Stories by Tracy Rogers
RSSPERSONAL SPACE: Shannon Dillard Mitchell
Shannon Dillard Mitchell Where I live: I have a 1950s ranch-style home on the north side of Wilson Park in Fayetteville that I bought from the original owners. They had been there since it was built in 1955 or 1956, I think. Continue reading...
Drive-By Shooting Reported
SPRINGDALE — Police are investigating a drive-by shooting reported on Braxton Drive on Friday night.
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PERSONAL SPACE: Stuart Walker
Where I live: I live on Mount Sequoyah on Viewpoint. It’s just a little 1,700 to 1,800 square foot house. We bought a remodel. We’ve remodeled one house after another all within about a mile of the center of town. My wife and I both tend to favor mid-century architecture. We sold a Warren Seagraves-style house that was about 3,000 square feet. We wanted to live in a smaller house with an open floor plan. Continue reading...
Personal Space: Leah Garrett
Leah Garrett Where I live: I live on the Ozark Alternatives Farm. It is on Arkansas 45 right behind Covington Park. It’s a sustainable community. We have community gardens. The farm is a community-supported agriculture project. Continue reading...
Vacuum vetting
Buyers of dirt-snuffing machines have many options, styles and prices to consider
LITTLE ROCK — It’s the day before your mother-in-law arrives to visit, and the vacuum cleaner just went out. There’s still time to scurry to the store to pick up a new one, but be warned, buying a vacuum cleaner isn’t as simple as it once was. Continue reading...
Vacuum features help get job done
LITTLE ROCK — Deciding whether you want a canister or an upright is just the beginning when buying a vacuum cleaner. Continue reading...
PERSONAL SPACE: Ashton Caton
Where I live: I live in Rogers across from Kirksey Middle School and The Annex off of First Street. When we decided to rent the house, I was nine-months pregnant. We wanted a house instead of an apartment just because we wanted our own walls. The house that we ended up choosing is great as a starter home for our family. It’s kid-friendly and in a good neighborhood. Continue reading...
Where the blog hits the road
Bicyclists’ online logs roll up the miles as they win followers
LITTLE ROCK — Keeping a workout journal’s a scientifically proven good way to help yourself stick to an exercise plan. Continue reading...
PERSONAL SPACE: Kaitlyn Lee
Where I live: I live in Elm Springs in a little house that my husband and I rent. It’s our first house together. We both really like older homes, and it was built in the ’60s I believe. It also has modern appliances, which is ideal when you’re getting a house that old. Continue reading...
Totally ingrained
Woodworkers polish their creativity while building custom furniture
LITTLE ROCK — Buying furniture is a daunting task. Imagine building your own furniture. Continue reading...
Woodworkers: Start with basic hand tools
LITTLE ROCK — Tools are a very important part of a woodworker’s trade. So much so that acquiring the ones needed to build furniture can make it difficult for would-be woodworkers to set up their own shops, according to Mia Hall, who teaches the craft at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Continue reading...
Classes in woodworking on hand for eager beavers
LITTLE ROCK — Woodworking and furniture making classes can be difficult to come by in Arkansas, but several arts centers and a few colleges offer woodworking or furniture design courses that are open to the public. They include: The University of Arkansas at Little Rock offers basic to advanced woodworking and furniture design courses. While most of the students who take these courses plan to get a degree, novices from other fields are also welcome, according to Mia Hall, assistant professor of furniture design. Continue reading...
Brrrrrr, it’s cold!
What to do when your home is an ice chest
LITTLE ROCK — Time to trim the tree, pore over the sales circulars and start worrying about the energy bills. Continue reading...
Weather stripping, caulk shut out cold
LITTLE ROCK — Fixing air leaks in your home can be as simple as applying weather stripping to a door or as complicated as replacing windows and doors. Here are a few tips for fixing common air infiltration problems. Continue reading...
Space heaters, ceiling fans and bundling up beat chill
LITTLE ROCK — If drafts aren’t an issue, there are other ways to help stay warm and cut costs during the winter. Some homeowners close off rooms they’re not using, while others try turning down the heat when they’re not at home. Here are a few tools and tips to help stay warm while lowering your energy costs. Continue reading...
