Week 2

Sunday 1/11/09
Work on the pump and have everything fitted, but not soldered. Last day in the 80s for a while - TO THE BEACH! Beached myself while belly surfing, but managed to get up before Greenpeace dragged me back out to sea.

Monday 1/12/09
Spent the morning doing tax stuff before the 15th, then on to the pump. Got everything soldered and turned it on. WE HAVE WATER! Couple of small leaks, but it’s outside and I’ll fix it tomorrow. Hot water tank works, too. Armed with Lime-away, degreaser, bleach, and running water, Linda attacks the bathroom.

Tuesday 1/13/09
Linda cleaned the fridge!!!! Can’t fix the pump easily because the drain valve is higher than the point where the water enters the house! Very difficult to solder when there’s water cooling the pipe from the inside. I didn’t design it, but I should have fixed it instead of just hooking up to the old system. Decide to live with the leak until I rip out the wall and have to redo everything again, anyway.

Wednesday 1/14/09
Spent the morning doing the rest of the tax stuff due tomorrow and paying the government the money we didn’t pay earlier in the year because I just KNEW business would have to get better and then I would pay them. The realization that bad planning causes bad results make us decide to spend the rest of the day planning. We go to the house and write down all the things that need to be bought.
While there, our Realtor stopped by to see how we’re doing and remind us to call him when we’re ready to sell. Now he follows up. Did he ever respond to let me know that he received the various paperwork and money I FEDEXed to him as we were buying the house? No. Could anyone, including the lawyer handling the transaction, find him the day of the closing? No. Did he pick up the keys that he said he would get during the 2 weeks between the closing and our arrival? No. But he’s ready to list it again. Some of us like to be treated well by people even after they get our money. Give me a hug, I’m feeling vulnerable. Even though I’m not using his name, I do have to say that he was very helpful in finding what I was looking for and patient with me as we looked at garbage house after garbage house. I learned a lot from him about the market here. But I still want a hug.
The afternoon was spent pricing everything at Home Depot for a budgeting basis. Now we can put together a real budget and not keep saying, “I think another thousand should cover it.” Dropped Linda back at the apartment to make dinner while I went out to the house to put the last rolls of carpet out for the trash! Still have foam padding left and many bags of trash.

1/15
I do a bunch of figuring in the morning and then meet with the permit people at the county. I feel like I’m not getting anything done, but am really climbing the learning curve. This whole hurricane thing has definitely sunk into their consciousness. While waiting for my turn in the permit office, I get to overhear a lot of conversations between the building department people and the good people of the county. I actually got to feel sorry for the government employees! Apparently they get to spend most of their time explaining to angry morons what they can’t do. They have to justify why it’s the case that even though their brother-in-law’s roof stayed on during the last hurricane using only bungy cords and his wife’s old girdle, that won’t pass inspection. I learn about impact windows and out-swing doors and drywall inspections and way too much about roofs. I come back to the apartment and try to figure all this out while Linda shops for vegetation. When she finishes, we go get the trailer, with its new $180 bearings, stop by Al’s for some incredible unpastuerized, fresh-squeezed orange juice and dump the plants at the house. Back to the apartment, where Erin and Angela stop by and we have dinner together and, once again, have fun instead of getting our work done. I was going to get all this stuff posted, but it will have to wait until some other time.

1/16
Another morning spent learning. Lowes and Home Depot figuring out impact-resistant windows, doors and and French doors. A little bathrooms fixtures and kitchen cabinet investigation thrown in. Lunch at the house and I ripped all the nasty out of bedroom #2 while Linda did her magic to the kitchen. The stove and exhaust hood I was going to chuck out have been cleaned to the point of becoming a Craig’s List bargain! Linda’s spray painting of the toilet seat is an even greater success. I like the artwork she left behind! Comcast is down, so maybe I can get this posted tomorrow.