Hello Ducks!

First, thanks for all the kind words in the comments of previous posts. I appreciate all the love. Beyond that, I apologize for distance between the last post and this. As you’ll soon read, there’s a reason for that…

The last week has been pretty busy. You might expect that since last weekend was really the first big work weekend at the Cute and Cozy Cabin (“piece of mine?” – ed That’s a contender for sure! – bob). Saturday was spent removing the bits of past homeowners. The frilly bits, the white vinyl lattice (thank all that is good and just), the astroturf (cursing from disturbed termites ensued), and all else superfluous was cast over the deck rail and into the great heap of crap in the driveway.

I haven’t secured a disposal firm yet, so here’s your last chance to get a porcelain swan candleholder. Maybe you’d like a cherub sconce? An angel-themed soap dish perhaps? Now’s your chance! Get ’em while they’re hot! (or cold, it’s going to snow up there tomorrow… – ed Zip it! That bit comes later. – bob)

Saturday night at the cabin—my first night spent there—was more than I’d hoped for. More firewood, more inflation of the air mattress, more baseball! A lovely evening with the Red Sox in front of the fire in the sleeping bag was a nice time spent. Sure it was in the thirties outside, but the thermometer inside said eighty-five-plus. Bundle up to step outside, strip down once inside to avoid heat prostration. I’m sure that people in the East with uncontrolled radiators would confirm how that works. For me though, it was an entirely new experience.

On Sunday, I started with the plumbing. The upstairs bathroom toilet needed a new shutoff valve, so I bought one in San Diego. Once I removed the old valve, I thought I’d need an adaptor, so with the water shut off (you think! – ed Shhh! – bob) I set off for the local hardware store.

When I returned, I was horrified by the rainfall in the kitchen. Horrified!

I’d shut off the kitchen faucet before I left and the leaky water valve at the curb allowed the pipes to fill up to the second storey. To the open toilet valve plumbing. Once I ripped out the upstairs carpet (which needed to be done anyway due to gross ugliness), I broke out the towels downstairs and shut off the breakers in the panel due to the rainfall in the walls.

My precious instant oatmeal was ruined, the new coffee maker was filled with gooey ceiling water. By the way, the ceiling tiles had to come down as well. If only to release the torrent and air out the joists.

Welcome ducks!

Did I mention that it’s supposed to rain today? I must’ve also neglected to mention that I left all of the windows open so that I could air out the joint. This leads us to today’s hero: My Dad.

He drove seventy miles this morning to open the joint, shut the windows, ensure that everything was okay, and then drove home. In the middle, he stopped at the CDF station to ask about fire abatement for me and hopefully got a little lunch along the way. For that, I have to say a heartfelt thank you.

In particular, thanks for pulling my ass out of the fire—again.

Four inches of rain are expected tomorrow. Four inches that I could ill afford inside the house.

More later,

bob

P.S. I would’ve posted some pictures, but it was too cold and the batteries in the camera wouldn’t stay alive. Bah!