Bullets

Not as in a gun, but as in a style of listing things. So here goes:

• The drywall is up in the basement. Have not gotten to the taping and mudding part yet but that will come soon. And I need to frame in under the stairs to build a couple of fixed shelves for long term storage of bulky items like the cooler and sleeping bags. But that's not bad for doing it all on my own... I have a few scrapes and bruises to attest to that.
  
• I had estimates on a new furnace and air conditioner. Have set the date for install on July 23rd. Price tag comes in at just under $8K for both so it qualifies for the hydro loan so it gets tacked on to my monthly gas and electric bill. No out of pocket $$! Yay! My pockets don't have any $$ these days.
  
• Teak survived the Canada Day fireworks at my bedside, when I should have been asleep. They started at 10:45 pm and went on for a full 30 minutes. The beginning bangs saw him trying to get under my bed. A 60 lbs dog just does not fit. So I spent that whole 30 minutes and then some leaning over the bed, playing music on my phone, singing away and rubbing his ears, trying to drown out the fireworks. It didn't work very well but was probably better than doing nothing. I had hoped he would go into the basement to his hidey spot (which is much quieter than upstairs) but no. He had to stay with me... and be beside himself with fear. *sigh*
  
• I have suspended my television cable service for the summer. (I know... crazy eh!!) I want to get more done around the house and tv is too alluring at times when I am feeling lazy. The only thing I have really done is started watching "Orange is the New Black" on netflix. So far 3 episodes starting at Season 1 Episode 1. Give me a year or two and I might actually make it to the current season! LoL
  
• I ventured back online again a while back. You know... the dating game. So few people responded to flirts and emails, it was getting quite discouraging. One guy (my view counter said he had looked 16 times) finally messaged back saying the site does weird things to make you think someone is looking lots. I don't see why. And there are only a few that seemed to look many times. But whatever. I chatted a number of times with a man who lives about 2 hours away. I told him right off the hop that I was pretty skeptical about the distance but we met for a coffee anyway. Turns out he is really into alternative healing methods (energy grids, reiki, crystals, etc) and felt he had to turn me into a 'believer'. Well, no surprise.. I balked at that right off. I am very solidly science based, thankyouverymuch, so did not really like him pushing me to agree with what he believes. I know lots of people put stock into this but I have never had someone prove to me in a repeatable observable way that it actually works. So... no. And besides, he lives too far away, and was shorter than he put on his profile (being 5'9" means I am a bit of a stickler about being able to look someone in the eye at the very least).
  
• Shortly after that meeting, I met someone else on the same site. He is very close to my age, and a few inches taller (always good!). We have started seeing each other and have been really enjoying getting to know one another. He is educated, witty, creative, caring, compassionate and really fun to be with. As with everything, I am going with the flow and seeing what develops. We've had a number of pretty indepth talks and it's all been good. I am going to be hopefully optimistic. So far there's been no scary things creeping out of the closet. LoL So keep your fingers crossed and wish me luck.
  

And for your viewing delight, I bring you a few photos I have snapped in the past little while. All with my cell phone camera.

Lila's "Einstein" hair
I did not photoshop this at all
The effect is the flash ~ she was only about 2 feet from the wall

The smoke from the forest fires out west made for some crazy sun
This was taken at about 6:00 a.m. last Saturday

A beautiful hibiscus in someone's front yard
These become indoor plants for the winter or they
freeze solid and die

A dragonfly on the wall of a building
Seeing lots of these right now which is great
because they eat mosquitoes!!!

Eh?

It's CANADA DAY!!!!

Have some cake. We are 148 today.

Yeah, I know. Still wet behind the ears.

But hey! We are polite, fun loving and will

be throwing one helluva party in

two years!!

Come join us!!!

Welcome to my dungeon

My basement is rapidly becoming a windowless dungeon.

Okay, maybe not a dungeon, but definitely windowless!

My tiny little house,which I am certain is based on this Sears kit home, had such tiny windows in the basement foundation that only a 10 year old boy could fit through one. Plus the two that were in the rec room had steel mesh bolted on the outside to protect the glass from the gravel lane. That, of course, made it impossible to use them as an emergency exit! There is one other, in the laundry room, that the dryer vent and plumbing for the outside tap run through. Same size.

So. As I have been working in the basement, I have been formulating a plan on what to do with these things. One would have water dripping inside when it rained. The last thing I need is more leaking in the basement!!! (I fixed that already... and it still holding nicely, thankyouverymuch.)

The way these things were built is like this: single pane wooden framed window on the outside, set in a wooden frame that is set in the concrete foundation; dead space the thickness of the foundation (8" ~ completely lined with wood); second single pane wooden frame window inside on the rec room wall, but set back because the basement has been framed, insulated and drywalled.

Here in Central Canadia, in the Land of Ice and Snow (and cold, for a up to 6 months of the year), single panes of glass are as useless as putting a layer of plastic food wrap over the opening.

This is what has become of those useless things. Well, the two in the rec room, at least. I still have the laundry room one to do. I unbolted the metal screens from the windows. You can see that these things are literally at ground level. Which is idiotic. But it is what it is.

I then removed the window. Using pressure treated plywood, which you can use to make a wooden basement if you so desire (and people do ~ and they work well), I covered the opening. It is glued in place with construction adhesive and secured with screws. Nice snug fit.

I have wood preservative rated for below grade wood that will be applied to these pieces of plywood (and the wooden frames) once I have them all in place. I was told I could put several coats on to make sure it soaks in well, and then once it is well dried, the plywood can be painted. I will get some light grey to match the concrete as best possible.

