Off Line

We are off line. Even worse, we are off phone.

I noticed yesterday morning that I couldn't get on line. Later in the day, when I decided to call CenturyLink about the problem, I discovered our phone was out as well.

I called CenturyLink on Susan's cell phone and got their weekend repair line which was totally useless. I spent an hour on a chat with a guy who had me reset the router. I kept asking him about the phone line but he kept talking about the router. I finally got through to him that the phone line was out as well. He was unable to help me and transferred me to someone in the phone division.

This second gut began by having me reset the router. I said shouldn't we get the phone line back first. "Oh, is your phone line out too?"

You can't scream at someone in a chat. I can't keep the caps lock on.

This guy finally got me to someone who could work on the phone. I had to do this all through "Chat" as there is nobody to talk to on the weekends.

The phone person had me go downstairs and reset the phone block. It's a simple task of unplugging the cord and putting it back in. I went back upstairs to Susan's cell and said I had reset the phone.

She said she would be sending a technician on Tuesday and that was that.

After hanging up, I checked the phone and I had a dial tone. The phone bitch never had me check that.

The internet is still out so I guess I have to wait until the tech arrives on Tuesday, conveniently scheduled between 8 and 5.

CenturyLink, your weekend tech assistance is really horrible.    

Cabinet Problem

We have run into our first problem. The tall pantry cabinets are the wrong size. They are supposed to be 12 inches deep but the ones we have are 24 inches deep.

I will be calling Jess at Cabinet Pro tomorrow to find out what we do next.

In the meantime, I have some exciting pictures of my neighbor Nathaniel, cutting down a tree in his yard.

It was very loud!

Cabinets Arrive

The cabinets arrived today. There is no more room in the house.

It took the two guys about an hour to unload everything and carry it in.

Next we need to start identifying the various boxes and figure out what goes where.

We have hired a friend, Shaun, to help with installing the cabinets. He is coming over on Monday to help us get started. We are going to start in the pantry as that will be the easiest set of cabinets to install.

Final Priming

I am kind of in limbo here. We are down to end of kitchen prep and the cabinets are being delivered next Thursday.

Susan is putting primer on the kitchen windows. There’s not much for me to do for the moment. The next thing to do before the cabinets is to sand the floor to get out the high points.

That will be be next Monday I hope. So I’m going to do some small little stuff around the house and stay out of Susan’s way. Which is what I normally do anyway!

Heat Cable Installation Saga

I had a knock at the doorbell at 8:00AM today. It was Kyle from Over the Top Roofing. He was here to install some heat cable up on my roof where the ice dam forms. (Refer to Christmas Day 2022 Post)

I was expecting a call in advance of his visit so I could wire an outlet to plug into up there. We are going high tech by plugging the heat cable into a box with a thermal switch. That way, it comes on automatically somewhere around 32° and shuts off whenever the temperature is above that.

So my project for today is to get the outlet installed and wired.

Here’s what I have done so far. I drilled the hole for my wire and fed enough through to make the run. I’m heading over to the General Store to buy a box. I need to go out and scrounge some conduit to run the wire through. My only concern right now is whether I have enough ladder to reach my work space.

10:45AM: I finally found the right circuit to turn off (Circuit # 33) and I have successfully connected the wire to power.

Next, I have to see if I have enough ladder.

1:23PM: I don't have enough ladder.

To be continued... 

Arbor Vitae Revival

We had some work done on our Arbor Vitae hedge today that was long overdue. And as a result, not cheap. A crew of four showed up this morning and went to work on the shrubbery. They cleaned out a bunch of dead stuff, tied up sagging branches, trimmed the bushes and topped them off so we have a nice straight clean line on top.

Here’s how it looked this morning.

And here is how it looks now. Quite a difference! The crew from Star Pruners worked all day so I guess it was worth the $1,500 we paid them.

We’ve got to keep them healthy.

Unfinished Projects

We've had a pretty good week working on the windows.

I got a bunch of weights re-strung with new rope on the deck windows. I'm almost done removing the paint and getting everything down to wood.

Today, I'm taking a break to work on a couple of other projects. The first one is to run a wire out under the eve where we plug in the heat cord up on the roof. I've just been up in the attic surveying the area and I am about to go back up and drill a little hole. Then I'll feed the wire through and have it sticking out the hole until I can get a ladder tall enough to reach the spot from the yard. The ladder I have is just a touch short.

The other project is something I have needed to finish from the remodel of the upstairs bathroom. The fan is vented into the attic but I need to install a vent on the side of the house so it vents properly.

Don't be concerned. I don't use that fan very much and it doesn't look moldy up there. But it is something I need to complete.

So...here I go!

I had a semi-successful trip back up to the attic. I forgot to take my headlamp with me and of course, my flashlight wouldn't stay lit. I managed to get a hole drilled for the fan vent. I plugged it with a little bit of insulation. 

I tried drilling a hole for the wire and was not as successful. I'm going to have to drill the hole from the outside and that requires the big ladder.