.And while I am on the subject of vintage light fixtures...

Light fixtures in old bungalows provide some of the richest period detail, and collecting them is great fun. Here's an example of a chandelier you might have chosen for your bungalow had you been buying it new a century ago...

Image from Sweet's Catalogue of Building Construction, courtesy of Google Books.

They just don't make house lights like they used to. Try finding something like that today at your local big box hardware store...

.Installing a vintage light fixture in the hall (Part Two: And in with the new.)

And now I'd like to interrupt the broadcast with a few choice words about safety: Always flip off the fuse feeding the fixture while you are futzing around with it.

Preferably before you expose any wiring; otherwise you'll be reminded of the need to do so by a loud spark like I was, or worse yet, a nasty shock.

.Installing a vintage light fixture in the hall (Part One: Out with the old...)

The other day I bought a vintage Craftsman table saw from an ad on Craigslist (which is an event that probably deserves its own separate post). When I met the seller to pick up the table saw, he showed me several other items he had for sale, including a vintage light fixture.

It was love at first sight. And can you believe he only wanted $10 for it? Try looking up Beardslee fixtures on eBay sometime, and you'll see what incredible prices vintage fixtures can go for...

.Patching holes in the bathroom walls (Part Three: Zen and the Art of Spackle)

So what did I learn by patching the bathroom walls? I learned that I need more practice. But like any other home repair project, it's not rocket science, and if I apply myself, I can do a pretty decent job.

om mani padme hum, I will get this project done...

om mani padme hum, I will get this project done...*

And this old house has plenty of practice areas...

.Patching holes in the bathroom walls (Part Two: Getting the hang of this...)

So when we last left our intrepid hero, he was applying the second coat of spackle.

Spackle, sand, repeat.

.Patching holes in the bathroom walls (Part One: I'd rather be doing anything else...)

Earlier this week Tory pointed out something new. We'd developed some rough spots in the bathroom walls, by the shower, above the tile surround.

Exactly what I wanted to spend Saturday doing, I thought to myself. We'd had the bathroom painted not too long ago by professional painters (four or five years, I think), and I was surprised these problems had developed so quickly. But that's an old house for you.

.Seven digit dialing is alive and well in the suburbs of Chicago

Perhaps this would interest few people beside me, but you can still make a local call here by dialing seven digits.

No, that's not a current picture of my local telephone company's central exchange office.

I thought those days had passed.