What the Heck is Entropy Anyway?

Quite a number of people have asked us about the name of my blog.  Science geeks may be familiar with the term "entropy," but I became reacquainted with the word a few years ago through a friend of mine.  She liked the word so much that she purchased the letters to spell it out.  She situated them above a window frame, with the last three letters "falling" over the edge of the frame and spilling down the wall.  The placement of the letters symbolize what entropy is all about: the "inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society."  Entropy can also mean a lack of organization or disorder.

I chose the title because this old house seems to be constantly exfoliating.  Miniscule bits of brick fall from the insides of the chimneys.  Peeling paint falls from any surface that is minimally disturbed.  Rotting wood flakes from window trim each time a window is opened.  And dust settles over everything in a matter of hours after a good cleaning.

Even with all that decay, our house has stood strong for more than 120 years!  And it is now our responsibility to slow the decay so that this house will stand for another 120 years.

As an aside, my choice to use the words "Victorian" and "Secrets" is a transparent attempt to snag those surfers in search of ladies underwear.