Back to School
It’s that time of year! I realized this year four family members (including myself) are heading back to school. Sarah Tefft took a teaching position at the Perkins School for the Blind in their new College Success program. Philip will be starting pre-school next week and I just registered for a small business class at SUNY Adirondack (for non-locals this is the community college).
A building at Perkins School for the blind (which first opened in 1832), it’s a little bigger than our schoolhouse!
Jesse Tefft Tries Tiny Living
The fourth Tefft heading back to school is my brother Jesse. He left for his freshman year of college at SUNY Plattsburgh two weeks ago. After seeing this pic of his home away from home it got me thinking that perhaps dorm living is the ultimate in tiny house living. You have aprox. 30 square feet for all your worldly possessions. This really makes you edit your collection of “stuff” down to the essential, vital, can’t live withouts! What made Jesse’s list you ask? His hair products (see if you can spot them in the photo) and his computer. 
Jesse’s going to embrace minimalism!
Squeezing in the Last Bit of Summer
The weather is making it feel like summer. Here’s what we’ve been up to in the last week or so!
History Lesson: Gramp’s Old School Was Almost Demolished in 1927!
Gramp and I continue to learn new things about the school house. As part of the application for the National Register of Historic Places a significant amount of research and writing is being done. We found out the school house was actually set to be demolished in 1927 because the State Board of Education said it was in need of major repairs . The BOE was also concerned about the lack of land for a decent playground. In the end, the school remained and the compromise was to demolish the outhouses, change the entrance, and build an addition with chemical toilets. p.s. I still have the chemical toilets!
The original entrance to the school was on the side facing Ryan Road. There used to be a door where the middle window is now.
Math Class: How much to run that gas line??!!
Labor Day turned into a lot of labor for us. We realized after moving into the village house that we really needed a new furnace system. So down the natural gas/National Grid rabbit hole I went. Seems like a good idea right? To make a long story short I’d have to come up with $7,600, the cost of running a line 150 feet. So we opted for liquid propane and are dreaming that someday the gas will make its way to our street.
Labor Day weekend resulted in the install of the new system courtesy of Ben’s dad, a friend named Ben, and my husband Ben (this same name thing made for a bit of confusion along the way.) It was a dirty job to say the least. They did a fantastic job!
It seems I can never escape demo
All done and we’ll be nice and warm this winter!
Field Trip: We hit up Hildene, Robert Todd Lincoln’s summer home.
Monday we did sneak in some family fun and took a trip to Hildene – the summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln. I love old houses. Check it out !
My not so formal family exploring the formal gardens
Doing some observing from the observatory, Vermont is truly beautiful!
Hildene also has a goat farm, our little learner did some research here
Back to the School House
Gramp stayed strong all summer and spent part of almost every weekend at the school house. I got distracted by projects in my own house but this weekend I’m headed back to school! Sunday we’ll be doing some exterior work. I’m putting on my painting pants. Stop by if you see us there!
In honor of back to school here’s the students that attended our schoolhouse in the 1920’s! Hope everyone had a great first day at school including all my teacher friends and administrators. Thank you for all you do!
Gramp's Old School 