Tuesday, April 18, 2006
I forgot to mention one of the best parts of the family visit earlier this month, how two little girls, ages 8 and 11, broke in the tango bindery doing large-scale artwork on the big foldout table that comes off the wallbed. It's just the kind of activity for which the space was built, and the artists' chirpy voices and scratching pens traveled as music up the stairs.
Then there was the real breaking in, when we had the big party Friday. Some of those who came hadn't been there since the groundbreaking show in August 2004, and boy had things changed: No more dirty, ramshackle carport, no packs of rats or raccoons, no weeds up to your wallet (no nuisance notices from the city either).
But I'm burying the lead here, because in case you didn't notice, I finally posted pictures at right. No scrolling required!
Then there was the real breaking in, when we had the big party Friday. Some of those who came hadn't been there since the groundbreaking show in August 2004, and boy had things changed: No more dirty, ramshackle carport, no packs of rats or raccoons, no weeds up to your wallet (no nuisance notices from the city either).
But I'm burying the lead here, because in case you didn't notice, I finally posted pictures at right. No scrolling required!
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Mabel is flawless in just about every way except: She kills birds. The third one came to rest Friday night (?) on the driveway just below the kitchen window, where Monkey Man saw it and wondered why it wasn't moving so fast, or hardly at all. I ran upstairs and saw the telltale smudge of feathers from the inside and felt sad.
I'm sure Monkey Man thought he was cheering me up, saying, Well, it's not a native species. I begged for him to lay it to rest among the Hinoki cypresses, but we waited, and when we came home that night, the bird was gone. I hope for the best, that it finally stopped seeing stars and started soaring again.
The first inkling we had of this problem was when we found our first bird, one that hit so hard on the tower that it spiralled itself into the ground below like a missile. Luckily, the window cleaner came after that incident.
So I'm extra-delighted that the blinds have arrived, and I started putting them up last night. It should also help put an end to our kitchen window looking like a television screen to the neighbors. I can just imagine, Let's see what's on the Mabel channel tonight!
The window-manufacture guys were out last week for an inspection of the tower window that failed and has looked foggy ever since. They went away saying four had failed, and the glass will be replaced. Apparently, the windows are guaranteed for as long as we own the house, so that's the good news. But they didn't seem so surprised at the failure rate, which makes me wonder how high it is.
On the happier side, I'm still practically floating around on a cloud of disbelief, brought on by the closing of the sale of Construction Headquarters. It was the easiest house sale ever: no inspection, no haggling, no labored paperwork. I'm still in awe!
Last weekend's yard sale brought in $456, and priceless relief. The best part was the endgame, when we pulled the neighbor's truck up to the pile and took the entire shebang to Goodwill. I'm reminded of the other advantage of yard sales, that it's a social deal and you open the door (sorta) to lots of introductions and gossip. The new neighbors made friends with other folks nearby, and even made friends for their parents. Plus we sent off all that secondhand stuff to new lives elsewhere, so there's wonderful synergy.
Ten more days till I give up possession of Construction HQ forever, and I can't wait. The builder and the concrete guy already are poking around as to the next project they're doing on it for the new owners. It's an irony that soon as we're done with construction, more is set to begin.
Remember all that nostalgia I had for construction? Here we go again.
I'm sure Monkey Man thought he was cheering me up, saying, Well, it's not a native species. I begged for him to lay it to rest among the Hinoki cypresses, but we waited, and when we came home that night, the bird was gone. I hope for the best, that it finally stopped seeing stars and started soaring again.
The first inkling we had of this problem was when we found our first bird, one that hit so hard on the tower that it spiralled itself into the ground below like a missile. Luckily, the window cleaner came after that incident.
So I'm extra-delighted that the blinds have arrived, and I started putting them up last night. It should also help put an end to our kitchen window looking like a television screen to the neighbors. I can just imagine, Let's see what's on the Mabel channel tonight!
The window-manufacture guys were out last week for an inspection of the tower window that failed and has looked foggy ever since. They went away saying four had failed, and the glass will be replaced. Apparently, the windows are guaranteed for as long as we own the house, so that's the good news. But they didn't seem so surprised at the failure rate, which makes me wonder how high it is.
On the happier side, I'm still practically floating around on a cloud of disbelief, brought on by the closing of the sale of Construction Headquarters. It was the easiest house sale ever: no inspection, no haggling, no labored paperwork. I'm still in awe!
Last weekend's yard sale brought in $456, and priceless relief. The best part was the endgame, when we pulled the neighbor's truck up to the pile and took the entire shebang to Goodwill. I'm reminded of the other advantage of yard sales, that it's a social deal and you open the door (sorta) to lots of introductions and gossip. The new neighbors made friends with other folks nearby, and even made friends for their parents. Plus we sent off all that secondhand stuff to new lives elsewhere, so there's wonderful synergy.
Ten more days till I give up possession of Construction HQ forever, and I can't wait. The builder and the concrete guy already are poking around as to the next project they're doing on it for the new owners. It's an irony that soon as we're done with construction, more is set to begin.
Remember all that nostalgia I had for construction? Here we go again.
