"Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are."

Monday, October 29, 2012

We Squeaked By...

When we left for our extended "vay-kay" weekend, we were met with glorious blue skies and fall colors.

This is West Virginia as we climbed up the mountains on Friday.






This is what we met climbing the mountains today on our way home.







We were met at 12 noon with a big old sign saying blizzard conditions through Beckley to Bluefield.  We were both SO GLAD we got on the road early.  The forecast is for 3-4 feet of snow through the areas we drove through today.

Yes...It's beautiful, but we feel fortunate that we squeaked by Sandy as she headed inland wreaking hearth and home.

Our thoughts and prayers are for all that have to experience this massive event.  Even here in NC at 6:30pm we're having 30 degree temps and gusting winds.

She's a big girl and we're grateful we squeaked by her today.

Thanks to all our friends and family who called to check on us during our travels.  After all these years in the South, SM still knows how to drive in nasty weather.

Take care ya'll...

Saturday, October 27, 2012

We're OLD!

I am sitting here at my brother in laws computer wearing a hoodie, long sleepy pants, fuzzy socks and a throw in my lap at 5 am this morning.

Holy Crap!  It's freakin COLD here!

Welcome back to Ohio.  Now we know why we left!  (Jane called it.  See yesterday's comments.)

We had 80 degree sunny, blue sky weather until we hit southern Ohio.  (Very pretty leaf peeping through Virginia, BTW.) 

Then the grey skies moved in and we watched the temperature on the dashboard drop.  SM and I were both in T-shirts and shorts when we got to Ronnie's house about 5pm.  (Let me tell you nothing makes you want to pee faster after a long drive than a cold breeze up your skirt!) 

We then piled into Ron's car and headed over to Smokey Bones for some drinks and appetizers.  Time for Happy Hour!  SM and I got some looks as we walked in with shorts on.  (Ya'll ain't from around here are ya?)

We then headed back to their house for more snacks, wine for the girls and scotch for the boys.  

We talked about wines, Johnny Walker (Red vs Black), football (College and High School), health problems (Ron just had shoulder surgery) and medications we're taking (Everything known to man.)

That's what old people do when they get together, right?





Talk then turned to politics when I made the comment about listening to the radio on the way up and that "Once we hit Ohio it was nonstop political ads." 

(I guess this has been going on for a while now since Ohio is the HOT battleground state and everyone here is SICK of it. The robo-calls are a big hit too.  It makes me wonder if some folks are so tired of it all that they won't even bother to vote.)

The general consensus at the kitchen table is that Obama would take the win (Electoral College) but that we'd repeat all the drama from the Gore/Bush  election with the general vote being too close to call.  Toss in corruption, voter fraud and general disgust and we've got something to get excited about don't we?

Whatever...Hey, that's why we're drinking!

So it's going to be cold and rainy ALL FREAKIN WEEKEND.  Perfect for sitting around visiting I guess.  The boys plan on being parked in front of the TV watching football by noon. 

I, on the other hand, had hoped to spend the day strolling around the Columbus Zoo.  We don't have a good zoo in NC and I've been "jones-ing" for some lions and tigers and bears (Oh My!) for a while now. 

Not really sure at this moment if I'm going to go.  70% chance of rain with a high struggling to hit 50.  SM points out that the zoo critters just LOVE it when it's like this. 

Hm. 

Maybe I'll just watch some football, drink some wine and take a nap.  This hoodie is feeling really soft and warm right now!

Friday, October 26, 2012

Road Trip

Mom and Bob are flying to Ohio for a week of visiting so SM and I thought we'd take a long weekend and visit the homeland. 

Since we're both from Ohio there will be lots of visiting with both of our families and even some friends we haven't seen in quite a while.

I'll catch-up with ya'll when we get back home.

Till then...take it easy!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Rumor Has It

Rumor in "The Hood" has it that the house next to ours is sold. 

We're hoping that the new owners will live in the home themselves rather than rent it out.  We had that happen to the house on the other side of us years ago.  The renters were nice enough people but they had 7 dogs and 3 teenagers.  The parents managed things as best they could but there were times that the adults were gone and the kids would party (we could smell the weed) and the dogs would bark till all hours. 

Needless to say, we were very happy when they moved out.  That house went into foreclosure and was sold to a wonderful family. 

