We Live in an Ice Cream Parlor

We have knob and tube electricity, which I had never even heard of until the inspector told us ours needs to be replaced. The outlets work fine -- what few there are. Our living room has two; the bedroom one. I can imagine the electrician in 1909 telling the owners they were being extravagant putting two outlets in the living room because, honestly, back then what were you going to plug in?


The overhead lights, on the other hand, work
when they feel like it. Again, what few overhead lights there are; the previous owners graciously removed the living room and dining room fixtures when they moved out.

Rob decided to hang Christmas lights to keep us from stumbling around in the dark. They work quite well and make the place feel cozy. It's been a while since we've had incandescent bulbs; the light is much warmer than with compact fluorescents.

Of course, now that Rob has come up with an alternative light source, our ceiling fixtures have started working again. Even so, the Christmas lights are staying.