addendum to rain and lethargy and other stories

 That's right!  I forgot to mention that I'm fully functional now; I finally have my propane tanks!  I've been putting my washer and dryer to the test.  I have a set from LG and they sing to me when I turn them on and when a load is done.  The tune gets stuck in my head and I find myself whistling it over and over.  But my clothes are wicked clean, so who cares about earworms?  Dee-deedle-lee-dee-dee, dum-deedle-lee-dum-dum...

My dishwasher is a complex creature I feel I will never fully understand.  'Nuff said.

And my Pat-Boone-made-me-buy-it tub?  Well, I've discovered that I don't have enough patience to sit in a tub and soak, which is regretful.  Yes, the air and jets and lights and heat are all lovely, but after five minutes I've had enough and I want out.  Using it as a shower is a test of one's ability to contort (it's a tiny space) but I manage.  I'm ok with it not being THE BEST THING EVER.  It's still pretty nice.

I'm still working on the lower level, but currently I'm battling humidity that wants to keep everything dank and musty.  I've been told that once the concrete foundation cures, this will go away.  In the meantime I'm spraying copious amounts of Lysol and have two dehumidifiers going 24/7.

I've been running the mini split on air conditioning mode and it's doing a fantastic job.  You could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw my entire electric bill during a blazing hot spell was only $49, and most of that was the mysterious "delivery charge", not my actual usage.

The built-in air fryer in my stove is pretty cool.  Yes, I've actually cooked.  Send up the flares.

So, yeah.  I'm pretty pleased with my little pad.  Limited space keeps my hoarding tendencies in check, I love the open concept, and I sleep pretty well at night.  What more can a girl ask for?

rain and lethargy and other stories

 Something strange is happening to me.  I'm not sure if it's because I had (for the most part asymptomatic) Covid-19, because I'm "a woman of a certain age", or maybe side effects of the Covid vaccination, but I can't seem to rally any enthusiasm for...well, anything really.  Lately I find that I have little to no energy and even less ambition.  I've been forgetting things and making foolish mistakes at work.  It's been difficult to get the house situated when I can only seem to get through a couple boxes per week.  I haven't done anything with my yard, which is depressing.  I want to get a fence up first so I can better judge where I want things to go, but lack of money and lack of  ambition are a hindrance.  I need to fence the mule track, but again...no ambition. I don't think I've ever experienced this level of apathy in my life.

We've also just clocked the 4th rainiest month in New Hampshire in recorded weather history.  If it's not raining, it's hot, muggy, and generally oppressive.  This sort of weather doesn't exactly bolster one's ambition, either.  It's been great for the gardens and the wells, though!  I haven't felt too guilty washing load after load of bedding, towels, clothing, curtains, and whatever else I've come across while unpacking.  Man...why did I ever think I needed that much bedding?  I had 3 bedrooms in my old house, and I think there were sheet sets and quilts for each bed according to season.  I'm happily purging my ridiculous amount of belongings once again.  

I have, however, been absolutely loving watching the wildlife through those huge windows.  There's a large doe and her spunky little fawn, a doting mother turkey and her two little chicks, Huginn and Muninn - the very vocal ravens who love to sit in the mulberry tree and shriek with delight, and a gorgeous blonde coyote I've been calling The Beast and her happy little pup.  I've even set up a game camera in the hopes of filming these wonderful creatures.  So far I've got about 30 hours of great footage of tall grass blowing in the wind.  With my trusty DSLR, I've had better luck.

Momma Turkey and her chicks; the second one is in the grass to the right.

One of the ravens.  No, I can't tell them apart.

The fawn spots Momma Turkey and her chicks.  One chick is just visible to the right of Momma.

Harassment.

 

Run away!  Run away!

 

The fawn would assess the situation, then slowly creep back toward the turkeys only to be chased off again by Momma.  This went on for a while.

The Beast, snacking on mulberries.

And after I had started this post, my game camera was able to capture some pretty amazing footage of the coyotes.  CoyoteS...plural.  It seems there are actually two pups, and another adult.  Mate?  Last year's juvenile?  I'm not sure.  The Beast decided to bring the whole family to the pasture in broad daylight the other day to stalk Momma Turkey and her chicks, but I won't have such shenanigans.  Not in the daytime.  Nope.  Whatever goes on under cover of night is fine, but I don't want the coyotes becoming too comfortable running around our yard, so I ran out and yelled, and the pack took off.  Mom brought Roo dog down into the pasture and Roo did her best guard dog impression, barking and growling and running back and forth, and the pack didn't return.  Momma Turkey didn't return, either, so I have no idea what the status of that family is.  

