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(no subject)
Apr. 10th, 2005 09:33 amThis really is, as Chris called it, "a little piece of nowhere in the middle of everywhere". Friday night Tammie and I were soaking in the hottub late-late--after midnight--listening to a pair of owls call to each other across the woodsy spaces and a chorus of frogs singing by the loch. The biggest bullfrogs didn't join in until nearly one, but their deep wubbbuuhs were wonderful to hear. Only occasionally did the whistle of a train or other sound cut in on the rural soundscape.
Plumbing update
Apr. 5th, 2005 12:45 pmSo I met with the plumber this morning. Thankfully the upstairs shower
problem turned out to be nothing he couldn't reach from the access
panel. The connector that comes up to the tub drain had rotted almost
completely away, allowing water to spray out around it on all sides. He
replaced the drain and the drain pipe. (The tub now has a functioning
self-seal drain! No more rubber stoppers!) Then he also cleaned out the
showerhead to allow better water pressure, tightened a couple of loose
and leaky faucets and the toilet handle...and cleaned up after himself.
Next on the list: repair the water damage to the hall closet ceiling and
repaint it. I can do that one myself.
After that: get someone in to paint the upstairs hallway ceilings. (Too
high for my blood; I'm ladder-phobic.)
And then: see about redoing the downstairs basement.
Lauren was friendly and chatty while we hung out for the two hours it
took him to make the repairs. She gave me a cup of tea. Camomile and
mint. This was probably a mistake, because I nearly fell asleep driving
in to work afterwards.
problem turned out to be nothing he couldn't reach from the access
panel. The connector that comes up to the tub drain had rotted almost
completely away, allowing water to spray out around it on all sides. He
replaced the drain and the drain pipe. (The tub now has a functioning
self-seal drain! No more rubber stoppers!) Then he also cleaned out the
showerhead to allow better water pressure, tightened a couple of loose
and leaky faucets and the toilet handle...and cleaned up after himself.
Next on the list: repair the water damage to the hall closet ceiling and
repaint it. I can do that one myself.
After that: get someone in to paint the upstairs hallway ceilings. (Too
high for my blood; I'm ladder-phobic.)
And then: see about redoing the downstairs basement.
Lauren was friendly and chatty while we hung out for the two hours it
took him to make the repairs. She gave me a cup of tea. Camomile and
mint. This was probably a mistake, because I nearly fell asleep driving
in to work afterwards.
Renting property for fun and profit...
Apr. 4th, 2005 11:15 amTomorrow morning I get to rise at the crack of dawn, crawl out of the
Bed of Huge-itude and make my way to the city to meet a plumber at
7:30am. I just had plumbing work done at the City House last week, but
apparently it has gotten worse rather than better: there's a leak in the
upstairs shower that is producing so much water you can bathe in the
downstairs closet. I theorize that fixing the one leaky pipe caused a
different weak spot to burst with the added pressure. Whatever it is, it
may be that I'll have to have the floor torn out in order to fix the
problem. And I already know I have to redo the floor to the downstairs
bathroom due to a leaky commode having destroyed the floor beneath.
Maybe I should just remodel both damn bathrooms one after the other and
get it over with.
Hello, mortgage lender, can I get a home equity loan please?
Bed of Huge-itude and make my way to the city to meet a plumber at
7:30am. I just had plumbing work done at the City House last week, but
apparently it has gotten worse rather than better: there's a leak in the
upstairs shower that is producing so much water you can bathe in the
downstairs closet. I theorize that fixing the one leaky pipe caused a
different weak spot to burst with the added pressure. Whatever it is, it
may be that I'll have to have the floor torn out in order to fix the
problem. And I already know I have to redo the floor to the downstairs
bathroom due to a leaky commode having destroyed the floor beneath.
Maybe I should just remodel both damn bathrooms one after the other and
get it over with.
Hello, mortgage lender, can I get a home equity loan please?
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It never rains...
