Many Updates

After a long hiatus, I am back to writing. The usual kid/work/project excuses apply, of course, but the past few weeks have been more chaotic than usual.  I don't really have time to even post some pics, but they are coming...

Meanwhile, here are the Cliff's Notes for the last several weeks:

1) The pool table is gone. We gave it to a neighbor to make room for a family/play area upstairs. It was little used and took up a lot of room, meaning that area of the house was little used. New furniture has been moved in and the Playroom Project is 50% complete. Painting is the next task, here.

2) The hardwood floors and ceramic tiles have been installed. The workers did a great job, and we are very happy with the results. Trying to live in a house with this project going on would be challenging if we lived alone, but having a two-year-old dashing about construction areas made the past week uber-chaotic. You try answering the question "Daddy, why the carpet going 'way?" in a way a toddler is likely to understand (in an informative, truthful, and non-sarcastic way) is actually pretty tough. The house has a much warmer, more elegant feel to it now (not the Wow-it's-like-you-live-in-a-steakhouse vibe I thought it would give off).  Outlet covers and some final caulking will close out the Kitchen Project.

3) The new deck has been framed and is coming along great. I am glad we found the people we did to do this job.  I am a little disappointed I do not get to learn how to build one first hand, but I am greatly consoled by the fact that it probably would have taken me 10,000 years to get to the point you see here. These guys got to this point in 2 days. It should take them 5 more rain-free work days to finish up.  Here's to hoping. 

4) The garden became officially "a garden" on Mother's Day. Me and the wife and the boy had fun planting all the new stuff. It took me a little longer to get to a point where it could be used because of the awkward slope of the land and the semi-circular areas. As a matter of fact, I had to undo and redo the entire house-facing wall and trenches three times before they came out right. The blocks were mortared this weekend and the capstones are next. On a related note, the capstones I am using for the garden will be used on the existing firepit as well.  I guess we can call this 80% done.

5) Book News: I read Monster by A. Lee Martinez. The wife was at the bookstore and thought she remembered that I read some other stuff by this author so she picked it up. I am not going to do a writeup, mainly because I don't feel like it. It was good. Funny and odd, but mostly interesting. Story elements are sort of like a combination between Terry Pratchett (good) and Jim Butcher (mostly meh).

Lots of other stuff to say, but my lunch is over and the balance of the Universe depends on me getting some paperwork knocked out, so back to work before those project milestones turn into millstones, eh? (ironic chuckle, sigh, and close scene).