Four Pots Revisited - One Month Later

Here is an update on the four pots.  Some good progress, but some doing better than others.

The potato vine in this one hasn't taken off too much yet.  The fuschia is still alive, although it hasn't gotten any bigger.  It lives in the shady middle created by the plants around it.  It looks healthy, just small.

This potato vine, on the other hand, is going bonkers.  It gets more sun, which luckily hasn't struck down the caldiums.  The asparagus fern isn't doing much.

This is an interesting mix. Nothing has really taken off yet, but the cannas are coming up!

The front porch plant seems pretty happy.  The million bells are filling in and will hopefully come over the edge of the pot.  The lantana and coleus will have to hurry to keep up.

This pot is composed of everything that was left over.  The canna was planted squarely in the middle but as you can see prefers the outside edge of the pot.  At least it is present.

Noodle Bits

I had to take the kitchen sink apart.  I put some pasta salad in the garbage disposal and the sink wouldn't drain.  I tried to clear it from the top but no luck.  So in DIY fashion, I figured I'd take the trap off and clean it out.  Unfortunately when the pipes are full of water, it's nearly impossible to take apart without the water going everywhere.  As I'm sure you can guess, that's what happened.  The best part was the drain was full of chopped up noodle bits, which were soon all over me once the pipe was removed.  So there I was, head under the sink, soaking wet, covered in noodle bits.  I was pleased with myself, however, that the trap was clogged with grit from when I did the tile, and of course noodle bits...  So at least I fixed the problem.  There was a little drippage as a side effect but seems to have cleared itself up.

Four Pots

I tried to think of a clever title but nothing came to me.  For record keeping sake, I am posting "before" pics of my four pots I planted.  These are carefully planned, so we will track their progress to see if it does anybody than my usual random planting.

This one has fuschia in it so not sure how that will do.

Starting with already started caladiums:

This one has the farthest to go.  A canna in the middle will hopefully make an appearance.  The pot itself doesn't look too swell I see.

I think this is the one I'm most excited about.

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.

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.

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.

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!

I Am Ungrateful for this Gift

Well folks, it's been awhile since something happened worth reporting, but now it has! I have the day off today, and I enjoyed sleeping in a little bit. I woke up at my usual time when it was still dark and then fell back to sleep. When I woke up later after the sun was up, I noticed I had been sleeping next to a dead mouse. I was horrified and ran downstairs until I could figure out what to do with it.

While I was standing in the kitchen cogitating, I look out the window and see a deer wandering around the yard. As you do.

I went back upstairs and Riley was sitting on the floor next to the bed. I worked it so I could wrap up the whole comforter, take it outside, and leave it there (the mouse, not the comforter). When I came back in, both Bailey and Riley were wandering around the bed, presumably looking for the mouse.

I guess I should be thankful it wasn't worse (like something even more disgusting) and though it is the season of thanks, I am not thankful for this gift.

Disruptions

I am on vacation, and I did not plan to get up early today. Several forces united to thwart my plans. First, Bailey got her head caught in a plastic bag around 4:30. She proceeded to paw at the bag until I got up and freed her. I lured both of them downstairs and "let" them go play in the garage.

About 20 minutes later, after I had fallen back to sleep, the low battery alarm on the carbon monoxide detector went off. It is right next to my bed, and it beeps until you take the battery out. I don't know why that battery drains so fast, since the thing is plugged into the wall. I left it in pieces on the floor and went back to sleep.

Finally about 6:00, I woke up to find Boo (a squirrel who lives in my yard) standing on his hind legs, looking in the bedroom door, and tapping on the window. Not sure what he wanted, but at least everyone was in the garage or it would have been a wild time.

Alas, my early morning was not as restless as planned.

Happy Winter, I Mean Spring!

Spring is here! And so is a good 8 inches of snow, with more on the way. I went out to take a few pictures because I could see this crazy snowdrift from the window and wanted to check it out. It doesn't look nearly as dramatic in the pictures as real life.



