I'm in Love!

Head over heels

Mom and I had the mini-dumpster from the city garbage department overflowing with urinated carpet.  (See, prior post re: dog urine).  And still, there were two large pieces, very heavy pieces, of carpet left on the driveway.

As the garbage truck drove by, on its' way to another errand, I waved.  I was trying to mouth whether it was okay whether the dumpster was overflowing.  They kept driving.  About twenty-minutes later they came back to dump it.

Both men got out of the cab to put the dumpster on the dumping mechanism.  They were both pretty cute, and clean cut.  One started chatting me up about the house, how long it had been vacant, etc.

For $25, I am only supposed to get the dumpster for one week, ending today.  After they dumped it out, he agreed to let me have it for one more week.  BUT THEN, he asked whether the two heaps of heavy carpet on the driveway was the only thing left.  "Yes!", I said.  He cajoled the other guy into heaving both carpets into the dumpster, emptied it again, and left with it.

My heroes!

Sorry, I don't have a picture.  But I don't think I will now forget which day is garbage pick up day.

The Neighbor Who Bears Juicy News

Stock photo

Today, I drove over to the house to meet with the chimney sweep to get an assessment of the fireplace.  While the guys were cleaning it out, I spied an older lady smoking on the back porch of the house next door.  I had seen her before but thought now would be a good time to introduce myself.

She eagerly told me that she used to own the home.  She let it go back to the bank.   Thanks to her the home is clad with a newer roof, newer siding, and relatively new windows.  These features made it a good buy for me, even though there are many repairs to do.

She was also a prodigious gardener.  Flower bulbs are growing all over the lot and include daffodils, happily being yellow, and tulips whose colors we cannot yet see.

As quickly as I could into the conversation, without seeming opportunistic, I asked whether all of the flowering trees, with their pink and their white blooms, were fruit trees.  What a precious answer!  Yes, yes and yes.  A pear tree grows in the back, a yellow peach and an apricot on the side, and an apple, two pears and a "fruit cocktail" tree in the front.

Stock photo of an apple blossom

Her description of how luscious and juicy the yellow peaches are had me longing for harvest time this summer.  Maybe I will learn how to can fruit.

As for my neighbor, she now lives in the Philippines and is on a lengthy visit to her cousin, who lives next door.  She works a few hours per week at a hotel in town.

Questions bombard my mind to ask her the next time I see her.  As predicted this hand watering is now old after only two times.  So, how does the irrigation system work?  Which trees have which fruit?  What needs to be done to the fruit trees throughout the year?  Does the garage floor flood during heavy rain?  What is underneath the siding?

Preparing for Easter (Resurrection Commemoration Day)

My sister and I scrubbed and scrubbed the kitchen yesterday.  It's hard to believe how dirty a kitchen can get.  It's probably not as dirty as it could have been.  I will not have time to repaint the cabinets before I move in and definitely not by tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I was the one to find the mouse poop.  Just disgusting.  I had to carefully wipe that out over fears of Hanta virus, rather than shop vac it out and disburse the poop via air particulates.  There was also a plumbing leak in times past that resulted in black mold underneath the sink.

Black mold can be toxic, can be, but I do not have time to get squeamish about it.  I just washed it down with bleach.  Actually, I've been spraying it with bleach ever since it became mine.  I do have pictures of the moldy cabinet, but I do not want to make anyone vomit on their keyboards.  So, I'll withhold those from your viewing.

Today I will be painting this product from Zinsser over it.  I am told that this is the absolute best product for covering smell and sealing out bad things, better than Kilz, because it is shellac based.  Water based and latex sealers cannot do what shellac does.  The B-I-N will also go over the urine areas of the plywood subfloor after it is sanded down.

Zinnser B-I-N Shellac Base Primer & Sealer Stain Killer

Happy Easter to all.  Enjoy the gift of Christ, the only one whose blood can cover and blot out our sins totally.

Yesterday was Overwhelm Appreciation Day, Followed by a Shopping Day

What that means is I took the day off of house stuff, and work stuff too.  I just couldn't take it anymore.

It's Spring, and my non-existent yard, with the weedwhacked daffodils is just sitting there as an eyesore.  Sister loaned me some grass seeds and I bought a garden hose.  Yes, this is the first garden hose I've ever purchased in my entire life.  Is that pathetic?

I am trying to have Easter dinner over at the new house this Sunday.  We got a leg of lamb at Costco today and some other food to go with it.  This will require a thorough scouring, because the kitchen is pretty dirty.

Yesterday, I did some searching on craigslist for appliances.  I found the below fridge, for about $100.  I gave a deposit today and will go back with the trailer to get it tomorrow.  This will help greatly with the Easter dinner.

I think this is the couple's "garage fridge", but it seems to work.  They've bought a new house.  It's about 10 years old they said.  I've never had a freezer on the bottom.

Thankfully, my contractor guy got the toilet fixed so that the water could be turned on.  Also, he's going to move the water heater out of its' closet in the kitchen, to a location in the garage.  That will give me a pantry in the kitchen.

Sorry, today is a boring post.

Plumbing Leaks -- The Never Ending Drama

We knew there was one leak in the wall at the shower.  That got fixed.  But since it was a leak during the inspection, the water supply to the house was immediately turned off.  So, I really did not know what the plumbing situation was.  It's a risk I took.  The house was owned by a bank.  So they made it very clear they would make no repairs.

Well, the crappy hot water heater leaks, the kitchen faucet is busted and the toilet is leaking under the house.  Drat.

So I'm looking at kitchen faucets.  I like the coppery country look.  Here are some candidates.  Feel free to vote or comment.



Fontaine Classique Pullout Kitchen Faucet with Soap Dispenser  $155



Elements of Design Two Handle Centerset Kitchen Faucet With Spray $76

Elements of Design Goose Neck Centerset Kitchen Faucet With Spray $97



There are more at the efaucets website, but, goodness, they are expensive.

Someone Weedwhacked My Flowers

Weirdness.  When I went over to the house this morning, someone had cut off the tops of swaths of nascent daffodils.  They had not bloomed yet.  Why would someone come over to my house, and just along the side of the driveway, cut off the tops of my daffodils?

Is it a hostile maneuver?  Is it a welcome of sorts, like, "Welcome to the neighborhood.  We'll cut some of your weeds for you"?  I just can't figure it out.

Not all of the bulb plants were cut, just the ones near the driveway.  This had to have been this morning before I got to the house or yesterday evening.  Theories anyone?

April Fool's Day, Wherein I Learned How to Use a Shop Vac

April 1 was offload-the-junque-off-the-uhaul-truck day. I was blessed to have friends and family to help me unload all my schtuff from Sacramento into the new house's garage. So we got some pix of that.

Wonderful sister who made deer meat chili for the workers' lunch

I drove the truck all the way from Sacramento on Friday night.  That was a lot of fun.  Actually, the trucks aren't that bad to drive.

Mom and Me

Wonderful brother in law

Oh yes, did I mention "shop vac"?  This is me getting tacks, nails and debris off the floor with ye olde Shop Vac.  These things are pretty cool.  You can scoop up just about anything.

Face Mask Couture

The carpet padding that had fused with the plywood and staples due to dog urine was pretty challenging to remove.  Treated the urine areas with Fabuloso and water.  I'm not really sure that's going to cut it.  Bought some Kilz today and might try that tomorrow and see if it blocks out the smell.