Attack of the Narrow Pigtown Rowhouse

(BEFORE PIC #1, 2006)
(BEFORE PIC #2, 2006)


In the smaller worries of life, my rowhouse's 12-ft-wide living room floor plan is driving me nuts. I don't feel furniture should be smashed flat to the wall, but with a shotgun floorplan, there's insufficient room to "float" furniture.

The (on-going) solution?

Being that I couldn't resituate the space-stealing staircase that invades the front of the living room, I had to get creative. First, to allow more light and give the illusion of more space, I changed the plain steel door to an open glass door with a transom above it (thanks Lowes). Second, the living room was painted a deep luxurious brown with a tad of sheen (Bittersweet Chocolate by Benjamin Moore) from before's blah off-white. This is supposed to shorten the long galley look of the room. The next step, however, is on-going and irksome: furniture placement. So far: a console, an 80-inch sofa, 2 large chairs, 2 small chairs, a divider, a sofa table, and *maybe* a bar. Sounds like a hellish amount of furniture, but I will win. "After" pics to come.

The Poor Dog in the Alley

There's a wonderful yet unfortunate dog that lives in a dirty, shantily fenced yard opposite the alley behind my house in Pigtown. I call him Scoobers. Scoobers is the alley "alarm" and obviously chosen by his owner for this quality. But sadly, nothing else. Day after day, Scoobers sits in the backyard alone with his dog igloo and two overturned steel food bowls that never seem to be clean or full. No toys, no treats, no walks, no affection. The only time I've seen Scoobers' owner was when he scolded Scoobers for barking excessively and for running away. So many times I thought to call Animal Control to help, but I'm fearful that they'll euthanize him. So, I try to check in on Scoobers daily to make sure he has fresh water and a little affection. Scoobers is friendly despite his dire condition. Hungry for attention, and probably to escape the smell of his backyard, Scoobers often sneaks outside his fence to sit in the alley. His leash is far too short for this feat, and today, I went outside to see that he was caught in the fence to the point of choking. After freeing him once earlier today, my boyfriend found him caught again and decided to videotape it. I really, truly hope that Scoobers will find a better home and some happiness in his life. I wish we could adopt him.