Back to the city

Finally, the painters arrived on Monday to start the job of transforming the old house from worn out and drab to fresh and slightly less worn out. We are talking about a house that is nearly 115 years old, after all.  I met them at the house and walked through with one of the painters to confirm the work we needed/wanted down. I also mentioned that I was adding to the scope of work as I needed them to paint the ceilings in the kitchen and living room/dining room because the repairs CT made were obvious. Let's just say those ceilings turned out to be a real pain in the butt!

I walked down early in the afternoon to meet with the guys who were making a dump run to get rest of the crap out of the garage. Stepping into the house briefly, I was pleased to see the progress and the lighter colored walls. Caleb had met with us Sunday to test the color and I liked it then, and seeing several walls with their first coat had me liking it even more. Out in the garage, the guys first cleared out the cardboard boxes that I'd found in one of the old sheds and took it to the owner's blue bin. They returned with two vehicles and took away the rest of the stuff, along with a pile of yard waste. I was cringing at what the cost might be...I shouldn't have been as the price was more than reasonable in my mind. I sure wouldn't have hauled it all away for what they charged me.

Tuesday was a quiet day for me, as the painters were busy working, and I stayed away until late in the afternoon. I went over and walked through, and failed to notice that the ceilings were still an issue. D noticed it though, they had cut in the ceiling with one color of white and painted it with another. It looked terrible. She reached out to Caleb and he agreed they would return to make it right later in the week. (Not sure if you can see it, but the pink on the underside of the window sill is the spackle I was using for fill. It starts out pink and dries white).

Meanwhile, back at the new house, the heating/plumbing company was there to install an air conditioning unit, and a cold air return and heat vent in the basement. Eli's play area is set up in the basement, and it is quite cool down there despite a couple of vents on opposite walls. Part of that is likely due to the lack of the cold air return, and there has been a noticeable difference since the installation. It doesn't look like we'll need the a/c for a few weeks yet, but with a second story, it should help keep D and Eli's room cooler in the hot weather.

I spent the day Wednesday, painting window trim and the stairs, hand rail, newels, and spindles, as well as the baseboards in the upstairs bedrooms. D came to help clean up some paint spatters on the floors left by the painters, but mid-way through the process she called Caleb and he agreed they would finish this job as well. With my hip still grumbling at me, I came home exhausted and in a lot of pain. After a shower, I climbed into my pj's, ate dinner, and was in bed and asleep by 7 p.m. 

Thursday, I returned to finish the painting, including touch-ups, and second coats on a baseboard in the master bedroom that had, for some reason, been painted gray by the previous owners. All of the other baseboards were white. D came over in the afternoon, and she took apart the stove door, as there was a spill a few years ago that never been cleaned up.  I scrubbed that while she did some vacuuming, but the mess was cooked on. We took a drive to Canadian Tire, where she bought some oven cleaner, and I talked myself into buying a couple of hanging containers. At $19.99 a piece, I just couldn't resist. I knew I'd left two shepherd hooks in the city, and will take them back with me.

On Friday, I returned to my son's place for a couple of weeks. I've got yardwork to do in the back yard - he'll have to help me with it as there is some heavy lifting to be done. Meanwhile, D has been left a list of things to do to finalize the preparations for the house sale. She met with the painters that morning, and they re-painted the ceilings. Neither she nor they were satisfied with the results, so they'll be back on Tuesday to try again. She's since told me it looks better but still streaky. They also took the time to clean the floors of the paint they dripped.

I had planned to return to the city for an appointment with the autobody shop to replace the side mirror that I broke last winter. The operative word here is "had". I first visited the autobody shop in February, so they could determine what they needed to replace the mirror. My appointment was scheduled for early March, however the night prior to the appointment we had about 6 inches of snow. I called and advised I wouldn't be able to make it due to the heavy snow and they rescheduled me for the next available appointment, May 21. I managed to tape the mirror to the side of the car and have been driving it since. However, with the recent warmer days, the tape I used came loose and while the mirror didn't fall off, it was clear it wasn't where it ought to be.

On Tuesday, I received a call from the autobody shop - I assumed to confirm the appointment, but no. The clerk advised me that the mirror had been lost in transit. When I questioned how that could be, as they'd had the part in March, she advised that they don't have space to keep parts in stock, so it had been returned in March. What? It's one mirror! She could not give me an estimate for either the availability of the mirror or an appointment. 

My daughter called the local autobody shop who had replaced a mirror for her a few years ago, and I went down to their location Wednesday morning. Within 20 minutes, the part was on order - it should be in within 10-14 days, and the job will take about an hour. Better still, the quote was about 50% below what the city shop had quoted me. The owner Paul, also taped the mirror back on but wasn't sure it would hold (it did not).

