Actually I had roast pork 2 nights in a row, one from the roast place down on Quay street and one Rebecca and Amanda made me last night.
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Originally posted by tpr2 View PostActually I had roast pork 2 nights in a row, one from the roast place down on Quay street and one Rebecca and Amanda made me last night.Jo Birch
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Day 11
I thought about going over to the Church today and talking with the Priest again, like I had promised him I would do, but I feel like time is against me now. Just a few things now, busy work, but time-consuming. No, I did not have time for the Priest.
Today I began the final touches on the house. While the carpeting men worked in the other rooms I put up the two sconces and their two dedicated light switches in the Master bedroom. My training in electrical matters is simply that of hit-or-miss. I hook one wire to another – step back and see what happens; if it does what I expect it to do then good enough! Now, if serendipity were to intervene and one of my properties were to burn to the ground then my only defense to my insurance assessor is to shrug my shoulders and say, “Uh.. I don’t know…it wasn’t my fault,” and hope to God that he couldn’t prove that it was!
It took about an hour to finish the sconces – and all was well – at least on the surface.
The carpet men were still working so I started on the final coat of paint for the Master bedroom; the powder blue that Mrs. Exnzpat had selected worked; I didn’t think it would when I started.
The carpet was done just before noon. The foreman gave me a quick tour of the job. Satisfied I signed the docket he proffered and wrote a check for the remainder. The total cost (including the deposit) was only $700. Not too bad. The men gathered their tools and left. The redo was almost complete. I only had the dining room floor to sand and polyurethane and I was done. Oh, and the wall of the back bedroom – but that can wait until Sunday. Then I’ll be done.
I moved my camp bed, laptop and other accumulated junk into the Master Bedroom. I would need to sleep here for the next few nights.
Unlike the Master bedroom floor, which some previous owner had refinished, and I had only needed to touch-up; the Dining room needed a real sanding. From my truck I brought out my sanding kit. In this kit I had a hand sanding tool with a specially designed rubberized-backed sandpaper made by the company 3M. This stuff is great and I had used it on far larger rooms than this Dining room.
The advantage of not using a machine tool to do the floor was the, almost, elimination of airborne dust – the last thing I needed in a freshly painted house. The disadvantage was time.
So with the vacuum cleaner by my side I started in the corner farthest from the Living room and made my way backwards. It took all day. Before sitting down tonight to write this, I have already put down the first coat of polyurethane.
My only concern before bed is Lincoln. The last thing I need is Lincoln walking over my freshly coated floor. So, I’ll sit up with him tonight, out on the front porch, and have myself a cup of tea before bed. I’ll let him run a bit, leash him to the porch and then go inside for an early night.Last edited by exnzpat; 26-06-2009, 02:30 PM.
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Day 11, addendum
It has been a strange night. I don't like sleeping in the Master bedroom. I woke up sometime in the middle of the night. I could hear a scritch-scratch from the ceiling. Possibly, more rat than ghost. I got up and went to the bathroom.
I decided to let Lincoln back into the house. I brought him in and led him into the Master bedroom. He was happy enough to see me but did not seem to like the bedroom at all. I kept the door closed just to keep him away from the dining room floor. Lincoln paced about whining softly to himself. Eventually, he lay down next to me and fell into a restless sleep.
I woke standing again. But this time I was standing in the hallway. The bedroom door, open behind me. In my hand was my nail puller. A nail puller is designed to rip nails out of wood. It looks a little like a large hammer with two long plier-like handles. On one end there is a long cruel tapered metal prong designed specifically for digging stubborn nails that have been buried deep into the wood. The other end, which when closed, is the blunt hammer end; which, when opened, reveals a metal jaw of wicked teeth designed for pulling. It was a versatile tool; one that could bludgeon, gouge, rip, snap and cut with; a very good tool indeed.
My head always hurt most in the morning but as the day went on it just turns into a dull ache – it hurt bad now. If it was not toxic mold then what was it? Perhaps it is my brain. Perhaps my visions of the child, the mother and screams in the night are simply illusions brought on by stresses focused primarily at my temporal lobes – pressuring the illusions from my mind! And I was stressed. Private schools are expensive. This house, as cheap as it is, was a stretch for me. Why? Because, I am so stretched – real-estate investment is hard expensive work: physical, mental and financial. This redo is done with cash saved – no credit. This means any short-fall here would need to be made up elsewhere. I don’t live the excess lifestyle of the modern real estate investor; fancy cars, fancy dinners and fancy vacations. I’m a simple man with simple needs. Somehow my life has become so complicated, so difficult and so so expensive it is almost unreal! How did this happen? How could I let this happen? That is the better question! I can feel the walls closing in on me: banks, brokers, lenders, wives, children, and dogs -- especially dogs. Where was Lincoln? “Bad Dog!” There he was on the dining room floor. The floor I spent hours sanding and polyurethaning! “Bad Dog!” I went to him, nail puller in my hand.
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You gotta check out the infra sound possibility. Perhaps there is some appliance in the house that is causing resonance at the 19 cycles per second level. This level is inaudible but can produce headaches and even visual hallucinations especially if a standing wave has been created.The mission of any business enterprise should include the aim to develop economic conditions rather than simply react to them.
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Day 12
I had just coffee for breakfast. It was weird – I feel better. My head still hurts but I do feel better. One of my burdens had been lifted – of that I’m sure. But, which burden? I don’t remember which…
A coat of polyurethane only takes about 3 to 4 hours to dry. But I normally like to give it at least 8 hours. So this way, I can get 3 coats down in a two day period. That was the order for today; eight hours and then a light sanding then, scritch-scratch in the hardening polyurethane. I always wonder, when it is suggested to sand between coats, is that to help the polyurethane bind to the coat below or is it so you can keep track of where you are while applying the next coat?
I spent the rest of the day doing just that: two more coats of polyurethane on the dining room floor. In between coats I finished up the last of the painting. Soon I would be done.
In the small bedroom I stacked my sheets of drywall, mud and tape ready for tomorrow. It was a better day than most – a long day – but better. Only, something is missing – I should remember this because this seems important. I’m not sure what else I have done today. “Stuff” I guess. I think something or someone is missing; not sure what…
It’s late. I need to sleep now.
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