I figured out the other day I have lived with my husband in our house longer than I lived anywhere else. It was close, with the house I lived in when I graduated being only slightly less, but still, the most consistent chunk of my life was spent on this farm and in this old house.

And weve been working on remodeling it the whole time.

In those first few years, we dumped money hand over fist for results that could be felt but not really seen. We replaced windows, added insulation and replaced or added wiring as was necessary. Several of the old windows were cracked (all were single-paned), there was no insulation in any wall, and the wiring, while safe and functional in most respects, was simply lacking. The number of outlets in each room (one or two) may have met the standards of a wealthy family in the 1950s, but it failed to meet basic standards for millennial electric usage. #firstworldproblems

Once the basics of function were handled, we began replacing and repairing items of more cosmetic value. The kitchen got some laminate hardwood over top the previously visible plywood subfloor. The cast iron tub, which was barely tolerable in the summer and downright freezing in the winter, was replaced. The washer and dryer were moved out of the basement and into the bathroom/laundry room.

In recent years, we began repairing and replacing the plaster in the areas of the house where we live and occasionally entertain. The old plaster, made on site in the 1880s, was mixed with horse hair curried from an animal that probably lived here at the time. (A red horse, it would appear.)

The plaster is incredibly heavy and exceedingly dusty. When chunks of it fall off the wall often our first indication that it needs to be replaced it creates a dust that seeps into all facets of our existence and is extremely difficult to clean up. Like pet hair, you think you have handled it all, then discover there is a little more. And then a little more. Swiffer doesnt even have a product to handle horse-hair plaster.

We have taken to closing off all rooms except the one we are gutting, opening all of that rooms windows, and using a fan to blow the dust out as control measures. It was somewhat successful, especially when my daughter is in charge.

My oldest daughter likes to remove the plaster. She climbs up on a ladder with a putty knife and a five-gallon bucket and scrapes it off as gently as possible. She has been working in the hallway for a few weeks now, an hour or so after school when the weather permits.

Soon, the plaster will be down and it will be ready to rebuild. Then, my husband will begin the process of beautifying the walls, stairs, railing and floor. I will begin trying to clean up all of the dust that still managed to creep under closed doors and through curtains into rooms where it was never supposed to be.

The jury is out as to who will finish first.

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Getting plastered

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March 7th, 2015 7:00 pm by Matthew Lane

KINGSPORT Change has come to city hall.

Well, at least in the form of new paint, carpet, and furniture for the 60-year-old building, along with some reshuffling of the space in the city managers office.

The renovation is the first phase of a two-phase overhaul and relocation project taking place at city hall. City Manager Jeff Fleming said the work took about five days and wrapped up last week.

Its a great way to make use of the facilities we have available to us and also modernize them to where they are more user friendly for our citizens, Fleming said.

Kingsport allocated $150,000 in last falls bond issuance for the two-phase project. The work recently completed included a fresh coat of paint in the second-floor hallway and new paint, chairs and two 80-inch televisions in the second-floor conference room.

The council room is L-shaped and the place where the public sits ... they could not see the screen, so we replaced it with modern TVs viewable from the gallery as well as for board members, Fleming said. We upgraded all the technology so as were presenting were able to take turns presenting around the table. Its a wireless device that connects to a laptop and can project on both screens at the same time.

The conference room chairs were re-purposed to other departments throughout the city while the public gallery chairs are planned to be surplused out, Fleming said.

They were original to the building in 1962, Fleming said. They were very narrow and werent very comfortable for guests. The new chairs are wider with spacers and more comfortable without being too close to the person beside you.

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Offices and meeting rooms at Kingsport City Hall have received a needed makeover

Submitted by Howard B. Owens on February 13, 2015 - 2:27pm

The third of five meetings for the Police Facilities Task Force had members looking at drawings and maps and thinking about traffic patterns, parking and floodplains.

