I Miss Them

The house is so quiet that we can hear Six's toenails when he walks into the living room.

The quiet is nice but I miss the laughter shared by the three generations of our family.

Late last night (well, almost early this morning), Lise and I were whispering in the hall outside her bedroom about what time she was going to leave in the morning. She said that she would like to be on the road by 9:30 so she was going to set her alarm for 8:00AM. As she scrolled through the menu on her cell phone, she mistakenly activated a tone. We both started giggling since we were trying so hard to not wake any of the seven people already asleep. The more we tried to stop the harder we laughed. Soon tears were running down our faces.

This is one of the things I will miss.

My sixteen-year-old grandson and I played several games one afternoon while the rest were out and about. He and I have played double solitaire since he was old enough to understand the game. We also played Racko and Bananagrams, the latter is our favorite.

This is one of the things I will miss.

One of my thirteen-year-old granddaughters buffed my nails while we watched Despicable Me.

This is one of the things I will miss.

My other thirteen-year-old granddaughter showed me all the shapes she could make with the Bucky Balls we gave her.

This is one of the things I will miss.

My twelve-year-old grandson immediately wanted to build the Lego-version of Fallingwater that we gave him.

This is one of the things I will miss.

My youngest granddaughter hugged the globe with such delight that my Sweetie and I gave her for Christmas.

This is one of the things I will miss.

But what I will miss most is just being in their company.

The Last Whole Day with the Gang

Everyone enjoyed the Holiday French Toast I had assembled late last night and baked this morning for brunch. Click here for recipe.

We debated the merits of the two versions: one with Granny Smith apples and the other with Melrose, the Ohio apple. It was decided that the flavor of the Melrose was on the sweeter side but the firmness of the Granny Smith was better. A couple diners felt that the addition of Maine wild blueberry syrup added a bit of tartness that was a nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the apples and brown sugar.

Then it was off to the sledding hill in Forest Hills Park for all the grandkids and one courageous adult. They returned cold but very happy. It seems that two Flexible Flyers that I brought down from the loft in the garage were the favored rides. These sleds, originally my sister's and mine, have been in the loft since 1986. How nice that they were used again.

Dinner found us at Tommy's, the favorite of the older grandkids. Then it was off to ice skating or shopping.

Back home it was one last indulgence, the pecan pie I had made while everyone else was either sledding or napping.

Tomorrow the house will be too quiet.

Another Day of Hanging with Family

This has been a day filled with love and laughter. And, of course, more food!

This evening we all enjoyed Despicable Me. As I watched it with one granddaughter on one side and two on the other, I thought about the animated films of my daughters' childhood. They weren't even close to being laugh-out-loud funny. We all enjoyed this one.

Now it is time to get a few hours of sleep so we can begin again tomorrow.

Belated Christmas Dinner with All the Trimmings

What is it about a turkey dinner that causes one to overeat?

Is it the delicious food in abundance or is it the company of loved ones?

Whatever the reasons all of us heartily partook of turkey, bread stuffing, apple-mallow-yam bake, orange-cranberry relish, cranberry sauce, steamed broccoli, apple pie, and pumpkin pie.

After the holidays my Sweetie and I will return to our sensible eating habits. But for now we will eat, drink, and be merry.

Family: Together Again

Having everyone here makes Christmas more memorable. There is nothing that replaces being hugged by them.

Fortunately, both families left New England before the nor'easter hit. But both are also a little mad that they are going to miss the first significant snow fall of the season.

The Massachusetts contingent arrived in time to play in the snow. They have had no accumulation at home. It was great fun watching them have a snowball fight and ski around the yard before they took off for the park.

Tomorrow we will exchange presents and eat entirely too much. But more importantly, we will laugh a lot.

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone gave and received in the spirit of this holiday.

Christmas Eve

Procrastination can be advantageous.

On Christmas Eve morning my Sweetie and I finally had the time and energy to get our tree. Fortunately, Bremec's on the Heights Garden Center carry my favorite tree, a Fraser Fir.

As we walked toward the outside area where colorful annuals and perennials are on display during the growing season, I noticed a sign that said that all trees were 1/2 off. No sooner had we started looking at the dozen or so trees that were left, when the owner came out and called out, "Any tree for $20.00." Original price? $69.99 for an 8-footer.

After we had selected our tree, I noticed the wreathes. My Sweetie went in to ask about the prices. He returned with a smile, "No matter what size they are $5.00."

I selected a large one composed of three kinds of evergreens, pine cones, and berries. Original price? $38.99.

Sometimes procrastinators win.

Mike, Our General Contractor, Is Amazing

Both today and Tuesday Mike the Contractor came to our house to complete some of the items on what we had labeled, The Crucial Punch List. These were items that we wanted done before the family arrives on Sunday.

On Tuesday he installed the four ceiling fixtures that were not part of the original contract.

