April blooms with more and more construction activity:

4/3/08:
Hey man, it is a long week. We took last night off and went to the theatre, catching a classic Japanese film from 1985 called Tampopo (literally "dandelion"). I had not seen it before but Jay had and liked it enough to see again. It was a funny, quirky tribute to the joy of food. Watching almost two hours of noodle soup eating last night made me seek out my favorite Vietnamese noodle dish today for lunch.

Slowly but surely things are getting done on the house. The picture to the left is of the beginnings of a new electrical outlet in the kitchen, and the picture to the right is of the gas line they ran today under the addition from the gas meter area to the stove area. If you click on either of the pictures you will get to see the crawlspace under the addition.

Lots of things have been going on in the national arena, and it has been nice not to be as connected to mass communication systems as we usually are. National financial affairs have highlighted the folly of thinking businesses need no regulation because the free market will create its own regulation with supply and demand. Indeed the latter is true, but that balance is often created through hardships experienced by rather innocent parties, who by and large are not the fat cats. There are a lot of people who espouse de-regulation and wail against regulatory controls as "big government", as if a government by the people and for the people is to be trusted less than individuals and businesses motivated by profit. The government is not only ours, it is us. Wouldn't it be clever of us to use the power we have, by virtue of being united, to better ourselves and the world? Hmm, yet another nut ball concept espoused by Cindy. Get a grip girl. Later, ciao.

If we will not endure a king as a political power, we should not endure a king over the production, transportation, and sale of the necessaries of life.— 1890, Senator John Sherman, the originator of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act

4/5/08:
They did a fair amount at the house on Friday. Check out the picture to the left, what do you think? Yes, indeed, they disconnected the electricity from the old pole at the west end of the original house. Where'd it go? They moved it, for a price, to the new pole located on the garage. Cool. The gas company, also for a price, ran a line from the main gas portal to the house. The gas line is now ready to hook up a meter to feed the new stove when it is installed. If you click on either of these two pictures you will see a picture taken out front that shows the new gas connection/pipe coming up out of the ground.

Today is Kira's birthday. I did hear from her in the last month a couple of times, after hearing nothing since mid-November. She is doing well, working at Nordstrom's in downtown Seattle, and she has been sober six months. That is good news. I do not know if I will get to see her anytime soon, but there are almost nine months left of 2008, so odds are good. Happy 23rd Birthday Kira, best wishes, as always.

What we suffer, what we endure . . is done by us, as individuals, in private.— Louise Bogan

4/6/08:
These are more pictures from Friday's work done on the house.

The picture to the left shows new water pipes coming in for the water heater, and the picture to the right shows the tops of those pipes, made of PEX. The red pipe is for hot water, the white for cold.

The other, bottom right picture is of the plumbing coming up for the washer. It is very interesting, with a pressurized drain and bumpers to protect the water line connections from water pressure changes. All 3 pictures link to one of the outside.

Over the last two weeks we have been reviewing our options for lights and fans. We have picked up the light fixtures for the dining room, kitchen, and the sconces for the living room, plus the exterior lights for the back of the house and the garage. We have also gotten the bathroom light/fan. We still have to get the exterior lights for the front of the house and the living room ceiling fan. Neither Jay or I are much for shopping so it has worn us out.

Our builder came over yesterday and we talked about progress, plans and options. Since the garage entrance apron still needs to be poured we decided to go ahead and do the front porch with concrete while the truck is here. The windows got ordered late, they will be here the 14th. Because our siding is vinyl the house will be covered with that black felt/tar paper rather than wrapped in the plastic sheeting. Next week they can get that covering on so the house will be ready for the windows the next Monday. There is more still, but that is detail enough, more later. Ciao. :)

You can observe a lot just by watching.— Yogi Berra

4/10/08:
I have not had the time or energy to post much this week. We have been busy, going out Tuesday evening to buy a ceiling fan and look at closet doors, then meeting this evening with our builder. For two people who are not that fond of shopping, Jay and I have been doing a lot of it.

