Stuck to the Sofa

I'm seriously lacking in the motivation department. And I'm not getting any help from the sack of fur on his back, asleep at my hip. Or from the other sack of fur lying on the sofa, using one front paw to shield his eyes from the light of the front door. (At least he's not yowling.)

Yep. looking at these two makes me want to curl up and go right back to sleep.

But, while it's cloudy outside, it's exceedingly warm. (Around 70 and it isn't even noon,) It's also very windy, so not conducive to any kind of yard work. (Yeah. It's breakin' my heart. Can you tell?)

Instead, I think the mother and I will go check out a new boutique/deli in a nearby town. Sounds like a good way to pass a summery afternoon. Especially considering that it will all be over tomorrow. Thunderstorms roll into night.

A Taste of Summer

My Zen (as my friend KayO dubbed it) held out all day thanks to the absolutely incredible weather and a few small victories at the office.

I don’t know how people who live in long-term arctic conditions stand it. I mean, I can’t even cope most of November, December, and January! By February, we usually get a few breaks. And we did this year.


But … March? We’ve got to be closing in on some kind of record – or broken one – for the first day of March. It was 82 at one point! That qualifies as summer in these parts. Everyone at work was buzzing about it all day.

And kspin tells me we were even warmer than the desert.

I had a late lunch and went out and soaked in as much of the warmth and sunshine as I could and then had to physically force myself back into the building. I went to my favorite downtown haunts but the fountains at Kiener Plaza were empty and silent. (The central fountain in fact was still littered with debris from last week's Mardi Gras revelers who couldn’t stumble another 10 feet to a trash can. B*stards!)

And, though Cardinal tickets went on sale today, Busch Stadium stood empty, too. (Not for long. Opening Day is just weeks away!)

But, I wasn’t the only one out sun-worshiping today.

The streets of downtown were filled with people, in part, the office-sheltered departing hibernation, and partly because the Missouri Valley Conference tourney is in town. (I had to look in the newspaper to see what it was because around 4 p.m. I heard a band start playing. My colleagues thought I’d lost my mind until they came down to my corner and could hear the invisible band. Clearly, I’m not a college basketball fan.)

As I watch the sun begin its decline, I know that this weather odyssey is temporary. And I hate to see it go. Really, I do. I know you’ll be back though.

But please, hurry.

Into the Moment

I walked out the door and the warmth immediately struck me. A dampness hung in the air. At some point during the night, a brief, light shower must have fallen. Not a soaking rain, just enough of a misting to tease the grass and let it know that yes, spring is coming. Shed your dead brown hue and turn green again.

Ah, glorious, wondrous spring.

I wasn’t in this good of a mood when I got up. And as I stood on the corner awaiting the bus, staring at This D*mn House, mentally noting the 101 of its jobs that await me, I rebelled against the feeling. A full-court, strong-arm push back against feeling good.

What is my problem? Here is a perfectly glorious day in the making (50-something at 6:45 in the morning, thankuverymuch) and I’m standing here, himming and hawing about things that mean absolutely nothing in the grand scale of it all and that I can certainly do nothing about right now.

Girl, get over yourself already. Seriously.

And then it occurred to me. It’s FRIDAY.

And a Friday with a projected high of 74 degrees.

And I’m standing, staring at a house that, for all of its flaws, I own –at a time when others stare at theirs, just hoping they’ll be able to scrape enough money together to keep walking across the threshold.

And I’m waiting on a bus to go to my job. A job I love most days, at a time when so many others don’t even have one at all.

And I’m tired. And that’s a good thing because it means I’ve been working, my days are full again, overflowing sometimes, and that is about as much job security as anyone gets anymore.

So stop fighting it. Just feel good. Breathe. Fill your lungs with the promise of spring. For once, just live in the here and the now. Be thankful for what you have and keep fighting like hell to hang onto it. In the end, that’s really all you can do anyway.

By noon, this moment may have been fleeting. (Who am I kidding? It could be gone by 10 a.m.)
But for now, it’s Friday It’s warm. The sun is coming up. I’m still gainfully employed. And spring really is coming.

Ask for nothing more. Revel in it.

Dollhouse Tour, Part 2

Picking up where we left off this morning, we were in the little girl’s room on the second floor. Now, we’ll go next door and check out the parents’ bedroom.
I’m not sure who that is supposed to be (the mother has increased the family size since the days I played in here.) Suffice it to say, whomever she may be, she’s a snazzy dresser.


