Saturday, busting my ass and breaking the bank

I woke up at the usual time (without the alarm). It was too early for the news, so I went out and made a cup of coffee. Looking outside through the kitchen windows, I realized I couldn’t see the lights on Inkster Road! It seems we are socked in with a dense fog and the news collaborated my findings when it finally came on.

I lollygagged about until I finally shaved and showered. I have a new water heater coming sometime between 9:00-12:00, so I need to move the car out and on the other side of the driveway so the installer will have easy access.

I also need to set the cat’s food, water and a kitty litter box in the living room, so I can lock them in there to prevent escapes or accidents.

I did the cat set up first. I didn’t lock them in yet, but I did shut the downstairs door so they would be forced to use the living room.

The installer company called and verified my appointment and said the guy would call 1/2 hour before he was to arrive. So, since I had to pull the car out anyway, I drove over to the Post Office to get the stamps for the Christmas cards.

I forgot its no longer a 24-hour center (Post Office cut-backs) and found it didn’t open until 9:00 AM. So, I sat in the car and listened to music for 10 minutes. I got my stamps, went home and parked outside.

I treated the cats and got my tools for the next phase of the bathroom project: caulking and spackling.

So, I caulked where necessary, spackled all the holes (even the ones that won’t show) and scrapped off most of the excess. I’ll sand it when it dries.

Next, I drilled a 1/4 hole in the wood near the top. I got the spray foam and shot as much as I could into the cavity. I put the board and brace back, not to hold the board in, but to keep the foam from oozing out (see photo) . Since some of the holes were wide and/or deep, I set the timer for the maximum drying time on the spackling can instructions: Five hours.

I took a short break to refill the bird and the squirrel feeders. I admit, I ate a few of the peanuts. Hey, I was just making sure they were fresh for my furry little friends!

Then, I moved onto another project: installing the peg board on the west side of the garage annex. I started by relocating things that were hanging in the space, then unscrewed what I though was the plastic sheet (which I have never understood) and the long tool holder rack. (see photo).

Once I had the “plastic sheet” off, I realized it was the white back of a “No Parking” metal sign (see photo) and probably was used with magnets to hold drawings or something. The tool rack was rusty, so I scrubbed it with a wire brush.

Since it was nice out, I spray painted the tool rack black and the register for the office closet door brown (the next little project).

The Home Depot installer showed up just before noon. Fortunately, both cats were sleeping in the living room, so I just slid shut the pocket door.

He inspected my set up and gave me the bad news. Since they are licensed contractors, they had to pull a permit. And, my old set up is no longer up to code. I needed a new gas shut off valve and a 4-inch vent pipe instead of the 3-inch one I had to be legal. Unfortunately, this added $209.00 US to the total cost. Now I am beginning to think that I paid more for the installation than I did for the hot water heater!

I suppose I should have done this myself. On the other hand, as much as I like DIY projects, the two things I hate messing with the most are plumbing and gas lines. So, I told him to go ahead.

While he was working, I cut down a 2x4 I had saved for the trailer tarp (that I haven’t used in years) into two four-foot sections. I ripped one of them in half on the table saw.

The smoke alarm downstairs came on while he was sweating in the new connections. So, I took it down and into the garage.

I always wondered why that wall bowed a bit and now I learned why. There are no studs! The previous owner simply put a header and footer on it to cover up the garage door that used to open up to the back yard (which I always wished was still functional) and covered it with 1/2-inch plywood.

So, I got out my Elmer’s glue, a level, the screw driver and some deck screws. I climbed up the little step ladder and crouched on the work bench (fighting the fluorescent fixtures I hung on chains over it) and screwed in a level 2x2 on each end and a 2x4 in the middle.

I nailed in the two peg board panels at the top with roofing nails (just to hold them in place) and then screwed them on. I finished about the same time the hot water heater guy did, around 2:30 PM.

I inspected his work and signed my life away. The part I didn’t like was that he said the Township building inspector would be sending me a letter to set up a time to inspect his work. It’s not that I don’t like building inspectors, but I worry about having them in my house!

Now that the water was back on, I got myself a big glass and drank it, looking out the kitchen window. WTF? There is a big cardboard box in the back garden. No way that sucker blew over the wall! So, I got p*ssed. I went out back and, instead of gathering all the trash up and throwing it away in my garbage pickup, I pitched it back over the wall. I may get in trouble for that, but I have called the Township before about this problem and took a photo of the box as proof (see, well, photos, lol).

Back inside, my back was killing me. So, I took a pain pill and took a nap.

It was after 6:00 PM when I woke up and I was hungry. So, I warmed up the last of the unfrozen chili and ate that, with two packets of oyster crackers. I have a LOT of oyster crackers left over from my grandson Joe’s wedding.

Refueled, I got back to work. I sanded all the spackling in the bathroom, using the vacuum cleaner to keep the dust down to a minimum. It sounds simple, but it took me over two hours before I was satisfied.

Then I drilled the hole in the tile for the one side of the vent (the other will be on the plywood). That was slow going, as it always is with tile. When I finished, I pounded in the plastic plug I will be screwing into.

I had hoped to get the first coat of paint on the bathroom today, but the foam spray is still wet. I know because I touched it and got it on my hands. So, I cracked open the bathroom window (to keep the smell down) and shut the door for the night.

My house was a total wreck, so I moved all the chairs into the living room, then vacuumed the walk off carpets and the kitchen floor. Somewhere in the middle of doing the kitchen, the brush on the electric sweeper stopped working, but I’ll try and deal with that tomorrow.

Then, I washed the kitchen floor. I put the mop across the opening to remind myself not to walk on it.

It was late, I was tired and my back was really hurting again from kneeling and bending over while I was sanding and drilling. I was hungry, but didn’t feel like screwing around making dinner. So, I ate some pretzels dipped in that damn Melissa cheese while watching a taped episode of “The First 48” which is a show Carla turned me onto when I was down there. I need to stop watching those DIY shows or they will be the death of me!

Then I went to bed.