The neighborhood we ended up in is unique, I think, of the 79 neighborhoods within the Denver city limits.
Sure they all have "character," and "history," but the neighborhood of Barnum is the only neighborhood established by a raving lunatic circus promoter. Thats right, the neighborhood of Barnum is named after none other than P.T. Barnum, who owned seven-hundred plus acres of our neighborhood as his winter respite, yet did very little for the city of Denver other than annex his property to the city. P.T. could be our most notable icon, but as far as Denver fame goes he's no Kerouac or Cassady, but we do have local, celebrities.
Our Neighborhood is bordered by Sheridan blvd. to the west, federal blvd. to the east, 6th Ave to the north, and Alameda ave. to the south. Technically we live in Barnum West, a bit closer to Sheridan, but it's all Barnum. The populace is primarily Hispanic, and the cultural saturation abounds. There are lots of these guys roaming the streets. As with any low-income area Crime
in Barnum is evident, yet not seen personally. We haven't had the chance to visit the carneceria yet.
And there's a lovely garden.
5.31.2007
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
We have yet to post about the basement. It's a complicated subject. When we moved in, it looked like this:
...with the bar area, which you have seen, behind the photographer. The holes in the ceiling are poorly-made attempts at installing speakers. The light switch is a dimmer. The first door on the right is a half finished bathroom/laundry room, and there's a bedroom at the end. It looked like this:
The dark wood paneling went far, far away, as did the mirror tiles that were supposedly there to brighten it up. So did the thin, useless paneling in the main basement room. And every inch of nasty carpet.
As this is Spring in Colorado, shortly after we moved in, we had a [beautiful] torrential rain, with hail. Shortly after that, we had standing water in the basement. Good times. After removing some insulation, we found:
...cracks. Which we will fill. In the meantime, Uncle "Champ" brought a few yards of dirt and spread it around the perimeter of the house, effectively reversing the slope of the driveway and eroded yard away from the house. No seepage since, despite several equally severe storms. Thanks, Uncle!
Eventually, much celebration and big-screen TV watching will occur down here. We just have to re-do everything the previous owner tried to do.
...with the bar area, which you have seen, behind the photographer. The holes in the ceiling are poorly-made attempts at installing speakers. The light switch is a dimmer. The first door on the right is a half finished bathroom/laundry room, and there's a bedroom at the end. It looked like this:
The dark wood paneling went far, far away, as did the mirror tiles that were supposedly there to brighten it up. So did the thin, useless paneling in the main basement room. And every inch of nasty carpet.
As this is Spring in Colorado, shortly after we moved in, we had a [beautiful] torrential rain, with hail. Shortly after that, we had standing water in the basement. Good times. After removing some insulation, we found:
...cracks. Which we will fill. In the meantime, Uncle "Champ" brought a few yards of dirt and spread it around the perimeter of the house, effectively reversing the slope of the driveway and eroded yard away from the house. No seepage since, despite several equally severe storms. Thanks, Uncle!
Eventually, much celebration and big-screen TV watching will occur down here. We just have to re-do everything the previous owner tried to do.
Clean Clothes for Dirty Bodies
So, there are perks to marrying someone affiliated with the technological conglomerate that is Best Buy. Namely, discounts and employee auctions. The latter afforded us a $200 washer for the winning bid of...$40.
It's bottom-of-the-line, to be sure, but considering that our dryer is a wire in the back yard, it's pretty sweet. And apparently it's as laid back as we are:
...we can choose to wash our clothes in the following temperatures/temperaments: normal, gentle, or...casual? What does that mean? It's only for casual clothes? Or it starts washing them whenever it wants to?
While Bren installed this useful device...
I made a tee pee, fort and campfire ensemble out of the box components and bar remnants. The tee pee has fallen down three times, though. I guess I should stick to Irish lass and relinquish Indian squaw. I could cook potatoes on that campfire without even lighting it. All I need is a beer. Wanna fight about it?
On a related note: we got our first water bill today. We didn't have to pay for water at our apartment, so neither of us had any idea what a normal water bill was. Tip: if you want to lower your water bill, move into a house that has no bathing, laundering or lawn-watering capabilities. The grand total:
That's right. $8.46.
It's bottom-of-the-line, to be sure, but considering that our dryer is a wire in the back yard, it's pretty sweet. And apparently it's as laid back as we are:
...we can choose to wash our clothes in the following temperatures/temperaments: normal, gentle, or...casual? What does that mean? It's only for casual clothes? Or it starts washing them whenever it wants to?
While Bren installed this useful device...
I made a tee pee, fort and campfire ensemble out of the box components and bar remnants. The tee pee has fallen down three times, though. I guess I should stick to Irish lass and relinquish Indian squaw. I could cook potatoes on that campfire without even lighting it. All I need is a beer. Wanna fight about it?
On a related note: we got our first water bill today. We didn't have to pay for water at our apartment, so neither of us had any idea what a normal water bill was. Tip: if you want to lower your water bill, move into a house that has no bathing, laundering or lawn-watering capabilities. The grand total:
That's right. $8.46.