Just look at this close-up.

Now we’ll head up to the third floor. First we’ll stop by the boy’s bedroom. I've always loved these third floor rooms because of the sloping walls from the roofline.

He has a little friend over. A little friend with a very bad hairpiece, too! I’ll apologize for the quality of this photo of the whole room. I clearly got rid of the wrong one when I was going through them.

But check this out. Can you even believe they make a chess set that small?! What I love is this game table – I have one almost exactly like it in the family room at This D*mn House.

Let’s pop next door and check out the bath. This would have been one high-class joint for that time period.
I just shake my head at how they think of absolutely everything and it’s all so tiny!

The mother says she is glad that it is all done now since it’s hard to see stuff that small to work with it and because she has the beginning of arthritis in her hands.

I hate to see her get to where she can’t do it all anymore because she enjoys it so much.

She still gets in there and moves things around occasionally, just like in real life. She decorates for the holidays, too.

There’s a ton of Christmas decorations, as well as stuff for Halloween and Easter, too.

What’s funny is that this isn’t even the mother’s only miniature project. About 20 years ago, she built a general store from a kit. It’s fully stocked and even has a small apartment upstairs.

An Inside Look

The mother and I made an impromptu shopping trip last night. I had planned to spend some time playing with the new camera and taking shots of the interior of the dollhouse since some of you have asked to see it.

The trip cut into my evening time, but I at least got started on this little adventure.

Here’s the entire interior of the house except for the dining room. The dining room is inside the bay window which is an extension of the kitchen side’s exterior. A family friend added that when the house underwent a major redesign around 1980. There are three bedrooms, a bath, livingroom, kitchen, and dining room.

You’ll notice that, much like This D*mn House, the place is jammed full of both furniture and decorations. I think it’s a classic case of art imitating life, instead of vice versa.

For a closer look, let’s start in the livingroom or parlor.
The mother and father of the house are catching up on the events of the day, while the mother knits.

Here’s a close-up of part of the room. I've always loved the Victorian furniture.

We'd have it in real life except it's really not all that comfortable.

Now we’ll move over to the kitchen. Looks like everything is in place for the next meal.

I guess I really should have laid a coin in here or something so you can appreciate just how tiny some of this stuff is. It's so little, and yet there's so much detail. The folks who make this stuff have a whole lot more patience than I could ever dream of!

We’ll hop upstairs and see what the little girl is doing. I wish I had a chair like that for my desk.
That's it for now. Saving the second half for another post.

I Should Read More Magazines

I don’t regularly read Popular Mechanics but maybe I should. A few of their features captured my attention when I happened upon them quite accidently online.

The first one is some great advice on fixing leaks and shingles on a roof from the March issue. Yeah, I know. Call a roofer.

But, if you have the ability to scale a ladder, aren’t deathly afraid of heights, and possess even a minimal skill level, you can do this. (Of course my boss would love this after kidding me in a meeting with a: “What? Don’t you have a roof to put on your house or something?” during a recent meeting. Of course, he kids me, but he couldn't do it. I could.)

From that Web page, there’s a whole lot of useful tips and step-by-step how-tos from keeping handrails and baseboards together to some easy fixes for problem flooring.

They also featured a basement replacement. Looking at this took me back more than a decade to my first major project which was redoing the downstairs family room. Wow. It was bad. It’s a wonder that that project didn’t sour me on DIY forever.

On the PM basement replacement, I’m with the commenter who thought the before pictures were better. Not that I think that brick looks good. I just think they went to a lot of trouble for nothing. I agree with the choice they made on the ceiling. Those doctor’s-office drop ceilings suck it.

But before I tore out all of that brick … I would have a) painted it or b) put beadboard up over it or c) done both so that half the brick remained exposed.

I did not care at all for that wrap tiny shelves around the support beams maneuver. It looks like some space-age ‘70s crap to me. I think I would have again, painted them, or gotten those polyeurathane wraps and given it a more classic/colonial feel.

And, like the commenter, I think the furniture is guhhh. They could have put in a really nice bar, and had a nifty backbar mounted along some of the exposed brick.

But that’s just me.

Wordless Wednesday

I've seen this done on several other blogs but never tried it. Seems like today is the perfect time.

Here's the "money shot" from last night, followed by the best of the rest.

When I first looked at the shot above in playback, it looked like little specks of dirt were all over the screen. Look again. It's birds heading home for the night!

