After a number of years with just exposed OSB subfloor (and a couple of rugs) as the flooring in my kitchen… It now has (part of) a floor. Do not be fooled by that picture. It is still mostly this… I have been avoiding this project for actual years because 1.) I couldn’t find flooring I liked, and 2.) I knew what an extra large pain in the ass putting this floor in was going to be. There were a lot of good reasons to install wood floors in here (and there was a minute where I almost bought some click-lock floating laminate as a “temporary” floor for both the kitchen and the crazy-pink-tile ..read more

First, a warning: Sad farm shit ahead.  About this time last year, I walked out to the barn one morning and found the older of my two donkeys, Doc, laying unresponsive on the ground. He was alive, but barely. The vet lives just down the road and was able to make it out to us quickly–so I didn’t have to wait long for help and a diagnosis–but it wasn’t good news. Doc had some kind of stroke or other neurological event in the early hours of the morning. He was blind, unable to stand up, not responsive to outside stimuli, and very clearly suffering.  I’m not a person who puts down an an ..read more

I started off the year by writing about measuring sticks. The metaphorical kind, not actual tape measures (although I’ve written plenty about those too.) And while I used bodies and physical aesthetics as my example, that is just one of many ways Other People’s Measuring Sticks show up in our lives.  The way people portray perfect lives on social media is another. Or the way we place value on money, and job titles, and social status. And I suppose we can add “likes” and “followers” to that list.  Also, while I don’t (and won’t) have kids, don’t get me started on the measuring sticks ..read more

Not only is it that time of year again (the one where we reflect on all the things we’ve done, and all the things we hope to do, while simultaneously being bombarded with “new year, new you” messaging, which is all just bullshit trying to get people to buy whatever weight-loss program/tea/diet crap is hip this year) but, it’s also “that time of year” during the actual weirdest year that many of us have ever lived through.  These are strange times. And recently, in talking about These Strange Times, I said that a sign of being an emotionally intelligent adult is being able to hold two oppo ..read more

If there’s a satisfying update to be had this year, it’s most likely because my mom has been making a lot of progress updating the Lake House, almost entirely without my help. I did build the deck stairs, and one time wedged myself through this tiny hole to fix a broken hose spigot…   1.) Yes, that bigass boulder is a part of the Lake House foundation. And, 2.) I legit dragged my mom’s hair dryer through that hole with me… if you’re ever having a hard time loosening a threaded copper fitting? Hair dry it. And try not to feel like an idiot while you’re doing it. Good luck. Other than ..read more

I’ve had bare subfloor in my kitchen since one day back in 2015 when I was definitely not starting my kitchen renovation, but also happened to have a dumpster and my house and was probably drinking beer and decided to indulge in my favorite beer-drinking sport… hitting something with a hammer. Which is how this happened…  All I’m saying is, it has been some years since I’ve had an actual floor in my kitchen. But, interestingly, not enough years that my friends and family have given up hope. Like, for five whole years people in my life have asked very often and very optimistically if my k ..read more

If there ever was a summer in my life that I’d want to be on a roll with building shit, this would have been the one, obviously. Was I? Absolutely not.  I’ve never been able to fully articulate the difference between when I’m “on” and “off” as it relates to building. Sometimes–through fate, or alcohol, or the alignment of the stars, or (more likely) brain chemistry–I am just on. I have energy for days, I can hold numbers and building plans in my head without trying, I never mis-cut a board, and the most complex projects seem laughably easy. Sometimes this lasts a week, or a couple of week ..read more

This was meant to be a post about the kitchen projects I worked on during the early days of quarantine. (I know, I know, you’re mostly here for the kitchen.) Look, I did do some shit…  But it is almost impossible to talk about “quarantine projects” without sounding a little flippant about covid. Especially because I sound flippant about every goddamn thing, mostly because I do not get worked up over shit I cannot control. Also, that’s just how my writing voice sounds (up to and including in the obituary I wrote this summer for my grandfather…who died because of covid.)  I loved that ..read more

Well, shit.  That’s about the only articulate thing I can say about 2020. To be fair, I’m out of practice. However, I’d also  guess I’m not the only person stuck in the space between “there are a lot of things that should be said about this year” and “dear god, I’m sick of people talking about this year.” A space that i believe can be most accurately described like this:  Well. Shit.  Sixteen years ago I started writing stories on the internet (about the adventures of renovating houses) before this was a thing. Just to put that in context, it was before YouTube existed, bef ..read more

Even before I knew how to name it (or identify it) one of the core principles of my life was always to follow my energy. I used to say that I was a jack of all trades, or that I had a lot of hobbies, or, in wry moments, with countless projects in-progress around the house, call it “Project ADD”. Fifteen years ago– before all of the houses and power tools– I used to take art classes, religiously. Metal casting, stained glass, painting, pottery, photography. I don’t have a passion for a specific art medium, just a desire to know how things are done, and then, when I can picture something in my h ..read more