Mar. 1st, 2005 10:05 amIt fucking figures. Call out a plumber to have him replace the washer hookup faucets (a ten minute job if you have the right tools and materials--which we didn't), and he looks up at the ceiling. "Um, the bathroom floor is rotting and someone's going to fall through the floor soon."
Probably several thousand dollars to fix it right. At least a grand even for the minimalist stop-the-leak-and-hope-the-rotten-subfloor-holds version, because it'll require tearing out the floor-floor to get at. And at the high end, the full-fledged bathroom remodel I'd always sort of wanted because the house doesn't have enough showers.
All with the added pressure due to the fact that I have leased the house to someone else and their lease starts today, although they're not here yet and haven't yet called to tell me when they're coming. I have no idea how they'll take the idea of having to have the house worked on around them, or whether the job can be done before they get here, or whether it will last until such time as they move on.
(And when am I going to get around to getting a "house/castle" icon?)
Probably several thousand dollars to fix it right. At least a grand even for the minimalist stop-the-leak-and-hope-the-rotten-subfloor-holds version, because it'll require tearing out the floor-floor to get at. And at the high end, the full-fledged bathroom remodel I'd always sort of wanted because the house doesn't have enough showers.
All with the added pressure due to the fact that I have leased the house to someone else and their lease starts today, although they're not here yet and haven't yet called to tell me when they're coming. I have no idea how they'll take the idea of having to have the house worked on around them, or whether the job can be done before they get here, or whether it will last until such time as they move on.
(And when am I going to get around to getting a "house/castle" icon?)
I have here, in my hot little hand, a signed (faxed) lease for my house.
Renters are a couple from California that is moving up here so he can
take a new job. She came on Saturday and looked the place over, went
home and convinced him they wanted it. She called Monday to say "Yes,
please!" but I had left my cellphone at home, so I called her back
Tuesday. I copied a lease off the internet, filled in the blanks and
faxed it to them Tuesday afternoon. He called that night with some
questions. I agreed to both of his (minor) amendments.
Then I spent all of yesterday being twitchy because they hadn't called
or faxed back the lease. Chris told me I wasn't allowed to panic yet; as
Minister of Panic he would tell me when to panic.
Lo and behold, though, when I checked the fax machine this morning, she
had sent it yesterday evening, probably just after I left work. This is
a great relief for the household financial situation. It does, however,
push "finish cleaning out the old place" higher up the priority list.
Renters are a couple from California that is moving up here so he can
take a new job. She came on Saturday and looked the place over, went
home and convinced him they wanted it. She called Monday to say "Yes,
please!" but I had left my cellphone at home, so I called her back
Tuesday. I copied a lease off the internet, filled in the blanks and
faxed it to them Tuesday afternoon. He called that night with some
questions. I agreed to both of his (minor) amendments.
Then I spent all of yesterday being twitchy because they hadn't called
or faxed back the lease. Chris told me I wasn't allowed to panic yet; as
Minister of Panic he would tell me when to panic.
Lo and behold, though, when I checked the fax machine this morning, she
had sent it yesterday evening, probably just after I left work. This is
a great relief for the household financial situation. It does, however,
push "finish cleaning out the old place" higher up the priority list.
(no subject)
Sep. 27th, 2002 01:15 amThe bedroom is hereby declared finished. I did the touch-up painting, I painted the inside of the window frames, I restained the windowsills where they had gotten water damaged, I cleaned up the mess and vacuumed the floor, and I put back all the switchplates and outlet covers. And on top of all that, I also stained the risers of the main staircase (which had been damaged in the process of removing the carpets, lo these many moons ago), and stained the front door, which was water damaged from exposure to the elements.
And I only started after ten pm, because I went to Culpeppers with the STL Bloggers until 8:00, and then came home hoping for an ACW game. After waiting a few minutes I found that Paul had sent his regrets, so I read the Riverfront Times and then went to get started on the project.
