September 29th, 2008

We’ve been hard at work trying to get the house prepared for winter. Cathy and Helen have been rerouting the gas lines to service the relocated gas heaters. Cathy also fixed the burst pipes from the downstairs bathroom, which had rendered it virtually unusable and had been weighing on her. During the first winter that Cathy was not in the house, the idiots who occupied the Phrygianum completely ignored her suggestions and let the pipes freeze. Since the kiln room is going to be behind this bathroom, let’s hope that it’s never going to be an issue again!

Cathy has moved the propane heater out of the mock fireplace in the living room and replaced it with my cat mantel shield. My mother is an antique dealer and when she left the area for Charleston after my father died, I wound up inheriting a lot of her unsold merchandise, including this folk art cat mantel shield. Mom fell in love with it, but none of her customers did. My husband never liked it either, and now Central House is its new home. I have a number of other antiques that have just been collecting dust at home in my attic and cellar that I think will be great additions to the house. I’ve already brought down some paintings and other artwork. I’ve got some Victorian chairs and a whatnot shelf that I have been wanting to fix up at home but never got around to that will make a fine addition to the house. We’ve got several old chairs at Central House that need to be stripped and refinished, too. Looks like I’m going to have my work cut out for me!

One of the latest acquisitions is a previously unknown postcard of Central House from 1911 that I acquired on eBay. We were all thrilled to get it! Helen has already blown it up.

We had a surprise visit from members of the Lombardi family. Here’s a bit of Central House history: the elderly man whom we purchased the house from in 2002 was a member of the Genetelli/Lombardi clan, several members of which owned the house from just prior to WWII until we purchased it from them. It was great to see them and show off what we’ve been doing and to hear old stories about the place and the people who stayed there in days past. It’s always good to have a visit from them, and they are always welcome.