Musings on a Small Life

We're still here and doing fine at the moment. I haven't been blogging much because (a) I've entered my stupid-busy time of year and (b) there really isn't much to update on. (It's a sad irony that the nicest time of year, weather-wise, is my my worst time of year, work-wise.) It's a banner spring for my hostas, which haven't looked so good in a long time. That will change with the coming heat, as presumably we will get stifling temperatures at some point, but for now I'm just enjoying them before they're fried to a crisp. I'm inching closer to the actual bathroom reno, because I now have a new three-piece acrylic tub and surround sitting in my garage, delivered by the contractor and his guys (sons) last week. I'm NOT looking forward to demo day, but I AM looking forward to getting rid of the old steel tub, worn down to black in various spots, and the old, cheap surround that is cracked in too many places and patched with white duct tape. (...

In my entire life, I don't think I've lived anywhere that was properly done (built/repaired/etc.) and that actually looked good . Why would this be any different? LOL.   The plumber came today to install the new fixtures; it looks ridiculous . (But keep reading before you form a mental comment!)     This is what happens when the fixtures company sends the brushed nickel fixtures you ordered but a chrome plate. (The plate will not be permanent, but will have to stay until the reno, to cover up the holes from the previous two taps.) I could have waited for a nickel plate, but it would have been yet another LONG delay, and it's already been about eight weeks. (And I can already see that I will want the kind of brushed nickel fixtures that do NOT show any water marks!)   He explained what should be done when I replace the tub surround (move the tap fixture up, the spout fixture down) and that I won't need a plate once that's done (new drywall, of course). Until then......

First, happy September, even though it's a bit belated given it's September 7th as I type this. There are signs of fall now, even though the temps continue to be in the low to mid-20s Celsius. I had taken last Thursday and Friday off, had a mall "date" with a friend on Friday. It was nice to catch up with her and do a bit of window shopping too.  :-) Derry continues to have intermittent output issues and I now suspect IBD. For example, yesterday he had great poop, but then 1.5 hours later was in the litter box with soft plops, and again a couple of hours after that, and this is how it has been going. I'm taking him back to the vet on Friday for further bloodwork, including his T4 for hyperthyroidism, which was missed in August, and also his B12 and Folate. I read this on vcacanada.com  this morning: "...measurement of the level of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) in the blood - this can indicate whether there is decreased ability to absorb nutrients and a need for su...

Note: Comments are off for this post.   I just wanted to thank everyone for their support, I truly appreciate it.   I really don't have the "patience of a saint," it's that I absolutely loathe drama and conflict and I'd prefer to walk away than fight. I'm a "flight" person! LOL. I'll only turn and fight if there's no other viable option. Also, fighting takes a lot of mental and emotional energy and I'm pretty short on that right now, particularly as a close family member currently has a significant health issue to deal with and a lot of my energy is focused on that person, especially as, because of COVID, I'm not able to be there with them.   All that said, thanks to one of yesterday's comments, I now know that the shingles on the roof are architectural shingles and are supposed to be textured like that.   Pic from a Google search.   That eases my mind somewhat, though doesn't guarantee that my roof won't leak.   I still w...

For anyone who actually wants to know what the "next chapter" of the really, really bad roof story is, here we go:   It didn't take long for two (different) guys from the construction company to come out on Saturday morning, Jan 16th, after the leak in the guest room. They went up and put another "waterproof" membrane down on top of the one that had been put on the day before. One of the two guys DID come and look up in the attic for himself, saw the leaking mess and took pics. Neither of them claimed to understand how this could have happened, of course. (Do I look like I'm fresh out of the cabbage patch to believe that bs? But no one steps up and takes responsibility for errors and bad jobs nowadays, something I find especially frustrating and annoying.)   On Friday Jan 22 two of the same three guys who had done the prep work on the 15th came back to actually shingle the back half. I made my feelings known, though neither said a thing, of course. They did...

It's Friday January 15 as I type this and the roofers have just left. Yes, they were here! They actually did the back half of the roof, and supposedly will be back on Monday to do the front, unless it's too icy. (They weren't able to do the entire roof at once because it took too long for the frost to melt this morning.)   I was talking with one of the guys (not the foreman), and he was explaining that they had put a synthetic membrane down first (not done originally, or when they re-roofed about 15 years ago) and that the shingles now are a different type, will last longer. They don't slot together, they're all of a piece. So he assured me that the roof won't leak; at least the back half won't. (It hasn't anyway.) I told him that one of the issues has been a gap at the gable, allowing water into the master bedroom (front of the unit, over the garage), but he told me that they had wrapped the gable with the membrane and that it should be fine. (Fingers c...

[This a long post, so apologies in advance.] There were/are three things to celebrate this week: First, my birthday on Wednesday! I now am old enough to qualify for a senior discount at two local chain drugstores. (They start "young" here, at 55.) I went at lunch time yesterday and got my first discount. 20% off regular priced items every Thursday at Shopper's, not sure what day of the week for Rexall, as I don't typically shop there. I treated myself to this mini-raspberry mousse cake, from Farm Boy, though I was too exhausted on my birthday to eat it. I ate it for breakfast yesterday (Thursday) instead. Yum. Second, the new toilet installation! The plumber called shortly after I got home from work on Tuesday, said he would be at my house between 1 PM - 3 PM on Wednesday. That derailed my plans for a leisurely, fun birthday (breakfast out, a ramble for some pics and then some errands and clothes shopping). I should note that I no longer work on my birth...

The floor guy will return tomorrow at 9:30 EDT to actually lay the floor. Turns out the sub-floor was so bad (big hump) in one spot (and not level at all, obviously) that he had to go get his belt sander and have at it, then trowel on levelling compound (last thing he did before he left, and it's taking forever to dry).   Then he had to use his angle grinder on all the metal door frames (four out of five doorways, so eight pieces) so that he'll be able to slide the flooring underneath. It's a toss up as to which noise is worse: that of the belt sander on the sub-floor or that of the angle grinder. I have to say that I think the belt sander edges out the angle grinder. But both made truly horrendous noise. Your reno tip for the day : Don't be home (either you or your pets) while anything like this is taking place. The boys still are in the basement; they've been there since 7:45 AM and it's 3 PM now. I did let Nicki out a couple of times, the se...

Backing up from the events of Friday night, I had the master bedroom window replaced, at last: The room prepped, prior to the installer's arrival   The old window out...amazing how much larger the hole in the wall seems!   The new window in place, after some struggle on the part of the installer and his assistant.   He actually had to pry the window into place and damaged a bit of the vinyl frame.   With the trim on, however, it's covered up. Bonus: There's lots of spray foam around the window now! (None at all before.) I won't describe the three hours in total that I spent trying to put up the new curtain rod I had purchased. Suffice to say it was disastrous, with many holes in the mushy drywall. No anchor would hold and I made huge holes in the wall. However, friends Robin and Chuck came up (or maybe it's down) today and Chuck was able to install the rod, minus any anchors at all. Having done it so much, he knew just where to place the sc...