My Oven From Hell

Sometimes it is hard to tell if something is old and charming or just a piece of crap.  This is definetly the latter and I've been cooking on the last 7 weeks.  It's a hurkin' 42" wide so this beast is getting its own post.  I'm curious about how old it is.  All I can tell is that it is by GE because the label is so old I can't read the model or serial numbers.

I recently discovered why the top gets so extremely hot when the oven is on.  There is hole in the top inside part of it.  I've been using it as a plate warmer, but I think maybe I need to stop using it all together.

The fire extinguisher is not staged.

That wire across the top holds the top heating element in place.  The light bulb has a hole in it and the globe that is supposed to cover it is missing.

UPDATE: I am now enjoying my new gas range.  Using the microwave is still a little inconvenient, but it was when it was on top of the old range too.  Looking forward to the kitchen remodel in a couple of years.

Weekend Projects

This was a busy weekend but I got a lot done.  All of the boxes in the middle of the living room have been unpacked and furniture has been rearranged.

Small but cozy.  Some day I will get those little windows uncovered.

My home office.

I love glass with bubbles in it.

I will be putting book shelves on that blank wall and some pictures between them.

My handyman, Richard, installed my motion detector flood light.  That and my DropCam will do until I get a fence.

Left: current kitchen cabinet knobs.  Right: the ones I'm going to replace with.  They go with the door knobs that are original to the house.

Original door knobs.  Not all of them are still here but I will try to find replacements that match.

On top of being ugly, it leaked.

I had to use this sink for a month.  This was hard because the last house I bought was brand new.

New sink: $25 from Habitat.  New faucet: $25 from Lowes.  Installation $50 from Richard.  Using a clean not leaking sink: PRICELESS!

Our first real rain since I got here.  It looked like I didn't even have gutters.

Jake removed a small weed farm from my gutters.

Unfortunately Jake found a new problem.  All of my roof returns are made of wooden shingles and they're all rotten.  Luckily they are decorative.  I will have Richard patch them up for the winter and they will get fixed properly when a new roof is put on.

Another surprise.  I will have Richard put this back on the edge of the roof.

I decided not to try to maintain miniature versions of the bushes that made up the jungle.  The whole thing is gone now and I put shades in the basement windows.

The Jungle Is Gone!

Today the jungle on the south side of my house that went up to the attic windows got a trim.  The jungle is now two 5' tall bushes.  They will be trimmed away from the sidewalk a little but this is basically what it will look like.  What a difference!

I can see my house! (AFTER)

Nice! (AFTER)

The jungle is on the right side. (BEFORE)

I can see out my kitchen window and light can come in!

How nice to be able to look out my windows!

Historic Everett Home Tour 2017

Denise and I had a great time seeing these historic homes in Everett on Saturday.  These pictures are from the homes on the tour and also exterior shots of the homes we saw walking from one to another.

The tour began at the Van Valey house at 2130 Colby.  The upper floor is used for city offices but the main floor can be rented for parties, weddings, and retreats.  This house is an example of the American Foursquare design, also called Northwest Classic Box, and was made popular by the Prairie style made popular by Frank Lloyd Wright.  The original cost was $5,000.

Jo and Dean, I thought of you guys when I saw these ceilings!  

Next was the Bucey house at 2507 Rucker.  It is on the cover of the historic homes calendar for 2017.  It has 4 working fireplaces.  The house was built for the Bucey family, and the application for water which was signed by Richard Ready, was dated 1900.  Mrs. Bucey murdered the family and commited suicide in 1902.  It is currently for sale for $500,000.

This little window is by the landing going up to the second floor.

On to the next house.

Notice their bushes display their address.

This may be my favorite exterior in town.

Next was the Blakely house, built in 1918.  The first owner, Carlie Blakely purchased it for $900.  It is 856 square feet.  Original exterior siding and moulding is still intact.

Then we began our walk to the next house.

Next is the Mattson house.  I didn't get a picture of the front so I found this one online.  This home is in the Donovan district and is owned by the Everett Historical Commissioner.  Before I moved to Washington, I fell in love with a home almost exactly like this.  I watched it every day on Zillow and wanted to cry the day it showed as pending.

I will be stealing many ideas from this picture for my own home.

Off to the next home.

Next was the Mortland-Van Dalen house, an American Foursquare built in 1903, was at 1316 Hoyt Ave.

Off to the next house.

This is a beautiful dormer with a porch.  Too bad the hospital is so close behind it.

I get to enjoy this beauty on the way to my place every time I come home.

The last house we saw was the Carlson house.  There was one more after this one but after 3 1/2 hours of walking we decided to eat instead.  The Carlson house was my favorite.  It has two bedrooms that are available on AirBnB and at $55/night you can't beat it.  This home was built in 1906 and is an example of American Foursquare.  In 1932, Olaf Carlson was the president of both Port Gardner Investment Company and Super Shingle Company.  The kitchen has been featured on The Great Kitchen & Bath Tour in 2003.  The current owners bought it a year ago after reuniting as former high school sweethearts.

The lady in red recognized the faucet as the same one she has.  It costs $600.

I asked the owner about this antique pinball machine.  He said the previous owner left it for him.  He was moving into a condo and did not have room for it.  He knew nothing about it.  I was tempted to offer to buy it from him but I have no room either.  I need to remember that I can enjoy things without owning them.

This is the house next door to the Carlson house.

Elsie, the current owner, is an artist and this is her studio in the attic.

Back to the car and food.

We enjoyed lunch seated outside at Cafe Zippy which has a similar feel to my long time favorite coffee shop the Orchard Valley Coffee Company in Campbell, California.  It has a nice homey feel with wooden tables.  Cafe Zippy gives you a discount on your drink if you ride your bike there.  They also have live music, game nights, and poetry readings.  I almost got to buy the house next door to Cafe Zippy, but I lost in a bidding war.  They're still only 3 blocks from where I live now.