d80f6.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The space between our house and next door was verrrrrrry icy this winter. Sara nicknamed it "the glacier." Rock salt wil be bought in bulk next year. </div>whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15613046045076408222noreply@blogger.com1