Cyber Monday

I just watched a video where a person asked actual college kids, on a college campus, how they felt about “Black Friday.”

They all said they hated it because it was so racist.

I suppose they could have been aliens, or this was their first day out of the box, but

WOW!

If this is what passes for general knowledge of college kids these days, a lot of people are wasting their money!

I literally CAN NOT with the general situation.

Anyway

The kittens do this routinely:

Which makes me think they are not actually sweet, loving, harmless kittens. When they do this, it smacks of Hell Hounds guarding a gateway. In this house, it would not surprise me one bit if these guys actually HAVE been inhabited by something guarding some portal to Hell.

Maybe that is why every bit of progress is met with the house’s resentment.

It occurs to me I might have too much time on my hands

On Saturday we made our over the top Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey was excellent, the gravy didn’t thicken enough, and for a change I didn’t make enough food for a small country.

We enjoyed it all and will be eating leftovers all week. At least. I am making turkey pot pies and a turkey casserole tomorrow. I’ll freeze it all and we’ll do turkey sammies til the rest is gone.

We spent the time off doing a whole lotta nada. But yesterday was so beautiful:

This is the first blue sky I’ve seen for ages. So it seemed like the perfect day to start on the new garden (you know, since the old one has a shed on top of it).

We picked the site:

That white flag is where a sprinkler head is. Maybe we won’t have to water!

We kept it small to start with, added some compost and watered it to help the compost and sand meld. I’ll be adding to it over the winter and we’ve ordered potatoes as a first step. We’re very much feeling our way around this whole southern gardening thing. It’s a big difference from VA and RI for us.

The Hubs wants a couple of plots rather then one big one, so I’ll be taking a stab at doing that as I go. I’m also planning a mint garden at the end of the shed. I’ll put in peppermint, spearmint, and catnip. Hopefully it won’t attract all the stray cats in town! Maybe I’ll do a flower garden somewhere, too. And I still have to pick a tree for the front yard.

But first, I need to decorate for Christmas.

I wonder how much the Hell Kitties will tolerate…

Black Friday

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with their peeps.

The Hubs and I went to the Meat Store and had a good time… right up until I realized I might have over indulged!

We went for a walk when we got home.

Didn’t help

About 24 hours later I thought maybe I was getting hungry. I had 5 crackers and some cheese.

Definitely over indulged

Anyway. we’re doing a turkey tomorrow. It’s been sitting in its brine since Wednesday night:

Every time we open the fridge we massage the bag to get it circulating. I’m sure that is not important, but it’s what we do.

Today, to celebrate Black Friday, we went to the beach. We also stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up cat food. It was empty. I’m a little sad to see this economy change (and fail) like it is. But I’m sure it’ll turn around, we won’t go into a Depression and and we won’t become a Socialist hell hole like Venezuela did.

Nah, it’ll be fine.

But I wish the Wal-Mart and the Target had been crowded.

Anyway

Here’s our beach on this overcast warm day:

Rough seas!

Cloudy day

Inland storm

Big Blue

Now get out there and buy stuff!

Foyer Complete

Slowly but surely we are making progress on this house.

I finished the foyer, then the Hubs did his part, and the kittens helped as well. I suppose it was a family affair!

Today you get a mostly pictorial update.

This is the best part of the old light:

Havoc helped unpack the new light:

Mayhem checks out the new rug:

All done:

I’d tell you that is the end of the projects til next year, but, a gal’s gotta do something with her days!

Let me show you the new door:

I’m not gonna lie, I was really sad about the brown trim. I’m not even sure what the thinking was here. All the trim on the house is white, so I guess they thought I wouldn’t care.

We tarped it up Monday afternoon:

I kinda wonder what the neighbors think when we do stuff like this!

I painted the trim Monday night, and then Tuesday first thing I put on the first coat:

In the afternoon I did the second coat, then later the Hubs put the hardware back on. We had a little trouble with it because the installers, who do this all day every day did a crap job and stripped some screws to the point they can’t be used. It necessitated a quick trip to Home Depot for a replacement. Suffice to say the Hubs was NOT a happy camper.

This morning I started the trim. I took down the tarp while counting the nails, then filled in all the holes.

Isn’t that trim stunning?

Much better!

