...the light , on the ceiling of the bathroom

remember this ?



this was the cover of the light/exhaust fan in my bath...
the old, dirty, discolored & cracked in 2 places...
NASTY... light cover [aka "lens cover"]
which was nearly 20 years old and the model was discontinued...

so after fruitlessly searching for a replacement of the original...
I decided to see if I could find something at least close...
hoping against hope that the entire unit, which works just fine...
wouldn't have to be replaced [$$$]

I found a great website by searching "Broan parts"...
[www.RepairClinic[dot]com]
they specialize in "appliance parts" & offer free, "fixit" advice...

as soon as I realized from looking at their list of parts...
that "light cover" was really "lens cover"...
I found a page that helped me whittle down the search...
[ie : brand, size, material, shape etc...]

I ended up looking at 4 items[w/pictures]
one looked like my "lens cover"...
it was plastic, opaque, the right size...
AND it had tabs on the side just like mine...
and was less than $12.00...

so I ordered it...

I was hoping it would arrive yesterday, so G [who's tall...]
could just pop it in...but it didn't...

this morning, I heard a knock at my door...
and there it was...

I opened it eagerly...it looked just like the old one...
[without the dirt, discoloration & cracks that is...]

I got my step ladder, reached up...
and it popped right in, like a charm...

hmmm...another "coincidence"?...

methinks NOT, yet again...



I've tangled with the cover, changing light bulbs for years...
and always had a tussle...[that's why there's a CFL there now...]
I'm also guessing that the lower heat level of the CFL...
will prevent this one from cracking...

so at this moment, I'm really pleased with myself...



only one thing is annoying me...

the set of new "celadon green" towels I bought & just put out...
seem the wrong green...they seem too "lime", NOT "celadon"...

they were called "celadon" and in the box, after they arrived...
they looked right...[the DR's a different light]
but in the complex bathroom yellowish/natural/reflective light...
last night & early this morning...
they just looked wrong...way too neon...

of course, that was this morning & last night...
in total harsh, glaring light...
before I got & installed the lens cover...

it doesn't seem so bad now...
besides, they are almost the same color as my robe...
maybe I'll just take a pill or two...
& rest my not quite as sore hand...

maybe if I get my hand really mellow...
[& me along with it, not obsessing on the little things...]
I will see it as something that I can like...
[I love my celadon green chenille robe...]

& then, mellowed-out, I can do some of these chores...
the dishes, cleaning the 'fridge, laundry...
washing & making up my bed...
cleaning up the construction mess...
pruning the roses & a TON of yard work...

maybe it isn't the towel color at all...
'cause just reading all that made me tired...

onward & upward...

or, perhaps... a nap !

...a "full"-filling day

this was the scene around noon...



the woodwork/trim/window/door...
all had been painted and the tape removed...
[G worked with the door closed...
due to the innate snoopy-ness of SPie...]



the built-in drawers had also been painted...



as well as the medicine cabinet & its mirrored door...
which could now be mounted and hardware attached...

just before I left to run a couple of errands...
the UPS guy came... bringing these...



the gloss black rocker switches...



and the gloss black GFIC outlet I ordered yesterday...

I had paid extra to have then 2nd Day Air...
so I was really surprised to see them today...
until I saw that kyledesigns[dot]com...where I got them...
was in Livermore, just over the hill, about an hour's drive...

I was really happy to have them NOW, so G could put them in...
and I was even happier, when an e-mail arrived from kyledesigns...
refunding me my 2nd Day Air payment...


very cool...! I've never had that happen before...the refund, I mean...

and besides bringing the black electrical stuff...



the UPS guy also brought these...
the chrome pyramid knobs for the built-in drawers...
which were now painted & ready for the knobs...

perfect timing...

of course, "there was not all joy in Mudville"....



as somebody's cave was no longer "available"...

[tough tuna, SPie...hee,hee...]



the new shower head was installed...



there has been some concern about the hot water side...
losing pressure as it "runs"...
but we'll have to address that when the shower can be used...



as you can see, everything is "in" & hooked-up...



but the drain hasn't been opened yet...
the tile/grout needs the final seal before hot water "runs" on it...
and that will probably be next week...
as will the door install, though that date hasn't been set yet...

I just HAD to have this put in, though...



this is the view from the shower...



this is "straight-on"...

notice the background obscured pattern...?
G, who has seen the "rain" pattern I'm getting...
for both the shower glass AND the lower window...
says it is very close to the "rain" pattern...

hmmm...

coincidence ?

methinks, not...



oh, and you can expect to see pictures...
of the stained glass colors playing on the tile...
at the appropriate time of year...



hear you see a "pulled back" look at the black GFIC outlet...



and the fully mounted & finished medicine cabinet..



see how the light changes in a matter of minutes ?
[BTW...I love all the cool reflections...]



and inside, where the tempered glass shelves...
once again have green edges...[so cool...]



and yet another, happy coincidence[?]...
my Sonicare toothbrush, which will live here...
has green on it that "matches"...



the back of the door has been painted...
lost the old "stop" & coat hook rack...
gained a couple of chrome, "period" coat hooks...
a chrome door stop on the top hinge...
and the 2nd nickel towel bar that G cut-down...
and mounted so it wouldn't hit any tile or the wall...

and as he was packing-up to leave...
G said, "Oh, while you were gone...
I went into the back yard...
and put the new vent cover in place...
so you won't have any more "critters under the house..."



I had mentioned it to him once...
4 weeks ago...& he remembered...
what a great guy !

so now...

there's only the final tile/grout seal...
and the door/glass/window glass install...

so for me..there's some of this...



vinyl shelf liner for the drawers, cubbies...
& the bottom of the medicine cabinet...
in a day or 2, after the paint "cures" a bit...



then there's lots of bath stuff to sort...



I may have unsolicited help for that...


and I may need it...because my dislocated finger...



is NOT happy...



there is still a lot of discoloration & swelling...



with some weird skin peeling, new redness...
and extreme tenderness in the 2nd joint...



I can't make it any straighter than this...
and it's starting to throb at night...
it also hurts when I use the fingers around it...
so instead of it getting better...
it's getting worse...

I'm having more trouble doing simple things I had been doing...
washing dishes, cooking...even dressing...
are all becoming a problem...

but what disturbs me most...



is the extreme crookedness...

it's like a hammertoe finger...
and the part that rubs[goes under] the ring finger...
is really losing sensation, while the joint is getting very sore...

I can't wait until my orthopedic appointment on Monday, 9:30 AM...

until then, I just have to put up with it...

but doesn't the bathroom look nice ?

...the final "regular " workday...[aka a "Pie-casso masterpiece...]

today, the final "regular" workday...

is... painting the trim/woodwork day...



so G has been sanding, prepping & cleaning...



also taping off tile and wall areas...



it's much easier to not get paint on it...



than to clean it off later...



he took off the new hardware and taped the window...

then things took a "furry" turn...
and the "inpestation" began...
(note to MM [re:your post on "made-up" words...]
I made this word up years ago...
after years of living with cats...
and it means exactly what you think it does...)




first, Mz "Snoopy" Pie tested my resolve to keep her "out"...



finding the door of opportunity, wide open...
[in HER mind...]



she hopped right in...where the drawers used to be...



and just like a kid would do, she claimed it for her own...
[this is MINE !...& this is MINE...etc...]



after showing off for a while[and making most of my shots blurry...]
she was distracted by G taping the windows...



so she hopped out of her "cave"...



and went to inspect uh, inpest...
[there's another form of that word again...]
the paint cans & supplies...
poor thing, she's been kept "out of the loop"...
and has to "make up for it"...

can you tell I've been keeping the bathroom door shut...
since somebody peed in the shower stall...
on G's canvas dropcloth...
[guess who [SP] has a history of doing that?]



so by this time...I'm shooting her every move...
and she knows it...



taking full advantage of the opportunity to snoop...
while I'm preoccupied with "click-click" fever...



clever feline that she is...
she knows that one false move from her...



and "bathroom quest" will be over...



after a brief thought to more "cave exploring"...



she opts, instead, for medicine cabinet snooping...
and reading her furry intent[shelf support swiping...]
she gets the "bum's rush"back to the floor...



not deterred, she continues her snooping foray...



until something familiar catches her eye...

I couldn't see it...but I heard it...



sorry MM...this is the best I could do...

someday...there will be video...

especially now that she's knows it's still there...

cats...sigh...

..."yes, Virginia...things DO happen for a reason"

the tile "gap" is now filled...
& all the excess cleaned off...
tomorrow, the trim, medicine cabinet...
and the window get painted...



the faucet was installed completely on the sink...



all the plumbing here is done...
the base and sink are secured with bolts & caulking...
the water's running, drains working...



I think it looks great...



especially from this angle...
[I love shiny things...]



on my way to get my hair cut, I stopped at OSH...
where I got this terrific Moen shower head...
it was about $10 more than what I went to get...
and I liked the look of it...



it also has 3 settings, they also had one with 8...
but who needs 8 different shower settings...?
3 will be just fine...
[besides, it's a Moen...]

when I got back home, I remarked that I wished...
that they made electrical switches, etc, in black...
since the ivory ones looked tacky next to the chrome...

Gary said that he was sure somebody made them...
so I went surfing...& in no time at all...
found these...



a "gloss black", GFIC... [$29.95]



and a double switch, gloss black... [$14.95]

granted it's expensive...but it will look, SO COOL...

then...



up went the sink shelf...
[be still, my heart...]



I love the way the beveled edge of the tempered glass...
echoes the green trim...



G continued putting up things...



the first of 2 polished nickel towel bars...
[the other goes on the back of the door...]



and the wall shelves, with it's glass shelves now inserted...

then he prepped the built-ins...



removing old contact paper, paint chips...
and patching demo gouges...



the medicine chest is also cleaned out...



ready for it's paint, to dry before final assembly...

and nearly all the boxes I've been living with for months...



have now been emptied...and tossed !

but the best news of all...

G just called to say that R2, the "good" glass guy...
just sent him a bid on my shower door...
everything we needed...just the way I wanted it...
WITH a free upgrade[they do the work]...
of the obscured glass on my lower sash window...
to the same pattern ["rain"] as the shower door & panels...

for $800.00 !!!!

the "other" glass guy submitted yet another, incomplete bid...
with the wrong size door[again, he never listens...]

for over $1300.00 !!
[he had originally been in the $800.00 range...]

GUESS WHO I'M GOING WITH ?

G called me so that if I said "go"...we could place the order...

I said, "DO IT !!!"

these orders take about a week...

the shower door/enclosure could be "in"...
by the end of next week...
and then, there's only tile/grout sealing...

and it will be, D.O.N.E.

after tomorrow, G starts another job...
and will be back for the shower door install...
the final tile/grout seal...
and the final sign off...

I am expecting to receive in the next couple of days...
chrome pyramid drawer pulls for the built-in drawers...
the replacement plastic light cover for the exhaust fan/light...
and the black GFIC & rocker switch...

G will install them when he's here for the big install...
or the sealing, depends when they get here...

since the shower door is so low...
we may be able to shift some $...
towards fixing the back door...

God is good...
and "things" really do happen...
...for a reason...

His reason...

...another day in bathroomland

with some apologies to Jimmy Buffet...
it's, "another day in bathroomland"...
[perhaps a Margarita would help...]

as our day begins...here are a few more details...

this is the original doorknob...



it does have a few "issues"...
it once fell off, trapping me inside...
fortunately, I had my cell with me & UnklePhil was home...
or I would have missed getting to school that day...

the original drawer knobs were the same milk glass...
just as the original knobs elsewhere in the house...
were clear glass...as are all the interior door knobs...

the clear glass is too Victorian for my taste...
I can handle the milk glass knob, as it is not "faceted"...
AND the plate is chrome...though scarred by age...

the faceted milk glass knobs were also chipped...
they were taken off when I moved in...
and redid the parts of the bathroom I could...
[there was an ugly, useless ceiling fan...]



this is the old door stop...the tip is gone & it's rusty...
I don't want to scar or crack my new tile...
so G got me this...



a really cool, invisible stop that goes on the hinge...
and it's chrome...with white plastic stops, echoing the milkglass !!



this is now as close as the knob can get, with normal pressure...

then it was on to other things...




G has closed the gap between the wall and the med.cab.




and will address the tile gaps soon...



and my chrome outlet faceplate got put up...

meanwhile, the kitties have a busy day planned...



the "after-breakfast" siesta...



Molly waited for G to get here...



and as soon as she heard his truck...
she went back to gnawing on her favorite thing...



a "cow toe"...[aka hoof part...]



I get these bags at Costco...
Molly loves all the things in them...



but the hooves [aka cow toes...] are her favorite...



as I took this picture of Mz Sneaky Pie & MJ...
I noticed that she was "distracted" by something...



I think the line here is...
"Mine...ALL MINE !!"

