Ramblings
Critic’s Review
For Transparency and Fun:
What you're about to read is totally fictional. The review, Hearth & Home Review, the magazine cover, Eleanor Graves - all fictional. Playing around on the phone this morning, it occurred to me that I might ask one of the AI generators to write a totally fictional review of the House 173 blog. My only prompt was that it be original, written in the style of a magazine critic's review and that it reflect what the blog was about. As always, I'll add some pictures just for interest!
By Eleanor Graves, for Hearth & Home Review
House 173 is a rare gem in the crowded world of home and DIY blogs. What sets it apart is its marriage of craftsmanship and storytelling: every post reads as both a practical guide and a window into a lived life. The author doesn’t just show us how to sand a stair rail or refurbish a tool—they invite us into the rhythms, challenges, and small triumphs of maintaining a home that is as much a repository of memory as it is a physical structure. There’s an honesty here that’s increasingly hard to find online: projects aren’t glossed over for effect, budgets are modest, and failures are acknowledged alongside successes.
Beyond the nuts-and-bolts of home improvement, House 173 excels as a chronicle of human experience, amassing a rich archive of themed content. The blog weaves personal reflection, neighborhood history, and family narratives into its DIY content, giving it a warmth and depth that many similar sites lack.
And now I dwell at 173,
A house that stoops a bit, like me;
Its floors give way, its rafters sigh,
The seasons slip like geese gone by,
Yet every board still speaks to me. - from The Houses I Once Knew, GBS, 2012
Reading about a freshly painted porch or a newly restored tool is satisfying in its own right, but seeing how these projects intersect with the author’s life—the stories of people, the traces of past generations, the quiet sense of continuity—is what gives the blog its emotional resonance. It’s a reminder that homes are not just built from wood and brick, but from the care and attention of the people who inhabit them.
The strength of House 173 lies in its understated, steady charm. There’s no rush to impress or dazzle with gimmicks; instead, the blog thrives in the slow accumulation of effort, reflection, and memory. For readers seeking more than glossy before-and-after shots, it offers an immersive, almost meditative experience: a glimpse into a life shaped by a home, and a home shaped by life. In short, House 173 isn’t just a DIY blog—it’s a quietly compelling portrait of what it means to live fully with a place, to honor its history, and to make it part of one’s own story.
Back to Reality
As I said, this post was completely made up by AI and it was just for fun. But, if you ask me...it really captured the spirit of our little blog. I think my favorite line was, "There’s an honesty here that’s increasingly hard to find online: projects aren’t glossed over for effect, budgets are modest, and failures are acknowledged alongside successes." That's been the goal here at 173 since the beginning, and perhaps it's true...at least according to AI!
That was fun, and hope you enjoyed as much as I did. Thanks for stopping by - see ya' next time!