We get along great with all our neighbors.  But as the old saying goes...You can't pick your neighbors.

With that in mind, I went over to the foreclosed property a few weeks ago and cut back some tree limbs that were hanging down in my garden area.  I trimmed back some of the bushes that were poking through too.




SM wasn't so sure that I should doing this but I pointed out to him that if this goes "rental" you can be sure the folks living there won't be doing any landscaping.  I didn't want the fence line we share to become any more damaged than it already was.  (It's their fence.)

Last week we saw some folks hanging around.  Seems like an inspection was going on.

The realtor was there so we picked her brains.  The house is a HUD home and the winning bidders hope to close Nov 9th.  (Wow! That's fast.)  The home owners are a young couple.

He's a deputy sheriff with the county.

Yeah us! 

But...



Better burn the evidence @;)

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Lists, Distractions and The Unspoken Conversation

7am.  37 degrees outside.  That's the coldest we've been so far this fall.  Brrr.

I look at the list of "to-do's" that I made myself last night. 

Yes, I'm a list person.  At home and at work.  I don't think it's because I'm forgetful, although I will admit that as I get older my stem cells just don't fire the way they used too. 

Nah...It's because I'm easily distracted.  I tend to deal with the biggest fire first, then move on to things that are screaming second and generally leave things that are "out of sight - out of mind" till last.

So when I looked at the list this morning I saw: Lasagna, apples, trim dog nails, call Debbie, windows and freezer.

So I went and grabbed the lasagna.  SM had pointed out the other day that he was kinda "done" with the monster lasagna I'd made last weekend.  Not to bore you with the details but I generally make one lasagna a year.  I don't do pasta so it's all for SM.  I cook it up in the big turkey roasting pan, let SM feast on it for a few days and then when he's tired of it, cut it up into pieces and stick it in the freezer along with all the other assorted ready to eat meals and baked goods.



Yep...SM's made a pretty good dent in it.  So I cut it up, bagged it up and went to stuff it in the freezer.

Hm.  The freezer is on the list too.  SM and I had bought an upright freezer a few years ago but "cheaped out" and went with the type you have to defrost a few times a year.  I usually try to coordinate the big "defrost" with my Spring and Fall staycations, but I got distracted this year with the discovery that I too could have sparkly windows (see last weeks post) so the freezer got pushed back down the list.

Hm.  Windows is on the list too.  I have 5 more windows to clean inside and out.  But since the sun isn't up yet, I decide that I really should get the freezer cleaned up and organized.

So I put the lasagna in one of the freezers that don't need defrosting and glance down and see the pile of apples we bought last weekend.

Hm.  Apples is on the list too.

I plan on saucing most of these but wanted to wrap and box up the Pink Lady's we'd bought for fresh eating.  "Where's my box?"  I thought to myself.  Out in the shed.  So I grabbed a flashlight, slid on my boots and wandered out in the dark with Scooter on my heels out to the shed. 

"What a mess.  I really need to organize the shed too."  I shine the flashlight to find my heavy duty produce box and tip-toe through the general mayhem to retrieve it.  Back in the house, the Pink Lady's find their home for the next few months.



I store my apples on the garage stoop.  So I take a moment to arrange all the apples on the stoop for easy grabbing once I decide to start saucing.  Mutzu, Yellow Delicious and Grannies.



Then I decide since I'm out in the garage to start working on the freezer.  Unplug it first.  Unload the food sorting through stuff as I go.  Isn't it amazing what you've got in your freezer?  That done, I grab some old towels and toss them on the bottom of the freezer to catch all the water and ice.



Hm.  It's 37 degrees out Tami.  This is going to take a LONG time to thaw out. 

Screw it.  Time for the hair dryer to speed things up.



So I'm standing out there blow drying the freezer when SM decides to come out and investigate.  He's on his second cup of coffee now so of course he's curious as to what I'm about.

"You know it's going to be 75 today.  You could just leave it till later."  He points out.

"Yeah, I know but I got other projects to do today.  I just want this over with."  I reply looking at him. 

The dryer is humming as we stand there eyeballing each other. 

(*One of the marvelous things about being married as long as we have is that we know what each other is thinking.  We really don't even need to talk.  It just a habit to do so.)

So I'm standing there with the hair dryer humming in one hand, staring into My Baby's big brown eyes and I know what he's thinking. 

