Hank.
Snow.
So I used to knit you know. Then we went and got this freakin' dog. Seriously, how do you people with children out there get so much done? And children aren't even crated! Hank is great, learning very fast, but I just don't know if I'm cut out for the puppy stage. How long does this last? Yes yes, stop reminding me it's been like a week and half. It feels like forever.
I haven't knit a thing in a good long while. It's making me cranky. Well, I was already cranky. This just makes me crankier. I knit to calm down and focus on one thing for a while. Knitting while getting up every five seconds to check on chewing or bathroom status or yelling 'No!' the other fifty-five seconds is not relaxing.
*sigh* It'll get better, I know.
Anyhow, we did do a miniscule amout of work on the house yesterday.
Meet my Everest.
The staircase is what kind of sold me on the house at least. It is solid and quite beautiful, and I could see the potential behind it. When we first arrived, it had carpeting all up the treads. At first, we thought of stripping the whole thing and staining it. Then we actually started stripping things and realized what a horribly long process that is, so we modified our idea to include the railing, both newel posts and the treads. The risers and dowels we'd paint to match whatever colour we paint the livingroom.
I am going to let you think that I got that all scraped yesterday. Frankly, I need the ego boost, even if it is a lie.
Unscraped vs. scraped. Facinating, truly it is.
I've been using paint scrapers to do the majority of the work. Around five o'clock yesterday afternoon, I broke out the little orbital sander and just went to town. I don't even care how much sand paper it takes. I'd rather spent five hours using a hand sander and actually seeing results rather than spending the same amount of time to only get one and a half stair treads done.
It's fitting that I end here with a picture of one wall of the living room completed in drywall, because I may have just hit the proverbial wall yesterday in terms of this project. We've been keeping the heat very low in the house so as to alleviate some of the cost over the winter. Yesterday I turned up the heat to give the house and us a little break from the cold. Turns out, it hasn't been on at all. The furnace isn't working. Neither is the fridge in the house. We suspect that because of the low temps., the motor or whatever makes a fridge go hasn't been kicking in. Today I have to deal with a fair amount of rotten, smelly food. And the Irving oil guy should be here any minute to make a five second repair and charge us an arm and a leg.
The constable ripped out all the plaster in the entryway ceiling and I guess hopes to put up some drywall. Either that or put up drywall in the bathroom. Either way, the house is covered in dust again. The pretty shiny floors are covered in crap as is my craft room, cuz it doesn't have a door.
So I give. I've had it. Uncle. Enough. This sucks. Eight months. Eight freakin' months. Yes, we've got a lot done. But I'm tired. I'd like to live in the place where I do my laundry. I'd like to stop eating off of picnic wear because I refuse to move the kitchen stuff back into the apartment. I'd like to sleep in our brand new queen sized bed that we've had since last June and only slept in twice, because we had company. I'd like to cook in my new stove, use my dishwasher regularly, not avoid cooking or buying things that require a microwave because it's in the house and just mentally, 'too far away.' I'd like to unpack my belongings that have been in boxes and in various stages of storage since August of 2006. I'd like some room to move around and play with my dog. I'd like to get the $%^& out of this apartment.
...
The constable has heard enough of this the last few weeks, so I thought I would subject you, my faithful group of strangers, to my rant.
Anyway...c'est la vie. Any variety of home ownership has it's unique assortment of trials and tribulations. As a first home experience, this may take the cake. Did I mention we were mental to have taken this on? Just bar none, absolutely cracked? Well, you probably had that one pegged long ago.
In any case, this was cleansing. I promise more merriment to come, once I get this whole Christmas business dealt with. Boxes to send, boxes to send. I'll feel better when I'm more organized.
Until later...
PS: Hank Snow, famous country musician, from Liverpool, NS.
6 comments:
Marti - when this is all over you'll feel much better. In the meantime, we, the strangers of the internet, are here to listen to you whine, cry and holler. I'm amazed you've held out this long.
The stairway is beautiful. I can just picture it, next Christmas, when you've got the railing wrapped in fir boughs and tiny lights. It will be worth every single sheet of sand paper. (The risers on my stairs took 10 sheets of sand paper... and that was just varnish.)
Oh... Hank Snow? Brilliant.
Honestly woman...if you've made it this long without a major rant - you're close to a saint in my books. Renos are so hard...I can't even imagine doing a whole house over. So kudos to you two - first, for having the guts to plunge into this and second for having lasted this long. Rant away, m'dear.
And if it helps at all - you won the pink cadillac sock yarn in my advent giveaway! Get back to me with how I can best get you the yarn, either via snail mail or if you happen to make it to KOL, and also your good deed for the season.
I always thought it would be neat to have an old house that needed to be renovated. But my husband is NOT a handyman, and I'm not much better, so I'd have to pay someone else to do it all.
I'm caving to the dog idea after months of nagging, but I do NOT want a puppy. The poor cats would be tortured enough without being harassed by a puppy. Also I don't do housetraining, so I want one that's like 1-3 years old and already housebroke. I've e-mailed places about three dogs so far, but none of them are suited to small kids. I e-mailed about another one located over in Digby, but I haven't heard back yet. It says he tolerates cats and would be a good family dog. He's a young beagle/spaniel, kinda cute.
Hope to make it to Knit Nite tomorrow night. My parents have their Christmas party for Dad's work (she doesn't want to go), so I don't know if I have anyone to watch the boys.
Ranting is in order! My goodness, having a puppy is a lot of work and worth rants, but having a puppy and a major renovation is overwhelming! Add on Winter and the cold. It's a perfect combination for a major melt down.
One day...one day...one day it will be done, Hank will be in charge of himself, the stairs will be beautiful and you'll be toasty warm.
In the meantime, we don't mind "cranky". It comes with the territory.
,m;/.llllllll
Ella wanted to say something - not quite sure what that means but I'm sure it's something sympathetic.
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