A Brief Respite (aka, The First Weekend)
So I've been remiss in posting, like, daily, as I'd sort of hoped to. It was super exciting in the first week with all the demolition and re-formatting of some structural things, but it has tapered off as the first week has come to a close.
We were told that no one would be coming on Friday, and yet our tile guy and his son showed up to do the demolition of the old laundry room floor, and to prepare the floor for the new laundry room. We hope to see both areas tiled this week or next.
Also, we had the electrical/HVAC inspector come on Friday, unexpectedly. He saw whatever had been done and approved whatever was finished. Turns out his son was a classmate/Boy Scout buddy of the son of the former owner of our house; he knew our kitchen -- small world.
Jim's folks came up for our first two APT performances (American Players Theatre is a kickass theatre in the woods about an hour from here), and it was fun to host them in our home that is far closer to camping than a B&B. Fortunately they are flexible, lovely people who are excited about our remodel and didn't mind that our dining area is kind of in the basement right now, and that the living room is the only sane haven in the house. We saw a couple of plays, one Friday and one Saturday, staying up late after each one, drinking and chatting like we were all teenagers.
On Sunday, we went to lunch at the house of one of our dear friends, and her daughters had all made something scrummy, and they all shared the news of their exciting lives. I'm so happy to watch them all bloom and grow into the individuals they are, and are becoming. We were so grateful for their hospitality, particularly in a time when it's not so simple to cook for ourselves or even make a friggin' sandwich.
Also on Sunday, the former owner of our home came by (I totally invited her) to see what all our remodeling fuss was about. It's got to be challenging to see what those silly new owners are doing to her perfectly-good house, but she took it all in great stride and seemed to think we were doing a good thing. I'm excited to show her (and anyone else who cares) what it all looks like along the way, and at the end of the remodel.
A cool little meme appeared in my Facebook feed this week, and I shared it: "If you are more fortunate than others, it is better to build a longer table than a taller fence." I don't know that I'm necessarily more fortunate, but I feel so, and I want to connect rather than disconnect. I'm a little embarrassed that we're able to do this remodel, but I'm also thrilled that we can make this investment and pay it forward to ourselves and others, investing in experiences rather than so many things.
That said, somebody help me purge all the krep I don't need...
Get ready for Week Two, where surely more adventures lie in store!
We were told that no one would be coming on Friday, and yet our tile guy and his son showed up to do the demolition of the old laundry room floor, and to prepare the floor for the new laundry room. We hope to see both areas tiled this week or next.
Also, we had the electrical/HVAC inspector come on Friday, unexpectedly. He saw whatever had been done and approved whatever was finished. Turns out his son was a classmate/Boy Scout buddy of the son of the former owner of our house; he knew our kitchen -- small world.
Jim's folks came up for our first two APT performances (American Players Theatre is a kickass theatre in the woods about an hour from here), and it was fun to host them in our home that is far closer to camping than a B&B. Fortunately they are flexible, lovely people who are excited about our remodel and didn't mind that our dining area is kind of in the basement right now, and that the living room is the only sane haven in the house. We saw a couple of plays, one Friday and one Saturday, staying up late after each one, drinking and chatting like we were all teenagers.
On Sunday, we went to lunch at the house of one of our dear friends, and her daughters had all made something scrummy, and they all shared the news of their exciting lives. I'm so happy to watch them all bloom and grow into the individuals they are, and are becoming. We were so grateful for their hospitality, particularly in a time when it's not so simple to cook for ourselves or even make a friggin' sandwich.
Also on Sunday, the former owner of our home came by (I totally invited her) to see what all our remodeling fuss was about. It's got to be challenging to see what those silly new owners are doing to her perfectly-good house, but she took it all in great stride and seemed to think we were doing a good thing. I'm excited to show her (and anyone else who cares) what it all looks like along the way, and at the end of the remodel.
A cool little meme appeared in my Facebook feed this week, and I shared it: "If you are more fortunate than others, it is better to build a longer table than a taller fence." I don't know that I'm necessarily more fortunate, but I feel so, and I want to connect rather than disconnect. I'm a little embarrassed that we're able to do this remodel, but I'm also thrilled that we can make this investment and pay it forward to ourselves and others, investing in experiences rather than so many things.
That said, somebody help me purge all the krep I don't need...
Get ready for Week Two, where surely more adventures lie in store!
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