The committee reviewed the proposed sites for a new police station, looked at the options for remodeling the current location -- the old Brisbane Mansion -- and asked why a variety other locations in the city weren't considered.

The task of the task force is to come up with a recommendation for the City Council by July 1.

They meet next on March 10 to look at financing options.

Their virtual tour of potential locations started at 56 Ellicott St., the former Santy Tires location.

Advantages include access to Ellicott Street and Evans Street (a driveway would extend along the north side of the Salvation Army building), high visibility Downtown and the opportunity for all new construction.

The downsides include being in the floodplain (though, by a slight margin, the highest of the sites in floodplains), some level of environmental remediation because of the former auto repair shop and gas stations, and proximity to the Della Penna property.

The Della Penna property itself has been taken off the list because the lot size is slightly too small and it will require significant environmental remediation.

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Task force learns there are no ideal locations for new Batavia PD headquarters

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DECATUR White walls, empty space and plans of greatness beckon the future.

Yet, there isn't much to see right now as work continues in the basement of the African-American Cultural & Genealogical Society Museum, with the museum still more than three months away from its planned grand opening the week of the Juneteenth Celebration.

The plan for the basement, an exhibit to explore the Underground Railroad and its history in Central Illinois, is still not much more than a concept in the mind of Evelyn Hood and other museum officials.

But compared to where they were at this time last year, the founder and CEO of the society said it's the best possible outcome.

From where we were last year in a storage unit, to today... it's just tough to put into words how it's come together, Hood said.

After 20 years in downtown Decatur, the society received a notice in the fall of 2013 that the museum needed to vacate its original location at 314 N. Main St. by the end of the year. The society spent the next several months holding official meetings in restaurants that could accommodate them and were forced to put its more than 500 exhibit items in a small self-storage unit in Mount Zion.

It was stressful, it was a dire situation, society board member Ada Owens said. We had this place for decades, then one day we were homeless.

After the Rev. Sally Hamon of the Central United Methodist Church read about the society's struggles, she offered Hood and the society the more than 4,000-square-foot building at 235 W. Eldorado St. near the corner of Church and Eldorado streets to use as the new home for the museum.

The church retains ownership of the building but does not charge rent to the society. The organization is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the facility.

Support from the church, as well as those who have donated time and money to the museum, have Hood feeling blessed.

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African-American society sprucing up its new home, exhibits

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The Mower County Extension office will move into a new home later this year.

The county board unanimously approved a plan Tuesday for the extension office, which is most known for coordinating 4-H, to move into the vacant former environmental services building near the public works office on Eighth Avenue Northeast.

They have looked at it and theyre very enthusiastic about the possibilities, Commissioner Polly Glynn said.

Other county offices in the Mower County Government Center are in the process of being moved within the building. The coordinators office moved from the east side of the building to a spot on the south side of the building, and veteran services is set to move into the old coordinators office.

Extension had originally been set to move from the Government Center basement to the current veteran services office, which is on the far north side of the building. However, the spot doesnt have adequate space for extensions needs.

The countys building committee discussed building or remodeling office space at the Mower County Fairgrounds, since much of extensions work is done at the fairgrounds, especially during fair season. However, costs could have topped $200,000.

Instead, the board settled on the former environmental services office, which was left vacant when the department merged with public works a few years ago.

The space is currently being used for storage, and the county plans a small remodel to convert a lab into a conference room, upgrade the bathrooms, install a safety door, paint and possibly to install new carpet. Commissioners estimated the efforts could cost $30,000 to $40,000, if not less, depending on bids.

The board would like to get the office ready and moved before the fair this August, but board members didnt want to rush the move.

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County extension office moving; Vacated environmental services office to become new home

By Staff Saturday, February 28, 2015

March 1

Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers, 3 p.m. first Sunday of each month, Laughing Dog Coffee, 413 Monument Road, 216-9842.

The Grand Mesa Backcountry Horsemen, 7 p.m. first Monday of each month, 242-8860, http://www.gmbch.com.

