No rain today either, until tonight. It's pouring now. About time we received our share.
Earlier today we took our major trip to town. Groceries, paint, hardware, and of course the chiropractor. So, very little development was done in the house.
Since nothing much has changed, I'm disclosing one dark secret of the house. This is a picture taken as I turned my chair around a few seconds ago. This is my domain. My computer room. Just six feet wide in this section, (just under 2 meters), and I have to share it as a storage area. Fortunately I have been accustomed to such surroundings in my previous life in the cubicles of a modern corporation. Dilbert would feel at home.
Tomorrow I'll get back at work on the railings.
February 2, Friday 9:00 PM
Well the groundhog didn't see his shadow today! Heavy rain and wind all night and morning. But there's a beautiful star filled sky now when I came in a few minutes ago.
Marit continued to cleanup construction details and do touch up work on the interior. She won't be pleased at this picture, but there she is one the shelf above the wood stove. Not bad for a person who just had knee surgery. The beam needed some protective taping peeled away. And the shelf needed vacuuming desperately.
Aside from a minor support role, I've primarily been continuing with the railings. I'm very inventive, constantly finding new ways to make mistakes.
And we learned that the completion of the railing will take some time. The fourteen foot section we need for the stairs is "special ordered" and will take two weeks to arrive.
February 3, Saturday 7:30 PM
A nice day; Marit sat in the sun on the deck for a while at midday.
But the clouds had come over, and the room was darker late in the afternoon when I took this picture inside. I've finished the railings on the upper floor. Unfortunately I don't have the material for the stair railings yet. Until I can get the rest of the material for the stairs, I'll concentrate on the floors; tiling and laminate materials.
Marit has been doing too much climbing on ladders in her crusade to clean and touch-up walls. Her knee is aching a lot tonight.
Actually we're both feeling rather physically tired tonight. You don't suppose too many birthdays has anything to do with this?
February 4, Sunday 7:30 PM
Rather quiet today. I have a desire to totally slack off one day a week, and Sunday seems appropriate.
Marit doesn't agree yet with this one day of rest; she wants her house finished. So we painted one wall (the wall where Marit was pictured crawling a few days ago.) And I've used wood filler to patch all the screw holes I've left mounting doors and banisters.
But mostly, we watched the All-Star Hockey game. Later, while taking a short walk on the beach, I took this picture of the house up the slope. (It was getting late and the sun was behind a cloud).
And Marit put a great sunday dinner on the table to finish off the day; a roast, with mashed potatoes, gravy, and all the trimmings.
Tomorrow, I'll make it a real Monday, and start in on the real work again.
February 5, Monday 7:45 PM
Back to the floors today. I cut slices of tile and mortared them along the side of the stove hearth. Enlarging the hearth area was necessary to conform to safety standards. Tomorrow I'll add the grout.
And I've started laying the laminate flooring into the dining nook. It will be satisfying to eventually cover all the plywood that's still in the front room. Somehow working on the floor feels more satisfying than the frills of trim and banister.
The weather is great. Marit took a few minutes from her painting (and baking) to sit on the deck in the sun. It seems like an early spring. The Red-Winged Blackbirds are serenading outside. The buds on my clematis started shooting out; I hadn't pruned it back yet this winter. I quickly did the pruning today. Some of the other plants have started emerging too.
We're expecting frost, down to -3 tonight. But the days are beautiful.
So, the start of another week. Lets hope there's some significant progress by the weekend.
February 6, Tuesday 7:15 PM
It was a bit of a shock. I was doing my first chore of the morning, taking out the ashes before starting a wood fire in the stove. And as I stepped out, it was snowing. Not heavy, and not for very long. But it was unexpected.
I'm sure my relatives in Norway will say "so what!" But here, even today, it's been warm spring weather, great for sunning in sheltered areas.
It was a late start on the projects today due to an early visit by a neighbour. ButI continued inside; grouting the tiles on the hearth (and one bathroom floor that I've modified). And the flooring; I've reached the end of the hearth on the dining nook side. Now I'm starting on the hallway side. If everything works precisely, the planks will mesh at the top of the hearth on one continuous length across the rooms.
I wonder what the chances are of obtaining that precise fit? If not, I'm hooped. I don't have a good contingency plan.
