Gone

If you have strayed to my little corner of the blogger world, you have found me missing. I'm sad to say that I just haven't had time to live my regular life and also step into cyberspace and post anything. Then I have to feel the guilt of knowing I should post and haven't. It is a feeling of letting those down who have come to check my doings.

I've really enjoyed working on my little blog, but I think it has become something that I'm just not going to do on a regular basis. I may leave this up for awhile and see if my vacation is soon over and I can get back to it. In the meantime, I do hope for all to find a little humor in their lives and to have a blessed holiday season.

Almost Together

For over a month I've whined and complained about the house being fixed up. I've shown you horrid pictures of piles of lathe and plaster, of sheetrock sanding, of a big big mess.

Master Carpenter Man is gone... and I've had a bit of time to recover from all the work I did trying to clean up after him. I've managed to get some furniture back where it belongs and think of my home as a quiet place to relax.

That isn't completely true yet as still need to work on the dining room woodwork. I'm really not done, but well on my way. I keep saying 'tomorrow' I'll do this and that, but I keep postponing all the work I still have to do.

I'm writing this in the evening to post first thing in the morning. It is my hope that tomorrow really will bring some incentive for me to paint and finish up in the dining room. I have guests coming soon, and that means a deadline.

I thought I'd let you know that life is settling down a bit. Perhaps I'll be back to living like a human again. It's certain that I have a new appreciation for anyone who tackles having work done on their home. It is a challenge, an exhausting challenge. In the end, I think it was worth it. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking about a kitchen remodel. I've even spoken to Master Carpenter Man. Someday... perhaps in the spring.... First, I need to forget about what happened this past October.

Always Put the Toilet Seat Down, Part 2

When I wrote about poor Daughter I-Needa and the squirrel that got into her toilet and drowned, I NEVER thought their would be a part 2 to the story. I'm sad to say, there is a part 2.

I-Needa was messing around in the kitchen a couple of days ago and heard a noise coming from the downstairs bathroom... a splashing sound. It just couldn't be!! No way should she have to endure yet another round of having a critter in her toilet bowl. The first one was stress enough.

Going into the bathroom and checking it out, there was definitely a splashing sound coming from the toilet bowl. Big question: WHAT to do?

I realize that we humans create contingency plans in our heads for many possible emergency situations. Personally, I have plans for what to do if there is a power outage. I have some survival plans. I do not have any plan for what to do if I hear something splashing around in my toilet. I suppose I'd scream and my stress level would shoot through the roof. Past that, I'd have no idea how to get the critter out of the toilet and out of my life.

I really felt for I-Needa when I called and she picked up the phone and told me what was going on. I felt her pain, her frustration, her stress level rising. I was glad I was here in my own home without something splashing around in the toilet. I would have been no help. Seriously.

I-Needa jumped into action and did what any good woman should do... she thought about what man she could call. She needed one then... a hunter... a problem solver... a man who wasn't afraid of anything that could be splashing around in her toilet. She needed someone to lift that lid and solve her problem.

Not all men are created equal. Some are endowed more with hunter instincts and problem solving skills. With her thinking cap on, the image of such a hunter and problem solver formed in her mind. She picked up the phone and dialed his number.

Thankfully, he was receptive to her needs and prepared to come to her aid. He would need a bit of time to form a capture plan, but he would be there. To his credit, this man had been watching a football game... with only forty seconds to go.... his favorite team. The fact that he was able to tear himself away and rescue a damsel in distress renews my faith in humanity.

There is this thing I've learned about men. It may have been from that book about men being from Mars and women being from Venus. However, it is true. Men are the problem solvers. Hand them a problem, then get out of the way. They will mull it over and come up with a solution. I-Needa was counting on this.

Sure enough, the Man had the solution for capture and retrieval when he arrived on her doorstep. According to I-Needa, it was an brillant plan, and the man was very pleased with his invention.

The problem: There was nothing in the toilet. Alas, the critter had gotten back out of the bowel and into the vent pipe. Now she would be left to call the plumber. Of course, it was dark and there wouldn't be any getting a plumber until the next day.