It is reassuring to know this snow won't last forever like all the others. So if I skip shoveling the drive, it won't still be there in three weeks!

The Wait is Over...

Final pictures are here! I haven't picked out a shower curtain yet, but pretty much everything else is done! The cabinets, fixtures, lights and toilet went it this past weekend.


Monday I took my first shower without plastic in nearly two months! It was a little like getting a cast off. They tell you its okay, but it still feels weird and you're a little afraid something will go wrong. So far so good!

The bathroom is small so it is hard to get good pictures, but you get the idea.

Major Phase Complete

I've gotten a little behind on updating photos of the bathroom remodel, although I confess the project was stalled for several weeks because I couldn't commit to which tile I wanted. But we are cruising now. Last weekend, Dad and I tiled the floor:

Taking Woolly Mammoth to New Levels

We have always joked that Bailey is a woolly mammoth because of how furry she is. Today she led her band of merry siblings in an adventure that caused her to be even more woolly than usual. Today's project was to work on installing a new exhaust fan and light. Dad was up in the attic trying to get above the bathroom ceiling. I went to pick up lunch. When I came back, he was going outside to brush himself off. Then we ate lunch.


After lunch we went upstairs and Bailey was just exiting the attic porthole. A few years ago, I had 16 inches of new insulation blown in, and Bailey had about six inches of it stuck in her fur. Then I looked in the hole and Riley was still in there. I got Bailey cleaned up, but Riley didn't want to come out. Here she is back in the attic, nearly up to her neck in insulation.


Eventually she came out and I had to wash her off with a washcloth.

In other news, the bath tub is in and I can shower! I was a little nervous that we weren't going to get the tub through the door, and then I wasn't sure how we were going to get it laid down. But it worked!

What's in Your Living Room?

Probably not a bath tub!


Luckily the old bath tub is out and the new one should be going in soon. How do you get a 400 pound cast iron tub? In a million pieces!

The Shower Still Stands

But that's it. Only the bath tub remains in the bathroom, with plastic around it so I can still shower. And there were no surprises, like water damage or a rotten window sill. Now I just have a garage full of trash to get rid of! Thanks to dad who did all of the work this week.

Project On! The Before Chapter.

Now that the red room is finally complete, it is time to move on to the next project. Next up: the hall bathroom. This bathroom has always been near the top of my list to redo but has gotten bumped to the top as the shower faucet started dripping, then the drip became more of a stream. So the plumbing needs to be replaced, so might as well redo the whole room, right? There is more urgency because this morning I couldn't even get the water to shut off in the shower!

The Before pics: (I'm not sure these adequately represent how lousy it looked and was before). Plus this pic shows the cabinet before I nearly set it on fire.


This tile floor was under the carpet (yes, carpet in the bathroom, glued directly to the tile!)

Dad and I kicked the project off officially on Thursday by uncovering the top part of the window that was hidden behind the tub surround. Yesterday we removed all the remaining tile, the floor, and the cabinets and toilet. The floor had to be removed all the way down, including removing a concrete subfloor and tile.


Only the shower is left because it is the only bath tub and I don't want to be Pig Pen. The trick will be to minimize the time I have no shower. Here's where we are now, minus the cabinet:


In case anyone is curious, I'll post a few pics. Stay tuned!

Walnuts, Walnuts, Walnuts!

(For the full effect, the title should be said to the cadence of "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!")

I'm hoping we have reached the peak of the Great Walnut Drop of 2009. I can't imagine it could get worse than this. I do live in Walnut View, so I shouldn't be surprised. The walnut tree isn't even actually is in my yard. It just so graciously leans over my fence to drop its plethora of produce.

This morning I tried to mow. Last week was a little painful, but today was nearly downright impossible. The walnuts squish and get stuck under the mower, in the wheels, under the wheels. Plus my yard is a pretty decent slope. With my push mower, it was all I could do to keep going. At one point I stopped and considered going to buy a new self-propelled mower.

I figure I got a good workout at least. Too bad I had already done my hour-long Total Body Blast workout!