..." J has left the building..."

well, it's about 4:30 PM...Friday, Feb. 8...
and J has left for the last time...
as it's on to his new life in AZ for him...

today, he finished scrubbing the wood floors,
and sealed all that was left...
except the pathway, in and out,
which I will seal after I'm "in" tonight...
finishing the floor was our goal...and we just made it...

and we managed to finish the floor because,
we finally figured out a method...
which involved...
first, a TSP scrub with a brush and 5-in-1 tool,
[to get up the really bad layer of grime, etc...]
a 2nd scrub with 60-grit sanding sponges,
a water spray bottle and "Simple Green"...
[this removed the discolored "old sealer scum" quite well...]
then, a rub-down with Murphy's Oil Soap "Squirt & Mop" and terry towels...
[to re-hydrate the wood, and make the grain come up...]
and finally, copious amounts of Johnson's "No Buff One Step Sealer"....
poured on and smoothed with a lambs wool wax applicator...

moving out for a couple of weeks wasn't an option...
so we had to do the floor, "piecemeal"...
it is golden oak...in hand-laid strips,
in a 12" square parquet pattern...
with dark walnut strips inlaid around the perimeters...

20 years ago, I had the entire floor varithaned [3 coats],
before I moved in...and had maintained it
with yearly cleanings and sealing, until 2000...
so for the last 8 years, it got no positive attention...

turns out that letting it sit under a "protective coat of crud",
wasn't the worst idea I've ever had...because it looks good now...
it was, however, a daunting project...

I am not able to get on hands and knees to scrub...
and I could not afford the massive expense of a total floor re-do...
so we had to get the floor finished, before J left...

as a result of our "floor fetish"...
there are still window frames to prep and paint...
"scars" on the French door windows to touch up...
[sometimes, I hate cats...]
a couple of walls, including the wonderful red one, need a 2nd coat...
and there are more than a few"glitches" to touch-up,
where 2 colors meet...
on the list, but not quite finished...

the front door and it's trim, needs a 2nd coat...
as does the"scarred" French door trim...
the front door threshold has been re-seated, caulked and cleaned...
but not sealed...
the outside French door dry rot patch is complete...
but not yet primed or painted...
the new "security" mailbox is still in the box...

the new dark brown electrical outlets and switches,
with their cool Craftsman plates, are installed...
a few pieces of art are hung...
[to protect them from feline depredation...]

the LR 5 x 8 rug is laid, and large furniture re-placed...
but the DR 5 x 8 rug and furniture waits for the sealer to dry...
as do the 2 runners and the front door 2 x 3 rug...
[ all the same pattern..."Chantilly", in brick and beige,
from Home Decorators Showroom]

I was hoping they would be darker...
like the picture online...but they aren't...
it could just be the "ever changing light" in the rooms...
they are "good" quality, all wool, and are "cat-proof"...

there is a lot left to do here...
and it will be a challenge for me,
now that J has "left the building"....
but I'll keep at it...
I'm so grateful for all of J's help...
as well as that of a couple of others,
who really got me going...

moving in BIG plants, laying the rugs,
hanging the "gallery", moving furniture around...
and then there's the "drapery question"....
[I have curtains...but no hardware...
and then, there's the installing of said hardware once I have it...]

* SIGH *

THEN, there's the "office"...
a disgusting little room...stacked and piled with stuff...
tons of paper, books, music, instruments,
my computer armoire [2 of the doors have fallen off] ...
the "carpet",[ a Berber type, someone glued to the wood floor],
is stiff with grime...

it is where cats eat and drink...
there are kitty boxes and my garbage can...
the dirty walls have grimy wallpaper boarders...with waterfowl...
cobwebs, fly specks and cracked paint abound...
there's a damaged piece of drywall [most of the house is plaster...]
and the ceiling fixture is an UGLY fan/light, with fake wood blades...

everything is coated in a layer of fine dust
from the prep of the hallway trim...
making me itch... and sneeze...
I am both looking forward to cleaning it up...
and dreading the long, arduous project ahead...

but, today, I am encouraged...
3 years ago, about this time, the kitchen remodel was finishing...
then, the long delay, while Mom was sick...
and the first attempt to "de-clutter" in the summer of 2006...

then, cleaning out Mom's room..
and everything was stacked-up again...
but a couple of stalwart souls came along,
and got me moving again last spring and summer...

and they, along with J,
who worked here for several days a week,
for the better part of 4 months...
kept me moving forward...

I'm certainly not done yet...
but there's progress...
I can't yet see the "light at the end of the tunnel"...
but at least I can see the opening of the tunnel...
where it leads into the mountain...
[this time last year, I couldn't even see the mountain...]

so, I thank all those brave souls
that have gone "tunneling" with me...
I appreciate their willingness to be "used by Jesus"...
and I look forward to working with whomever Jesus sends next...