Random Summer Photos

A few random photos from this summer

Red Sun from the forest fires in the West

Evening parade

Backdoor visitor - Got carrots???

Early Summer blooms in neighbor's yard

Unusual Aspen 

Mine opening found in nearby foothills

Mine Tag

Sign at nearby laundromat

Crude but effective

Cat Tales ~ Green Excesses

Mommy has a green thumb. She loves flowers and trees and all things growing in the dirt.
Mommy said she wanted to  make the new place look bee-utiful. A place that when people who stop to look at the old house say, "WoW! Look at those flowers. And at this altitude!"

{{Mommy said that the people who stop in the street or on the sidewalk out in front of the house are taking pictures of the house because it is old and pretty. Me disagrees. Those people are taking pictures of ME! cause Me is so handsome and Me likes to sit in the front window to show off Me's fantastic good-looks}}

Back to Mommy and her thumb. Mommy ordered seeds to plant to make her garden pretty. But she didn't want to plant the seeds in the ground. She wanted to plant the seeds in the house. Really???  I know those Doggies are pigs but Me didn't think the floor was that dirty!

Mommy got a mini-greenhouse - that's what Mommy called it. Me told her that it wasn't very green but she pointed out that the shelves and supports were green. And soon, Mommy said, there would be green in the trays and trays and trays and trays of dirt sitting in the greenhouse.

Well, Mommy wasn't wrong. There are trays and trays and trays and trays of green everywhere in the house. Mommy said that as soon as the weather breaks, she would be planting the green outside.

Now, how do you break the weather???

Pepe came for a visit

image source

What better way to celebrate May Day than with an odoriferous post!

A few weeks back Pepe came for a visit at our house and one of the Dogs encountered him. Actually, he showed up in the middle of the night.

One of the Dogs just HAD to go outside in the middle of the night. So Hubby gets up and lets the Dogs out - without thinking. Then we realized just why the Dog HAD to go outside. He had heard something lurking in the yard (why can't they do that when the Coon is snooping around?)

Well, Hubby let the Dog back in the house not realizing the Dog had been sprayed, Hubby just thought Dog had scared a skunk away from the yard. Dog then promptly came into our bedroom and immediately tried to rub the spray off his neck and chest onto our carpet! AUGH!!!!!

So, at 2am I ushered Dog back outside, Hubby to bed and set a bowl of vinegar in bedroom to kill some of the odor so Hubby could get some sleep. I then researched what to use on Dog. And carpet.

Long story short, I used hydrogen peroxide and baking soda on Dog. I made a mixture of the two with some added dog shampoo which contained coconut oil. I rubbed this mix into his fur especially around the neck and chest where the skunk had sprayed. I let it sit for about 5 minutes then added water and proceeded to wash Dog. Hubby came home later with a skunk deodorizer shampoo which worked very well. 

Bedroom carpet was cleaned with skunk deodorizer shampoo and then again with regular rug shampoo. Dog also received another bath three days later. Faint odor lasted about 2 wks but Hubby said it was all in my head - he couldn't smell it.  I have since taken measures to help insure Pepe can no longer come to visit the yard. I have planted flowers on the outside of the fence!

Homes w/Soul

Thank you for the comments on my last post. 

The Dog's Mother - Kudos to your daughter! I am discovering more and more of her generation truly appreciate the craftsmanship which went into the old houses.

Mittens - I love to hear stories about people who have lovingly restored these glorious homes. Hubby and I have always been on the 'other end' of the house restoration - we restore the house and then end up selling it and moving on to the next one. This is the first time we have owned a house which has already been restored (at least 95%). There are some things we wish to do to give it that "POP". We want to restore the gingerbread around the front eave, upgrade the front porch light, new picket fence. 
All minor details. But then, The Devil is in the Details......

Soul-less Houses

There's a saying, "The Devil is in the Details". 
This couldn't be more accurate when it comes to the Victorian Houses found in small towns across the globe. It used to be main-stream thinking to demolish these old beauties and put up some under-engineered stick built dwelling. In many locales, these houses are seen as a boon to the community and they have been lovingly restored. In some towns, developers have gotten hold of these homes and have kept the exterior but have completely 'modernized' the interior. Tearing out and not replacing beautiful woodwork, ornate doorknobs, or other details which add to the charm, the Soul of the House. 
Those are the Soul-less Houses.

