OMG!

The question is... Did we hit rock bottom today, far as mess, chaos, destruction and kitchen mayhem go... or do I still have a little way to go???

At this point I'm not really sure. Or am I just not sure it matters anymore?

We MUST be close now.

8am:

Josh, Eric and Josh's dad turned up to work! Yep... Josh takes his dad to work when he is visiting!!! The day started out fairly efficiently but stepped up considerably as it went along, turning my house into a crazy hive of activity.

The laundry got its second and third coats of mud.

The kitchen had its insides turned outside.

More electrical and plumbing to reconfigure for a dual fuel stove, under cabinet lights.

And up came the linoleum, revealing (no surprises here) some thin and decidedly mushy plywood that needed replacing.

The cabinets arrived and spent the day enjoying the view from the driveway - until there was room inside to store them.

3:30pm: An exhausted Eric, Josh and his dad pulled away from my house. I was not long home from my own crazy day, but really glad to hear them say they would be back tomorrow. :-)

I believe we are texturing walls tomorrow... So that Saturday I can paint!

Thanks Marijke and Loki!

This evening I had the pleasure and priviledge of a sunset flight in Marijke's plane, Loki.
Fun, fun, fun!!!

We took off about 6:30pm... just as the sun set and the moon rose. Almost a full moon in fact. Large, yellow and beautiful.

I sat in back... but was allowed to touch the controls! :-)

Gorgeous colors, twinkling lights, serenity.

Thanks Marijke... for the flight and the conversation. I'm looking forward to spending more time with you. :-)

Are You Kidding Me?

Picture this...

Monday night, dark and rainy. I was doing a mad dash for dinner before my dance class.

Heading south on 30th St, I pulled to a stop behind someone turning left. All of sudden there was a loud noise and a jolt that threw my head forward... then back. Not really sure what had just happened, I waited a few minutes then pulled the car into a side street and stopped. The 4-runner that had hit me from behind, followed me.

I have to say the other driver was very nice. He made sure I was ok, then called the police and let me borrow his phone to call Osman. I waited in the car, out of the rain, nursing my sore neck and fast approaching headache.

It turns out the guy had bald tires and his brakes locked. Let's face it, it could have happened to anyone. I did feel sorry for him. Wrong place and wrong time for both of us.

The police came... as did an ambulance and fire truck! Yes, I was THAT person, clogging the road, holding up traffic. It's quite the ordeal to refuse transport to a hospital, but after signing the appropriate documents and waiting for the police report, Osman drove me to get checked out at the ER... just in case.

Three hours and half a dozen x-rays later, I was cleared to leave, Vicodin bottle in hand. The Doc assured me I would feel worse tomorrow... and she was right!

:-(

Honestly though... it could have been a lot worse. I'm a lucky girl!

The Lexus did it's job - and possibly made the ultimate sacrifice. :-)

Stepping Out

The weather forecast called for clear skies and a balmy 70-something. Yeah...Not!

With low visibility and high humidity, I cancelled plans to head to higher altitude to hike today. Marley and I set off to South Boulder Trail Head instead.

It has been quite a while since I hiked this trail and had NO Flatiron view.

We stopped briefly to take pics and admire the wildflowers - although they are nearing the end, I could almost see them smiling as the mist enveloped them. Then it was time for a rest on a flat rock. Just a minute or two to listen to the cricket-song and give the mandatory doggie hug. (FYI: Hugging a decidedly damp golden retriever is not as cute as it sounds!)

It was a good way to start the weekend though. Now for Home Depot and an afternoon of painting, followed by flight study. With a mug of hot tea, I call it an almost perfect day!

Running on Fumes

Today (Day 2 of head cold) I formulated the brilliant plan to mix Sudafed with paint fumes, to clear the sinuses. Not only did it work, but I found myself to be amazingly productive. Well, at least compared to yesterday, when I sat on the sofa most of the day!!!

That would be me... sitting on the kitchen floor, spraying TSP all over the place, wiping off years of grime and filth in order to paint our kitchen cabinets a serene shade of sage green. But believe it or not, I do find it therapeutic.

Yes... I'm the photographer too and it only took a dozen shots to get myself somewhat in focus! Meanwhile, my paintbrush was drying out and I was having difficulty keeping the paint off myself.... such is life.

Where is Osman again??

No going back now

Who would have thought that our heavy wooden cabinets were attached to the wall by two screws and a couple of nails? Not me!

And while it's not something I would ever attempt again, for 55 years these cupboards have been jam-packed with plates, glasses and cookware...And I'm pretty sure we are not the only household to stack all manner of over-sized item on top of them either.

Today I spent way too long unpacking them and boxing the contents, preparing for the task of cabinetry removal.

