A Great Old-House Blog

Hi friends,

You might know that I am a big fan of older houses, especially those built in the 1940s or earlier. They just don't build them like they used to, I'm afraid. I am especially fond of houses that have "good bones" but need a little work to bring them back to their original character. Houses that are all done just don't have the same appeal to me. If I could choose where to live, I would choose an older home that needs work over a finished newer home, any day. :)

When Mom and Dad lived in Indiana, I got to help them work on their 100+ year old farmhouse. Mom and I stripped off layers of wallpaper, patched holes in the plaster, and applied fresh paint. I loved every minute of it. I'm a little sad that they chose to purchase a brand new home when they moved to Texas, though I can understand their wish to avoid another "project." Old homes can consume a lot of time and money.

I used to read a blog which chronicled the adventures of a guy who was painstakingly restoring an 1895 Victorian in Eureka, California. Somehow I managed to completely forget about that blog until just the other day, when a Google search revealed that his blog is still up and running, and that he's made a lot of progress in the last couple of years. If you like old houses, you'll love this blog.

The Petch House

Time-wasters

I mentioned recently that I'll be spending more time downtown lately. That's because the ex-husband has finally moved from Indiana to the Houston area. So twice a week, I take the boys to see their dad. We often meet downtown because it's a good half-way point between my place and his, and there are lots of things for little boys to do downtown with their daddy, like Hermann Park (great park, by the way), or the Children's Museum.

Rather than drive all the way downtown (half an hour), turn around and come home, and a few hours later make the same trip all over again to pick the boys up, I generally try to save myself half the driving by finding myself something to do downtown while the boys visit with their dad. Sometimes I run a few errands, sometimes I go for a run, sometimes I find a good place to sit and crochet.

Despite my attempts to conserve gas, I still drove four hundred and ten miles last week. Assuming an average speed of forty miles an hour (a generous estimate, I think), that would equate to over ten hours of driving. Ten hours! A full day's work! (Well, not for a mom. :p ) That's a lot of driving for someone who doesn't work outside the home!

I drove to church and back three times, to the grocery store twice, to visit with friends once, and to take the boys to their dad twice. I could cut out the driving to the grocery store by combining those trips with others; and I suppose visiting with friends isn't a necessity. But those were the shortest trips. If I cut those out, I'm still left with a lot of driving.

As I've mentioned before, when I lived in Bloomington, Indiana, everything I needed to do was within two miles of my home. Church, grocery stores, library, bank, you name it; everything was within two miles. All of this driving in Texas seems kind of insane to me. But it seems to be the norm. Oh, and it seems that most people drive gas-guzzling SUVs or pickup trucks. I don't get it!

Are you wondering what the point of this post is? There isn't one. I'm just complaining. But to end this post on a more positive note: I am thankful that my trusty old Nissan (14 years old, 130k miles, still going strong) gets well over thirty miles to the gallon. And ultimately, I am very thankful that I have a comfortable home to stay in free of charge, even if it is rather inconveniently located. Thanks again, Mom and Dad. :)

Fund-raising Letters

Every now and then we get these fund-raising letters from political parties that are a real insult to one's intelligence. You know the kind--one-sentence paragraphs and lots of underlining and bold type and capital letters and exclamation points. The kind that is often accompanied by a "political survey" with not-so-subtly loaded questions.

I was going to write a blog post about those fund-raising letters--something about the dumbing-down of American politics--but then I discovered that Bill Watterson of Calvin and Hobbes has already said what I have to say, and said it more succinctly. :)

Researching Women's Dress

Hello again. I've been doing a lot of reading and thinking about men's and women's clothing lately. I think I'll probably be writing several posts on the topic, but I've been learning so much, I hardly know where to start! For the time being, I thought I would share some of the links I've found most interesting.

These are in no particular order.

Firstly, here is the Wikipedia article on trousers. It gives an overview of their history, and includes an interesting paragraph about women in trousers.
Trousers--Wikipedia
You might also find this one interesting:
Women Wearing Pants--Wikipedia

Here is an old book which has been put online by my alma mater, Indiana University. It includes interesting photographs and color illustrations of historical garb from various parts of Asia.
Oriental Costumes--Their Designs and Colors

A few early feminists started the "dress reform" movement which was considered quite radical in its day.
19th Century Dress Reform, In Pictures
Be sure to check out the additional pages--all quite interesting.

