Beware of Armed Bees

Today at work I tried to look at party pics from Saturday night. [This is, of course, the first time I've ever done something non-work related while at work.]

Anyway, my efforts were thwarted because the website, http://www.shotbee.com was blocked by our security team. The best part was the blocked category it fell in: weapons. Go figure. Guess I'll look at those later.

Door Drafters

We have a rule that you are not supposed to let other people in the door behind you, and they are supposed to scan their own badge. But it seems a bit rude to just close the door in their face. If you forget your badge, you have to try and get right in behind someone, and that's clearly what these two are planning to do. Apologies for the cell phone quality photo.

What a Pair

Well, I caved and bought a black stove to match my microwave and dishwasher. It was a bit of an impulse purchase for me, but I still got a pretty good deal. And it has fancy upgrade features my old one did not, like an oven light.

Impulse does not, however, mean instant gratification as it was two weeks from ordering to delivery, delayed by Lowe's not showing up on Thursday morning. The humorous part was when they called to reschedule, I asked if I could get a narrower window for delivery given their failure to deliver as promised. The delivery guy said they couldn't do that, they needed the full four hours to ensure they could deliver within the timeframe. Seriously? Thanks to Saturday delivery, my microwave has a new friend. Now I just have to figure out how to use it!

Tulips Too Early

Today most of the tulips opened. They may actually not be as far ahead of schedule, but everything else sure is. And those are nearly fully leafed out rose bushes, too.

The grass was also finally dry enough to mow for the first time this morning, and some places were about a foot tall. Mostly I'm posting this so next year I can remember exactly how early everything was.

Car on the Rocks

I was trying to be stealthy and take this photo so you can't see as well as I would have liked, but this car has rocks behind all four tires. The parking space is fairly flat, and I saw this same car like this last week. Apparently they have no faith in parking brakes.

Fantastic Floor

Yesterday dad and I installed the kitchen floor. It took all day, and I'm not sure we quite got the hang of how to snap the pieces together. The first two rows took the longest to get started, but then we made faster progress. Because the kitchen isn't very big, there were very few full pieces, so lots of cutting. But it is done and I love it, and so does Riley! She spends a lot of time laying on it. (In this photo, you can also see my shiny new trash can that replaces the one I bought when I was a junior in college.)


Here is a closer up shot that better shows the cabinets. The dishwasher is also back in the kitchen awaiting plumbing. Hopefully any day now the counters will be ready and then the sink can go back in, returning the kitchen to a useful status.

Please Yield to Goose Fights

This morning as I was navigating my auto across our campus, I came upon a trio of gooses. Geese are very common around campus this time of year, along with goose poop, but they are usually in a large group or a pair. A trio is rare and indicates trouble. This particular trio was having a very vocal spat, and they were having it in the road. I had to yield my progress until it was safe to go into the oncoming traffic lane, leaving them to sort out their difference, hopefully in a safer location. No idea what the argument was about, but I'm guessing somebody was moving in on someone else's territory and/or goose.

Reflections on 7-Year Adjustable Mortgages

Don't worry, this post isn't really about mortgages. Seven years ago today, I closed on my house. At the time I had a 7-year adjustable mortgage, and seven years sounded like an eternity. Well, those years have flown by (and I've refinanced) and lots of house things have been accomplished. As a summary of where I and my home remodeling team have been, here's the rundown.

• Removed all the hearts and pink trim, wallpaper, and ceilings.


• Replaced the air conditioner


• Remodeled the basement and downstairs bathroom


• Replaced the windows


• Remodeled the hall bathroom


• Greatly enhanced the deck.


• Cut down all the overgrown-ness in the backyard and added grass and flower beds


• Cut down two dead trees and planted two new trees


• And now the kitchen!

I'm sure I'm forgetting something big. We've come a long way, so thanks to my team.

Cabinets are in! (almost)

The install work for the cabinets has nearly been completed. The last cabinet can't go in until the counters are installed. Until the counters are in, it still isn't too usable, but it looks like a kitchen again! I wish the stove was black to match the microwave, but I don't want to buy a new stove right now.

The biggest change is the new pantry cabinet. I'm not used to having anything on that wall, and it seems big enough to hold everything I had in my old cabinets! There will be a second cabinet to the left of it.

I really like the knobs, and I'm glad I went with a light paint color since the cabinets are dark.

Last but not least, the last cat was installed last night. I'm glad I only went with two of these as they take up a fair bit of room.

Cabinet Baby Steps, and a Unique Feature

There have been a few delays in the installation, but most of the cabinets are now in. It is hard to take a picture because the fridge is smack in the middle of the kitchen, but this gives you an idea of how they look.



These cabinets also came with a unique feature.


Luckily they seem to have passed the feline inspection, which is pretty rigorous and thorough. Hopefully today I'll be able to get some good pics.

Cheese Control

This is old news and I meant to post it forever ago, but you need to know about the inequality of string cheese. Just look at the variance in the five string cheeses pictured. They vary in length from 3.25" inches up to 4.5". That's craziness!

Milest00000ne

What, two posts in one day? Well, I knew I needed to start posting on the kitchen, but I can't miss sharing this milestone that was reached yesterday.

And I drove nearly every single one of those. Only 9 miles on the car when I bought it!

Kitchen On!

You know, like game on! The kitchen project is officially under way. There is no going back now as the old cabinets were removed and hauled off this morning. Here are a few before photos. The lovely vinyl flooring was previously hidden under laminate flooring, and it is very smelly.

And a few pictures of how everything looks today.

Also today the sink came. You probably can't see it in this picture because it is hidden under the mat on the porch. Thank you UPS for putting it securely out of view!