On the inside of this piece of plywood, I glued 1" thick rigid styrofoam insulation. I then caulked completely around the styrofoam to make sure it is well sealed. In the rec room where the inside window pane had been, I glued and screwed a piece of plywood and also glued styrofoam to the inside of this surface. That space between outside and inside windows is now a completely sealed unit.

The area between the former windows and the front edge of the wall framing will be filled with pink insulation, covered in plastic, and then drywalled over like it had never existed. I have lots of adjustable lighting in the rec room (part of the electrical upgrade that Old Fish and I did during the winter) so no worries about it being too dark. Those windows didn't really add any lights anyway!

I work this week and then have 2 weeks' staycation, during which I plan on finishing the windows completely, and the drywall in the basement, and build a couple of storage shelves under the stairs, and make a lattice cover for one side of the stairs where I have put the cats' litter box. The rec room side of the stairs will be drywalled. The other side is in the furnace room. I will make the cats a little opening ~ that the dog can't fit his head through ~ in the lattice. It will be on hinges so I can pull the box out to clean it.

I'll let you know how much I actually get done.

My philosophy on life.

Ch.. ch... ch... Changes

I am going to steal Roses's bullet format for today's post. I like how you can flit from thought to thought without being considered a scatterbrain. ;-)

• The house renos continue, and with that comes changing my living room furniture. What I have now is much too big and bulky for my tiny house. I'd bought it 7 years ago when I bought my previous house, which had a much larger living room. Plus Pips used all the arms as scratching posts until I finally found ones that she will use regularly (when strategically placed close to the ends of the furniture. I have my eye on a red leather loveseat now (not the same couch as mentioned before ~ it was lovely but just too big) that I saw in a flyer the other day. I went to the store, sat on it, wandered around and looked at other stuff, both in store and online. I am now having the debate with myself about affordability. I'll let you know who wins!
  
• I will be spending this weekend organizing the basement. I need storage areas more defined, and a space to set up my weights and treadclimber so that I can get back at the exercise thing. It is still at the bare concrete floor and no drywall on the walls (just insulation and poly vapour barrier) stage. I do walk the dog, but that is more ambling along because he has to sniff and pee on every little thing that someone else has visited. He is always on leash, because he just doesn't interact with other dogs well. Whether that is from a lack of socialization with other canines as a youngster, or from being attacked in the past, I will never know. But this town is bad for unruly dogs running up to him, so to keep both him and the other dog as safe as I can, he is never allowed to run loose. The only place I can do that is the outdoor ice rink near my sister's house. We got here for play dates with her two Aussies.d In fact, we will be doing that tomorrow. He loves to run and run, so I am happy to spend the time (and gas, as she is in the Big City and I am in the Little Nearby City) to allow him the freedom. He truly is a sweetheart in all other ways. Love him to bits, I do!
  
• Like others, spring time has become my time to shed. Not just stuff in the house, but the excess of me as well. I am certain I am pre-diabetic. While I have not been having high blood sugars (have had my Hemoglobin A1C checked and it shows my average sugars over several months within normal limits), I do have drops significant enough that I can feel them. I get all rubbery legged feeling, jittery and horrible. I have had to buy glucose tabs to carry with me for those instances, and have had to use them too. Because I am also much too squidgy in the middle (and that weight distribution negatively affects my back pain issues, I can tell you!), on Monday I started on the Atkins diet routine. From my starting weight to Thursday, I dropped 6.2 lbs. I already feel better because my blood sugar is not yoyoing all over the place. I am hoping (if you would all cheer me on this ~ support is always greatly appreciated!) to be down a good 50 lbs by the end of summer. Yes, that much. Being tall means it doesn't look that bad, but it is, I can tell you. It is.
  
• I am doing my darnedest to stay away from dating websites. I am finding myself lonely right now (to be expected) but I really don't want to get into that right now. If ever again. I have had my heart and trust broken too many times. I've not figured out why guys keep doing this, but it certainly has damaged my ability to take people at face value. When I read Old Fish's profile online, one of the things that struck me was this line: "The truth is important ALWAYS." That is a direct quote, caps and all. I guess it was just good for show and not much else. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it is much better to be truthful with the person you are involved with AND yourself, even if it is difficult to do. Much easier to live with yourself that way too. So for now, I give up.
  
• I have a small back yard. It is completely fenced in, which is wonderful for Teak. It also means that the leaves that the ten (yes, you read that right) trees that live there do not blow away in the wind. Plus the small area that is supposed to be grass is mostly dirt with scattered green bits because of the shade. So this summer will mean major tree removal. Seven of the ten are destined for the wood pile. There is also a juniper that did not fare well over winter, so it will come out as well. The juniper that is in the front also did poorly so out it will come as well. Greenery that is orange is not a good look. Plus a fire hazard (the one in the back yard is about 12 feet from the firepit and I had planned to remove it anyway, but now it is imperative). I am sure all this removal will make it a much sunnier and more inviting area. I will be planting some colourful annuals (read: opening a container and scattering seeds) soon. I am hesitant to do it yet because we have been known to having winter try and return in April.
  
• The outside water spigot needs to be installed. Because the shutoff valve for the old one was leaking, that bit of pipe was replaced during the winter. Now that it is much warmer out, I can get this done. That also means redoing the dryer exhaust vent and that little basement window that everything runs through to the outside. I won't be installing glass back in it. No point. It would be very small and only over the washer, and so not needed. And why go to the expense? Plywood and a coating of waterproofing will do just fine. That way, it will be weatherproof and functional.
  
• I am pretty sure I have enough to keep myself busy for the next few months (or even years... there is still the kitchen gut and reno to do, but that will be lots of $$ so needs to piece together everything else first and then try and recoup from that expenditure.