Firebrick with History

Colonial brick.

In today’s newspaper I had a brief piece about a product offering from a specialty fireplace company.  Earthcore Industries is now selling historic bricks that they dug out of New England harbors.  The bricks were originally used as ballast on voyages from England during colonial times.  They were dumped into the harbors and replaced with goods like tobacco for the return trip.

The bricks have a distressed, handmade look to them.  Earthcore mainly uses them as firebrick, which is the lining of the inside of a fireplace.  I would insert a link to the story online, but it doesn’t appear to be up there, which I fear will become the norm now that the organization has laid off so many people.  Anyways, here is some useful info from the Earthcore literature about different ways firebrick is laid:

Some common firebrick patterns are: (1) herringbone (2) stack bond (3) basket weave (4) running bond.

 

 

Puppies and Flowers

Ruby with Pink Roses, originally uploaded by espeedy123.

Ruby likes the roses!

Earth Kind Rose: Spice

Spice Rose, originally uploaded by espeedy123.

One of the roses I planted in my front landscape this fall is called “Spice.” It’s an Earth Kind Rose, so designated by Texas A&M for it’s easy-to-grow nature that doesn’t require lots of pesticides or fertilizer.

From The Antique Rose Emporium:

Here’s another rose that some believe to be the true ‘Hume’s Tea Scented China.’ Right or wrong this rose produces the palest of pink, tea-like blooms on a 3 to 4 foot thick bush. The plant is twiggy in growth, more like our China roses and can mildew a little in the early spring. The flowers are good for cutting and have an unusual fragrance that probably earned it its name.

China roses are varieties that were brought to Europe from China in the late 18th century. Hume’s Blush Tea-scented China is said to be one of four stud roses that many modern roses are descended from.

As you see above I cut one of the blooms to brighten up my dreary desk. I may have to start collecting bud vases!

It has a strong, spicy green fragrance that would make a fine perfume. Here’s another photo from the Rose Emporium:

Visit my previous rose blogs:

• Duchesse de Brabant

Food Inc. Documentary

Last night I saw this film at the Magnolia. It was screening as part of the AFI Dallas Film Festival.

It’s an expose about the sad and dangerous way most American food is made. My takeaways:

• It’s pretty obvious from all the salmonella and e-coli outbreaks that our food is not safe. This movie shows why in disgusting detail — from cows who wade knee-deep in manure their entire miserable existence to a processing setup that allows beef from a thousand cows to end up in a single burger.
• Is chicken as appetizing when you know it’s been genetically engineered to have breasts so large it’s organs fail and it’s legs break when it tries to walk?
• The part I knew least about was how litigious and secretive food producers have become. Just a few companies process the vast majority of what we all eat, and they appear to have ruined many people’s lives in their efforts to silence critics and protect their business interests. It has a tobacco-like feel to it.
• The issue of cost came up a lot. Better food no doubt costs more. I like cheap food too. But something one farmer said struck me as true — if you don’t buy the cheapest car, why would you buy the cheapest beef? Why do you care if organic, free-roaming eggs are $3 a dozen if you are willing to buy a $3 latte?

It’s not surprising that this has a similar feel as Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth,” as the director said the same group of people produced it. I predict this movie, which opens in wide release in the summer, will be much bigger. Not everyone believes in global warming, but we (nearly) all eat the same burgers.

My First Big Rose Bloom of the Season

Duchesse de Brabant, originally uploaded by espeedy123.

This fall I planted five different types of “Earth Kind” roses in my front landscape, all of them pink. I already had one in the ground from the year before, and it did so well I gave her some friends. Earth Kind is a classification awarded by the Texas A&M Extension, and it means the rose is easy to grow and doesn’t require pesticides, fungicides or a ton of fertilizer.

This particular variety is called Duchesse de Brabant. From the Antique Rose Emporium:

Teddy Roosevelt made this rose his favorite, often wearing a bud or flower as a boutonniere. It is very nearly our greatest favorite, too. The cupped pink flowers have a cabbagey roundness to them, as if they were picked from a luscious old rose painting. Nearly continuously in bloom, these roses can be counted on for a rich whiff of fragrance at absolutely any time of the day, even in the hot Texas sun. The apple green leaves are slightly wavy.

An image of a bouquet from their site:

Underground Dallas Tomato Gardening Video

Husky Red Cherry Tomato, originally uploaded by espeedy123.

About a year ago I was shopping at a local plant nursery when I heard about an underground video. The topic — how to grow the most tomatoes in Dallas, Texas. The expert on the video, the source told me, was a man who was a member of the First Men’s Garden Club. This master tomato-grower had passed away a few years ago, but his technique was legendary, and this video documented his secrets.

Earlier this week I had the good fortune to finally see the program. It was played at a meeting of the First Men’s Garden Club. The film had a Dharma Intiative quality to it. I felt I was seeing something important, historic and also secretive, just like the Oceanic Six lost on that crazy island.

The video details how John Walls produced over 1,300 pounds of tomatoes per season in three 24-foot double rows of tomato plants. Amazing, right?

There was no smoking gun or magic potion. Just a carefully engineered and highly disciplined approach that created perfect growing conditions for an extended period of time.

Many people mistakenly think the growing season here in Dallas for tomatoes is quite long. Not true! Tomatoes need temperatures to be around 65F at night and 85F during the day to set fruit. Once we get into June and July when nighttime temperatures rarely dip below 80F, most plants shut down the production lines. The time window for the ideal temperature range is quite short here.