Meanwhile, the exhaust pipe on my car gave up the ghost. The noise is annoying as all heck, and I'm sure other drivers are surprised to see a gray haired old woman driving when they'd expect to see a teenager. I was able to make an appointment with a muffler shop here in the city for Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. Hence the cartoon on Friday. I'm not sure what the repairs will cost but I expect it will be more than my last muffler repair - on a different vehicle about 30 years ago.

This is our May long weekend and I plan to relax for much of it. My hip is getting much better, unless I sit too long, and I'm tired. It has been a very busy few weeks and I'm ready to curl up on the couch with Saku and watch television. It rained overnight and we're expecting showers for much of the weekend. My son has plans for the evening, so I'll have the peace and quiet of the house to myself. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Christmas, curling, and cold

Being a bit of a number nerd, I did the calculation on items that I can purchase here in Canada as compared to the US prices (after conversion to Cdn dollars). Overall I saved nearly 40% on those purchases. Some items were definitely worth it - like the Skechers slip-ons and Christmas pj's for Eli. Others, not so much - I could have picked up the sweatpants for Eli's for (slightly) less here in Regina since they were on sale here too.

I also picked up some items that we just don't have here - Dot's Pretzels (not as good as I was assured they'd be), Dolly Parton cake mixes, and specialty flavours of Oreos. The amount I saved in Canadian dollars offset almost half the cost of the trip. Had I stayed home, I might have saved money, but I wouldn't have completed my shopping in such a short period of time and probably run all over town looking for the "perfect" gift. On this trip, I had to make my decisions quickly - do dithering allowed.

The rest of the week has been fairly quiet. I did a little grocery shopping on Tuesday in order to pick up some needed items and a few sale items. The furnace guy dropped by later that day to check out the furnace as I've been hearing a whine occasionally when it starts up. Yes, we had the home inspector check it, but he didn't mention the whine and the furnace is 22 years old. Of course it didn't whine when he was here, though he knew that it would like be the inducer motor. He did a couple of tests and everything is working well though did say when it starts getting very loud, we'll want to replace it. The part is about $1000, but a new furnace is about $6K so I'll ensure my son knows to keep an ear out.

I also finished off the six cocoa cups for teacher's gifts for Eli. (Photo of the two was posted on Wednesday). I've started a couple of small ornaments for my nephew and niece to go along with their gift cards. Last year I gave them little snowman ornaments and they couldn't stop talking about them. Perhaps this can become a annual tradition and when they are on their own, they'll have a start of decorations for their trees.

Wednesday was stitch and chat. I puttered around the house in the morning, doing a bit of laundry, dishes, reading blogs, and working on the Christmas letter. My travel agent called before lunch and we chatted about her trip to Portugal, my bus tour, and my upcoming March 2024 cruise. Final payment is due next week, so we took care of that. She's keeping an eye out for airfare for my August 2024 cruise as well though prices at the moment are quite high. I'm hoping for a price drop though that's probably wishful thinking.

On Thursday I had planned to visit the nearby community center to meet some local women and try to learn Mahjong. However, I woke with a cough and a drippy nose. I decided that I'd best stay home and after some Buckley's and a sinus and cold Tylenol, I felt well enough to get some more cleaning done, got my Christmas cards written and ready for the mail, as well as some crocheting. I cannot locate my safety eyes in my craft room boxes, so ordered more as I'll need them to finish off the ornaments. In the afternoon I discovered another curling event on You-tube. It was only the second draw, so I should be able to amuse myself for the rest of the week.

I was feeling quite a bit better on Friday morning, so I masked up and went to the mall to mail my Christmas cards and a parcel for D & Eli. A stop at Safeway was on the agenda too, where I picked up some ingredients for Christmas baking. At home between curling games, I mixed up a pan of gingerbread cake. I also finished Chilly, the penguin I started making for a friend back in October (before the packing began in earnest). He's a little crooked and not perfect but I think he turned out pretty cute.

My son is learning all about the trials of home ownership. On Friday, the light in the main bathroom started to fail. It's an enclosed LED vanity light fixture with no way to replace the lights, thus a new fixture is needed. I checked on-line at our local outlets and none had the appropriate size in stock, except one and the reviews for it were abysmal. I ended up ordering from Amazon, so he'll have to remember to take his cellphone to the bathroom for light in the morning, as it won't be in until December 9th (at the earliest). I'll convince my brother to help us install it. I'd done an install on a light in the old house a few years and it worked fine but this one is quite a big bigger and heavier.

Today, getting my little tree decorated, gifts wrapped, and more crocheting is on the agenda. And, of course, more curling to watch.

