Ow. Ow. Ow.

Posted on September 6, 2020 by A Dreamer

So, I didn’t finish Lily’s screen yesterday, but I made some fantastic progress. What I did not think about was that in putting this together, there was quite a lot of sitting in odd positions and such while doing “measure/cut/sand/attach/jump up and check fit in door”.

My body reminded me of that very loudly this morning. Oh my god, my legs are killing me. But look what I have!

Look what I did!!

I made the executive decision to only paint the side that is facing outward. I only have so much time and patience, LOL. If you look closely, it’s totally amateur hour, but I am really pleased with it.

Today’s tasks:
– Tack in the screening
– Add reinforcing pieces to corners on the back (already cut, just need to glue/clamp)
– Add a box frame around the section where the tunnel will be attached to keep that section extra stable (already cut/built/painted)
– Put gaffer tape on both side of the screen within the box for additional reinforcement
– Carefully poke holes in the gaffer tape and attach tunnel with zip ties (though also wondering if I can just smush the tunnel into the hole w/out permanent connection – we’ll see)
– Cut center area out of screen
– Put frame in door
– Watch Lily refuse to walk through!

I also have to improvise a platform/ramp as there is a bit of a drop between where she would walk through and the porch floor, but that should be easy enough given the beer cases & Amazon boxes I have about the house. Maybe Tuesday or next weekend I can make another trip to the hardware store and grab a piece of plywood and braces to make a proper platform.

Right now my only concern is that the tunnel may be a bit too short when all is said and done, but if that is the case, the one I got can be attached to other tunnels, so – may just snag a second one if necessary.

When all is said and done, it may have been cheaper to just buy a new storm door with the pet door built in, LOL.

Only two minor “measure twice, cut once” incidents – one piece of wood cut too long, easily fixed. Another – measured correctly, except for exterior dimension vs. interior dimensions. (Only lost two small strips of wood to that.) The internet lied to me, and the replacement staples for my ancient tacking stapler did not fit – but if you snap off 3 or 4 staples so you have one really wide staple – you can just pound them in with a hammer!

But, this has really been a fun project and I’m glad I decided to do it.

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What a difference a day and a cold front makes

Posted on September 5, 2020 by A Dreamer

It’s 69º (niiiice) out there and it felt good to throw on a hoodie when I headed out to Starbucks this morning. High today will be 79º – perfect for working outside.

For the main screen frame, I only have to measure, cut and attach 5 pieces of wood, and same for the bracing. Why does that feel oddly daunting? Probably because everything feels daunting these days.

I keep reminding myself how damn accomplished I will feel when this is done. And I know I *will* feel like a rockstar. I just have to haul myself out to the damn carport and get going, LOL.

I swear, inertia is my biggest enemy. Once I get going on something, I’m usually good to go – it’s the getting going that is the hardest damn part most days.

I don’t know what state & local officials are doing elsewhere, but here in Virginia, we’re not relaxing what few restrictions we still have for Labor Day weekend (good) and they’re talking about being cautious and all when doing things for the holiday. We’ve had spikes after Memorial Day and July 4th, and even with everyone knowing what they’re supposed to do, I suspect we’ll have yet another post-holiday spike.

Here at Chateau de Chatte, we ain’t doing shit for the holiday that involves other human beings. I’ve got a nice pork tenderloin that is defrosting and real jerk seasoning for it and I’m going to cook that up tomorrow and will be the extent of celebrations here.

Well, that and hopefully having some porch time with Lily.

And on that note, time to go build things!

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Oof.

Posted on September 4, 2020 by A Dreamer

Lily’s project will have to wait until tomorrow.

It is far hotter and more humid than I’d anticipated today and after the Post Office, spraying down the yard, gas station and grocery store – now I have what I can only describe as “heat gross”.

It does not rise to anything like heat exhaustion, but just being outside for a short amount of time and I am just…blech.

I did get a load of laundry going, which is good.

But, it’s time for a nap.

Yay for long weekends to do that.

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Long Weekend!

Posted on September 4, 2020 by A Dreamer

Since the pandemic fucked all my baseball plans, I’ve got leave to burn, so taking today *and* Tuesday off!

