Just
ahead of a planned vacation day that allowed me to have a long weekend I got
the flu. Yup. Long weekend be damned. This one was a funny one – well, as funny
as the flu gets. Tuesday when I arrived
at work I felt a pinch in my throat that, before the end of the day had
developed into a full blown nasty sore throat... Wednesday I muscled my way into the office because I was supposed to have my quarterly review –
nope. My boss decided
to forego my review and home I went less than an hour later.
Wednesday
and Thursday were both filled with seriously ugly fever
and chills, aches and pains all over, and the requisite
stuffed up sinus cavities. Medications were obtained and taken – that made
getting at least a little bit of sleep Thursday night. When Friday rolled
around I was still in the depths of flu misery. Today is Monday and I’ve taken one final sick day (I have to go back
tomorrow) and aside from feeling stupidly weak and having wicked post nasal drip
that has me coughing like a barking dog, I’m pretty much on the mend. I did go into town again this morning to pick
up some antihistamines that will help clear up the post nasal drip (and hold the
coughing in check) but honestly, it is a flu virus – the only thing that will
really help it heal is time and rest. I know that, and all I’m really doing now is
treating the symptoms.
So
since I am in rest-mode today I thought I would chronicle a few of my recent
adventures in my house – I have had the pictures in place for a while, just not
taken the time to document what has been done of late.
First,
the new storage. You may recall that the
major living room renovation was completed in such a way that there was a new
(and exciting) storage space made open to me – over the laundry part of the
bathroom. Last weekend – or rather the pre-flu weekend, I opened it up to see
how big it was, and to start putting stuff up there. It is a HUGE space!
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| Hatch removed... |
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| If you look really carefully, you can see one of the original wall-paper samples, still in place! |
My
little 6’ step ladder is REALLY rickety, so this highlighted to me that I need
to obtain a new and much sturdier step ladder.
The
organization part of today’s post is actually in reference to finally
constructing the shelving/storage in the bathroom right beside the
washer/drier. This was a really neat project for me (though not yet 100% complete)
because I needed to think outside of my normal linear pattern. I needed to
construct the whole thing in such a way that it could be completely taken apart
and moved out of place in order to allow for access to behind the washer/drier
AND so that if the washer/drier needed to be pulled out, it could be – but without
too much effort.
The
support was made in two pieces, using some 1”x4” scraps that were left over
from the living room project, and a 2”x4” that had been salvaged from the false
ceiling in the living room (the 2”x6” beams will be used later this summer to
build a very small deck in my back yard) - it was FILTHY with dust and dirt, so
first I sanded it down a little and then I wiped it off. I haven’t decided if I will be painting or
staining it, so for now, it is “raw” wood in place.
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| The first piece ready to put in |
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| First and second pieces in place |
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| Making sure it is tall enough! |
Once the base was made and screwed into place, I made the top out of cedar – I love the smell of cedar and it is a wood that, even untreated, works well in a bathroom. It is a soft wood, so will scar over time and therefore need to be pulled out and re-sanded, but in any case, it is a great wood to use for shelving.
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| First phase complete. Still needs some trim! |
Plus cedar oil smells amazing.
Base
made, I decided it also needed a small “shelf” on top as well, to hold bottles
of laundry detergent and fabric softener – and the shelf is made just like the
base – to be taken apart if needed.
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| Building the concept... and the drill battery ran out of charge. |
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| Concept built |
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| Make certain it is level BEFORE screwing into place! |
Ta-da!
As
of yesterday, spring is finished and we have now started summer. Late spring brought my raspberry canes to fruit,
and I picked my very first small bowl of raspberries one night after work. Two
nights later I picked another, larger, bowl – and then two nights after that
(last night) I picked another bowl.
Seems like I will get a bowl full every other day now – which is a Very
Happy Thing, if you ask me!
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| Small bowl |
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| Two Days Later! |
Finally,
yesterday I tackled staining my front door. This was a slow putter project that
I could stop and start when tired, without trouble. The door does need another
coat of stain – to even it all out – but in all honesty, it looks pretty darn
good to me! This would most definitely
have been easier if I had actually taken the door off of its hinges before I
started, but I didn’t think about that possibility until I had finished the
first side. When I get around to putting
on the second coat, I’ll definitely take it off its hinges!
All
right… it is time to take my medicine.
With
love across the waters…