At which moment the phone rang. It was Ray, wanting to discuss further his plans to apply for an annulment. ( And I now go off into a rant about it )
And I only started after ten pm, because I went to Culpeppers with the STL Bloggers until 8:00, and then came home hoping for an ACW game. After waiting a few minutes I found that Paul had sent his regrets, so I read the Riverfront Times and then went to get started on the project.
At which moment the phone rang. It was Ray, wanting to discuss further his plans to apply for an annulment. ( And I now go off into a rant about it )
(no subject)
May. 3rd, 2002 05:05 pmI feel really good about myself right now. My hands and back ache and I've got dozens of small scrapes on my hands, but I feel good. I'm tired in that "excess of manual labor" sort of way. I spent most of the day outside, cutting down part of the jungle that was once my vegetable garden but became a mass of young trees, and pulling weeds out of my flowerbeds. I decided to leave some trees behind in the garden; I'm going to put in a pond, some shade-loving flowers, and a bench, and have a shady little meditation spot.
Tomorrow I'll rake up the mess and then plant some flowers in the bare spaces in the flowerbed, in hopes that they'll take over and force out the weeds. The pond project will have to wait for my next free weekend.
And the doors are all done. They look terrific. They even close and lock properly! .
Tomorrow I'll rake up the mess and then plant some flowers in the bare spaces in the flowerbed, in hopes that they'll take over and force out the weeds. The pond project will have to wait for my next free weekend.
And the doors are all done. They look terrific. They even close and lock properly! .
(no subject)
May. 3rd, 2002 08:26 amI just called in sick to work, since Jen is unable to come and hang out waiting for the door installer. I'm perfectly well, but heck, it's a nice day, I never do that, and someone has to be here. All excellent reasons to stay home. And now I shall go make myself some lovely raisiny oatmeal for breakfast.
(no subject)
Apr. 14th, 2002 05:45 pmRosa got into some ink somewhere and her hands are stained peacock blue. I can find no ink stains anywhere else in the house.
Putting my elbow grease where my mouth is, I just bought a push mower (without motor), assembled it, and mowed the shaggiest parts of the lawn. I am now sweating and hot and tired after only about half an hour.
I'll write later about last night's camping trip.
Putting my elbow grease where my mouth is, I just bought a push mower (without motor), assembled it, and mowed the shaggiest parts of the lawn. I am now sweating and hot and tired after only about half an hour.
I'll write later about last night's camping trip.
(no subject)
Apr. 5th, 2002 11:03 amI am duly inspected and will get an occupancy permit shortly. He's not going to cite me for anything on the interior, but had a list of minor stuff that needs fixed. His biggest issue was that I have to get the smoke detectors working. All of them are disconnected because they have a habit of going off when I'm cooking dinner or, and especially annoying, when I'm taking a shower. I guess I like really hot water.
I'll get a letter about a few things on the exterior, some of which I've already got fixes in progress for, like the basement door.
I'll get a letter about a few things on the exterior, some of which I've already got fixes in progress for, like the basement door.
Adventures in breakfast
Apr. 5th, 2002 09:54 amI have an appontment this morning at 10:30 for the house inspection that I've had to reschedule twice (due to forgetting about the previous appointments and just jaunting off to work as usual), so I'm at home. I went to the Subaru dealer first thing and got my car's oil changed for the first time: at 5500 miles. I've had the car about 3 1/2 months and it's already got nearly 6000 miles on it. I haven't even gone anywhere except back and forth to work, but my commute is a 50 mile round trip every day.
So I'm at home again, and I decided to cook myself breakfast, now that I've been up for two hours and some. I made scrambled eggs with onions, black pepper, and feta cheese, and fried them in olive oil. It's an interesting combination of flavors. I think I like it but I'm not quite sure.
So I'm at home again, and I decided to cook myself breakfast, now that I've been up for two hours and some. I made scrambled eggs with onions, black pepper, and feta cheese, and fried them in olive oil. It's an interesting combination of flavors. I think I like it but I'm not quite sure.
