Life in Color Photo – Page 433 – Celebrating crafts, kids and the everyday through photographs.

Shit hits the fan

August 21, 2006

I wish I could say I have better news, but unfortunately that is NOT the case. Yesterday when I was down in the basement obsessing over all the cracks in the floor I noticed that one of the beams under the stairs had newer looking termite damage. I called my mom down to look at it, but she thought it was old. She said to clean it all up and then look at it again later. Well I did clean it all up, and looked at it this morning. It was all dusty again and one side was eaten up further. When I kicked the beam gross white little termites came out and started squirming around on the floor.

I have live termites. It’s being treated on Thursday. At least $600 for that and a sugar ant treatment at the same time (I would like my house to be a pest free zone, thankyouverymuch).

The gas company won’t turn my gas back on. They say my pipe outside the house is too rusty. They say I need a pressure check. I had to go the city today to get a permit for that. $41.83 and I still don’t have hot water. No matter really since I don’t have a bathroom sink…

I still can not find the bolts for the desk.

The house is messier than ever even though I spent all weekend cleaning up and washing the floors. Dust everywhere, Bugs everywhere, Spiderwebs, Dirt, Paint, Sheetrock, and a whole pile of crap in the driveway that is making me feel like a huge piece of white trash. If I saw someone walking outside adding a trash bag to the pile of wood/sheetrock/dishwasher/metal crap out front of their house in old painting capris with their socks pulled up and no leg showing, big clunky hiking shoes, an old shirt, hair full of paint, and Cheeto dust all over her face I would run. Unfortunately that person is me. And you can’t run away from yourself.

7 comments on Shit hits the fan
Do you want the bad news first?

August 20, 2006

Or the good news? Well I’ll give you the good news. I went to a few garage sales this weekend and had a really great find. Something I actually need (!) and have been looking for (!!)

I’m using a thrifted letter tray as a temporary dish dryer, do you love how they spelled coming wrong? Because I do. Anyway happy fun times continued through the evening and into Sunday. Matt’s mom was driving into Salem so he got dropped off at my place. He, Bj and I went to my storage unit where I couldn’t wait to find all my hidden treasures. Things have been in there for a freaking year. Things like this desk. Of course I couldn’t find the bolts to put the thing together (and I have absolutely no idea where they are). But that’s not the really bad news, read on…

So today we got to work. The big job was diamond grinding the cracks in my basement floor to make them bigger. Yes you have to open them up in order to fill them. Here’s Bj hard at work:

Bj opened up this crack by the furnace and OH MY GOD water started coming up. We are talking about a summer day where it hasn’t rained in weeks, and it’s over 90 degrees outside. So ya, if water is coming up this time of the year, it’s not looking good for winter. Commence freaking out.

Let me tell you what my neighbor Tracy had to do when water wouldn’t stop coming out of her basement. She had to have a trench dug on the INSIDE around the whole perimeter of the basement. Then after they dug three feet down to the dirt they layered gravel and perforated pipe then more gravel then they re-poured the concrete and installed an industrial strength sump pump. Besides the huge inconvenience there is also the $5,000 fee. Oh, and who doesn’t have $5,000 to spare, that would be me.

Shit.

10 comments on Do you want the bad news first?
It’s Magic!

August 18, 2006

Not too much to report from thrifting today, a bunch of duds, I don’t think mom and I were that into it really. And a couple of the houses just had so much stuff that it makes you feel like maybe you don’t need to be a hoarder. Seriously this one was just too much, and a ton of craft stuff, but held on to for so long and in bad storage that it was all smelly and… Of course I still came home with a big tin tub (Mom: "What are you going to use it for?" Me: "Um… Drinks at my house warming party?" Mom: "Well as long as it has a purpose."), a few jars, and a metal basket. The estate sale I got this toy from was at this awesome huge old house less than a mile from my new place. Cool to go into just to look around at all the little rooms and nooks and crannies. This is all I took from there, and I love the directions. Some excerpts:

"Even thought the Magic Designer must be classified as a ‘toy,’ it has captured the interest of many ‘grownups’ and has provided pleasant hours not to mention novel results!"

"The results will many times surprise you and be most pleasing."

"Envelope of 100 paper discs 60c, plus 6c postage."

I wish! I might go back and get the other one that didn’t have a box for the one dollar just to get some more discs. They are specially notched, and I don’t think it would be easy work to make more. And if anyone knows of any really thin pens that would fit in here, let me know, because this bic pencil was the only thing I could get to fit in here, and not very well. Not even regular wooden pencils fit. And as the directions say:

"A good ball-point pen should be used for professional work."

1 comment on It’s Magic!

Shit hits the fan

Do you want the bad news first?

It’s Magic!

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