...putting your sink on a pedestal

when I left for the dentist...
G was still getting ready to connect the plumbing...

when I returned, it was connected...



the shims under it are to level it...
as well as center it...
there are bolts to hold it in place...
and this is still temporary...



as you can see, the faucets are not in for good yet...
neither is the drain stopper plunger...
G had to check for leaks [there was one...]
fix it, then reconnect the plumbing...
in extremely tight quarters...



you can see that with the shims & plumbing connected...
it's almost dead center...



when he's sure that it's level, centered & there are NO leaks...
the bottom will be caulked with the shims cut into place...
and bolted down...



this is the view from the shower...
I LOVE IT !

speaking of showers...
R, the shower glass guy #2...
dropped by after I got back...
and measured the space...

I get a good feeling about him...
he didn't change his story in mid-sentence...
and seemed to really know the "score"...
he'll get back to us with a quote...

the good news ?

what I want comes "standard"...
no $pecial order$...

he'll even give me a piece of the standard obscured glass pattern...
for my lower window...free...
using the pattern I already have...
would be $pecial order...

in the meantime...



the water line's now hooked-up to the sink...
& he'll finish the faucets tomorrow...

I'm looking for a different shower head...
one that adjusts...
the one that came with the faucets...
is NOT the one in the picture...
which was like my old one...
[adjustable...& NOT expensive...]

and the kitties have claimed the old basin box...
and new rug as the "cat bed, du jour"...



Charlie, Mattie & Mackie snoozing it up...

...everything happens for a reason

it's been a week since the "shower wall/door" guy...
came by & measured my space...

after trying hard to sell me a sliding glass door...
and being told,"no way"...just as I've said from the start...
he had changed direction...
something he's done every time anyone talks to him...



I don't want a sliding door because they are hard to keep operational...
they are heavy... and ugly... not to mention NOT "period...

today we find out that not only has nothing been ordered...
what they told me [& G...] was "no problem..."
is apparently, not possible...not available...
unless a LOT more $ is involved...


from the beginning G has called this a "custom door"...
and has been assured by the sub contractor, that "he had a guy"...
who could deliver it for around $1000.00...
just the way I wanted it...

after the glass guy measured, they told G it would be about $1200.00...
to get what I'd been assured was "no problem" at around $800.00...
G, being a stand-up guy, told them to go ahead...
that he would absorb the difference without charging me more...
[this was on Friday...]

yesterday, I asked about it...
he said that he'd left calls & had gotten no response...
just a while ago, he had a long call from the sub...
the things we had been assured were set & being ordered...
"were not available", standard...
and would have to be custom...for more $$ [about $1600.00...]

at this point G, was NOT happy...
and after discussing the options, "available" with me...
I said, "everything happens for a reason"...
so let's try someone else...

so now we're waiting for R to drop by to check things out...



if I have to pay extra for what I want...
I'm NOT going to pay it to the "bait & switch dude"...
who seems to be "holding us up"...
just because he can...

G has been very honest and up front...
I don't want to see him get the "short end" either...
but at this rate, I'll have my first shower here...
in March... :P

so it's "miracle time" again...

...the continuing saga...

things are starting to be more "normal"around here...
[there was a cat food dish in Molly's nest this AM...]
and I have an appointment at 2, for the semi-annual teeth cleaning...
[it was to be next Tuesday, but they had a cancellation...]
and tomorrow, I get my hair cut at 12:30...

G is currently at the hardware store...
getting the plumbing stuff for the sink installation...
if he's not done by 1:30...he may stay will I'm gone...
same thing tomorrow...

first thing this AM, he installed the shower head arm...



the collar American Standard provided, didn't fit...

it wouldn't go over the bend in the neck...
really poor planning on someone's part...
unless you put it on before you attach it to the plumbing...
and then, it's too hard to tighten, the collar's in the way...

so he used a stock one next to the tile...

there have been several weird problems with the shower faucet set...
I won't be buying AS again, anytime soon...
on the other hand, Moen & Kohler are just as advertised...
& I'd get them again in a heartbeat...



he also filled-in between the wall/tile & the new med.cab...



as well as some demo gouges in the built-in cubbies...



then it was time to start fitting/installing the ped.sink...



G dry fit this before to set the location of the plumbing...
which ended up moving to the right...
the old sink was way off center...
this one won't be...
[at least, not discernibly, unless you really look...]...



as I said yesterday, the "tower o'cat food"...
makes for quite a good work bench...
today, it was the bowl "bench"...



with the faucet parts strewn about the floor...



G is very patient & methodical in assembly...
[he even reads instructions !]
and spent quite a while working on the faucet assembly...



then with much of the faucets installed...
it came in to sit on the pedestal...
and be centered...

now that the toilet is in[and is higher...]
I could have the sink almost right on center...
and still have room to maneuver around the commode...

the conundrum was...

do I leave enough room in front of the toilet...
for someone to pee standing up ?

or do I please my sense of aesthetics...
and center the sink under the med.cab. ?

leaving any bathroom users with a "Y" chromosome...
to stand slightly to the side...

[of course, someone who doesn't have a butt the size of R.I....
might be able to stand in front of the toilet...
no problem...
and "sitting" is a piece of cake for anyone...]

so after placing the sink in a number of positions...
remembering how the previous one being, off center...
REALLY bothered me...
and realizing that it's MY bathroom...

we moved the toilet as close as possible to the wall...
[we gained about 1/2 inch more...]
so I went with pleasing my artistic feelings
and centered it under the medicine cabinet...

knowing that every time I'm in the shower or at the sink...
I'll see the centeredness...and smile...



G just returned with the plumbing supplies for the sink...
so I'm going to go watch the install...

otherwise...



things around here are getting back to normal...

...is it "wrong" to LOVE porcelain ?

I love my new toilet...



I found myself drinking extra water before bed...
just for an excuse to "visit" during the night...

the height is SO perfect...
the flush, so quick & quiet...
the feel, so stable & secure...
the lines, so square & clean...

except for the delightfully round seat, of course...

and when I lean back, the tank top doesn't move...
neither does it clank at the vaulted landing of a kitty...

Gracie would have loved it..
and claimed it as her own...

I guess now we have added "sappy porcelain blogging"...
to the list of tags...

*SIGH*

...so far...so good

first G painted the walls & ceiling...
then after setting the shower faucets "for good"...
it was on to removing the old and setting up the new...
toilet, that is...[see previous post...]

then it was finally time for the new medicine cabinet...



with the trim that perfectly matched my windows...
and came with chrome hardware & primed, ready to paint...
[Mr GT...notice the perfectly placed catfood tower workbench ?]



the screws were NOT philips head...
& the per-drilled holes were not good either...
so G measured, re-drilled and replaced the lame screws...
[after 2 of 4 broke in the wood...]



then after more measuring...& leveling...
and a decision to set it in...
with extra long, pressure driven brads...
rather than too short wood screws...

it was in...

it came with a crown molding top...
but I decided to leave it off since without it...
the trim is exactly the same as the window & door...



the door will be painted first, then attached...
there are 2 adjustable glass shelves...
that's what the pegs are for...

then G moved on to the grab bar...



they had planned ahead and marked the location...
so it was a matter of using the right drill bit...



and it was up !

I considered having one by the toilet too...
but this one is high enough...
that getting up is NOT a concern for me...
at least, not at this time...



here you see the new toilet & valve, the new sink valves...
& the med.cab. box in place...



here, the shower faucets are in for good...
and the grab bar is attached...



because of the new window sill...



there are some minor window repairs needed...
[and, no, I did NOT suddenly lose my mind & paint the trim, pink...
I was wearing a bright orange sweatshirt, which reflected...]



tomorrow...this should get painted...
along with most of rest of the trim...
then, when the paint's dry, the door can go on...
and the shelves can go in...



and the reason for all this plumbing, the pedestal sink...
should be installed & hooked-up...

what we don't know...

is when the shower door assembly will arrive...
or how long it will be before the final tile/grout seal...

in other words...I'm still waiting to find out...
just when, I can take my first shower at home...

just guessing, but I'd say, at least a good week...

but it will be worth it...

...a tale of 2 toilets

"it was the best of times...it was the worst of times..."

remember this ?



this shot was taken just this morning...
when I was rejoicing about having my TP holder...
functional...and in the correct place...
once again...

[remember the relationship...
between the location of the toilet...
and the location of the TP holder...
just, remember... OK ? ]



there was a brief moment of silence at the final flush...
yeah...silence...
because the noisy, leaking pump wasn't refilling...



then, out it went...



and the new one, that's been sitting...
in my living room, in 2 large boxes, for months...
got assembled and mounted...
and then the oak seat[with chrome hardware...]
was affixed...



and it's in !



the 2 big boxes left a nice gap in the DR...
[but the contents sure filled the bathroom nicely...]



the empty boxes joined the old toilet on the porch...
[the staging area for the dump...
and... no...the seat was NOT worth keeping...]



and that 1st picture you were supposed to remember...?

this toilet is 18+" high...
[my knees are 18" high...]
it is not only much easier to "rise" from...
the correct TP holder placement, is now perfect...

if you look back at the old toilet...
which was barely 16" high...
and really hard to rise from[for me, anyway...]
the TP holder seems "high"...
here, it's "just right"...



t'is a far, far better commode...
I go in now, than I have ever had before...

t'wil be a far, far better "comfort"...
I have now...than I have ever known..."


[with massive apologies....
to Charles Dickens...
& "Sidney Carton"...]

...sometimes, when you least expect it...

it's Tuesday...

and by the "dawn's early light..."
the unfinished bathroom awaits G's return...



notice, please...that the fabled ceramic TP holder...
of legend & song...is in the correct place...
and now... actually has TP, in it...
all is again, right, with the world

he left his drop cloth & painting stuff yesterday...
I kept the door closed to prevent cat depredations...
[SPie loves to pee on canvas & play in paint...]



of course, as he was setting up this morning...
he had "help"...
Mz Sneaky Pie paraded her snoopy, striped self around...
sniffing here & there, especially on the canvas...
so I shooed her out before she could cause trouble...
[and was truly surprised at how quickly she went...]

but the real surprise came from Molly...



seen here eating HER food...

this morning, there were NO cat food pans in her nest...
yesterday, the kitties got to eat most of their food...
since I put Molly in the back yard...
because she was really making a pest of herself with G...

she wasn't unhappy out there...
we played ball for a while...then I came in...
and she was out, alone, for a couple of hours...
when she started to whine, I brought her in...

I gave her a "cow toe"[part of a hoof]...
and she went straight to her nest...
and stayed there...happily chewing away...
with only minimal yipping or barking...
for the rest of the day !!

this morning, I let her out...
then let her back in...
gave her another "toe", which she happily carried off to chew...
and waited to see how she would react to G...

she greeted him in a very friendly manner...
but when I told her to go back to her nest...
she did...and stayed there, happily gnawing away[!!!]

later, I fed her, and she ate HER FOOD without hesitation...
[when she sneaks cat food, she doesn't want hers...]
now, she's gone back to her nest...
for more bone chewing...
leaving the window ledge to the kitties...

smart dog...she's really settled down...
from just from one "time out"...

it'll be so good to have the crate as a regular den...
then the back yard won't be isolation, but fun...

Frickie has no pus in his eyes this morning...
is eating & drinking regularly, as well as going to the cat box...
he may never regain his weight...
and may not be with us much longer...
but it's good to hear that deep purr when I pet him...
and to know that he's a happy cat...

everyone else seems to be so happy to be home...
and all the sick ones are almost well...
[Clavamox & eye salve are wonderful things !]

as is Mackie, who's totally his old self again...

Mr. Fluffy Tail [Mac] perches on the shower bench...
and looks at me as if to say...
"where's that thing I used to stand on to be admired?
I can't get close enough now..."

he's the only one who misses that tub...
[well, maybe the possums who lived under it...]

so as I write this...

G is painting the walls & ceiling...
after a bit of touch-up spackling...
[some of the patches need several layers...]

then... he'll turn off the water for a bit...
do some plumbing, & turn it back on to check for leaks...

I need to wash laundry & dishes...but will wait...
cat boxes & trash, on the other hand, wait for no one...
so I must get busy...

stay tuned...this afternoon's update should be good...

...it's only 2:32 PM...& there are no workmen about !

it has been a banner Monday so far...

it started a bit shaky...
when Molly tried for a "R" sandwich...
she got cloth, no flesh...but it was enough...
that's when she was removed to the yard...

he was in a hurry walking out the door...
she had just been wagging her tail...
then she suddenly lunged...
too much stimulation...

when R was gone...
and G came in, then Molly was a pest...
because G will pet & play with her...
so she went outside again...
[there is NOT room for a kissy face dog...
when you're trying to work in that small bathroom...]

we had a rousing game of ball...
then I came in & she seemed content...
for hours, out there, in the sunshine...
as it got colder, though, she wanted in...
so I let her in around 2, gave her a bone...
and she stayed in her nest happily chewing away...

the kitties used their Molly vacation to stuff themselves...
and are now asleep in numerous locations...
including Frick, whose eyes are hardly gooey at all...
and was up eating heartily...

