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Teddy’s “Evening Constitutional”!
A few people have asked me why I bought a golf cart. The truth is, it's something I've always wanted, and more importantly, it's something that Teddy wants and needs. Her arthritis is slowing her down quite a bit these days. On our walkies, she's good for about a 1/4...
Penniman: A Fun and Fascinating Talk in Richmond on July 18th!
The fun starts at 5:30, but if you come early, you can meet the author (that'd be moi). The talk (a PowerPoint presentation with more than 140 vintage photos) is at the Library of Virginia (in Richmond), at 800 East Broad Street. Free parking can be found underneath...
An Aladdin “Colonial” in Lynchburg!
Years ago, I did a survey of kit homes in Lynchburg but apparently, I missed a couple. Earlier this week, I was in Lynchburg for other reasons, and on my way to an appointment, I made a wrong turn and stumbled upon two beautiful Aladdin kit homes, literally across the...
Spotted in the Wilderness: A Perfect Elsmore
Whilst driving along State Route 501, between Lynchburg and Glasgow, I spotted this Elsmore in Big Island, Virginia. (And why was a town high atop a mountain named "Big Island"?) Nonetheless, this Elsmore is a beauty, and it looks like it stepped right off the pages...
Multitudinous Blessings
It's amazing how something as pedestrian as an old-house website can turn out to be such a catalyst for multitudinous blessings. Through this website (and its accompanying page on Facebook), I have met so many people. With few exceptions, old house people are the...
Ten Things You Should Never Say to a “Suicide Widow” (or Any Trauma Survivor)
This emotion-filled blog - which took about eight hours to write in July 2018 - has been removed. My husband spread his misery far enough. I won't promote it further. I do recommend this book (shown below). It's the best thing on this topic that I've found. And if you...
For My 59th Birthday…I’d Be Grateful For Your Prayers
My birthday is July 4th. For my birthday, I'd be grateful to have your prayers for healing and progress and peace. Two years have come and gone since The Bad Thing. In the last 12 months, I have purchased a slightly used house (built 1976), 11 new stuffed horses (in...
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Last week, I traveled almost 1,000 miles (round trip) to Newberry, South Carolina to learn more about Sadie Bowers, and visit her gravesite. It was also an opportunity to visit James, a dear friend who lives less than 100 miles away from Newberry. James and I had a...
And Her Name is C-Biscuit…
In the last few months, I have really struggled to sort out my thoughts and figure out what makes me happy. More than a year ago, I decided that I was going to live on a five-acre horse farm and keep a couple horses. And then I spent some time with a...
Penniman.
Yesterday, a dear friend called to remind me that I had a lecture in the afternoon at a Williamsburg library. Fortunately, I remembered to attend THIS lecture! The 50-mile drive on I-64W was uneventful, which is a little miracle unto itself. I left two hours early,...
Penniman Par-TAY! It’s DONE!
Updated! Good lecture. Good times. 😀 Ghost Towns. Virginia History. Phenomenal Personal Sacrifice. Women workers. And a devastating epidemic that wiped out so many workers that the local cemeteries ran out of space. Penniman has all of these elements and more, and...
Who Doesn’t Love a Story About Ghost Towns?
On May 26th, I'll be giving a talk on Penniman (with lots of new pictures). For a variety of reasons, I'm not sure how much longer I will be living in this area, so if you'd like to hear me give a talk on Penniman, please attend this talk in Williamsburg. And if...
Help In The Garden?
It seems as though winter is finally over, and Teddy and I have been spending time in the yard. She and I have been trying to figure out what type of plants we have here. If you can help identify these two items, we'd both be very grateful. * * * * * * * * * * To...
Prayers For a Quick Turning…
To start, a quote from O. S. Guinness: * The story of Christian reformation, revival, and renaissance underscores that the darkest hour is often just before the dawn, so we should always be people of hope and prayer, not gloom and defeatism. God the Holy Spirit can...
Pink Bathrooms: Extinction Looms
Remember the very first commandment of old house renovation? Thou shalt not destroy good old work. That's it. More than 35% of the garbage at America's landfills is construction-related waste. That's a phenomenal amount of debris. What's worse is this: The replacement...
