Making

Welcome to Bobville

Posted on by The Retired Alchemist

I have passed this house thousands of times on my way to and from work, the grocery store or carting kids to school and practices. It was a mild curiosity, but life was busy, and so I barely noticed the city growing behind the house. But grow it did. First a few store fronts and then bigger, larger buildings, all shielded behind a modest home in the country. The city behind the house appeared to have fully formed on its own. My curiosity grew. What was it and how was it used? Who were the creative minds behind this land of Oz? It turns out that the mastermind behind Bobville is, well…Bob. No surprise there.

Meet Bob

Bob and his lovely wife Linda.

Over 24 years ago I was sitting at home on a lovely fall morning when I heard a gentle knock on our door. This always gives a bit of a start when you live a quarter mile up a private gravel driveway. My fears quickly dissipated when I opened the door to a quiet older gentleman with a warm smile and his friendly furry side kick. Turns out he was our neighbor (I use that term loosely since a neighbor is anyone within a two-mile radius when you live in the country). He introduced himself as Bob and welcomed us to the neighborhood. He asked if he could walk on our property with his dog, as he had done for years prior to our moving here. He was also wondering if he could cut down a dead tree on our property to use for firewood. Well, of course he could.

Every fall after that I would receive that same gentle knock on the door. He would stop by and ask if he could cut down a dead tree again this year. We would chat briefly and then he was on his way. A few days later I would hear his chainsaw and marvel at his energy. But still, he was just a quiet blip in my very busy life, as neighbors often are.

Fast forward 24 years and we are preparing to move to our new home. I had not seen Bob cutting firewood for a couple of years. One day he was out on his 4-wheeler and stopped to chat. He said it was getting too hard to gather firewood and his dog passed a few years ago. Sadly, I had to let him know that we would be leaving and he would have to check with the new owners to use the property. But before we moved, I would love to bring my grandkids down to his place to see the curious little village behind it. He was delighted and we arranged a date.

Several weeks ago, we were in the throes of preparing to move, living amongst boxes and trying to remember where things were. I did not really have time to keep my date to go see Bob. If it wasn’t for my two oldest grands coming over, I probably would have cancelled. Son #4 also happened to stop by that evening, so we climbed on the 4-wheelers and headed down the road to visit Bobville. I am so glad that we did.

Bobville

Welcome to Bobville.

We were enchanted the minute we walked into the backyard of Bob’s home. He, and his lovely wife Linda, created this entire village with their own two hands and hearts. They are true artists. Bob explained that it started in 2000 when they built a couple of store fronts. One thing led to another, and they just kept adding buildings. Smaller replicas of a western town. Bob built the structures and Linda scoured estate sales and flea markets finding unique treasures to give the interiors authenticity. She added her own art and a village was formed. Come and take the tour of Bobville with me.

The Cantina
What is a western town without a train station? This one had a caboose connected to it. Bob filled in with some history for the kids, explaining that the caboose served as the living quarters for the train crew.
No western village is complete without a bar. This one had some shady characters in the loft having a good time.
My favorite building was the little white church. They have had eight couples get married there.
Of course, you have to have a cemetery with a few interesting gravestones.

Thank you, Bob

Sometimes people come into your life, and you feel the brief wisp of angel wings in their presence. You just know, deep down in your knower, that they are placed on this earth to make it a better place. A gentler world. They soften the edges of these often-harsh times. They create beauty and wonder and calm in their wake. They leave the world better than they found it. Bob is one of those people. I feel so fortunate to have had him be a very small part of my life living up on the hill.

A DIY Project

Posted on by The Retired Alchemist

It is so satisfying to remake a worn, chipped or ugly item and turn it into something beautiful and useful again. It is good for the environment, and it is easier on the checkbook, but the best part is the gratification of seeing the transformation occur under your own hands. I expected that I would complete more do it yourself (DIY) projects in retirement, but somehow other things have taken priority. So, I am trying to delve into them a little more again.

I recently decided to try upgrading a couple of nightstands that we had in our guest room, even though I vowed I would never pick up a paintbrush again after painting all of our kitchen cabinets a couple years ago. It took me almost two years to recover from that little project, What Were We Thinking?