G moves fast...



and being tall, he had the ceiling, walls and woodwork...
clean & sanitized before I knew it...



the drawers were returned for painting later...
[naturally, I misplaced 2 of 3 new knobs...]



cracks were repaired...



then G primed the clean, mended walls & ceiling...



it's amazing how much better it looks primed...



and when the primer was mostly dry...



and the masking paper removed...
even though it's too white...
[being "primer"...]
it looks great...



he installed the shower faucets...
but at this point, to continue...
he needed to turn off the water...
and do several plumbing things...

since it was "later"[nearly 2:30...]
and he needs to hang around to thoroughly check for leaks...
he decided to do the shower head, toilet swap...
and sink plumbing hook-ups...
first thing tomorrow to avoid me having any problems tonight...

so, quite unexpectedly....

I am alone...

a "stolen day"...a "mental health day"...
the rest of the day, to just hibernate, nap & listen to NOTHING...

I don't even have to move my car at 0dark:30 AM tomorrow !!

G says that he can park the trailer on the street, no problem...

so after enjoying the "incredible lightness"...
of the natural, afternoon light...
seeping into my becoming bathroom...



enjoying the reflection on the new tiles...



and relishing the lightness of spirit...



that will inhabit this new, clean, functional space...

I'm playing "hooky" the rest of the day...

..."Monday, part, le doux..."

I had trouble with my back door for years...

I've had it "re-hung", re-hinged, screws replaced...

everything I could think of...
but the result is always the same...
it closes easily for a while..
then sags...[there are cracks in the frame...]

I got around it by lifting it up to close it...
but now...with my sore left hand, that just doesn't cut it...

it's been raining... so I've let Molly out the back...
just pulling hard to get it shut...
and this morning... I saw the results...



the bottom is separating...
the left [hinge] side is much worse than the right...



but it's breaking too...



it's not hard to see the problem...





the screws are the longest ones that I could get...
the holes have been filled with wood & wood putty...
and then screws refitted...but nothing works for long...

the frame is cracked and it's just going to have to be replaced...
as well as the door...

fortunately...there's a contractor "about"...

$igh....

...go figure...it's Monday

how do you know it's Monday ?

there are a number of pithy answers to that question...

here's mine...

Monday started with the final visit of R, Tile Wizard...
& even though I'm anxious to be "done"...
I'll miss watching him work...
he is a true artist & craftsman...
besides a good guy...


[click picture to enlarge...]

a snafu in communications had caused the saved[80+ year old]...
ceramic TP holder, worth at least $100.00 to replace...
to be placed too low...[I'm not THAT short...]
it needs to be over 1 tile & up 1 tile...

G & I had measured it with the sink...
and I marked the correct location with a big green "X"...

so R popped out the TP holder & the surrounding tiles...



cleaned the old "thinset" off...



used a drill to drill holes all around the board to be removed...
[he wanted to put in where the TP holder had been...]

then...



used a keyhole saw to cut out the piece of board...
measuring & trimming...

so...



he ended up with a hole where the TP holder had been...
and one where it was going...



using a slick,"Norm" trick ["This Old House"]...
he created a couple of fake "lath" boards...
to attach the "board" piece to...
filling in where the TP holder had been...

then, quick as a flash...



up went replacement tiles and the TP holder...
as well as grout, there & in all the other "touch-up" places...



a little tape for setting up straight...
and the Wizard, was gone...

in the meantime...



G had come to do the finish work...
parking his trailer in my driveway...
and took the cans of paint...
which I bought 6 months ago back to the store ...
to be shaken-up again...

Molly was really making a pest of herself...
so I took her into the back yard...
played ball for a while...
then left her in the sunshine...



G took apart the exhaust fan/light to clean it up...



he's also cleaning all the woodwork...



there's a lot of painting prep here...



the ceiling...with it's cracks to fill...



and the OLD light "cover" that is discolored & cracked...
[I managed, after a long, online search, to find what I think...
will be a replacement cover...]

then there are the plaster "repairs"...



battle scars from the demo of the old shower...



some cracks from settling...



some scars from tile demo...



and some scars from tile installation...



as well as rough spots to fill...



there is also a new valve going here today...

and...that means...



that the old toilets time is short...
when it comes out for the valve replacement...
the new one will be installed in it's place...

nice...

stay tuned for : "Monday, part, le doux..."

...containing the "vac-u-dog-erator"

my house is less than 1200 sq ft...
but in the style of the 1920/30's...
there are a bunch of small rooms...

someone before me, removed the wall between the LR & DR...
creating a nice airy open space over 30 ft long...
with lots of eastern light coming through lots of windows...

when I moved in, 20 years ago...
in an attempt to create space where there was not a lot...
I removed most of the interior doors...
leaving doors in place only for the bathroom...
2 closets, and my bedroom...

that means that the office lost both doors...
& the kitchen/util. porch lost 1...

until recently... I didn't miss those doors...

but now that Molly is here...
scarfing any cat food left for 2 seconds...
and thus depriving my kitties...
of the food they need to have available, 24/7...
I am wishing I had some way to allow the kitties food access...
while containing the "vac-u-dog-erator"...

the kitties have a long established eating pattern...
of coming in to eat at different times, according to their "status"...
they need this access to extra food to help them...
to regain their strength & health after their ordeal...

but Molly will swoop in and slurp up any food I don't guard...
and that means that some of the less dominant kitties...
won't get enough to eat...

if I feed the cats all at once, with a lot of dishes...
the less dominant ones just sit & watch the others eat...
there is no place "high" enough, that Molly can't reach it...
a room with a small pet door[only cat sized] would still cause a problem...
because I've seen her go through the small opening on the garage door...
as well as my bedroom window...

so the answer became, to contain Molly...
in a nice way...
so the cats can eat in peace...
& I can stop scolding her for stealing their food...

in other words...



this...

a 36"l x 24"w x27"h folding wire dog crate...
it has very good reviews from purchasers...
will give her plenty of room...
as she is 25" high standing...
[sorry MM, I mis-measured before...she was moving around...]

and after she curled up in the cat bed yesterday...
I knew this size would fit...

it will be good for her because:

I can stop scolding her for eating cat food...
[makes her happier & less sneaky...]

I can "fatten-up" my skinny kitties with less stress to them & me...
[makes me happier, as well as them...]

she will have her own lair...
[the BatCave "went" when the bathroom stuff was unpacked...]

it should make her easier for me to train...
[ie, establish me as the "boss of her"...]

hopefully, this will also help with the excessive guarding & barking...
[having workmen here has also helped...]

and finally...

it should really reinforce her sense of security...
[having a nest that only she uses...]

so having found a good price online [less than 50% of msrp]
I ordered it...no tax, minimal shipping...
such a deal...

it should arrive about the time my bathroom is finishing up...
and the kitties are telling me that they can't wait...
either that, or they're hungry...STILL...

now for those of you who may think that this is mean...
caging her... in her own house...
may I remind you that the kitties were here first...
and I could just put her outside, as the back yard is secure now...

that...

would be mean...

she will go in the crate, with a treat...
[I'm buying a big thing of cheap peanut butter later...]
when the cats need to be fed or I need to contain her...
or while I'm dealing with foot traffic, in & out...
[she can really get underfoot...]

I will also put her in the crate at night...
so I can leave food out for my "night nibblers"...

other times, she'll be out, doing what she's been doing...
sleeping, keeping watch on the house...
attempting to initiate "kitty playtime"...
chewing things, rolling on her bed or just hangin'out...

but NOT...sneaking cat food...
the instant my back is turned...

I'll leave the crate door open, so she can go in whenever...
and will, hopefully, soon consider it her nest...
[if cats invade it, I'll just have to give them the boot...
after all, it is HER nest...]

as I understand it...many dogs today, especially in cities...
are raised to know a crate as home...
makes sense to me, particularly...
in a small home, like mine...

so I'm looking forward to its arrival...
Molly is too...she just doesn't know it yet...

...ahhh...Saturday morning...

for several weeks now...I've been an early riser...
[for me, these days, anyway....]

the alarm goes off at 7 or 7:30 AM...everyday but Saturday...

[hey...I was at school before 7 AM for 20+ years...
on an average 5-6 hours sleep...I think I deserve to rest now...]

and I'm up...

feeding the animals, tending their needs...
moving my car, etc... before the workmen arrive...
[invading my life...cluttering my personal space...
they're nice guys, but I need solitude...I get exhausted without it...]

so today, I woke up at 7:22 AM...when sweet Piglet...
bounced onto my dislocated finger, which had been "quiet", all night...

after I could focus my eyes again & the throbbing subsided...
I got up to go to the bathroom...
let Molly out in the back yard...
and feed the hungry kitties...

watching them gobble, sniffle [several are sporting kitty colds...]
and growl [Lucyfur still has issues with her recent incarceration...]
I was encouraged by watching Frick eat heartily...


I returned to the bedroom, fed Piglet & Fluff...
set the alarm for 9 AM [FFers for brunch at 10...]
and proceeded to read the Morning Office...

I heard Piglet eating noisily, [a second helping...]
and later saw her sitting in the corner, under the cat bed/perch...
I asked her if she was OK...

she hopped out...and began to barf all over my feet[slippers]...
my good black shoes...the floor...
and the clothes I was planning to wear...
[not hairballs...all cat food...]



she then vaulted, still barfing, landing on my unmade bed...
barfing on my open BCP...
[the prayer of Thanksgiving at the end of Morning Prayers...
gives one pause, doesn't it ?]

as I shooed her off the bed....
leaving puddles of barf on my flannel sheets...
I could visualize my extra hour & a half of sleep...
just disappearing, like the cat barf, sinking into the flannel...

since I was pretty much done with the morning office...
I cleaned the BCP pages with paper towel...
and put a clean tissue under the damp page...
leaving it open to dry out...

then, armed with paper towel...
cleaned off the bed...[flannels AND comforter...]
the floor...my slippers [and my feet...] my good shoes...
etc... etc... etc...

then, I just turned off the alarm...

sigh...

...if I didn't have pictures...you wouldn't believe me...

I put a cat nest in the office for Frick yesterday...
and had to swap it out when he peed in it...
[he's using the cat box now...
and sleeping on the heater grate...]
so I had moved it to feed Molly...



she was given a bone to chew, before I opened cat food...
correcting my earlier screw-up...
but still turned-up at the sound of a can opening...



begging shamelessly for cat food...

I told her "no"...
but when I looked up...



I saw this...



which became this..



then this...



and finally this...

note to Miz Minka...
I don't think we need to be concerned...
about her not having, enough room in the 36" dog crate...
since she has NO problem squeezing her butt...
into a cat bed...


ROTFLMBO...

...it's 9:42 AM...do you know where your contractors are ?

at 9 AM...J2 was here...sealing the grout...
[I can use the bathroom...
but need to stay out as much as I can...]



they will be back on Monday to do some spot re-grouting...
move the ceramic TP holder & grout there...
then return at the end of the entire job...
in a week or so... to do a final seal...
[the grout seal, if done properly, lasts 15 years !]

Meanwhile, J1 was outside loading up all the debris...



left over from the dry rot repair/cement/chicken wire "period"...



the "boulders" of unused cement, "mud", thinset & grout...
from the last 2 weeks...



washing away all the debris from those mounds...
putting all the unused stuff in the trailer...



them washing away all the dust and debris from the tile saw...



leaving me with a clean, usable driveway for the first time in 3 weeks...



one I can actually park my car "in"...



and the porch no longer looks like HD Annex...
with bits of plumbing and lumber...

the next week[or so...] will be the wrap-up week...

after the final tile stuff Monday...
G will be installing the new toilet, sink & faucets...
shower faucets & head, med. cab., shelves & towel racks...
while we wait for the shower door glass to arrive...
and then the assembly can be installed...
[it is "custom", because of the size of the space...]

then there is some plaster patching...
any other touch-ups[new plastic cover for fan/light]
and finally the prep & painting...
of the ceiling, walls & woodwork...

with the final grout sealing at the end...

there are "issues" to be resolved with the door guy...
he told J1 different things than he told me...
though it was hard to understand him...
[he either has a tongue stud, or had "snuff" in his lip...]

he told J1 the door I want, "wasn't code"...
[a swinging door that opens, "in"...]
[which was a surprise to J1...]
he had told me,"no problem"...
the heavier glass door, opened either direction...
[but it was more expen$ive...]

then he tried to sell me on sliding doors...
methinks he has an agenda...
[or some cheap sliding doors to unload...]

I might be tired & stressed...
but I'm NOT stupid...
and at this point...
I will have the door I want...

meanwhile, back in the house...



things are getting more normal...
as both MJ & Sneaks are out & snooping around...



Molly wants a walk...



it's finally quiet...



even Sneaky Pie & Thomas were snoozing...
in heretofore unimagined closeness...



of course, SPie has to prowl & in-pest-icate...
everything...



Mackie is enjoying the absence of hurrying feet...
as well as the silence that comes after DAYS of "classic rock" radio...



so now, it's time for a snack, a walk & a trip to Costco for cat food...

then... a nap... !

post script...
before I could publish this, G came by...
to discuss the schedule next week..
finalize the placement of the TP holder...
[to do that, we dry set the med.cab.,sink & shelf...]
also to decide the shower door stuff...
which we did...I'll share it in a later tome...
as this is long enough...