Thug life?  Nah.  Woods life.  Gotta love the drama.  😉

   

Occupancy

 In the past month a lot has happened.  The plumbing was finished, touch ups happened, and on June 1st - after 125 days of construction - I was issued an occupancy permit.  I think my mother was the most excited, because that meant she was going to finally get half of her house back, including her fabulous closet!  You would think I'd be set up by now and livin' large, but this hasn't gone without hiccups.

I was not surprised to find my belongings in the storage unit were a little worse for wear.  After nearly three years, the mice had done quite a bit of damage.  They had used nearly every exposed surface as a toilet, and in a few instances had chewed into bags of clothing and bedding and made nests.  Everything was transported to my basement, where it still sits, waiting to be gone over with a fine toothed comb.  Which brings me to the next hiccup.

So, I still don't have propane tanks.  No propane means no hot water.  No dishwasher.  No de-mousing hot water washes in my washing machine.  No soaking in my Pat-Boone-Made-Me-Buy-It tub.  No propane means no clothes dryer.  No propane means no oven or stove-top.  No propane has really stalled my efforts to put some semblance of organization in place with my stuff.  It's coming, I just need to be patient.  Hopefully by July 7th I'll have my tanks in place and be able to start my sanitation process. 

In the meantime I've put the finishing touches on my entry door.

I've started working on my island project.  All that's left is to finish the counter top and attach the legs.

I stained the legs to match my dining room set.

I've moved 85% of my stuff out of Mom's house, but I keep finding more things tucked away in drawers and cabinets.  I've set up a temporary living room upstairs, and a work space in the dining room.

I had to purchase a new futon mattress, as the other one had been defiled by the mice.  For the first few weeks I slept on the futon, but I have since purchased a new bed frame.  Unfortunately, I have not purchased a new mattress for it, so I'm still sleeping on the futon mattress.  Not the most comfortable thing, but it'll do for now.  

What you don't see is the piles of boxes and storage bins and bags everywhere.  I haven't even started on the downstairs rooms.  My refrigerator finally showed up, and I love it.  I'm still looking for a decent hood vent, though.  I've borrowed a knife, fork, and spoon from Mom to use until I can sanitize my own flatware, and I'm eating off of paper plates, but it's all good.

I've also done some outside projects. I finally buckled down and created some holding beds for my shade perennials and got those planted.  They were very happy to be out of pots for the first time in nearly three years.  Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room for the hostas, so they have to wait for another bed to be created.

The veggie garden is coming along nicely.  I've already pulled the radish and have been harvesting lettuce, peas, and strawberries galore.

I had our guy Corey come by with his tractor a couple times so far.  Yesterday he moved the deck frame (which we have the go-ahead to use as a deck off the back of my house) and my soaking tub into my back yard area, then I had him spread some of that massive topsoil mound around to soften the lines of the lower driveway area.  

I also had him pull the tree out that fell in my fence area on the mule track, and cut down the nasty cherry tree out back that had been damaged over the winter.  It was right behind where the tub is now.

I've planted some creeping thyme in the back yard, but I don't want to do any landscaping out there until the deck is on and I have a fence up, which might not be until next year.  

I still have the mule track to work on, and the tiered garden bed project is completely stalled.  I definitely have enough to keep me busy right through until snow flies, that's for sure!

Vanity Blues

 Day 122 had me near tears with the plumbing issues.  When the builder sends me a text that reads, "Hey Jen, do you have a minute?" it usually means I'm about to be disappointed.  Well, it turns out the bathroom vanity I bought on Craigslist to save myself some money is pretty much junk.  Not the vanity itself, but the faucet wouldn't stop running.  A steady thin stream of water kept pouring out no matter what the plumber tried.  Guess what?  New faucet time.  *sigh*  The builder tried to cheer me up by firing up my super duper old lady Pat Boone-made-me-buy-it tub, which promptly began to leak through the floor.  I walked out before I burst into tears.  Ten minutes later I was informed there was something that the factory hadn't tightened, but it was all set now and the tub won't leak again.  Hopefully.  Oh, by the way...did you pick up some hoses for your washing machine?  You know they don't come with them anymore.

