The Kettle Grew a Crust in Week Three
Within a month of moving into our 1950s farmhouse, the kettle had grown a white crust and the coffee tasted faintly of pennies. I did not know it yet, but the house was about to teach me five subjects in a row, in order, like a very slow and very expensive course.
My name is Jade Dennis, and I write every post on Lena Home Styling. This page is that course as I lived it, because it is the only honest way to explain why one site covers water filters, leaf blowers, trellises, pergolas and ceilings.
One. The water
The crust and the pennies came from the well. I spent that first autumn learning the difference between a water filter, a purifier and a softener, how long a filter really lasts, how much filtration a house needs, and what a popular gravity filter does well and badly. Then I built a small fountain for the yard and immediately learned that a bird bath is also a mosquito nursery.
On the site: Farmhouse holds the water posts (filters versus purifiers versus softeners, filter lifespan, the pros and cons of one well-known gravity filter), bird baths and garden fountains, and the farmhouse-style pieces for the rest of the house, such as kitchen flooring, bed frames and window trim.
Two. The leaves
The farmhouse came with six oaks. In October I bought the wrong leaf blower. By November I was learning how to fix one that kept shutting off, whether a leaf blower can move snow, and why a snow blower is not just a bigger leaf blower.
On the site: Front Yard covers leaf blowers. That means gas versus electric, handheld versus backpack, the main types, storage, troubleshooting and leaf blowers versus snow blowers. It also has a comparison of rubber and wood mulch for playgrounds.
Three. The dirt
Spring meant garden beds, and I mixed the soil wrong twice. I learned how potting soil differs from compost, how garden soil differs from raised bed soil, what landscape fabric does and what to use instead of mulch. Then came the climbers, which needed something to climb, and the rabbits, which needed a reason to stay out.
On the site: Garden Beds covers soils, compost, landscape fabric, mulch alternatives, and brick and painted raised beds. Trellis covers bamboo, muscadine, dragon fruit, sweet pea and clematis supports. Fence covers privacy fence ideas such as bamboo.
Four. The shade
By July the back terrace was unusable after noon. I tried a UV umbrella, fought an umbrella that spun in every gust, priced awnings, looked at pop-up canopies, and then discovered pergolas and the difference between a pergola and a patio cover.
On the site: Terrace covers shade and cover. That means UV and regular umbrellas, keeping an umbrella from spinning, pop-up canopies, awning and pergola alternatives, pergolas versus patio covers, building a pergola, hanging string lights on an aluminum pergola, covering patio doors and patio alternatives.
Five. The ceiling
By winter I had started looking up. The ceilings were low and plain, and every idea I saved was overhead: lighting, a fan for the kitchen, panels, fabric, plants hanging in the window light.
On the site: Ceiling covers lighting ideas, false and gypsum ceiling designs for living rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms, ceiling panels, kitchen ceiling fans, hanging fabric, and how to hang plants indoors and make hanging plant holders.
Seven winters in, and still no license
I am not a contractor, plumber, water treatment specialist or arborist. What I have is seven years in one old house on two acres, a folder of receipts for the wrong choices, and a habit of reading the manual after the mistake that I am trying to reverse. When I have not done a job myself, I say so and tell you where the information came from.
Every post starts with something that broke, clogged, spun or stained in this house. If it did not happen to me, it happened to a neighbor who then stood in my driveway telling me about it. I would rather tell you that the cheaper option is enough than sell you the impressive one.
If a fact or a measurement in one of my posts is wrong, please write to me. I will check it and fix the post.
Outside the house
I have named all six oaks, which my family considers a warning sign. I read the aisle signs in hardware stores the way other people read novels, and I have left more than one with something I did not go in for.
Before you buy, build or blow
Everything on this site is general information from my own experience. It is not professional advice, and I am not a builder, electrician, plumber, arborist or water quality expert. Please treat these points as the minimum.
- Water: if you have a private well, have your water tested by a certified lab before choosing anything, because no filter fixes a problem it was not built for. Look for filters certified for the specific contaminant you are trying to remove, and replace cartridges on schedule. Softeners add sodium, so anyone on a sodium-restricted diet should ask a doctor. If the water is for infants or for someone with a weakened immune system, ask a doctor too.
- Power equipment: wear eye and hearing protection and a dust mask when using a blower, handle fuel only in approved containers, store gas equipment away from living space and heat, and check your local noise rules. Read the manual before using any blower for something it was not designed for, including snow.
- Structures and permits: pergolas, canopies, fences and awnings can be covered by building codes, permits, setbacks and homeowner association rules. Anchoring, wind load and snow load vary by region and product, so ask a licensed installer or engineer. Call 811 before digging for posts or footings.
- Electrical: use outdoor-rated string lights and cords, plug into GFCI-protected outlets, and hire a licensed electrician for new fixtures or ceiling fans.
- Ceilings: anchor anything heavy to a joist, not just to the drywall, and keep fabric well away from hot fixtures. In a house built before 1978, assume ceiling paint may contain lead and that old ceiling texture or plaster may contain asbestos until a test says otherwise, and do not sand or scrape it.
- Soil and plants: growing conditions vary by region, so check your local extension service. In an older property, test the soil for lead before growing food in it. Some climbers, including sweet pea and clematis, are toxic if eaten, so look each one up before planting near children or pets. Empty standing water in bird baths and fountains often, since mosquitoes will use it.
- Playgrounds: surfacing choices affect injuries in a fall, so follow current playground safety standards and the manufacturer’s guidance.
Affiliate disclosure. Lena Home Styling is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through one of my links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what I write or what I tell you to skip.
About Jade Dennis:
- Full name: Jade Dennis
- Role: Founder and writer, Lena Home Styling
- Email: [email protected]
- Contact: lenastyling.com/contact
- Based in: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- Background: Seven years of hands-on upkeep in a 1950s farmhouse on two acres, covering well water, yard equipment, garden beds, outdoor shade and interior ceilings. No formal trade or design credentials.
- Focus: Water filtration at home, yard tools, garden beds and trellises, terrace shade and ceiling design
- Writing since: 2026
- Pinterest: pinterest.com/lenastyling
The oaks drop their leaves again in October. I have a blower that starts on the first pull and a filter I changed on schedule, which is about as much control as anyone gets.