A house in Cripple Creek that was recently sold

The interior of the above house could be an apartment
or small condo located in Anywhere, USA

When gaming was established in Colorado. There was a new kind of land rush to the state. People focused on making a quick buck swooped in, bought up real estate (both commercial and private), and then did their darnedest to turn a quick profit. I understand that the commercial establishments had to do a fair amount of remodeling in order to bring old buildings up to the modern building safety codes. But I think that a little more care could have been taken in designing the brand new buildings so they blended in with the old ones a wee bit better.

Proposed expansion for a local casino

To me, the details say it all about a house. And all the people, who over the years, have left their mark on that house. Our house was purchased, along with several others, by a retired gentleman in the 1990's, not long after gaming was established. This man did his best to modernize these houses and yet retain as much of the old charm as he could. I commend this guy! And it is because of his attention to detail that we have a home with a Soul.

Original light fixtures (modernized) with embossed wallpaper on ceiling and walls, crown molding, chair rails all add to the original ambiance of the house

Old Sew-n-Sew

For those of you out there who like to sew. Here is a link to a source for free vintage patterns. 

Click here to go to vintage patterns

Can it Be?

Happy Joyous Spring!

For The Working Girls

Hubby and I recently attended a charity event,   Pearl's Follies, to raise money for the local Working Girls and their place of business - The Old Homestead House. They are hoping enough money was raised to pay off the mortgage on the building.

Old Homestead House present day

Old Homestead House - 1950s picture

The Old Homestead House was the most notorious Parlour House in Cripple Creek and is only one of three historic buildings of this type (brothel) known to exist in the US. This establishment was owned and operated by Madame Pearl De Vere.

Pearl De Vere began her business career in Denver and became wealthy by catering to only the richest men. She came to Cripple Creek in 1893 to capitalize on the wealth created by the gold rush. One night with one of her 'girls' cost upwards of $250! And this was in a time when $3 a day was considered good wages for a miner. Needless to say, most of her clientele were the wealthy business men of the District.

Parlour

The Old Homestead House is located on Meyers Avenue, the red light district of Cripple Creek. Brothels and 'cribs' (small houses for prostitutes - generally one room) lined this street. The original building was a wood structure and it burned to the ground in the Fire of 1895 which burned most of the town of Cripple Creek. Pearl had the building rebuilt, but this time it was constructed from bricks. She spared no expense in the construction and especially in the decorating of the interior. Velvet wallpaper was purchased for the dining room, brass door and cabinet hardware came from India, electric crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings, a telephone was installed along with an intercom. And the new building had two indoor bathrooms! The upstairs rooms had windows so that gentlemen callers could view 'the goods' before deciding on who they would stay the night with. During this tragic time, Pearl was most generous to those affected by the fire by providing food and other needed items.

In 1897, Pearl was found unconscious in her room and later died from an overdose of morphine. Her death was ruled an accidental overdose but many suspected it to be suicide because she had been scorned by a previous lover.

Pearl's funeral filled the streets of Cripple Creek. A brass band led the funeral procession to Mt. Pisgah Cemetery.

Today the old Parlour House is a museum with the majority of the original furnishings. A fun and knowledgeable staff  are ready to give guided tours. 

Here is a link to our visit to the classiest bawdy house in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. CLICK HERE!

Cripple Creek Ice Festival 2018~ pt.3

The second weekend of the Ice Festival saw record crowds fill the streets of Cripple Creek. And the additional sculptures added to the magic. 

The sculptures stay up for an additional week for visitors and residents to enjoy. Can't wait to see what's in store for next year!

Cripple Creek Ice Festival 2018 ~ pt.2

While the first day of the event brought a snowstorm to the area, the second day was gorgeous! The beautiful sunshine allowed people to fully enjoy the frosty creations.

In Cripple Creek, no event is complete unless there are DONKEYS!

The City had another shipment of ice brought in before the second weekend because in the past, the ice has melted in the warm temperatures, causing the sculptures to look a bit sad. But this year was different. The cold stuck around all week and the new ice allowed the sculpting teams to create more beautiful-ness. 

Next time we'll take a look at the second batch of sculptures and some night-time views.