After

After, a photo by Athens Nikita on Flickr.

Here's the nighttime view of the finished project.

You guys think the light is too low, too high, or just right?

Small Improvements

Given the theme of this blog, and the fact that for about the first year all we did was various forms of construction projects, I shouldn't be surprised when people ask me what's up with the house at the moment. The short answer: very little. We're well into the "enjoy the house" phase, and are currently putting our money and time into other things.

However, occasionally we do small projects when we can see the opportunity to make a big improvement in a short time. A few weeks ago, the front porch light seemingly burned out. This coincided with my blowing a fuse during band practice, and so it could have been a fairly serious problem -- but when Chris hauled the fixture down and discovered that it was simply a shoddy fixture, it was time to go shopping for a new one. At the same time, I decided to replace the contractors' special sconces/lanterns around the back doors, too. Why not? I hate those things -- they work, but they're cheap and ugly, and I am way over cheap and ugly.

At the same time, we decided to take advantage of the lack of a front porch fixture to remedy a basic problem with it -- it's all white! Technically, I suppose that's fine, but being from the south a white porch ceiling is something of an abomination. The proper color is something called "haint blue" -- supposedly it wards off evil spirits if you happen to be from one of the cultures (they are numerous in the south) that believes in it. Personally, I'm not all that superstitious, but I like the way the blue reminds me of the sky, cools the space in the summer, and brings a little color in in the winter -- a major consideration in a place where winter is twice as long as it was down south.

So today Chris and I spent about 6 hours painting the ceiling blue. (Photo at left: pre-painting prep.) We did this on Sunday, because it's one of the few days where we can steal away a few hours and because the local construction nannies don't work on Sunday. I was lucky this morning to find a whole suite of matching lanterns at Lowe's -- they averaged about $40 a fixture. SCORE! (Incidentally, for those who like me are cheap, both Lowe's and Home Depot appear to be having sales on lighting at the moment.)

So, new photos forthcoming once I can manage to get them to upload (damn Flickr!). Not only does it make the house look a tad more southern, but it makes it look great.

Roller Derby in Central PA

A little less than 6 months ago, I tried out for a roller derby team, the State College Area Rollers or SCAR Derby. This came as a surprise to more than one person. My father, when told, said "you remember what happened the last time you rollerbladed?" (I got hit by a car.) My mother said "you used to just cling to the wall at the roller rink." (So true.) But my bandmate was trying out and as I practiced to try out my husband decided to support me and try out as well. So, for better or for worse, I was in. I signed up for a clinic and tryouts with the State College Area Rollers.

In the process, I learned a lot about a sport I honestly knew nothing about.

1. Roller derby is experiencing a resurgence nationwide thanks to the Austin roller derby team and media stuff like Whip It.

2. Maybe if I hadn't spent so much time clinging to the wall, I would've discovered much earlier that skating is actually a great workout.

3. Central PA actually has a burgeoning, if young, regional scene to be part of. Williamsport, Harrisburg, Rochester, and a dozen other teams are located 3-5 hours from State College. Most are under 2 years old, so it's a good time to get in on the action.


I also, unfortunately, didn't make the team. My friends did. Can you say awkward?

I don't hold this against SCAR, since on skates I looked like a baby giraffe does in one of those shows on Animal Planet where they try to figure out how to operate their feet. However, I also didn't give up on skating. After all, my friends and husband spend all their time at the rink or at events, which means I spend a lot of time at them, and I've transitioned to a much more graceful skater in a few short months. And skating was the problem. I hear a lot from people who are not thrilled with having to hit people. Whereas I would love to hit people strategically, if only I could get to them. What I find hilarious/maddening is that there's a weird learning curve for skating -- you start off sucking at everything and then one thing clicks, and then all kinds of things click, and then suddenly you're just elaborating on stuff you already know. So getting started and putting in the time in that sucky stage is key.

So, a new season with new challenges is upon us, and one challenge I'm taking on is a second tryout. I'm also involved in SCAR Derby for better or for worse, anyway, so I'll be spending a lot of time this season as a non-skating official at the bouts. For those who might want to join me (and so far it looks like this recruiting class might be a little smaller than the one I was part of), the next clinic is September 25th at Penn Skates -- with tryouts on October 9th.

See you at the rink?

Not Enough Time, but Lots of new Stuff

I feel like a pathetic blog mistress. After all, I haven't posted an update here since, well, March. WTF is wrong with me?

For one thing, I've been entirely too busy exploring Central PA and points distant to write about it.

Among the totally awesome experiences I've had since I last wrote are:

Frog Fest at Millbrook Marsh
Bellefonte Area Middle School's total domination of this year's Solar Competition at Penn State
The Bellefonte Cruise
India Night in State College
The Arts & Crafts Fair in Bellefonte
and so on.

I probably won't be writing about all of these, but I promise to chronicle my future adventures a little more actively going forward.