Eric arrived at 3pm to aid in the actual removal. They are too heavy for just little old me to pull down - and luckily he had done this before.

Apparently the last time this cheery apple green paint had seen the light of day was indeed 1955. Since then at least 3 other colors had found their way into the kitchen - but never behind the cabinets, just around them.

Now all that is required is a decent shower in TSP to loosen the grime and grease of a thousand dirty hands, a very disposable rag to wipe them clean.

Tomorrow I paint!

These cabinets are being recycled to the new laundry... but that's going to be another post.

Fleeting Beauty

This little guy has been visiting us in the morning and late afternoon all summer.

The bright red and pink bell shaped flowers are his favorite.

I love to hear his shrill whistle as he breezes through.

Smokey Joe loves to snooze at the base of the plants. The hummingbird seems to enjoy flirting with him.... Even following Smokey Joe under the eaves of the house when the rain set in and hovering just inches from him!

It's like camping... except colder and dirtier!

Hmm.... Where do I begin?

Remember when I said there were some smaller projects that had to be dealt with before we could really begin the kitchen?

Small Project #3

Our 1955 house still exhibits it's original windows - single paned and metal framed. Aside from being horrible little heat sinks, they are NOT pretty. At some point (soon, I hope) we will endeavor to replace them all. For now we are content to "learn" good window replacement technique, guided by neighborhood wisdom and a whole lot of experimentation. It's a process that might resemble tearing, gouging and smashing out the kitchen window to the untrained eye!

Before we begin...

The little cuts you already see in the frame allowed Osman to accurately measure the "window hole" for ordering the new window. Thanks for the tip Ned!

The theory being that taping the glass first would result in less spraying of shards...

But alas, shortly after this picture and even more shortly after I almost lost an eye, we taped sheaths of cotton sheet over the window too. Safety first! (Or at least a close second)

And once the frame for the actual glass was removed, it was just a matter of grappling with a powered saw until the steel frame was successfully cut open enough to allow a pry-bar in!

And presto! A gaping hole in the house that timed itself perfectly with overnight lows close to 50 degrees last night.

Like I said....Just like camping, only colder... and dirtier!

Opening up... it's good for the soul

Since the day we signed a lease to rent this house, I envisioned an open kitchen.

After we bought it, I longed for, prayed for, begged for an open kitchen!!!

All it took was a large beam...

The expertise of our neighbor, friend and contractor, Jim...

And LOTS of load-distributing wooden structure in the attic, before we could hack that kitchen wall into pieces and drag it out of the house.

Before:

The blue line is my best effort and demonstrating the shape I would like the new kitchen island to be.

During:

This is harder than it looks!

After:

Aside from some minor inconveniences - ducts, electrical outlets, old TV antenna wire and our programmable thermostat, the deconstruction was a piece of cake!

The dust and debris that was akin to a bomb going off in the house was not super ideal, but I still maintain it was worth it, just to get this far.

Let the good times roll

It's a love-hate relationship... Home improvement.

I love the anticipation. Watching something grow out of nothing, evolving into what could only be an improvement - given what we are starting with!

I hate the mess and of course the expense. There is nothing like a front living room full of "stored items" from the garage to encourage feelings of chaos and filth.

Ah-hmmm, that is bicycles, the cat's transporter box, a watering can, storm windows and plenty of extra t.p that you see :-(

It was this exact time last year that our back room was remodeled. And as I write, we are embarking on our biggest project yet....

Our 1955 kitchen, complete with aging washing machine behind a green curtain, dysfunctional in every other way, needs much more than a face lift! Someone (a man?), in their infinite wisdom, designed it with no dishwasher, few usable cabinets, lighting that comes from another room and little counter space.

We are redesigning it and it WILL be good!

But before I put the cart before the horse, we needed to work on a couple of pre-kitchen remodel projects.

That washing machine deserved a laundry room... somewhere to hang with the dryer and where its chattering vibrations could be closed off.

Enter Josh and Eric... To the rescue again. :-)

Once the back end of the garage... as if by magic, almost overnight we have a floor joists for the raised floor, framing in place for the laundry room and half bath (new addition, decided on the fly!) waste and other plumbing lines in.

Today was actually Day 3 of the project. We now have an insulated floor and walls in the new laundry room and a fire-stop door from the laundry room into the remaining garage. (Building code has changed since 1955, when things like stopping the spread of fire into the house or insulation in the walls of a house were considered unnecessary luxuries. Don't even get me started on grounding outlets, I KNOW they had appliances and lightning in the 50's!!!)

So far so good! It certainly looks like a room now.
They will be back to help finish the install in a little bit... stay tuned.