No, I was not aware of this.  *tears up*

So I have about ten different parts orders that I'm waiting for now, and I can't get an occupancy permit until all plumbing is finished and working.  Bummer.

BUT...

 The toilets are in, and even Roo is impressed.  The downstairs toilet is a bit of a monster.  It has to pump up to the septic tank, and there's a pump/grinder behind it that ensures only tiny particles are being moved through the dispersal pipe.  When that grinder comes on, it's very loud, and a little frightening.  But hey - I hadn't planned to have a downstairs bathroom, so I'm not going to knock it!  How nice will that be when I'm gross from doing outside chores and don't want to go all the way up to the main bathroom?  Wicked.  Wicked friggin' nice.

I've started pickling the inside of the front door to take some of the yellowy curse off of it.  Hopefully one more coat should do it.

My garage is clean as a whistle!  I actually pulled Clementine, my truck, in there last night.  I didn't think she'd take up as much room as she does, but it'll still be nice to have her high and dry come winter.  There should be room enough for Reputa the tractor and some other equipment in there, too.  

And here's the backyard pièce de résistance.  Remember the ugly sewer vent? 

That horrible pipe I was going to have to live with in my backyard and look at day in and day out?  Well, check this out.  

How cool is that?!?  It's a solar light on an upright vent attachment that allows the pipe to do its job, but in a not-so-ugly way!  Once I get some loam in there and start building my gardens and lawn area, you'll barely know it's a functional ornament.  

It's all about the little victories.

I Blame Pat Boone

 Days 120 and 121 were made up of me listening to the builder and the plumber tell me what a nightmare my super duper old lady Pat Boone-made-me-buy-it tub is.

I should in full disclosure mention that my tub isn't the same brand Mr. Boone hawks, but it's pretty close to the same.  

Anyway, there are all kinds of plumbing related issues with my awesome tub that went over my head, and they had to cut a hole in the media room ceiling to reach the underside of the pipes and whatnots.

Live and learn.

The downstairs bathroom/utility room got a ceiling that brings me back to my elementary school days...

The pain in the butt tub got a surround...

The dryer got a vent and the washing machine was put in place...

And the place had a good vacuuming and tidying up.

The plumber should be back soon to finish hooking up the various things which require water, and the heating guy was here to hook up the things which require propane, and the electrician will be back to do the last few things which require electricity.

In the meantime, I painted my front door...

Unboxed my new microwave...

And liberated a truckload of stuff from my storage unit.

I'm hoping I'll be able to get the rest of my crap moved in before I have to pay another month's rent on the unit...fingers crossed.  And even if I'm moved in, the fridge is still on hold until June 6th, and the propane company won't be out to install my tanks until June 16th.  A minor bump near the end of a very long, winding road. 

Once Again...The Doors

 Days 118 and 119...it's down to the wire!  

The kitchen faucet is now in...I went crazy and bought one of those touch faucets. 

Also note the cabinet hardware is on.  I absolutely love it!  Here's a closeup of the beautiful Celtic knot detail:

The "front" door is now up, but needs to be trimmed.  I'm painting the porch side deep blue and am just going to polyurethane the kitchen side, I think.  I'm on the fence between leaving it natural or pickling it (white, of course).  It feels like a lot of natural wood in this corner.  I need to live with it for a little longer before I decide.

The builder went above and beyond with the downstairs doors.  I'm so in love with these!  I plan to give them a light whitewashing or stain, so you can still see the woodgrain.

bathroom/utility room door

A little bit of trim, the last of the plumbing and electrical, and some paint touch-ups, and it should be ready for the final inspection. 

So close...

 The house progress came to a slight standstill last week, but it's back on track now.  Days 115 through 117 saw my dryer and my kitchen stove arrive, finally!

...and my stair railing went up (so fancy!)...

...and the front door arrived.  

But the best thing was today, because today my countertop finally arrived and was put in and I love it - definitely worth the wait.

The plumber was here and set up the sink and dishwasher, so that part is finally underway, too.

Happy belated birthday to me.  😊