Also during this hectic time Jay has been lucky enough to have his wife be trialed on some Neurontin by an ortho doctor to see if it helped with her numb and painful thigh. The Neurontin did not help with Cindy's thigh, although it did help her sleep well and caused her to be dizzy, tired, groggy and to have emotions and ways of expressing herself similar to those experienced in the old days of PMS. How much luckier can a man get? Major remodeling of his house and major PMS symptoms in his wife at the same time! That reminds me, I need to add Neurontin to my list of meds I have side effects from.

The pictures here are ones Jay took Tuesday of our house's progress. The one to the left shows an opening in the wall next to our bedroom door. As we already knew, the walls in every room except the bathroom are not drywall but are a wood paneling that has over the years been textured and painted. What we kind of knew but had not thought about was that when one cuts or works with these walls they vibrate and crack. Needless to say, the electrician has been challenged while putting holes in the walls of the old part of the house. The picture to the left shows where a partial panel was removed to put in a new light switch by the laundry. The picture to the right shows the new wall heater between the kitchen and dining area that takes the place of the old one under the window that is now removed for the doorway to the addition. If you click on either one of these pictures you will see a larger one of the wall behind our stove, which has been stripped of its panels in order to do electrical work. The stripped panels will be replaced by drywall. What a messy week.

I am pooped, surprisingly. Tomorrow I start a trial of thyroid medication, wish Jay luck!

One thing you will probably remember well is any time you forgive and forget.— Franklin P. Jones

4/11/08:
Friday, the end of the work week, the beginning of the two days of the week I like the most, when I get to be home. We did laundry after work then went out to eat before heading to Lowe's to buy a front entry light, fixtures for in front of the closet and in the laundry area, a drop cloth and picked up several paint chip samples to compare with our current paint in the kitchen/dining area so we could get a close match. When home we once again discovered what had happened there during the work day, and once again it was lots.

Today's pictures, however, are of happenings at our house the last two days. The top, left one is of preparations for concrete to be poured for the front porch, and it links to a picture taken inside the garage that catches the open garage door and its opener. The top, right picture shows our back screen door and the two openings for an external light fixture and an outdoor electric socket, linking to the same garage picture.

The bottom, left picture shows the gutters put up yesterday and links to a rare photo of the back of the house, with the addition and garage seen in black. Busy, busy, busy&mnash; more tomorrow, ciao.

I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play, bring a friend... if you have one.— George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second...if there is one.— Churchill's response

4/13/08:
Yesterday we did a little yard work, took some more things to storage, ran errands, bought a washer and dryer, and picked up the rest of the light fixtures. Today I made zucchini bread, but after starting I discovered I was short 2 cups of sugar, so I headed across the street, made a deal for 2 cups of sugar in exchange for some bread.

The pictures here are the view from the kitchen/dining area looking toward the entry, the one on the left was taken 3/27, while the one on the right shows drywalling accomplished Friday. They link to a 3/31 framing pic.

The second set of pictures are of the view from the entry looking straight forward, the one to the left was taken 3/27. The picture to the right looks forward from the entry too, but now looks straight into the drywalled coat closet. They both link to that "shape of things to come" 3/27 pic.

Similarly, the picture to the left is the view from the entry toward the kitchen taken 3/27, while the one to the right is again of Friday's drywall work. They link to a new picture of our drywalled laundry area, where the stacking washer and dryer we purchased yesterday will go, just outside our bedroom. Now that is cool. More later :)


He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.— Abraham Lincoln

4/15/08:
Not much happened on the house yesterday, as the electrician and the builder re-grouped. When we asked about the bathroom fan, kitchen light, ceiling fan and exterior light that had not been wired it was discovered the plans the electrician was working off of were not the final version. Today those things got put in with a little drywall revision. BUT, even more importantly, our windows were put in– yippee!

Even though the windows have been boarded up and plastic strung across the doorway from the new into the old, breezes have flapped the plastic and the heater has been on a lot. Check out the picture to the left of the back of the house– see the big window? Yeah. If you click on it there is a bigger picture of the front of the house in which you can see the high side window and the garage door displaying its windows. It is window heaven on earth, with no breeze blowing the plastic tonight. Amen.