Today he cut tile to finish the bathroom threshhold, sealed the ceramic tile in the bathroom and the kitchen, ripped out the drywall behind the dishwasher for a better fit, mounted the TV on the wall, and installed the roll-out shelves under the sink.

He has been an amazing person to work with. We will miss him.

My Sweetie Was Completely Surprised!

It is very difficult to shop for my Sweetie since he usually buys whatever he wants. But today he was totally surprised.

Yesterday I sent him this email: "Hi Love, Tomorrow around 10:00 AM be ready to go with me to a special place."

If it hadn't been snowing heavily, I would have led him a merry dance all around town. But since it was, I opted for the direct route. But I did employ some subterfuge by pretending that I was looking for a store we had never been to. Finally, I told him to turn into the parking lot of House of Lights.

After we were greeted by Susie, I turned to him and said, "Merry Christmas! Pick out a lamp for your office."

Now this may not sound like a great present but I wish you could have seen the look on his face when I suggested that he look at the Holtkoetter ones. These marvels of German engineering are truly amazing. Click here to check them out.

He thought I meant a desk lamp so he was surprised again when I told him to look at floor lamps. Then I decided to give him both. He was delighted. Later he said that it was a great surprise. As he said, "You really got me this time."

Floor lamp


Desk lamp

Our Mail Comes through the Slot Again

Such a simple thing really.

We are fortunate to live in a city where the mail carrier brings the mail to our front porch. In our case that means s/he slides it through the mail slot to the left of the front door.

No more will my Sweetie or I ask the other, "Did you get the mail?"

Today I smiled when I heard the brass door being lifted, the mail being slid in, and the door closing again.

I left a thank you to all our carriers who were so obliging in using our non-conventional mail box.

An unorthodox mailbox but it served the purpose.

Windows

Today the garden cottage gained two windows, roof shingles, and a door knob and lock.

John the Carpenter smiled when I told him about not calling it a shed anymore. He takes such pride in his work as well he should.

It will look even better in the spring when it is painted to match the house and garage.

The window on the west side of the cottage.

Not a Day of Rest

Today my Sweetie reclaimed the right side of the garage for the new car. That meant moving the last of the construction materials to one side and relocating more of the gardening items to the cottage.

I spent most of the day in the basement, sorting through the detritus from the temporary kitchen, digging out the boxes of Christmas decorations, and organizing the history of our lives so that some of it could be moved into the cottage.

Since the grandkids will be here in a week, the rec room aspect of the basement must be restored. I had plans for the basement to be painted and new flooring installed. But since we just moved out of it, that won't happen. Now my goal is to reclaim the space for the Wii and the game table.

Thank goodness my Sweetie is willing and able to help me.

First Dinner in the New Kitchen

Today while John the Carpenter continued siding the garden "cottage", as we have begun calling it since Xena from WOW said that it was too grand to be called a shed, I scraped the finish off our kitchen table.

I was just finishing when John and his brother Adam came in out of the cold to move the table from the basement back to the kitchen. I had moved the trestle up last evening but there was no way that my Sweetie and I could carry the oak top which is 36" x 60" and over an inch thick.

As I began oiling it, the beauty of the oak was revealed after being under layers of polyurethane for decades. We can't believe how the oiled oak matches the stained pine flooring. Serendipitous.



Pretty amazing

Mikey Didn't Like It Either, Part 2

Two days ago I was upset when I saw scratches on our bedroom floor. They weren't there before the plumber carried the box that contained a toilet to our 3rd floor bathroom. But there they were - four scratches down to bare wood. My Sweetie thought it looked as if the plumber had slid the box when he reached the top of the stairs. Maybe there was a staple sticking out.

I suppose it was especially upsetting because my Sweetie and I had spent a month in 2008 sanding and scraping the old finish off, cleaning out the spaces between the boards, and applying three coats of polyurethane.

The before photo

The whole floor looked like the edges when we ripped up the wall-to-wall carpeting. It took lots of sanding and hand scraping to remove all the old adhesive.

But it was all worth it when we were finished.

The after photo

As soon as Mike saw the scratches, he said that they would be fixed.

My Friends Pronounced It Awesome

Today I hosted WOW, my writing group of amazing women. I really should have had a camera in hand to catch their reactions when they saw the kitchen. They loved it. Easy had said a few weeks ago that it was going to be jaw-dropping beautiful. Indeed, that is exactly what happened when she walked in. She was speechless for quite a while. I don't think that I have ever seen her at a loss for words. Either Lake or Xena thought it was more amazing in person. All decreed that it is perfect.

At one point during the afternoon I took a break from writing and walked into the kitchen. I was stunned by the transformation. This morning it was not ready for company. Cardboard and kraft paper still protected the floor. The buffet was still in two pieces in the dining room. There were no switch or outlet covers.

