Bringing Back Sligo

- Rehabilitation Tax Credits
  
  Posted at 10:48 am by Lauren Tepaske, on April 27, 2021
  
  One of the biggest deciding factors for having Sligo listed as an historic property was to try and take advantage of the rehabilitation tax credits provided at both the state and national level. Considering the scope of work needed to make Sligo a livable space any little bit of reimbursement would be helpful in mitigating the costs. At the state level I believe the percentage is 25% of qualifying expenses and at the national level I believe the percentage is 20% of qualifying expenses. In a perfect world one could claim 45% total in tax credits but our world is far from perfect. The national tax credits can only be applied if the property is income producing so that makes it a little more complicated considering we have claimed the main floors of the house as our own, single-family dwelling (for now…more on that later).
  
  We knew enough to keep all of the receipts and invoices from the project which we did with a very systematic approach of stuffing everything into one folder. What I wish we knew, and I am certain Marcus would agree, is that we needed to keep every receipt and invoice along with how they were paid. So, for example, if we went to Lowes and purchased $2.00 worth of screws (and don’t go laughing at me because I’m ignorant to the price of screws and stupid, woman don’t you know screws cost at least double that this is just a hypothetical situation so calm down) we needed to be able to show from which account we purchased said $2.00 worth of screws. If you’re like Marcus and I, between the two of us, we have about six different accounts a purchase could have been made, including major credit cards. Keep reading and I’ll give you our social security numbers next!
  
  Marcus took on the task of sorting through the receipts, pulling account statements, and generating a massive Excel spreadsheet all while using what we fondly refer to as “Franken-computer” which is a laptop whose basic function now is merely for the computer itself while every other aspect has been outsourced with a separate monitor and keyboard. We have another laptop which is what I am currently using but it’s painfully slow. When it comes to electronics (and cars and phones) we are not up-to-date in the slightest. This is all to say that the task of sorting through 2 years of receipts and accounts was made all the more difficult by our current computer situation.
  
  Finally, after all of that, we Marcus has the spreadsheet ready to go to the accountant who, in this case, specializes in Virginia historic tax credits. We are hoping to get all of the state tax credits back and expect a portion of the national tax credits back for the basement which is a rental unit and therefore income producing. Which brings me to my “more on that later” comment which is this: Who wants to rent a three bedroom, roughly 3,000 square foot historic home for three years? Because *drumroll please* we are moving to Singapore!
  
  Posted in Historic Registries, Life, Main House, Uncategorized | 0 Comments
- Put Me in Blogger Jail
  
  Posted at 12:15 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on April 6, 2021
  
  I am sorry. I have been a terrible blogger (bloggess?). Months have passed since my last entry and so much has happened during that time but none of it so interesting or exciting I felt it necessary to share. Actually, that isn’t fair. A LOT has happened and I am realizing if you are a follower of my blog that doesn’t necessarily mean you are a follower of my Facebook or Instagram accounts. I’ll do a little catching up.
  
  In the fall we “foster failed” a puppy we named “Lulu.” She was the last of her litter and the Squishy Face Crew desperately needed her to be in a foster home. I went and picked her up and within 24 hours I had fallen in love. She had the prettiest face and ears that are indescribable. My girls quickly fell in love with her too as she was very generous with her kisses and her butt wiggled uncontrollably when she saw them. It took a few days of working on Marcus to agree to keeping her and I swear I saw the look of defeat in his eyes the second he realized he had lost the battle. In his defense she can still be a little wary around him. I don’t know what her life was like for those first 4 months before we got her but she’s uncomfortable around new people and especially men.
  
  On February 1st, the same day as our one year anniversary for living at Sligo, we lost my step-mom to cancer. The pain of losing her is still raw and hard to talk about. She was the one of the nicest, most caring, most special person in a lot of people’s lives. Honestly, I’m going to have to leave it at that…
  
  Perhaps this is a good time to segue into the “ghosts” of Sligo. It took a few months but I will say both my girls and I have seen shadows. Both of my girls have experienced thinking the cat has walked into their respective rooms only to look and she’s not there. I have seen many shadows, one being a full-bodied person, but always out of the corner of my eye. The most interesting experience I have had included the dog, Lulu. I was calling her to go outside and as I did so, I saw a shadow. At that exact same time, Lulu came trotting in from the other direction and turned and looked directly at the same spot I had seen the shadow. For me, that solidified it. Marcus does not endorse any of this paragraph.
  
  At the end of March I celebrated my *closes eyes and sighs dramatically* 40th birthday. Marcus surprised me with a gathering of near and dear friends I hadn’t seen in over a year. While Covid was constantly at the back of my mind I also could have cared less. Keeping-up virtually is just not the same as being with your friends, face-to-face. The joking and singing (oh, there was singing) and reminiscing, and catching up was all very needed.
  