Back when it was new

When we first got married, we bought the proverbial waterbed. Back then waterbeds were pretty cool, and cheap (as beds go) but totally impractical. I clearly remember when we decided it was time to grow up and get a real mattress. I was eight months pregnant with son #1. Have you ever tried turning over in a waterbed when you are eight months pregnant? I do not recommend it. I had to roll from side to side a few times to get enough momentum (and wave) to roll over. By then I was wide awake. Yep, it was time to bite the bullet and get a real bedroom set.

I remember the day our lovely cherry wood bedroom set arrived over 35 years ago. It was a big extravagance for a young couple just starting a family. It was our first really nice piece of furniture that was not a hand-me-down and as expected, it lasted us for years. (It was also much easier to turn over in it when I was pregnant with twins a few years later.) But eventually it became chipped and outdated and so it was relegated to the guest room. Now, as we prepare to move, I am evaluating what stays and what goes to our kids or gets donated to charity. I looked at the nightstands with a critical eye and realized that I simply could not part with them. So, why not give them a DIY facelift instead?

Years ago, I went through a phase where I painted almost every old piece of furniture we had a shiny black color. I was dangerous with a paintbrush in hand. I told Mr. U that if he stood still too long, he might be painted too. Fortunately for him, life got busy, and the paintbrush was set aside for carpools, kid’s sports and sleepovers. Now that I am retired and the nest is empty, I have picked up a paintbrush again. Watch out Mr. U!

The transformation begins

Every DIY project begins with four planning phases.

  • First off is the fun part of deciding what kind of look you are going for. The internet offers more than enough ideas, as well as information on how to do it. And don’t even get me started on the deep hole that you may never come back from, aka Pinterest. In this case, I wanted a more modern look, so I chose a flat black paint and simple brushed gold handles.
  • Next, is an inventory of what tools you currently have on hand such as sandpaper, paint remover, brushes, etc. I have made the mistake of planning to use some paint I already had on hand, only to discover that it was much older than I thought and no longer usable. Note to self – always open old paint cans to check on them.
  • Once you know what you already have at home, you can make a list of what items you still need to complete the project. Then it is time to make a trip to the hardware store. There are so many great paints available now that are self-leveling and do not show brush strokes.
  • Lastly, round up any help you can muster. In this case, I needed some assistance with the sanding tools. And I never decline offers to help with the painting, even if they require bribery.
The prep for any project is usually half of the work.

It seems like every DIY project has some unwanted surprise along the way and this simple project was no exception. I took the old handles off only to discover that they do not carry that width handle anymore. Mr. U came to the rescue and put putty in the previous holes, then sanded and painted over them so we were able to put the new hardware holes wherever we wanted. See why you want to enlist any help you can get? (Refer to phase four above.)

You can see the white wood putty in the hole for the old handle in the picture on the left.

Whenever I am partway through a DIY project, I prejudge how it is going to look. I always, and I mean always, feel like it is going to look terrible. I get frustrated that this has all been a waste of time. But it is amazing what a difference the finishing touches make. It truly transforms a project. I was happy with the outcome of our nightstands. Beware, I just may start painting everything in sight again. And if you come to my house, you may be enlisted to help.

Before and after pictures.

The Magic of Autumn

Posted on by The Retired Alchemist

Happy first day of fall! Every season has its wonders. The first soft snowfall of winter, the emerging colors and flowers of spring, lazy summer afternoons by the lake as the sun sets, and then… there is fall. Or, as I prefer to call it, Autumn. Autumn casts a quiet magic that tells us to stop and take a break. Breathe in the crisp air. Let the foggy mornings wrap around you. The deep golds, faded reds and muted shades of brown calm your soul. While spring is expectant, autumn is contemplative. I like contemplative. Autumn has a touch of magic to it.

Top 10 things I love about autumn:

Making soup again. Sure, you can make it in the summer, but that is just wrong. Soup is a fall/winter comfort food. The best thing about soup is that it can simmer for hours, releasing aromas that make your house feel warm and cozy. Bonus if you have warm homemade bread to go with it.

