It was many and many a year ago in a kingdom by the park that a dog there lived whom you may know…. Ah, I’m talking about Brooklyn the Ghost Dog. A big, scary looking dark dog. Many dog walkers have encountered him. I’ve looked upon him with my very own eyes a number of times. He would just sit and stare. Sometimes he took interest in the other dogs. Sometimes he would just vanish. He was always behind the fence in the woods. Untouchable.

Legend has it that Brooklyn the Dog had been living in those park woods for years. He was reported to rescuers as early as 2008 but they had never been able to catch him. The mysterious canine looked well fed and happy enough. I liked to think that he had human companionship somewhere. Perhaps the owner was as elusive as him.

This is a true story and guess what? There’s a happy ending! Local rescuer Sean Casey was finally able to capture Brooklyn last week. The massive Cane Corso was limping and had slowed down enough for people to get close to him. He’s healing now and there’s already a line of people waiting to adopt him. He also has Lyme Disease. Yes, from Prospect Park.

I’m looking forward to seeing Brooklyn in the park with his new family soon! On the other side of the fence.

The only time we’ve ever finished our renovations have been when we put a house on the market. Well, this time we’re not going anywhere but it’s probably a good idea to finish our own house before taking on the next project.

The thing is that we’ve lived in a construction zone in one house or another for the last 18 years so we are quite used to it. Plus, this place is so close to being done that we tend to forget there’s still work to do.

Nobody ever realllly finishes their renovations anyway, do they?

Here’s the punch list. I don’t have too much faith that we’ll get it done any time soon, but perhaps we can check off a few items.

1. Light fixtures. I keep buying them, but I don’t install them.

2. Paint basement steps.

3. Convert work room into dining room. Ugh. Now that I’m embarking on my first flip, the Reclaimed Home store is going out of business. I now have the task of liquidating my merchandise and crafts. Years of crap to sift through. Then I just move the table and chairs in, right? Nah, we want to take down a wall. Demo in an already finished room.

4. Get rid of pissy cabinet. It was nice while it lasted but we no longer need a sink downstairs. Plus, the cats are peeing on it.

5. Get rid of cats. Only kidding!

6. Molding for window sills. We did the marble and never finished it off.

7. Fireplace screen. It’s not fixed to the mantel and it needs painting. Currently being held up by a table I pulled out of someone’s trash. Classy.

8. Molding in bathroom. We finished that bathroom 5 years ago and still, no molding.

9. Redo stairs from garden to parlor level. Yeah, that’s a job for the stair guy.

10. That damn deck! Ha, it’s going to go another summer before we get to it.

I didn’t want to jinx it by mentioning it, but now that my offer has been accepted, inspection is done and I’m about to go into contract, I think it’s safe to tell you about the new house!

After looking in The Rockaways in bad weather then deciding to search upstate for a few months, I got discouraged with “the country”. Yes, there were houses in my price range. Loads of them. And I looked at them all. Only, none of them made too much sense. After travel time and/or living away from home most of the week, high taxes and the amount of work these places needed, I decided to give it one last shot locally.

I caught this house on Craigs and the agent actually did her job (unheard of in NYC in my price range) by returning my call and showing me the house. Not only that, but she has followed through on everything with this deal.

Location is pretty darn good even if it’s not on the beach. It’s actually located on the bay side of the peninsula with a view of the water. The parks department bought the property across the street on the bay and it will be a park with an area to put in kayaks and such. At the rate they’re going, I’ll be finished before them. This is in the high Beach 80′s, close to Thai Rock and within walking distance to the hip beach area. Like 4 blocks walk to beach.

The house is not much to look at. New vinyl siding. Hate it! But since I gotta keep costs down and I don’t want to put all that vinyl in the dumpster, I’ll try to purdy it up best I can with some molding to take away from the fugliness.

The 1920′s house probably never had any detail to begin with and it surely doesn’t now. There is actually wood flooring under that carpet, but who knows what I’ll find behind that drop ceiling and wall paneling? I’m thinking of going with Hollywood Regency style to spice it up.

It’s a legal 2 family of about 1000 square feet and I’ll keep as two units. I figure that rental income is never a bad thing. When all is said and done, the house should be fairly affordable to moderate income buyers. Even if someone just purchases it as a second home or two parties want to split it, the two apartments, although small, make sense.