  Also, on my 40th birthday I became an AWARD WINNING BLOGGER as I received the E. Boyd Graves Preservation Award of Excellence from the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. Now, I have tried not to let this go to my head but…I think I am what is called an “Influencer” now? It definitely means I charge a fee for showing-up places and I expect endorsement deals to come through any day now. In all actuality what I think it means is I have come full-circle with this blog. When I started writing Bringing Back Sligo it was for a few reasons: 1. I have been told, on occasion, that my friends and family like my writing. 2. I enjoy writing about Marcus’s shenanigans and the restoration of Sligo was one of the biggest shenanigan he has every pulled. 3. After doing just a little research and discovering this house had a name and had a history I was compelled to learn even more and write about it.
  
  Writing this blog has brought me some of the greatest joy. I have made connections with people whom I never would have met. They check-up on us and the house from time to time and it really makes me so happy. I love that over the past few years the discoveries I have made about the house have been just as interesting to you as it has been to me. With that said, it has become clear to me over the months as my writing has decreased that the blog for Bringing Back Sligo has come to a natural stopping point. I plan to continue updating the Facebook and Instagram accounts for a little bit longer but even those will have to end sooner rather than later. What I do not plan on doing is stopping my writing and I hope you will continue to follow me because we have the ultimate adventure planned and I would love it if you came along.
  
  Posted in Haunted, Life, Main House | 6 Comments
- Virginia Historic Registry and the National Landmark Registry
  
  Posted at 8:15 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on August 6, 2020
  
  Y’all. Why didn’t anyone tell me or remind me that I never wrote a post about Sligo being officially listed with the Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)? I mean, it’s not like our dear, intrepid Dovetail consultant, Katie, didn’t work her butt off for over a year to get us there. It’s not like it’s kind of a big deal…
  
  (Just to be clear, I am sure my take on the process varies wildly from the actual process. I was more of an outsider offering my occasional insight to the history of the house as I knew it and had been passed on to me via the Ferneyhough descendants and others.)
  
  Almost from the beginning (Julyish 2018) Marcus and I started considering the possiblity of getting Sligo on the respective registries. I think it came about mostly because Marcus learned we could apply for tax credits (I mean, is anyone surprised by the fact Marcus was looking for ways to make this a more profitable endeavor?). The scope of work required seemed totally do-able at first. I filled out the Preliminary Information Form (PIF) to the best of my knowledge and submitted it to the Department of Historic Resources (DHR). Surprisingly, and despite the fact I used only the Works Progress Administration (WPA) report (I wrote a post a while back but for a brief synopsis just know they aren’t entirely accurate) as a source of information, it was accepted because the house was deemed eligible for its architecture. However, the DHR was most interested in learning the exact build date and the architect. How hard could that be? It’s not like in the late 19th century there wasn’t documentation and permits issued and a city department in charge of planning that would have housed all of this information (there wasn’t).
  
  I like to think I made a fairly decent attempt at researching the house and when exactly it was built (though to this day the architect is unknown). My mom and I found ourselves driving between both the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania courthouses working through their respective archives (remember that Sligo was annexed from the county of Spotsylvania into the city of Fredericksburg in 1955). To do this we had to start at the most recent owners (ourselves) and work our way back. Eventually, it was at the Spotsylvania courthouse that we found what we had been looking for:
  
  Deed Book CC, Page 53, January 18, 1889 between George Ferneyhough & Lavinia and G.W. Wallace (trustee), containing 42 acres more or less, secure payment of farm bonds of even date with this deed each for the sum of $375.00 paid in 2, 3, 4, 5 years respectively…and it is covenanted and agreed between the parties aforesaid that the said Geo. T. Ferneyhough will keep the dwelling on said farm now being erected insured for not less than $1,000 in case of a sale being necessary by reason of default. (So, basically, huzzah! We had a build date of 1889!)
  
  After this exciting discovery I turned my attention to filling out the second part of the paperwork required by DHR. Looking back, I have an email forwarded from the DHR outlining the requirements and Marcus simply stating in his message “Up to the challenge?” and the answer was “no.” No, I was not up to the challenge. On more than one occasion during the early days of asking around about the house I was told about Dovetail Cultural Resource Group, a woman-owned, small business in Fredericksburg whose services include “National, State, and Local Register Designations.” Me, being a woman, and Marcus, being the progressive and supportive guy that he is, thought it would be well worth it to contact them and inquire about their services.
  
