SPEED HUMP PROCESS

I have been collecting signatures to get a speed hump in our neighborhood.  They are no longer called speed bumps.  They are called speed Humps.  Not sure why.

I have to get 15 signatures to move the application along to the city.  Today I got my 13th signature.  I am almost at my goal.  I have met neighbors I never met before.

Once the application is submitted with the 15 signatures, there is a decision from the city, then a hearing and another vote from the neighbors. It takes forever. In a year we should have a speed hump.  Fingers crossed!

Until tomorrow...

SPEED HUMP UPDATE

This was the first day I worked on the neighborhood speed hump.  I filled out the application and began getting signatures.  Some folks said they signed a petition a few months ago.  I found out a neighbor began the process but didn't finish it a while ago. 

I went out to get a signature and while I was out I got 5 signatures just by standing and talking to a neighbor.  Tonight when I walked the dog I got two more signatures.  Now I just need 9 more signatures. 

Until tomorrow...

HEART MONITOR UPDATE

I have been wearing this heart monitor for a while now and I am pretty used to it.  I sleep with it, I take it off to shower, I change my sticker things every three days, and I charge it every day for two hours.  It has become a system.

Some days I push the button to mark that I have an episode, a heart flutter, a lot and other days I barely push the button at all during the day.  There are some times that I can't push the button because I am driving or cooking or carrying something I can't put down.  Sometimes I forget that I am wearing the monitor and when I remember, it is too late to push the button.  I figure if I push the button 70% of the time, that is good enough.  Some days I push the button 20-25 times.  Other days I just push it 1-2 times.  There is no rhyme or reason.

Until tomorrow...

WIN THE GAME

I have been playing this "game" from the supermarket.  It is a game where you get pieces when you buy items and then there is a board and you put the pieces on the board.  It is called Monopoly but it really isn't like Monopoly at all.  I am so close to winning a bunch of things.  I have five of the squares and need one more.  I could win money, electronics, and other things.  It would be cool to win something.

Then I made an orzo salad.  It has a lemon vinaigrette.  It is so tasty.

Until tomorrow...

LONG WALK, STROLL, TREK AND GROOT

I woke up early for a Saturday because I was going hiking with a friend.  I was a bit nervous about "hiking".  I told her a week ago that I was a novice.  See, I was brought up camping every summer with my family and we would go for these hikes.  They included climbing over rocks and up hills.  So when someone says hiking that is what I think of.

We didn't go for a hike.  We went for a walk in the woods.  We were in a park that had a wooded area and a well worn path with folks and their dogs and we walked.  We walked and talked.  It was a very nice two hour trek on a beautiful day.  Then we went out for burritos.  It was a very nice day.

I came home and took a bath with some Epsom salts.  I needed it to easy my muscles.

In the evening I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 with my friends.  It was awesome!  I love Groot.  "I am Groot".  He is so cute.  I want one.  If you don't know what Groot is, you have to see the movie!

Until tomorrow...

PLANTING PLANTS

The gardener came again today.  My garden would never look this good without her.  She took down three sides of my backyard that have vines on them in two hours.  She is a powerhouse.  In two hours I barely get through one side and then I have to sit in a bath for two days.  She says she rock climbs on her off hours.  She must have arms of steel.  I do not.

She bought plants that are drought tolerant and look nice.  She also bought some herbs and we made an herb garden.  My backyard is really looking good.  A place I want to spend time and have people over to hang out.  The dogs like being in the backyard.  I am thinking of making the sand (previous pond) pit a Zen garden with a rake and all.

Herb Garden

Update on the upper deck: it still smells but not as much as before.  It is fading but not as fast as I want it to.

Until tomorrow...

WHAT IS UNDER THE STAIRS

Okay, today was the day we opened up the back of the staircase to see the damage.  I knew it would be bad and it was.  It was also worse in some places.  Here is the before photo under the stairs:

After cleaning up all the bad wood and installing the support beams:

Here are the nice clean stairs with the new caulking.   In a few weeks they will be sealed.  I can't use the stairs for 24 hours while the caulk dries.

The handyman also fixed the bridge in the backyard and helped me rinse off the deck again.

The house is looking great!

Until tomorrow...

ROTTEN STAIRS

Okay, it finally stopped raining so my handyman can start working on some outdoor projects.  Today he started on my front stairs.  I know they are in bad shape and have been leaking.  I can see the water damage under the stairs.  The city made my contractor seal under the stairs with drywall.  I was annoyed at the time because when I needed to work on the stairs I would have to tear out the drywall.

Today was that day.  First the handyman cleaned the stairs.  Then he began digging out the caulking step by step.  About five steps in, he called me over to show me that there is a space between the wall and the stair.  Uh oh.

We went under the stairs and he tore down the drywall.  It was damp as I suspected.  The drywall practically came right off.  There is rotted wood but not as much wet stuff as I suspected.  No mold.  I guess the holes in the caulking kept the mold from forming.  Finally a highlight!

We created a plan of what to do.  The main supports seem fine since they are concrete.  The wood on one side is rotted out for about 4 feet.  We found supports that the previous contractor put in but didn't put them all the way to the ground.  Weird.  My handyman is going to put a new wood piece and support it.  He is going to put full supports where there are partial supports.  He is going to remove all the drywall so I won't have this problem again.  Then once the stairs are all supported again, he is going to caulk the remaining stairs and then come back and seal the stairs.

By the way they look beautiful.  I forgot how white the stairs are.  They have been so dark grey and dirty for so long.

The handyman keeps saying to me, "why did they do this?"  I keep telling him it will drive him crazy if he keeps asking himself this. Just assume my previous contractor jerry-rigged things everywhere and the house is almost 100 years old so things are going to be done in an unorthodox way.  He is here to fix their mistakes!  Lucky him.

The handyman also  put screws in a door, fixed my french door hinge, took my stove pipe off and redid it, and fixed a lock.  It was a busy day.  I am super happy about the stove pipe.  I have an old Wedgewood stove/oven and it has the old silver stove pipe that goes into the wall.  The last person working on it installed it backward.  He took it apart and found out it was not connected correctly. It looks great now.  The stove also has an exhaust hole that goes up to the roof that had some newspaper stuffed in it.  I pulled the paper out and fortunately had a bucket under the hole.  A bunch of stuff came out.  It looked like roofing material and dirt.  I cleaned it out as best as I could but the handyman will have to fix it and put a screen on it.  I am so happy this finally got done.  The kitchen will be correctly ventilated when the stove/oven is on now.

Hopefully this heatwave will end soon.  Poor Lucky is not a happy camper.  She hates the heat.

Until tomorrow...

OXI CLEAN SOLUTION?

Today I tried Oxi Clean instead of vinegar and water. I am not sure it will work, tomorrow will tell.  When the sun goes down, the smell recedes, when the sun comes out the smell starts up again.  I ate my late lunch out on the deck today when the sun stopped shining.  I hope the Oxi Clean works.

Until tomorrow...

MAY DAY

I walked in a May Day Protest.  It was super hot.  So hot.

I tried the vinegar and water again on the deck.  I seems to be making a bit of a difference.  It is not making a big enough difference for me with this heat.  The dogs want to lay outside and I want to be outside but it smells too much.  It stinks up the kitchen.  It is much better so I am hoping it is going in the right direction.

Until tomorrow...