While I was looking above the suspended ceiling in the basement to find the cable wires, I found a copy of the November 1990 issue of Hustler magazine stashed up there. I suspect the previous owners' teenage son. Come to think of it when we first moved into this house we received a few copies of Penthouse that didn't forward. I don't remember whose name was on the label.
I looked at it curiously for a while but ended up throwing it away after only looking at a quarter of it because it was just too gross. I don't mean the pictures of naked women. Those, if rather blatant and unsexy on the grounds of overexposure, were not offensive.
I mean the sick cartoons and photo gags. ( Short version, I was revolted. Long version with descriptions, behind the cut tag )
I looked at it curiously for a while but ended up throwing it away after only looking at a quarter of it because it was just too gross. I don't mean the pictures of naked women. Those, if rather blatant and unsexy on the grounds of overexposure, were not offensive.
I mean the sick cartoons and photo gags. ( Short version, I was revolted. Long version with descriptions, behind the cut tag )
I replaced the showerhead last night. The low pressure was indeed due to the clogged state of the old one. But the dual-head set up I got disappoints me a bit. I think I'm going to take back what I got for the second nozzle (a "Rain style" shower) and change to the standard nozzle.
(no subject)
Feb. 26th, 2002 03:19 pmAll right, I am clearly very very bored today and wasting lots of time. I really haven't got anything much to work on, since I'm waiting for the new version of my programming specifications, and I've pretty much completed the standardization of my existing code.
So I'm taking silly LJ quizzes, and reading my email, and staring vaguely into space, and thinking about buying a new showerhead. Something like this. I think they have them at Home Depot. I'll stop by after work and look for one.
The plumber came yesterday afternoon and fixed my leaky kitchen sink and the un-turnoffable water line from the fridge icemaker. He looked at my low-pressure shower and told me it's really not all that bad, and to fix it will require tearing out the floor and walls of the bathroom. I do want to do that someday, but it's not likely I'll have the money for several years yet. So in the meantime, I'm going to replace the current showerhead, which sprays in all directions but down, in the hopes that part of the low pressure problem is due to clogging of the showerhead itself. It turned out that that was exactly the problem with the downstairs bathroom sink: the aerator was completely clogged so that no water could pass through.
So I'm taking silly LJ quizzes, and reading my email, and staring vaguely into space, and thinking about buying a new showerhead. Something like this. I think they have them at Home Depot. I'll stop by after work and look for one.
The plumber came yesterday afternoon and fixed my leaky kitchen sink and the un-turnoffable water line from the fridge icemaker. He looked at my low-pressure shower and told me it's really not all that bad, and to fix it will require tearing out the floor and walls of the bathroom. I do want to do that someday, but it's not likely I'll have the money for several years yet. So in the meantime, I'm going to replace the current showerhead, which sprays in all directions but down, in the hopes that part of the low pressure problem is due to clogging of the showerhead itself. It turned out that that was exactly the problem with the downstairs bathroom sink: the aerator was completely clogged so that no water could pass through.
Catching up...
Feb. 24th, 2002 09:27 pmYesterday was hectic, with the movers clearing out my apartment and bringing everything here. That part went quite quickly; they even agreed to bring my stove and fridge back in from the porch (which was not part of their contract) just because I'm such a nice person.
After they left, I brought up my old student desk to put my computer on, and connected it up. Failed to connect to the internet, blamed the telephone service, and went to do other things for a while.
I went and got a growlight for my plants, since there really isn't anywhere in the house to keep plants. That may be the one disadvantage here: very little natural light. Anyway, I installed the light under a kitchen cabinet. I figure that eventually I'll find other locations for these plants, around the house, but I can use that spot to grow herbs and small vegetables. I've always liked the idea of a window garden, but have no kitchen windows suitable. So now I have a countertop garden.