  And so, that was how it came to be that sometime in December 2018, Katie at Dovetail began working on Sligo’s nomination. The nomination included details about the interior and exterior architecture using vernacular that escapes me (an example being “two over two double hung” and which describes the window and the number of panes…I think). Along with the descriptive narrative pertaining to the architecture there is an historical narrative that requires a significant amount of research which Katie undoubtedly had much better insight for where to look and how. Finally, there is an analysis of other similarly constructed buildings in the area (of which there are few Italianate style homes like Sligo in the city) rounding out the nomination.
  
  Once the nomination was submitted in June 2019 we had to wait for the DHR to meet in September to review the submission. Once they approved the nomination in September it was then sent to the National Park Service who approved Sligo’s nomination for the NRHP in November of 2019. And that, as they say, is history! Ha! Please don’t unfollow me.
  
  If you are interested in reading the actual nomination form follow this link which will direct you to a PDF version: https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/111-0097/
  
  From what I can tell Sligo does not have any files scanned into the NRHP’s website so you can look for it but the information is minimal. You will gain more from the DHR link above.
  
  Posted in Historic Registries, History, Life, Main House | 0 Comments
- My Good Boy, Axel
  
  Posted at 11:42 am by Lauren Tepaske, on July 14, 2020
  
  Sunday, June 12th, we had to say goodbye to Axel Arschloch von Tepaske our beautiful, two year-old German Shorthaired Pointer and Sligo’s guard dog keeping all of the birds and butterflies in line. I am pretty much a basket case going through cycles of guilt, memories, what-ifs, more memories, and comatose watching entire seasons of “Parks and Rec” in an effort to turn off my mind. We fought for him for 36 hours but in the end, his body had been through too much trauma and it was time to let him go.
  
  The first time I saw Axel he was 5 weeks old. I had been following a German Shorthaired Pointer breeder online and Marcus was in Hawaii for three weeks and I figured it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission. She had a few pups left from a recent litter and one of them had caught my eye. I pulled Alex out of school early and she, Josephine, and I made the nearly two hour drive to meet our potential future puppy. He had blue eyes and a fat belly and the best white mark on his nose. The girls were in love. I was in love. Marcus would be in love once he returned (hopefully).
  
  I had first noticed the breed a few months earlier when I saw the cutest pup on the trail. I stopped the owner and asked what kind of dog it was and she proceeded to gush about the German Shorthaired Pointer. “And,” she added, noticing I had been for a run, “they make incredible running partners.” I got home and started doing my research. Even though they weren’t recommended for first time dog owners because they needed A LOT of training and were EXTREMELY active I strongly felt this was the dog for me the family. I think I was going through a weird “empty nest” phase because my youngest would be attending kindergarten in the fall and I wouldn’t have a baby to care for…and a human baby was (and still is) out of the question.
  
  I’m not going to lie, Axel was a shit-head as a pup (hence his middle name “Arschloch” which means “asshole” in German). He nipped and harassed the girls constantly, completely intimidating our youngest. He took a bit of time to fully potty train and overall his manners got worse and worse the older he got. He counter surfed with zeal, ran away and would not come back, pulled on the leash, jumped on people, ate the cat food (and her poop), and barked incessantly. When he turned 1 we sent him to a trainer for three weeks and Marcus said it was the best money we ever spent (and if you know Marcus you know that means something).
  
  If you’ve met me, you’ve probably met Axel. He is with me for every run and where we go is dictated by how hot it is and if we can find water along the route. His favorite path is heading towards the quarry in Fredericksburg where we can hit-up a little beach that allows him to swim and run through the sand zoomie style. When he sees me putting my socks on he knows we’re about to go have fun and gets a little obnoxious and barky and talks back when I tell him to be quiet.
  
  He doesn’t like to let me ride in the car alone so he goes everywhere I go (with exception). He naps in the bend of my legs on the couch and if I don’t get up before him in the morning he jumps up into bed with me and we snooze a bit longer. He makes sure I have a paw to hold while sitting on the toilet (you know, just in case things go bad). He walks me to the mailbox and stays close when I’m doing yard work. When I’m sitting, he likes to put his two front paws on my shoulders and do a nice big stretch of his entire body (I call it an “Axie hug” and it drives Marcus crazy that I let him do it). If I walk out of the house and he’s already outside the second he sees me he bolts towards me as if he hasn’t seen me in years. He loves a good chin scratch and belly rub and I, on the other hand, just love the feel of his velvety soft ears. In other words, he is my best friend and I do not doubt I am his.
  
  Once Axel meets you, you are a part of his pack and from that moment on he will greet you with a running charge, stopping short of knocking you over, his tail wagging and his head up, looking for a pat on the head. He’s moderately gentle with my girls (only occasionally knocking them over), recognizing their smaller stature but always up for a good game of chase or pretty much anything the girls are doing. When I watch our infant nephew, Axel is gentle and aware of the baby, giving him little sniffs and kisses and being sure not to step on him.
  
