Musings on a Small Life

The countertop went in yesterday afternoon, though not without kerfuffle, a few snafus. I won't bother going into those. LOL. Just par for the course, given the week! It's very neutral and unobtrusive, not what I would have chosen in a "forever" home, but it will go with anything and shouldn't offend anyone. Plus it's better than the hideous green painted counter that was there before (that was my doing...my big mistake years ago).   The floor doesn't look that dark in person.   Today the backsplash should be done, and then that's it! 🤞 I thought the entryway floor would be done today too, the installer had told me a couple of weeks ago that he'd do it today, but yesterday he said he'd be in next week to do that. Instead, he's going to do the entry closet (new rod, two shelves going in, coat hooks)...I hope. (This is work I'm paying him for separately.) I have one wall left to paint in the living room, hopefully on Sunday, and then I c...

It feels like a full moon week, but it's not, that was last week. Maybe it's a residual effect....   Yesterday, after a 10-month wait, I finally had an appointment with an ENT (ear-nose-throat doctor). Only to be told what I already guessed months ago was the case: that my year+ right ear issue actually is a jaw alignment/TMJ issue, nothing to do with my ear, which is fine. The kicker was that the doctor lacked any basic courtesy and (a) couldn't be bothered to respond when I asked how they were, how the day was going and (b) turned and walked out of the room as I was thanking them for their time. All I could think was that I'm glad that I don't work there!     Then today I had a follow-up eye appointment for the (new to me) field of vision test and other repeat scans. I'd had a regular check in January and the retinal scans were fine, but another test at the time indicated an anomaly in the left eye which could mean glaucoma or could just be my eye. (Again, re...

Hi all, I'm still around, just with nothing to "say."   The lilacs have peaked and are on the way out now.   The kitchen could have been finished this week, but I had a work conflict, had to be on campus for the day the counter people wanted to come in. So they  will be here on the 30th and the backsplash tiling will be done on the 31st, along with the entryway floor. The irises are also at their peak now.   After that, it's just the extra work I'm having the cabinet installer do for me privately, and the painting I need to do. (I wanted to hire that out, but I haven't called anyone yet.) Then I can start to clean up and put things back to rights. It's been so hot lately that my bleeding heart is just about done, very early this year. George (not Leonard , Leonard is the name of the missing brother!) still comes almost daily for treats, sometimes multiple times (because he knows what a soft touch I am). The grey and white cat with the protruding tongue s...

The first is Stewie, whom I didn't even recognize, the store cat at one of the Pet Valu locations. I had stopped in yesterday to get Leonard's treats, saw this fellow and thought it was a new store cat. Stewie has lost a LOT of weight and looks great! (Intentional, not because he has a medical issue.) He was keeping his distance from a woman and her dog. The second mancat is Leonard, obviously, from this morning. He's such a sweet boy. What a mooch!   As for the kitchen, it's coming along. The cabinets are in, the door pulls are all on, and the fridge and stove have been moved back into place. I spent Friday evening and both Saturday and Sunday afternoons organizing my most-used items, which did require a run to Dollarama for storage bins. I still have quite a few things to find a home for, things I rarely use but don't want to donate (wine glasses, glass cookware, etc.)   The pics are from Friday when the installer was still here, before the fridge and stove were p...

I spent a good chunk of time in Home Depot on Saturday morning, and the rest of the day putting a couple of coats of paint on the kitchen ceiling and on the areas behind the fridge and stove.  In between the coats, I puttered out in the little garden, trying to tidy things up. Does anyone else out there know how hard it is to dig up ferns that have taken hold and are spreading like wildfire, choking everything else out?  Anyway, this morning the countertop guy came to measure...at 7 AM! I had NO idea what time he would be showing up, he was lucky I was even dressed. As it was, I hadn't even brushed my teeth yet, and when the knock came at the door, I was leaning half out my bedroom window, cleaning the outside of the window. Jeepers. Anyway, he told me it'll be three weeks (though it could be sooner). I get it, it's a quartz counter and they have plenty of other clients lined up before my little job! At 8AM the installer showed up to do the baseboard trim and the crown moul...

This is where things stood at the end of Thursday, reno day 2: That little separate cabinet, second pic, isn't quite what I thought it would be, I was expecting a wider pullout and narrower drawers, but I think this will work better. I like that the drawer unit has more room than I anticipated, and the narrow pullout is intended for cutting boards, cookie sheets, etc.  The upper corner cabinet is wider and deeper than I expected, too, so I'll need to figure out what to do with that. They can install a two-tier lazy Susan, and I'll look at that option. I thought I would lose all the upper part of the cabinet for storage, but the installer (who has just arrived) told me that there would still be a top shelf, as the lazy Susan unit is only 30-inches high. So that actually might be workable, having two tiers of that, plus the upper shelf. The salesperson is ordering it in for me to look at, and will keep it in the showroom if I choose not to go with it. The countertop template ...

I spied these two gorgeous kitties while walking around the neighbourhood on Monday, on a side street I don't normally take. It was quite chilly out, but that didn't deter them from enjoying the sunshine.   I always cringe a bit when I see cats outdoors, unharnessed or not in a catio, but these two seemed quite content to remain in their yard and just appreciate the day.

A note before I start: I have May 1st as a tentative start date for the kitchen reno. We shall see! There's still no initial invoice for the deposit. I checked on that and was told the sales/planning fellow is a bit slack about the money. Okay...just as long as the installer(s) aren't slack!   ******   On April 4th Dad and I went to Stewart Farm and Crescent Beach. He'd taken me there last year, so long-time followers will already have seen pics then. Last year the farmhouse was closed though, this year it was open. It's a typical  1890s Victorian farmhouse, the kind seen all over Canada, and most of my interior pics were very dark (flash photos not allowed).   The area is part of the Semiahmoo Trail, below. We stopped at this little park before going into the farm itself. It's a very pricey real estate area (what part of the lower mainland isn't?). Note: The snapshots are best seen by clicking to enlarge. They look even fuzzier than they really are when I view...