...grout

last night, the final tile was set...
[well...sort of...but more on that later...]

so today was "grout day"...

un-sanded polybond on the walls...
sanded polybond on the floors...

and after an hour or so this morning...



J2 had finished the 3 shower walls...



including the trim...



and the bench with it's new corner...



R called it a "bird's beak"...
and in this shot you can really see why...



this shot is a bit softer, but still unique...



the mitered trim corner[s]...
on the bench wall...



and on the facing window wall corner...

BTW...the shower door guy came & measured today...
to get the door to open how I want...
I have to get 3/8's inch "heavy duty" glass...
it will have chrome trim & the glass will be slightly obscured...
very much like the lower sash window pane...

of course, it has to be ordered [more waiting...]
but the tile had to be done first...
so it will be done when it's done...
the faucets aren't hooked-up anyway...
and the newly grouted tile has to cure for several days...
before it can be sealed...then cure again...
before it can get wet...

so I won't be using it for at least another week or so...
[best case scenario...]

the curing/sealing has to happen prior to the hook-up...
of both the new toilet & the sink too...

here you can see the difference in appearance...



between the grouted walls & trim, above...
and ungrouted walls & trim here...



you might be asking yourself...
"why is there an "X" on that tile?"

because R set the ceramic TP holder too low...



'nuff said ?

it will be moved to the "X" tile location...
so anyone using the toilet won't have to sit sideways...
[this area was left ungrouted for that reason...]



this a good example of the drastic difference in appearance...
between the grouted walls on the right...
and the ungrouted ones on the left...
[all floors in this shot are yet ungrouted...]

see how grouting the floor really changes it's look...



all the pattern lines become almost subliminal...
a suggestion, rather than a statement...
some would have opted for black grout here to emphasize the lines...
I chose to minimize them for a better flow & sense of more space...



here you see the grout finished & the old toilet...
back in it's place for the night...



you can really start to get a feel for how it will be...

tomorrow...

they are supposed to reposition the TP holder...
and finish grouting around it...

they are also going to make sure...
that all the grout joints are full...
and clean up the cement & tiling debris from my driveway...

once I can actually get to the garage...
I'll move out the remaining tile...

so I'm looking forward to a quiet Friday...
going into Saturday [FFers brunch...]
and Sunday...with church...

BTW my doctor is getting me an appointment...
with a different orthopod...from a different group...
who is a "hand" specialist...
they're even setting-up the appointment for me...

I also found out that my new health insurance company...
has me in an "EPO"...[less of an HMO...more like a PPO...]
which means that I can go to ANY specialist I want...
within the Blue Cross/Shield network...
without a referral...

I've been with them before & liked them VERY much...
this was the group that let me choose to go...
to the Mt Zion Melanoma Clinic in SF for my cancer surgery...
where they have done thousands of melanoma treatments...
rather than have to stay, "local"...
and take my chances...
with someone who may have done "dozens"...

...a "full house", beats a "royal flush", anytime...

yesterday, the kitties came back from the vet's...

and the bill for all this...
[3 weeks of shots, teeth, ears, etc...]

let's just say that my 20% discount was over $600.00...
[the total was more than my first car cost...]

I brought back 9 in the first wave...
and put them in my bedroom...
leaving with empty boxes...
& the sounds of growling...
following me out the door...

did I mention that it was raining ?

and the plethora of workmen's trucks...
[G came by to put paper on my floors, since it was raining...]

made parking and carrying in boxes with pissed off kitties...

interesting...
[we'll leave it at that...]

my 2nd trip went very quickly...
only 3 were left...but it was the "crabby" ones...

all the way home, Piglet...
[you knew she was one of them...]
kept up her monologue...

"HOW could you do this to me?...you spiteful, mean thing...
I have been subjected to gross treatment... NO outside time...
and that place was NOISY... the litter box in which I tried to hide...
was smelly... the service was non-existent...
& I HATE YOU !!!"...FOREVER !!!!!!!

Thomas cried pitifully... & Creamer sulked...
[those 2 were also a "given"...]

when I carried them into the bedroom...
Mattie darted out...
so after warning R about them being "at large"...

I left for my doctor's appointment, leaving the bedroom door ajar...

[I'm not recounting the Dr's visit here...
if you missed it, check out, "madder than a wet cat"...
from yesterday...]

so when I finally got everyone relaxed...
[about 8:30, after R left...]

the healing began in earnest...

I had decided to leave Molly...
at the vet's until this AM...
and it was a very good idea...
because she was so hyper...
and all the kitties were freaked out...
by all the activity & people here...

the kitties had all been on a "hunger strike"...
even with their normal food, they just wouldn't eat much...
so they are all too thin & really needed some peace & quiet...

I became very concerned for Frick...almost immediately...
he had been thin...now he was emaciated & weak...

his brother Rex died from a cancer & his sister, Scout...
had that wasting away malady that's part liver/kidney disease...
a large part pancreatitis ... part immune system failure...
and a general malaise...which if allowed to progress...
will make them thinner, weaker & finally...
they basically starve to death... despite eating a lot...

their bodies just don't process the nutrients...
it goes right through them...

so finding a very weak, frail Frick, worried me...
when I got back from the attempted dr's visit...

he was here...



curled up in the foam rubber cup of a cat bed I was washing...

I traded it for this...



a clean one, already reassembled...

I got up in the middle of the night[3 AM...]
to put out more food...[good thing...it was all gone...]

and I was encouraged to see Frick get up...
to nibble a bit on his own...

this AM, I put out Molly's big water bowl...



and Frickie, who seems more alert every time I look at him...
came & had a big drink...also sniffed some cruchies...
he's had a couple of drinks since...
and is now purring when I pet him...SOP for him...



his brother, MJ, who spent the night in the bedroom...
[until very late...
totally pissing off the Piglet...]
is not nearly as thin...
and seems to be readjusting well...



he & Mattie have made it in to eat several times...
as well as to my lap if I sit still...



Mattie is quite thin too, but has already found the fresh crunchies...
as well as the fishy food in the dish...



yesterday, he & Thomas found solace on Molly's bed...
this is where I found them upon my return from the "dr's"...



my good buddy, Mackie, has been really glad to be home...



he has "snooped" in the bathroom...



and seems to have forgiven me very quickly...



as has his sister, Murphy Brown...
though she's really glad it's over...
neither of them seem really thin...



Creamer, who can be a real b****...
was rail-thin... and since arriving home...
has been stuffing herself at every opportunity...



then retreating into her "cave"...
growling at any, & all, interlopers...
[yes...that black mound of fur IS her...]



Lacy, also thin, has claimed Gracie's old haunt...

facing, across the office...



Cagney, who has claimed Creamer's old perch...

they come down to eat & growl at Sneaky Pie...



my, now skinny, friend Piglet, she of the foul feline vocabulary...
got really happy after everyone else left HER bedroom...
and would be thrilled if I would allow her to forage the back yard...
it's raining...& I don't need muddy paw prints on/in my bed...

[post script...since it's NOW, stopped raining...
I have relented...and she has fled outside...
with her cry of "FREEDOM"!!!
escaping her lips as joyfully...
as she vacated the bedroom...]



interestingly...Fluff, the senior kitty at 17 +...
did NOT lose much weight at all...
she seems normal...[ie NOT amused with her recent captivity...]
though it took a while...
of hearing Pigs getting petted...
for her to come over...
& "paw" me for attention...

soon...

after a lot of petting...
& sweet talk on my part...

all was forgiven...

she fluffed herself... and went to sleep in her nest...

this AM, I left the house at 8 AM to go get Molly...
who was READY !!!!
she bounced around in the car, licking me...
[only a bit distracting...]

when we got home...she took an amazingly long time peeing...
then had the "runnsies" in the back yard for a bit...
and finally we came in...



I finally got her calmed down...
[she had the "runnsies" inside the house....]
wanted to chase/play with a cat or 2...
had a big drink of water...
and settled down with a pig's ear...



as I worked at the computer...
it wasn't long before she made an appearance...



from THIS perspective...
you can see her "motivation"...

[fishy cat food...]

so far the score is : Molly 1 Mom 2

she successfully swiped one dish & licked it clean...
but I caught her 2 times & sent her packing...
the last time, with a bone to chew...

and what of Mz Sneaky Pie... ?
until so recently, Queen of Everything... ?



she's getting used to life with Molly again...



and since Molly wants to "play chase the SPie"...
she's ever vigilant...



always ready to "take the high ground"...



where the view is better...and safer...



but not nearly as much fun as it is...
to be Queen of Everything...
and boss around shy Charlie...
[who's loving having his buddies back...
and keeping his usual, low profile...]

I know it's not true in poker...
but in this case...

a "full house"...
beats a "royal flush"...

every time...

...a jpg worth about a million texts

about an hour until the toilet is reconnected...
tomorrow...they grout...

...madder than a wet cat

I was supposed to see the orthopod today...
for a "follow-up" visit...



this...was my dislocated finger the day it was dislocated...
[12/28/08]



here's the same finger today...[01/21/09]



it is crooked...



very sore, especially after I accidentally bumped it today...
[I saw flashing colors, stars and fireworks...
then the throbbing started...]

now, it aches & throbs beyond my available pain medication...



it will NOT bend beyond this point without help...
the top joint doesn't bend at all...

oh...and it was like this... when I saw him, the first time...

three weeks ago...

my own doctor was great...
gave me a referral to the best orthopod group in Mudville...

but the one who saw me, really couldn't have cared less...

so today, when I showed up after a frantic hour...
of transporting cats home from the vet's...
for my appointment, my car running on fumes...
I didn't want to be told...

"since your insurance provider has changed...
we need a referral from the new company...
or you are responsible for the cost of the visit..."


at that point...I'd had way more than "enough"...
so after confirming with the smirking med assistant...
that I could be seen today, but it'd probably cost me, big time...

I basically said, "thanks, but NO thanks"...
and let her know that I hadn't been too happy with the care before...
and that I wasn't going to pay for the "privilege"...
of being ignored & talked down to, again...

so I came home...wet from the rain...
and mad enough to bite the head off a nail...

I called my doctor's office...and got a very nice human being...
[make no mistake, this is a large health care foundation...
with lots of drs, labs & services...& can be totally impersonal...]

this person let me vent...
sympathised with me about the stupid "need" for another referral...
wrote a note for my doctor advising him of my concerns...
especially about the lack of improvement for my finger...
advised me that he wasn't "in" today...
but she would leave him a message...

and was, in general...a "human being"...

when I hung-up...I wasn't mad anymore...

my finger is still swollen, very sore and won't move much...

but my kitties are home...Molly comes home tomorrow...

and the bathroom floor is almost done...
[with a bit of hex tile left over...]

...stuff gets done

I left about 7:45 AM to drive MzYBee to Ahnoldtown...

upon my return about 1 PM...
I found that a lot of detail work was done...

when I first walked in...
this line of trim wasn't up at all...



after hanging up my coat and doing a couple of things...
it was at this point...

this...



was done...



so was this trim behind the door...



as was the fine cut-ins around the sink plumbing...



and the famous porcelain TP holder...
[rescued from the demo by Mr GT & MM...]
is securely placed in it's new home...

and before I could download these photos...



the trim is done !...

BTW...
there is less than 1 whole piece of the green glass left...
which is about what I figured when I ordered it...
and that's a good thing...
since it cost nearly $15.00 a piece [in July...]
and it is special order, only...
and takes over 2 weeks to arrive...
FROM AUSTRALIA...


all that remains is the "dam"top & dam & bench edge quarter round...
which R tells me should take about an hour...
[it's 1:30... as I write this...]

and then... the floor...

he assures me that he has "speed set"...
and that I will have a usable toilet before he leaves...

my orthopod appointment is at 3:30...
I may make it to get an animal or two...after...

or

maybe, I'll start now...
with kitties...

and get Molly after the Dr's...

sounds good to me...

...late breaking update[ie, I don't have time to write this tomorrow]

at first...you might say, "what's different?"



notice the tile, behind the toilet...
the sill & apron on the window...
and the finished edge & trim by the window...
not to mention the tile on the sink wall...



the finished shower corner...
top trim to bottom trim...
and floor...!



the finished window sill/apron...
flanked by the trim & tile...



a close-up of said edge trim...
and the sill...



the sink wall that now needs only the trim...
and a couple of field tiles...
to be done...from one side...



and the other...

tomorrow, c'est tout...
then the floor...
and on to the grout...

...an extremely long day

it's been a long day...
which started with putting the tile on the shower floor...
then fitting in around the drain...



then towards the bench...



and finally...filling-in at the edges...
50 tiny pieces...
it took a while...



eventually, R got to the walls...
he decided to wait until tomorrow for the main floor...
because doing the floor, brings everything else to a stop...

meanwhile...



I was busy... sorting and stacking...



moving the faucet boxes onto the table...
with the stuff that had been scattered around...
[med cab., shelves, new toilet seat...]
that is...after I moved all the floor tile...



and the dog bed... & rugs...



then I centralized all the tile on the floor...



