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WEEK 15 2011

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Saturday 16 April 2011
Saturday - Update (5/May): I'm not going to day-by-day all this stuff. There's just too much of it.

We did buy a new commode for the bathroom, the old tan unit was leaky and permanently stained, so we found a new unit at Home Depot that fit. Kevin pulled out the remaining old bathroom tile, and we came up with a game plan for new tile around the window. The cast iron tub we left, it was just too big and heavy and expensive to replace. Maybe next time. The wall seemed damp, so we put a heater/fan on it to try to dry it out before painting/texturing.

Friday 15 April 2011
Friday -  

Thursday 14 April 2011

Thursday - 

Wednesday 13 April 2011

Wednesday  -

Tuesday 12 April 2011

Tuesday - One big task was to get all the carpet out. It's old, dirty and smelly, and my fathers' incontinent dog had left her mark in a number of spots. Indeed, stuff we thought was "dried out" wasn't, as we discovered when we pulled the carpet and pad up. Yuck. My brother Bob showed up and helped with a lot of it. We cut the carpet and pad into six foot widths, rolled them up, and tossed them on top of the garage from the front porch. Fortunately for us it has a strong roof! Front room, master and second bedroom and hallway carpets. The carpet removed from the dining room, last year, is still there in the side yard. Sigh. We'll have to get somebody to haul it all off.

To get up the numerous carpet staples left in the plank floor we used a flat shovel, then pliers and hammers for the 5-10% that the shovel didn't get up. That shovel was Kevin's idea, he knows his stuff.

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Monday 11 April 2011

Monday - Update (5/May): Kevin has arrived, and we went through the house, and talked about what's to be done. There is a lot. I sent a list earlier, but nothing beats seeing the mess with your own eyes.

Sunday 10 April 2011

Sunday - on the road, up in Martinez. This is going to be the big push to get the house ready for occupancy. I've done about as much as I can inside, without spending real money, but now it's time to make an effort.

Since there are a lot of tasks that need to be done correctly - for safety and livability - I've called in the "pro from Dover", Kevin, a good friends' brother, who actually knows about this stuff. I'll be his helper.

I'm leaving him the back room, which is quieter and more private, since he'll be staying for at least a couple of weeks, perhaps three.

I'll use Mom's old hospital bed in the master bedroom. It's a warmer and noisier room, but also closer to the bathroom (nice for those of us with fifty year old bladders).

Light or non-existent blogging for the near future!



Update (5/May): traffic was OK. I decided not to take the trailer, so I was able to maintain freeway speeds all the way. My brother has a ladder and Kevin has his own tools, so I just brought a few things since a great many of my tools are already up there.

Impressions upon arrival:
(1) The grass and weeds in the front yard were shoulder high. This was extremely dispiriting, it took days of work just to clear last year, and days more to put in the retaining wall blocks and some solar lights. Now it looks like an abandoned house again. It would take so little to maintain, a few minutes a week, and yet my siblings will not. I honestly don't understand it.

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The front yard, upon arrival.

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The yard, as I left it.

(2) My brothers did some work in the bathroom, and it's looking much better. A new tub surround, new paint, new floor tile and a new vanity. There is work to be done yet, but it looks 100% better than it did.

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New surround, new floor, new vanity, new paint.


Picture of the Week
llamas in somis
Photo Notes: Llamas in Somis

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