The kitchens will get face lifts as will the entire house. What is NOT getting ripped out? Hello….

So, here’s where this blog will take another turn. Look for info on The Rocks (Yeah, gross term, I know. I said it to make you puke in your mouth alittle.) in the upcoming months. I’ll be posting design tips and DIY videos once the renovation starts.

If you follow me on Pinterest and you’ve noticed me creating boards like “Siding options”, “Tiny Back Yards” and “Hollywood Regency” now you know why. Let the fun begin! (In about a month when I close.)

* First, a fun fact. Donna Summer’s daughter’s name is Brooklyn.

The passing of Donna Summer has stirred up some fond childhood memories. I was in junior high when Donna reigned as the Queen of Disco. Too young to go to “discotheques” like Studio 54 but old enough to appreciate a talent when I heard it.

It wasn’t until my adult life when I first heard that the whole disco backlash was possibly racially motivated. My husband who grew up in Ireland was the one who mentioned it. Since then I’ve also read that it may have also been anti-gay. I don’t know how the “Rock vs. Disco” war played out in other parts of the world but here in Tony Manero land, it was pretty much in your face. Racial maybe, only here in Brooklyn it wasn’t a push against the black artists creating the music. Sorry, but in my 12 year old mind, it was anti-Italian. I won’t use the G word, but let’s just say that Jersey Shore had nothing on Brooklyn back in 1977. Can I use the C word? Cugine?

Cugines and disco went hand in hand. The hair. The gold chains. The pointy white sneakers and leather jackets. Viceroy and Jordache jeans! Oh, I wore them too. They got a bad rap for the way they dressed and talked but most of them were sweet when it came down to it.

Brooklyn and Disco were synonymous back in the 70′s. From “Last Dance” at every barmitzvah to our pride in Donna Summer’s relationship with “that Brooklyn Dreams guy”. Do I even have to mention “Saturday Night Fever”? It took me about five years after the release of that movie to finally watch it because it hit too close to home and I didn’t even hang out with “those types”.

By the early 80′s when disco was dying off, I finally got to dance on that Saturday Night Fever 2001 Space Odyssey dance floor. It was the size of a postage stamp.

But disco will never die, not even with Donna. Don’t believe me? Go put on some disco music and just try not to shake your groove thang.

Photo by Scott Dudelson

Not all of the local outdoor venues have released their concert line ups yet, but here are a few good ones.

The legendary Jimmy Cliff opens  Celebrate Brooklyn on June 5th. The concert is free to the public (donations accepted) or you can get fancy schmancy and buy a $325 ticket to the dinner and gala.

Cake, Jane’s Addiction and Sublime will be among the bands headlining the Williamsburg Park Concert Series.

Playing Jones Beach on June 8th and 10th is….are you ready for this?…Neil Diamond! Other blasts from the pasts at the venue over the summer include The Beach Boys, Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, The Deftones, Loverboy and gosh, so much more.

Some of the performances at Central Park Summer Stage include Alabama Shakes, comedy from The Daily Show crew and The Klezmatics.

The Drums headline the Four Knots Festival on July 14th.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to calendar the Bedford Historic District yesterday. This doesn’t mean it happens automatically. The next step is the public hearing, but judging from all the positive feedback from the multiple meetings over the years, this shouldn’t be an issue.

I’ve been in Bed Stuy about six years now and obviously I’ve seen lots of changes, but this one is pretty substantial as far as the neighborhood getting recognition for being an historic gem.

What’s that? You want me to make a list of changes? Well, ok.

1. More building permits posted. That’s definitely more of a new school thing than old. Glad my own renovation is finished because I’m more of an under the radar DIY kind of gal.

2. Restaurants, bars and wine shops, oh my! Gosh, I remember when Applebees was a big deal because it was supposedly the first sit down restaurant in the hood. There were lines around the block. How far we’ve come.

3. And wine shops! Yeah, I included it in #2. So what? Remember when it was all behind bullet proof glass? Remember that?? Shit, I’m so old that I remember the bullet proof glass liquor stores in my former South Slope neighborhood.