  99% of the time Axel was with me when I stopped by Sligo during its renovation. I think he thought of the property as his own little dog park and he would start whining when we got close. I’m not sure how the guys who worked on Sligo really felt when they would see me pull up with my insane dog, it’s very likely they cursed. I do suspect one of the painters was a little wary of him. He definitely is not a dog for dog-fearing folks. To see a 50 pound dog charging at you with reckless abandon could make anyone nervous let alone someone who was fearful. I constantly apologized for his bad manners and craziness and I was assured that they didn’t mind and they liked him but I sometimes suspected otherwise.
  
  I loved that dog fiercely and my entire life has been changed with his passing. My running partner/napping bud/handsomest boy/goodest boy/goofus is gone and the hole in my heart is the size of a crater. His loss will stay with me forever and I will miss watching him get old and grey, the way it should have been.
  
  Baby Axel
  
  Axel was the very definition of a “Velcro” dog.
  
  Lasagna was just starting to accept this interlopers presence.
  
  My handsome boy.
  
  One of the last pictures I took of Axel. He was pouting because he wanted breakfast.
  
  Velvety soft ears.
  
  Even in the car, Axel needed to be as close as possible.
  
  Watching a movie with sissies.
  
  Posted in Animals, Life | 0 Comments
- A New Bringing Back Sligo?
  
  Posted at 6:32 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on June 12, 2020
  
  Listen, I’m gonna be honest. I haven’t posted many pictures of the house lately (inside or outside) because we’re walking a fine line of being the next Clampetts. In the house we have our almost all predominately second-hand furniture (assuming we have furniture) that has been with us since the beginning of time. I’m still getting my clothes out of a box because we’ve never owned a bedroom suite though that’s because (and total first world problems here) we’ve always had plenty of closet space. Outside we have overgrowth and unwanted trees coming down faster than we can haul away; children’s toys are littered about; there is lawn equipment under the front porch because we don’t have a garage and the shed we bought is bursting at the seams. So, while improvements have been made very little is worthy of snapping a picture and sharing (although with that said I really need to share the basement with you).
  
  It also occurred to me at some point recently, probably when I was wiping down the muddy side door for the millionth time or during my weekly use of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on the smudges on the walls, that we are not meant to live in a newly renovated Victorian. Our children are a mess, our dog is a mess, I’m a mess (mostly mentally), and Marcus is the worst offender of all (mostly because he’s an adult and should know how to not drag dirt into the house). I feel as if we are squatters who have moved-in and are simply just trying not to burn the place down.
  
  I blame a lot of the mess situation on COVID-19, obviously. If it weren’t for COVID all four of us wouldn’t be in the house all of the time. If the kids were in school (though they would be done by now anyway) I would at least have a fighting chance to keep-up with the mess. As it stands, the messes are made with such speed that I kind of give up at a certain point in the week with a mental vow that starting Monday things will get straightened up again.
  
  And just like that, with a little bit of writing, I feel as if I’ve had an epiphany! Maybe this is my niche? Maybe, just maybe, people would like to see the true life rather than the picture perfect, Instagram worthy home…I’ve been searching for my place in the old home renovation world and maybe this is it? I would include my great sense of humor along with pictures of real-life (for example the newly muddied bathroom wall I just found upstairs) . We’ve brought Sligo back and now we’re living in it and life has returned and it isn’t perfect but nothing is.
  
  Posted in Life, Main House | 0 Comments
- Black Lives Matter
  
  Posted at 3:39 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on June 9, 2020
  This is going to be concise and to the point as I have struggled for days with exactly how to write about the death of George Floyd and his impact on the United States. The last thing I want is to come across as knowing how anyone else is feeling or what they are going through. So, I’m just going to write and hope for the best because at this moment in history silence is unacceptable.
  
  I have typically viewed social media (and the Internet as a whole) as an escape and try to use it for humor. On the rare occasion I have posted anything remotely political I get the few folks who come out of the woodwork to challenge me and, quite honestly, to get worked up over something on social media just simply isn’t worth it to me. But this time, it’s different. For me, this isn’t a political issue, it’s a human issue and one worth voicing an opinion.
  
  I fully recognize the benefits I have enjoyed simply from having been born white. My stressors, whatever they may be, rarely come close to the stress of others as I am able to navigate through life with little impact. Basically, I am the very definition of white privilege. Having established that, here is what I plan to do:
  1. Vote. Vote. Vote. If you are not registered to vote please click on this link and do so: usa.gov/register-to-vote
  2. Donate to black and African American focused charities. I found this site, https://www.charitynavigator.org/ which rates the many charities for their financial health, and accountability and transparency.
  3. Read more and continue to educate myself.
  4. Raise my children right. My parents raised me right and it won’t stop there.
  5. Speak-up and correct those expressing racist views in my presence.
  Posted in Life | 1 Comment
- Robert Walker Ferneyhough
  
  Posted at 2:47 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on May 22, 2020
  
  I’m not going to lie. I can be a bit impulsive at times. Usually this happens when out shopping and I purchase something and return it the next day because in reality, I never needed it to begin with. But sometimes, just sometimes, my impulsivity transfers into my research and assumptions of Sligo and I’m left feeling a little silly.
  