I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.— Margaret Thatcher

4/17/08:
Boy time flies, so much so we lost yesterday, just like that! You can see what happened at the house yesterday by looking at the picture to the left– can you see it? Yes, indeed, the siding was delivered. You can better see it in the picture to the right, lying in the driveway. Today they taped and mudded the drywall, and Jay took lots of pictures. The work is starting to shape up– click on either picture here to see a page of pictures taken today. Yawn…

He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others.— Samuel Johnson

4/19/08:
Yikes! There is a chill in the air. Yesterday they poured the concrete into the forms for our front porch and steps, plus the entry apron for the garage, leaving it all covered with plastic weighted with pieces of wood because of the weather. Last night just before going to bed Jay discovered it was snowing out and took a couple of photos thinking it would be gone today. It was gone today, no snow in sight when we got up, but as we sat eating breakfast the rain began to be interspersed with snow, then more snow. A bit stuck along parts of the fence, as you can see in the picture here, but none accumulated. Even so the snow came down fast and furious, blown about by the April wind. As I watched the weather out the window I wondered how the street fair vendors were faring downtown, in the midst of Skagit Valley's Tulip Festival. Click on the picture of the snow sitting on the fence slat next to the daffodil for the sight of snow out our new window.

When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.— Mark Twain

4/21/08:
Mid-morning today the sky released a few buckets of sleet mixed with snow and all day the outside air felt like it never warmed up. Even so, the sun beat down and warmed me as I drove home from work. Maybe it is now spring?

The front porch was uncovered today and now we can go in and out our front door. I chose an exposed aggregate finish for the concrete, meaning it is pebbly. More work was done on the the beginning of the siding, with edging and soffit coverings at least half done now. Click on either picture for a view of the garage siding efforts.

I have been trying to visualize the new living space, trying to figure out for sure what color of paint to use, what kind of shades or curtains, what trim style to use. Our kitchen/dining area is and will remain (even though it will be re-painted) a butter yellow with cream colored trim and ceiling. Our bedroom is blue with cream-white trim and ceiling. I am thinking the new room will be done in 6639 Avid Apricot and continue our house theme of cream-white trim. I have been looking at the top-down/bottom-up cellular shades, but it is hard to decide just yet. Oh well, I'm sure you will hear more about my decisions one of these days!

Communism doesn't work because people like to own stuff.— Frank Zappa

4/23/08:
What do you think of the change in the front porch entrance walls? Look at the picture to the left taken today and the picture from 4/21. Yes, they are making some headway. The workers continue to plug away at our million-piece puzzle of vinyl siding. The porch area was done today, along with some on the front of the addition and the garage. Yesterday they got one side of the garage done, which you can see in the picture to the right.

Yesterday's weather was finally sunny and warm. Today it did not rain, was mostly cloudy, but did get up over 50 degrees. The drywallers have come back, sanding and putting more coats of mud on the walls. Meanwhile Jay and I come home from work every evening and run the vaccum, wipe off the counter and other surfaces, put the folding kitchen table and chairs along with the things we keep on top of the table back out in the kitchen, get out our current stereo (which is an old boombox) so we can listen to the radio, and pull the plastic covering off our computers and stove. Every morning before going to work the process is completed in reverse, packing up and stowing in the bedroom the things on the table along with the folded table and its chairs, plus the "stereo", then covering our computers and the stove with plastic sheeting, and not just washing but drying and putting away dishes, coffee maker, etc. The process is a glorified version of camping, when one sets up and takes down the campsite every day. It will be wonderful to have our routine back, the one in which furniture does not have to be packed at sunup and unpacked at sundown.

They did a good job of getting vinyl siding to match that on our original house. Some areas, like the front porch, use pieces torn off the side of the house that got added onto. The last two evenings Jay has scrubbed off some of those old pieces to get them ready for the workers to use. If you click on either picture here you will see a picture of Jay pausing in the act of performing this very task. Thanks for stopping by, more later.