February 7, Wednesday 7:45 PM
Here's the dining nook I've mentioned frequently. Marit is extremely anxious for me to finish the floor so she can set up her furnishings and decorate the area.
I've progressed very little on the floor today. Instead I've driven in to Nanaimo and bought most of the material for stair railings. (So Marit will have work to do; painting and staining). Then drove up to Courtenay for other essential supplies (including microwave popcorn and maple-walnut ice cream). This took most of the day.
The forecast is for a little snow tonight. We don't actually know what to expect. But it doesn't matter. My woodpile is good for a few months yet. The only occurrence that would cause discomfort would be the loss of electricity, because then we will have no running water, or sewage system. Fortunately we have a very reliable supplier of power; B.C. Hydro.
February 8, Thursday 9:15 PM
No snow. It tried, but the temperature was a fraction too warm. The last trace disappeared early this morning. Instead we were left with a cold raw windy day.
Early this afternoon I heard the bark of sea lions down on the beach. They seemed to like this weather. I went down to see them, but could only spot their large heads as they swam north towards Comox. This is how the beach looked today; rather stark.
In the house today, Marit has been painting a primer coat on the spindles for the stairs. Just like I did, she found the primer to be very effective; she couldn't get the paint off her hands. Unfortunately it seems I bought these spindles a day early. They phoned and told me the banister I ordered just came in today, 10 days early. Maybe I'll get it on the weekend.
And I've had a major success! I've extended the flooring down both sides of the hearth into the front room, and the joints synchronized into a solid union across the length of the rooms. Am I good, or what?
February 9, Friday 9:15 PM
I know the picture is a little dark; the flash isn't that strong. And the furniture is disarranged. But I had to show that I completed the flooring in the front room and dining nook.
Unfortunately I'll probably have to take up a good portion of it tomorrow. We found there's an unevenness in the floor, a bump in one spot. I probably left a small tool or something underneath. It's a good thing I'm so patient.
Marit has continued painting the railing components. And earlier today she cleaned up some of the posts that have been extruding pitch, and applied a new coat of oil on them.
We've both been enjoying watching the waterfowl swimming right out front. The Goldeneyes and the Buffleheads behave like a synchronized swim team; swimming in formation and diving in sequence. Almost like an orchestrated show. If I video taped it I'm sure I could find appropriate music to accompany the activities.
Tomorrow, if I have any serenity left after pulling up and re-applying the floor, I'll start on the floor in the entrance hallway.
February 10, Saturday 6:15 PM
Yes, I pulled up the flooring and inspected underneath. No, I hadn't negligently left anything. The problem was caused by one joist being a little higher than the others, resulting in the sub-floor to slightly buckle. Probably the result of uneven settling.
I used a belt sander to remove the ridge, and replaced the flooring. Problem solved.
Of course, the next problem was the immense coating of dust throughout the house as a result of my power sanding. Marit has had a very busy day mopping the floors and cleaning the house. She has also rearranged the front room.
We don't have pictures or wall hangings up yet, but here's how the area appears today.
My serenity's fine, but I haven't done the flooring in the entry yet. Just clearing and preparing the area.
Tomorrow Marit is heading back to Coquitlam for a few days. She has a few commitments including a doctor appointment. She'll be back mid-week.
Meanwhile I've got lots of tasks to keep me bsy. They'l just take a little longer without Marit here to tell me where to find things.
February 11, Sunday 7:15 PM
What a beautiful day. Here's the sight that greeted me in the morning. The snow line is very low in the Beaufort Mountain range across the water on Vancouver Island. (This photo was taken from the doorway into the dining nook.)
A flock of Surf Scoters provided the show of choreographed swimming today out front.
Marit left for the mainland this morning, leaving me and the cat on our own. She also took the car.
So I started up the old 1978 ex-BC Hydro pickup truck and drove to Nanaimo to get the large banister I had ordered. I also took the opportunity to exchange some items in Nanaimo and Courtenay. The old truck seems to realy like the new highway with its 110 kilometer speed limit.
Back in the house, I unfortunately I haven't had time to complete the flooring in the entrance yet. I'm still working on it, but don't expect to finish it tonight. Tomorrow I'll stay home concentrate on construction.
February 12, Monday 7:00 PM
Another great day; a shame to be indoors.
Here's the entry hallway. I finished the floor out to the front door. (The hallway and door to the left is the garage entry).