Overeaters Anonymous, 7 p.m. Mondays; noon Tuesdays; noon and 7 p.m. Thursdays; 9 a.m. Saturdays, Unity Church, 3205 N. 12th St., in the basement, 263-4496.

March 2

Mesa County Republican Women luncheon, 11:30 a.m.1 p.m., Two Rivers Convention Center, all Republican candidates running for Grand Junction City Council will present their main ideas and concerns, reservations recommended, 434-9378.

Firkin Fundraiser, 5 p.m., Kannah Creek Brewery, 1960 N. 12th St., all proceeds from sales of $4 pints will go to March of Dimes, 285-3811.

York Rite Masons, first Monday of each month, Masonic Center.

Orchard Mesa Lions Club, 7 p.m. first and third Monday of each month, A Taste of Heaven Catering.

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Weekly Calendar, March 1, 2015

Photos/T. Julian Pertkiewicz

Clifton artist Sam Kapral has re-designed the American flag to place more emphasis on the 50 states and not just the original 13 colonies. By making the stars space larger, and decreasing the size of the stripes, he said he has accomplished one of his two goals. His second goal is to present the flag to the president.

CLIFTON Sam Kapral smoothes the prototype pages out along the dining table of his home, the Clifton home he's lived in for more than 40 years. There it is: the culmination of four long years of work, shown in pictures. His finished design still looks like the American flag, but it has been altered carefully to show a side of Old Glory that Kapral feels has long been overdue. As he adjusts the pages he beams his satisfaction at his hard work.

His neighbor of many years, Doreen Delancy-Williams, describes him as a very kind and passionate man. "The sweetest man you ever want to meet."

In his retirement he wishes to continue to share his designs with the world by helping make something new again. Although his doctor visits take up a lot of his time and energy, he has managed to see his flag design project through.

During Kapral's career, he has designed packaging for products such as fragrances, creams, and even product art for Gold Medal Biscuit Mix. Before entering retirement, he was a senior artist at Elizabeth Arden for 22 years, where he designed packaging for the company's cosmetics. In the 1950s he trained at Newark School of Fine Art, where upon graduation he was awarded the Designer's Guild award of first prize for one of his designs. In his basement studio he still keeps his portfolio of carefully preserved renderings and blueprints of his academic designs, now just over 60 years old. His designs appear ahead of their time, with clean lines and a minimalist presence of today's popular designs, with just a splash of color.

However, his experience goes far beyond technical design; from watercolors, to pencils, to sketches, to an oil painting of his late wife in her youth - his artwork tells the story of a man who has been artistic all his life. Now at 89, Kapral admits with a chuckle that he prefers to be a manager when it comes to most projects, like his home remodeling. However, the American flag holds deep sentimental value for him. When he realized it had not been updated in decades and he saw room for improvement, it felt natural to take matters into his own hands.

The modern flag design was adopted in 1960, which depicts all 50 states as stars. However, the same general design has been in use since its inception in the 1770s. When asked why he decided to redesign the flag, Kapral replies, "If there is a chance to upgrade something - well, we upgrade everything else." He goes on to mention how America upgraded from horses to cars. "When I was a boy there was only one car on my block... People used to say, 'if a car breaks, you should just get a horse.'" He draws this conclusion: if we stayed with the old ways out of fear, there would be little progress. "Now cars are everywhere."

Kapral's redesign begins with the stars. Instead of the tiny square of blue to corral the stars, it has been extended to the base of the flag. Over time, he has rearranged the stars into various configurations, until he found the staggered pattern he desired. Beside the panel of blue and white, the red and white stripes alternate uniformly as before, but now each of the stripes is equal in length.

His explanation is simple: the current American flag places too much emphasis on the original 13 colonies, represented by the 13 red and white stripes. There is not enough emphasis on the individual states as stars. "We should be proud of our states and show them all," Sam remarks. His final design shows the stars enlarged, to display more prominently against their blue backdrop.

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Clifton artist designs new flag