Happy Birthday Cleveland

Cleveland turns 209 years old today!

Did you know that in 1930, Cleveland was the 5th largest city in the US with a population of 900,429?

In 1800, the official population was 7. Ohio joined the United States in 1803.

By 1990, the population had dwindled to 505,616, making Cleveland the 23rd largest US city.

And in the 2000 census, the population continued to decline to only 478,403.

The city was named after General Moses Cleaveland, who developed the plans for public square but never visited again! In 1831, a newspaper removed the extra "a" in order to make the word fit at the top of the front page, so it's been Cleveland ever since.

Ranked as the 9th fattest city in the US in 2004 by Men's Fitness magazine,
BRAGGING RIGHTS AND SOBERING FACTS:

In a measure of pizza places per capita, Cleveland has three times the national average. Doughnut shops number almost three times the national average. More than 58 percent of Ohioans exceed their ideal body weight by a wide enough margin to raise their risk for health problems, according to a study by the CDC. In the same study, more than 8 out of 10 people were so inactive physically that their health is at risk. Clevelanders, unlike much of the nation, have a relatively stress-free and fast commute. According to the Urban Mobility Report from the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University, the average Cleveland commuter spends only 10 percent longer commuting in peak traffic than the same trip would take during off-peak times. That's one of the best scores of any city in our survey.

Famous Clevelanders:
Molly Shannon (Saturday Night Live)
Langston Hughes
Halle Berry
Henry Mancini
Don King
Phil Donahue
Arsenio Hall
Steve Harvey
Bob Hope
Tracy Chapman
Wes Craven and of course, Drew Carey

Cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning

Spent 3 hours at the house today and feel like I got nowhere, though I did determine that we have no hot water. A good hour pulling out the weeds in the front and side of the house. Mopped the floor in the kitchen, vacuumed some areas of paint scrapings and the nasty vent upstairs. Carried outside the cabinet that was sitting on the floor in the kitchen for whatever reason. Saw a gorgeous white stray cat today, looks just like my Mr. Bibbles without the spots. I had planned on washing down the walls today with some heavy duty chemicals, but there are still some areas that were spackled and need a coat of primer first. Going to nap now, that was an exhausting morning!

All photos posted

Here are the photos from the first few weeks of home ownership. There will be more writing, fewer pictures later, but I just wanted to get it all out here.

Stay tuned...

The real reason we bought this house, what a view. 

What I found in the floor air return vent in the living room. Yes, some of that is candy still in the wrapper. The ants were enjoying it. 

What's all of this? 

Me preparing to clean (again). Thick gloves are really necessary, you never know what you'll find! 

It does look much better now 

This only took a few hours 

Progress on the floor 

Joe taking a break 

The gorgeous tree in the backyard 

Another mystery stain on the stairway 

Oh, I forgot to point out the hallway that smells like urine. Human urine...we're going to remove this over the upcoming weekend. I'll be sure to photograph this mess! 

The entrance to the 2nd bedroom 

Yep, that's pink and green paint on the door. 

Who glues a poster to the wall? I just don't get it!!! 

No, that's not dirt on the trim and door, thankfully, just missing paint. I think... 

Note that the PO removed part of the door to accomodate the toliet placement....yeah, that's a great idea! 

The spacious bathroom 

Hhmmm, what's this? 

Let's go upstairs....watch the broken steps! 

No, it wasn't foggy outside, that's filth on the inside. 

Joe removing the mirror that was glued to the wall. It had to be broken first, which caused a few minor issues later when the floor was sanded...always remember to sweep the floor before you start sanding!!!! 

Joe in the doorway to the small room off the library. 

Work area 

This is the disgusting kitchen...I just can't capture the layers of filth on camera. It all has to go! 

Here's the living room and dining room area with the floor stripping in progress.