In 866, the Pope was asked whether or not the women in Bulgaria needed to cease their custom of wearing pants in order to join the Catholic church.
Responsa Nicolai I ad consulta Bolgarorum
The interesting element of this link is not the Pope's opinion on the matter, but the fact that Bulgarian women in 866 wore pants.

In many cultures today, men still wear skirt-like garments. Here is a site that lists traditional male unbifircated (undivided) garments from around the world. The kilt is the most obvious example, but there are a number of others that I wasn't familiar with.
MUGs Around the World
Note: The rest of this site is questionable, but this particular page is interesting.

Here is a link with illustrations of what men and women probably wore in Bible times. I'm not sure about everything described here--for instance, the author seems quite sure that Jewish women wore makeup. But I can't find a better link with illustrations of Bible-era clothing. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Living in Bible Times

Here is an article by a family friend that represents probably the more conservative end of the Free Presbyterian view.
Christian Clothing--Scripture Standards for Dress and Conduct

*****PLEASE NOTE*****I am NOT endorsing every opinion or article of clothing presented in the links above.

In case you're wondering "What exactly is Sharon advocating here?" ....I'm not advocating anything (yet). I'm just sharing some of what I've learned about what it means to dress as a man or a woman in different cultures, and what it meant in days past.

I may post other interesting links as I come across them. Happy reading!

My Family

Hello, folks!

If you don't know my wonderful family, you should. Please feel free to visit at any time; we love visitors. I recently did a series of posts about my parents and siblings. For those of you prevented by distance or circumstances from meeting my family in person, here are some brief introductions:

Dad
Mom
Me
Jesh
Caleb
Mercy
Ben

I'll update these from time to time. Enjoy!

Of Spring, and Running

So apparently, yesterday was the first day of spring: sunny, breezy, and 76 degrees. I happened to be downtown yesterday (I'll be downtown a lot for the next few months, more on that later) in the vicinity of Rice University, and as is usually the case near college campuses on the first day of spring, the sidewalks and paths were crowded with...RUNNERS.

There were herds of them, loping along gracefully, looking lean and trim and not the least bit out of breath. I watched them out of the corner of my eye with a touch--just a touch--of envy. And started formulating running plans in the back of my mind.

Running is a tough topic for me. I love to run, mostly just because (if you run, you know what I'm talking about) but also because it really gives me a lot more energy, and energy is a nice thing to have when you're a mom, especially when you're a mom to two very rambunctious little boys.

But sometimes I feel as though everything is conspiring to prevent me from running. First and foremost, of course, is the fact that I have two children who are obviously too small to be left alone while I head out for a run. When I first moved to Texas, Mom & Dad had not yet left for Israel, so I would get up early and go for a run before the boys woke; if they did wake up while I was gone, Mom was there to keep an eye on them till I got back. Now that Mom's gone, I can't do that.

Theoretically, I could still go for an early run, and let my brother deal with them if they woke. But he is a busy person and would probably not appreciate having them wake him, or interfere with his morning routine; so I would have to go really really early, to be quite sure that I would be back before they wake. But running so early would mean running in the dark, along desolate country roads, with no shoulder to speak of....I could do it, and have done it, but would rather not, you know?

Finally, the other day, it occurred to me that I could run back and forth down the street in front of our house while the boys play in the driveway. This will be incredibly tedious, as one lap back and forth will only be about a tenth of a mile. But at least I can be running.

So the next issue is (guys, feel free to tune out now) what to wear. :) Last summer I was struggling with how to run modestly, experimenting with various options and finally settling upon a pair of loose capris. But now I have discovered that what I thought was a strongly held tradition in our church--women wearing skirts--is actually a rule. A rule that is hard to find, therefore effectively "unwritten." I might as well say that I don't agree with this rule, nor with the idea of a rule being unwritten; but I'm willing to abide by it since when it comes to churches, there isn't another place I'd rather be. :) And one can always hope for change...does that make me sound like a dangerous insurrectionist? But for the time being, at least, this rule creates a new challenge to deal with when it comes to exercise.