I don't know. I was all hyped about the shot with the birds, but I'm thinking maybe this last shot might be the best one.

This was incredibly fun and I'm very pleased. Thanks again for the indulgence. (It's me. You had to know it couldn't be completely wordless, right?)

Indulge Me

OK. So I wasn't going to post again until tomorrow, but remember the kid in the candy store ...

I got these -- and then some on the way home. Sharing just a few tonight. A prelude to what's to come.
I love this shot. If you look at a bigger version, it almost looks as though the sun got tangled in a spider's web!

Those buildings in silhouette are part of downtown St. Louis. What's sad is that by the time the skyline is completely clear of brush from this vantage point, you can no longer see much of the skyline, including the Arch, which is far off to the right, off screen. What I love about this shot are the CLOUDS. Aren't they cool?!

Pretty, isn't it? I was about to lose my mind. And the best part is that, other than resize, and minor brightness adjustments and cropping on a few, I did nothing to these. You're seeing them as they are. And these don't even include what was the "money shot" for me.

That's it for now. Thanks for indulging me. This is probably going to be happening a lot. Just sayin.'

A Canon for Brahms

Or Package #5. (Somehow, I like the title I went with.)

In either case, this was the contents of the much anticipated box that arrived yesterday: a biography on Brahms that I started reading at least 10 years ago, but stopped when the owner of the book suddenly departed for parts unknown. Oh, and a new camera. It’s a Canon SX110IS.

I so love Amazon and their expert ability at being a one-stop shop for most of my vices. All they need to do is start stocking lots of scrapbooking stuff and then I’ll be completely sunk.

Yeah, I know. My original digital camera is not yet two years old. And I could probably have used the money for something a little wiser, but I have to tell you that playing with it has been fun already in just the first whole day! In some ways, it’s like “old home week” because many of the features and functions are the same as on my Canon A630. It’s just about the same size as my other camera, too. (It’s thinner, but just a hair longer and requires only TWO AA batteries as opposed to four in the A630.)

There are some differences, too, that are requiring a little getting used to. On my old camera, the LCD can rotate 360 degrees. Not only does this change how you adjust the position of the camera, you can close the screen against the camera. The bigger, 3-inch screen on my new camera is exposed – always –and it’s tough to not fingerprint it to death. You wouldn’t think that .5 inch would make that much difference, but the images are so much easier to see on the new camera! (When I don’t have a big old thumbprint mid-screen.)

My old camera also has a grip along the right side, fashioned from the compartment for the four batteries and the memory card. Being thinner, the new camera doesn’t have this feature. It has more of a half-hearted grip.

One of the biggest changes though is quite a positive one. The old camera has a 4x optical zoom. The new one? Try 10x. That’s right – TENx! Pretty heady stuff.

I tried to take some shots from the bus last night, sans flash, and they actually didn’t come out too badly. This was my favorite because of the building reflection in the car that was two lanes over. The zoom worked pretty well to a point. The other plus in the new camera is image stabilization. Trying to shoot without a flash through the window of a moving bus, especially as unsteady as I can be sometimes, would have been blur city. That was not the case here.

This was while the sun was beginning to set and it created a whole lot of shadows. Even so, without me doing anything to this photo (except shrinking the file size to post it) images are crisp and bright.

And, while I’m not sure why, the macro function (for extreme close-ups) like this is infinitely easier to use. Maybe because the lens takes up two-thirds of the face of the camera? And since I'm getting so up close, I guess I do need to clean the lint off there, huh?

So, those of you who were wishing for a post with interior dollhouse photos … you just might get your wish! That’s just one of the things I’m anxious to give a try.

I’m like a kid in a candy store. Expect to see more photos, too, because now, I no longer have to wish I had a camera. Because it’s pretty likely that I will have one on hand as I plan to carry the new one.

Tuesday ToolTalk: Crocodile Cutter

I think my love of tools – power and otherwise –has already been established. Package #4 during the past few days feeds the addiction.

The Crocodile Cutter was a purchase I made from Lakeside.com. Generally, they have good merchandise, but sometimes junk is junk no matter who is selling it. I knew buying this was a gamble, but I paid my $7.95 anyway. (A bargain, even at the buy one, get one free price on the product’s Web site.)

I was thinking specifically of the Michelangelo project when I bought it.

The chances are good that I could use it for that project. Let’s just say I’m not overly confident that this thing would make it through the whole job. The trigger mechanism that moves the blade seems chintzy.