What’s My Happy Color?
Six months ago, a new chapter of my life began when I moved into this house in Suffolk, Virginia. In the 12 months prior to that, I'd often tell people, "I want a house that's quirky and fun, something that's solid and well-built, but unique. When people walk into the...
Boardwalk Empire and Sears Kit Homes
The last few weeks, I've been watching Boardwalk Empire (HBO), set in 1920s Atlantic City. It's centered around the real life story of prohibition-era gangster Enoch Johnson, who's known as Enoch ("Nucky") Thompson on the show. From the start, one of my favorite...
Before Calling the Fire Department, I Cleaned The House…
Early this morning, I detected an acrid smell in my bedroom, and it was the distinctive smell of an electrical fire. Admittedly, I have a hypersensitive sniffer, and the smell was intense - to me. I walked throughout the house looking for its source. I walked outside,...
Compartmentalizing the Sacred Spaces
As my friends know, I consider the Open Floor Plan to be a plague spot on American architecture, and it's a plague that continues to spread. The home I recently purchased in Suffolk has lots and lots of walls and a few doors, and I'm a big fan of walls and doors....
Ladies, Where Are Your Names (and Stories)?
While little is known about the men who worked at Penniman, even less is known about the women of Penniman, and yet, the majority of the workforce at DuPont's 37th munitions plant were women. Loading TNT powder into 75mm and 155mm shells was a nasty bit of business,...
Richmond: Replete with Recherché Kit Homes
My late husband loved Richmond. In the beginning of his legal career, he had lived in Richmond and worked as a clerk for a judge with the Supreme Court of Virginia. I'm sorry to say that I don't remember the judge's name. Wayne always seemed pleased that I could...
The People of Penniman: Personal Papers?
There's no doubt in my mind that a "Pennimanite" left behind a personal reminiscence or journal or unpublished manuscript or something, telling about his war-time experiences at Penniman, Virginia. The problem is finding these people, and then finding their...
Is That You, Dr. Cottrell?
Last month, Steven Beauter was kind enough to share an incredible vintage photo album with me, which featured more than a dozen pictures from 1918-era Penniman, Virginia, a "ghost city" six miles from Williamsburg. There are several unidentified folks within the pages...
Nope, It’s Not a Sears Magnolia…
In the last 20 years, I've probably received more than 200 emails and inquiries from folks who think they've found a Sears Magnolia. In the last 20 years, I've found four Magnolias as a result of these emails and inquiries. That means that 2% of the time, these...
Pulchritudinous Poquoson and Its Kit Homes
Several months ago, I went looking for a GriefShare group to join, and chose one in Poquoson (Virginia). The primary reason was this: I didn't know anyone in Poquoson, so if I had a panic attack or started crying or acted like a fool, I could surreptitiously slip out...
Penniman: We Have Alleyne’s Last Name!
After that last blog, Milton, Mark and David (three faithful researchers that have been with me since the start of this project) went to work to find Alleyne's last name. This morning, I found an email from Mark Hardin, explaining that he'd found Alleyne. Her full...
The People of Penniman – We Have Pictures!
Now we just need some names. Thanks to Steven Beauter, a sharp-eyed and devoted historian and lover of history, we have pictures of the people of Penniman. A few years ago, Steven purchased an early 20th century photo album that he'd found on eBay. More recently, he...
Love, Prayers and “Standard Bilt” Sears Homes
Yesterday started out tough but ended up on a lovely note. There were several decisions to make, hard things to do, and then, after breakfast, I discovered a jagged edge on my bottom front tooth. It had been feeling a little odd for about a month, but I'd ignored it....
The Weather Outside is Frightful…
Last night, the Hampton Roads area (Norfolk/Virginia Beach) had an unusual event: A major snowstorm. It was accurately forecast, so we were all well prepared. However, this was a "special" snowstorm for me, as it was my first winter in my new house. Enjoy the pictures...
Two Months Since My Last Blog…
This Christmas, my second as a widow, was a vast improvement over my first (last year). This year, my three daughters made the long trek to my recently acquired home in Suffolk, Virginia and we had a lovely time together on Christmas morning. This morning (Wednesday),...
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