Why are you defrosting the freezer on the coldest morning of the year? 

It's as plain as the smile on his face.

"I know."  I grin back at him answering his unspoken question.  "I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed."  I sing-song to him making an "L" with my hand on my forehead.

"I didn't want to say the obvious, but..."  SM shrugs.  "Am I on my own for breakfast?"  He asks.

I look at him. 

"I guess that's a "yes".  SM nods his head.  "You do look a little busy at the moment."  He says and wanders back into the house to find some nourishment.

By the time I've wiped down the freezer, applied a coating of Vaseline to the gasket and turned it back on to get cold again, SM has eaten and is starting to look a bit sparky.

"So what's on your agenda for today?"  He asks.  What he means by this is what do I want HIM to help me out with since I'm the brains and he's the brawn around here.

"Are you going golfing today?"  I ask.

"I'd like too..."  He responds.

"Something quick then.  Burn pile?  Clean out the garden?"  I offer, thinking of my least favorite tasks.

"Too wet to burn.  And the garden will take too long."  SM replies.

"How about the toilet?"  We'd bought a new toilet to replace the 20+ yo one in our master bathroom.  "If you could take it apart, I can paint behind it and then you can install the new one.  If you don't think it would take up too much time..."

Hm. 

The toilet wasn't on my list for today.

Good thing I got an early start on MY list, isn't it?  @;)


Saturday, October 20, 2012

Dry Run

I came home Thursday from work to find SM having some lasagna (yes, it's a monster in a turkey pan) telling me that our water has been out since mid afternoon. 

Of course I wander over to the kitchen faucet and turn it on. 

Nope.  Nothing.  Not even a drip.

"What happened?"  I asked

"Those idjets laying the new city water pipe hit our main pipe instead."  SM replied.

We are on county well water here in our neighborhood. There's a large, upscale neighborhood across the street that has been annexed by the city and they're getting pipes laid along the main road to supply them. 

"The water was supposed to be back on by now."  SM continues.  (It's after 6.)

I shrug.  "It's OK.  That's why I've got The Stash."

I always keep a case of bottled water in the house.  This case has sat in my pantry for a while now just waiting for the chance to be used. Now, I'm not a prepper by any stretch of the imagination but it's always seemed like good common sense to have some water stored in case of an emergency.

The dogs water bowl was low.  So I pulled out the stash and filled it up using 4 bottles of water. 

Huh.

"You know...This is actually a good thing."  I point out.  "I really have no idea how much water we would need to get through the day."

I then distributed some water bottles around the house for washing faces and hands, for brushing teeth.  I reflected that we were screwed long term if we needed to flush toilets or take a bath. 

Long term lack of water would truly suck. 

Our water came back on around 8.  The toilet sounded like it was going to explode with all the air in the pipes.

The next morning I continued to use the bottled water.  I made SM's coffee, brushed my teeth and opted not to take a shower and just washed my face instead.  (I didn't know if the water was contaminated or not.  We have had "boil before drinking" warnings before.)

SM said he would call the water company later to check and see if there were any issues.  There wasn't.

But this whole episode has got me thinking.  Yes, we had some water set aside, but not nearly enough for a long term outage (as in several days.) 

I could easily see the mess that could be created by a regional disaster like a hurricane.  And while I knew we could drain our hot water tank if needed, that would only put a dent in a long term water outage event.  We'd have to buy water, which is fine as long as the stores had it.  If everybody needs water then there would no doubt be shortages.

It's funny.  I've lived my whole life knowing that all I had to do to get water was to turn the tap.  What would happen if that wasn't an option? 

I'm also reminded that one of our goals this year was to set up rain barrels for the garden.  Hasn't happened yet.

Perhaps it should.

Hmmm.


Friday, October 19, 2012

But I Don't Wanna...

"Early voting started in NC today."  I said to SM last night. 

"I was wondering what the crowd was about."  SM replied as he'd been in Charlotte yesterday afternoon.  "Are you going to vote early?"  He asked.

"I'd rather not vote at all."  I replied.

"You're VOTING."  He said firmly.

"But I don't wanna..."  I returned.

"You're voting."  SM replied. 

Case closed.

SM and I discuss politics all the time and while I generally don't feel politics has a place on this blog, I do like to document what's going on in our world here.  And you'd have to be living under a rock not to know, care or be aware that this year's presidential election is turning into a doozie.  Passions are running high.