It cut a piece of vinyl floor tile pretty easily and it did glide through an aluminum can. The handles are pretty easy to change, but I didn’t notice that much difference between the density of the blades (it comes with metal, plastic and a shapes cutter) though they were designed a little differently. If you watch the Billy Mays video at the Web site, you'd think this thing could hack through the center of the earth. Please.

I was surprised to open the box and find that the tool came in its own little hardcover plastic case. Nice touch. There is, however, no branding on either the case or the tool itself. Only the product name appears on the single sheet of instructions; no company info is to be found anywhere on it. Hmmm. Doesn’t someone want to put their name on it?

The bottom line for now: Keep your money. I’ll continue to try this out as different projects warrant it. So, should I find something that makes me change my mind about my initial assessment, I’ll let you know.

Have you tried this out? How did it work for you?

What’s in That Box?

Which box? There have been a whole bunch of packages come my way the past few days. Yes, NV has been shopping online again!


Unless it’s for scrapbooking supplies, it probably is my favorite way to shop.

So, Package #1 arrived last Thursday. It was part of an order. The box contained an outfit for the mother (who never buy clothes online, but this was just an ultra-casual summer/spring set) and some really cute T-shirts for Ozzie. You’ll likely see those eventually.

The picture here shows Package #2 which arrived on Friday. It’s a set of padded pouches I got from eBags. Currently, I’m only using the smallest of the 3. I’m sure I’ll find lots of good uses for all of them.

Package #3 isn’t very exciting either, but quite practical though. It’s a sleeve for my computer. I don’t use the issued bag to haul it back and forth to work, yet so far I’ve managed to not destroy it in my bag. Since I’m going to start hauling something else in my bag, I figured that I ought to take an extra step to protect my computer. Will let you know how it works out.

Package #4 is part of the order sent in Package #1. (Two other things are still missing.) But, it’s a prime candidate for ToolTalk Tuesday so we’ll save that one -- and the much anticipated Package #5 – for tomorrow.

Monday, Again?!

How did that happen? Wasn’t it Friday like five minutes ago? Tell me I’m not the only one struggling with this.

I’m still worn from yesterday and it’s really cold this morning (20 with wind chills in the teens), so my motivation level is low. Besides the brisk temperature, one thing that helped wake me up today was driving through town. I drove to the central bus depot because I need to make some stops on the way home tonight.

That meant I got to go through my town’s restoration district where the triplet houses live. I got to see my favorite while also delighting in some of the big old homes that people have either kept up through the years or that have gotten some much needed TLC in more recent times.

It’s always so heartening to see people breathing life back into these beauties. I’ll try to post some photos this month.

Quite A Sunday

I’m tired but it’s been a good day. The mother and I had fun shopping together and we picked up dinner at TGIFriday’s. I got to make the most of a buy one, get one dinner coupon that expired today, so technically, I ate for free.

It was cold, but the sun did help. It didn’t cancel out the wind though. When it roared into life, man – tore into the bones.

When we got home, we put everything away, took care of animals, ate our dinner and then I started stripping beds. Mine was easy. I had put away all the comforter set and mashed it in Space Bags already. I just needed clean sheets. But the mother’s bed was still all made up so it had to have all the stuff folded and put away, then it was stripped and then … I got out the new mattress topper I bought her a week or two ago.

It was like a wrestling match. First, I had to ball up the old one she had and I shoved it into the box for the new one. Then, I unwrapped both the zippable cover and the mattress topper itself. I don’t think this thing was rolled correctly when they packed it. While one side seemed to immediately spring to life, the other side seemed creased and lifeless.

We tugged on it a bit and that helped some but it still wasn’t right. Even so, I body slammed it onto the bed and the war commenced.

I pulled it, rolled over it, stood and walked on it … and it still only stretched marginally. Then, I thought maybe if I put it in the cover and zip it up and stretch it onto the bed, it will straighten out on its own. In theory, it kind of worked. I laid on it and it seemed pretty comfortable as long as you don’t roll to the edge of the bed. But, it’s not my opinion that matters.

The mother tried it out. It seemed to pass initial muster. I’ll post again more in a review fashion after she’s had a chance to really try it out.

Between that and taking out part of the trash, I did my aching back no favors. So, on that note, I think I’ll grab a shower, pop some ibuprofen, and do a few things for work.

No Sleepin' In Today

There will be no lounging in pajamas until 2 p.m. today. I'm taking the mother shopping.