Since my painter is down in Coquitlam for a few days, I had to prepare the last of the stair railing components myself; primed the last four spindles, painted them once, and stained the fourteen foot banister. I'll put a second coat on them both tomorrow. Hope Marit approves of the workmanship when she gets back.
And now I'm in the midst of flooring my computer room. Looking good,but it's very disturbing shuffling the computer components around. I feel displaced.
Earlier today I did have one brief outing, walking to the mailbox. A raven flying overhead caught my attention with it's noisy wing flaps. But it acted very strange. It would periodically fold its wings close to its body like a falcon swooping, and dive in a barrel roll motion. Then flap up and do it again. I don't know if it was trying to impress the eagle flying a few hundred feet overhead, or the jet leaving a vapour trail thousands of feet higher.
February 13, Tuesday 7:30 PM
Almost through with the floors. Here's my computer room, taken just moments ago.
And I've almost finished the floor in the guest room closet. The only part remaining undone is a hatchway that provides access to the crawl space underneath. I'll finish that tomorrow morning.
There's one room remaining; the second upstairs bedroom. But I'm leaving that until sometime later.
And a few other little completions today. The railings got their second coat of paint. A dimmer switch was installed on the dining nook light. And the in-floor heating in the two bathrooms is now operational.
It's going to be satisfying to finish the flooring. I'll clean up a lot of scrap and sawdust that's accumulated. And I'll be able to change the saw blade for the fine trim work.
The only wildlife I noticed today was the cat demanding its food in the morning.
February 14, Wednesday 7:30 PM
The ugly side of the house. But I spend more time here than any other outside area. The first row of my woodpile has shrunk drastically in the past couple months of heating.
According to the weather forecast, spring will be interrupted by a few days of winter. A cold front is sliding down tonight. Not that I notice too much inside.
The floor is finished for a while. And now I'm tinkering with the stair railings. I've found this task is fully as complicated and slow as I originally expected. I managed to cut two angles wrong in the first three pieces I tried. I've found one small complication; I didn't expect a slight lip on the stair tread. I'll have to reconsider how the long spindle will be attached on each step. No problem, just more time and more mess.
Marit will be back tomorrow. Good, I need a hand putting up a post on the stairs. I guess I'll have to stop playing my classical CD's on high volume and entertaining the passing seagulls.
Hey, I received the a virus in my e-mail today. The current one going around; the subject was "Here you have :o)". I deleted it without opening the attachment of course. Actually I'm quite cautious about opening many e-mail attachments and have simply deleted many of them without viewing them. I've probably missed many hilarious jokes and inspirational messages. My apologies to many of you. But my PC has remained healthy. So far.
February 15, Thursday 9:30 PM
It's still spring! Just a little bit cooler. Cool enough to be uncomfortable outside without a jacket. Robins are all around searching for food.
Here's a view of the upper part of the property that has been ravaged by heavy equipment, stacks of lumber, mountains of soil, and other indecencies. Somehow I'll have to get this dug or rototilled, and planted early this year. I hope and intend to eventually transform this into a garden of beauty.
Marit came home this afternoon. She found the place looked better with the floor all in place. I'm sure she wished the railings ere finished too.
The stair railings are proceeding very slowly. There's enough variance in each tread size to require each step being individually fitted with trim and base rail. It'll be several days yet before the banister is in place.
It's a good thing my hourly labour doesn't have a price tag.
February 16, Friday 6:00 PM
Okay. So we've had a little snow, about 2 centimeters maximum, and it's hovering around freezing. It's probably the last hiccup before spring gets serious.
The robins seemed a little discouraged, but the Red-Winged Blackbirds were singing as heartily as ever. There seemed to be a bigger than ever flotilla of waterfowl out front. Mostly goldeneyes but with a number of mallards mixing in. All watched over by a Great Blue Heron.
Most of my efforts today has been spent on the stair railings; slowly progressing, but still wondering how I'm going to make this work. My biggest concern is how the banister is going to tie in with railings I've already installed on the upper floor. They just don't quite seem to meet. But we shall overcome.
Yesterday a friend gave us a freshly caught salmon; a red spring salmon. Marit cut it into steaks and we've shared with a couple of appreciative neighbours. Guess what's just about to be served up here.
I've got to go.
February 17, Saturday 7:30 PM
A change of pace today. I built this china cabinet for our dining nook.