Composting, Or Why We No Longer Have an Open Pit in Our Back Yard

Today Chris and I spent about 3 hours in the backyard doing Spring cleanup.  We have had a compost pile since we arrived in Bellefonte, but have not managed to organize it very well.  Basically, there was an abandoned kids' sandbox, so we filled it with compostables.  And it worked fairly well.  But there are a lot of reasons specific to our situation that the open-pit compost  pile just wasn't working for us any more.

1. Bellefonte (the whole region, actually) has skunks.  And we have an enclosed yard, but it's still not really ideal to taunt smelly animals with delicious, smelly food.

2. Speaking of which, our dogs had begun to treat the compost pile like their personal buffet.  

So today we bought this contraption and spent 3 hours building and siting it while also conducting a bonfire in the old compost pile consisting of scrap and fallen wood, woodbine from the hops vine that was all over our fence last summer, and miscellaneous woodlike junk that will compost a lot faster in ash form than regular form.  During that process we cleaned up absolutely every type of junk lurking in our yard (which was quite a bit after a long winter with three dogs doing as they please out there), inventoried the plants and pruned a few back, and discussed our gardening plans for this year.  

So, here's to a great season of gardening -- it feels good to get started.

Buggy Blogger

You may have noticed that there are no photos in my posts lately. I've noticed that, too, particularly when I go through all the steps to upload and a photo and it simply doesn't appear. I have no idea what's going on with Blogger, but as soon as I figure it out I will certainly share it.

More About Franklin Johnson...

Franklin Johnson, as I mentioned in the Wolf Family post, was an african-american servant who lived in the household, age 16 in 1860. Until recently that's all I knew of him. However, a ceremony held late this Fall to honor the local troops of the US Colored Troops mentioned Franklin, and I recently was able to find a bit more out about him through Bellefonte Secrets, a local newsletter:

It had been a devastating four years. Over 620,000 soldiers had been killed – 10% of all Northern males aged 20-45 years and 30% of all Southern males aged 18-40 years. President Abraham Lincoln almost saw the un-uniting of the United States of America. Helping his Union cause was Bellefonte’s own Andrew Gregg Curtin, now Governor of Pennsylvania, who not only advised Lincoln, but also provided a large portion of trained Union soldiers....

Being thankful for the war’s end, the Federal army held a “Grand Review” of its troops in Washington, DC. In celebrating its victory over the Confederacy, the U.S. War Department did not invite the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) to participate. Two hundred thousand African-American soldiers were ignored. These black soldiers were established by General Order 143 on May 22, 1863 and over 10,000 (11 regiments) of them were trained at Camp William Penn near Philadelphia in Chelten Hills. About 18,000 African-Americans served in the U.S. Navy as well. This meant that 10% of Union forces were colored soldiers and 15% of the Navy were as well. What an insult not to have invited these patriots to the “Grand Review.” These USCT soldiers were also gypped out of their pay as they received only $10.00 a month, plus a clothing allowance of $3.50. It wasn’t until June 15, 1864 that Congress would grant pay for all black soldiers equal to their white counterparts. In fact, many did not receive service and disability pensions until the early 1900s.

Sixteen African-American soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor and General James Blunt, leading the battle against the Confederate forces under General Douglas Cooper, said after the July 17, 1863 battle: “I never saw such fighting as was done by the Negro regiment...The question that Negroes will fight is settled; besides they make better solders in every respect than any troops I have ever had under my command.” On September 29, 1864, the 6th USCT were fighting in
the Battle of Chapin’s Farm near Petersburg, VA where 367 entered the battle and 210 were killed or missing. One third of the USCT lost their lives in fighting for the Union. Now the remaining USCT’s were not invited to the Nation’s Capital for the “Grand Review.”

This was just too much for the citizens and leading blacks of Harrisburg. They would stage their own “Grand Review” and it would consist only of USCT veterans. Thus, on Tuesday, November 14, 1865 nearly 7,000 blacks from 25 states marched before the State Capital in Harrisburg and in front of former Secretary of War Senator Simon Cameron’s house. Senator Cameron spoke: “I cannot let this opportunity pass without thanking the African soldiers for the compliment they have paid me, but more than all to thank them for the great service which they have been to their country in the terrible rebellion. Like all other men, you have your destinies in your own hands, and if you continue to conduct yourselves hereafter as your have in the struggle, you will have all the rights you ask for, all the rights that belong to human beings.” After hearing orator William Howard Day and prayers by Rev. John Walker Jackson, Harrisburg’s “Grand Review” ended with a grand ball honoring these USCT veterans.

Conservation to find, repair and restore the grave sites of USCT soldiers is underway and was commemorated at a "Grand Review" on November 14, 2010. In Bellefonte’s Union Cemetery are buried approximately nine USCT members: William Green, Moses Jackson, Franklin Johnson, Moses Johnston/Johnson, Edward Mills, Lewis Mills, Thomas Taylor, Jacob Williams, and Wilson Williams.

However, only five of these graves are marked. Franklin Johnson's is not among them -- Penn State's research was necessary to identifying his final location.