a letter to karen.

hello, karen.

this is about centipedes.  we don't want them.  what i have to do is spread bug killer in the early spring, summer, and fall, and keep my drains closed all the time.  even when i shower - drain closed; shower started; step in and wash; drain is opened before my last rinse, then shut after toweling off.

the bug killer is applied outside using the scott's wheelie spreader.  i kept the original bag, cut it open, then re-filled it with bug-b-gone - same stuff @ 1/3 the cost.  worked really well this year, but we had much less rain than last year.

i sleep with my bedroom lights on (after one summer when one-two bugs entered my bedroom every night for two weeks straight.).  i have white walls there and want white walls everywhere now.  my bed frame is metal and the headboard is 6 inches from the wall.  i only do laundry in the daytime.  the fuckers have me living in fear.  in MY HOUSE!.

this is also about repairs and upkeep.  my front room was trimmed with both quarter round and shoe moulding (the opposite of quarter round) and the stairs (over the basement) were also trimmed with shoe moulding.  it looks like someone installed wall-to-wall carpeting that was later torn out without re-finishing the floors at the baseboards.   my bedroom base moulding showed gaps and was caulked.  i still have some inside work to do, then i'll patch and paint.

they're coming from outside, too, so my plan next year is to redo the trim on my siding at the base.   it's called a water table.  homes i look at during my walks have a second piece called a lookout.  i will caulk the gap at the foundation before the trim is installed.  my fieldstone basement will be repointed with a lime-based mortar.  tough to get the temp right with that now, so the water table trim will be done first to cut down on drafts.   i'm also thinking of white-washing the stones with lime, but that still has to be researched.

it'll be tough with little money, but i have to do this or my dentist will end up with money that should be going toward my home.

mary, mary.

well, here we are at the end of 2013.  so much has changed!

another panel of my fence came down while i was out one day, but it was all planned.  sorta.  i offered the shed in my yard to a neighbor and he had someone use a bobcat/forklift to move it.  okay, i wasn't there to see it, but the tread marks and downed panel speak to a larger-than-my-patriot type of vehicle.  anyway, i'm glad it's gone and really happy that it was put to good use versus my chopping it up for fire pit wood.

that was in october, then i transferred to a new job in november...on veteran's day.  with my degree completed in august, i moved on to more interesting work and better pay, but i can still work per diem/extra at the old job because it's within the same department.  kinda cool until you realize you're working all the frickin' time.  i do this mostly for the improvements to my house, and one very much needed improvement is insulation.

i just checked out mass save home energy service programs and it looks like i can get the house insulated for next to nothing.  nstar will cover $2000, the irs will credit $500, and the energy assessment is practically free (if you have knob and tube wiring, the cost of updating electric work is on you.).  yes, winter is a week away, but letting the heat escape is wasteful.  adding insulation means i'll be saving a few pennies and the house will feel cozy.

cozy is good.

summertime

it's official - today is memorial day and we accept it as the beginning of summer...like a robin brings in the spring.  the weather is lovely, even though it's windy.  takes me back to the kinds of summers i remember years ago.  more than just the summers.  books i've read, people i met over the years, friends who are gone, places visited, and so many 'new' experiences.  i've enjoyed them and i've pained through them.  and music!  i think i want to start up the guitar again.

now that the weather has improved, the current plan is to cherish the house.  to do that, i have to finish my degree, then try to earn more money.  fitness is required.  ugh!   i lose focus sometimes, but i will do this.  you should see this yard, though.  i am working on it.  slowly by slowly.  a battle, indeed.  if the weather stays dry after wednesday then i'll clean/stain/treat the deck...that i don't like.

8pm.  time to put away the laundry.

did i mention i'm going to start making hummus and olive tapenade?  makes my mouth water just thinking about it.