I was trying to figure out the other day how I seem to have so much leave, given that I’m really bad at taking a day off just for the sake of taking a day off – and it hit me this morning: Fucking On Call weekends. Whenever possible, I took the Monday after those weekends off, cause even when there were no calls, those weekends were fucked, and I was just trying to get time *back*.

Well, that’s 5-8 days of PTO right there. No wonder this year I have extra days and I’ll still be able to take the week between Christmas and New Years off.

And I’m already off to a rip roaring start. Up before my alarm, Starbucks acquired, and I’ve gone to the Post Office to ask them to please look for my package that was put on a truck for delivery on 8/28 and was never delivered. I’m guessing it is just still in a truck and a driver doesn’t realize it, but I want it found. There may have been a way to do this online, but it wasn’t obvious, so sometimes you just need to do things in person.

It was just a small Etsy purchase – but it was the seller’s first sale. This is the LAST thing you want to happen. She had messaged me to see if it had arrived, and when I told her not yet, I also assured her this is NOT HER FAULT. If they don’t find it in the next couple days, I will commission a replacement – at commission rates – because I still want the thing I ordered, and I want this seller to keep making things and not have this discourage her.

The next project for today is fighting the mosquitos in the front yard. The garden next to the carport is a damn marsh, which I have to assume is 90% of the problem. I’ve gotten some eco-friendly repellent to hit the areas around the carport & porch, but we’ve just had rain every day since it got here and I need a dry day to put it down, and today should be that day. (I really wish I’d thought of this earlier in the season.)

Then – now that I have all the tools and dry weather and time – Lily’s catio!! I’m hoping I can get the bulk of it done today, and I do think I can definitely have it done and installed by Labor Day. I hope she likes it.

More than anything, I’m going to try to use this extended weekend to do a solid mental reset and get in a good headspace for the fall. On the whole and considering everything, my mental health has been fair to middling through all this, it’s taken a few hits the past few weeks. I need to get myself to a place where my life is more than just work and ignoring things that need to get done around the house.

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That was a weird start to the day

Posted on September 1, 2020 by A Dreamer

So, this morning, a couple minutes after the alarm went off (and I hit snooze) – I heard something outside.

“Let meeee iinnnnnn! Let meeee iinnnnnn!”

Not being totally awake, I thought, “that’s a weird bird”, then I realized it was a little kid’s voice. I snap to, yell out the window, “It’s OK, I’m coming outside!,” grabbed pants and actually had the presence of mind to get a mask and ran outside.

And…nothing. No one around anywhere.

I think I may have heard an adult voice as I was putting on my jeans. I have to assume someone’s kid got themselves locked out of the house and then a parent heard and got them back inside.

But jesus, that was…fucking weird, and not the adrenaline jolt I needed at the start of the day. And it occurred to me later “dumbass, that’s how people get murdered in books.”

I definitely need the rest of this Tuesday to be less weird. (Yes, it’s Tuesday, I had to check.)

I hope your day is downright boring.

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DIY Rules

Posted on August 31, 2020 by A Dreamer

No matter how confident you are that you have all the tools for the project – you don’t have all the tools for the project.

My Mom was very handy around the house and I was quite certain all the needed tools would exist in the little workshop corner of the basement.

Guess what we don’t have? Of all things… a hand saw. There is a Black & Decker electric hand saw that I have zero confidence in using, but just a regular hand saw? Nope. (I’m assuming those went out the door when the electric saw was acquired.)

So, a regular saw, a hacksaw, and a coping saw are winging their way here, as I’m not really sure which kind of saw I need, but all three will be good to have (and thankfully not expensive.) I am thinking the coping saw is the one I’ll need, cause…well, I watched a LOT of New Yankee Workshop in the 90s and it sticks in my head.

Given the level of effort on this, I cannot help but think Lily will come outside once, go,
“Fuck outside!” and never go on the porch again, LOL.

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Fun with home projects!

Posted on August 30, 2020 by A Dreamer

And I’m actually not being sarcastic this time.

I haven’t even actually *started* the screen frame for Lily’s catio – though I have the bulk of the supplies, I’m still turning over in my head how to do this. And honestly, noodling out how to do this is half the fun.

