Bogieblog

Bathroom Work Update - Getting There

The bathroom fan had originally been on a timer, but the electrician put in all new electrical switches when he moved the box when the bathroom door was moved. Somehow he missed the fact that I had gotten a new timer to put in there, so he just put in a switch. I really liked having a timer so I didn't have to remember to turn the fan off when I leave for work. During the winter it wasn't a big deal since the pellet stove kept the air dry and the stove fan is pointed straight down the hall. However in summer, it is more critical, especially when humid out. So a couple of weeks ago I rolled up my sleeves (figuratively, I was in a tank top - LOL), turned off the breaker and changed out the switch for the timer.

 

Since then I have been taping, mudding and sanding as I've felt like it and had time. This room has given me fits as I seemed to have lost any minor mudding skills I previously possessed, so it has taken quite a bit of time. Additionally, I have never mudded/taped a ceiling before and boy is that a pain in the neck - and shoulders! And on top of that, there are lots of corners., both inside and outside.

With confirmation that I would have helpers arriving soon so I could move the vanity and sink/counter up from the basement, and install the wall cabinet, I have pushed to get this thing done. The old vanity has been out since a week ago yesterday (I use kitchen sink). Of course pushing it was still slow because mud takes forever to dry and speeding it up by using a dehumidifier is not a good idea. Last night I removed the the light fixture to mud around it, so everything since then has been done in the dark, or at least near dark (the small window does let in some light). That's all right, the bathroom was never going to look like a professional did the taping/mudding, but it is about 300% better than it was when I moved in.

This morning was a second coat of mud around the light and tonight I painted the first coat of paint.

Tomorrow will be another coat or two, then the light goes back in and it is just waiting for my help.

Then all that will be left is a new commode and installing flooring. I need everything else in place before deciding on the flooring that will look good with it, so that will be a fall/winter project.

 

Grass Is green - For Now

I mowed for the first time in two weeks yesterday. For this season that is unusual - I've been mowing every 3 weeks (whether it needs it or not). Mother Nature has been very stingy with the water this year and most of NH is under drought conditions, some areas of the state are up to 13" below normal. My area is only 7-8" under for the year. A lot of my front yard was brown for about a month, the shrubs and perennials I placed in wet and damp areas last summer were wilting (I have been watering them every couple of days for several weeks) and the swamp next door shows no water(neither does the drainage between that property and mine). Not only have we been under watered by MN, but we have been extremely hot for the upper Northeast and we've had over 20 days in the 90's (normal is something like 11).

But then I got lucky and got 4" of rain last weekend. True, all of it came in the span of about 4 hours, but we got moisture non-the-less. The weather service was calling for severe storms with lots of rain, so I made sure to water the "damp" and "wet" gardens that morning so that it would be prepped to let the precipitation thru.

The first severe weather started between 4 & 6. I really don't remember the time, I just know I was getting ready to get up on a metal step stool and use a metal scraper (just underneath a metal roof) to knock off ridges in the dried mud on the bathroom ceiling (taping and mudding, not dirt - LOL). When the thunder and lightning started, I figured I best not do that, so waited that cell out. When the deluge started, I put out a couple of 2" deep, strait-sided, flat-bottomed bowels to catch water so I could get a good idea how much rain I got.

By the time the cell moved thru and I checked the bowls they were over flowing, so I got over 2" in that round. I emptied the bowels so I could measure the next cell that was headed my way. Around 7:30, after getting the mud ridges knocked down (yes, the cell moved thru quickly), the second cell came thru

I was just mudding with a plastic spatula, so I didn't worry about working in the bathroom although when the Emergency Management System tone came over my phone it got my attention and I stopped to see what was going on. Just a text telling me about the possibility of flash flooding in my area. By the end of that cell, the bowls were just below full, so I figured another 2" (to make up for the overflowing the first time).

Since more storms might roll in thru the night, I emptied the bowls again. But the next morning there was only about 1/4" in them.

The sad thing is that the swamp was so starved for water that it soaked it all in. I listened for runoff into the drainage (sounds like a burbling stream), but it was quiet. The farms in the state are suffering with no hay, stunted crops, and small fruits. Fish and Game also had bear warnings out since the wild berries have failed so the wildlife is looking for other sources of food.

Could be a lot worse - we haven't had any forest fires since spring and we aren't in the shape that Louisiana is in (or other areas like Mulvane, KS).

Blooming

I don't think that I've posted a picture of the Polar Joy tree rose that I got earlier in the summer. This is its second blooming. The first bloom was weak since it was still in its pot, but it is much happier in a large barrel planter.

I do have to remove suckers from the trunk on a regular basis, and even a new shoot from the roots once, so it doesn't turn into a large bush, but other than that, it has been easy to care for.

Belly Rubs

I don't remember ever having a cat that likes belly rubs. And I don't mean, puts up with a pat or two or brushing, but loves them to go on and on - and invites them too.

Because she is still a bit skittish about objects over her head, these pics don't show her closing her eyes and rolling completely on her back, with her front paws spread over her head, to get the full benefit and joy from a full stomach pet. She is slowly getting better with her skittishness (I can take my glasses off and she doesn't freak, and the ceiling fan rarely gives her pause anymore), so eventulally I may get a full relaxation shot.