So what's up with my apathy?

Ever since I've been able to vote, I've voted.  This year though, I'm highly annoyed. 

Disgusted. 

As in "Get me the freak off this merry-go-round."

Like a kid that would rather stay home from school and play hooky, I find that I'm reluctant to participate. 

I want to find a way out. 

I'm done.

I don't care what your politics are.  Everyone has the right to believe in what they want.

That's the problem.  I don't like either of the pony's in this year's race. 

I can't vote FOR either one of them.  I can only vote AGAINST one of them.

And that's never happened to me before.  I've always gotten behind a candidate.

Like the song says  "Give me something to believe in." 

Seriously America...Is this the best you've got? 

I know when I'm being manipulated.  Always have been to some extent but at least they made you feel good about casting your vote. 

This year, I don't feel good. 

I want to cover my head like a child and let someone else decide. 

I tell myself that my vote really won't matter one way or the other. 

I always felt my vote is has been my opportunity to tell you that I believe in you.  That I believe in what you represent. 

I guess that's why I don't want to vote this year.

I've always been for.

Not against.

Will I vote?  I honestly don't know. 

It's not that I'm undecided.

It's that I don't believe.

In you.

And that makes me feel bad.

Monday, October 15, 2012

The Apple Crawl

A few weeks ago SM stopped at his favorite roadside fruit stand in Gaffney and bought some Asian Pears and apples for us.  He called me to say that the gal said that they were "Virginia Apples."  (That's fine with me). 

I asked SM if they were this years crop?  He asked her and she told him "Yes."  After buying the fruit SM got back on the road, bit into an apple and called me back to say that it was dry with no flavor.  He tried another one.  Same thing.

"You turn right back around and take them back!"  I told SM.  "Someone sold her last years apples.  There's no way a fresh crop of apples would be dry."  The gal took the apples back and SM bought different apples instead which were crisp and juicy as they should be.

We've noticed that this happens more and more and I personally have no tolerance for it.  We discovered last year that you can't even trust the farmers market for "fresh" produce.  Lots of the fruit and veg is shipped in from out of state, even out of the country!  Why bother?

Last Fall, SM had stopped at an apple orchard up in Hendersonville NC and bought me a bag of apples.  Those apples were SO crisp, sweet and good compared to the crap that the local farmers market had sold us, that I'd told SM "From now on, we buy our apples from the source!"

So yesterday we decided to take a day trip over and buy up our supply of apples for the year.  (I sauce most of our apples but I also like to store some for fresh eating over the Winter.)

Hendersonville is deep in the NC mountains and easily a 2 hour drive away from where we live.  We got on the road about 9 am.  Surprisingly the leaves aren't changing yet up in the hills.  Or perhaps I should say that they are very dull in color this year.

Anyhow, we crawled along the orchards and markets along Hwy 64 outside of Hendersonville.  Or perhaps I should say we ate our way through the area.  Oh Yum!



We stopped at Justus Orchard first.





Many of the orchards are very smart and turn the farm into an "event" destination where a family can stop and pick your own apples, see the critters in the petting zoo...stuff like that.






Justus was pretty quiet while we were there.  I made my apple choices while SM volunteered to test their cinnamon apple cider doughnuts.




SM said they were the best he's ever had and promptly bought a 1/2 dz more to sustain him during the difficult drive home.

Just as we were loading up the van, a tour bus pulled in.  SM and I looked at each other.  A tour bus?  Time to leave.

We stopped at Mountain View next which was just a roadside stand.  But they had my precious Granny Smith apples!!!  "Yeah!"  I love to sauce with Granny's and McIntosh.  The Mac's were long gone (August-September apple).  I was afraid I'd missed my chance with the Granny's but Mountain View had them so I snapped up a bushel.

On to Grandad's Orchard. 








By this time is was noonish and they were VERY busy.  It was hard to find a parking spot.  Grandad's has a corn maze, pumpkin patch, petting zoo and children's train along with a bakery and BBQ spot.











SM and I were snapping pics, we even got each other.





Lots of cute kids.





And great eats. 



While SM went and stood in line at the bakery, I stood in line for some BBQ.  We sat down at a table and compared notes.  SM had bought carmel apple cookies and fried apple pies (just OK according to SM).




I'd bought a Pork BBQ Sandwich with fries (which was very good). 