The hitch in the giddyap is that the caulking around the trim and sometimes in the middle of the trim in not the paintable kind. So the paint was rolling off it. Which really pissed me off all the more about the stupid brown trim!

Second coat:

To recap, this is the house we got:

And this is how we’ve updated it so far:

And that takes care of that for now.

I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you get to be with family, friends, or other people you like!

This HOUSE – Again

Let’s start with something positive, shall we?

WordPress is celebrating the fact I got 6 likes in one day!

I’m not saying that is not exciting, but the penchant for celebrating every little thing these days is a little like this:

I know not everyone gets my point. But let’s just say if you’re old enough to know what merit-based praise is, celebrating remembering to wake up is a little weird.

Damn. I was supposed to say something positive.

Oh well.

Saturday we had another setback. When the Hubs asked, “Do you by chance have a warm feeling about the house?” I knew something was wrong.

This happened:

The tub spout shed a vital part. There was no water being directed to the showerhead. And of course these things are 20 years old, so finding a replacement is not all that easy. But we were gonna try.

We headed off to Home Depot with a list. We had a lovely chat with the plumbing guy who told us he doesn’t have that part, but there is a plumbing supply house that would. But it’s closed on weekends.

Really? For the love of…

So we headed to the new faucet aisle. And chose a new shower faucet package based on the recommendation we got.

We picked up the rest of the list and headed home.

Opened the box, and discovered the new faucet set is not compatible with the old one.

Of course it isn’t.

The Hubs called the neighbor (plumber) to see if maybe he has one hanging around. He still has not gotten back to us.

I ordered one off Amazon. The reviews say it’ll match. I have my doubts. It’ll be here Tuesday.

Sunday after church we did a little wiring and insulating in the shed. When we came in, I got in the hall bath shower. The Hubs came in and I asked, “Hey, can we use this spout?”

Of course it’s a perfect match. Joy ensued because we don’t have to shower in the hall bath until Tuesday!

Take that, house!

We also mostly finished up the foyer. The light is hung, the art is in place, and some hooks are back. Not sure when the rug will arrive, but here is the light:

It was a booger to get wired up, but the Hubs bested it and it looks just like I had hoped! I’m gonna save the big reveal for the rug arrival. Stay tuned for that!

While the Hubs was doing some wiring, I raked up the pine needles and used some to give my little fig a blanket:

I don’t know if it’ll do a damned bit of good, but we’ll see in April. I think I’m supposed to pick off the figs and new leaves, but I just can’t bear to do it!

Here is where we are so far on the shed:

And wiring:

Of course once it’s all insulated, in the winter it will remain freezing inside. But in the summer, when it matters, it’ll stay cool. At least that is the hope. And since it’s not attached to this house, it might be a reality.

If I decide I need a project this week, I might go do some insulating while the Hubs is at work.

I’m still trying to pick the best paint-the-door day. Right now it’s looking like tomorrow.

Off Track Project

The foyer was not really on my radar as a project to be done. But it somehow bubbled up to the top and I finished it this morning.

I had some help:

I can’t really tell if he looks guilty or surprised.

Lest you think Havoc is an angel in all this, she managed to plop her back foot and tail onto the very wet paint can top. I didn’t stop to take her picture because she started to flip out and almost took off before I caught her. She got some paint on the outgoing rug, but that was as far as she got.

Crisis averted!

A quick wipe down and some mineral oil kept them busy while I finished up. They are mostly back to black now. Mostly.

It’s been an exciting and educational 3 days around here.

In case you’re wondering just how far this sad little house has come, here is where we started oh so long ago:

It’s not exactly a one-for-one, but you get the idea. We are oh-so-slowly making a difference in this house.

Here is the closer shots of the foyer:

I did paint the vent from here, and the one in the bedroom:

Kinda anti-climactic without a before, but they both had some gunk on them that is now gone.

I ordered a new light and rug, they will be here soon-ish. The Hubs will take care of replacing the outlets and switches and then I’ll re-hang the hooks and figure out the art situation.