Ideally, I need braces on the inside corners of the frame to stabilize it, but they don’t make them narrow enough for the wood strips I have. But, I realized I can cut a small square from the scrap strips I’ll have and place that on top of each corner as a brace, which theoretically should work. Or – and this may be the way I go, after making the frame, and tacking in the screening, putting another set of wood strips on the back to a) cover the tacking for the screens and b) stabilize the whole bit – the trick is going to be making that “backside” frame sort of “set in” from the edges enough that it doesn’t make the frame too thick to clamp into to the storm door.

I also realized I need sanding blocks, as the frame is going to be painted to match the storm door. Also need flat tacks I can hammer in to place the screening, as I am not confident the tacking stapler I have is heavy duty enough. But, if I don’t need the tacks, it’s OK, as they can be used for all kinds of other things.

I’m suddenly very glad I have next Friday off, as I think that time is going to be needed on this project.

But today, I think I should be able to do a lot of measuring, hopefully followed by cutting only once.

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Dumb things I miss

Posted on August 29, 2020 by A Dreamer

Browsing in stores. Specifically today – browsing in hardware stores.

I had to get some supplies at the local Ace Hardware and I did the online order/pickup in store, cause of the fucking pandemic.

Our local Ace, being a proper hardware store, has lots of random-assed stuff in the store that isn’t online, and it’s always so fun to just wander around and go “Oh, I didn’t know I needed that until I saw it!” Just, you know, the weird stuff hardware stores have.

I did grab two keychain hand sanitizers that were immediately inside the front door – my current keychain bottle is holding up and I keep refilling it, but I don’t know how long it will last before the lid breaks, but I am ready!

A keychain neoprene container with a little bottle of hand sanitizer
Clean hands on the go!

I would have so loved to spend a leisurely half hour or so just wandering about, but yeah, now is not the time for that.

And in news that may prove that the pandemic has finally broken my brain – Lily is getting a catio. Yes, I have become that woman, LOL.

But, our front storm door has a removable panel, so you can swap out screen for glass. I’m going to build another screen panel (hence the trip to the hardware store) and then attach a kitty tunnel (designed for outdoor use with ends that zip closed) to it so that Lily can come out and sit on the porch with us.

I realize I could have just gotten the tunnel and been done with it, but that would involved actually taking her outside and getting her into it, which risks her getting away, which would be bad.

This way, I can open the front door and she can go through the screen into the tunnel and also just go back inside whenever she wants.

Though summer is almost over, we still have a good month or so of nice front porch weather and as much as she yells when we’re out there, hopefully she will enjoy the chance to be out with us.

Fingers crossed I can get it done by Labor Day.

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Rest in Power, Chadwick

Posted on August 29, 2020 by A Dreamer

The news of Chadwick Boseman’s death was yet another collective gut punch.

I cannot imagine how this loss must feel to folks for whom he was the first superhero they saw on screen that looked like them. How do you tell your kids that Black Panther died?

I can’t help but think about all the characters we won’t get to see him play. He was already a great actor – 10, 20 years down the road, what great older characters could we have seen?

And as much as I’d like to think he kept his diagnosis to himself is that he was a private person and didn’t want his cancer to be the story – this is America, and we all know no one would have hired him if they knew he was sick.

2020 can stop now, thankyouverymuch.

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It’s Fridaaaayyyyyyyyy!!!

Posted on August 28, 2020 by A Dreamer

And our last half-day Friday of the summer. Boooooooo. That’s been a really nice thing – maybe it will become a summer standard after the pandemic.

Or maybe spur some discussions on alternate work schedules? I’d be totally willing to work 8.5/day to continue to have a half day off every pay period, or a 9/4 week. I just don’t know how you even broach that subject at all, so, IDK. Even though you’re working the same hours, it tends to be perceived as “I want to work less” which is stupid, because 80 hours is 80 hours, but yeah.

That being said, my management vertical is a very reasonable group of folks, so, maybe it can be brought up – worst case scenario, they say no, and I have another mark in my file of being a pain in the ass.

Welp, time to go be a pain in the ass in all the other parts of my job, but at least just for half a day. :)

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