Tampa Old House Exchange

This is a new experiment for me born from my frustration in not having an architectural salvage yard here in Tampa. There are some cool stores like Sherry's Yesterdaze, Tampa Street Market and that place down by the bridge on Hillsborough I can't quite remember...and some funtional outlets like the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and of course craigslist (and ebay), but nothing that quite fits the bill. What if there was an online clearinghouse for old house people here in Tampa where items could be offerred for sale or trade, items could be asked for, advice could be requested and given with regards to old house projects and experiences could be shared? Heck there could even be a plant exchange. Neighbors helping neighbors. I would love to have feedback....the new blog is located at http://tampaoldhouseexchange.blogspot.com/.

Happy Thanksgiving

Here comes another Thanksgiving here in Florida; I still expect to feel the harsh cold air, and maybe some snow for this day, even after 7 or 8 Florida Thanksgivings. While I can at this moment think of several things to complain about or feel sad about, I know I have so much to be thankful for. The budget is tight, but I'm thankful that I have a budget, many don't. My house is old and needs repairs, but I am thankful that I have a house, many don't. My job is all consuming and overwhelming, but I'm thankful to have one, again, many don't. I am thankful for my husband, my children and my entire family. I am thankful that I can put food on the table and clothes on our backs. Simple, everyday things, but in this crazy world, so many are lacking the simplest of comforts. I am thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Finally, the Chill

Below 60 this morning, now up to 63; maybe fall is finally here! It is freezing here in our home office, the least insulated/protected room of the house....it's always super hot in here when it's hot outside and super cold when it gets chilly outside....not sure why it is worse than the rest of the insulation-challenged house, but boy...it's winter in here! I used to think that it got so hot because it has it's own roof as opposed to being under the rest of the house...but maybe it's just becasue it's so separate from the house....it was originally either a wrap around open porch or a porte cochere; there was something here according to the sanborn maps, but the porch is concrete and ends at the end of the exisitng porch; I'm not sure that they would have hacked away a concrete deck to enclose a room, they would have built over the concrete. Unless the concrete was a much later addition. It is now joists and light pine floors. The room has some structural issues, termite damage, wood rot, water damaged walls...the window sils are 90% dust and 10% wood....it's on our "list", we'll get to it! I guess it just doesn't have the protection from the elements of the house.
I'll just wrap a blanket around myself and don my LL Bean "Wicked Good Slippers" when I need computer time.

Tech Help, Please

OK, so I'm being an insomniac, playing with the blog....I changed some fonts and colors; nothing major. What I need help with is my account...I started this blog using one email address, and I am now one another, but I cannot change my account information to reflect that. I was able to add my new email address as a contributor (thus the two contributors listed....Cara & carasu....in case you have not figured it out...BOTH ME), so I can post while signed on to my current email, but any changes I want to make have to be made while signed in to my old email...very cumbersome. Is there a way to transfer the blog account from one email to the other so I don't have to continue this double identity thing?
**UPDATE**
HAHA! Lack of sleep breeds inquisitiveness! I have fixed it! Hooray for me! No more double identity.....

Beautiful Outside!

The weather has finally turned "autumny"....sunny, 75 and low humidity.....NOW we can turn off the ac for good until next spring...which is good, since I just received my electric bill - $412 LEVELIZED.....$318 non levelized....this house SUCKS UP ELECTRICITY. I wish we could get some solar panels to supplement the electricity. I don't know anyone else with bills this high. We peaked at $595 non levelized in August. Who pays that much?? Dumbasses who buy big old uninsulated houses with horrible windows and no subfloors, that's who.  (Ones who lost their shirt in investment property and cannot afford to reside, insulate and rebuilt in order to make the house more efficient).
This is the time of year our yard starts looking poor, because the weeds die down and it is revealed that we have no actual grass in the front yard....and I will start trying to "fill" in more yard with more of those purple things (oyster plants?) or aspire to put in some kind of hedgey plant to take up more space and lessen the dead weed area. Maybe it's happen, maybe not; maybe I'll just lose my mind and order up a new lawn one of these days...but I hate Florida lawns..they are "crunchy" and you need to know more about science than gardening in order to sustain one. Oyster plants, I can do.