John the Carpenter and Reed his able Assistant arrived around 8:30 to whip the place into shape. Besides taking care of some odds and ends of carpentry, they removed the kraft paper on the kitchen floor, the plastic runner on the stairs, and all the construction debris. They also swept the floors and the carpet on the stairs. They moved the buffet into the kitchen and attached the top. John even offered to mop the kitchen floor. Brett the Electrician showed up to connect the power to the half bath light and outlet. He also installed all the switch and outlet covers. I was sure that I would be entertaining without them.

A special thanks to my Sweetie who was up at 5:30 to wash the windows in the upper cabinets and a myriad of other chores. It would not have been possible without him.

Tomorrow morning Mike the Contractor is coming by to go over the punch list. It is amazing that there are still more than a dozen items on it. Please let's be done before Christmas.

Merry Christmas, Sweetie

This picture is worth more words than I can write.

We're Getting Close

The tiling in the kitchen was almost finished today. A few more square feet and it will be done.

Two of the three toilets were installed. The second and final bathroom sink was installed, complete with faucets and running water.

Tomorrow the tiler and the plumber return to finish. Then we wait 72 hours before the tile can be sealed.

We hope that the electrician will come tomorrow to finish his work. It would be nice to be able to turn on the light he installed in the half bath on Saturday.

I have to finish painting the kitchen and half bath. We will make the decision on the color for the second floor bath once the lights are installed.

Oh, so close.

Favored Locations?

The latest from the NWS:

LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY NIGHT WITH ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION OF 8 TO 12 INCHES EXPECTED IN THE FAVORED LOCATIONS WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS TO 2 FEET POSSIBLE. LESSER ACCUMULATIONS WILL OCCUR RIGHT ALONG THE LAKESHORE AND IN WESTERN CUYAHOGA COUNTY.

I would prefer that we are not one of the favored locations.

The Garage Is for Cars Again

My Sweetie moved the last 19 clapboards out of the garage this morning. It took a couple of hours to turn the painting workshop into a garage again.

We moved some of the gardening tools into the shed but it is mostly filled with the clapboards. Hopefully, they will be put up tomorrow if there isn't a lot of snow in Parma.

I know that you are scratching your head wondering why does it matter if it snows in Parma. If there is "plowable" snow, John the Carpenter will be clearing driveways and parking lots rather than nailing up the rest of the 110 clapboards.

When John left on Friday, he said not to expect him on Monday if the storm did hit. Later Mike told us that he can't argue about it since John makes $800 a day when he plows.

John loves to plow. As he put it, he "flies". His face lit up as he described plowing at night. He can drive more "efficiently" as we call it in our family. Others might call it speeding.

I just checked the forecast again. I think we will not see John in the morning.

From the National Weather Service: THE CURRENT MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW WILL TRANSITION TO BANDS OF HEAVY LAKE EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS LATE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING WITH SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL EXPECTED ACROSS AN AREA NORTH OF A LINE FROM ABOUT OBERLIN TO MEDINA TO AROUND YOUNGSTOWN. THE HEAVIEST LAKE EFFECT SNOWS SHOULD BE LOCATED ACROSS THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE AREA ON MONDAY THEN SLOWLY SHIFT EASTWARD LATER MONDAY INTO TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL TOTALS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES WILL LIKELY OCCUR ACROSS MUCH OF THE WARNING AREA.

And why is it that the National Weather Service always uses caps?

The New Century

Be prepared to laugh out loud at the one liners in The New Century by Paul Rudnick, the latest offering by Dobama Theater.

And if you aren't laughing, you are almost moved to tears.

The main characters are an aging flamboyant gay man who is exiled from New York City for being "too gay", a Jewish mother with three children with three different sexual issues, and a woman from Decatur who is obsessed with crafts after the death of her son to AIDS.

Greg Violand, Jean Kauffman, and Molly McGinnis played their roles to perfection.

Kudos to Director Scott Plate for a very enjoyable evening.

Swiss Woodcraft

Now where is the dishwasher?

Dan the Cabinet Installer from Swiss Woodcraft returned today to install a couple of trim pieces and adjust hinges. He also suffers from the curse of perfectionism. He would not quit until the doors and drawers closed perfectly.

We are so happy that Mike the Contractor recommended that we get a quote from them. The staff has been wonderful to work with. Bob the Kitchen Designer really listened to what we wanted in a kitchen. And I cannot say enough about Dan's dedication during the installation.

We highly recommend them.

Check out Swiss Woodcraft

Tubs are Done!

Bye bye pink tub



Wow!



The 93-year-old clawfoot is shiny again.

Bathroom Floor

Yesterday's post should have been about Nick installing the electric heating mat in the bathroom. Our guests will have warm tootsies when using that bathroom.