Oh, and the best thing to happen this week is: I found my tea canister. I have absolutely no idea why I packed it as I did. The darn thing was tucked in among toilet paper rolls in the original product packaging. I mean, it was a safe place for it, but I don't remember putting it there and I never would have thought to look for it, I just happened upon it when I was getting more paper for the loo.

Have a wonderful week ahead everyone!

Getting a few things done

To start, I'd like to say thank you to everyone for your kind comments on my recent posts about the camping trip to my home town. Eli may be a bit young still, to remember much about this trip, but hopefully the photos will be reminders of the fun we had, and the family history we shared. 

Back at home, Monday was a write-off, as I still wasn't feeling up to par. Whatever this bug was that started in my sinuses and moved into my chest, it isn't about to let go easily. Every day I've been feeling some better, but it continues to linger and the nights are the worst. Thankfully, last night was much better.

The fridge was looking a bit bare, and the cat food cupboard equally so, and I had an errand to run for D, so Tuesday I had to go out. I made sure I masked up for the sake of others because I didn't want to pass this on if I could help it.  

I also had the water rental heater company out to do a service on the equipment. While I thought they'd done a change of the anode rod in January, a quick review of the copies of the work orders indicate they had not. According to my real estate agent, it's one of those things that home inspectors check and some buyers assume if one minor thing isn't done, then the maintenance of the property is lacking. Since my water heater is a rental, there was no cost to me, but interestingly enough I was informed this is the last rod they will change out unless, or until, the heater leaks. According to the technician, the company did a survey and discovered that it didn't matter whether the rod was changed regularly or not, the impact of our horrible water was the same. I can't quite wrap my head around it but no matter, hopefully it won't be an issue for me. 

Other things have been happening around here too. Here's what I came home to!

I had received a text from the Ch on Thursday to let me know that the sod was in and the patio blocks on the side of the sunroom had been installed. Of course, he wanted to be paid too. :)  I sent him a partial payment, and withheld a portion of the total cost as the work isn't yet complete. The edging between the grass and rock needs to be done, the boards are to be replaced on the shed, and the steps built. He mentioned that the latter would be done in a couple of weeks when the sod is well-established. 

My son kept it watered during my absence, and I took over on Sunday evening. I've been watering twice a day, as the day-time temperatures haven't been too high. Here's a photo I took last night. While I can still see the edges between the pieces of sod, it's looking pretty good.  

Saku has given it his stamp of approval. He enjoys the taste of green grass, though has a tendency to discard it if he eats to much. As long as I don't let him injest too much, it's all good. 

The gravel area under the tree is still a work in progress. I'd like to put a chair out there for reading, and will move the bird bath, the mower and small wheelbarrow, but for now it looks far better than it did.

I've been keeping busy indoors as well. I've decided there is a gremlin living in my house as little things keep breaking and need to be fixed. While I was away, the pump on Saku's water fountain quit working, my bedside lamp broke (that I can blame on the cat), and since then, the interior door handle to the garage has suddenly gone wonky. The first two were dealt with easily by ordering through Amazon. Saku is happy to have his water readily available again. I'd been putting water in the bathroom sink for him, because he has a bad habit of tipping bowls. The lamp I purchased was on sale, and is far better than my last one, as it has a plug-in for the cell phone charger. 

I had planned to call the lock company anyway, as I need to have the front door handle replaced. It has a lock on it, and recently we had an issue where my son was locked out temporarily while I was away (not this trip). Now, it appears that both handles may need to be replaced. I've sent photos to the company and they'll send out replacements with the technician. I'm hoping the one to the garage can simply be repaired. The appointment was originally booked for Friday afternoon, but due to the length of another job, it had to be moved to Monday.

The darned smoke from the forest fires returned Thursday, and got worse on Friday. I've had to keep the windows closed, as it seemed to be irritating my cough. I did spend some time outside while I watered the sod, and the rest of the containers. My tomatoes are doing so well - I foresee a bumper crop. I have one small green pepper and two wee (less than gherkin size) cucumbers on the vine. But it's my marigolds I that I grew from seed that are impressive.

Both are a good three feet tall, and the blooms on the plants are entirely different from the other. It seems to me, one set were grown from seeds I collected from last year's plants, the other from seeds I purchased. 

And then there is this petunia that seems to be losing/changing it's colors. The plant has mostly flowers that are white with purple stripes, but these blooms (and a few others) have changed to purple with white stripe or mostly purple. 

It's a cool day today, with a high expected of only 22C (72F). I'm planning to spend the day watching sports, baseball and football, knitting, and working on Ancestry. Sounds boring to mosts I'm sure, but I enjoy my quiet weekends.

Have a great week ahead everyone!