Are We There Yet? (from May 14th)

 

I’ve used the metaphor of ‘this is a marathon, not a sprint’ all too often to help beat down the sense of panic and weariness as we enter into Month 3 of this project. We’re well into the middle of the race now – just about the point that the runner is realizing that his shoes are tied too tight, the six energy bars consumed for breakfast aren’t sitting very well, the pace starting out was probably a touch too optimistic and maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all/can I go home now please. We’re left the starting line far behind, the finish line is still a long ways ahead and we’re just plodding along.

This weekend wasn’t the most productive one as a series of outside circumstances need our attention. I was able to spent most of my day off on Friday and the weekend putzing around, but Jean is being pulled in all directions at once with kidlets, house selling, motorhome retrieval and a very ill father in hospital. Jean’s friends Guy and Bruce were able to come over one day to help out. Bruce’s carpentry skills were put to the test levelling out our wonky subfloor at the back of the house where three different levels all came together. We have a slight ¼” transition now at one spot, but it’s strategically located where two different types of flooring will come together.

We continue to make progress picking out finishing touches and resolving little issues, all of which take a surprising amount of time. We found a place to order the remaining doors we can’t seem to scrounge through our favorite re-use stores, decided on all our new exterior light fixtures, ordered a sample set of the barn door hardware we’re hoping to use on all doors, and bought the last remaining faucet. Although our flooring is being stored at various warehouses around town, our basement looks like a hardware and plumbing store with all the bits stashed away. There’s just a couple of light fixtures (the kitchen island and dining room are proving to be difficult to source), a kitchen sink/garburator and two sets of door hardware yet to buy.