Shed Envy

the kids shed is nicer than mine

Pride In Red Pine

This morning we put the finishing touches on the shed. Trim and railing and voila. There needs to be some touchup paint work done, but I think there will always need to be some touchup paint work done, so I'm not getting too crazy about that.

Front (Working Side)


Back (Relaxing Side)


The garden on the other hand is not finished. Chicken wire is 97% installed. The seven garden boxes are built and laid out and leveled. The alcove is leveled and shelved out. So it seems like tomorrow may not be a planting day so much as another day of preparation. Just as well. We're broke til the weekend.



Good news is I have a new favorite lunch. Indian cheese steak sprinkled with turmeric & red curry. Gets the blood flowing. Have one.

Delivery Delays The Day

We had planned to work half the day and BBQ the rest, but the friends we invited over had to be selfish and cancel their plans last minute just because they had a baby. Some people.

Here's what we got done instead.








Congrats to the Hartsuikers.

The View And The Low Anthem

This is the view from the hammock. I'm there now. Back breaking day. Laid the deck, painted trim, sanded and installed windows,... is that it. It's a mess now. Like a proper mess. Everything half done. But its gonna rain soon, maybe, or it's a good enough excuse to stop for today. I can hear kids playing down the road, Yuula and her mom are upstairs taking a bath and I got the Low Anthem clarinet song playing. Pretty peaceful moment. I think I'll keep it.

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Move In The Mower

Today, for a brief moment in time, the sun shined, and I stood in the front yard and cried, for I forgot what the warmth felt like on my face. And despite the rest of the day being pretty miserable I trudged thru some yardwork because, it has to get done some time. The big shed transition took place and I gotta tell you, I was giddy. I have been waiting a long time for this. Just another small step in the journey that is the summer 2011 facelift.

Well On Into Phase 4

Yesterday we really knocked out Phase 4. Is anyone keeping track of these? Doors and windows. Both doors, front and back, are up, operational and set high security. Four out the five windows are installed and functional, altho their still need to be sanded and repainted, but paint is Phase 5, or maybe 6. I dunno. But I do feel good that this thing is starting to actually look like something, have a little character. Put up the garden door too and as crooked as it is, it's perfect. Just a handful of little jobs left, the back porch and chicken wire and we should be good to go. And it's May 9th!






Now it's time to cleanup.

Baby Loose On A Construction Site

Boy that's a dangerous title. But the photos on this post will prove that there was minimal "construction" and maximum baby/kitten play.




A few things we learned yesterday.


#1: It is hard, but not impossible to dig post holes in our driveway. We met some rocks who never expected to meet the light of day, and they were less than appreciative.



#2: Babies like kittens. Kittens are afraid of babies. The whole interaction is adorable.



#3: You can never have enough Schiff's tea biscuits.



#4: Laura is capable of holding a baby in one hand, leveling a board with the other and drawing cut lines with her mouth.



#5: It is not a good idea to befriend the yogurt organizer (official title?) at the Weis market on 611 because while it is impressive that he knows "Hungry Like A Wolf" was released on Duran Duran's 2nd album, Rio by EMI/Capitol in 1982, the whole encounter will get quite creepy as he expands the conversation into how, to him, the song sounds like a tractor trailer jackknifing against the divider in the left hand lane of 80 east in between mile marker 3 and 4... he cleared the dairy aisle. He is not good for the yogurt business.



#6: Wasps like the Amish.

A Door Able

Get it?

The first three days of this shed project were sun up to sundown, long and too much coffee drinking days. Now all I have is a few hours here and a few hours there to piece things together. Today I got up and out to get these doors on. What's the point of keeping stuff in there if we can't close it up at night. So doors. I finished the front door, which was a pain in the ass. Laura wanted a Dutch style door, which is much easier said than done. It ain't pretty but it's up and it functions. I got about a third of the way thru the back door. I may have a couple hours tomorrow, and then maybe Monday morning to close it up. Then the real fun begins!

I Continue To Impress Myself

Add to the list of things I never thought I'd do, shingling a roof. Before today shingles were that stuff that kept Letterman away from the Late Show in 2003. Today my outlook changed and, overcoming my fear of heights, I spent a good 4 hours on the roof, shingling away and bring to a close phase 2 of the new shed. Not bad, if I do say so myself.



We began phase 3. Doors & windows. It's been rough so far.

