What to blah-blah-blog about next?

Time to vote:
1. Weird things on the hybrid that still make us pause.
2. Food (from philosophy/psych of food to specific recipes or fabulous food finds)
3. Taxes
4. Origin of words/phrases
5. TV stuff (from current favorites to walking down memory lane -- Max Headroom anyone?)
6. Ooh, here's an idea: send me a topic (word/phrase), and see if I can make a blog of it.

But the only things at the top of my brain right now are:
1. Medical (really don't want to turn into one of "those people" who share TMI on medical)
2. House projects (did lots of little project things tonight)
3. Work

And probably none of us want to get started on
1. Politics
2. Religion
3. Sports

Thought for the day

I love this quote. Hopefully it gives you pause. It is from Bobby Kennedy on what the Gross National Product means and more importantly what it does not mean. Today we measure Gross Domestic Product, but the same concept applies:

"Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we should judge America by that - counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts the destruction of our redwoods and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and the cost of a nuclear warhead, and armored cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.

"Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it tells us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans."

Robert F. Kennedy Address, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, March 18, 1968

Tools and materials for a small project

I was going to take a picture of them all together, but I don't think they would all fit in the bathroom... My apologies to any tools or materials omitted herein.

Tools

scraper/putty knife (three sizes)
sponge
bowl
wrench
Xacto knife
stud finder
Multi-tool (cutting sheetrock)
Skil saw
extension cord
saw horse
chisel
hole saw
push broom (sweep up the sawdust in the garage)
dust pan
level
measuring tapes (three, really?)
pencil
caliper
drill (had to get a couple of those out too)
drill battery charger
hammer
ear protection
eye protection
drill bits
paint can opener
stir stick
paint pan
paint roller
roller brush
paint brush
edge painter
allen wrench
angle screwdriver
Phillips screwdriver
glue/grout gun
squeegee
vacuum (oh, yeah, had to use two different ones!)
"Dap" cap (silicone edger)

Materials

fabric softener
plastic
2x4
Sheetrock
joint tape
joint compound
sanding
spray texture
Mom's old Miller Paint color fan-stack
paint
silicone
blue tape
wood screws (just needed two; got seven - long story)
wall anchors
wall paper paste
tweezers (two splinters)
one bandage

Gas for car: multiple trips (three to Ace Hardware, two to Home Depot, one to Lowe's, two to D&L Glass, one to Vancouver Mall Sears, one to Lloyd Center Sears, one to Miller Paint, one to Salem - got a free piece of Sheetrock!)

Project: done

Okay, I'm done with the half bath.

And I'm toying with posting a list of all the tools and materials I had to use for this silly little thing.

But first, I realize I didn't have a good "before" picture, especially so you could see what the lower wall paper used to look like. It was a busy pattern for a small room and (no tears from me) had to come off since I was cutting a section of sheetrock 24" x 6", and drilling 1-1/4" holes for the new grab bar. So here you go:

How about I leave you with a happy thought for a change (look close for the message):

Argh - and not in a pirate sense

Argh, argh, argh. The grab bar and secure mount system that I was sold do NOT go together.

This morning I fiddle-farted with it for a few minutes. (One of my dad's phrases. Now that it's in print, I'm wondering where it comes from. Did he make it up?)

And I can't put the TP holder on right now. I have to drill and tap in wall anchors, but M's asleep. So I should shower and get on down to the store. Or maybe just go grunge, since they messed me up.

Honestly, this wasn't like I picked something off the shelf at Home Depot. It was from a glass company that does a lot of shower installs, so they have a large selection of towel bars and grab bars. The "guy from the back" even came out and walked me through it, and showed me a couple of my options for the bars.

I'm trying to support local business, but I may end up back at Home Depot. At which point I will take down the blind in the bedroom where the drawstring broke so I can have it rebuilt or a new one made.

Always projects...

Or maybe I should take a bike ride on this beautiful, calm, mild morning.

Project progress

Yesterday and today were good progress.

Yesterday I got the holes drilled for the grab bar supports (easy with the right tool from neighbor Andy). Got the two cross braces sawed for the sink support, one notched for the vent pipe, toe-screwed in, taped, mudded twice, sanded. Would have textured yesterday, but my existing spray can was totally clogged. Also went "nuts" and taped/mudded two small settling cracks in other places in the house. And did three loads of laundry and screwed in six replacement planks in the rotting fence and made a grocery run. Oh, and got paint because our existing hall color does not, NOT, go with the remaining wallpaper.

Today got the texture spray and sprayed, took M to PT, started homemade chili in the crock pot, spot painted to seal over all the textured areas, went to Weight Watchers, and silicone-grouted at the baseboards in the half-bath. It has to dry two hours before I can do the finish painting, so here I am blogging. I should be able to get the painting done before C's school band concert tonight. Then tomorrow I can install everything (sink, TP holder, grab bar).

And to top it off, it's turned into a beautiful sunny afternoon.