Fall festivals and markets. Celebrate the change of season with others by attending a fall market or Oktoberfest. Think pumpkins, hay bales, corn stalks, fresh squeezed apple juice, and festive music to go with it. Just last night we attended a fall party at a favorite local brewery. Great music, beer and company.

Fall music party at a favorite brewery last night (left). Mr. U in Gatlinburg last fall (right).

Pumpkin everything (to borrow an overused cliche). I know that you can buy canned pumpkin any time of the year, but there is just something about warm pumpkin bread in the fall. Every autumn we try to make a trip to a group of family-owned farms and get pumpkin doughnuts hot off the press. Sooo good! I am anxious to try a new recipe for pumpkin snickerdoodles. Pumpkins and snickerdoodles sound like a pretty decadent combo to me.

Football. I did not grow up loving football, but I learned to enjoy it through osmosis. With a spouse that loves sports and four sons that all played football, I had no choice but to join in or be left behind. Now I have a decent understanding of the game and can appreciate what it contributes to the feeling of fall. It is especially fun when your grandson is playing, and his sister is one of the cheerleaders.

Being outdoors in the crisp sunshine collecting autumn Roadsidea. Take a walk and kick up some leaves. Breathe in the scents of autumn. Bring the vibrant colors and textures inside by gathering acorns, chestnuts, pinecones and colorful leaves to create a fall tablescape. One of my favorite rituals for fall is to gather these items to decorate for autumn inside and out.

A few items harvested from the garden and acorns gathered as “roadsidea” to decorate the entry table. I made “Simon #1” years ago.
Fall decorating. I made the upcycled pumpkins from old sweaters. Post here.

The autumn garden. Gardens are fabulous most of the year, but there is nothing better than the garden in the fall. The colors are vibrant and there is a quiet, calm in the shadows that tells you the work of watering and weeding is over. It is time to reap the last of the harvest. Pumpkins, gourds, sunflowers and corn stalks waiting to be gathered for the porch.

Pictures compliments of Mr. U’s garden.

Fires and candlelight. Who doesn’t love pulling up to a cozy warm fire on a chilly day. We have a wood burning fireplace in our living room, which is one of the delights of winter. (Fortunately, we have an easy source for wood because son #2 co-owns a business that has wood trim ends as a by-product.) And then there are the fall slash fires outside. Nothing beats the sound of a crackling fire, but when we don’t have several hours to enjoy a real fire, we will light our gas fire pit outside. It begs you to sit and enjoy the last dregs of summer. It whispers of quiet fall evenings before the snow starts to fly. It is literally, the calm before the storm of winter sets in. September also commences the “bring on the candles” months.

A gas fire is a great way to spend a few autumn hours when it is still too dry for an outdoor fire.

Sweata Weatha. Personally, I could stay in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops all year long. It feels suffocating when I put on that first pair of long pants. But once I succumb, it is fun to bring out all of the comfy fall clothes. It is like meeting up with old friends again. One of my favorite clothing items are my beautiful, comfy wool socks that my dear friend makes for me. They are like wrapping your feet in a warm blanket of love.

Autumn travel. As much as I love being home to experience autumn, traveling this time of year feels mystical. It is also much less crowded after Labor Day and prices are more reasonable. When we travel in the fall, we try to choose places that are an autumn experience. Our top favorites have been leaf peeping in Vermont, the Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee, and most recently, the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. All three of these lovely places were named in Country Living as the Best Fall Towns in the US for Foliage — Fall Foliage in the US (countryliving.com)

One of the many covered bridges we got to see on our trip to Vermont several years ago.

Apple harvest. It is so disappointing to bite into a soft apple. They need to be crisp, fresh and flavorful. Sure, you can get waxy apples all year long, but they are the absolute best in the fall picked right off of the tree. It is part of living by the seasons. Apples grow abundantly in our neck of the woods. My dad has a couple of apple trees on his property, so it is always an event to gather together to pick apples.