I also moved the LR furniture "back"...



in between these jobs, I was looking for a CD for tonight...
and subsequently sorted about 60 that had been piled for a while...
naturally, the CD I sought was in the last box to be sorted...

I also put together a copy of the music on the CD...
found myself a binder, cleaned & stashed a music stand in my car...
put together some other stuff for tonight's rehearsal...
reminded R, several times...
that I needed to be out of here by no later than 6 tonight...

wrote a large check to G for a third of the cost of the redo...

and, as I sit here...in really dirty clothes...
with scuzzy hair..at 4:45 PM...
waiting for them to leave...
so I can at least, try to get cleaned up...



I hear noises that sound like mortar being scraped...
which means more tile is going up...
which is cool...
but my toilet is still sitting, IN the shower...
and has to be hooked back up...soon...

I'm attempting to stay calm...

I figure that God has all this under control...
so I'm waiting for something "good" to happen...
my headache seems much less...
that's a start...

...finally...the light at the end of the "tile tunnel" & the "homecoming" plan is set...

it's been really quiet around here...
[all Miz SPie's antics, not withstanding...]

Charlie has missed his fireplace snugging buddies...



and delivery persons have come onto the porch, "unannounced"...
[also, no plants have been trashed in the "announcement process"...]



I was scheduled to start bringing the critters home today...
but not all the tile is secured to the walls & floor...
yet...
& there are faucet parts in open boxes, all over...

the new sink basin sits on top of the new toilet...
and stuff from the bath built-ins[drawers & cubbies]
is stacked in the office...
in prime, cat climbing territory...

I just was NOT peaceful about the "plan"...

so after a consultation with R...
things began to become clear...
they just "fell" into focus...
& all at once, I knew what to do...

I will leave the critters, one more night at chez vet...
I will move/ stack/ critter-proof the stuff in the way...
R will show up, early tomorrow, & work while I'm "driving Mz YBee"...
so he can finish ALL the remaining tilework...
AND do most of the grouting...
he'll stay here until I return from Ahnoldtown at least...

I'll be back [hopefully] before my orthopod appointment at 3:30...

if I'm done at the Dr's early...
I'll go get a couple of critters...
[probably Molly, Piglet & Fluff...]
before the vet closes at 5:30...
if not... I'll start on Thursday AM...

this way, R can get finished...
[J1 offered him extra $ if he finishes tomorrow...
so it's a "win/win" for both of us...]
I have NO problem leaving him here when I'm gone...
especially with the critters safely still at the vet's

this way, I can be home with them...
on their first day back [always a good idea...]
making up to the kitties, who will be PISSED...
and giving Molly the attention she's been missing...

I DO believe that everything happens for a reason...
I also believe in waiting on the Lord...
and I see God in these details...
even more... I feel a real sense of peace about it...

R's going to get as much as possible done today...



he already has the main shower floor down...
& he's "pleasantly surprised" at how perfectly it has fit...
with no attempt to pre-measure the shower pan on his part...
or to pre-fit the tile sheets to the floor...
[remember: these tiles are discontinued...
& I have only 1 sq ft more than we need...]

R: "I just love it when a plan comes together..."

hmmmmmmmmm.....

there are a bunch of "little cuts" on the sides...

so I said to him...

"wouldn't be cool if what you need to "cut" for the sides...
is what you need to "cut off" to fit somewhere else...?"

he agreed...

and you know...if it "happens", just that way...

it wouldn't surprise me at all...



"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not,
on your own understanding; in all your ways , acknowledge Him,
and He will direct your paths."[Proverbs 3 : 5-6]

...the name is Pie...Sneaky Pie

so...I took my camera into the bedroom to capture SPie going nutzo...
as I had previously described...
AND... she had just exhibited a desire to do again...

but of course..a prepared catstaffer, camera in hand...
gets NO feline cooperation...

but I did get a few "pieces of Pie"...

enjoy...



this is how I found her...upon my return with the camera...
after having been "ravaged" again by "tail purrr-suit"...



her pointy talons of cat vengence, sharp...
and at the ready...

so being basically, not one to let the hornet's nest alone...
I "roused" her... hoping for some antics...



with a look worth about 10,000 words of "cat-itude"...
she proceeded to yawn in my face[too blurry to use...]



then presented me with a perfect "calendar shot"...
but no action...until...
I realized that she was "fixed" on the camera's wrist band string...

of course all ensuing grabbing, swatting & biting were too blurry to use...
and by the time I regained enough control of the camera to switch to video...

she was on to this...



[experienced cat photographers will join me in saying...
"at least she's not washing her butt... or worse..."]

at this point, I left the room for a bit...
and returned to find...



"awwww"...so cute ...when she's asleep...

which is what I was planning to do, soon...

so I started to get undressed...



have I mentioned that she has a fetish for shoe strings ?

when I'm getting dressed...
she couldn't care less...
until I start to lace up my shoes...
then, there she is...



and the fascination doesn't end when they're off[or on...] either...
she often grabs them & unties them...
[those of you who know how "finger challenged" I am at the moment...
can imagine how much that is appreciated...]

she also attacks them after I take them off...
last night, I had to cover them with clothes...
THREE TIMES...
before she got bored and stopped digging for the strings...

CATS...

especially THAT one...

in the all-too true words of Miz Minka...
"what a loony cat !"

...this & that

we're at that point..
where you want to BE done...
but it's taking forever to finish off all the little things...

so R finally got all the pieces measured...
and finished the edge wall & trim...



[you DO realize that the blue painter's tape is just for tonight...?]



and the plan was to finish off the bench...
that was before the corner conundrum...

meanwhile...



I busied myself with cleaning out the built in drawers...
removing [besides a ton of "demo dust" & rat droppings...]...
some old sham covers[they go with my bedspread...]
"new drapes"[I don't have any hardware, ie,"rods", anymore...]
and ...



a new set of plaid queen size flannel sheets and matching[sort of...]shams...

I have to find a new home/ give these things away/pitch them...
or put them into the garage with a ton of other stuff...

so finally...



I had emptied & cleaned out the built-in drawers...
so I put away all my new towels in the 3 lower drawers...
[black, celadon green, violet & yellow...]

then, I made another trip to Daltile...
as we had underestimated by about 25...
the number of white 6" quarter rounds we needed...

meanwhile...



the corner conundrum was coming to a climax...
I didn't mind the mitered corner...
on the white quarter round, edging the bench...
but R didn't like it...and will get something "better" at HD tomorrow...
[where he will go to pick-up the quick-set for the floor...]



the mitered corner looks great on the green...



but R thinks that it'll become a problem on the seat...



I hope he's planning on doing something "different" here too...
'cause this lower corner just isn't doin' it for me...

on the "good news front", however...



the 3 x 6" black fit perfectly on the outside of the dam...



it leads right into the wall where it will continue around the room...



inside the dam, only a bit had to come off the 3 x 6's...
but it was too wet to work around[ie to do the shower floor...]
so R called it an early day around 3 PM...
[he generally leaves around 4:30...& has been here until 6 a couple of times...]

I'm also "beat"... I don't know why I'm so tired...
so I'm going in for a nap...

...in the details

and this tile job is FULL of details...



from mitered corners...to radius bullnose quarter rounds...



any way you look at it...a work of art...



but then, as he's putting up tile on the "edge" of the shower...



we realize that the wall actually slopes in...just a bit....
[if you look at the far wall tile seam...you can see how far "off" it is...
from the dark corner in the foreground...to the right...
below the frame of this shot, the edge of the wall was even with the seam...]

but not to worry...
the Wiz can "feather the edge tiles"...
so it won't be noticed...



on a happier note... it seems that the shower dam...
was made "just the right size"...by total accident...
for the out of the box black 3 x 6" tiles...
that we have a bunch of extras of...
so that's not only "easy"... but saves the white 3 x 6"ers...
that we don't have a bunch of extras of...

and it gets better...



R just discovered that with no "planning" on his part...
the sheets of 2"hex for the floor...
that I have just barely enough of...
and are now impossible to get as they were discontinued...

fit perfectly in the shower floor...
"as if they had been measured & planned for beforehand..."

hmmmmmm...

they say, "God is in the details..."

and He has certainly made Himself known here today...

R plans to finish the shower today [including the floor]...
then he had planned to do the main floor...
but that would have meant that I had NO toilet tonight...
[NOT a viable option for me at this point...]

so after some discussion, we decided...
that since I was going to be gone all day Wednesday...
[which means NO ONE would be working or walking on it...]
he would pull up the toilet first thing tomorrow...
& use "quick set" mud for the main floor...
which will set up in a couple of hours...
so that I could have a usable toilet Tuesday night...

he can also put down some plywood pieces over the floor...
so my walking on it Tuesday night/Weds. morning...
won't shift it & mess it up...

the floor tiles are in sheets...which is a help...
but they will have seams...
and there will be "cuts" around the toilet...
and to fill in the edges...

so walking on it until it cures is NOT a good idea...

but again... more details...

and I'm leaving those to the Master Designer...

..."the runnsies", Sneaky Pie style

today is "Day 19"... in the Reign of SPie...
as "supreme feline in all the world"....

[other wisely, quite well put by Calico...
"THIS is mine...& THIS is mine..." etc, ad nauseum...]

her "reign" has been fraught with various hazards for yours truly...
not the least of which is her absolute joy ...
in, what would be called, "tail chasing" by other, more "pedestrian felines"...
but in her case, has been raised to heights of frenzy ...
[& impending, catstaff bloodshed...]
heretofore unknown...at least to me...

when allowed "out"...into her realm...
from the prison...uhh, sanctuary of the bedroom...
[ie after the workmen are gone or it is the weekend...]
she makes her rounds, looking for subjects to "lord it over"...

finding none, she bosses quiet Charlie for a while...
and finding no real satisfaction there...
turns to me...a much more satisfying target...uhh, subject...
for ALL her myriad of catly attentions...

I've been treated to a LOT of abhorrent feline behavior over the years...
and not much surprises me anymore...but somehow SPie managed...

a couple of nights ago, she first did it...only for a few moments...
last night...it went on for quite some time...
[no blood has been shed...yet... but it's only a matter of time...]

she waits until I'm in bed...then it starts...

at first she's only "chasing her tail"...on top of me in bed...
she's very good at it...and must get annoyed when she bites herself...
because then she becomes like the Tasmanian Devil in the cartoons...
zipping around in circles on top of the bed...
attacking my feet [& anything else that moves...]

soon she's a furry silver-gray blur...

on top of the bed...under the bed...
around in circles on the bed...
stopping only to pounce on any part of me that moves...
escalating to climbing my, now cowering self...
as I'm trying to take refuge under the comforter...

faster & faster she speeds...

until I'm sure ...
that all I'll find is "tiger butter"when she's done...

finally winded...she pauses...wide-eyes flashing...
chirping her hunting song as she pants...
then off again, in a last flurry of pouncing, scurrying feints...
a couple more half-hearted nibbles at my toes...
and she flops down...

if I make the egregious mistake of stirring too soon...
she will be off again...and my toes will pay a horrible price...

if I let her doze off, I'm golden...
that is, until sweet Charlie comes to be petted...
at which point, she has to intervene, be petted, first...
& to receive proper respect from Charlie...

and only then... will she "settle in" for the night...
but right by my feet...so she can monitor my every move...

cats...

boy, will she have an unpleasant surprise when Thomas returns...
[he thinks it's HIS house...]

...into the second weekend

G showed up as promised this AM...
and made short work of switching out my kitchen faucet...



installing the new steel version of my leaky plastic one...



the water flow is back to normal...



and with only the slightest touch of the button...
it switches to "spray"...



and since I had all of the stuff "out" anyway...
I sorted & organized the undersink area...



the main item on R's list today was the bench wall...
with all it's intricate & time consuming "cuts"...
measuring & fitting...



the smaller the wall, the more "labor-intensive" the trim becomes...



including the only outer corner that has trim...
with a cool mitered corner for the green glass half round...



the bench was also a lot of work...
[all the edges will be white quarter round...]



then there was a "small problem"...
corners of the square cuts showed...
behind the shower knob skirts...



when G test fitted them...

so R had to remove those 3 tiles & recut them...
without those "pesky" corners...



here you see them "fixed"...



speaking of "pesky"...



this is Mz Snoopy Pie's first foray...
into the new bathroom...



both she & Charlie are wandering around...
calling for their friends...



and asking some pointed [as in claws...] questions...

since the house is NOT anywhere close to being cat or dog proofed...
I reluctantly decided to have the herd remain at the vet's...
until Tuesday... by which time the tile should be installed...
and NOT stacked & piled around precariously...
[as MM put it, "Molly + piles of tiles= SHARDS!!!"]

so I have a couple of more days to re-stack, re-pile...
sort, de-clutter & cat/dog proof this mess...

I'm hoping by this time next week...
to have all the tile in & grouted...
as well as the sink, new toilet & med cabinet installed...
then I won't need to worry about them trashing stuff so much..

when the shower stall is "done"...
then... they can measure it for the door...
who knows how long it will take for that to be built & installed...
at least it's no longer literally an "outhouse"...
and the sunlight on the new tiles is amazing...

onward & upward...