Projects

Baby steps forward today on the half-bath project. Left here around 10:30 to make a local trip for supplies. Got back about 1:30 after including a trip to Lloyd Center. Charged up the new multi-tool, made lunch, marked where the sheet rock needed to be cut out, marked where the grab bar will go. Cut out the sheet rock.

Tomorrow I'll cut the 2x4 to lengths for the bracing between studs (new backer for the sink to screw into). One of the lengths I have to notch for the vent pipe - bleh. We don't have the attachment (mandril) for the hole cutter to go on the drill. If one of our neighbors doesn't have one, maybe I can just run to Ace. Otherwise a little longer trip to Home Depot or Lowes or Sears. Then I can get the secure mount set up for the grab bars. Maybe cut the replacement sheet rock, screw it in, tape, and get an initial slab of compound on it.

That would be a lot of good progress. Also have to work in breakfast, lunch, dinner, help Mike with his exercises, run to the grocery store.

I'm really good at taking things apart. Now we'll see if I can get it put back together again.

Camping -- or not

Okay, this one is for N8. I agree that traveling in an RV (trailer, 5th wheel, camper, whatever) is not camping.

Camping requires cold, wet, uncomfortableness (pretend that's a word and move on). Hard ground. No running water, no shower. Did I mentioned hard, lumpy ground? Reconstituted freeze-dried food. Giant slugs (Vancouver Island, great park and activities, but GIANT slugs). Crows getting into the apples left in a bag on the picnic table.

RV'ing is furnace, warm inside when it's cold outside. Or cooler inside when it's hot outside. Regular stocks of food, refrigerator, stove, oven, microwave, toaster oven. Regular bed. Flushing toilet. Water heater. Shower.

Traveling -- or not

People have different definitions of traveling. Some people travel out of town for a day to visit friends. Others might say that's not really traveling, and "real" traveling must involve an airplane, or a boat, or at least an overnight away, or a passport, or a different time zone.

Whatever you call it, I would rather be getting ready for our annual "travel." We were scheduled to leave next week and be gone 5+ weeks. But we aren't mobile enough right now.

But I am taking off a week from work (week of MLK holiday). Mike will have a couple of P.T. appointments, and I have a list of things I need to get done in the trailer and around the house.

Trailer: take the bi-fold shower door out, so we can just use a shower curtain. Maybe wash it (the trailer that is, not the shower door), if we get a half-dry day (oh yeah, I live to climb on top of the fifth wheel!). See if we (I) can secure the new flat screen TV differently/better. Get one of the tail lights working. Make the bed. Put the new license tabs on the plate. maybe even put the cover on the whole thing (we've only had it two years and never used it).

In the house: like usual, general cleaning. Remove and resilicone the master shower edges. Re-grout some of the glass block wall. Oh yes, how could I forget the guest half-bath: M pulled the pedestal sink out of the wall. So I need to take it completely out of the room so I can: remove the lower-half wallpaper (it has separate top and bottom patterns with a border strip in the middle), cut out a section of sheetrock, install a nailer board behind where the pedestal sink will re-attach, re-sheet/mud/texture, while I'm at it install a grab bar in front of the toilet, paint the lower half of the walls, reinstall the sink.

In many ways, that's more of a vacation to me than driving 300 miles a day for 4 days so I can lull around for a few weeks. But I will miss the sun, and our friends, and a chance to ride my bike everyday : (

Gotta go. One of the light bulbs over me needs to be replaced, which reminds me that one of the outside garage lights went out yesterday too!

I'm so glad I'm mobile, even if I'm not on the road.

More gardening

What I miss most in the winter: stepping outside and eating a handful of strawberries (all summer, ever-bearing), and a handful of blueberries (shorter season). Fresh tomatoes. Apples in the fall.

So I'm going to pour a small bowl of applesauce right now.

Gardening

Gardening in winter? Sure. On New Year's Day, I went out and cleaned up garden areas: pulled dead geraniums, fuscias, and cleaned up the raised bed vegetable garden boxes. And since we won't be gone for our 5-6 week trip south, I'm looking at what I should start from seeds indoors. Germination time, how fast they grow, aiming for April 1 outdoors planting for some cool-weather tolerant plants, like peas. "C" discovered last year that she doesn't hate peas after all, just the cooked-to-death ones which are way different from fresh off the vine, crisp, sweet peas.

Also have to keep the neighbor cats out of the boxes, if you know what I mean. So I need to get back the big roll of weed barrier I loaned to a friend. Or have him cut off three 4'x8' pieces.

Need to plant some pansies in the empty pots for a little winter color.

Not gardening related, but could turn into it: I need to call the concrete guy who did lots of work for us before. Can we modify our entry from three sets of two steps into a continuous slope from driveway to front door? Well, sure it can be done. The real question: how much will it cost? And how fast can it be done? Because as soon as he finishes, Mike will probably be completely mobile and not need the change.

And, bringing the blog back to gardening, then Mike can get back to helping with yard work!