Freedom means the right to be different, as long as you're just like everyone else.— Jay Eckert

4/26/08:
It's been a couple of days since I last posted an entry, that is because I have been BUSY. As you know, the drywallers had been drywalling, but with the weather and all it had taken several days for the first mudding to dry so we were expecting the same for further coats (fussy Cindy wanted a smooth coat for the new room). The drywall guys were here Wednesday the 23rd so we were surprised to come home the next day and find they had proceeded to finish the drywall, hang plastic all over, and spray the texture finish in the old part of the house to match its existing walls.

As you can see in the picture to the right, they had hung plastic sheeting to cover the ceiling, walls that were not to be done, the entrance to the bedroom and more. As I think I have mentioned before, we planned to do the painting ourselves to save money. However, at this point in the game we are feeling a bit fatigued– we decided to let them proceed with priming and painting it for us. We will still have the ceiling in the old part and some odds and end to paint, but much will be done for us. So Thursday evening we cleaned up some, quickly relayed our paint color choices and headed out to eat for dinner. You can click on the picture of Jay in the little corner that is all he has left to himself of the house that was all his when we met, it will take you to another picture of the plasticating of our home. More later.

A bore is a man who deprives you of solitude without providing you with company.— Gian Vincenzo Gravina

4/31/08:
There has never been a day such as today ever before.

I have discovered that home remodeling is similar to pregnancy, it goes on and on, longer than seems necessary or prudent. The living room was painted Monday the 28th. It turns out the light peach color looks quite different in different lights or times of day. Our internet cable got messed up that day too and we were connection-less the first two days of the week– a good excuse for no entries. The two pictures here show the painted living room. Click on either of them to see pictures of our new crawlspace, an amazing crawlspace indeed. Jay is quite taken with the new crawlspace, that is good– I can have the upstairs to myself.

More later, maybe in May. Ciao.

But it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.— Alice in Wonderland

4/32/08:
I swear, this is the longest month I have ever known. I guess all this remodeling and adding on has taken its toll– it is just as stressful as they always say it is. We are close to the end, we can smell the completion in the distance, getting closer and closer. Yet even as we can see the final product so close on the horizon, the very horizon itself recedes as we approach.

You can see the yellow of the kitchen/dining room walls in the picture to the left. Our original paint there was a butter yellow, the new paint I chose is brighter, a little more lemony than I expected. You can also see the light peach of the new living room in the picture to the right, that I mentioned yesterday, and our new ceiling fan (three-speed reversible motor).

Our washer and dryer were delivered Monday, but we still cannot use them because the drain stack is not completed, nor is the electrical outlet– Jay went to the laundromat today. Wednesday, April 30th, they delivered and installed our nice Marathon water heater. We were not sure if it was connected when we got home because the old water heater was still in place, but we soon discovered there was no hot water in our house. As you can see in the picture to the right, the electrical wires remained simply sticking out of the wall. The electrician showed up and kept us company until after 8PM, that day getting a nice flow of hot water going for us.

We are faring all right in this long and arduous process, thanks to Jay's magnaminous efforts. If you click on any of these photos, you will find they all take you to one photo of me taken from Jay's vantage point up in the new living room, looking over the half wall of the stairwell down into the original part of the house. You know how scientists looking out into space are really looking back in time because of the distance light has to travel from stars/suns to get here? Interestingly, in this way we can look back into time and perhaps someday find the beginning of everything. Looking into the dark skies of outerspace allows us a look back in time, yet it does not allow us to see how the universe looks now. Views of now come with time, as does wisdom about decisions we make and live today. It would surprise people to know how much effort it takes me to create a page for a new month. I think April may finally be over, what with a wonderful weekend to work on a new page. Next week I head back to Michigan to spend Mother's Day and a few other days with family there. What a blessing to have that opportunity. More later.

Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love.— Leo Tolstoy (1828 – 1910)