  I follow a page on Facebook called “Spotsylvania Memory” which is constantly being updated with pictures and stories of the people who once lived in Spotsylvania and the surrounding areas. It is also a blog which you can follow here: http://spotsylvaniamemory.blogspot.com/. Anyway, one of the more recent Facebook posts included a picture I have come across many times before because it is labeled as “the Ferneyhough place.”
  
  From the first time I saw it (after an initial impulse to assume it was a picture of the original Sligo) I felt confident it was not “our” Ferneyhough place, past or present. For one, the outbuilding placement didn’t match and, two (and I’m no period clothing expert) but it occurred to me that the clothing was more consistent with what people would have worn in the late 19th and early 20th centuries which would coincide with when present day Sligo was built (plus, and more importantly, this house looks nothing like Sligo).
  
  Retrieved on 21 May 2020 from http://spotsylvaniamemory.blogspot.com/2014/11/thomas-pearson-payne.html
  
  Naturally, then, I wondered which Ferneyhough did this particular house belong to? When I saw the Facebook post I took a chance and asked whether it was known which Ferneyhough owned the place. Spotsylvania Memory answered my question indicating that as far as he knew the house had belonged to Robert Walker Ferneyhough. I was elated to have confirmation that this wasn’t Sligo (in case there was any lingering doubt) but also to know how there was a connection. Elation = impulsivity.
  
  Excitedly, I proclaimed to the world what a great find it was, reassuring my belief that it was not Sligo pictured. I started looking more into Robert Walker because, ironically enough, I had recently been gifted something that had belonged to him (more on that in a bit). However, the more I researched, the more I decided that it couldn’t possibly have been Robert Walker’s property because he lived most of his life in Essex. So, I proclaimed to the world for a second time that this was not Robert Walker’s house and I took back everything I said.
  
  Guess what? It is Robert Walker’s house. I take back what I said, again…for realsy this time.
  
  Quick refresher course on Sligo and the Ferneyhough family. First we had John Robert Ferneyhough Sr. and Margaret Walker who had three children: John Robert Jr., Frances, and Margaret. John Ferneyhough Jr. married Frances Gilbert and together they had five children: John, Mary Ann, Thomas Gilbert, Edward, and Robert Walker. When Frances died John Ferneyhough Jr. married Eliza Thrift and together they had George Thrift and Sallie Magruder. If all of these same-named but different people don’t make you want to tear your hair out then maybe you’re more cut-out for this than I am. Also, for the purpose of this post, we’re only really interested in Robert Walker but I thought I might give a little more context by including all of the family tree.
  
  Robert Walker was born in 1816 in Fredericksburg, presumably at Sligo. He married Frances Polexna Cauthorn in 1842 in Essex, Virginia where they lived until 1854 when they purchased the property in Spotsylvania County from William Hall (retrieved 22 May 2020, http://fbgresearchindxes.umw.edu/SpotsyEmbIdxSch.asp?andor=AND&Grantor=&Grantee=&property=&book=OO&page=373&process=newsearch&B1=Search). In 1860, there is a slave census for Robert Walker in Chancellor, Virginia which includes three females and one male infant. We know from Spotsylvania Memory that the house pictured above was once situated on Catharpin Road in Spotsylvania County and it stands to reason this is the same house purchased by Robert Walker and for which the slave census was taken.
  
  Robert Walker and Frances had five children: John Robert (that makes a third John Robert Ferneyhough in case anyone lost track), Mary (who married Henry Garnett Chesley), Milton, Henry, and Charles. In 1885 Frances passes away and in 1896, the Spotsylvania property on Catharpin Road is sold to Mary Chesley and her brother, John Robert (retrieved 22 May 2020, http://fbgresearchindxes.umw.edu/SpotsyEmbIdxSch.asp?andor=AND&Grantor=&Grantee=&property=&book=AH&page=142&process=newsearch&B1=Search). By 1906 the property is sold out of the Ferneyhough family. Robert Walker eventually passes away in Stafford in 1907 at the home of his son, Milton.
  
  This is all to say that I should delve deeper in my research before making any statements. I mean, in the end, nobody is hurt by it except for me and my pride. Sadly, I don’t think this is the first time I’ve made proclamations only to be proven wrong (by myself) so you would think I would have learned a lesson by now. I haven’t.
  