Last night we had our first frost. I’m not sure how low it got, but it was 33 when I got up. I took a look around to make sure everything was OK… No burst watering cans. No leaking rain barrels – which are finally full now that we don’t have watering to do! Most of the plants don’t look any worse for the wear. But my fig. Well, that’s another story:

I guess it really didn’t appreciate the cold last night! Hopefully it isn’t going to die now. After some rather unhelpful research, I would know exactly what to do if I were in Chicago. I think I’ll just rake up some pine needles and use them to cover this little guy and hope for the best. I don’t think we are in winter yet, last week it was 80, but who knows. Some extra root protection can’t hurt. Plus there are garlic bulbs in here, so I’m sure they will appreciate the blanket.

I was planning to paint the front door tomorrow, but I’m not sure that is a great idea. The weather forecast is a lot of drear and some rain until next weekend. Maybe I’ll kick it down the road a couple days. The temp seems to rebound a bit, which is better for curing paint.

I’m thinking of biting the bullet and continuing the living room painting.

Oh, but wait… it’s Thanksgiving week. I can’t get distracted with painting. And then it’s time to put up Christmas. Hmmmm. Maybe after the front door, I’m putting away my brushes and rollers for a few more weeks.

I’m not sure how I feel about that.

Trading in turmoil for disarray.

Well, one thing is sure, come 5 January (the 12th day of Christmas), I’ll be ready for jump back into chaos to cure the pandemonium!

Trim Painting

Well, it happened. I finally found something I like less than painting trim. That would be painting trim with kittens.

Yesterday after all the grim chores were finished, I thought the kittens were asleep, so I decided it would be a good time to paint the trim in the foyer.

By the time I got the paint and supplies ready, both of the kittens were standing around waiting for me to provide fun.

Great

Apparently, the new and improved no-VOC paint stench is enough to keep a kittens interest – from a distance. So I painted the baseboards, the trim around the door, and the trim around the window. Every time I looked, they were sitting idly by.

When I got up off the floor to clean my brush, I noticed maybe they weren’t so idle:

Notice Havoc in the background pretending she’s not involved in any of this.

Mayhem let me wipe the paint off his nose, and then they retreated to their bed to compare notes:

Seems a kitten tail is a difficult thing to manage around wet paint!

I suspect there will be more colors added tomorrow as I paint the walls.

I painted the inside of the door today. They seemed to keep a respectful distance, but since I was up on the ladder for a lot of it, they had no choice.

Here is a partial view of it, it’s hard to see the color with it so bright out. I’ll try later this afternoon to see if I can get a better shot.

Been toying with a colored front door for a while, but have been unable to decide on a color. I wanted something that pops, something unexpected. The Hubs suggested coral because that is the color we’ve been using in the closets.

Why not?

And if I hate it, I can always change it for the cost of a sample pot of paint.

Tomorrow’s plan is to do the rest of the foyer:

I’ll take down and repair the holes for the art, but since the hooks are pretty much where I want them, I’ll just take them down. The pillar is leaving someday, so I won’t paint that. same for the part over the doorway to the kitchen.

The rug will look even worse than it does now, and for the love of all things, that light has GOT to go!

If the Hubs goes to work tomorrow, I’ll repaint the vent cover because the garage will be empty. Heck I might be into it and take a few of them down. I might leave them all and ignore them til spring. You never know with me.

The door is kind of growing on me.

In other news…

Somehow, I’ve lost all my lighters. And I can’t light a match for some bizarre reason. But I like to have a candle burning after dinner. I did what everyone does: I went on Amazon to buy some lighters.

Imagine my surprise when the shipping date was about 8 weeks!

Not sure what that is all about, but I saw this:

It’s an electric (charged by USB) lighter. The reviews say it works, it’s the bomb.

So I ordered one because, well, instant gratification, and I was super skeptical.

It showed up quick, and the reviews are right! It works, it IS the bomb!

Now I don’t know what kind of voodoo it uses, but you slide the black thingee (yes, that is a technical term), and:

It actually ignites a wick! There is much candle lighting and less swearing going on after dinner around here.

Just thought I would share in case someone else out there can’t light a match.

I Know The Key

Stunningly, the key to getting something to happen is to quit caring.

Over the weekend, I decided I didn’t care if my windows were ever installed.

An endless 39 weeks later, the installers arrived this morning promptly at 8:15. To say I was shocked is an understatement. I had fully expected Anisha to shuffle me to the bottom of the pile after our last chat.

Am I giving her any grace about it?

Nope.

If I were her I would have moved every appointment around to fit me in so I could be rid of me. And that is probably what she did.

