Building Character

I haven't posted in a while, mostly because there isn't a lot of exciting work happening at the moment. That does not mean that progress isn't being made, however.  We are learning that this is a slow, often monotonous, process.  It's fun to work when you can see visible results, but when you can't see much, it's hard.  This work needs done though, and so we trudge on.

Almost all of the electrical and plumbing is done, and that is a huge accomplishment.  Jack has been able to teach the boys some electrical skills along the way that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.  He has also been putting in vents throughout the house.  Nancy has been my constant sidekick, helping me remove old insulation mixed with bat guano.  Gross. She has been an amazing help to us.   We sound like Darth Vader with our respirators on, and we have to practically yell to hear each other talking.  It's fun in a character building kind of way.  We have found some treasures beneath the insulation, one of the best being a box of hinges and other hardware that were used in the house originally.  They were wrapped individually and are brand new.  It's amazing to see the difference between a new hinge and one with 115 years of patina.  Another fun find was a bottle of Foso Bark Soap in it's original box.  Foso Bark Soap was used for hair growth, namely in women who were losing their locks. I imagine it was similar to snake oil.

As the weather has taken a turn for the better, we have also spent  more time outside.  The sheds and their contents need sifted through, and most things need thrown out or burned.  In the only viable shed we found the original interior shutters.  They are in mostly good shape, even though they need a little TLC.  We took them inside, and I will work on refinishing them at a later time.  The cool thing is that the butterfly hinges on the shutters are the same as the ones on the built-in pantry, and the same ones we found in the attic.  I really feel like it's all going to come together someday.  

Foso Foam- None Genuine Without the Golden Head.   "Removes all scalp diseases, and produces a luxuriant growth of hair upon a  Bald Head and stops hair from falling."