Personal Space, Jana Mayfield
Jana Mayfield Where I live: We live five miles west of Tontitown on 40 acres. We’re kind of on the top of the hill, but we’re completely surrounded by woods. Continue reading...
VIPs at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Case Dighero, Jennifer Dunham, Scott Eccleston, David Houston, Barbara Lenhardt, Niki Ciccotelli Stewart, Catherine Peterson, Kathryn Roberts, Continue reading...
Living it Up
Treehouses appeal to kids, and to adults who crave a quiet retreat
LITTLE ROCK — If your image of a treehouse is a “Kids Only” private retreat nailed together from construction scraps, then today’s professionally built treehouses may come as quite a surprise. Continue reading...
It is life and limb, so safety is a must
LITTLE ROCK — Building a treehouse is a study in details. Support beams must be strong yet flexible. Platforms have to bear the weight of occupants and the superstructure. And the design must accommodate the way trees move and grow. Consider the following tips: Get in the zone. Before picking up a saw or hammer, check with your municipality to see what ordinances may apply to the project. Do you need a permit? Can you build in a tree that’s within an easement ? Continue reading...
Trees not up to task? Play sets engage kids
LITTLE ROCK — If you don’t have mature trees or simply don’t want to take on the challenge of building on swaying tree limbs, consider building a child’s playhouse or play set instead of a treehouse. Continue reading...
Big band leader a regional treasure
Jack Mitchell spent his life drumming. From playing drums with an otherwise all-female band while in his teens to performing at Bill Clinton’s inaugural balls, the self-taught drummer made music throughout his life. Continue reading...
Moving and (not) shaking
Relocating a household can exact a daunting toll in cost, labor, stress
LITTLE ROCK — If the thought of moving makes you want to cling to the door jambs of your current home for dear life — for the rest of your life — you’re not alone. Continue reading...
Start early, label to expedite move
LITTLE ROCK — Packing can be the most daunting task when moving. The kitchen alone is filled with myriad items — pots, pans, dishes, utensils. It seems like packing can take months, and once moving day is over, the unpacking begins. Here are a few tips for packing that save time and energy and can help prevent damage to precious items. Continue reading...
Belongings’ road trip safer if load is padded, strapped
LITTLE ROCK — Do-it-yourself movers, take heart. Moving doesn’t have to be overly stressful — nor are belongings necessarily in jeopardy because they weren’t packed by a professional. Continue reading...
Dish-pack box worth its weight in fine china
Here are a few tips for moving more fragile items. Continue reading...
PEOPLE & PLACES
Williams Marks 98th Birthday Continue reading...
If the tool fits ...
Do-it-yourselfers can (almost) do it all, if they own a few basics
LITTLE ROCK — Do-it-yourself home repair is a school of hard knocks, where unwitting novices demolish their illusions about what is easy and what is not. Those who succeed all have one thing in common: the right set of tools. Continue reading...
Is that brand really worth it?
LITTLE ROCK — Buying tools can be an intimidating task. How do you know which brands will last a while and which will break six months down the road? James Young of DIY Network’s I Hate My Kitchen offers two simple tips: First, buyers should find a good home or hardware store that hires experts. Continue reading...
Too much information? Just consider the source
LITTLE ROCK — Choosing tools isn’t the only issue new do-it-yourselfers face. Overabundant information on the Internet and bookshelves can cause headaches when you’re not sure where to start. Continue reading...
Yuck! Vegetables!
How to fight the parent vs. kid food battle
LITTLE ROCK — At otherwise serene houses across the land, nightly battles are being fought — let’s call them the broccoli wars. Continue reading...
Dislikes are firm, but don’t ask why
LITTLE ROCK — From out of the mouths of babes these thoughts on yucky foods. Continue reading...
Staging history
A 50-minute play brings state’s story to young students
LITTLE ROCK — History lessons have a reputation for being tedious. And Arkansas history, well, it doesn’t generally inspire excitement in the hallowed halls. But now, actors armed with guitars, vintage props, a hefty helping of facts and lots of vim and vigor are changing that. And the kids are digging it. Continue reading...