Mr. U with a robust apple harvest (left). The picture on the right is from DIL #2 and their beautiful apple harvest this year.

Happy fall y’all

The full on colorful, lovely crisp autumn days do not last long. In a blink of an eye, the frost settles over the garden and the weatherman forecasts snow. So, take time to revel in the beauty and wonders of this season made for the senses. Indulge yourself fully in the magic of autumn.

A moody autumn sunset.

Thrifting on Steroids

Posted on by The Retired Alchemist

Everyone loves a bargain. There is something satisfying about getting a good deal. Or better yet, getting a good deal on something discarded and ugly and then upcycling it into something useful and beautiful. My friend, who upcycles quality used clothing into beautiful bags, was on a search for new sources of material. She discovered “the bins” and wanted to take an afternoon road trip there but she needed an accomplice to join her… that would be me. I did not have a clue what “the bins” were but I am always game for a new adventure, so why not? I should have been concerned when she told me she brought along plastic gloves and hand sanitizer for us. It turns out that “the bins” are like thrifting on steroids.

“The bins” is actually an outlet store for Goodwill. Yes, you heard that right. Now, even Goodwill has an outlet store. There are 16 Goodwill stores in the area, and they ship unsold merchandise to the Goodwill Outlet store (aka – “the bins”). The reason that it is called “the bins” is because all of these items are literally thrown into large rolling bins and brought out to the selling floor. Customers grab a shopping cart and sift through the bins, searching for hidden treasures. But, just like the princess that had to kiss a lot of toads to find her prince, you have to shovel through a lot of junk to find the treasures. It is not for the faint of heart.

Customers plow through the bins quickly in search of overlooked treasures.

But there is a twist to it. Every hour, customers are told to step back behind the yellow lines as they wheel the bins off of the warehouse floor and back into the storage room. A few minutes later, new bins are rolled out with different items. The items are covered in old blankets or sheets when they are wheeled out so that the waiting customers do not see the items ahead of time and all mob to the same bin. It kind of reminds me of a morgue as they roll out the new bins covered in blankets. (Sorry – it is the nurse in me. You look at life a little differently after spending your career in healthcare.) I was informed that the unsold items are then shipped to third world countries.

Removing the bins that have been rummaged through (left). Customers have to wait behind the yellow line for the changing of the bins (center). The new covered bins coming out (right).

I took a little time away from the hunt to visit with the security guard. Yes, they need a security guard there. He told me that people will get in scuffles over some of the more prized bins. There is also quite a bit of theft. People will leave their cart by the door in preparation for a quick exit without paying. He said that they are typically stealing things that are easy to trade or sell for drugs. While stealing is never acceptable, there is something just inherently wrong about stealing from Goodwill. And a Goodwill outlet store no less.

The security guard was so nice and explained the code of ethics and what people were shopping for here.

The majority of people were there looking for good deals for themselves or items for creative projects. However, there were several young people, typically males, who stood against the wall with their phones. Some were even playing games while they waited for the next group of bins to emerge. This piqued my interest, so I asked the security guard what they were doing. He said they have either online, or resale stores and they hang out there all day waiting to search the bins for new merchandise that they can sell. They are fairly astute in knowing what they are looking for and can go through the bins quickly. They have carts with their names on them where they put their finds. If they are not sure of an item’s worth for resale, they will look it up on their phone. At the end of the day, they wheel their carts to the check-out stand to pay.

Some of the young men playing dice while they wait for the new bins (left). Shopping carts with people’s names on them to hold their merchandise until the end of the day (right).

After a couple of hours my back ached, my feet were sore, and my friend had a shopping cart full of treasures to upcycle. We maneuvered our cart towards the checkout line. And guess what? You do not pay per item; you pay by the pound. That means that the unopened glitter craft paper I found was practically free! And my friend got a whole cart load of well-chosen items for only $25.00.

Once you are done shopping, you roll your cart on to the scale and pay by the pound.

It was such a fascinating afternoon. I walked away with a new knowledge and awareness of life. Isn’t that one of the great things about retirement? We get to take time during the week for new adventures.