..."another week older..." & you KNOW the rest...

so, first thing this morning...
after I made coffee, of course...




I pulled out all the stuff from under the kitchen sink...
it was fairly recently "gone through"...
but needs it again...



and besides... G is going to come by & change out the faucet today...



which will eliminate the annoying leak whenever the sprayer is used...
& for me...that's all the time...

on other fronts...



this was done yesterday...



today, R will be working on the rest...



trying to get as much done [working solo...] as possible...

...2 walls accomplished [post # 600 !]

so sometime this afternoon, I began to realize...
that we were moving slower than anticipated...

not R's fault...it takes time to set tile properly...

and he's doing just that, doing it properly...



so after the triumph of the first wall "accomplished"...
the slowness of meticulous measuring, brought me back to earth...

with a thud...



I began to understand that finishing tomorrow...
or even Monday...was a pipe dream...

and the "herd" is supposed to start returning soon...

it's going to be a strain on me to keep tabs on them...
keeping them "inside" & out of the way...

I'll just have to wait to see where we are by this time tomorrow...



in the meantime... we have a corner...
& 2 walls without spacers...

not a truly momentous subject for post #600...
but it will have to do...

and I must admit that I'm so very pleased...
by how my tile pattern has turned-out so far...

...wall accomplished...!

now we're movin' along...
leaving empty tile boxes in our wake...



after the field tile courses...
we finally get to the "trim"...
first, a 3" white piece...



then the 1st 1/2" black liner...



then,[be still my heart], the celadon green glass half round...



then the 2nd 1/2" black liner...



the 2nd 3" white piece...for symmetry's sake...



then the 3" black radius bullnose cap on top...



et, voila...wall accomplished...!

one section down[or "up"...] 5 to go...
[plus 2 floors...]

...happy, happy, joy, joy..it's Tileday ! [& YOU thought it was Thursday...]

the day started with scraping, cleaning & measuring...



then setting-up the wet tile saw...
& mixing thin-set...



meanwhile... the tile waits...



first a "mock-up" to test out the measurements...



then more measurements [5x's actually...]
THEN...cut...



then tile gets moved into the bathroom...



R takes a deep breath...



up goes the first trowel of "mud"...



and FINALLY...[at 11:11 AM PST]
the first tile goes "up" on the bottom of the wall...



after the bottom row, with the end pieces measured...
the first white field tile goes up...



after 3 rows...check the "level"...
and shim with spacers until perfect...
[as you can see, it is...]



now the sides[which had to be cut...] are in...




and on "up" we go...

...the last cement...

finally !



it's amazing just how much difference the texture of the sand can make...



smoothing out the bench seat...



here R's working on building the "dam"...
[the edge of the shower pan...]



and then, after hours of work...






the shower cement is done...



tomorrow...he starts the tile...

since there will be a lot of activity in & out...
what with mixing thin set, etc...
I talked with all concerned & decided that the critters...
are better off staying where they are...
until R is finished on Friday...

if he finishes early...[around 4...]
I'll start bringing them home then...
if not...I'll do it on Saturday...

Charlie & Sneaky Pie are prowling at the moment...
they're getting very restless in the bedroom all day...
but since that's the only place I'm feeding them...
I'm still able to lure them back in...

at least...so far...

stay tuned...

...the "right" stuff

what a difference the "right" sand can make...



see how this cement is setting up ?



the stuff yesterday..."slipped"...


[see how it sags ?]

like a dough made with the wrong kind of flour...
will never develop gluten...
too fine a sand doesn't make good cement...



this, on the other hand, sets up like it's supposed to...



the "wrong" stuff in the bucket...



the "right" stuff in the bucket...
see how much stiffer it is ?



and on the table, "wrong stuff"...



"right" stuff...


first thing this morning they finished the floor...



so now, everything is "closed" or covered...

the cement work on the shower walls & pan will continue...
R wants to get as much of the cement work done as possible...
as long as J2 is here to mix & carry it inside...
'cause when J2 leaves for another assignment...
R will be on his own...

when he gets all the cement work done...
R will put up the last strips of hardiebacker on the wall...

and then... TILE... !

...doing the bath redo "hokey pokey"...

it was an "interesting day"...

R was toughing it out with an injured shoulder...
[probably a rotator cuff tear...]
both G & J1[generals...] were here early...
I kept telling them I was OK with yesterday's "non" work day...
["stuff" happens...and for me..."ALWAYS for a reason..."]

so after they had laid out the carpentry & wall closure details...
G & J1 left R, who was soon joined by J2...
R was waiting on "sand" for the cement...and soon...
a guy showed-up with a load, fresh from HD...



here's the bath at the beginning of the day...



R laid down and cut his layer of plastic for the shower pan...



they took off the door, as they would be working on the wall behind it...



then they disconnected the toilet...
moving it into the LR...
which now had a grand total of 2 toilets...



R put up tar paper over the purple board...
then stapled chicken wire on the shower walls & bench...



J2 was insulating the toilet wall...



then closed the wall with purple board...



the bracing in the basin wall were secured...

and then the sand arrived...
so since all the wire was up in the shower...



they went outside to mix cement...



which came inside in big buckets...



to be poured on a board before being spread on the wall...



as it went up, I noticed that R didn't seem too pleased...



here you see the first coat, shortly after application...



here it is after "setting"...

notice the definite sagging above the end of the bench...
it shouldn't do that...



meanwhile J2 was closing the side wall...



taping and mudding the seams of the purple board...

R, on the other hand...
was NOT happy with the texture of the cement...
he kept working with it...
but finally gave up & told me...
that they had brought him the wrong texture of sand...

that he told the guy who delivered it that it was wrong...
but that guy was in a hurry & just left it...
since R didn't have a truck...
he couldn't go get more...
and the other guy wouldn't take it back...

later today, J1 went to HD & discovered...
that they didn't know there was a difference...
in the texture of sand between the sand used for cement...
and the sand used for plaster/stucco[which is much finer]...

needless to say, J1 got the correct, coarser sand for us for tomorrow...

but back here, R tried to "make do"...
working it over and over, hoping it would finally set up...
but no matter what he did...it just didn't work...



here you see it bulging...
it's so fine it doesn't absorb water...
so it doesn't "set up"...
and slides down the wall in places...



here you see how R scraped the top of all of it off...
tomorrow, he'll skim over it with the right stuff...



meanwhile, the tar paper went down on the floor...
as soon as all the boards were secured...
and the old lino scraped off...



they put the hardibacker on the toilet wall[over the purple board...]
and also covered the sink wall...
as well as half the floor...
[tile goes on the hardibacker over thin set...]



here's the upper sink wall with the med.cab. cutout left...



the old toilet & door got put back...



the walkway seems strangely empty...
with all of the purple board "up"...
as well as most of the hardibacker that had been stored there...
and, of course, the 2 toilets...



they left their tools behind...



usually they leave around 4...
today, what with the sand problem...
they stayed until 6 getting things buttoned up...

the "sand" problem wasn't R's fault...
he saw it right away, but tried to make it work...
[cement can be an "iffy" concoction...it might have worked...]

to his credit, when he saw that it was NOT working...
he threw in the towel, so it could be done properly...

this is reminding me of that Gilda Radner character...
on the old SNL show, Roseanne Rosanna Danna...
whose signature phrase was, "it's always something..."

stay tuned...

...back in the groove

this morning began by temporarily placing the new med.cab....



so the shelf...



could be centered under it...



then G put this together...
so he could see how it would fit on the wall...
above the tile line...

of course, as soon as the measurements were made...
it all went back on the sofa...
the "queue" for "NRTBPIY*"stuff...
*[that's,"Not Ready To Be Put In Yet" stuff...]

so having centered the shelf that goes under the med.cab....



G cut a couple of pieces of wood...
to be the backing to mount the shelf to...
[R will nail them in before they close the wall...]



G also cut & placed the 2x4 stud in the toilet wall...
[also to be nailed in place before the wall is insulated...
and closed...]

meanwhile R talked to J2, who's on his way...
about some supplies they need...



while he was putting down the plastic...
over the now cured 1st layer of cement in the shower pan...

this should be a productive day...
they plan to :

...insulate & close the toilet wall[after setting the stud...]
...close the sink wall[after setting the bracing for the shelf...]
...put down another layer of tar paper & cement in the shower pan...
...secure the floor around the toilet[which means taking out the toilet...]
...secure the last floor dry rot repair...
...& PUT UP A LOT OF CEMENT ON THE WALLS...

oh...BTW...R's problem yesterday is a shoulder problem...
he fell, bracing himself and woke up VERY sore...
he's had "rotator cuff" surgery on the other shoulder...
so he's "toughing it out"...

not easy to do when you have to use the affected part...
ALL the time...[spreading cement, "mudding"...etc...]

stay tuned for the continuing adventures...

...a brief hiatus

"everything happens for a reason..."

I believe that...

so when G got the call this morning...
from J, the tile contractor, that R was sick...
and wouldn't be able to come to work today...
I wasn't upset...

yes.. I want this to get done...
but I'm NOT in charge of "things"...
so I'll let God be the "contractor" here...
and not be concerned about it...

so G & I chatted a bit & I found out that G...
not only went to Benjy HS on the "eastside" of Mudville...
he also attended the school I taught at...
when it was still a jr high, back in the 60's...

small world...

but then, finding out that G's an "eastsider"...
doesn't surprise me at all...
since most that I knew/know...
are/were the "salt of the earth" types...

really good, hard working folks...
who'd gladly help & were generous to a fault...

J arrived, still unable to find someone to work here today...
although he has 2 guys scheduled for tomorrow...
R to "float" [cement & wire, then thin set & tile...]
and one to assist by mixing the cement & thin set...

both G & J have both gone now...
but J is supposed to call me, to let me know...
if he'll be back to close walls...
or if we just need to wait...

this is what we have, "done", so far...









purple board, seams taped & mudded up on the shower walls & bench...
1st layer of tar paper & cement on the shower floor...

the tops of the walls & ceiling...




[no...the ceiling's not purple...just in shadows...]

we've left alone...

they will be filled-in where there are holes...
and eventually painted the same color as the trim...
[Benjy Moore "Cameo White" with mildewicide added...]

today's goals were/are to close the wall opposite the shower...




for this purpose, we have one full sheet of purple board left...



it's setting backwards here...trust me, it's purple...


on the "toilet wall"...



they need to set one more 2x4 stud & insulate the wall...
they will also remove the toilet...
screw down the floor tongue & groove replacements...
permanently "fix" the toilet flange...
and close that wall with purple board...

then put up "hardibacker"...



on the walls that will be tiled...
that are not in the shower...

it's the stuff against the window...
there's also some behind the purple board...
as it will go on the floor too...
but the floor will be the last to be done...

so I'm waiting to hear back from J...
if no one's going to be here to work today...
I'll get my plants watered with the outside hose...
go copy choir music at the church...
and visit my "herd" at the vet's...

it seems to be shaping-up to be a quiet day...
and with the amount of yawning I'm doing...
that may be a good thing...

....laying about

last night... the first night in well over a week...
that I KNEW I could sleep-in the next day...

THIS....



was pretty much me....

ever since Tuesday, when I've had workmen here...
from "anytime" after 8 AM..until "sometime" after 4PM...
I've been yawning, and fighting a nap ALL day long...



as much as these guys are GREAT workmen...
several factors enter in...

I'm getting up around 7 AM...[early for me, now anyway...]

the bathroom window and front door always seem to be open...
so it's cold...and my hand hurts...

if I bundle-up too much, I get really sleepy and nod off...

if I drink too much hot coffee or tea to warm up or wake up...
then I have a different problem if the toilet's not hooked-up...
or they're "working in there"...

Mz Sneaky Pie is incarcerated in the bedroom...
when I come in, she wants to play...

so I've been yawning my way through the last 4 days...
going to bed almost as soon as I eat...
because I'm so sleepy I've been falling asleep in my chair...

so last night, I was in bed by 7 PM...

I kept waking-up and drifting off again...
finally for good around midnight...
[there's a nearly full moon...]

I woke up several times this morning...
just rolling over...or climbing back in bed...
after a trek to the bathroom...

the last time I looked at the clock it was around 7...

then, I woke up thinking it was around 8...
it was 11:39 AM...

I can't remember the last time I slept that late...
probably sometime when I was sick...
but I can't remember when that would have been, either...

as I write this, my eyes are closing...
it's only 1:36 PM...I've been "up" barely 2 hours...
it's sunny & nice outside...but I just want a nap...
my head feels thick and "sinus-y"...

I have "freed" the incarcerated felines...
[after moving several things they could mess-up...]

the bathroom door is closed...
I don't need paw prints in the still curing cement...
and the side of the bench is open into the back of the cabinet...
and possibly the crawl space...

I'm trusting that they will come back to the bedroom...
I can catch Sneaky, Charlie flees any entrapment...
although when I'm IN bed, he comes to purr, drool & be petted...
besides, the vet is closed now until Monday AM...
their " vet-trap radar" should be off...