  Anyway, I also wanted to share with you a pair of 213 year old books that once belonged to Robert Walker and Eliza Ferneyhough which we received from one of the Ferneyhough descendants. If my calculations are correct Robert Walker would have been this person’s great uncle (could totally be wrong, correct me if so!) and Eliza their great-great grandmother.
  
  Robert Walker’s book is particularly special because in it he doodled and it’s all quite cunning. Eventually, the books ended up in the care of John Bowie Ferneyhough (as indicated by the sticker on the inside) who would have been the gifter’s grand uncle (is that a thing…he was the same generation as the gifter’s grandfather…or does that make him the great uncle and therefore Robert Walker a great-great uncle…oh, lort…). From there they managed to stay in the family and now they are back where they started, at Sligo. I have an old curio that I have been storing all of my Sligo related artifacts and it’s my hope that the books will always stay at Sligo.
  
  Without further ado! The books!
  
  Both books are titled: The Spectator, Select British Classics, volume XI and XVI respectively.
  
  Robert Ferneyhough’s book.
  
  Could this be Robert’s drawing of the original Sligo?
  
  What looks to me like an American Revolutionary soldier. Or maybe a magician?
  
  I love the horses!
  
  Eliza Ferneyhough’s book had no doodles with the exception of some numbers written in the back.
  
  Posted in Artifacts, Ferneyhough, History, Life, Slaves and Servants | 1 Comment
- Fridays, Amirite?!
  
  Posted at 12:44 am by Lauren Tepaske, on April 25, 2020
  
  How’s your Friday going? I mean, it’s practically over now but it could get better…or worse? I don’t know what I’m rambling on about and I’ll just cut to the chase and tell you about my Friday because my Friday culminated in a baby opossum rescue.
  
  Today started off as any other day in recent times. Though I have found that by Fridays my zest for “homeschooling” has faded and I find myself letting the girls watch TV and play on their tablets while feeding them pizza bagels for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So, by 2:00 this afternoon I was ready for a nap (obviously, I had really given my all at this point in the day) and sent the girls outside to play. Not but a few minutes later and they came running in excitedly telling me that the dogs had found an animal in the yard. For a split second I was irritated that my nap had been interrupted but they sounded serious so I got up to see what the fuss was about.
  
  If I had really been paying attention I would have heard Gus the ol’ hound dog barking his head off. In my defense he’s been known to wander into a thick brush and just stand there barking. We’re never sure if he’s barking at something or barking because he doesn’t know how to get out. In other words, I’ve learned to tune him out. Axel doesn’t really bark because his breed is meant to be a bit more stealthy and so between the two dogs they make quite the pair with Gus barking his head off and Axel just standing there with one paw slightly raised in a very lackadaisical point. It should be stated that at no point in time have I seen either of them actually harm another animal though our cat, Lasagna, would probably disagree on principle.
  
  So, back to the opossums. I glance out a window and see that, indeed, there is an unidentified animal in the yard and Gus is barking at it while Axel excitedly prances around. I quickly put on my shoes and run outside because from afar it truly looks like our aforementioned cat, Lasagna, lying prone in the grass. As I get closer though I realize it’s an opossum (by the way, “opossums” are native to the United States and Canada and “possums” are native to Australia). As I stand there in shock I can see the opossums belly squirming and without knowing a lick about the animal I immediately knew it was a momma opossum with babies in her pouch.
  
  It’s obvious the momma opossum is hurt. She has a bit of blood on her left backside and is barely breathing. I look around the area that she is lying and I see a few tufts of fur as well as two dead baby opossums. It’s starting to look like one, or both, of the dogs had a hand in this chaos. After securing Axel in the house I tell the girls to run and get their Aunt Eleis because, believe it or not, she has experience in baby opossum rescue. Upon her arrival we both begin making phone calls and are finally directed to Karen with Awesome ‘Possumz and, let me be honest, she’s awesome. I left a message on Karen’s phone and within minutes received a call back. She asked me to snap a few pictures of the opossum and of the babies to get a better idea of what was going on.
  
  Momma opossum with two babies in her pouch.
  
  After Karen saw the photos of the momma she told me that she felt she was doing what opossums do best; she was playing “possum.” Karen said that if we all moved away and gave the momma some space she might get up and move off. If she didn’t move in half an hour then I was to call her back and we would take it from there. I swear not but five minutes after hanging up the phone with Karen that momma opossum popped her head up, looked around, and started moving. Unfortunately, she was clearly very injured as she dragged her back legs a bit and then eventually limped off. The direction in which she headed was straight towards the soccer fields so I felt confident she was merely hiding in the brush along the edge of the property but after scouting around for 20 minutes with no sign of her I gave up. Feeling a little deflated because the momma was so hurt and I really didn’t know how to help her (or find her) I went back to the house to see if the girls would help bury the two dead babies.
  