Living Organically: Part II

Posted on by The Retired Alchemist

I continue to seek out healthier, fresher, more organic choices in my everyday life. Not just with my diet, but also my home environment and how I manage stress. Last week I wrote about making more organic food choices. This week I have some suggestions on how to live more organically in our environment and how that affects the level of stress on our bodies (both physical and emotional).

Stress

Our modern world, with busy traffic, too many choices and constant connection through social media, leaves our nerves on edge. Of course, we have to live in our current world, and there are so many aspects of it that I appreciate. (Thank you, Alexa.) But it helps to step away from it frequently. It puts life back in perspective.

Everyone’s idea of how to decrease stress is different. For some it is reading, while others prefer yoga or a heart pumping workout at the gym. However, I think we can all agree that slowing down and being in nature are salves to the scars of modern living. Being outside, growing things, walking barefoot in the grass or sand. Just being out in nature is calming to our fractured lives. It doesn’t have to be driving an hour to go for a long hike, it can be as simple as taking a walk through your city park.

Cortisol is the hormone that is produced when we are under stress. It came in very handy for our ancestors who needed it for the “fight or flight” response when faced with acute threats, such as running from a tiger. Unfortunately, our modern way of living puts unnecessary, chronic stress on our minds and in response, we produce excessive amounts of cortisol. Among other things, cortisol raises our blood pressure, increases our pulse rate and triggers our bodies to release sugar. These are all responses that are helpful for the occasional “fight or flight” response but are unhealthy when we experience them over long periods of time. Chronic, underlying stress is like beating our body up with a bat internally.

We can counteract this stress by spending more time in nature. According to a study by Harvard Medical School, just 20 to 30 minutes immersed in a nature setting caused significant drops in the participant’s cortisol levels. After that time, additional stress-reduction benefit accrued more slowly. Hey, any of us can do 20-30 minutes outside, especially now that we are retired!

This is a picture of our city park in the spring. Doesn’t it help you relax just looking at it?

Environment

The environment we surround ourselves with inside of our homes can be relaxing or stressful to us. A cluttered, disorganized home leaves me with an underlying stress. While a clean, fresh home calms me. I am trying to reduce and reuse when possible and I am doing a few things to use less chemicals in my home. For example, I have been burning only soy candles. Antique Candle Co.® is a great online source for these. (And no, this is not a paid sponsorship, I just really like their products.) I am also trying to reduce my use of plastics, replacing them with things that can be reused over and over again.

Last week I tried my hand at making some of my own cleaning products with essential oils. I was surprised how simple it was to do. They smell fresh and are much less harmful to me and my environment. No more coughing and sputtering while I clean the shower. And I can reuse the containers instead of throwing them out or in the recycling bin when they are empty.

I ordered the brown glass bottles from Amazon, and I made the labels for them with my Cricut machine.

Another way we can live more organically is to upcycle things in our environment. Not only does this mean less junk in our landfills but it creates a more interesting and unique lifestyle. When you upcycle something, it is highly unlikely that anyone else will have the exact same thing. In a previous post, The Upcycled Life, I shared some items that I upcycled and have used for years.

Our tap water comes from a well, so it is high in minerals, which is good for you but doesn’t taste great. Instead of drinking so much bottled water or canned bubbly water, I have been creating my own flavored waters. It is simple to make and tastes refreshing. I just use a carafe and fill it with filtered tap water, add some herbs, fruit or vegetables and store it in the frig. My favorite combination right now is cucumber and lemon. I want to try strawberry and basil next. But the options are endless, so experiment a little.

Making my own flavored waters is better for the environment and cheaper than buying bottled waters.

The last word

I am not a purist when it comes to recycling, eating clean, or living sustainably. For instance, I still throw away empty cans when I am having guests over and am in too big of a hurry to clean them out for recycling. Some days I don’t even take a step outside to be in nature. And I still enjoy a slice of greasy pizza, it is just a rare treat instead of the go-to for a quick, easy dinner. Just keeping it real here. I am trying to take small steps, most days, to live a healthier, more organic lifestyle.