Then I took myself out to dinner at Pueblo Solis, just up the street and in my not so humble and somewhat knowledgeable opinion the best Mexican restaurant in St Louis and among the best anywhere. The only thing it has going against it is being really small and always crowded. I waited nearly an hour for a table. But then, I have been there many times and find the food is well worth the wait.
After dinner I came back and tried again on the internet. Still no luck. I tested a number of things and finally figured out that the modem had blown. Gods only know what caused it, but it's deader than Marley's ghost. And all the while, I was frantic from missing my internet. No email. No IM. No friends' LJs. It was like reading dep week all over again, except there wasn't even the comfort of having chosen to do without. I gave up. I wrote a whiny letter about how much I missed the net. I worked on a beaded bracelet for a while, and then went to read a book. I started on Here but got sleepy, so I went to bed.
This morning I wrote my first-ever morning pages in my creative space! Except for being a little chilly, because I hadn't yet plugged in the space heater, it was wonderful. Then I went to fetch Rosa from her daddy's, and then bought a new modem and a large quantity of groceries. As soon as I got the groceries put away, it was time to connect the new modem and breathe a huge sigh of relief when I had internet again.
I was chatting with my new/old nextdoor neighbor this morning. She seemed happy to have me back and was talking about how Ray's family had been going off on me. "They said you had been scheming the whole time but I don't believe it." I don't remember her exact words but she definitely attributed the word 'scheming' to them. I told her I kind of expected that they wouldn't speak well of me. She asked whether I had a "new love interest yet." I said, "not exactly" because I didn't feel like coming out to her. On thinking about it, I think I may have to, eventually, if my lovely Jen comes to live with me. But even then, people see what they want to see.
( Warning, Rosa illness ahead... )
After they left, I brought up my old student desk to put my computer on, and connected it up. Failed to connect to the internet, blamed the telephone service, and went to do other things for a while.
I went and got a growlight for my plants, since there really isn't anywhere in the house to keep plants. That may be the one disadvantage here: very little natural light. Anyway, I installed the light under a kitchen cabinet. I figure that eventually I'll find other locations for these plants, around the house, but I can use that spot to grow herbs and small vegetables. I've always liked the idea of a window garden, but have no kitchen windows suitable. So now I have a countertop garden.
Then I took myself out to dinner at Pueblo Solis, just up the street and in my not so humble and somewhat knowledgeable opinion the best Mexican restaurant in St Louis and among the best anywhere. The only thing it has going against it is being really small and always crowded. I waited nearly an hour for a table. But then, I have been there many times and find the food is well worth the wait.
After dinner I came back and tried again on the internet. Still no luck. I tested a number of things and finally figured out that the modem had blown. Gods only know what caused it, but it's deader than Marley's ghost. And all the while, I was frantic from missing my internet. No email. No IM. No friends' LJs. It was like reading dep week all over again, except there wasn't even the comfort of having chosen to do without. I gave up. I wrote a whiny letter about how much I missed the net. I worked on a beaded bracelet for a while, and then went to read a book. I started on Here but got sleepy, so I went to bed.
This morning I wrote my first-ever morning pages in my creative space! Except for being a little chilly, because I hadn't yet plugged in the space heater, it was wonderful. Then I went to fetch Rosa from her daddy's, and then bought a new modem and a large quantity of groceries. As soon as I got the groceries put away, it was time to connect the new modem and breathe a huge sigh of relief when I had internet again.
I was chatting with my new/old nextdoor neighbor this morning. She seemed happy to have me back and was talking about how Ray's family had been going off on me. "They said you had been scheming the whole time but I don't believe it." I don't remember her exact words but she definitely attributed the word 'scheming' to them. I told her I kind of expected that they wouldn't speak well of me. She asked whether I had a "new love interest yet." I said, "not exactly" because I didn't feel like coming out to her. On thinking about it, I think I may have to, eventually, if my lovely Jen comes to live with me. But even then, people see what they want to see.
