We are working on a series of upcoming stories about home improvement projects for a number of our publications. In editing these, I couldn’t help but think about the first home Jolene and I bought in the 1990s. We stretched ourselves financially to do so, but we made it happen.

It was a split foyer home that was built in the 1970s — and it looked like it. The appliances and countertops were green, typical of the era. We hired a company to paint the appliances white, and they looked like 1970s appliances that were painted white. This was a great example of the expression about putting lipstick on a pig. My dad and I installed the new countertops, and we did a good job for a couple of amateurs.

The kitchen had a fake, red, brick veneer over the drywall, which was, again, typical of the era. We primed and painted it, using several gallons of paint, as whatever that stuff was made of soaked it up like a sponge. The rough texture destroyed several paint brushes and rollers, too. But, once again, it looked much better.

The bathroom had a dark brown toilet. Seriously. Dad and I installed a new one and moved that one to the basement. It worked, and it was good for a few laughs.

The ceiling had what I thought were wooden beams. Upon closer inspection, I learned they were made of Styrofoam. I called Jolene into the room and asked her to watch while I knocked them down with one hand. She was impressed, for a few seconds.

We sanded the dark woodwork and doors and painted them lighter colors, and we gave the exterior a makeover from the dark brown and white barn look to earthtone colors. New landscaping and stonework gave the home a much-improved street appearance as well.

We did our best — on a limited budget and a lot of sweat equity — to update this house and erase the disco-era features. Looking back, it was fun, and we learned a lot, thanks in large part to help from our fathers. In the end, we could see the improvements and enjoy them, too.
Over time, we were able to hire professionals to do other improvements as well. All this remodel work helped to make this little house into a home — our home. It looked much different from the time we bought it to the time we sold it, and we were able to pocket a nice profit from it as our reward.

Five homes later, and we still smile as we look back with fond memories of our first home and the work we did to it. I am sure many of you can relate.

Meanwhile, if you want a brown toilet, I know where you might be able to find one.

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com

See Shane Goodman's previous columns here.

IOWA ARTIST
Whimsical figures

By Jackie Wilson

Take a stroll in the Beaverdale area and admire the huge mural off Beaver Avenue. On the concrete wall of the newly opened Basic Bird restaurant, discover a cast of cartoon-type characters eating tasty food from bowls. Artist Nic Roth is the artist behind the whimsical figures.

Roth completed the mural in May. Throughout the process, onlookers followed his progress. When the lights were installed for the final showing, he witnessed a car nearly getting in an accident.

“They were rubbernecking to look at the mural,” he recalls. “People loved it. It brought a lot of life to the neighborhood and improves the environment.”

Meet Brenda Bussanmas
Having fun with math promotes learning.

By T.K. West

Brenda Bussanmas grew up in the Norwalk area, mostly in Bevington and Indianola. After graduating high school from Martensdale St. Mary’s, she attended Simpson College. Although Bussanmas knew that teaching was the path she was destined to take, she had a couple of different careers before completing her college degree to become a teacher. Now, Bussanmas will enter her first year teaching with the Norwalk Community School district this fall. She will be a fifth-grade math and science teacher.

“I am most excited about the opportunities I will have at Norwalk to extend my teaching skills. Each year I have taught, I have learned more about teaching and myself. This coming year will be even more interesting with new curriculums, district and coworkers to learn with and from,” she says.

[...]

These celebrities were born on this date:  Andrew Garfield, Demi Lovato, Robert Plant, Fred Durst, Amy Adams, Ben Barnes, Al Roker, Billy Gardell, Connie Chung, David O. Russell, Don King, John Noble

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The answer to yesterday's riddle:

What  mug shots taken by the criminals themselves called? CELL-fies! - Rex Post, Gail Tomlinson, William Snyder, S. Hill Watkins, Peri Van Tassel

Today's riddle

What do you get if you cross a pig with a dinosaur?

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