Already tired

Since Danny is off on Fridays, he started the teardown of the internal wall in the garage to open the space up. That's not an easy process, since it requires hammering a path thru old stucco to the chicken wire, using wire snips to cut thru the chicken wire, then using brute force to crowbar and wrestle the old stucco down. Then the old wood frame has to be removed and the floor stud pried up. This was real grunt work, and my underused body protests.

Between Danny's work yesterday and both of us laboring today, we spent about 9 hours on it and it's about 95% done now. The place looks vast now, and we only damaged a few things. (two light receptacle surrounds broken, the child-sensor laser on the garage door nearly ripped off twice, and one small hole in the new east garage door from a stray wood removal situation).

The debris pile behind the garage will definitely require a full size dumpster to haul it all away, what with all the tree trimmings, other demo work. I guess we'll wait to order that until we've demolished the south wall in the laundry room to replumb and rewire that to turn it into a mini-kitchen.

I have two other projects for the weekend, but I'm too wiped to start them at 4:50pm. Start the rerouting of hoses for the new drip water system, and prune at least one more of the overgrown arbovitae on the driveway.

Maybe we'll just relax and watch something fun on DVD. I'm thinking we won't make it to the Ranch for dancing tonight.

Already tired

Since Danny is off on Fridays, he started the teardown of the internal wall in the garage to open the space up. That's not an easy process, since it requires hammering a path thru old stucco to the chicken wire, using wire snips to cut thru the chicken wire, then using brute force to crowbar and wrestle the old stucco down. Then the old wood frame has to be removed and the floor stud pried up. This was real grunt work, and my underused body protests.

Between Danny's work yesterday and both of us laboring today, we spent about 9 hours on it and it's about 95% done now. The place looks vast now, and we only damaged a few things. (two light receptacle surrounds broken, the child-sensor laser on the garage door nearly ripped off twice, and one small hole in the new east garage door from a stray wood removal situation).

The debris pile behind the garage will definitely require a full size dumpster to haul it all away, what with all the tree trimmings, other demo work. I guess we'll wait to order that until we've demolished the south wall in the laundry room to replumb and rewire that to turn it into a mini-kitchen.

I have two other projects for the weekend, but I'm too wiped to start them at 4:50pm. Start the rerouting of hoses for the new drip water system, and prune at least one more of the overgrown arbovitae on the driveway.

Maybe we'll just relax and watch something fun on DVD. I'm thinking we won't make it to the Ranch for dancing tonight.

I know I will go to hell for this

(apologies in advance to cat fanciers).

I'm going to get a pellet gun. Or a sling shot.

Before I lost count while surveying around the house, the garage and the lower terrace, I found 30+ spots one of the stray neighborhood cats had sprayed on the house, doorsills, posts, block walls, fences.

Marking "their" territory.

Same drippy, honey-colored pattern. Everywhere. 6 inches above ground level. Down to ground level.

I never see them. They lie in wait in some obscure area, apparently because I have an active bird-feeder. They roam at night. And spray. Everywhere.

Between the months of dog feces next door and the cat spray, it's enough to make you wretch.

Then again, having a pellet gun or a sling shot wouldn't make the slightest difference, because I never see them.

But they ARE there.

Remembering back, this WASN'T a problem when I had three mild-mannered schnauzers who went absolutely, frothing-at-the-mouth, ballistic at the slightest sign of a cat in the area.

Maybe the spraying is their vengance for my having schnauzers here for 11 years.

I know I will go to hell for this

(apologies in advance to cat fanciers).

I'm going to get a pellet gun. Or a sling shot.

Before I lost count while surveying around the house, the garage and the lower terrace, I found 30+ spots one of the stray neighborhood cats had sprayed on the house, doorsills, posts, block walls, fences.

Marking "their" territory.

Same drippy, honey-colored pattern. Everywhere. 6 inches above ground level. Down to ground level.

I never see them. They lie in wait in some obscure area, apparently because I have an active bird-feeder. They roam at night. And spray. Everywhere.

Between the months of dog feces next door and the cat spray, it's enough to make you wretch.

Then again, having a pellet gun or a sling shot wouldn't make the slightest difference, because I never see them.

But they ARE there.

Remembering back, this WASN'T a problem when I had three mild-mannered schnauzers who went absolutely, frothing-at-the-mouth, ballistic at the slightest sign of a cat in the area.

Maybe the spraying is their vengance for my having schnauzers here for 11 years.