Farm Journal
Thoughts and images from life at Foster Road
- Journal Entries
- 60: JUNE 30, 2010
- 59: JUNE 10, 2010
- 58: MAY 28, 2010
- 57: MAY 13, 2010
- 56: APRIL 30, 2010
- 55: APRIL 19, 2010
- 54: APRIL 5, 2010
- 53: MARCH 19, 2010
- 52: FEB. 20, 2010
- 51: FEB. 14, 2010
- 50: FEB. 9, 2010
- 49: FEB. 1, 2010
- 48: JAN. 27, 2010
- 47: JAN. 20, 2010
- 46: JAN. 15, 2010
- 45: JAN. 10, 2010
- 44: DEC. 18, 2009
- 43: DEC. 15, 2009
- 42: DEC. 7, 2009
- 41: DEC. 2, 2009
- 40: NOV. 22, 2009
- 39: NOV. 13, 2009
- 38: NOV. 6, 2009
- 37: NOV. 4, 2009
- 36: OCT. 23, 2009
- 35: OCT. 10, 2009
- 34: OCT. 9, 2009
- 33: SEPT. 30, 2009
- 32: SEPT. 23, 2009
- 31: SEPT. 12, 2009
- 30: SEPT. 9, 2009
- 29: SEPT. 7, 2009
- 28: SEPT. 2, 2009
- 27: AUG. 29, 2009
- 26: AUG. 21, 2009
- 25: AUG. 20, 2009
- 24: AUG. 18, 2009
- 23: AUG. 16, 2009
- 22: AUG. 14, 2009
- 21: AUG. 13, 2009
- 20: AUG. 12, 2009
- 19: JULY 23, 2009
- 18: JULY 3, 2009
- 16: JULY 1, 2009
- 15: JUNE 7, 2009
- 14: MAY 31, 2009
- 13: MAY 25, 2009
- 12: APRIL 24, 2009
- 11: APRIL 21, 2009
- 10: APRIL 16, 2009
- 9: APRIL 15, 2009
- 8: APRIL 13, 2009
- 7: APRIL 12, 2009
- 6: APRIL 1, 2009
- 5: MARCH 2009
- 4: FEBRUARY 2009
- 3: JANUARY 2009
- 2: DECEMBER 2008
- 1: OCTOBER 2008
Discovery
As I spoke with my contractor Clark and his right hand man Randy about the additions to the back of the house, I bemoaned the twelve-inch shingles, whining about how they ruined the house’s original character. I told them about the vintage photos showing the house in its classic narrow wood siding and that I hoped one day to restore its original style.
Clark replied, “Heck, that stuff’s probably under those shingles! They usually just put up furring strips and nailed right over the top.” The sun was shining. I had my wrecking bar. So we went at it. Sure enough! The original siding was there, preserved from the elements by the outer shell of cedar and in remarkably good shape.
Two telltale spots give me an idea of what I may find on the rest of the house. Below the windows all looks good—an area that can often suffer from water damage. But, the bottom tier of is missing in the section I cleared, showing that some replacement may be necessary. The distinctive profile will need to be matched. Boo-hoo, I’ll have to buy a new router bit. Heck, I’ll have to buy a router! Wow, and here it is my birthday…
The creamy off-white paint was not the show-girl Victorian hue I thought it might be, but no matter. Choosing a new color can be the cherry-on-the-sundae, AFTER I’ve cleaned my plate of removal, patching and scraping. This may be a next-year project depending on how construction goes on the rest of the house, but it’s a delightful discovery and definitely two steps forward in the dance.