Anyway, the nicest guys were here doing the work. They were kind and helpful and answered every question and concern.

And now they are gone. I have to wait for the inspector to arrive before I can take stickers off the glass.

That parts sucks.

And the fact that 2 screens are missing – one on the slider, and the kitchen window won’t stay up. But I am ssured those will be fixed within 6 weeks. Which is funny because between now and then there are 3 holidays.

But, with my newfound powerful knowledge, I don’t care.

But I kinda do because until then I can’t leave my slider open to get fresh air in here.

*sigh*

So here is a little show of what we’ve waited so long to see.

Office before and after:

Slider before and after:

The frames on these windows are much larger than the old aluminum windows. But they are so easy to open and close, and the screens are tight (the ones we have), and it’s so very quiet in here. We should be nice and energy efficient as well.

We also got a new front door, but I’m not ready to totally reveal that yet. But I will share this:

This is the old door. It let in a ton of light and air! And bugs, I’m sure.

This is the new door, nice and snug:

I wanted them to add my door knocker, but they said it would void the warranty. I almost said I didn’t care as I really would not love dealing with this company ever again. But in the end, I did not have them install it.

I thought it was going to be white and I would have time to do the painting, but it’s this awful shade of BLAH both inside and out, so all of a sudden, painting rocketed up to the top of the list! I’ll probably do the inside tomorrow while the Hubs is at work, but the outside will have to wait because it involves a tarp and leaving the door open, so the weather has to cooperate.

I have not yet seen it from the outside, I am almost afraid to look!

Friday was the last 80 degree day we’re gonna have for a while, so naturally, we hit the beach:

It was super windy and the water was raucous.

Some enterprising beach goer left this:

The wind made this:

The setting sun made these ripples look really cool:

Last but not least, the Hubs really came through for the anniversary! On the sly he acquired a piece of local art I had my eye on.

Meet Pelican Pete!

Veteran’s Day

Happy Veteran’s Day to all who served, both in the military and out!

I’m calm now. I took the day and used my anger for good.

OK, not really, but I burned it all out and I’m better today.

The Hubs went to work, so I used the time to do all sorts of housework. For about 10 minutes while this was happening:

My house was clean. Sorry you missed it.

I did some knitting as well. I’m working on some palate cleansers because I need some easy wins.

How cute is this?!

I also wrapped up some presents and next week they will be on their way North. I know it’s early, but you can never be too careful with the good ol’ USPS. It just ain’t what it used to be!

This weekend is our anniversary. We’ve been married 23 years. I can hardly believe it myself.

Anyway, the other day I found a recipe for a turkey breast in the crock pot. Auntie is always raving about how she makes one now and again and loves it. So I bought one. Not sure how it’ll turn out, but this morning I went back to the grocery store and went all in. Either tomorrow or Sunday we’re having a mini Thanksgiving dinner. Because we can.

Part of the dinner is dessert. The Hubs loves Key Lime Pie, and we keep talking about how we need to find a recipe and perfect it to our liking. I find it too jell-o-y, so that is what I’d like to change.

I finally printed out 3 recipes and decided to go with Martha first. At the store, I got lazy and bought a graham crust rather than make one.

As I zested a few limes, and squeezed out the juice, separated the eggs, I thought, you can’t bake a ready-made crust. That’s why they have you make it.

Dammit

Or can you?

Don’t judge

I played out a couple of scenarios in my head (do it anyway, go back to the store) or… what I did.

I slipped the crust into a glass pie plate. Of course it broke up. I spent a few minutes puzzling it together. Then I thought, why not just crumble it all up and put the filling on top?

Or cook it right in the foil it was in.

Duh

I smashed up the pieces and pressed them down, and carefully (like a bull in a china shop) poured the filling on top. Then baked it and now it looks like this:

I’m guessing it was another recipe that said it made a HUGE pie!

I’ll whip up some cream and we’ll have a piece after dinner tonight. I actually mostly followed the recipe, so it should be good.

I guess I should have just made it in the tin. Next time I will make my own crust. And because I don’t like crust, I’ll fiddle with it til it’s edible (by me), maybe add some almonds.

After I was done I crushed up the eggshells and cut up the lime rinds and fed the compost. Probably just made sure that batch isn’t ready til March, but whatever.

