Wow! My last post wasn’t all that long ago yet here I am again, banging on the keyboard for you guys one more time. Before I get to the DIY section of our update I wanted to tell you a short little story that I thought amusing. Of course it involves my favorite muse PJ and shenanigans at the Shanty.
During our 3 hour commute to the site to Shanty Rescue HQ Paula told me she would like to move our coffee pot from our kitchen to our living room. The reason for doing so wasn’t immediately obvious so I had to ask. She tells me she thinks the coffee will taste better if she makes it in the living room. Umm, okay I thought. I can go with this. So begins the penetrating questions- Is this a humidity thing? Are we seeing better temperature control in the living room? Could it be that the living room is 20 feet close to the equator and we are seeing a difference in the Coriolis effect? None of my questions were answered directly but rather with cute giggles and obscure responses.
Of course I respond as usual with a “whatever makes you happy” comment. “Go for it.” Fast forward a couple of days and I ask PJ how the new brew location was working out. She answered excitedly with an “I Love It!” So here I come again with the penetrating questions. A difference in gravitational pull? The North side of the house being cooler than the South? More windows? Better A/C? I really was dying to know.
Lucky for me Paula was a bit more forthcoming with an answer this time around. Well it turns out the reason the coffee tasted better when made in the living room had nothing to do with my theories? Hey, I thought they were good theories but apparently I was over thinking things. PJ explains to me- “Well you see. Ever since we put the construction plastic in the doorway leading into the living room I can no longer smell the coffee brewing when I make it in the kitchen.” She goes on to say “This morning I was able to sit on our couch and smell the coffee brewing while I said my morning prayers.” I am sure you coffee drinkers out there get where Paula is coming from. The aroma is just as important as the taste. I get it. For me the magic combination of the two starts at the cup. For PJ it starts when she hits the brew button. Go figure. Figuring this woman out is a lifetime journey. Better put, it’s the journey of a lifetime.
It’s the aroma silly, the aroma!
DIY- This week’s visit started out fairly typical of visits this time of year. Aside from PJ moving a coffee pot as the first order of business, I jumped right on the mowing. Did I mention it was mowing season? Ugh. Mowing complete, we spent the week working on the finishing touches of the living room. Stick with me folks, I will most likely be using the term “finishing touches” for a month to come. Everything with this house takes time.
We finished the window trim. I cut and nailed, and PJ primed and painted. We did the same for the trim on the outside door. Measure (twice) cut, nail, prime, and paint. Speaking of the door, PJ also picked out a really nice color and painted the inside of the door. I think it looks great.
In preparation for installing the new hardwood floor I had to remove a bit of termite damaged subfloor. The flooring is continuing from the front bedroom (already complete) and the bad flooring was just outside of the bedroom door. A major hold up. Now that it’s repaired we can continue the install directly into the living room. Getting really close to wrapping this one up!
Oh, I almost forgot. I hung a piece of art. check it out. See ya next time when I hope to report on progress with the fireplace.