Like her sister, Stella Luna has drinking issues. Her preferred watering hole is the tub, though, not the sink. Last night was last call at the ol' bathtub saloon.
Jer and I slept very well on the guest room futon. Nice to know that there's nothing inherently flawed in the accommodations Casa Jereva has been proudly offering visitors since 2006. There's a slight logistical challenge in figuring out what needs to live downstairs for the duration (backup reading glasses, everyday jewelry, robe, slippers, underwear, at least one set of clothes) and what we can grab as needed from its usual place adjacent to the construction zone.
Shortly after Steve arrived this morning to tear things apart, I had to leave for a meeting. Poor me; I missed some major noise. I'm kind of sorry I didn't get to see the old cast-iron tub reduced to a pile of shards. I got home around 1 PM, by which time the tub, toilet, and most of the vanity were history.
Jerry reported that Steve had carried out an entire wall section of tile, whole. That must have been some mighty grout. I thought the pattern (below) left by the adhesive was kind of cool. I wonder who installed it, and I'm struck, not for the first time in this house, by the similarity between the original owners' color palette and ours. The paint we've chosen for the bathroom walls is a shade or three lighter than this, but definitely in the same family.
Steve told us he removed four, count them, layers of linoleum. We laid the blue-green Marmoleum (tm) on top of the intolerable red that was there when we bought the house. I'm sure today was the first time the subfloor has been exposed since the house was built in 1954. Goodbye, Standard Plebe toilet and what I assume are the remains of the tub.
By the end of the day Steve had completed a lot of the framing for the new shower surround and the adjacent built-in cabinet. China Rose went in to inspect. I imagine her thinking might be summed up as: "WTF?"
So, Day 1 went pretty well. The power saw popped the circuit breaker a few times (old house, old wiring), and one of the studs in the photo below will have to be repositioned. Steve will be back in the morning, and the plumber is expected to show up after lunch.
The animals have been holding up okay, and so have we thus far. It's a cold, wet blustery day, with gusts up to 26, according to our weather station. A big limb came down from a tree across the street. All five of us are in the living room at the moment, watching Rachel Maddow. This might be the evening for a stupid movie over dinner. Men Who Stare at Goats should do it, I'm thinking.
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1 comment:
So, you can't change your mind now. I love that part where you get to see layers of floor coverings/wallpaper/paint colors and wonder about the folks who made those choices. Don't you feel a little like family, with unknown people who lived in your house before you? I think living in a brand new house would be so boring.
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