May -the Final Episode

The final episode for our May vacation has sadly taken me almost a week to publish, and I apologize for that. They had to drag me, kicking and screaming, back to my day job. As hot as it was and as hard as we worked only made me want to keep going. 

We were pretty darn proud or ourselves when the holiday rolled around. We had completed the painting we had said we wanted to get done, Jim had successfully installed the new electric service, and I had disposed of all the drywall debris, excess insulation and the stinky old furniture from the living room. And to round out the week we installed a new door and storm door in the basement.

Now, let’s look at each one of those feats independently as each came with its own set of circumstantial adventures.

Painting was by far the bulk of the week’s work. The objective was to complete the three sides of the cottage we could reach with ladders. The back of the house towers three stories above the driveway so it will have to wait until we rent something more suitable than an extension ladder. And, considering the condition of the old cedar shakes, everything we painted had to be scraped, painted with primer, then painted again with the finished color. Good thing both Jim and I have insufferable tenacity. We simply kept working until the goal was achieved, with some help from Ethan for the high spots.

I had to reaffirm my trust in Jim’s judgement more than once when he climbed a precariously balanced ladder just to reach the last square foot of area. But I never had to question his dedication.

Removal of the drywall and insulation from the upstairs was tiring. The temperatures in the space so close to the roof were intolerable at times. Combine that with a dust mask, flying filament adhering to sweaty skin, and constant bending and tossing and you have a recipe for a hazardous work environment. However, it didn’t compare to my days in old automotive factories that were built before air conditioning was available. So, like before, I pushed on  till every speck of dust was neatly captured in the ShopVac. When it rained Jim would come upstairs to partake in hurling debris out the third story window to the Bagsters below. I do say, we make the most excellent team.

I was of little help with the electric service, but I made a good cheerleader. And, just like everyone told us, the inspectors never pass an installation the first time, especially if it was installed by the home owner. You could hear the smirk in voice as he said “this won’t do” and “that won’t do”. It was a minor setback, though not unexpected. A few alterations and it should be ready for inspection in another week or so.

Ahh, installing a door should be such a breeze, right? They come already framed and drilled. Guess again. They come framed for a relatively new structure that has standard widths and heights. Not necessarily for a doorway that was carved into glass block and concrete. Thank goodness for chisels and shims. Jim masterfully installed the door like a pro, but only after a couple of trips to Home Depot. We finally found a pre-manufactured trim set that we thought would work. It was artfully molded to add some appeal to the doorway and wide enough to cover the unsightly edges of the glass block. A little creative framing at the top of the door frame and presto, beautiful.

Poor Jim had to fly out of town on Monday afternoon and wanted to make sure he installed the storm door for me as well. So Sunday evening, after a family get together, we headed back to the Hofmann Haus and began what was to be the most compelling adventure of the week. Nothing went smoothly. And I mean nothing. First of all, that beautiful molding…not so conducive to holding a storm door. We overcame that obstacle only to run right smack into another. The creative top frame, yep, you guessed it. That required some sawing and filing of the storm door frame to make it fit. 

But next came the real humdinger. The door required the owner to drill the holes for the lockset. No big deal, until you realize you need a ½” and a ¾” drill bit and Home Depot has been closed for several hours. Since standing there swearing wasn’t accomplishing anything I suggested we give Meijer a shot, the only place open 24 hours. Jim thought for sure it was a hopeless cause but grudgingly went along with it because, really, what other choice did he have. They had the ½” bit but no ¾”. We ended purchasing an entire set of spade bits, doubting it would be a solution, but getting desperate.

The door gods must have been smiling on us. Both bits worked and we had functioning mechanical parts in no time.

Memorial Day came and Jim had to fly out to North Dakota. I took a break from work until after our family dinner.

During dinner I conned Ethan into coming down the Hofmann Haus with me afterward to dispose of the old living room furniture. There were three large pieces in a small room with even smaller doors. We concluded the best way to get rid of it was to just hurl it over the side of the deck. While trying to maneuver it around doors and railings Ethan twisted his back and I bruised my big toe. Mission accomplished, we left hoping the bulk trash collector wouldn’t pass us by. Tuesday was a glorious day when they took all of the trash, yard waste, and furniture. 

I went back to work knowing we had made major progress and that my next blog would be all about the new roof. The roofers pulled up right behind the trash collector!