We’re going to relocate the garden, so that’s going to be a fun chore this winter. It will need a lot of amending and the earlier we start maybe the worms will come. If we’re super smart about it, we’ll locate it so the sprinklers will do the watering for us.

Speaking of that, the sprinkler guy never came so we were forced to watch a couple of YouTube videos and get it done ourselves. Upshot? The people who say stupid shit like, “We don’t want your money, we want your business” just lost a customer.

The F’ing Window Saga Continues

I just got a call from the lovely Anisha who schedules the window installs. I’m sure you recall that 2 weeks ago during the arrival window, she called and cancelled. She promised to send 2 crews on the 11th to get this job done.

Yesterday I called and confirmed that yes, we were good to go for tomorrow.

So imagine my utter shock when my phone rang this morning!

While she was making excuses and cancelling my appointment, I felt my blood pressure rising.

She wants to reschedule for Monday.

WTAF??

She explained there was a week long job that isn’t finishing, and a 2-day job that turned into 3.

This sounds a lot like a YOU problem.

I asked if I could count on Monday.

And she just went OFF.

I told her this was frustrating and ridiculous.

She started not-so-calmly explaining shit to me.

Let’s be clear:

I HATE when someone says one thing and does another.

I F’ING HATE when that same someone starts explaining why they are doing the other thing and telling me I have no right to be upset.

You have been jerking me around for MONTHS! I get to be frustrated.

SUCK IT FOLKER’S WINDOW COMPANY.

You can rest assured you’ll be getting a review from me after my windows get here. You can also be sure your owner will get a letter naming names.

Do I think anything will change?

Nope.

What are the odds my windows will be installed Monday?

ZERO. I have NO expectations.

She had the NERVE to tell me she would call me over the weekend if there was a problem because SHE’S ALWAYS WORKING.

Again, YOU problem.

Clearly, you SUCK at your job Anisha.

I think I will get a call over the weekend telling me the crew ran into a problem and there’s no way they can start Monday.

Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t you deliver my windows and door? I’ll hold on to them while you work out your issues. And in the meantime, I will hire someone to install them.

And here is the hilarious part:

I know in my heart that the reason she keeps canceling is because my windows are not in their warehouse yet.

I should NEVER have ordered these windows from this company.

If they EVER show up to install, I am going to be SO fricking picky about every little thing it will surprise me if they don’t walk off the job.

I thought this would make me feel better, but in fact I am still shaking with RAGE.

Election Day

This morning I smacked myself in the nose with my hairdryer. And now I’m hoping that was not a little premonitory warning of how today is going to shake out.

Whatever way you lean, get out there and vote. It’s what makes this country great! You get to fill in that bubble and then watch as people who have no interest in your opinion do exactly what they please.

Anyway

I’m sitting here waiting for the sprinkler guys to arrive. Yesterday we discovered one of the heads does this:

I sent this to Dale and he said, “Oh, that’s not good. We’ll be out tomorrow at 10.” So I wait.

Yesterday I installed the last downspout basin:

Now I have to wait til it rains to see if it’s long enough. There is going to one day be a garden all over here, but until then, I am hopeful this ends the digging.

I’m still trying to figure out what to do under the well pump. Sure it’s a pretty blue, but the platform it’s on looks like poop. I was thinking I would just paint it, but it really looks bad so I need to hide it or feature it. Or maybe it needs a proper platform. We’ll call this a WIP for now.

I don’t know if I told you, but my project is done! It’s blocked and it just needs to be packed and shipped, which will get done next week. Here is the last peek for you:

It’s not perfect, but overall I am happy with the outcome.

I’ve started a new project. This one is a blanket for my neighbor, She liked the one I gave her daughter so much, I told her I would make her one:

I hope she likes the color. And I hope this doesn’t make me seem creepy!

I will leave you with this final thought:

If you don’t love the way this country is headed, think about the fact the left has had complete control for the last 2 years. Before that, we had $2 gas, energy independence, affordable prices at the grocery store, 3-4% interest on homes. Now, the interest rate is at 7+%, butter costs $5 a pound, gas is all over the map, and we’re begging countries who HATE us for energy. Oh, and we DON’T have reliable wind or solar solutions.

As bleak and criminal as I find all this, I’m going to vote and you should as well.

Go on, I’ll wait.