Happy birthday Aunt Lauren!
Lauren and my parents came down around 11:30 to celebrate her birthday. We picked up pizza at Red 7 and brought it back to the house. Luke seemed to really enjoy the festivities and I think everybody else had a nice time as well. We just sort of relaxed this afternoon. I made white bean chili in the slow cooker. In a little bit I will drive up to the Mountain.
Active Saturday.
Luke didn’t wake up too early this morning, and was in a great mood when I went in to get him. Liz’s parents left after breakfast and we went to pick up bread at the farmer’s market. After that we went by Kroger. Then it was lunch time. Then nap time. For Luke, not for me, unfortunately. I went to the dump and Big Box to pick up the last of my flooring. When Luke woke up we went to the park in Spring Hill. Then the Kroger in Spring Hill, because it has stuff that the Columbia one doesn’t. We had dinner together, then I vacuumed while Liz bathed Luke. He went to bed with minimal fussing.
A great day of installing flooring.
It was super cold this morning, and I wasn’t too motivated to work, but I managed to get going at about 8:30. The first task was moving lot of stuff around and out of the way. Once that was complete I started putting down underlayment, a task I pretty much despise. Then After attaching spacers to the walls I was finally able to begin installation. The new table saw was a huge help and I made good progress. In the afternoon I went by the bank and the Goat Market, then returned and worked until I used up all the flooring. This was about seven o’clock. Then I went back to the cottage and showered, hooked up my flatbed trailer, and headed home. The drive was uneventful but I arrived pretty late.
Snow, laminate, driving, lazing.
There were some pretty big snowflakes falling in Columbia this morning. I had been planning on renting an enclosed trailer to haul flooring and doors, but the weather deterred me. Instead I went to Big Box and picked up half of my laminate and loaded it in the car. That didn’t give as bad of a ride as expected. I went through Lewisburg and Fayetteville and the snow turned to rain. I didn’t see snow again until Sewanee. I unloaded the flooring at the house then drove down to Manchester to buy underlayment. It cost a little more than planned but is good quality. I went into Home Depot and looked around but didn’t buy anything. Back on the Mountain I drove around a little bit looking at lots for sale, then picked up a few groceries at Piggly Wiggly. I spent the rest of the late afternoon and evening planning out the rest of the house construction – tasks, materials, and such. I will finish that shortly, then have some fun making new house plans. The snow has stopped, but it is mighty cold out. Tomorrow probably won’t be very fun.
Wood, appliances, home.
This morning I hauled some cedar trim from the cottage to the house. It was a bit too muddy to get as close as I would have liked, but it was good exercise. I had to go by the bank, then waited for Lowe’s to deliver the appliances. It was nice to have them come, although they do take up a bit of space. I took the interstate to Spring Hill, where I met with the insurance agent before going home. Luke was sitting on the back deck with Liz’s dad when I arrived. We read some before dinner. He was in a good mood. Everybody was pretty tired and we all went to bed early.
Cleaning, loading, backer board.
My dad came and helped me today. We cleaned things a bit, and he screwed down the subfloor throughout the whole house. I loaded all of the scrap cedar into the trailer and hauled a few bags of trash to the dump. I installed twelve sheets of backer board between the two bathrooms. That went surprisingly well. We knocked off a bit earlier than usual, about four, and drove around to see a couple of things before returning to the cottage.
Ceilings, inside and out.
I got going this morning and knocked out the bathroom ceilings. I also put the last strips on the bedroom and flex room ceilings. On the down side, my table saw died. I worked well past dark in order to get the porch ceiling done as well. After that I drove down to Manchester for a new table saw and some backed board for the bathrooms. I also got some groceries at Walmart.
Early start, nice weather.
Luke woke up about 4:15 this morning and didn’t want to go back to sleep. He took an early nap at eleven, and Liz and I napped too, although I was unable to sleep. We had a late lunch and then went to the park. It was nice to be outside and walking around.
A sunny (finally!), but not very productive day.
I went to the house this morning with the idea of finishing the ceilings. I turned on the power at the poll, but realized that the lights didn’t come on. That is because one of the breakers wouldn’t flip, and when I forced it everything stopped working. So no ceilings today. So instead I hauled trash to the dump and organized things a bit. I also picked up the hose to vent the bathroom fans with, and installed that. I hauled off some wood scraps as well. I went to Dollar General and bought some rope, which I used to secure the tarp on my trailer that was full of wood scraps. After showering I went by the bank and Goat Market, then cleaned the cottage and did laundry. Finally before leaving town I stopped by to see Debbie. We chatted for an hour or so, mostly about politics. The drive home was uneventful. It was great to see Liz and Luke when I arrived. We had a nice dinner together and then played with blocks for a little while.