( Warning, Rosa illness ahead... )
Twelfth Night
Feb. 22nd, 2002 11:54 pmThat was lovely. I needed some ~culture in my life after all this cleaning and packing and manual labor. A nice little wine and cheese reception for Christine's University College friends, and a student production of Shakespeare. I'd never seen or read Twelfth Night before, so I really had to concentrate to catch some of the jokes--and my dirty mind made jokes where maybe there really weren't any, though Shakespeare is pretty damn' bawdy.
After lunch this afternoon I took a walk around the park and went shopping at the garden store--which occurred to me afterward could have passed for an artist date: the colors and shapes of the flowers were inspiring me to design my flowerbeds and garden. I didn't buy anything yet though, because I simply don't have time to garden yet, and also because I need to figure out where the sunny and shady parts are, and clean out the undergrowth before I'll know where I can put new plants.
It finally occurred to me to be surprised that I'm still able to connect to the 'net. I canceled my phone service here...but they apparently didn't realize that meant both lines! I'll have to call and straighten that out.
After lunch this afternoon I took a walk around the park and went shopping at the garden store--which occurred to me afterward could have passed for an artist date: the colors and shapes of the flowers were inspiring me to design my flowerbeds and garden. I didn't buy anything yet though, because I simply don't have time to garden yet, and also because I need to figure out where the sunny and shady parts are, and clean out the undergrowth before I'll know where I can put new plants.
It finally occurred to me to be surprised that I'm still able to connect to the 'net. I canceled my phone service here...but they apparently didn't realize that meant both lines! I'll have to call and straighten that out.
Ready to move, at last
Feb. 21st, 2002 11:58 pmI promise to stop rabbiting on about my floors after this. But here's some pictures of the final results.
Living room
Dining room
Kitchen
Tonight I finished cleaning up after the flooring people. There was a lot of dust everywhere that had to be vacuumed up, and I also had to rehang the doors that I took off. That was something of an adventure. There are eight doors upstairs, and they were all in the upstairs bathroom (out of the way). But there were no markings to tell which door belonged in which jamb, and it took Jim & me a long time to sort them out. I had called him to come and help me, which is something I am not at all good at doing. But he was quite willing to help and having him there made the door difficulties at least amusing rather than frustrating.
Then I spent some time cleaning up the counters in the kitchen and bathrooms, and called the cleaning finished. I got my sage bundle and smudged the whole house, inside and out, every room, every cupboard, concentrating on love, peace and happiness.
Tomorrow morning the movers come to pack up my apartment, which is already a disaster area from six weeks of neglect. I hope they can work with it, because I'm not going to clean first. I'll pick stuff up if I have to, but I've had far too much cleaning already, and I still have to clean after my stuff is out.
At the house I found a note from the city inspector saying he had come this morning and I wasn't there...I had completely forgotten about the appointment.
Living room
Dining room
Kitchen
Tonight I finished cleaning up after the flooring people. There was a lot of dust everywhere that had to be vacuumed up, and I also had to rehang the doors that I took off. That was something of an adventure. There are eight doors upstairs, and they were all in the upstairs bathroom (out of the way). But there were no markings to tell which door belonged in which jamb, and it took Jim & me a long time to sort them out. I had called him to come and help me, which is something I am not at all good at doing. But he was quite willing to help and having him there made the door difficulties at least amusing rather than frustrating.
Then I spent some time cleaning up the counters in the kitchen and bathrooms, and called the cleaning finished. I got my sage bundle and smudged the whole house, inside and out, every room, every cupboard, concentrating on love, peace and happiness.
Tomorrow morning the movers come to pack up my apartment, which is already a disaster area from six weeks of neglect. I hope they can work with it, because I'm not going to clean first. I'll pick stuff up if I have to, but I've had far too much cleaning already, and I still have to clean after my stuff is out.
At the house I found a note from the city inspector saying he had come this morning and I wasn't there...I had completely forgotten about the appointment.