Back At It At Night

We tried to prep a few things for tomorrow, but it's frigin cold, and I have had a heluva day. Laura should be home soon here and I plan on hitting the sack hard. I have never used that expression before. That's how tired I am. Tomorrow's goal is to waterproof. After that, doors & windows, but who knows what's gonna happen there. I'd like to use the thing soon. That is the idea.

But God I Like It

Aye. It's been a long day and it's only noon. Just been cleaning up everyone's crap today. Some figuratively, some literally. Got Moms & Pops coming back to town tonight, trying to finish off this shed, put a bow on it, so I can use it at least. May not have windows for a couple more weeks, but the lawnmower doesn't need a view. Probably be out in said shed cutting wood tonight til around 10 or so, and Laura just left for work so it's me and the girl, not to mention all the work I have to do coordinating these frames & racks for the Air Force base job and I gotta put a second coat on the shed trim before the sun goes down... I could use some motivation.

In memoriam to yesterdays fallen bassist...



He liked that stack, huh?

The Sound Of Solid

Well... my father can never be accused of under building something. That shed is solid, even in its 90% completion status. That's right. Only 90% done, due to last night's loss of energy, light and motivation. The rain had started on/off-ing around 5, chasing off Eileen and severely distracting us from progress.



We threw the tarpaper up, after a broken staple gun added to frustration, and tried to nail in as many shingles we could before the sky opened up. I fell off a crooked ladder into a pile of rocks and Dad got stuck in a tree. We decided to call it a night and go make some burgers. The final 10% will have to wait.




My father says two people do three times the work one person can, three people do five times the work two people can and four crocodiles eat six times the food eleven monkeys can so Grandma kept Yuula busy indoors so we could get work done.



Everyone's favorite tree.

Neither Flood Nor Meatball

The shed is coming together, despite the rain that fell from roughly 1pm to 8, when my father & I, soaked thru to our bones and bodies covered in wet sawdust, finally called it quits. We threw tarps on top of tarps up over the the structure and kept somewhat dry, but there was no avoiding the torrentials. The flood warning thru the night has me a little unsettled, since the entire back of the thing lies on a man (me) made retaining wall that is still in its infantile stages of construction. If it's still standing tomorrow morning, we may be able to finish it. It will be an accomplishment.

The drier moments...





Laura made a delicious spaghetti and meatball dinner that replenished my carbs. Now I am ready for sleep. We are winding down...

A Stage Is Set

Not bad for 3 hours work. Leveling it was the hard part. Laura already clogged on it. Tomorrow the walls. Supposed to rain. We'll see how it happens.

Ambitious List Begins

Oh glorious outdoors, where have you been? We couldn't help ourselves this morning and tackled the first item on our ambitious spring cleaning list. A list that involves gardens and pergolas and decks and patios and fences. A real collection of projects that I'd like to finish in time to be able to enjoy them before the weather turns cold again. The shed was item #1. It has phases. It was a family affair. It would have to be. Tomorrow morning is phase #2. Today was the first in months that we left the heat off. I was quite pleased by this. Quite pleased.

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Sunday Foe

It's been put off long enough. If you don't hear from me by dusk, alert the authorities.....

Productivity Report

Following my rather negative post yesterday about coming to a relative roadblock on the homefront, we had probably the most productive day yet in our vast history as homeowners. I mean, we really knuckled down and got some big stuff checked off the list. The backroom has been a virtual dumping ground since the day we moved in, but yesterday we cleared it out enough to actually put a table in there and hang some curtains and make it into a semi-respectable laundry/spare room/dumping ground kinda thing. So......improvements.



We spent a good chunk of the day outside and in the shed, which has become a huge savior as far as storage is concerned. We got a lotta stuff, so naturally the shed became out outdoor dumping ground, but yesterday we ripped that place apart and managed to find even more room than I had originally thought was possible. We still have empty space in there! The shed went from a 4.7 to a 9.2 in a few short hours.




We've also accumulated quite a junk pile. Haven't quite figured out what to do with that yet. I'm hoping one morning we wake up and it's gone. Does that happen? Trash Fairy?


As daylight became scarce and the we got nearer to 7:10 (first pitch at the Mets game) we knew we had to wrap things up. We found the energy to hang a few decorative items and place others in spots we may someday consider hanging them, so the house is starting to take on a bit more personality.






So a very productive day, and not at a better time. A perfect day really, cleaning house with my girl, making some delicious dinner and settling in to watch the Mets game.


Too bad they lost. But The Jerk was on right after the game so.... silver lining.