I made the comment to SM "You can't have nothing but sweets all day long." and a lady down the table said "Sure he can." Which made everyone in ear-shot laugh.

We pulled out of Grandad's and headed into Bat Cave.




Then we zipped through Chimney Rock, a tourist trap if there ever was one.



What's the appeal?  It's a rock that looks like...Well...You can figure it out.




By this time it's starting to rain so we zipped through Lake Lure and headed for home.

We listened to the radio, both talk and music.  At one point SM had it on a station that was playing "St Elmo's Fire", a song from a 80's movie of the same name.

I can climb the highest mountain
Cross the wildest sea
I can feel St. Elmo's Fire burnin' in me
Burnin' in me

"I never liked that song."  I said to SM.  "What the heck is St Elmo's Fire anyway?"  I asked.

"You know, I used to know that."  SM replied.  "Oh!  That's right.  It's referring to VD.  Venereal Disease."  He cuts his eyes sideways at me.

My eyebrows went up.

"You know...I can feel St Elmo's Fire burning in me."  He pauses, looking at me.

"You're kidding right?"  I ask.  (I am so gullible.)

SM starts laughing.  He leans over and pats my leg.  "We need to get out and do this more often."  He points out.  "You're a lot of fun on a road trip."

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Tami Clean

"You really need to consider firing the maid who works around here."  I said to SM last week (while on "stay-cation") as I tackled the never ending pile of crap, fingerprints, dog tracks, dust and general mayhem that accumulates in my house on a daily basis. 

"Maybe if she'd do a better job during the week, I wouldn't have to deep clean the house twice a year."  I complained.

"Do I get to interview her?"  SM asks.  "Can I hire a young one with a french maid costume?"





"Hire who you want."  I told him.  "As long as she can keep this house clean.  At this point I'm not picky."

There's clean.  And then there's Tami Clean.

Tami clean is clean that's "good enough."  As in don't be walking in my house with white gloves.  You'll be disappointed. 

And there's lots of women out there who agree with me too.  See?

Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy. ~Author Unknown
Don't cook. Don't clean. No man will ever make love to a woman because she waxed the linoleum - "My God, the floor's immaculate. Lie down, you hot bitch." ~Joan Rivers 
My theory on housework is, if the item doesn't multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you? ~Erma Bombeck 
I like hugs and I like kisses,
But what I really love is help with the dishes!
~Author Unknown

Still, twice a year (Spring and Fall) I try to do a little deep cleaning around here.  I start off with big intentions but it always amazes me how little I actually get done. 

On top of all that, this is usually when I decide that I really need to quit my job and stay at home full time to cook and clean and garden.  Poor SM gets to hear me whine about it.  "But I don't wanna go back to work."  Like working here at the house isn't really work?  Ha. 

SM says he's fine with me staying home full time as long as the paycheck keeps coming in. 

Bummer.

Anyhoo, this year I needed some inspiration.  Some motivation.  And I found it over at Chiots Run.

I'm sure many of you are already fans of Chiots Run, a beautiful blog I've followed for several years.  Susy is a gardening and domestic Goddess.  I've admired her home and garden for years now.  Susy recently wrote a post about cleaning windows that caught my eye.  You see, Susy moved into an old home with old windows.  I'm pretty sure her windows are A LOT older than mine.  And by the time Susy was done cleaning her old windows they looked so clean and pristine (even in a photograph) that I could tell she was on to something.

Susy knew the secret.

The secret is this.





I have lived 50 years on the planet and never knew that I too could have window glass that looked as clear as air. 

Geez.  It was THAT easy.

I have been pestering SM about replacing the windows in this 22 year old house for almost 10 years now. 

Yes, they're drafty. 
Yes, the seals are cracked on a few. 
Yes, new windows would be more energy efficient.

But that wasn't the real reason I wanted new windows.  I wanted new windows because I just can't stand looking out of the faintly hazy, foggy glass.  I've always just assumed that they were cheap contractors windows that had lived a good life and were past needing replaced.

How do I know that my window glass is OhMyGod clean?  Because earlier this week I'd cleaned SM's office windows and blinds.  I didn't have the scraper then.  But when we went shopping the other day I picked one up.

Now I was pretty impressed with the cleaning job I did the other day.  I like to use Trader Joe's "...Next To Godliness Multi-Purpose Cleaner".  I like the way it smells and I can whip it out and use it on lots of surfaces.





