D.I.Y. Home Improvement 101

To preface, I would like to say that Craig offers to help when I am playing handyman around the house even at the risk of my wrath. We both know that the fastest way to a fight is to try to work together on one of my projects. (I've been told that I can be "abrasive" in these situations). This in no way reflects his ability or desire to do any of the improvements.

This weekend I decided to tackle the deteriorating state of our bathroom. The only "before" picture I have (below) doesn't show the worst of it - mostly because for almost 2 years we've had shower curtains on 3 of 4 sides. The walls had cracked grout that leaked shower water into the basement. The previous owners had caulked over the grout with clear caulk, but somehow all that did was seal in moisture and create strips of mold you couldn't scrub off. Needless to say, we haven't had several thousand dollars handy to have it professionally repaired so we went with the shower curtain option.




THEN, about 8 months ago, the faucet started dripping. Then leaking. And seeping through the tiles into the drywall behind the fixtures. The hot stem was essentially rusted away and the faucet handle broke off. We are now using a pliers to turn the water on and off (and still leaking).

I bought a repair kit of some kind to replace the faucet parts. Not as easy as it would seem. I made several attempts (which included ripping a hole in the hall closet to be able to access the fixtures from behind) and only succeeded in creating a 3x3 tile-wide gap around the fixtures. NOW we had a gaping hole to the basement. I did the only obvious thing to do and duct taped a garbage bag over the hole and the faucet handles.

We removed the "stem" (as I now know it is called) and headed to Home Depot. After spending probably 30-45 minutes bickering about which part we might need we (Craig) asked an employee. He looked it up and ordered the part. A week later we had the part, new knobs, no drips, and still a hole in the wall. That was several (probably 6) months ago.

A few months ago I bought some tile-like board stuff (It is MDF with tile pattern on one side) to put up on the wall to repair the hole. Now is the first time I have had a chance (and the energy) to do anything about it.

I cut, I measured, I drilled, I glued. The hole is covered. I then decided that the off-white (I think it wasn't to start with) tiles needed something. I decided to first paint over them with an oil based primer/sealer to fill the grout issues. That was left to dry on Saturday night. Then I painted over those with an oil based paint. That was left to dry during today. Then I applied the caulk strips and filled in any spots that looked like it needed extra water proofing.

It is by no means a professional job. Probably not even a mediocre job. BUT, the hole is gone, the grout isn't leaking and the garbage bag and extra 2 shower curtains are retired. Plus it looks nice from afar. Bravo to me.

Almost 9 years ago.

I was backing up some old pictures onto Flickr and stumbled on our wedding pictures. This one was a nice one.

Just some misc stuff.

It's been a busy spring. Our fence was installed a few weeks ago. The panorama distorts the yard a bit, but here is a picture. It is 5' tall (a foot taller than the one we did on our own). We still don't trust the dogs out by themselves yet. Chewie escaped underneath within about 12 hours of it being finished. (There was a dip in the ground and he discovered that he could wiggle under. We've fixed it, but still don't trust him.)
Panorama-Click on the picture to see the whole thing on Flickr.


Today I seeded the yard in bare spots and dog trails. Craig and I have been doing a good bit of yard work over the last few weeks. Pruning trees and bushes, fixing the stone path, trying to fill in dog holes, etc.

Mother moved back to Wisconsin a few weeks ago. Lots of drama but she is happy as a clam in her new place. She is in the same building that GG lived in for a couple decades. It's right on the lake and she has a view of the lighthouse. Grandma G lived in apartment 410, Mother is in 510. It will be wierd visiting because the layout will be exactly the same (but GG was a neat freak and we all know that my mother is not).

My medical transcription class is progressing. Slowly. I'm trying to make a little more time to work on it.

Still working at the farm. Nothing new there.

I got a $200 order of frames (about 110 frames) this week. Getting started on that.

Dogs are good. Book has been limping a bit, we think he's pulled a muscle. He has his annual checkup next week where I will ask them to look at it. Chewie still has a bit of the devil in him, but he's getting a little better. They had an impromptu play-date with a neighbors dog this week. Jack (or Jake) was wandering and stopped at the fence. I called his mom and he spent about 15 minutes romping with the dogs while we waited for her.

Craig is good. Nothing new, still working hard at Pfizer.

M

An Incredible Afternoon

Today my friend Kandy and I went to see the Dalai Lama speak at Millennium Park. The subject was "Finding Inner Peace in World Full of Turmoil." His Holiness is the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso. He is internationally known for his non-violent struggle to protect the Tibetan people and preserve Tibetan culture. 'Dalai Lama' is the Mongolian term meaning "Oceans of Wisdom." He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and in October of this year, will receive Congressional Gold Medal by the US Congress for his outstanding contributions to peace, non-violence, human rights and religious understanding,

The "Awakening" was a celebration of diversity in music and performances that "prepared our minds and hearts for the Dalai Lama's message." It was followed by an awesome prayer by the Gyuto Monks: "Homage to Buddha Shakya Muni." It was an amazing chant that put everyone in a trance. I have never seen that many people be that quiet! Yeshi Tenzin Dremagang, president of the Tibetan Alliance of Chicago, started by saying, "If you hear something here that helps you, take it with you, if it does not, leave it here...for that is the Buddhist way."

We were 2 among 11,000 people gathered around Gehry's band-shell on a beautiful, slightly overcast day. We were on the lawn and somewhere in the crowd what smelled like orange oil incense was burning. The Dalai Lama was introduced by Bill Curtis. He arrived on stage, took off his shoes, and folded his legs up onto the chair. He assured us that he liked to talk in a casual way and that anyone who arrived today expecting an epiphany would probably be disappointed. :)

He was very humble and happy. He had the audience in stitches and in awe. He spoke of compassion for all since, in this increasingly small world, everyone is a part of your community. He said that anger and hate is the enemy of us all, and if we don't stop once in a while and turn off the music and the TV and really think to ourselves, we may no longer be able to think before acting. He preached that violence is an unacceptable answer to any problem and that we must disconnect ourselves from anger before it controls us. He also said that no one can take away your peace of mind.

He laughed with us and we applauded with him. And after all the lines and metal detectors and bag searches, you wonder how anyone could have ill will toward this sentient being who cares for all and hates no one.

"When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher."
~His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama