Medallions - Zia Sun Symbol?

Finally - after two years, the medallions are back on the second story porch. They had been removed for the stucco work done in late summer 2008. Unfortunately for us, they were probably not the originals (lumber dimensionally looks like it was replaced in the recent past) and had rotted.

The short history of this house is that the owners, A.M and Alice Bellack so enjoyed their travels to the Southwest, they had their Queen Anne home partially redone in the southwest style. The South and West facing are stucco - the North and East facing still maintain their clapboard. To add an air of mystery - we found a very old real estate agent's business card in the kitchen walls. The agent was from New Mexico. (my mastery of the English language astounds me... let me clarify - the business card is very old - I'm not sure how old the agent is/was).


That little tidbit of history lead down another research path. Note the medallions on the front of the house. They seem to resemble the Zia Sun Symbol on the New Mexico state flag. Here's a pic and history of the Zia Sun Symbol: (excerpt from Wikipedia, Zia)

The Zia Indians of New Mexico regard the Sun as a sacred symbol. Their symbol, a red circle with groups of rays pointing in four directions, is painted on ceremonial vases, drawn on the ground around campfires, and used to introduce newborns to the Sun. Four is the sacred number of the Zia and can be found repeated in the four points radiating from the circle. The number four is embodied in:

• the four points of the compass (north, south, east, and west);
• the four seasons of the year (spring, summer, autumn and winter);
• the four periods of each day (morning, noon, evening and night);
• the four seasons of life (childhood, youth, middle years and old age); and
• the Zia's belief that with life comes four sacred obligations one must develop (a strong body, a clear mind, a pure spirit, and a devotion to the welfare of others).

We hope someday to find pictures of how the house used to look - both interior and exterior. So much is missing from this dear lady and with so many mysteries unanswered, we're left to develop our own conclusions.

Pea Viner (Guest Post)

Here it is! My very first guest post. It's in response to a question by one of two loyal readers. :) Kathy - here's your explanation of how a pea viner works - written by Kathy (aka Mom).

An old sickle mower is used to cut the pea vines. Then they are loaded onto a wagon or the truck. This year they had an old hay elevator (the thing on the back of the truck, second photo: http://schirmacher.blogspot.com/2009/07/dads-cars.html ) fixed up to pick up the pea vines and drop them into the truck. The load is then forked by hand onto the elevator that takes the vines into the machine. Inside there are screens and I think paddles that separate the peas from the vines and other debris. The vines go out the back of the machine onto a wagon and the peas roll down a wide canvas belt to the front side into a bin. Dirt and small stuff go out the back side on the canvas. The viner is operated by a belt connected to the belt pulley of a tractor.

This machine doesn’t move; it stays in the field all year, the screens and belt are taken out and stored. They have been doing this for 4 years. They put up signs on nearby roads inviting people to see the pea viner run and sample the peas.

Dad's Cars

Since they can't physically be here for the old car parade, I'll add them virtually. First picture is the Model A and T. Second photo, (photo credit to Kathy Lang) is of "the truck." Perhaps Dad or Mom can enlighten me on the vintage. It's shown during the annual family pea viner event. (Update: Truck is a 1929 Ford)

You Can't Save Them All - Or Can You?

I love old houses. The absent paint, broken windows, overgrown weeds and neglect of an abandoned, falling down building always stirs something inside me. I want to fix it. I want to save it - make it look pretty again. When looking for my first home, my real estate agent wouldn't even step past the front door in one of the houses I begged to look at. I happily climbed all over it, before deciding to stick with my decision to purchase in Columbus.

I've been told numerous times "You can't save them all."

I was thrilled to find this post from Old North St. Louis Blog. Even with my champion for the underdog attitude, I don't think I would have looked at these homes as something that could be saved. I'm amazed and in awe. What an amazing feat from a group of people taking back and creating their own community.

Here's the link:
http://onsl.org/blog/2009/07/a-holiday-celebration-of-real-revitalization-in-action.html

Dale and I really like the St. Louis area and maybe (hopefully) will purchase property down there. Our first visit 5 years ago found us lost in the North St. Louis area (I just wanted to find that Louis Sullivan building!!). Anyway, it wasn't an area we felt safe exploring. Little did we know about the magnificent changes that are happening in that area - if we'd only driven a little farther.

Angry House

It was 2:00 a.m. on Sunday.

He paced back and forth in the upstairs hallway.

"What are they doing... do they know what they are doing.... My beautiful home.... Look at all of this plaster dust everywhere - the stairwell, the bedrooms, the hallway..."

The floorboards creaked as he paced the hallway, yet he left no footprints.

Smokin'

Project "How The Hell Are We Going to Get This Done" File - Weekend 1

By July 2, we have to have the following completed - interior porch ceilings, medallion replacement, clapboard painting, electrical upgrades, replace lead pipes in the master bath AND run new plumbing to a new bathroom.

The race is on.

Equipped with a knowlegeable electrician, we replaced some old wiring and I'm happy to report have power on the porch for the first time in 4 years. We have new lighting for the stairwell which involved said electrician balancing on a 12 foot ladder - 1 side on a step the other side balanced on a stepstool and his toolbox. He tested one of the outlets . Breaker on, outlet popped and Dale yelled... "Smoke!!"

The concrete backer board needed to go down in the new bathroom (after removing the floor to the joists, knocking out the walls and the ceiling underneath). To mix the concrete, Dale retreived the hammer drill that had been loaned out over the winter. Turned the drill on and it smoked...

While using the sawzall, I noticed it seemed to be missing some of it's pep. Dale thought it was due to a dull blade. He used it to cut into the plaster wall/wooden wall that previously held the pocket doors - it took it's last breath 5 inches from the bottom. And started smoking....

So, my darling husband spent a half day off drooling over new tools. He brought home the newest addition to our family - a Milwaukee Sawzall and promptly declared that "It's smokin'!!!"

Things That Can't Be Explained

Last week marked the 2 year anniversary of my Grandfather's death from Glioblastoma, Stage IV. For those of you unfamilair with it, it's a horribly aggressive and fatal brain cancer. The family is still reeling from the loss. He had a great sense of humor (Mom, remember the time he tied the walnuts to our half dead walnut tree to mess with you? - I can still hear him laughing over that one). He kept busy and worked hard and was always full of surprises.

The Christmas before the diagnosis (2006), I left my camera bag next to where he was sitting. Upon returning home, I found a 1974 silver dollar in the bag. Grandpa. :)

Around the time he got sick, I lost the silver dollar. My series of searches ended earlier this year when I emptied my desk drawers and reorganized everything - still no silver dollar. I was heartbroken that I'd lost the last thing he had given me.

This week I opened the drawer to get a ruler for E. There, in plain sight, was that silver dollar. My mother and my husband know how I clean - there is no way I missed that the last time I cleaned. I believe in ghosts (can't live in this house and not...), but this seemed too unreal. I've asked everyone if they put it in there, racked my brain trying to think of ways I could have missed it or how it could have shown up there. Finally, Mom said "Kris, sometimes you have to believe in things that can't be explained."

Thanks Grandpa.

Glass Houses

It has been said that people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. It is with that saying in mind that I introduce our latest project, creatively named "Flat Roof Repair."

Prep for this project started last summer. We called roofers, begged them to call back or come out for a quote - no luck. We resigned ourselves to a springtime DIY project (not something we wanted to undertake ourselves). Luckily, our Stucco/Plaster Genius John found Joel. Joel and his crew come out later this week or early next to do the work. And we have a signed contract and he returns phone calls! Triple bonus.

We spent last weekend removing the damaged roof in the enclosed porch area and also the damaged roof in the open front porch area. We were surprised by the condition of the joists on the enclosed porch - not bad, not bad at all. Open porch not the same story - we said some words - words which Emily pointed out were "bad words."

So our focus turns to our glass house for the next few weeks. Never fear, soon we'll be back to throwing stones (City Hall roof repair).