I cleaned the spare storage office room first using the scraper with a bit of spray, wiping the blade off with a paper towel.  I could tell immediately that the glass on the inside was super clean. 




Unfortunately the spiders love the outside of this window and it's too tall for me to want to pull out the extension ladder to clean it more that twice a year.  (I'll wait to do the outside until after a frost when the spiders will die for the rest the year.)



I then went into SM's office (that I'd washed earlier) and scraped and cleaned both the inside and outside again.  It made them even clearer.

I'm amazed.  Really.  I didn't think it was possible.  I'm about 3/4 of the way through the whole house, inside and out.  I've got 25 windows in this house so giving them the "sparkle treatment" really makes this house shine.




I love it.  I think I've found a new hobby.  Or maybe a new job.

Cleaning windows.

Does it pay very well?


Saturday, October 13, 2012

Know Thyself...

Am I still here? 

Wow, what a week!  I feel like I've been flattened by that steamroller they call work.





Wham, Bam.  Thank You Ma'am!

It sure is cliche to say that sometimes it's just not worth taking vacation time if (when you get back to the grind), there's more work and more stress that it completely eliminates the point of getting away in the first place.

I am exhausted!

Way more tired than when I was working around the house last week. 

Today is the first time I've sat at the computer all week.   I haven't seen any of your posts, let alone considered posting myself.  I've seen SM only a handful of minutes this week.  In and Out!  There and Gone.  My muscles are screaming in protest.  What is it about the intensity of a 12 hour workday that kicks your ass more than hanging upside down pulling weeds busting your back?

I want to whine.  (Waaaa!)

But I'm still smart enough to do not THAT while I'm at work.  Be effective, be efficient...but never let on that you're tired, that you wish you could back off a bit.  Show that weakness and your employer might get the idea that someone younger could come along and satisfy your position.

I'm feeling my age after this work week.  I remember Susan (my older co-worker) making the decision when she was around 55 that her body just couldn't take the pace anymore.  She backed-off and took a part-time administrative position instead.  She's 65 now and only comes in once or twice a week. 

I never really thought much about having to make that decision for myself.  Mentally, I'm still in the game and physically I am too.  But then the protesting starts once I get home.  "Where's the Tylenol?" 

Thank God for the weekends.  I can snap back then.  Rejuvenate.

But the Government wants me to keep working till I'm 70?  Twenty more years?

Yeah right...Good luck with that!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Arngh, Arngh, Arngh...

So we went back to Lowes Sunday morning to purchase the drains and the new disposal.  We got back home about 11 and completed the sink install. 

Then the faucet...I tell you the people who write instructions should be shot.  We figured it out but still...How aggravating!

Then the drain and PVC plumbing on the right side, easy enough.  The the new garbage disposal on the left side went in easy, peasy.

Speaking of disposals, when we were at Lowes a retired plumber named Jeff was helping us out.  I asked him what was the best quality and he pointed to one that said Badger on the side.

"Hey, a garbage disposal named Badger.  Just like that skit on the Bob and Tom show.  You know...arngh, arngh, arngh."

Both SM and Jeff laughed.  They got it.  It's an oldie but a goodie.  Give Mr Obvious a listen.  It's just a few minutes long and a classic.  I laugh everytime.

Anyhoo, the moment came when we had to turn the water back on.  You know that moment.  Visions of Titanic dance in your head.

We crossed our fingers and turned.  Nothing.  As in leaks or drips.  Yeah us!  Then we tested the disposal.  "Arngh, arngh, arngh"...Yeah us!

Then we heard a weird pressure noise and don't ya know it, the water filter started leaking!!!  WTF?  (All we did was change out the filters.)  We discovered after tearing  the unit apart that we must've thrown away a little gasket by mistake.  I went out and emptied the trash can looking for it but couldn't find it. 

(Sigh)

So close and yet so far.  So I stayed at the house with a fan on to dry out the cabinet floor that got wet while SM made a return trip to Lowes to try and find a replacement gasket. 

So here it is.  The big reveal.  Before 



And after.



Wow.  Everything works well and I'm astonished at how big the sink is now.

Thanks for tagging along on our reno...."Arngh, arngh, arngh!"

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Sunrise, Sunset

Some people are morning people. 

