Busy Weekend

Sidebar: Please don’t be hating on me for this late post. I seriously (SERIOUSLY) overworked myself on Saturday and overslept on Sunday.

I woke up to the alarm on Saturday. After last week’s embarrassing moment (I overslept and missed my massage), I didn’t want to miss the rescheduled appointment.

So, I didn’t. I got my massage at 8:30 a.m. and tipped her for missing last week. I apologized for saying she looked like shit last time (she laughed) and there was no hugging involved. Then I went and got my haircut.

From there I went home.  I quickly changed clothes into my junky work clothes (I was wearing my “go to Kroger’s” weekend clothes) and sent a text to Vicky, asking if she was at the #1 house. She was.

Sidebar: There are currently 20 houses she now owns in all, plus the home she, her Mother and Yanessa live in, so it gets a little confusing.

So, I loaded my old step stool/tool box (I bought it back in St. Clair and had it the walk-in master bedroom closet so I didn’t have to walk down three stories to get a screwdriver) and the step ladder Jake and Carla gave me (it’s got wide steps and perfect for old crippled guys) in the back of the truck and headed out.

I did program my phone for the trip, but basically ignored it. The first time I went there, it had me turning this way on that street and then that way.  Since I was here once, I realized it was not that convoluted.

Sidebar: I have this weird thing in my head. If I drive somewhere, (and I have to drive, not be a passenger), I can always find my way back. Strange, but true…

When I got there Vicky and her uncle Jose were there, hard at work, ripping out carpeting.

Sidebar: Vicky told me that white people like me (LOL) are supposed to call him “Joe.” I explained I have a grandson named Jose, but, okay, I got it.

So, I started out by drawing a crude picture of the cabinets and numbering them. Why?

This ain’t my first rodeo. You can spend an enormous amount of time trying to hang a door that goes somewhere else.

So, I stuck masking tape on each door and drawer and numbered it. Vicky came in and wanted to help, so I let her use the drill to take off the rest of the base cabinet doors. It took some time for her to learn to push the bit in and go slow. Slum lords always seem to want everything done FAST!

Then I started taking off the three (greasy) doors over the stove. But there was a problem. The base cabinet was all Philips-head screws. But these were straight head screws and too small for the drill bit or screw drivers I brought.

Sidebar: I have two or three made for working on electrical boxes, but didn’t think to bring them. Likewise, Vicky has several at her house for working on computers.

So, Joe had a small one in his truck, but it had a screwed up edge. I left him and Vicky to work on those cabinets while I started to tackle the main problem: the original upper cabinets.

They were flush-mounted doors with what I think you call butterfly hinges. The trouble was that somebody painted over them. Not once, not twice but three damn times! Brown, white and black and thick paint.

It was a good thing I brought a wood chisel and a hammer. I chipped off the paint and then cleaned out the groove in each screw so I could take it out. There were three screws in each hinge, BTW.

Meanwhile, Vicky and “Joe” took off the upper cabinet. She doesn’t want it over the stove area (?), she wants them over the fridge.

We got into a bit of a debate about that. She wanted to put them up as is. I tried to explain that would put the fridge over 18 inches and sorta block the doorway. I said I could remodel them so the lower cabinet was on the door side, thus saving some space. She finally understood what I was saying.

We eventually all got working on the old uppers. Vicky was standing on the counter (she’s short) and Joe was using a chisel and my hammer. He had a rather aggressive style of getting the hinges off.

We finished getting the doors all off after 1:00 p.m. and loaded them, and the drawers in the truck. I was going to just leave the stepladder there, but both Joe and Vicky told me not to. They said somebody would steal it.

So, I loaded up the tool box and the ladder. Vicky was going to buy her uncle some lunch and offered to buy mine too, but I was beat. So, I headed home.

I left the truck outside, went in and treated the cat and then took a long nap.

I woke up around 5:00 p.m. I unloaded the truck and that took a while. There were 17 doors and drawers in it. I was seriously beat, but hungry. So, I made some Kraft mac & cheese and ate that watching some DIY shows.  I needed some inspiration, LOL!

I gave up about 9:00 p.m. and went to bed.

I woke up late on Sunday (after 10:00 a.m.!) I made some scrambled eggs for a change (getting tired of soft-boiled, I guess). I thought I had a roll of pork sausage in the freezer, but didn’t find any. So, I just ate the eggs with some toast.

About 10:00 a.m. I headed out for Home Depot. I bought some cheap-ass plastic sawhorses and four 2x4 studs. I need to make makeshift tables for working on the drawers and doors. I was hoping to just paint them, but paint is so thick, I think I need to strip them first. So, I picked up some stripper and heavy duty gloves, too.

I went to the Feed Store and got more birdseed.

Back home, I left the truck outside (it’s going to be outside for some time I fear). I set up my table and started working on removing the hinges from the door.

So, I basically did the same thing three of us did on Saturday. Needless to say, I didn’t finish before I got sick and tired of it.

So, I went out back and started picking up branches. I hauled the birdseed out to the can and refilled the feeder. I put some peanuts out for the squirrels and refilled the suet cage.

I came inside at it was almost 5:00 p.m., so I quit for the night. I cleaned up and sat in the living room, reading a book. When I got hungry, I realized I hadn’t taken anything out to thaw. So, I warmed up a can of Hormell chili and ate that with crackers.

I went back to reading until I got tired. Then I went to bed, just after 9:00 p.m.