Does anyone who read this blog run in a skirt?? Can you help me please? What do you wear and does it really work? How do you find a skirt that's full enough to stretch in yet not so full that it tangles itself around your legs while you run? I've tried a knit skirt (clung to sweaty legs; sorry guys, I warned you to tune out), a smooth polyester skirt (it BOUNCED), a denim skirt (it chafed), a light cotton skirt (wind...'nuf said), and now I'm out of ideas.

I'm a little bit afraid that someone is going to tell me "Well if you can't run decently in a skirt, then you shouldn't be running at all." And since I haven't been running lately, I don't have the energy to combat that hypothetical argument, so I won't. :)

January 15th

Yesterday, I sold this postcard (as part of a set) in my Etsy shop.

This is how the town of Port Washington, Wisconsin looked about 100 years ago. I love this card. :)

I'm beginning to think that I'm a city girl at heart. I like the compactness and efficiency of town living, which I grew accustomed to while living in Bloomington, Indiana; and I'm growing quite weary of driving twenty minutes or more to get to anything important--church, friends, family, grocery stores, libraries, parks . When I lived in Bloomington, most everything I wanted to do was within two miles; I bought a tank of gas once per month. Here, I burn through a tank of gas in less than a week.

That's not to say that there aren't aspects to rural living that I appreciate--there are; and I'm not so enamored of urban living that I would willingly sacrifice having a yard of my own. My dream home, I guess, would be a beautiful old house (a bungalow, or a foursquare, perhaps) in or near town, with a half-dozen chickens in a coop out back, vegetable plants tucked into every nook and cranny, a porch swing, and a cat sleeping on the windowsill. A big, fat cat.

Something like this urban homestead, maybe, only not quite to that extreme. You have to leave enough grass for the kids to run, you know? And for Elijah to do cartwheels (he just figured out cartwheels a week ago).

That said, if it's possible for a family to support themselves from the land, via a family farm, for instance--I would see that as an even more appealing option, even if it meant sacrificing the conveniences of city life. What better way to "train up a child in the way he should go" than to have your children by your side, assisting with the family business? Of course, in today's economy, that's not often an option.

Where would you live, if you were free to choose? City, suburbs, or country?

Interesting Post About Homeschooling

I enjoyed this post by Jasmine Baucham on homeschooling:

"I Realize You're Just Parroting What You've Been Taught."

I don't always agree with everything Jasmine has to say, but on the whole, her blog is a good read--and I'll admit I'm envious of her ability to crank out well-written posts at an impressive rate!

I spent some time in three educational environments--homeschool, a private Christian school, and public school. My experiences might not fit the stereotypes. Homeschool, at least done the way we did it (no hard deadlines), left me with a tendency to procrastinate, though I'd like to think that I've since improved in that area. :) The private Christian school proved, in the long run, to have a very negative influence, due to a prevailing attitude amongst the students that it wasn't "cool" to be too religious (at least, that's how I took it). And I had a relatively positive experience with public school, perhaps because I was quickly welcomed and befriended by some nice Christian girls, and because several of my teachers were openly professing Christians.

But in the end--and I might step on some toes here--I have to say that generally, I think that homeschooling is the ideal choice for serious Christian families, both academically and spiritually, at least through the elementary years. I do think that there are circumstances where homeschooling is not the best choice, which I would go into further if I had more time. But I'm very thankful that I'm able to homeschool my boys, since I know that homeschooling would not be an option for most single parents. Thanks, Mom and Dad. :)

We went to the ocean the other day...

Me: Look boys, the seagulls are cleaning their feathers with their beaks.
Elijah: Oh yes, they're preening. They squeeze oil from a gland just above their tails.
Me: Oh, right, I knew that.

Credit goes to this book...
...the Usborne Complete Book of Nature. I found it at Half Price Books for less than $5, and it has been worth every penny. It is full of interesting information and excellent illustrations. Elijah and Noah both enjoy it quite a bit. It seems to be out of stock at Amazon, but if you have young children and happen across a copy somewhere, I would recommend purchasing it. :)

Wishing you a Happy New Year!

This 102-year-old postcard was once my grandmother's. I love it because it looks so joyous. :) Happy new year to you all!