Getting Closer

We have been waiting for a part for the faucet on the new sink and so have not been able to put it into the bathroom. The part arrived on Saturday and I spent Sunday putting it together. It took all day to get everything hooked up. I'm talking about the faucet here, I haven't got to the drain yet. When I pressurized the system, there were leaks from both hot and cold water lines. Nothing torrential, but I had to shut it down after I tested it. I'll be working on it over the next few days, I suspect.

Anyway, we are another step closer.

My other big accomplishment was the shower window. It now has the etched glass effect. The discerning eye will notice that I incorporated the pattern from the wall paper into the window design.

Finished Shower

I finally can say that I have some decent progress to report. Above I have a progressive representation of the shower from beginning to end. Don't make the mistake that I am finished. I am not. We still have to get the sink installed and the major hangup there is waiting for a part for our faucet.

I am also happy to report that my Hops crop is hopping along. That little tendril is about four inches long than shown in this picture. It's still to chilly to put in the ground, but on warm days when I can bring it out into the sun, that thing really grows. I talked my neighbor Ted into buying a couple of plants as well. Now I have six that I can access.

A Post for the Tax Man

We got our taxes filed a long time ago and already have our refund so today being the 15th (the Deadline) is not relevant to me. I just wanted to acknowledge the day and then move on.

Moving on, Winter has sort of returned again for the fifth time this Spring. There was a dusting of snow on the roof tops and lawns this morning. It's almost gone now.

I put some lights back up in the bathroom last night and I may start capping the wainscoting one of these evenings. I'll have to get very motivated to start that project during the week. It's probably best to wait for the weekend.

I'm generally pretty good at putting things off until the weekend.

One Wall to Go!

After a weekend of sun and heat, I gathered up the newspaper this morning to see a deluge of rain. It was still warm and the freshness of it all was wonderful. I stood out there on the front porch and drank it in.

Susan made great progress in the bathroom with the wall papering and only has one wall to go. It's the long one but it doesn't have any obstacles, angles or corner to negotiate. Unfortunately, she has no time in the next few days to finish it up so it will have to wait a bit longer.

I can probably start capping off the wainscoating and then we can put the sink in. I am waiting on a crucial part that should be here this week.

In the meantime, I spent my Sunday in the yard. I trimmed the arborvitae down to about 12 feet and removed a lot of the damaged and spindly branches. The winter really did a number on the shrubbery. They don't look too good right now but I think they will recover. Next I need to hit them with some good fertilizer.

I have a couple of hops plants that I am starting. Right now they are in buckets in the basement. I have a Cascade variety and a Sterling variety. I brought them out into the sun yesterday and I believe they really enjoyedit.

I don't plan to brew beer with them although I won't ignore fresh hops if they provide it. I mainly wanted some growing vine plants to cover the arbor on the deck. I'm going to plant a couple of varieties of grapes as well as a clamatis. It should look great in a few years.

Finally Feeling Pretty

For the first time in a week, I feel human again. All I had was a cold but it held on and kept me uncomfortable since last Saturday.

It goes without saying that nothing has been done on the house this week. I ended up staying home a couple of days and I tried to putter around and accomplish a few tasks. The problem was that I couldn't sustain any activity before wanting to nap. I felt too good to stay home but not good enough to go to work...or DO any work.

I'm not making any promises for this weekend.

Ambitious Plans of the Weekend Fool

None of my big plans for the weekend have bore any fruit. Let's start with the skunk.

I put a humane trap out in the yard last night. I threw a bunch of hot dogs around it and then in it. When I got up this morning, it was empty. I left it out there and it wasn't long before I looked out and saw one of our cats in it. At least I know it works when the animal cooperates. Maybe I put too many hot dogs in the yard and she got full before she found the trap.


I worked yesterday at my job at the bar and then went to a football game. Spokane has an Arena II Football team. They played the Stockton Lightning and they killed them. The final score was 70 to 12. I still don't really understand all the nuances of the game and it doesn't feel like a replacement for football to me. I can wait until Fall.

Susan got started on the bathroom yesterday but didn't get very far. The work she did today involved removing one of the pieces she placed yesterday. She's a real perfectionist when it comes to this kind of stuff. If she doesn't get it right, she'll be looking it at for the rest of her life, or until she fixes it. It's still too early to get a good feeling of how it will look but I think it's going to look great.

I was unable to do much of anything today. I started feeling a little scratchy throat yesterday and I didn't feel all that great at the Football. I woke up this morning about the same. Not terrible, but I knew I had better take it easy and try and beat this cold early. The way I'm feeling now, I will probably work only half a day tomorrow. I'll go in and figure out the hot spots and put out those fires and then come home and stoke my fire.

I discovered the wonder and magic of the Netty Pot today. It's a thing to give your sinuses a bath. It feels kind of weird at first. It's sort of reminiscent of the feeling you get when you snort in a bunch of water in a swimming pool but it really works and I could really breath after I used it. In fact, it's been a while since I used it and I think I could use another, Thank you!

Weekend Projects

It's going to be a dramatic weekend of change for the bathroom. If all goes well, we will be done with this project on Sunday.

I say that knowing that I have not yet purchased towell racks or a medicine cabinet. I also have an issue with our faucet on the sink. I think I'm missing a part.

But the main stuff will be done. Susan will start wall papering tomorrow and then I'll place the cap on the wainscoating and that will be that.

I also have plans to catch me a skunk. We saw her out in the yard last night. She's not as big as I was thinking she was. I think she will fit in the trap.

Once I have her, it's a simple matter of trucking her out to the country side and setting her free, without getting nailed by skunk juice.

Details and picture to follow.