To I-Needa's credit, she had the good sense to let the hunter and problem solver demonstrate what he would have done if the critter had been there to capture. She bragged on his brilliance and thanked him profusely for coming to help. Then she called the plumber.

According to the plumber, she would need to call Mr. Rooter. Yes, now she would need to have her toilet 'snaked.' Arrangements were made, and Mr. Rooter man arrived to deal with the problem. The toilet had to be unseated. There it was... a bushy squirrel tail coming from a pipe behind the toilet.

According to I-Needa, most of the people who know her are now afraid of their toilets. Squirrel number 1 was reason enough to convert all to putting down their toilet lids each and every time. Squirrel number 2 brought fear of vent pipes into action.

Rescue Man number 3 showed up later in the day to put a screen on the vent pipe, which is on the roof. Hopefully, really hopefully, there will be no squirrel number 3. If there is, I-Needa will probably have her home on the market. Just kidding.

Lost Cat

Man Cat Pumpkin wasn't around this morning for breakfast, which is most unusual. However, I sat his food out and checked once in awhile to see if he had been here. I began to be concerned as he just didn't show up to eat. He likes eating, and always shows up.

As I was sweeping away in the dining room, it dawned on me that I'd gone out to the little building behind my house last night after dark. I had thought about Pumpkin as I went and had tried to be sure that he wasn't around as I opened the door to put something inside. I certainly didn't want to lock him in there overnight.

I went to the building to check, rather hoping that Pumpkin would be in there and all would be well. I've certainly never locked him in before, and I wasn't sure how he would like it if I had.

I opened the door and waited. Pumpkin came sauntering out of the little building as if nothing unusual had happened. He didn't seem to care a lick that he'd been locked in all night. I checked the building and absolutely nothing had been disturbed. The only thing at all different inside was that his food storage container was opened. He hadn't had to work hard to do that. It has a spring lid that just pops up if the opening lever is touched.

It will be interesting to see how Pumpkin treats me today. He may have enjoyed his inside stay last night. I guess I'll find out when I try to go to the car later. He usually follows me and throws himself down in front of me. If he is aloof, I guess I'll know.

Always Put the Toilet Seat Down!

I-Needa called last night. She started by thanking me for always making her put toilet seats down. She came home yesterday from work, threw her purse and keys on the table, and headed to the downstairs bathroom. She said that usually she doesn't bother to turn on the light in there, but for some reason she did. She lifted the lid on the toilet and there in the toilet was a drowned squirrel!

Of course, she slammed the lid down and screamed. That is just what I would have done too. I-Needa and I simply aren't geared to handle such emergencies well. At that point, we need a man. She went into serious thinking mode as to what man she might know who was brave enough to retrieve the dead squirrel from the toilet. She thought of a friend's husband. He would be perfect. She called and told her friend all about her problem. They came right over with husband properly dressed for squirrel retrieval.

I-Needa remained squeamishly at a distance while He Man, who came prepared with gloves, bag, and floppy hat, stepped up to the toilet and checked it out. His comment: 'Well, that's a big one, and he is dead.' With that, he plucked the poor creature from his watery grave and placed him in the ziplock bag.

The idea of ALWAYS putting the seat down began years ago when I was a kid still living at home. That was the days before APSD (Always Put Seat Down). A sewer rat came up through the toilet and escaped into the house. Fortunately, Dad was at home, so he immediately flew into action and chased the rat around the house with a large waste can. When he finally managed to corner the critter and get him under the can, he went to the basement and got some ether, that once used anesthetic. He was a dentist, and for some reason he had some of that stuff in the basement that day. Anyway, he put some ether on a rag and got it under the waste can. Then he waited until the rat passed out. It worked.

Our family learned a lesson that day... Always put the toilet lid down! That is my routine, and I've passed that on to my children complete with the rat story. I-Needa was bubbly with gratitude when she called. Her life might have been a tad more complicated if the poor creature had gotten out of the toilet bowl and spent the day running around her condo being chased by the dog. The picture wouldn't have been pretty.