Miz SPie has been prowling about...
enjoying being "Queen" of all she can see...
Charlie came to eat and then vanished...

I have given-up the notion of making something...
for the church potluck tomorrow...
D said not to worry, that she purchased some food...

I finally got the kitchen cleaned-up yesterday...
the water had been off all day Weds. & Thurs....
as well as part of the day yesterday...

the kitchen faucet seems to have low pressure now...
it's probably plugged with sediment...
the water filter seems normal...
and I need to do some laundry...
so I hope those pipes aren't plugged too...

I'll water all the indoor plants using the outside hose...
as soon as I re-incarcerate the felines in the bedroom...
as that means leaving the front door open a bit...
watering, laundry & getting cleaned-up for church are my only tasks...

maybe I'll take a nap...

...into the weekend

after returning from lunch, R decided...
that his best course of action was to make sure...
that the first layer of cement went down in the shower pan...
so it could cure over the weekend...



so to that end, he mudded the seams of the purple board...
on the shower walls and on the bench...
much like you do with normal drywall...



then he bagan putting down the first layer of craft paper...
[a tar paper moisture barrier...]



when it was all neatly positioned over the dam...
and around the drain assembly...



it was time to mix cement out in the driveway...



a crumbly consistency, not unlike shortbread dough...



then he brought it inside in buckets...
and began to spread it with a float...
making sure that the floor sloped down to the drain...



R has quite a touch and made it look easy...
after all, he has 25 years experience...
& he learned his craft in LA, from "old union guys"...
working on homes for Sammy Davis, Jr. & Michael Jackson...
[and yes...he's met them both...]



soon, the first layer of cement was done...
and sloping properly to the drain...
so R cleaned-up, packed-up & left until Monday...

he'd been gone a few minutes when G arrived to dry fit the "P trap"...
after he was satisfied that he had everything just right...
he announced that the sink wall could be closed now...

on Monday, they'll do that...
as well as remove the old toilet...
insulate & close the wall behind it...
and after all the walls are closed...
the floor gets covered with hardibacker & paper...
and the new toilet can be seated on the new flange...

the walls that will be closed will also be done of purple board...
meaning mudding the seams...then wire & cement...
[real "old school"...just like what was here...]

the shower pan will get a layer of plastic...
then more cement...& a last layer of paper...

R tells me that he hopes to be tiling by Tuesday at the latest...
and wants to be done by the end of the day on Friday...
that means that by this time next week...
all the tile might be done...

the floor will be last...
but those hex tiles come in 12"x 12" sheets...
so that should go fairly fast...
as both the floor & shower floors aren't very big at all...

I'm SO looking forward to tomorrow...

I'm going to sleep in...
and then try to address getting plants watered...
I might let SPie & Charlie out of the bedroom...
but then I'd have to move a bunch of stuff SPie would get into...

it may be too much trouble along with everything else...
because I have to do laundry...
and get myself cleaned-up for church on Sunday...
without freezing to death while doing it...

I'm NEVER going to take the absolute luxury...
of a hot shower for granted...ever again...

...lots of purple with odds & ends...

this was where the first attention of the day fell...
the floor was closed before the drain was tightened completely...
so R had to go crawl under the house and fix it...
appropriate, since he was the one who closed the floor...
before he locked the shower drain in place...



then there was another brief chapter...
in the continuing saga of the sink plumbing...
and the floor repair [dry rot from the leaky basin...]
which meant some wood support mounting...



as well as the floor replacement under it...
[G will return with a "P trap"to dry fit later...]
I really appreciate how these guys measure a number of times...
and then if it doesn't work just right...
they do it over until it's right...

I've worked with several repairman/contractors...
and these guys are so EASY to deal with, as well as GOOD...
sort of like the "skilled craftsman/cat whisperer"...
who framed the stained glass & fixed the window...
I never feel talked-down to, "dismissed", humored or ignored...



the "green board" is now "purple board"...
[ie backer board intended to be in showers, etc...]
and R began on that as soon as he finished the seat of the bench...



then when he worked his way to the outside walls...
he put in the insulation between the studs...
working around the shower plumbing...
[that wall's ALWAYS felt cold...but NO more...]



then put the purple board over the insulation...
leaving cut-outs for the handles and head...



and then to "wrap the bench" in purple board...
[this stuff is the same color as some of the towels I bought...]



after he does the walls...
he'll put up the moisture barrier sheet...
on top of the purple board...



then he'll start using sand to create the shower pan...
inside the dam [the shower area...]



he's also taped-off the built-in drawers...



here's the white 6x6 field tile for the bath walls & shower...
G picked it up this AM...there are 11 boxes of 50 tiles...
each weighing over 32.6 lbs...
you all KNOW about my sore hand...
so I deputized him to get them & he was glad to...



here's the white 0100 quarter round 6" pieces...
these are for the edges of the dam and along the corners...
where the sides of the shower end...
[there are 30 of them...]



and these are the black quarter round radius bullnose trim tiles...
R wanted to expand the black trim a bit & I agreed...
so I got about 22 more pieces to cover the additional area...
when R went to lunch, I went to Daltile...

I left my house at 12:02 PM, drove across town almost to 99...
went in, placed my order, waited a bit, paid about $45.00...
they carried the box to my car & I was home by 12:36 PM...

impressive...especially during the noon hour...

so now we have all the tile pieces on hand for Monday...

I also asked G if we could work in the installation...



of this new kitchen faucet....

it's the same brand and style as the existing one...
except the existing one is plastic and it leaks...
it's also really hard to press the button...
that turns the sprayer "on"...

the sprayer is the reason I bought it...

so G said that we can squeeze it in...
especially since it will fit exactly where the other is...
no new holes, etc...

right now, R is working on the last stud replacement...
that goes behind the toilet where all the 2x4's had dry rot...
then there's the last of the outer wall insulation...
and then that wall can be closed...

the sink wall is still waiting for G...
to finalize the plumbing...
then that wall can be closed...
if G can't get to it today...
then R's going to tape the purple board seams...
and pour the first cement in the shower pan...
to allow it to set up over the weekend...

by this time next week, we may have a lot of the tile done...

I.Can't.Wait.

...doing "the math"

I have a logical mind...
anyway...I...think I'm logical...

word problems...I always wanted to "reason out"...
most algebra equations...
I could do, if I remembered the formula...
but since the "why" generally escaped me...
I pretty much forgot them...right away...

when I ordered tile pieces last summer...
I measured the area...
[linear measurements make sense to me...]
I rounded it up about 5 " and divided...
by 8" for the green quarter round...
and by 6" for the rest...

today, I measured 219"...& bumped it to 225"...
divided by 8"[green] & 6"[the rest]...
I came out with needing :

30 pieces of the 8" green...
80 pieces of the 1/2 " black [double row]
80 pieces of the 3x6" white [double row]
40 pieces of the 3x6" black [footer]
40 pieces of the quarter round bullnose black [top trim ]

so I checked my invoices from August...
& I had ordered :

30 pieces of the 8" green [they were $ 14.40 EACH]
80 pieces of the 1/2" black...
1 box[100 pieces/need 80] of the 3x6" white...
1 box[100 pieces/need 40] of the 3x6" black...
40 pieces of the quarter round bullnose black...

we've also done the math for the total floor...
[bathroom & shower stall...]
and we need 32 square feet of the 2" hex, white matte...
[I have the last 33 square feet on earth...
& since it's discontinued...
it was a good grab on my part...]

so though I really don't have a lot of love for math...
[it always gives me headaches...]
I do enjoy a good gloat...
and in this case, being able to do simple math, correctly...
in August, when I was "guesstimating"...
allows me to have all I need now for the construction...

waiting to get the field tiles was also smart...
as they don't take returns on unused tiles...
and I would have been really guessing on the amount needed then...

...sink plumbing, shower bench, old lino & odd bits

remember this ?



first, it became this...



then this...



almost there...



finally...the sink plumbing moved over & up...
and centered under the med. cab. opening...



early this AM, R framed-in the shower...



then the bench...



put up the supports...
[notice the cool black fingernail polish...]



framed in the top...



and finally left it to finish up tomorrow...

what I thought was tar paper under the old chicken wire/cement floor...
turned out to be OLD, cheap linoleum...
that started to pop off as we walked on it...



so G, the general, started pulling it up...



he'll get the rest later...as there is further prep to do on this floor...



one of those spots is dry rot that was under the old sink...
which I knew was leaking...I'm just glad that only this one board...
needs replacing in this part of the floor...
the entire bottom of the old vanity was rotted out...



as you can see, most of the old lino is gone now...



a really nice bit of news is that ALL the 2x4 studs in the walls...
are REDWOOD...good quality too...the big joists [2x8's] are heart redwood...
and the interior siding is cedar...that's why there is so little dry rot...
even though there was a bunch of water damage...



G picked-up a 3 ft grab bar to put in the shower...
he & R figured-out, with me, where I want it...
and will fortify the studs in those spots...
since I want to stay here, in this house, as long as I can...
this is a necessary thing...



R finally figured out how many 6x6 white field tile I need...
[bench, walls etc...] it's 136 sq ft [$253.45]...
so I called Daltile & G will pick them up tomorrow...
R will need them starting on Monday !

he's going to figure out how many white quarter rounds he needs...
and let me know tomorrow, so I can go get them...
as well as any other misc trim pieces...



I was digging through some boxes...
& found the knobs I got for the drawers...
it's way too soon to put them on, but it makes me feel good to see them...



here we have tomorrow's supplies stacked in the house...
backer board against the window...
greenboard[for the shower stall] against the table...
moisture barrier for floor & shower pan on the toilet box...
and fiberglass insulation for the exterior walls...

what you don't see...is the pile outside...
in the driveway, covered by plywood...
of bags of cement, bags of sand, craftpaper & wire...

yes folks...R, is "old school"...
he uses cement & chickenwire...
over greenboard in showers...

so tomorrow, he'll set the drain...
then create the shower pan...
after putting up backer board & greenboard...

all I know... is that he's planning...
to be tiling on Monday...

I can't wait...

...decisions, decisions...& progress...

here's where we started this AM...



the general started on installing the new shower plumbing...



soon had the valves for the handles...



then, the plumbing for the shower head...



meanwhile, the stall was being framed-in...



and the location of the bench and door set...



then we began to play with the ped. sink...



making sure that it wasn't too close to the toilet...
but still "centered on the med cabinet opening...
which we can shift to the left about an inch...
by moving the inner brace on the left to the right side...



and since plumbing will be moving[even as I write this, it is...]
the general got to play with the pedestal...
making sure ALL will fit...
we also decided that locating the hot & cold water valves higher...
will sort of hide them under the basin sides[it's 22" wide...]

during a break in the action[ie a lumber yard run by both guys...]
I went to the vets to "visit" the herd...who all seem fine...
all want to come home...NOW...

BUT...

the vet needs to keep all of them into the middle of next week...
to get to every body's teeth, ears, etc...

where they are is away from the sick ones...
it's nice & warm...they'll call me if the food runs low...
they all seemed in good spirits...
and it's SO much easier for me...at this point...
to not have to watch the door as the guys carry big stuff in...
and pile it EVERYWHERE...

so I'm trusting that God is in all of this...
that His timing is perfect...
that we ALL are in the right places...
for this to be accomplished ASAP...

stay tuned for the next episode...

...centenarian

today, January 8, 2009, would have been my dad's 100th birthday...
he died on January 2, 1988, just days shy of his 78th...

he grew up in a very different America...

dirt poor, the next to youngest in a very large...
"shanty Irish", "hillbilly" family...
born only months after the family's move...
from the mountains of Tennessee...
to rural, central California...

he graduated from high school at the age of 21...
so determined to finish, that he moved-in with his coach...
and worked at a number of odd jobs to support himself...
in order to be able to finally graduate...

his plans to go to college on an athletic scholarship...
and become a "high school coach" were drastically altered...
by the early & unexpected death of my Mom's father at age 56...

my dad remained on the ranch, it was 1933...
where he had been helping my grandfather...
who must have known his health was failing...
before the massive heart attack that killed him...

he never got to finish his goal...
of being the first "educated man"in his family...
but he allowed my Mom to finish her education...
and helped both my brother & I to earn Master's degrees...

Dad had "demons" of self-loathing & worthlessness...
he fought a losing battle with them his entire life...
but he was a man of honor...
and treated others better than himself...

so today, I remember him on the centennial of his birth...

I love you Dad... and thanks...

...broken things, tile patterns, centering thoughts & good wood

as you may remember from our last episode...
we were "here"...



dry rot wood removed, as well as the bad plumbing...
taking the morning with it...



after lunch...
the "guys" had a "pow-wow" to set their next moves...

while this was happening, I went into my bedroom...
and discovered a casualty of the dry rot removal...



it had survived a tumble yesterday...
but not today...good thing I have some Superglue...



tomorrow, I'll move these things BEFORE they get here...



