Late Onset Building Burnout

    We have both been suffering from a bad case of Late Onset Building Burnout, or LOBB. On our way back from vacation last week we realized that the best way to stay on track was to make a list. What you can see is that Ed's list is much longer than mine. What you can't see is that there is a second page to go along with the first. The weather is improving, we're feeling refreshed, and the list won't do itself.

   There was a slight miscalculation in setting the vanity lights in the bedrooms. We centered the electrical boxes in the wall above where the vanities would go, the sheet rock guys came and went, and we very carefully painted the colors of our choice in each bathroom. Unfortunately the vanity cabinets had a sink and cabinet to one side, drawers on the other. Under the heading of "Things you don't think about until it's done." ...when it was all together we realized.....it's not symmetrical. If the mirror was centered on the wall under the lights, it was off-center to the sink. If it was centered on the sink, it was off with the lights. At first Ed wanted to move the light, but that would mean ripping out sheet rock, changing the location of the box  and repainting the whole room.                  
      In the upstairs bathrooms we will be able to adjust the existing fixtures. But in the downstairs bathroom, we decided to just find a different light fixture with a larger back plate.   Now instead of matching the faucets, the light matches the doorknobs  and cabinet hardware. I can live with that. Everything is symmetrical and the world can continue to rotate on it's proper axis.

   The bathrooms are still patiently waiting for backsplashes. That would be my job. I don't know why I stalled out. It's not hard to do, and I actually enjoy it. The grouting...not so much. When I tiled the fireplaces, Elicia was here to run buckets of fresh water for me. That's the hardest part. I
  I started with the craft room bath. This one has the jetted tub. Silly me, if I'd tiled this months ago we could have been using this tub to soak away sore muscles. Somehow it just kept getting put off.

   Ed had to cut down the cabinet face for the tub. The tile is down, and I'll seal the slate before grouting. I guess it wouldn't be practical to fly Elicia up for a weekend just to make her hustle buckets of water for me.
   I have two more bathrooms that need backsplashes. Those are easy and quick to do. Then I start the grout.

Spring Training or Intermittent Showers

   Finally the frantic relay race between weather and house project is just about won. We are at the point that Ed feels comfortable taking some time off. My daughter's friends were having a baby shower for Ellen and I was excited to be able to go. Mark, our neighbor, petsat for us. Poor guy...I left three pages of instructions detailing every animal nuance known to man. The dog, the cats, chickens, and hummingbirds, all their personality quirks and eating habits, carefully defined. Eventually I let go and we headed south.
  March here has been a mix of snow and sleet, and I was  looking forward to that famous California weather. The morning we headed out, the weather report called for more snow. Somehow, we dodged all of the big storms. The Siskyou Pass was a concern, but there were no problems and the roads were clear all the way.

  We were able to watch Elicia play softball.  Dugout chatter flowed freely, parents cheered from the bleachers. At this age group, it's more about the sport, less about winning. The girls were having a good time.  Girl's softball has a lot more rules than regular baseball. Most of them are designed to keep the kids safe (slide into home plate), or to keep the game moving. There are a lot of stolen bases and ovethrows. Overachieving parents should plan to stay home.
   By the way, sliding into home plate is something I have never done. Deliberately throwing oneself onto the ground takes concentration. Elicia made it look easy.
    Baby Shower Day finally came.  Ellen tried to warn me that it might be a little crowded. Keep in mind, I live in the country with one other person and a few pets....at the end of the road.  It's very quiet.
   There had to be 50 women and some associated small children. It was a little noisy.
    There was a ton of wonderful food, a beautiful cake (which I forgot to take a photo of) and a generous pile of gifts. The very best part is, my sister, niece, two daughters and granddaughter were all there. I couldn't have asked for more.

    I made a quilt for my grandson. It is impossible to embroider and hand quilt something like this and not think about the person it's being made for. The stitches sew together hope and love. They bind in dreams, tie in strength. I could not help but see all the women before me who sewed tiny garments for their grandchildren. Each little stitch bound their lives together. My mother's mother, my father's grandmother, all held these moments of anticipation close to their hearts.

   The next week, we headed to the Sierra foothills to visit my sister and brother-in-law. Their home is set in the pines above Jackson, and has a beautiful view. But my favorite is the garden surrounding the house. It is a garden that invites puttering, which I love.
   As a last stop before coming home, we spent a few days with my in-laws. Thursday we were all out and about, when Pop announced that we were having dinner at a Tapas bar. We were sitting in the back seat of the car and Ed had a funny look on his face. As we approached the entrance to the restaurant, Ed laughed.   "Tapas bar....I thought you said 'topless bar'. "
 In spite of the lack of entertainment, the food was wonderful.
   Friday we headed home. Somehow we had managed to accumulate a whole pickup truck full of stuff.
   "I thought we were supposed to take stuff to the kids, not bring stuff home with us." Ed mused.
   1. One popcorn machine.
   2. Two recliner chairs.
   3. A stereo.
   4. A salvaged window.
     The popcorn machine and recliners are destined for the theater room. The stereo was Mom and Dad's and will go in the gym.
     The window was a large picture window that came out of a remodel tat Dan was doing. It was headed for the landfill, and Dan casually said "That would be great for a greenhouse. Want it?"
    Am I my mother's daughter?
    So Dan sawed it in half and put it in the truck. The greenhouse won't be up and running this summer, but by  next spring, Ed will be looking for a project.

