Archive for July, 2002

July update

lisa July 24th, 2002

The house is coming along. We?re almost done with the leveling project. It?s been almost a year, but we?ve had to take it really slow in order to keep the house stable. The last part of this phase is pouring concrete footings and putting in lally columns in the basement. Mark found a good deal on a concrete mixer yesterday, thank god. Mixing concrete by hand is a terrible job.

We?re also about ready to get the rewiring project going. We?ve found an electrician to do the panel and most of the rough wiring, and once he?s done we can do the finish work. After the wiring?s done we can insulate and drywall on the first floor, something that has to be done before it starts getting cold. So we?ll have the first floor back together in just a few more months ? everything but the kitchen, anyway.

The kitchen will be a winter project. We?re going to build the cabinets ourselves, which means even after we?ve put the walls back in downstairs, we?ll still be confined to the second floor ? first floor will continue to be the workshop. It?s okay, I?m used to it now. I hate doing dishes in the bathtub, but other than that, our upstairs makeshift kitchen is fine. I love being able to design the kitchen from scratch and make it exactly how we want. I can be patient.

The garden is coming along, too. I?ve put in some mums last weekend, and the zinnias and beebalm are blooming nicely. Still haven?t got any ripe tomatoes, but I?ve been harvesting and drying oregano, thyme, and basil. Of course, I don?t know when I ?ll have a kitchen where I can use these lovely fresh herbs, but that?s beside the point.