R, "Tile Wizard" likes my pattern & colors...



he thinks it will look nice...very "period"...
soon I'll be picking-up the field tiles...
and any needed quarter rounds, etc...

we also did the math, measuring tapes in hand...
and he thinks, as I have thought, all along...
that I have just enough 2" hex tile sheets...
to do the entire floor...
[we need 32 sq ft...I have 33...of the discontinued 2" hex...]


we also unboxed the entire pedestal sink assembly...
and set it up to see how it would "center" on the med.cabinet...



as you can see, the plumbing is offset to the left...
it will be moved to the right, so that the sink can be centered...
the pedestal can't contain all the valves and is set out from the wall...
but the door will hide most of the plumbing...



the general went on several supply runs...
and here, is stock-piling cement backer board...
which will start going up very soon...
[it's the base for the thinset for the tile...]



he also has turned my porch into a Home Depot annex...
with all the wood for the dry rot repairs, etc...
as well as a bunch of plumbing supplies...
as tomorrow, the shower valve assembly goes in...
as well as the shower pan & bench...



so with the direction for the next couple of days set...
it was on to replacing all the dry rot damaged wood...
that R removed this AM...
here he's setting a pressure treated sill plate piece...



then on to the wall...



and scabbing the support beams...



then the floor...using tongue & groove...



and working around the now "moved-back" toilet flange...



and finally... all the puzzle pieces are in place...



and with the toilet back in place...
AND the wall & floor closed-up...
it's not nearly as cold as yesterday...
[less "out"...more "house"...]



after cleaning-up and taking away ALL sorts of boxes, etc...
the guys left for the day...to return tomorrow...

tomorrow... the shower valve, pan & bench get done...
the plumbing is moved, set & the floor is "nailed in"...
and maybe...some backer board goes up...

stay tuned...

...dry rot removal, 101

it's always fun to open boxes...
but when it's been so long that you can't remember what's in it...
it's good to have been anal enough to have labeled them...
so here we have the new toilet, out of the shipping boxes...
[they needed to measure them...]

and here...[now reclining on the sofa...]



is the new medicine chest [also fits perfectly...]
and the new toilet seat...

here...



the brain trust : the general, tile cont. & R, the "tile wizard"...
[and dry rot removal specialist...]

this morning's number one project...

dry rot removal...



opening up the floor revealed an ancient ladder...
stored forever under the house in the crawl space...



here's a "blow-up" of said ladder...
& NO...I'm not removing it...
it's part of the crawl space now...
[it's probably no good anyway...]

there's more than enough dry rot to deal with...



he worked on the floor and support beams first...



cutting out a bunch of crap...
then on to the wall...



this is dry rot...there's NO sign of termites...



he would tap on the pieces of wood in question...
if they "rang", they were good...
if the sound was "thuddy" or mushy sounding...
they weren't...

oh.. and the dark wet color was a "give away" too...
that, or the feathery yellowish look...



the pile of dry rot wood & creeper vines grew...
[it grows everywhere...]



the "sawsall" made short work of the rotten wood & nails...



here's part of the wall...
dry rot free...



a bit lower on the wall & where the floor was...
rotten plumbing gone too...



the floor and support beams, now dry rot free...



here's a close up of part of the culprit...
of all that dry rot...
the broken toilet collar...
[as well as the old shower plumbing...]

I'm really glad that we're doing this now...
before it became the entire wall and floor...

next episode...dry rot repair...!

join me again for more thrilling pictures...
and exciting "bathroom" humor...

...on the 12th day of Christmas [aka the bathroom's gone !]

there were 3 young guys & the contractor...
they arrived about 8:45 AM...put down paper on the wood floor...
[I had to turn off the heat, because they had to cover the intake registers...]
they put up the plastic over the office door frame...
and got down to business...
they removed the toilet & tank...
which sat next to the lemon tree all morning...
the sink & vanity, as well as the medicine chest...
which went into the trailer [ie...trash...]



I opened the basement access...



& we took the screen off of the window...



they were using 4 & 8 lb hammers,pry bars, chisels & crow bars...
as well as shovels to move the debris into a trash can...
which was dumped into the trailer...



at this point, I went into my bedroom...
and discovered that the demo...



had caused most of the stuff to fall off my bedroom shelf...
which shared the bathroom wall...



there were a couple of broken things, but, c'est la guerre...



the plastic in the doorway also took a direct hit...
but nothing a little tape couldn't cure...



the debris pile in the trailer grew...
and yes, there was chicken wire...EVERYWHERE...
on all the walls...AND under the floor...
talk about "building it to last"...



they used a jack hammer to break up the floor tile...



when the tile was gone, so was the plaster...
[thanks to the chicken wire...]
then they started removing the lath...



exposing the old "knob & tube" electrical wiring...



here you see the tub, with the soap dish still in place...



here's the soap dish, "out"...
do you think they used enough cement ?



this is the back...with old newsprint insulation stuck to the cement...



there were 4 men...and it took a maximum effort from all 4...
to get the cast iron tub "out" of it's niche...



through the door, on to a small rug to slide across the floor...



and out the front door...



this is the back of the built-in wall...



where the tub was...



same area, different view...



this where the worst dry rot is...
between the tub & toilet...
and yes...that IS daylight you see...
the outside vent is visible through the hole in the floor...



the sink wall...



the tub in the trailer...



a temporary cover over the critter's access route under the house...
he'll be putting a metal vent cover there...

meanwhile...back inside...



there was a thick layer of dust EVERYWHERE...



including on the leaves of plants...



I went into my bedroom to check for any further casualties...
and Sneaky Pie appeared, as if by magic...
to let me know just how annoying all the racket was...



as they cleaned up the debris...
a drip from under the sink...
refused to "cease"...



so I just put a jar under it...



here you can see both the dry rot in the top of a floor framing member...
[light brown feathery wood in the hole...]
and the lousy plumbing from the old shower...



and believe it or not...
a "stable, non-rocking" toilet...



most of the morning the door was outside...



now it's back in, leaning against the wall...
I told them to wait to rehang it because the tile guys need it down...
and I don't need it hung back...
since I'm NOT letting Sneaky Pie & Charlie out of the bedroom...

it's a bit chilly, what with the opening into the crawl space...
not to mention outside...but I'll survive...

we had the heat off all morning until they left around 12:45...
at which time, the thermostat read "59˚"...

it was sunny and mild all morning...
but just before they left, it got cloudy...
the wind picked up & it got cold...

so it was a perfect morning to have no heat...
the only one in weeks...
and now that I can have the heat back on...
it's cold & dark outside again...



perfect timing...

tomorrow... the re-build begins...

...8:36 AM...& waiting....for DEMO...!

my neighbor across the street graciously moved his cars...
I just put mine in front of UnkelPhil's house...
unplugged the lemon tree[it's been on 24/7 during "Christmas"]
moved stuff off the porch and "over"...

and now I wait...



for the arrival of the crew I almost gave up hope on ever seeing...



while most of the kitties & Molly rest at "chez vet"...



for the replair that is sorely needed...



the plumbing is hanging on by a fingernail...



the toilet "rocks & rolls"...



and NOT in ANY good sense of that phrase...



and the night I feared for it's being "too quiet" ?
Sneaky Pie kept pouncing me...
and doing an excellent Piglet "blind rattling" imitation...
while Charlie meowed piteously,[and loudly...]
EVERY time I started to fall asleep...
[I heard the clock chime 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...
then the alarm at 7:30 AM...]

but right now...I DON'T CARE !

God is Good...all the time...

and especially, today !

...phase 2...under control...

in an attempt to trap the remaining kitties in my bedroom...
I left the door open and upon my return...
there was Charlie, snoozing on my bed...
not wanting to press my luck...I closed the door...
haven't seen him since, but he has to still be there...

getting Sneaky Pie in there won't be hard...
since she;s been my constant companion...
ever since 5 PM...the moment when the vet closed...
hmmmmmmmm....

oh...and talk about good timing....
my regular vet returns from vacation...
tomorrow....

so this was the walkway/path of destruction this morning...



and here it is now... they will put down paper over the wood floor...



and right in front of the doorway...



this was the bathroom... on 12/31/08...



and now... stripped for action...



all drawers, cubbies & shelves cleaned out...
and the stained glass removed...

here's a close-up of several grievous problems...



the ropey fungus stuff and 2 drips...
a long [fast] one in the back...see how it's s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d o-u-t...
and a short [slow] one, about to drop from the front...
[I love macro...]

and finally, a view into the hall...



the next photos I post will be of total destruction...
I can't wait...

...phase one, well...sort of complete...

I got an early start this morning...
took my Excedrin[double dose...]
but when it came to assembling these carriers...
my sore finger got lit up, big time...



I tried to catch Charlie, missed and scared him...
making him a ghost...
I captured Matt & Murph [no problem]
Matt jumped out of the carrier, but I called him...
and he came right back to me 'cause he's my good boy...
then I got Frick & Creamer...
since it was a sneak attack, it worked...

on the second trip, I caught Sneaky Pie, put an ID collar on her...
but she escaped my not-so-nimble clutches...
then I captured Mack[too easy], MJ[a little harder]...
Lacy[B- degree of difficulty] Thomas[unexpectedly easy...]
& Lucyfur[no problem...]

on the third trip, I tried to capture SPie again...
had her inside the carrier, again, when she escaped...AGAIN...
and since Molly was getting weird watching all this...
I just gathered up her stuff, & took her...
she was thrilled...until I took her back to the kennels...

I came home..."boxed" Piglet & Fluff...
lots of name-calling, but no real problems...
took them down...
[this is a 30 min. round trip...each time...
and this was the 4th time...]

came home, finally cornered Cagney above the 'fridge...
boxed her, & took her down...[trip 5]
I'd see a glimpse of Charlie or SPie...
"...but only that...and nothing more..."

so now, I had all but 2 kitties at the vet's...



you can see their names if you make it bigger...
they aren't thrilled, but they'll adjust...



Molly's in a large kennel facing them...
with her red bed, her purple wiener dog toy...
and a pig's ear...

I think it goes without further mention...
that I have had a stressful, painful & guilt-riddled day...
capturing, transporting & incarcerating my babies...
the silence here, is deafening...
even with Charlie & SPie still in residence...

also...

all the strenuous activity has made my finger hurt like @#$%...
so much so, that it actually made me nauseous...
so on the way home, the 5th time...
I went through Jack's Box & got a chocolate milkshake



holding the cold milkshake made my hand feel a lot better...
and drinking it made me feel a lot better...

of course...

when I got home, there were NO cats to be seen...

ANYWHERE...

so I sat down at my computer, held & drank my milkshake...
loudly announcing to no one in particular...
that I was "done" catching cats for the day...
that SPie & Charlie could "stay" in the bedroom...

after a few moments I looked up & saw...



Charlie...just watching...I pushed the catfood dish towards him...
far enough away from me for him to feel, in his comfort zone...

and then whom should appear...like the proverbial "bad penny" ?
Miz Sneaky Pie herself... winding in & out of my legs...



rubbing her fur against my legs, BIG TIME...
standing on tiptoe to be petted...
and generally making a total pest of herself...

she's returned now, to eat again...
after retreating to her top shelf for a brief interlude...
& just a few moments later, she was in my arms purring & making nice...
I looked at the clock...it was 5:06 PM...
my vet closes at 5... now she can even tell time...

my plan is to lure them into my bedroom [ie I'll simply open the door...]
then keep them in there during all the ruckus tomorrow...
at least if I can't catch them...I can keep them locked up...
if Piglet & Fluff were still here...
I couldn't do that...

the contractor just called...
they'll be here tomorrow between 8:15-9 AM...
for a day of demolition...
he said they'd hang my dropcloth in the doorway...
move furniture & rugs...which is good ...
'cause despite the cold compress[aka milkshake...]
my hand is really hurting...
[maybe it's time for triple Excedrin...]

the rebuild begins Weds...
but I have "miles to go before I sleep"...tonight, anyway...
and I'm exhausted now...

stay tuned for "updates & breaking news"...

...and now, a bit of "back-to-work" levity ...uh...insanity...[goes with the "back-to-work" part better...]

ah, yes....that dreaded day we knew would come, eventually...
the day we have to go back to work...or school...
or if you're REALLY fortunate, BOTH...
been there... done that...

it blows chunks AND sucks...simultaneously...
[spring break is almost 4 months away... sorry]

then there are some of us who have "other" things to do...



like exercise, go shopping or traveling...


or complain about how we're falling apart...
[and not too gracefully, I might add...]


some of us are learning new skills...



and to "embrace technology"...



in all it's marvelous forms...



there are ALWAYS caveats...but that hasn't stopped us yet...

so for all my friends going back to work &/or school...
and all my "former" colleagues [ie teachers...]out there...

don't forget this...



one of these might help...[if they can read it...]



and you MUST have one of these...



for all the "staff" meetings...

and if you really must [I DON'T advocate violence...]...



a picture of this tacked on your bulletin board...
along with a range target with a close cluster of "kill shots"...
just might help your classroom management skills...
or "interpersonal relationships" with the "office bully"...

so here's a sincere, heartfelt message from Catsinger to ALL of you...






Pbbbbbffffftttt... hee, hee, hee...