I have no idea for what. And I'm way too smart to ask.

It's still too early to head out, so we've got a couple of hours. So I can lounge for now, but just for a bit. It's pretty cold outside, but at least the sun's out. Still, not much motivation to go out as it's only in the 30s.

I've got lots I hope to get done today, once we get back. We'll see how well I do.

My Four Walls

I was so tired last night, so I was 10 times as pissed that I had a) gotten up early to make the bed and b) now had to undo it before I could actually go to bed. To console myself, I had the presence of mind to try to make good use of the opportunity: I took pictures.


Since we're going to eventually get to changing this space, I thought this was a good time to capture it the way it is now in preparation for true before and after. So, if you'll indulge me, here's a little tour. Wall 1: That's the view from my door. That's my bed. In the right hand corner, that little what-not shelf? It was my great-grandmother's. The mother says it was in their livingroom. Over in the left, on the other wall? That little framed picture is a silhouette of me that the mother had done. it's one of two. (You can't see the second one, or a third that I had done as a gift to her at age 25.)

Wall 2: Now we're inside. That's the view from my bed. Both the bed and this vanity were purchased at the now defunct Bombay Company. We loved that place! That photo in the round, gold frame? It's my great-great grandmother. She's the mother-in-law of the great-grandmother whose shelf is on the other wall. Just to her right, that's a photo of the mother around age 6. On the floor at the left is my pen collection. Just behind the door, that little dress ... remember my beautiful grandmother? That was hers. (It's beginning to occur to me that my room is a time capsule. About the same size as one, too.) Wall 3: This is the view from my bed. That's where most of my clothes -- in season -- live. Off to the right is that cabinet that passes as a closet that desperately needs to be organized. Outside the door, through that arch, goes into the livingroom. You can see the light coming in the front door. Oh, and that bed? I think you know who that belongs to ... Ozzie! Yup. Though he logs just as many hours in my bed as in his. During the week, he always starts out in his bed, but at about 4:30 every day, there he is, standing on his back legs, leaning against my bed, waiting to be picked up. On weekends though, I don't even bother putting him in his bed. That way, unless Toby decides to shatter the silence, I can usually sleep right through!

Wall 4: Next to my bed and just opposite the closet, is another piece of history. While it looked nothing at all like it does now, I received this doll house at age 8, from my beautiful grandmother. I lost interest in it a few years later but the mother took it on with a vengeance. It's done down to the most minute of details, both outside and in. I have to think there is something of an inspiration in it that led to This D*mn House.

In the immortal words of Porky Pig: "Bbbbp. bbbp, bbbp ... that's all folks!

Thanks for indulging me and coming along.

Doing My Part

I just ran out and got a Sunday paper and some milk. It’s only now starting to flurry and it’s nearly 2 p.m. Fine by me. I don’t care if we don’t even get the dusting they are now calling for (as opposed to one to three inches.)

It’s really cold again (around 30) and the winds are blowing at 15-20 mph so I guess that explains why it feels like it’s in the teens. Because it is so cold, I gave the birds an extra bowlful of seed. (I usually only put this out at night so it’s there for them in the morning.) They’re all out there now, enjoying a late lunch.

Considering that snow was in the forecast, and that it’s the end of month which means payday for some of us, I was stunned by the lack of people out last night. Usually, the grocery stores are jammed. I went to two different ones and found myself second in line at each. At Hell’s answer to retail – otherwise known as Wal-Mart – I glided right into the checkout. There weren’t even 95 people in my way as I grabbed items throughout the store the way there usually is.

I can only guess it’s the economy. Oddly though, the parking lots seemed to be full at the various restaurants along the way. Luckily, those still seem to be packing ‘em in.

Combining the grocery store visits with a special trip to pick up some decorations and paper goods for a surprise shower in a few weeks, I did my part to help the economy!

I’m still tired from last week and from my late night/early morning of yesterday even though I got more than eight hours of sleep last night. So, I have no motivation to take anything on today. It was all I could do to talk myself into folding up and putting away the bedding I got out for nothing yesterday.

Everyone else seems to be crashed, so I may do the same and sneak in a nap!

Stood Up

The mother's friends stood her up today. I felt bad for her.

One of her friends' mothers, who is now around 90, kept calling her every five minutes while she and the other friend were on their way. They never made it here.

It was a seriously busy day at work and being worn out before I ever got started didn't help much. Then, once I survived the day and made it home, I turned around and left and went to get things so I don't have to do it tomorrow in the snow.