Well, actually I put it together; a kit from Jysk. And that's not a simple task; there's no instructions, only some incomplete diagrams. I almost got it correct. I compensated for an error by drilling new holes the shelving unit. And found some replacements at the local hardware store for the missing components in the kit. It looks perfect.
And most importantly, Marit approves.
Our dusting of snow is now pretty well gone. This is a small island, but surprisingly there is a lot more snow just up the hill; a few hundred feet higher. There was over twice as much; at least 5 centimeters.
And the new bird arrival today was a flock of House Finches, with the males in their purple colouring. I didn't think they migrated, but this is the first I've seen of the flock of eight.
February 18, Sunday 8:00 PM
Marit spent most of the day stocking, arranging, and moving her china cabinet. The boxes of china, silverware, pictures and ornaments are being brought out and cleaned.
I think we need a bigger house.
My activities have taken a giant step. Backwards!
In order to properly install the stair banister, I determined it was necessary to move the upper newel post by an inch. Unfortunately this required the dismantling of the entire railing on the landing and the lifting of the floor. So at the moment I'm not back to the level of progress I had achieved two days ago.
Our cat has been slipping out of sight at times, and has started settling down in the bathroom. We have floor heat under the tiles, and she finds the mat in the middle of the floor is perfectly comfortable.
February 19, Monday 7:15 PM
This was the scene after I took apart the railings yesterday on the upper landing. Almost everything has been re-assembled today, except for one patch in the floor. And I'm doing the initial work preparing for the railings down the stairs. It should be straight-forward, but I've never hit so many surprises, problems, and roadblocks on a project in my life. Check tomorrow to see if I've made any progress.
Marit has been arranging, re-arranging, and continuously moving her china cabinet. And she's been having terrific problems deciding where to hang pictures. Oh the problems of indecision. Its been giving her headaches.
Personally, I can sit and ponder things for hours, remain undecided, and stay quite content. Its when I resort to action that I get into trouble.
Like today chopping wood. I should have pondered longer which piece to pick. Maybe the pile wouldn't have fallen down on me.
February 20, Tuesday 7:15 PM
What beautiful weather. Thick frost in the morning, but sunny and warm later in the day. Marit had a walk, and did some cleanup outside. Just a great day. Outside!
Inside, a little different. Still struggling with the railing. Marit thought it was too high. A friend came visiting and said it should be 36 inches high. I scanned the internet and found three sites that indicated it should be between 30 and 34 inches. So I ripped up components installed along the stairway.
Finally, just to be sure I measured correctly, I phoned Home Depot for clarification. They told me the B.C. building code stated 39 to 42 inches from the tread. Aaarg! Exactly the range in which I was originally working.
So again I've reconstructed the stair spindles. And I'm proceeding on that original basis.
If any of you are familiar with the building code, and the raining height is not 39 to 42 inches from the tread, DON'T TELL ME!
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to the monthly meeting of the Denman Island Gardening Club. I need some information before the planting season arrives.
February 21, Wednesday 9:45 PM
At the end of the day I realized I had nothing to show of our progress. So I'm showing the view out from the dining nook at dusk. (It's barely visible but there is a ferry between the two trees).
Today we accomplished almost nothing. But we have our excuses. Marit is fighting off another virus; sore throat, headaches, and feeling poorly. Any activity or decisions are too much for her right now.
Me. I'm fine. But my neighbours are not. Three of the closest neighbours have heart conditions, and get angina pains from exertion. (I hope it's not something in the well water; I thought this should be a healthy place).
Anyway, I spent some time today splitting wood for one neighbour who had a load delivered. I may as well share my good health while I have it. (It was very good wood he bought; very dry, very dense fir. And much tougher to split than I had expected).
So not much progress on the railing.
Oh yes. At the garden club tonight I won the evening raffle; a climbing rose plant in a container.It's called "Albertine"
February 22, Thursday 6:15 PM
Another evening at dusk. Unfortunately, even in the enlarged picture, the seal swimming close to shore is not visible.
And another day of almost no accomplishments. We went to Courtenay to do our periodic shopping of food and medication. I remembered the cat's medication, but Marit's is still sitting in the pharmacy. I forgot to pick it up.
Ah well. I'll get it tomorrow when I go to Nanaimo to meet Erik at the ferry. It'll be nice to have my son up visiting for the weekend.
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