SIZZLE!

Holy triple-digit temperatures, Batman!

Today is the second consecutive day of temps above 100 degrees. And it felt every degree of it. It was too hot to do real work so Lawrence and I made a short few hours of planning and then we took a trip to Lowe's to get the wood we'll need for the concrete forms. And a Bagster.

I used a Bagster for the first time a few weeks ago when we took the deck down. That thing was MEGA-stuffed. The only reason I was able to get as much into it as I did was that I strategically packed it. It got out of here successfully so I've decided to try it again.

This time, it will be rock and dirt. Rock and dirt that I have to dig up from around much of the area that surrounded what once was the deck. I did a little bit last weekend but to look at it, I didn't even scratch the surface.

It's supposed to be a little cooler tomorrow. A little being about five or six degrees. But, I need to work on the yard and on beginning to move all that rock. I feel like I've got the same quarry that Fred Flintstone did but the difference is that he got to sit his fat *ss down in a crane!

Success: Part 1

BOOYAH! I walked out of City Hall today with a building permit! And I didn't even have to get bailed out jail. For me, one of the biggest issues was having to draw up a "plan" to share with our Building and Zoning office in order to get said permit. Have I mentioned that I don't draw? Well, I don't. So my very primitive rendering was a source of concern to me. The guy at B&Z? He asked me a couple questions. He gave me a thumbs up when I said we planned to put the four corner posts 2 feet in. The inspector has to come before we can pour the concrete over them to check. That's about it. It almost sounds too simple ...

Gift of a Lifetime

I am a writer. I got my first desk around age 9.

It was a trash find that the mother found and refinished for me. It was only a few feet wide and maybe a few feet deep. A thick board slid out of each of the front legs to accommodate the actual surface that you pulled down like a drawer. The inside was filled with little cubby holes and just some open storage space. It served the purpose until I was about 14.

I didn't have a desk again until college. It came with the apartment I lived in. It wasn't anything to write home about but it was functional. Since then, I've had about five desks, each at the different places where I've worked. At home, I've had a cheap, flat sofa table that held my computer and, with some strategically placed café curtains, allowed me to stow a printer and scanner beneath.

After Memorial Day weekend, that all changed.

The mother saw a Dillard's ad in the Sunday paper. She saw a dining room set and we decided to go see it in person since our dining room chairs, more than 30 years old, are getting a little on the loose side. Unfortunately, the dining room set that looked like cherry wood, was actually a black painted finish. Pretty, but not in keeping with the décor at This D*mn House. We were disappointed but decided to mill around. Almost simultaneously we saw it.

The mother made a mad dash for it and I was on her heels. She began physically inspecting it. I just stood there with my mouth open. "Well, do you want it?"

Of course I wanted it. But where the hell were we going to put it? "Let me worry about that," says the mother. " I wanted to get you something really nice for your birthday anyway."
And so, in early June, this came through my front door.

It's OK. You can drool if you'd like. I'll wait. The middle drawer flips down to accommodate a keyboard. Instead, it's where I now stow my new laptop and my wifi unit. My printer lives beneath the table that you see a tiny glimpse of in the right of the photo and my scanner is against the wall (not in the photo). So far, it has worked divinely! It truly is one of the best gifts ever.

A few weeks ago, we lost power at work and I came home in the hopes of getting things done. I had not one, but two laptops (work and personal) on that desk!

We REALLY liked the chair but the sales associate told us we couldn't just buy those chairs. Sad because the ball and claw feet match our living room furniture. But we weren't sad for long. I managed to find them online -- at Dillard's! The place where you supposedly couldn't buy them. Hmmm. And, they were on sale. BOOYAH!

And so, after a bit of time online, a few phone calls and a two-week wait, our livingroom/diningroom combo is now all matchy-matchy. Now, if only the kitchen, the bedrooms and the basement were done! And, did I mention, we're in the throes of an OUTDOOR project right now? In fact, I'm heading to City Hall in the morning, hoping to secure a building permit. Wish me luck.

Inside and Out

I've been away for a few months, but that doesn't mean I really left. A special thanks to long-time reader Karen Anne who left me a comment to spur me along, confident that I was in fact out there still.

No worries - I am. I've just been really, really busy!

Since early June, I've been averaging between 55 and 70 hours (this past week). While it's exhausting, it's a good problem to have. (Remember how I spent 14 months working part time? Me, too. And I don't want to do it again. Ever.)

And the mother and I? We've been busy, too! In typical fashion, she's been bouncing back and forth between projects both inside and out. It's how she is -- 96 projects at once rather than one at a time.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I'll be sharing some photos this week to get you caught up properly. Hope everyone is doing well. Can hardly wait to check back in and hear from you again.