Like me.

Up before the crack of dawn, they roll out of bed wide awake.  They tend to see more sunrises than their significant others still snoozing away in Dreamland. 

They're often outside in the predawn and can feel that moment when the sun breaks over the horizon and the temperature mysteriously drops another 5 degrees. 



They're awake to see the suns rays create diamonds with the morning dew.

They're also the ones who "peter" out first.  Yawning by 7 pm and dozing by 8, these folks never see the ball drop on New Years and are disinclined to "meet for drinks after dinner".  "Party" is not in their vocabulary.

And then there are the folks who struggle to wake up in the mornings.  Some like to sleep in, some are forced by life to get up at their appointed hour, but neither are happy about it until they've poured several cups of coffee down their throat over several hours in order to "wake up".

SM is like that.

Oh, he's usually up by 6 or 7, sometimes 8 am.  It's not when he "gets" up.  It's when he wakes up that matters. 

As in sparky. 

Ready to go. 

All cylinders firing and able to think, converse and function.

That's usually around 10 am.  Since he starts so late in the day, he often works till late in the night.  Most often I'm in bed when he gets home.  True, I'm often in bed by 9 pm, but still...We're on opposite schedules is the point I'm trying to make.

Quiting time for me is around 4 or 5.  For SM it's around 7 or 8.

Saturday morning SM is up by 6 am.  I leave him alone for an hour while I walk the dogs and start some laundry.  By 7 am, I'm sitting beside him on the couch, making easy morning conversation, my own caffeinated beverage in hand.  We decide to start on the kitchen reno first.  There's a lot on the to-do list. 

Replace the rotted cabinet floor.  Pull out the sink.  Install the new one.  Replace the faucet.  Should be pretty straight forward but it never is, is it?

By 7:30, the sun is up and I'm making SM breakfast.  Biscuits and an omelet with onions, green peppers and turkey sausage.

He still looks tired. 

He's blinking. 

We're clearly not going to be starting anything anytime soon.  So I fill up the dishwasher (assuming that I'm not going to have a kitchen sink for awhile) and turn it on. 

SM wanders back to the couch with his second cup while I head outside to wash windows while they're still in the shade.

I keep my eye on the clock but leave SM alone.  I'm estimating his usual start time.  10 o'clock.  That's when things will start to happen.  In the meantime, I've got stuff I can do.

Sure enough, SM gets sparky around 10.  I start working inside so I can be near enough to help, but far enough away to stay out of the line of fire. 

He starts disconnecting and draining lines and I start my "surgical assisting".

"Towels"  SM says.  I hand them to him.  "Channel Locks..Flashlight."  And so it goes.

Mid-day we get to where we can "dry run" the sink.  We pick it up and put it in the hole. 

Of course the hole is too small. 

So I pull out the instructions and see that there is a cardboard template to size the sink hole.  Our hole is about a 1/4 inch too small all the way around.

Figures.

"What would you do if this was a granite counter top?"  I asked SM.

"You'd have to hire a guy to come out and re-cut it, I guess."  SM says.  "Or stick the old sink back in!"  He says laughing.

"OK...So how do we re-cut this one?"  I ask.

"We use the router (?) but it won't work on the back part of this because of the back splash."  SM goes and picks up his cellphone and calls his brother who is in construction who tells him he'll need to go to the hardware store to buy "the gizmo."



The hole is finally enlarged but it's after 4 now and I'm starting to peter out.  Construction dust is everywhere.  SM is in full work mode.  The sink gets in.  But it doesn't come with drains.  WTF?   And we're also thinking we should probaby go ahead and replace the 12 year old garbage disposal while we're at it.  So do we go back to the store today to get all this?  Or wait till tomorrow?

I'm ready to clean up and call it a happy day.  SM is ready to keep going except for one little thing.

The Buckeyes come on at 8 pm.  And SM has already sacrificed much of his college football Saturday in order to install a new sink for his Beloved. 

Aw. 

It's not his fault everything got more complicated than we expected.  Are we surprised?  Heck no.  We know for a fact that ANY home improvement project we undertake will take twice as long and cost twice as much as what we intended.  That's just a fact of life around here.

I assure SM that I can live without running water in the kitchen tonight.  We clean up by 6 and crash.

It sure is nice to know that a weekend has 2 days in it.  We'll need it.