Old-school toys
Wood, corn husks, and string are the building blocks of handmade playthings
LITTLE ROCK — Give a little boy a homemade toy and he probably isn’t going to be very happy. But give the boy a wooden disk, a drill and some string and show him how to make a buzz saw, and watch what happens. Continue reading...
No electricity needed for schoolyard games
LITTLE ROCK — If you didn’t know how to make toys in the olden days, there were still many ways to have fun. Continue reading...
Reclaim the garage
No room for a car in your wall-to-wall dump? Time for a makeover
LITTLE ROCK — Garage storage was once just that — storage. Continue reading...
Out of floor space? Hanging stuff works
LITTLE ROCK — If you don’t have room for cabinets in your garage, there are other alternatives. Continue reading...
Cabinet options limited only by space in garage
LITTLE ROCK — The current emphasis in garage cabinetry is vertical. Continue reading...
Seeds of heritage
Efforts to preserve heirloom fruits and vegetables by saving seeds have found fertile ground in Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK — Seed-saving is an old and popular tradition in Arkansas. My grandmother — like her mother before her — kept the seeds of her tomato, corn, cucumber and bean plants as an affordable way to start the following year’s crops. She also shared them with friends, family and neighbors, who were generous with their seeds in return. Continue reading...
Ways to save seeds vary by plant type
LITTLE ROCK — Seed saving can be simple or complex depending on the type you’re trying to stockpile. Beans and peas, for example, are the easiest seeds to save. Gathering the seeds of tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplants is a more involved process. Continue reading...
Seed swaps grow among gardeners
LITTLE ROCK — Once you have seeds stored, you can either hold onto them or take them to a seed swap to exchange for other seeds. Seed swaps have become more prevalent in recent years, thanks in large part to Brian Campbell and Conserving Arkansas’s Agricultural Heritage. Continue reading...
Pedal patrol
Bentonville bicycle unit upgrades rides
BENTONVILLE — Imagine being a police officer assigned to bike patrol. Continue reading...
Modern, comfortable not mutually exclusive
LITTLE ROCK — Modern furniture has a reputation for being uncomfortable. The term “modern” in the world of furniture is often associated with frames that are low to the ground with deeper seats and very low backs. Many say that you have to sacrifice comfort for aesthetics, but that isn’t always the case. Continue reading...
That chair is you
Designs come and go; personal comfort is the bottom line in seating
LITTLE ROCK — Numerous chair and sofa buying guides exist. These guides cover what type of frame and cushioning to look for, what questions to ask about how the frame was built, how to pick a durable upholstery fabric and even how to test the springs. But rarely do furniture buying guides touch on one of the most important components: how to find one that’s comfortable. Continue reading...
Northwest Personal Space
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson, outreach coordinator for the Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter, likes a spot in the road on her daily run where she says the city turns rural. Continue reading...
Rebuilt from baton up, symphony starts anew
FAYETTEVILLE — It has been more than three years since the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville last had its own professional resident symphony. Continue reading...
Northwest Personal Space
Josh Rogers
Josh Rogers, founder of Roll For Kids Sake, enjoys spending time grappling with his stepson Reed.
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Cool blades
Fans, suspended from ceilings or planted on desktops, don’t have to be boring to be functional
LITTLE ROCK — Summer is upon us again, complete with hideously high temperatures. Staying cool can be a chore even indoors, especially if energy efficiency and rising electric bills are a concern. Why not find a cool fan to stave off the summer heat? Continue reading...
Northwest Personal Space
Michelle Wynn
Michelle Wynn of the Northwest Arkansas Child Care Resource and Referral Center says the kitchen is the heart of her home.
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Trekking with tykes
No need to let toddlers trip you up
LITTLE ROCK — It’s summertime. It’s hot. It’s sticky. And your parents are begging you to bring your 1-year-old for a visit. They haven’t seen the little tyke in ages, they say, and they want to spend some quality time with all of you. The only problem is Grandma and Grandpa live 10 hours away. Continue reading...
Distractions, distractions
LITTLE ROCK — Diversions for traveling babies and toddlers come in many forms. During a car trip (or even a flight), pretty much anything can help including treats, music, games or Mom’s iPhone. Continue reading...