5.26.2007
It's Shake 'N' Bake...And I Did It All By Myself
Finally, both layers of linoleum are removed from the kitchen. Cue the Seraphim...
Unfortunately, we won't be able to rescue the hardwood. Approximately 75% of the room was patched with unfinished, low-quality wood of a different width than the original at some point. So, we're going to scrape this stuff down to the subfloor and install new hardwood. It will be cheaper than tile, and more durable in the long run, if more labor-intensive.
In other hardwood news, I patched a hole in the living room all by myself tonight. Bren and the band had a show, so I whipped out the saw and drill and CONSTRUCTED.
I am prodigiously proud of this patch. I had to drill pilot holes for every nail I drove at a 55 degree angle into the tongue of every plank. Once we sand down the rest of the room(s), it'll be good as new. Or good as old, I guess. Yeah.
Unfortunately, we won't be able to rescue the hardwood. Approximately 75% of the room was patched with unfinished, low-quality wood of a different width than the original at some point. So, we're going to scrape this stuff down to the subfloor and install new hardwood. It will be cheaper than tile, and more durable in the long run, if more labor-intensive.
In other hardwood news, I patched a hole in the living room all by myself tonight. Bren and the band had a show, so I whipped out the saw and drill and CONSTRUCTED.
I am prodigiously proud of this patch. I had to drill pilot holes for every nail I drove at a 55 degree angle into the tongue of every plank. Once we sand down the rest of the room(s), it'll be good as new. Or good as old, I guess. Yeah.
5.23.2007
Livin' the Dream
A welcome addition to the family:
Our dream fridge, a floor display at Best Buy on clearance. Aunt and Unc have already filled the bottom-mount freezer with chili and goodies from Schwan's.
In other news:
A combination kitchen sink/vanity offers a myriad of conveniences. Just make sure your washcloth, dishcloth, and linoleum soaking cloth are different colors.
Our dream fridge, a floor display at Best Buy on clearance. Aunt and Unc have already filled the bottom-mount freezer with chili and goodies from Schwan's.
In other news:
A combination kitchen sink/vanity offers a myriad of conveniences. Just make sure your washcloth, dishcloth, and linoleum soaking cloth are different colors.
5.22.2007
Neighbors
The crazy lady next door has an old-skool rotor-blade lawnmower, and a lot full of overgrown grass, weeds and plants. She cut [chikchikchikchik] a swath of it the other day, so she could sit in her lawn chair.
On the other side, last year's dump trip was preempted by a blue tarp.
One house further resides our favorite neighbor...
...who stopped by for a piece of cheese last night. She's old enough to wear an illegibly worn-down tag, but she rules the streets. Oooowwwwwww!
We would have loved to take this gangsta in, had she been abandoned. Unfortunately, her lacklustre parents will have to do for now. With the occasional piece of cheese from her friendly neighborhood dog enthusiasts.
On the other side, last year's dump trip was preempted by a blue tarp.
One house further resides our favorite neighbor...
...who stopped by for a piece of cheese last night. She's old enough to wear an illegibly worn-down tag, but she rules the streets. Oooowwwwwww!
We would have loved to take this gangsta in, had she been abandoned. Unfortunately, her lacklustre parents will have to do for now. With the occasional piece of cheese from her friendly neighborhood dog enthusiasts.
Mama's in the Kitchen
So...I haven't posted for a few days. That's because 1) I took a break from the bathroom floor, inasmuch as it is IMPOSSIBLE to remove, and 2):
Bren went Medieval on the tub. Or, in his case, the footbath. And it takes a couple of days after ripping this crap out to be able to make a fist again.
Last Saturday, I dogsat this Gunter girl:
Afterwards, on a whim, I decided to take a peek and see if the kitchen floors were hardwood too. I found:
Hardwood. Under (again) two layers of linoleum, the oldest of which looks like...you guessed it...the most sensible thing to cover genuine hardwood floors with...fake wood!
To explain the late post...the layers of ancient linoleum are not going gently into that good night. Four days later, this is where I am in the kitchen:
The glued-down tar paper is coming up with a hot soak and a razor, but the glue itself will have to be sanded down, tripling our sandpaper budget. (It clogs the paper very quickly).
I have to keep telling myself how cool it will look when it's done. It will, right? Right?
Bren went Medieval on the tub. Or, in his case, the footbath. And it takes a couple of days after ripping this crap out to be able to make a fist again.
Last Saturday, I dogsat this Gunter girl:
Afterwards, on a whim, I decided to take a peek and see if the kitchen floors were hardwood too. I found:
Hardwood. Under (again) two layers of linoleum, the oldest of which looks like...you guessed it...the most sensible thing to cover genuine hardwood floors with...fake wood!
To explain the late post...the layers of ancient linoleum are not going gently into that good night. Four days later, this is where I am in the kitchen:
The glued-down tar paper is coming up with a hot soak and a razor, but the glue itself will have to be sanded down, tripling our sandpaper budget. (It clogs the paper very quickly).
I have to keep telling myself how cool it will look when it's done. It will, right? Right?
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