Yes, I said snow. I mean it was 70 two days ago and almost 70 the next day. Why wouldn't it snow?

On that note, I'm calling it a day and a night.

Friends on Friday

The current temperature is about half of yesterday’s high. It’s always lovely when you have back-to-back days at or near 70, only to be plunged once again into the deep freeze. While it’s a shock to the system, ti’s not a surprise. I knew this would happen.

They’re now saying one to three inches of snow tomorrow. No wonder everyone is sick!

I was up late and I got up extra early today so I’d have time to make my bed. Not pull back the sheets and adjust the covers, fold in the corners stuff. No. This is drag out the comforter and sham and throw pillow making-the-bed stuff. And because I am one of the best kids ever, I did the same for her bed.

You see, the mother is having company today. A few of her friends are coming over.

I’m not sure why exactly this is necessary. I mean, I go to my friends’ houses without stepping foot in a bedroom. And these people have been to the house before. It’s not like they haven’t seen it. And it’s not like it’s the new bedrooms yet.

So, I totally don’t get it. I guess she just wants to leave the doors open without risking embarrassment. At least one of them hasn't seen the porch and walkway yet. I'll be curious to hear about what she had to say.

In what was a highly unusual turn of events, these plans just popped up yesterday. So that sent the mother into overdrive. You'd think the Queen was coming or something. And she gets so annoyed with me when I just fail to see the drama in all of it. "You bring people in here when it looks any old kind of way," she chides.

Well, yes, I do. I figure they're more about coming to see me than my house. But that's me. Logic that's totally wasted on the mother.

I just hope Ozzie behaves. He doesn’t always when people come and I won’t be there to make him mind. Toby won’t be a problem. Part of his mental shortcomings make him completely anti-social. He’ll either slink under a piece of furniture or hide out in the bathtub until everyone is gone.

Here’s hoping she has a good day.

A Little Request

Considering the latest news on the housing front, I thought it might be a good time to show a little love to This D*mn House.

Dear House, Sometimes I get very annoyed with you. You’re too small. You’re old. You’re expensive. You’re much too needy.

But, at the end of the day, you’re mine. They can’t take you away. (Unless I don’t pay the taxes.) I’m not even ashamed to claim you anymore. In fact, I’m rather proud. So, we might as well face facts: We’re stuck with each other. While the mother still likes to daydream and regularly checks out the real estate sections, I don’t torture myself with them anymore. I’ve accepted that I’m not going anywhere. I've made my peace with it.

Things are getting off to a slow start this year, I know. But, the almost continuous worship at your altar that’s been under way for most of the last three years (and a good chunk of the past two decades, though more sporadically) is about to resume. Thanks to the economy, I’m just not sure how much worshipping we can do.

Please recognize that an awful lot of nice things have been done for you in the past 18 months or so. And a lot more things are on the horizon. So please, be cooperative. Be patient. Be helpful.
That’s not asking for too much, is it?

Where to Start

The week, very much like this month, is flying by. I mean, can you believe that February will be over in a matter of days? Seems like this year just got started and already nearly two months are gone.

Absolutely nothing has been done on the house either. That’s a little disheartening considering that by this time last year, we had already built a closet and run a gas line to the fireplace!
So, I’m going to see if this weekend we can pick up the pace. At least a little.

It may be something as simple as mudding and taping the family room ceiling and the area above the closet doors where the trim won’t quite cover the gap. From there, I might even get to put the trim up. I guess we’ll see.

It wouldn’t be major progress, but it would be a start.

I still don’t know what all is on the agenda for the rest of the year. (The mother has ADD when it comes to those kinds of decisions and, as a result, regularly changes her mind about which project or projects she sees as a priority as well as on the order in which they’re done.
I won’t be taking vacation before next month, so that precludes anything we can’t live without on a day-to-day basis. (Like redoing the bathroom, for example.)

One thing I would like to start as soon as the weather breaks is aligning the carport. For the past several years, it has started to sag to the point that it is quite noticeable. It not only looks bad, it’s probably not all that safe either. I’ve discussed a plan of action with Lawrence and he’s agreed to help but one never knows what his schedule is like.

And you can never rely on the weather. Last year, every time I got ready to start on the brickwork, it would rain. I had hoped to acquire all my materials throughout April and get under way by early May. I didn’t get to start until mid-June.

Here’s hoping for a relatively dry spring.