To extend that range, Mr. Walls got started early. He prepped the raised rows with compost, and he covered them with black plastic. For each plant he would cut a hole out of the plastic just over a foot in diameter. It’s my understanding this plastic kept the soil temperature higher than normal. This reminds me of the Earth Box, which you may have encountered.

He built a long, makeshift wood frame along the rows and covered its pitched roof with 3 mil plastic sheeting. Along the midline of each row he ran one PVC tube that looked to be about an inch in diameter. For each plant he drilled a hole about 45 degrees down from the top of the pipe, such that when a hose supplying the tube was turned on, it would create an arc of water right that hit right at the base of the plant. Each plant had a cage built from concrete reinforcing mesh.

He planted transplants level with the ground, not super deep as so many people around here suggest. In the hole he added a spoonful of cheap tomato food. Near the base of the transplant he added a cupful of granulated sugar and about the same amount of Epsom salt. Where the water flowed near each plant he inserted a single multivitamin. He watered thoroughly at the beginning and end of each day only when the ground two inches down felt dry.

He was meticulous about keeping the rows clean, and the pathways between the rows he kept neat by covering them with roofing paper.

I am sure there were a few more details there but that’s the heart of it. I put some tomatoes out this week and will share what tips from the other portion of the lecture in a future post.

Hands On the Air Waves

David Yates, Erin Covert, originally uploaded by espeedy123.

I recently started joining David Yates for the full three hours on the Saturday radio program “The Home Improvement Zone.” We take calls and “go beyond sticks and bricks with the issues that matter to you….” as the announcer says.

It is huge fun. Recently we’ve aired from the Home and Garden shows in Arlington, Dallas and Ft. Worth, interviewing various experts. In this photo we are at the Dallas Exposition Center, in between the rubber broom booth and the succulent society or something. Honestly I love going to the shows and had gone to both the Arlington and Dallas ones in years past. Lots of good stuff to see!

I have a lot to learn about sounding as smooth as David, and I appreciate him having me along.

Here’s the skinny if you want to participate:

• 2-5 p.m. Saturdays in DFW area
• 570 a.m. KLIF
  
• Streams on klif.com
  
• Live call-in number: 800-850-ZONE

Decoupage Floors Story

From dallasnews.com.

A story I wrote about McKinney artist Lisa Raymer ran in today’s Guide section of The Dallas Morning News.  For nearly 20 years, Lisa has decoupaged floors and other surfaces in homes and businesses around Dallas.

I was skeptical before seeing her work, but now I am a believer.   It’s hard to tell in that tiny photo above, but the end result has a soft, textured appearance.  This finish would look appropriate in many situations, and it has a high end look.  A lot of faux finishes aim to have those qualities but miss the mark. 

I hope to do some decoupage soon and may try out using brown paper as Lisa does.

Spring is Nearly Here!

Daffodils, originally uploaded by espeedy123.

The daffodils along the southwest side of my house are blooming!

Lamp Rehab Part One: Cleaning Stiffel Lamps, Sourcing Shades

In the past few months I’ve acquired some great old lamps.  Two pair came from an estate sale, one from eBay, and a couple from the Habitat ReStore.  I’ve become quite a lamp lady, but only if they need fixing it seems.  In my quest to rehab them I’ve learned quite a bit.

 

Lamp tip 1: Use WD-40 to clean up non-brass metal lamps. 

My favorite Dallas lamp parts shop is Royal Touch Lamp and Fixture Service, and the folks there told me that most old Stiffel lamps (including these) are not brass, as many people believe.  Instead they are made from high-quality, heavy zinc plated with brass or some other metal, which is then antiqued and lacquered.  As such, they shouldn’t be polished with brass cleaner because that would ruin the finish.  The Royal Touch experts said to use a soft rag with WD-40 as a solvent to clean the surface without removing the patina.

 

That suggestion was easy and worked great.  These were $10 each and look quite nice now.  In the photo below, the lamp on the left hasn’t been cleaned, and the one on the right is after cleaning with the WD-40.

These came from an estate sale in Amarillo and were $10 each.  You can tell they were made by Stiffel because they have metal tags along the top of the socket.  The three-way switch is on the base of the lamps.  Base switches are surprisingly superior to those on the socket.  They save time and arm motion, so if you find an old lamp with a working base switch I think it’s worth a premium.

 

Beyond surface cleanup all these needed were new shades.  Unfortunately that can be an expensive proposition.

 

Tip 2:  Become a savvy shade shopper.

1. Bring your lamp with you when shade shopping.
2. Start with premium lamp shade stores to get an idea of what you want, and try on as many shades as you have patience for.
3. Check the following stores for shades, in order from least to most expensive:

• Ross Dress for Less
• Big Lots
• Tuesday Morning
• Antropologie (good sale shades)
• Lamps Plus (also sometimes good sale shades)
• Pottery Barn (occasionally on sale)
• Restoration Hardware (excellent selection, shades tend to be horizontally wide rather than tall)
• Specialty lamp stores (tend to break the bank!)

The shades on these lamps are the box-pleat silk shade in size F from Restoration Hardware.  They were expensive ($80 each!), but I thought they looked really great and decided to splurge since the lamps sit prominently in my living room and are visible from the street.  It irks me now to see they are on sale for $54.99, but they still make me happy every time I turn them on so I suppose I can live with my full-price lamp shade guilt. 

 

I’d love to hear comments on where you buy shades!  Perhaps I am need to add some places to my list.  Next up will be a post on solid brass lamp rehab.