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Nothing about this week has gone according to plan. I usually post links and chit chat on Friday. It was certainly on my schedule for yesterday. However, we spent six hours pumping water out of the basement instead. We do not normally have a wet basement, but we received a brief thunderstorm of biblical proportions in the wee hours of yesterday morning. The sheer volume of precipitation was simply too much for our yard to absorb and drain. I just wrote about our plans to have the low spots re-graded on Thursday. The universe has spoken. It is a non-negotiable project.

The good news is that we were right on top of the problem when it started. We did not lose anything, and BHH is just as strong and healthy as ever. It is raining quite hard this morning, but the basement is dry.

This week was not all hardship and bailing water; we enjoyed several days of gorgeous spring-like weather. Even yesterday, after the torrential rain, it was sunny and 73 degrees. I went running wearing a tank top and shorts. It felt wonderful.

One of my boys went on a walk with the camera, and he took these beautiful photos:

Bulbs! In February, no less. It is hard to believe that in 2015, it was below freezing every single day in February. That was the year of the ice dam debacle. Our fake spring will not last. This week, the forecast calls for cold temps and snow flurries.

Links

I collected a few links to share this week. If you come across links or information that you think our readers might enjoy, feel free to send them to me or post them in the comments.

Real Estate

I love it when sellers know their perfect buyer: Looking for a Crazy Historian

If you are intrigued after watching the news clip, the real estate listing contains additional information. Just look at those turrets!

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If you snooze, you lose. I am late to the party with this sweet little brick house in Mammoth Springs, Arkansas. Presently, it is listed as pending, but with real estate, we all know, It’s not over ’til it’s over. I could spend my days on that wraparound porch sipping lemonade and contemplating life.

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Helpful Tools

Four out of six of us in our household have long hair. It gets everywhere and eventually wreaks havoc on the bathroom drains. If you have long hair or live with long-haired people, you understand.

Quite by accident, I discovered a great tool.

You slide the plastic barbed snake down the clogged drain as far as you can and pull it back out. The little barbs on it drag out the clog. It is just as gross as it sounds, but it has been effective 100% of the time here at BHH. It is the perfect alternative to calling a plumber, disassembling the drain pipe to clean it, or using harsh chemicals to dissolve the clog. One of the pipes in my friend’s old house disintegrated after she poured drain cleaner down the sink. It caused a serious leak between the first and second floor. Some of our pipes are over 120 years old. I am not taking any chances.

Oddly, this tool is listed as a single-use product. However, I do not think that is necessary. I just rinse ours with hot water and store it for later.

Just for Fun

30 Fascinating photos of vintage supermarkets – Notice the shift in food choices in the photos from the 1970s. Was it the beginning of the end?

Kalsarikannit is the new Hygge – Hygge (hoo-gah) is a delightful Danish concept. It took on a life of its own as a popular blog topic last winter. So many bloggers sought the feeling of Hygge. I just binge-watched Netflix until summer came back. While I am not much of a drinker, the Finnish concept of Kalsarikannit (cal-sar-y-cuhn-eet) seems to fit my personality a little better.

Bad Doors and the Design of Everyday Things (Video: Language Warning) – This funny and informative video highlights the flaws of design in everyday items. To quote the article, “Doors shouldn’t need instructions…” Also featured in the video is Don Norman, the author of the book The Design of Everyday Things. Mr. Norman wrote in-depth about the importance of human-centered design. The book sounds fascinating, and I have ordered a copy.

Articles About BHH

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote a post in partnership with Cutting Edge Stencils. This week, they posted their blog article about our project. My favorite part is how they did not mention my inability to follow directions. Their article makes me sound like a pro.

Have a great weekend.