Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A Little Publicity - Thanks Kim at V.M. Ybor Neighborhood Association!

From their newsletter....

Tampa Old House Exchange


Old Seminole Heights resident Cara Davis has started a great new blog for owners of historic properties, preservation enthusiasts, and dedicated DIYers: Tampa Old House Exchange. This is conceived of as a clearinghouse of sorts for everything old house related: A place to trade or barter or sell old house parts like doors, windows, trim, flooring….anything. It is also a clearinghouse for ideas and experiences. Advice and projects you just won’t find on HGTV -

especially for Tampa. Neighbors helping neighbors. Ms. Davis is just starting this as a blog to get a feel for the response and need, but would like to develop this into a website complete with sections for different types of items, advice, referrals and even a plant exchange. Visit the blog, post a topic or two, and share some goods or experiences!

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Happy Holidays! Brrrrrrrrr!

Happy New Year! I have high hopes for 2010...2009 kind of stunk. I will be healthier and happier this year if it kills me.
It is now 43 degrees outside here in sunny Tampa....and our house temperature is 55. I have given in and turned the heat on (just for a little bit, to take the bite off). My thoughts go once again to the argument for getting a new air/heat system...if $600 electric bills in the summer is the norm for us, there has to be room for improvement in the energy efficiency dept. I know the house is big, and not insulated, but that is still high. My fantasy of replacing all 41 windows and insulating the entire house is just not reality, but if the proposed "cash for calkers" bill gets passed, we can get a 50% rebate on the purchase of energy efficient equipment, so a new system might make sense, especially if we can get our summer electric bills under $500. I am currently in the coldest/hottest (depending on which season it is) room of the house, the home office, formerly part of a wraparound porch or a porte cachere. Not sure why it is so much worse than the rest of the house...perhaps poor construction. I can't feel  my fingers much right now, and the forecast is for highs in the 50s next week. So much for a break in electric bills....snuggie, anyone?

Friday, December 18, 2009

Our Pretty Tree!!

Just after we had done a hard pruning to allow traffic to pass without having to swing out around it (and manged to keep the gorgeous shape intact) a utility truck has clipped a major branch (more like half of the tree) and there it lies in the street.....I think we are going to have to cut it down now....:-(  It had to stay closer than usual to the curb becasue there was a UPS truck parked on the other side of the street.


I remember thinking how pretty a shape the tree had when we were looking at the house and what a nice vista it provided out through the front door......

Saturday, November 28, 2009

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/.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

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.