4. Whiteys. Can’t skim over that one. I was the first pale face on the block (granted, it’s a short block). My nickname at the local hardware store was “The White Lady”. I’m no longer special.

5. More dogs. More strollers. More LGBT.

6. Fuckin’ hipsters.

7. Better services. It was sooo difficult to find a pet sitter six years ago. Now the one I used in Park Slope works in this area as does a number of full time dog walkers.

8. The city is paying attention to us. Trees along Fulton. A pedestrian “park” on Fulton and Marcy. Nostrand Avenue is finally going to be repaved!

9. Tourists. Where are all of these European families coming from (and don’t say “Europe”) and why are they here?

10. Cafes. Too many. Ok, so we were all excited to get the first one or two hip coffee houses. Now we have more than enough.

I liked this neighborhood when I first moved here but every time I walk around, I love knowing that I made the right choice.

Howzabout some ideas to spice up those steps? These can be done without rebuilding your whole staircase.

Lovin’ the vintage linoleum stairs but it’s hard to come by real vintage lino these days.

Soda crates! Or choose any kind of crate you can get your hands on. Notice how they just inserted the reclaimed treads in the middle without messing with the bannister?

These are actually porcelain tile. They fooled me. I thought it was stained or faux painted wood. The Italian tiles are awesome but they may be pricey and hard to come by. Nothing wrong with using the real thing. Just sand and stain.

Oy. That seems like a ton of work. Not to worry. Cut the risers and stencil them on a table BEFORE installation. Still a ton of work but at least you won’t break you’re neck.

We visited one of the oldest houses in Brooklyn yesterday. The late 1700′s Lefferts House is located in Prospect Park, but did you know that the original location was six blocks away on Flatbush and Maple? And did you know that the 1783 structure was the second Lefferts home to be built after the original 1687 homestead was burned down during the British invasion of 1776?

It’s all good now. The home was donated to the city back before it was moved and has been a museum ever since. It’s a small house by today’s standards so if you visit, don’t expect a full day trip. Bring the kiddies as the Prospect Park Zoo and Carousel are within spittin’ distance.

Suggested admission is a mere $3 for adults.

Yes Mother, it’s the Psycho house.

Happy Mother’s Day weekend! Let us celebrate by remembering the houses of some of our favorite fictional moms.

The house died with Carrie’s mom.

Mommy Dearest

Grey Gardens. Ok, so Big Edie is not fictional.

And here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson

A little outdoor space is better than nothing at all. The good news is that maintenance can’t be that difficult with a postage stamp sized yard.

Vinegar. Sweet Pickins Furniture

Faux Barn Wood. House of Smiths

Burnt Wood. (Don’t do this at home) Urban-Now

Hammer and Stain. Young House Love

Pink bathrooms kick ass. Just look at these lovelies!

The first time I went to check out The Rockaways and look at houses was during the winter. It was a gray, rainy weekday. Miserable. I was totally uninspired and that’s when I started looking upstate.

Well, over the weekend I saw a Rockaway listing that could work for what I want to do and I visited again. This time it was a sunny weekend and people were out. With dogs! And bikes! And frisbees! I walked along the beach and thought….yeah, I could deal with this.

It would mean I can commute from home while I’m working on the house. If I do upstate, I’m up there on my own for the better part of the week.

It would mean I’m not strictly in a second home area (Yeah, I know, people live upstate full time). Buyers who move there can take the A train to work. Granted, it would take them just as long as driving from upstate, but it’s a $2.50 subway ride.

It would mean less taxes.

It would mean I’m not paying thousands for gas to drive up and back while working on the house.

Drawbacks? Well, The Rockaways are still very rundown. The part I can afford, anyway. FYI, I’ll tell you that this is between Beach 86 and 100 Street. It’s totally risky.

Do I like taking risks? Yeah. Kind of.

If you know of any reason I shouldn’t do this, speak up now!!

Adam Yauch has passed from cancer at the young age of 47. This celebrity death hits way too close to home for me. I’ll always remember Adam as that guy in the punk band back in high school. He was a year older than me, one of those hip brownstone neighborhood kids who went to Murrow.

Thanks for the music and activism, Adam.

163A Halsey is up for auction again. It sold for $400k last year with a starting bid of $325k. Obviously, there were multiple bidders. Wonder what happened?