  Excitedly, because my children can be weirdos at times, they agreed to the task and ran outside to claim a baby opossum to bury. As we walked towards the babies Axel bolted by us and quickly discovered the first live baby opossum. It would seem that he dropped out of his momma’s pouch when she took off. If you look at the picture above I’m guessing it’s the little guy who’s butt is hanging out beneath the head of his sibling. The joy we all felt when we saw that little guy was so overwhelming. I quickly called Karen (for no less than the millionth time) and told her we had found a live baby. We put him in a box, bundled in towels and waited for further instructions.
  
  Poor little guy had a wound on his right side which made me think the dog was involved.
  
  By this point in the day we had reached our daily porch sitting time. Grandma has been coming around to visit on the porch (maintaining proper distance) and the girls were beyond excited to share the news with her. As we were sitting, chatting I commented on Axel and his point. Generally he gets excited about a bird so I didn’t think much of it but I like watching him do something that comes naturally so I continued to watch. Just a few seconds later another baby opossum came running out of some branches we had taken down weeks earlier. He was in a totally different area from where the momma had been and where she had gone and therefore he took us totally by surprise. Axel was definitely ready to “play” with him as all of us: me, both girls, Grandma, and Aunt Eleis frantically screamed at the dog to leave the baby alone. I quickly retrieved the baby and ran him to his sibling.
  
  And then there were two…
  
  The girls were absolutely enamored though stopped short of naming them. For a split second the thought of keeping them crossed everyone’s mind (with the exception of the men) but we knew the right thing to do was take them to be rehabilitated and released. So, off to Awesome ‘Possumz we went: me, my two girls, and our two new furry friends. I couldn’t imagine not bringing the girls with me despite the current crisis and I am so glad I did because Karen wowed us with her rehabilitation center. There were our two babies who were joined with a single baby opossum that had come in the night before, 10 baby opossums snuggled up together and greedily eating their food, a momma opossum with her seven(!) babies, five feisty baby squirrels waiting for release, and two adult opossums who are ambassadors for their kind and quite honestly, the girls and I left smitten.
  
  I am worried about the momma opossum and where she might have wandered off. While we were gone taking the babies to their new home Aunt Eleis said she heard the dogs making a commotion a few times and came out to check but didn’t see anything. I hope the momma is OK though judging by the way she limped away I don’t have high hopes. I am glad we were able to rescue at least two of the babies and we were in the right place at the right time for both of them. In the end, we did eventually get around to burying the poor babies that didn’t survive and they now rest peacefully under an oak tree with a sturdy stone to protect them.
  
  “Pore” possums indeed.
  
  I cannot stress enough what a great program Karen has. If you find an injured opossum, are interested in learning more about opossums, or learning about Karen’s education program please check out her website: https://www.awesomepossumz.com/ or call 1-703-772-2766.
  
  Posted in Animals, Grounds, Injuries, Life | 1 Comment
- Long and Personal
  
  Posted at 9:09 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on March 31, 2020
  
  *sigh*
  
  I think you know what I’m saying, right? *BIG SIGH* This month hasn’t been so much a roller coaster of emotions as I’ve often attributed to the restoration of Sligo. This month has been more than that. It has been a monsoon of emotions…maybe a tsunami? This month has been a very large and destructive force of nature of emotions which I’m sure many of us are feeling right now.
  
  Where were you March 1st? A mere month ago? Personally, I was in Chicago with my mom and one of my sisters. We had gone to see Yo-Yo Ma perform at the Chicago Symphony and it came as a much needed break after Marcus had been on travel for two weeks. On March 1st, I was still planning on flying to Italy with our two girls for spring break in the next few weeks. Marcus would already be there for work and we were going to meet him and have a family adventure. It was during this trip to Chicago that I began to realize our world was about to change.
  
  One by one, travel, school, after-school activities, and work were canceled but still I didn’t worry too much. I only began to slightly panic when Marcus questioned why I hadn’t done a big grocery run. I mean, if Marcus is slightly panicking then I need to be as well. So, I soon found myself shopping two times that week. The first time it wasn’t so bad and there was hardly anyone at the store. The second time, 24 hours later, I went back to the grocery store to pick-up a few things I had forgotten and was soon swept-up into everyone’s panic, purchasing another basket full of groceries. So, in case you weren’t sure, herd mentality is real.
  
