Saturday, February 13, 2010
Workin', Just Workin'
Day after day we have been AT the projects that will allow us to begin our new life in The Big House in Old Town Suisun City. She paints, scrapes and obtains the hardware, furniture and materials we need to complete the remodel of 311 Suisun Street. We've been at it now for the last 5 weeks and I feel we have done about half of what is required. The kitchen tile work which is quite extensive is about 2/3rd finished. The back portion adjacent to the oven stack has not yet begun but the east side, with it's sink and stove top is nearly complete. The island 4 X 4 1/2 feet is nearly done as well with only one side left to edge tile. I've been working on all of that tile as well as adding new countertop electrical outlets too. It's tough adding electrical to an already completed circuit as one has to cut into the drywall and position wires right against the stud framing. Kelly has been scraping away at the many layers of paint that obscure the redwood of the door frames and doors, not an easy task but she is determined and today she was joined by our daughter A who worked on the front door all afternoon. The whole is coming along, slowly but surely. We sleep well at night and sometimes come home about 4pm and crawl into the sack for a 2 hour nap before dinner. Such is life these days. Much work and only a bit of play.
Friday, February 05, 2010
Home Sweet Home(s)
Up at 7, drink coffee, read the daily rag and then about 9 or 10 if we are particularly slow that day, off across town to the Big House and our duty day.
She who paints...paints, he who lays tile in funny patterns, lays tile. She cuts his tile to the dimensions so marked in red grease pencil. He facilitates her painting by removing objects from the woodwork such as curtain hangers and various nail and other fasteners and turning heavy objects over, like doors. Those are his functions. Thus it goes, day after day into the interminable future. When will we go back to our dear France? Who knows, finishing there just opens us up to working here in the Swamphouse to make it rentable for some strangers we do not even know.
What, you may ask, has to be done to facilitate the Swamphouse becoming a rental?
Well, all the stuff that furnishes this place has to be either used in the Big House or sold, or given away or put into storage. Then the floor in the Office has to be taken up..it is carpet and waaay worn out and shoddy, and new Saltillo tile installed. New paint here, there and everywhere. Pool has to be cleaned and chemicals placed there in. The yards watering system has to be repaired from the annual winter's destruction. All extraneous "crap" removed from the side yard(s) including heavily overgrown trees and bushes. The garage has to be emptied of tools, lumber, paint and paint supplied, a huge electric kiln and tile roller and drying box to match. Much, much to be done...and all of that AFTER we move into the Big House. Yea gads. We will get it done eventually. But both of us are weary and though we champion each other on it is difficult to get up in the morning sometimes.
It's only us who are doing it too...Audrey works during the week and though she helps us on the weekends we need a dozen more like her to move this project along at a more brisk pace. Alas...it will be done!
Oh...and then there's the hallucinations. I almost forgot...
Don't ask...but Kelly and I have been treated with Prozac for many years now. I can only speak for me and my observations of myself and incidently of Kelly that it has been a net positive in our lives. My awful rages that I had for many years just vanished and Kelly became a more enjoyable and pleasant person to me, not that she wasn't BEFORE Prozac but with me throwing fits and tirades galore she eventually became under the influence of this wonderful drug. We suffered few if any noticeable side effects, some tiredness, some lack of motivation but largely life was and still is better for us both. Then recently as her prescription ran out she began to use my supply (same mild dosage) and I watched my prescription disappear pill by pill, day after day. Then she got a new prescription from her new doctor...twice the dosage it was, thus when I finally ran out she gave me HERS to take until I could get mine renewed. Shit. Soooo...I went on an every other day Prozac taking adventure that wound up with my waking up about 2 or 3 am in the morning to amazingly life-like hallucinations! Wowee! Who need illegal drugs?! But these events are quite realistic, flowers that look real rotating right in front of my eyes that I can feel and touch before they quickly disappear. Teddy bears that crawl on my bed and react to my grabbing at them. Huge shiny beetles with lighted antennae and small pixie-like creatures sitting on my bookcase watching. Yes,
these and more, all at night, all the night AFTER having taken the double dose of Prozac. All pleasant, no frightening apparitions or feelings of fear, some shock and amazement but for the most part pleasant and non worrisome. Such is life these days. Full of surprises, huh?
She who paints...paints, he who lays tile in funny patterns, lays tile. She cuts his tile to the dimensions so marked in red grease pencil. He facilitates her painting by removing objects from the woodwork such as curtain hangers and various nail and other fasteners and turning heavy objects over, like doors. Those are his functions. Thus it goes, day after day into the interminable future. When will we go back to our dear France? Who knows, finishing there just opens us up to working here in the Swamphouse to make it rentable for some strangers we do not even know.
What, you may ask, has to be done to facilitate the Swamphouse becoming a rental?
Well, all the stuff that furnishes this place has to be either used in the Big House or sold, or given away or put into storage. Then the floor in the Office has to be taken up..it is carpet and waaay worn out and shoddy, and new Saltillo tile installed. New paint here, there and everywhere. Pool has to be cleaned and chemicals placed there in. The yards watering system has to be repaired from the annual winter's destruction. All extraneous "crap" removed from the side yard(s) including heavily overgrown trees and bushes. The garage has to be emptied of tools, lumber, paint and paint supplied, a huge electric kiln and tile roller and drying box to match. Much, much to be done...and all of that AFTER we move into the Big House. Yea gads. We will get it done eventually. But both of us are weary and though we champion each other on it is difficult to get up in the morning sometimes.
It's only us who are doing it too...Audrey works during the week and though she helps us on the weekends we need a dozen more like her to move this project along at a more brisk pace. Alas...it will be done!
Oh...and then there's the hallucinations. I almost forgot...
Don't ask...but Kelly and I have been treated with Prozac for many years now. I can only speak for me and my observations of myself and incidently of Kelly that it has been a net positive in our lives. My awful rages that I had for many years just vanished and Kelly became a more enjoyable and pleasant person to me, not that she wasn't BEFORE Prozac but with me throwing fits and tirades galore she eventually became under the influence of this wonderful drug. We suffered few if any noticeable side effects, some tiredness, some lack of motivation but largely life was and still is better for us both. Then recently as her prescription ran out she began to use my supply (same mild dosage) and I watched my prescription disappear pill by pill, day after day. Then she got a new prescription from her new doctor...twice the dosage it was, thus when I finally ran out she gave me HERS to take until I could get mine renewed. Shit. Soooo...I went on an every other day Prozac taking adventure that wound up with my waking up about 2 or 3 am in the morning to amazingly life-like hallucinations! Wowee! Who need illegal drugs?! But these events are quite realistic, flowers that look real rotating right in front of my eyes that I can feel and touch before they quickly disappear. Teddy bears that crawl on my bed and react to my grabbing at them. Huge shiny beetles with lighted antennae and small pixie-like creatures sitting on my bookcase watching. Yes,
these and more, all at night, all the night AFTER having taken the double dose of Prozac. All pleasant, no frightening apparitions or feelings of fear, some shock and amazement but for the most part pleasant and non worrisome. Such is life these days. Full of surprises, huh?
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