Safe And Sound

   We found a set of three leather theater seats on craigslist for a great price. We drove down to Portland, met a very nice lady, and came home with the chairs. Although the theater room needs the cosmetic finishes, it's up and running and we have gone on a movie marathon. The surround sound is amazing. This theater is close to home, the restroom is clean, and the popcorn doesn't cost an arm and a leg. We'll keep our eye out for another set of four, find some beanbag chairs for kids, and we'll be all set.
   Ed has made some decisions about how he wants the finish trim to go down here. I won't spoil it now, but it will involve wood beams and other cavernous details.

   In spite of the continued bad weather (more snow and lots of rain) Ed completed the stair rail up to the apartment. He's still not happy with the quality of the product, and may change it out at a later date, but for now at least it's safe.
    That's important because we don't want our house sitter falling off the porch. We're taking off for a much needed road trip. We'll visit with good friends, cuddle grandkids, and eat too much. I can hardly wait.

Neither Snow Nor Rain

   The weather couldn't decide what to do. We had a little snow, a little rain, something in between, and a glimmer of sunshine. Welcome to Washington.
   On the rainy days, Ed worked on the Man Cave, "cave" being the operative word. I painted the switch and socket covers to blend in with the walls. One coat of burnt ochre, one coat of ragged dark brown glaze, and two coats of varathane.







   Ed and I hung the screen on the wall in the theater room. If  bigger is better, this is really good.
   Johann from Charisma Productions came out and installed the projector. Then the DirectTV guy came out to put in the TV box. Johann will be out next week to make adjustments and finish hooking everything up. Then I can watch cooking shows up close and personal. All I need is popcorn...gourmet popcorn.

  Ed then put the lights up in the Videan's Bluff Saloon. Over a year ago, in anticipation of the Saloon, I scoured the internet for an old wagon wheel light fixture that wouldn't break the bank. I finally found one on EBay. I told Ed that if it didn't look right we could always resell it on Craigslist.  I think it's perfect.

 This little room also has two cabinets that were made to the wrong size for an upstairs room. We bought them at a discount from the cabinet maker and will use them here for a buffet table. After they are set in their proper place, Ed will make a counter top out of lumber he has in the barn.

 On the better weather days, Ed has been trying to get the new set of stairs done to the apartment. It's a good thing he has that scientist/engineer brain because I have no idea how he figures out the rise and run to make the stringers. And miracle of miracles, the steps come down perfectly to the deck!

  We made a run to town for the Trex decking for the stair treads, screws and railing parts. Ed got the treads down and began working on the railing.
   Most of the railing we have for the house is Clear View railing, and a very nice product. The railing we got off the shelf at the big box store....not so much. It'll do, but sometimes you don't save money by buying cheap. It's difficult to work with, and not as well made.

   He got about half the apartment railing installed yesterday. The good news is that the landing right outside the door is quite a bit bigger than the original. The bad news...it's supposed to rain tomorrow, and the rest of the week is iffy.

Gargoyle On Duty

   Two and a half years ago Ed built the stairs up to the apartment over the garage. We needed a place to live during the construction of the house, and we needed it right then. He knew that once the house was done, the stairs would come down and be rebuilt to integrate with the new porch. The first of the week the weather was good, and since it was part of the process for putting up rails for the house porch, the old stairs came down.

   Mittens, our six toed cat, likes to help. Her usual routine is to climb up the maple tree and onto the roof of the apartment. She then cries piteously until one of us gives in, goes out onto the apartment balcony and brings her down.  She could go back down the maple tree but she wants to reinforce who is in charge. This time she goofed. The stairs were gone and she was on her own. So after standing at the edge like a little gargoyle for a while, she d got bored and came down on her own.

On rainy days, Ed works in the basement, finishing the paint in the Man Cave. He wants it to look like an old mine shaft.  After some trial and error, he perfected his painting technique and put on the final coat. He literally wore out three paintbrushes on this project.

   After letting the paint dry, he went down yesterday and started hanging light fixtures.  Except for that little thing about not having enough light bulbs on hand, it all went smoothly. The lantern sconces are up in the theater room.
   This room still needs a ton of work. Ed still has to build beams for the walls and ceilings, install baseboards and trim out the doors. Since the weather report calls for rain all week, he'll have plenty of cave-time.

Porch Rails and Pruning

   Once the stainless steel counter tops were installed in the craft room, Ed put in the sink, faucet, and (my favorite) the vintage Boraxo dispenser. I took it all apart and cleaned out remnants of petrified Boraxo.  Ed mounted it on the wall and we filled it up. It's nice to know that some things don't change with time. Boraxo still has that wonderful grainy soapiness that I remember.