  Our girls have taken all of the changes in stride and honestly, they’re so much like their dad, that whatever feelings they are experiencing over this entire event are being tamped down. Marcus and I are doing our best to maintain a sense of a schedule and normalcy. We have split up the day with me “teaching” reading and writing and Marcus taking on science and math. We have also started basic home education lessons such as sorting laundry, cleaning, and baking. The oldest learned how to heat-up a corn dog in the microwave and that’s what she and her little sister lived on one day recently. While I personally can’t stand corn dogs and their lack of nutritional value I can totally get behind the self sufficiency. I’m not saying that it hasn’t taken my entire supply of wine to work through the emotions of being home with the girls all day every day but we’re managing.
  
  Also, during this month, my father-in-law passed away after a two year battle with small cell lung cancer. He left us just a week ago, in a time of such turmoil and uncertainty. I know we all would have been worried about his getting sick with the coronavirus. We had already started distancing ourselves from him and my mother-in-law and for the last two weeks of his life we saw either of them only from a distance.
  
  Ron was one of the best people I will ever know and the following is just a glimpse of that: He championed his sons but frequently sided with us wives; he would terrify yet amuse me when the girls were toddlers by giving them giant Altoids to suck on but I didn’t have the heart to ask him to stop so I would shadow the girls until I knew they were finished; and, as any good grandpa does, he harassed the girls with his “Tickle Monster” and would sing songs at bedtime; he had the biggest laugh and sense of humor; he shared my passion for sweets; we were never sure if the stories he told were true though we think they were at least mostly true; at our very first meeting I remember being embraced in his big, bear hug; and on the day he married Marcus and I he grabbed my face and planted a kiss right on my lips proclaiming “This will be the only time I can do this!”
  
  When Marcus purchased Sligo, Ron was, as all of us were, skeptical to say the least. However, as time went on and progress was made on both Sligo and the Cottage, Ron began to share in the vision and took delight in visiting to see the changes. On Ron’s last day one of the things he said to me as we were saying our goodbyes was how happy he was to see us “snugged up” in Sligo. He was also an avid reader of this blog and encouraged me to keep writing and I’m sorry I didn’t write anything new for him to read in the last few weeks. I’m going to miss him terribly, especially once social distancing has come to an end and we can visit with Marcus’s mom. I think that will be when we really feel his absence.
  
  Finally, the end of the month has brought my birthday. It’s not a “big one” but it’s getting closer and closer to one and I don’t know if I have it in me to accept that. Despite having to maintain social distancing I still had a nice day filled with mimosas and wine and food and honestly, that was pretty close to perfect. It’s a time for growth mentally and possibly physically (“COVID-19” instead of the “Freshmen 15” amiright?!) as we all learn to navigate this new world.
  
  Posted in Life | 1 Comment
- Ol’ Gus
  
  Posted at 10:13 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on February 27, 2020
  
  I’m frequently inspired to write about the galoots in my life. While Marcus tends to be my muse most of the time, occasionally I find inspiration elsewhere. Today, that inspiration is drawn from ol’ Gus the dog.
  
  Gus is the peeping hound dog that lives at the Cottage with his people: My brother-in-law and his wife and son. Gus is a fan of sun bathing, barking at seemingly nothing, sniffing the entire acre and a half, and peeping through our kitchen windows at dinner time (I think he likes to pretend he’s living his old, orphan life to remind himself how good he has it now). He also will romp for about 10 seconds with Axel and then he’s good for the rest of the day.
  
  Another favorite past time ol’ Gus has is escaping through the front gate every chance he gets. He has an uncanny ability to be across the yard and know that the gate has been opened. While our ultimate goal is for the gate to be mechanized it isn’t as of yet and that has proven to be a challenge for keeping Gus contained. Frequently what happens is, a person unfamiliar with Gus will drive through the gate and fail to close it behind them. Also, because we like to channel the Clampetts, the gate has to be bungeed closed so that the wind does not blow it open and this is often forgotten which results in an escape.
  
  If you are not familiar with our area we live off of a fairly busy, four lane road. We chose to fence-in the entire acre and half in order to be able to enjoy it completely and feel that our children and animals are protected. It turns out, though, that it isn’t our own children or animal that needs protecting because they are trained to stay within their boundaries. Gus, on the other hand, is just an old boy who was rescued not even knowing how to eat out of a bowl let alone know what a boundary is.
  
  Somehow, he has managed to walk out of the gate and make it across all four lanes of traffic; he’s walked about a mile away to the Bowman Center; I found him one time leading the way for a gentleman through the neighborhood across the street; he’s been found hanging out at Dixon Park; plus, he’s received at least one or two rides home with kind strangers. It helps that he is a slow mover so I suppose the few times he has crossed in front of traffic it’s like having to stop for a family of geese crossing which gives motorists time to react.
  
  This is all to say that we are working on a solution for containing Gus. Until then, keep an eye out for a old, plodding hound dog on Dixon.
  
  Gus, the escape artist
  
  Posted in Animals, Grounds, Life | 0 Comments
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