is EVERYTHING due in November?

is EVERYTHING due in November?

Regular bills… property taxes… homeowners insurance… all due in November. Add the new furnace and A/C and I’ve wiped out more than 100 Benjamins in less than 15 days. 

I hear it’s supposed to begin turning much colder soon. I know that’s likely true since those pesky non-neighbors put me on notice that if doctor’s reports are good, they’ll be headed for a warmer climate ASAP. 

After I pay everything that’s due, I’ll be lucky to get as far south as Uniontown.  But hey… so long as I’m home, I’ll be warm thanks to this guy:

Barron Heating & Air
you can’t fix a bed frame with silicone

you can’t fix a bed frame with silicone

My great uncle, Theodore E. Hancock (Ted), owned this house before me. He and his wife, Lois,  my Grandmother’s sister, purchased this newly built home to be closer to family after having lived in Greenwood for at least 100 years. Ted just LOVED silicone.

We know how much he loved silicone because it’s everywhere in this 80’s house. EVERYWHERE.  He squired it behind every bracket on every toilet paper holder and towel rack before placing the screws (making them nearly impossible to replace) and around every window (who needs windows that open anyway?). I would bet money the little old man slept with a silicone gun — and I’ve added 50 pounds of the stuff within trash bags over the past 4 years.

I painted Colette’s room over the weekend and when I moved her bed (an antique that belonged to Ted and I decided to keep), the sucker broke!

silicone won't fix beds

Upon close inspection I found… you guessed it… silicone! It was obvious the bed had been broken before because it was repaired with small nails (not screws) and at least a 1/2 tube of silicone — and you can’t fix bed frames with silicone. RIP bed.

well, well, well… a new well

well, well, well… a new well

Driven wells (where a pipe is driven into the ground) supply most homes around here with water. I have two of them. Two wells, two pumps, two bladder things, and a spiderweb of pipes in the garage.

On the other hand, I know what a “Rose” well is too because I’ve had those in the past.  Huge things — big enough to get down inside on a platform where the pump rests — and called that because the well-digging business was owned by Henry Rose.  I’d hate to guess how many ‘Rose wells’ exist in Jackson County, IN.

That’s the extent of my well experiences — and they were when I lived in the country. Hard to believe that there’s no city water offered to homeowners behind the school on my street. We pay city taxes and I have city sewer. One would think city water would be available.

I called the company that provides water to the rest of the city to get an estimate. I about choked when the engineer let me know the cost would be $100-$200 THOUSAND dollars to get a line from the water main down my road — especially considering that even 6th Street doesn’t have access to city water.  This would be a Seymour City project, and they don’t seem interested. Obviously.

So today a new well went in the ground here.  It’s like a tiny Rose well — same concept only not 30′ in diameter — and I’m told I should never have issues.

new well in the city

So this house in the city has a new country well. They took the bathtub of muddy water, but left a pile of sand that will probably attract every stray cat in Seymour. 🙂

Plumber will be here on Thursday and another 80’s house project will be in the books.

when you don’t have time to do it right

when you don’t have time to do it right

John Wooden was quoted with the following:

If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?”

There are days I feel like that quote defines me. So many work goals set with reasonable deadlines — but when combined with so many other work deadlines — all become unreasonable. It’s a struggle, you guys.

That’s probably why I tend to enjoy the creative aspects of all projects… work and home. Take painting a room, for example.  You’re not going to “do it wrong” so long as you don’t slop wall color on a white ceiling, but you still might have to do it over.

From the second I opened the can of paint I purchased for the small, hall bathroom I had doubts. My first impression upon seeing the color after mixed was “NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS” and Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town.

I did it right, but do I still do it over? 

bathroom in halloween town

Ben and Perry said they love it, and it’s growing on me.

Not sure what this says about my personality changing as I grow older.  I used to be so traditional — neutral colors everywhere — but here lately, everything I choose is bold… including the wall art.

this is not me

not even the 4th yet

not even the 4th yet

Gracie (the blonde bombshell rescued about 10 years ago) is terrified of storms — thunder and any loud noise totally freaks her out. You’d never know it’s not even the 4th yet with all the loud noises coming from just down the hall. Today is the final ‘install flooring’ day… the last day a noisy compressor will be kicking on and off… the last day of pounding and nail gun sounds. Gracie seeks comfort and security from one much braver.

seeking comfort

I’m ready for this project to be complete although the guys from Coomler’s Floor Coverings have been great. I can’t wait to get everything put back together in the finished rooms so I can tear up another one, but this is the last of the flooring for now. Everything else will be easy peasy and won’t require Dharma to double as an emotional support animal.

Recommendation: The Coolaroo elevated/cooling pet bed is amazing and comes in 3 sizes.