   One of the things we need to get done before the final inspection is porch rails. We ordered Clear View rails.  We have a similar product on the back balcony of the apartment. The front porch will have pickets and the back will have glass panels.
   Our neighbor Rick came over to give Ed a hand with the installation. Some things are just easier with two people working on them.

   As with everything else, each step makes a difference how it all looks. We still need the stair rail. The columns still need column caps and the upper portion wrapped.
   The two last big items will be a large cement pour for front, side and back walkways, and stairs off the back porch.
   The back porch rail and the upstairs balcony will have tempered glass panels instead of pickets. Ed is going to build very wide stairs in the center of the back porch. The stairs will require a hand rail only, which will leave a large portion of the back porch open to the view.

   In the last month, we've had rain, sleet, snow and yes, a week of glorious sunshine. The temperatures hit above 50* for several days in a row. Crabgrass knows what to do with sunshine, and so do I.  I dug out my gloves and clippers and went to work.
   The Wisteria-Vine-That-Ate-Chicago had to be hacked back to a manageable size. It had completely overgrown a huge rhododendron and half of a lilac bush. Blackberry vines were on a mission to outdo the wisteria.

   Himalayan blackberries are a non-native invasive species. For those that think that a wild blackberry pie is a good idea, well just walk over here so I can slap you. They take over and choke out everything they can. They have evil, vicious thorns. They are next to impossible to eradicate. That scene in Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty where the thorns grow over the castle?  Blackberries...I'm almost positive. My arms got torn up something fierce...and this was a good year.
  The garden had no measurable attention last year. I raked leaves off the strawberry patch, pruned down the raspberries and pulled a pick-up truck full of grass.
   Then I did the unthinkable. I ordered seeds.

Repaint, Rebuild, Relax

   Ed wants the man-cave to look..well, like a cave...or a mine shaft. He's been working for three weeks on faux painting the walls...all of them... to look like rock. Apparently few people have done this, because it's next to impossible to find any pictures on the 'net. So he's been winging it. He used a tan base coat and began sponging on progressively darker colors mixed with glaze. It's a huge job and includes the ceiling.
   The bad news is, after the terra cotta coat, the brown coat, and the black coat, it wasn't the look he was after. So, back to square one and try a different method. He put a coat of tan and glaze over everything to mute the other colors a bit, and we'll try ragging instead  of sponging.

   After having an unusually dry winter, the week after Christmas we had 14" of rain. This was not a good thing for our creek restoration project. Slow and steady wins the race. This was not slow or steady. The deluge (or weather event as the project manager calls it) overwhelmed one of the structures and tore a new hole in the creek bank. It In three days, it washed away a section about 40'x60'  including all the burlap and planted willow sticks. It collapsed part of the support for one structure. Mother Nature has a mind of her own, and she holds very strong opinions.
   Darin Houpt, Wahkiakum Water Conservation District, was quick to come out and evaluate the problem. He created a damage-control plan, and will coordinate further work in the spring.

  Just before Christmas we ordered stainess steel counter tops for the craft room. This was one of the last big projects to be done inside the house. Thursday, Mark from  S&R Sheet Metal came out and installed them. There was a little bit of trimming to do where the backsplash lip fit under the window sill.
 

 After a dry fit of all the pieces, he put down liquid nails and troweled down. The sheet metal pieces were put into place and weighted down for the night.

   Ed knew that the space between the door to the hallway and the edge of the cabinet was going to be close. But this is beyond close. I think I might be able to slide a piece of paper between  the edge of the cabinet and the door, but I haven't had the courage to try it yet.

   After the glue was dry we moved the weights off the countertops and began polishing. Now I know that the tops will get scratched and dinged. That's why I had stainless steel put in here. I can use it and abuse it with abandon. But somehow...when it's new...you just want it to be perfectly beautiful. Even just for a day. Ed and I spent several hours going over small (and some not so small) scratches in the surface. First we used an orbital sander with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Then we spritzed the surface and used the sand paper by hand on some deeper scratches. After that Ed went over the whole thing with a Scotch Brite pad. Our hands and shirts were black with what looked like graphite powder.  I'll probably have to bleach my fingernails to get the black color out of the nail beds.

    Later that day he installed the laundry sink and faucet. Oops..no ABS glue, so the drain will have to wait until next week.
   Next to the sink I'll put in my Boraxo dispenser. Remember these? Every gas station bathroom along Route 66 had one. I found it in a junk shop and brought it home. There is nothing like Boraxo to clean hands covered in dirt, mud, grease or whatever trouble you can get into.

   Last night it began snowing. Each year we get enough snow to enjoy, and not so much that it becomes a major chore. It usually lasts about a week.  I have a pantry full of supplies and time on my hands. I think I'll make some oatmeal-chocolate chip-craisin cookies...or maybe molasses-cinnamon cookies.  It's a good day to curl up by the fireplace and relax.