If I've ever given you one good piece of advice that you might want to take to heart, this might be it. Anything that happens to get into the sewer pipes can come up in your toilet. Spare yourself. Put the toilet seat down and look before you sit.

Interrupted Life

It is amazing how something like fixing a problem in the house can just take over your life.

It all started with me just thinking that I'd love to have some crown molding in the living room. The other problem was a crack in the dining room ceiling, which led to replacing that very old sheetrock.


Well, the living room ceiling was just as old, and it became obvious to me that it was silly to spend all that money having crown molding put in the living room and then possibly having to take it all down to replace the ceiling.

Yesterday the BIG day finally arrived, and after all the weeks of trying to fix stability problems and raising the living room ceiling, MCM started the crown molding in the living room.

It was a moment to savor, and I certainly was there to take a picture as the first pieces were put into place. I told him that this is what I'd asked him to do in the first place and he could now consider himself 'back on the clock.' He smiled. It's a good thing he has a sense of humor.

I'm not sure if mine is still intact or not. As I said earlier, my life has been interrupted. Nothing much has been the same. I've pretty much been a prisoner of my living room and the mess in the house. I have painting to do too, so am not free yet. Somewhere along the way, my humor has shifted a bit. I think I'm just tired, and when one is too tired to get out of a chair at night, one is too tired to try to fire up a little humor.

At any rate, things are coming along. There is painting to do today. I need to get busy and paint woodwork. I've done some prep work on that, so am going to try to get some real paint on the woodwork. I did paint the walls.... two coats... over the weekend. It almost killed me, but I got it done.

I do believe I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. MCM should be finished today or tomorrow, and then he will haul all his stuff away and leave me to put my life and house back together. I will admit that I'm going to miss watching him work wonders. He really is an artist with his craft, and I love to see what he accomplishes.

I must be off and getting on my nasty paint clothes. I've got to work. If I'm ever to return to normal, I have to take charge and get busy. I want my life back.... soon.

Coming Along

MCM (Master Carpenter Man) has arrived early every day since Oct. 1. This started out about getting a little crown molding. We've been through this before.... a project gone wild.

At this point, the sheetrock is all up, mud and sanding has been done. MCM is doing a last cleaning here before starting more painting.

I think I'm beginning to see that light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, he is leaving me to do the final painting of the walls and the woodwork. I did beg him to cut in around the new crown molding before he leaves. Actually, I mentioned it quickly in passing yesterday, and today he suggested that he might cut in around the new molding with the wall color for me. I just love subtle suggestion.

Yesterday the sanding dust was thick in here again. I truly hate it when he has to sand. It isn't so much the mess as knowing that he is having to breathe that dust. Terrible! Of course, he has a mask, but that dust is everywhere...

Although yesterday's dust was not as bad as before, I did feel sorry for him. When he was finished sanding, I poked my head in the living room and asked if I could bring in the Shop Vac.

Although I'd intended to just help a little, my question was met with his face lighting up like a beacon. He said, 'Do you want to clean up?' Good grief NO, I don't want to clean up!! The floor looked like freshly fallen snow. The air was thick with dust. Now, why would I WANT to clean up?!

The problem was that the 'sorry for him card' had been played, and I just couldn't refuse to go in there and clean up. So I said, 'Sure, I'll clean up." At that, the man made the fastest get-away one could imagine. He practically ran from the room, picking up his lunch box on the way. I was left holding the Shop Vac and wondering how I could have gotten into this mess.

Grace had called earlier in the afternoon with an offer of stew. It was a cold day, and stew looked awfully good at this point, so I put down the Shop Vac and fled the scene myself.

With a full tummy and knowledge that I MUST clean that dust packed room, I returned and swept on into the night.

Of course, MCM came in this morning, grabbed the sander and 'touched up' a few spots. Then he took the Shop Vac and did it all again. MEN!