Heating Mat


Today Marshall returned to tile the floor. Around 4:30 I heard him asking my Sweetie when we would throw him out. Shortly thereafter he came down the stairs and asked if I wanted him to wrap up soon. I was astounded when he told me that people usually start getting antsy if he hasn't packed up before 5:00. I told him that he could be here to midnight if he wanted. He was truly amazed that we didn't mind. He left around 7:30 and the floor was done besides the setting of the tile around the tub after it is glazed. What is wrong with people? Here is a young man who wants to work long hours in order to finish a job. Why not let him?



Bathroom floor

Blame It on the Clapboards

I must have been tired since I forgot to blog last night.

Painting clapboards in our detached garage with the propane heater barely keeping it at 40 degrees was exhausting.

Tiling and Painting

Marshall returned today to continue tiling the bathroom. He would have finished but he didn't have enough since we raised the height of the wainscoting.

While he ran back and forth from the garage where he set up his wet saw, I climbed up and down the ladder. Even though I had painted a piece of foam core and had carried it around the room in different light, I felt a bit of trepidation when I applied the first paint to the wall.

We think it looks gorgeous. But judge for yourself.

The kitchen is painted!

Tile

There was real progress today in the second floor bathroom. Tile!

Trying to stay true to the old lady's roots, we selected a traditional subway tile and then added the black bead and the chair rail. The chair rail is 5 feet above the floor.

Subway tile in second floor bathroom

Tile with cabinet

The two young guys, Mike (yep, another one) and Sean, were using a level and a tile cutter that were almost twice their ages.

Tile cutter

It has been a kick to meet all these young men who are carrying on the traditions of the building trade. Thank goodness there are still people who want to learn them.

Shopping

I hate shopping. Hell for me is a shopping mall.

So why did I agree to go out on a Saturday just three weeks before Christmas? It wasn't to go shopping for presents.

Our first stop was House of Lights where I am greeted by one of the owners with a hug. We had bonded over the selection of many fixtures for the renovated and non-renovated areas of the house. As has become our custom, Susie shows us four or five options.

She knows that we don't always go for what is safe but tend to stretch the limits of what some people might think is suitable for our 1917 center-hall colonial.

Within 45 minutes of arriving at the store, we have selected two more fixtures.

Before we departed, my Sweetie said that we would be back because we need to update the lighting in our bedroom. But only after the house is put back together again, the holidays are over, and we have recuperated.

Then we were off to a car dealership. On Friday my Sweetie had checked to see if the Lexus RX450h could accommodate his long legs. It did so we returned to take it for a test drive.

Will they give us a good deal so that we can put a big red bow on it?

Friday Night at the Movies

Instead of writing this post, I could be watching D. W. Griffith's Intolerance, #49 on the American Film Institute's top 100 American films.

After painting 50 ten-and-twelve-foot clapboards three times (once on the back and twice on the face), I was a tad tired. I wasn't sure that a silent film would keep me awake.

After watching the beginning of the movie on youtube, I knew that it wouldn't. The four minutes I watched moved at a glacial pace. Since I am a fast reader, I was left staring at the title cards for an additional 5 seconds. That may not seem like much but my brain was calling out for some action if I were to remain awake.

I was still ambivalent because it is also a social gathering. But then I fell asleep on the couch after dinner.

Sometimes my body decides what I should do.

Building a Garden Shed, Day 2

We almost have a shed!

Now that's progress.
The roof ridge and the rafters on the end are up.




In less than an hour all the rafters are attached.

At the end of the day the roof is almost sheathed. Someone miscalculated the number of sheets of OSB (oriented strand board) needed.



While all this was going on, I was in the garage priming more than 50 clapboards. Instead of writer's cramp, I am suffering from painter's cramp.

Building a Garden Shed

Neither snow nor cold nor wind stopped John the Carpenter from starting our garden shed. And this is not your run-of-the-mill garden shed. It will be a one-quarter sized replica of our newly-renovated garage.

As the following photos and video will attest this is a well-built shed. When I commented to John about how solid it was, he said that he was building it as if it were a house. For example, he glued as well as nailed the sheathing for the floor so it wouldn't creak.


Floor joists


Floor completed


Wall almost ready to raise





If it doesn't snow more than two inches, John, who also operates a snow-plowing service, will return tomorrow to put on the roof. Meanwhile I am priming almost 50 clapboards. My Sweetie bought a propane heater so the garage would be warm enough for painting.

Was it less than two months ago that I mentioned to John that we would like to have a garden shed? Perhaps next spring we would get an estimate. But my Sweetie said, "Let's do it now."

Having one will make our life much easier. We won't have to be careful of the cars when we are getting gardening equipment and tools out. Also we won't have to store the patio furniture, the glass bird baths, and other summertime paraphernalia in the loft of the garage.

One day it will probably not be prudent for me to climb up the pull-down ladder and lean down to take a chair from my Sweetie.