Porch Update, Weeks 12, 13

The end is almost in sight. The work is progressing without any major hitches and we continue to be pleased as we see each new part built.  Here's what the builders have been up to.

The inside trim work has been installed around the doors including new beadboard on either side.  When all is said and done, we will install our decorative muntins on the glass panels to see how we like them. If we think they block too much of the view, we'll remove some or all of them.

They also did more trim work outside including the vertical siding over the door...

And over the arch on the front of the porch.

They installed most of the railing this week. First they installed shims on the posts before they put on the wrap (notice it beside the carpenter). I took this picture from inside where it was nice and warm while the carpenter was bundled up and working in freezing temperatures. I never hear them complain except one day he mentioned that it was kind of raw outside. That was day when it was raining and in the 30's. I'm not hardy enough to do this kind of work.

Then the sections were assembled and and installed between the posts. The railings are made from heavy-duty PVC reinforced with a metal core for strength.

The electrician completed work on the subpanel and wiring, and we passed the electrical inspection.

With electrical inspection done, they started on the ceiling to cover up the wiring. The ceiling is fir and will be stained.

There is unusually warm weather forecast for next week, so they are hoping to get everything done for painting then. That may mean extra work this weekend for them and us. We thought we had until spring to pick out colors, but those decisions have to be made this weekend. Right now we are deciding between 15 colors of beige trying to match the siding on the house. And an accent color to go in a couple of places. We're not sure about the color we'll have the ceiling stained. But tomorrow while I'm at work, Ward is buying some stain to try out. 

We're almost there!

Until next time...


In case you missed the other installments:

And So It Begins

Porch Building, Week 2

Porch Building, Week 3

Porch Building, Weeks 4, 5, 6

Porch Update, Weeks 7, 8

Porch Update, Weeks 9, 10

Porch Update, Week 11

It's the little things.

This morning started with a little thing that made me smile. I found an apple that rattled. While washing an apple before adding it to a lunch, I noticed a sound. I quickly took it to Ward to see if he heard the same thing. He, too, heard the subtle rattle with a little shake. We both surmised that there were loose seeds in the middle and that's what I found when I cut it open. I'm sure there are plenty of other apples around with loose seeds that rattle, but this was a first for me-finding an apple that I could use as a rhythm instrument. The shaker apple didn't last long because I cut it up, but aren't most things in nature fleeting even when they seem to remain the same?

As long as I'm here, let's see if I can fill in what I've been doing since we last visited. There are lots of things that I can't go into detail about because they are not my stories to tell. But I've been to three memorial services and helped a relative who was in the hospital. My new job is keeping me busy with several trainings and meetings as well as other routine things. I am slowly learning my new responsibilities but have miles to go before I sleep. I have started using a light box in the mornings after testimonials from several friends. So far, I wouldn't say that a miracle has happened from using it, but I would say that overall, I am sleeping better. Always a good thing. The porch construction is progressing well and I will probably do another porch update tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I'm out of computer time for now because I have to get ready for work.

Until next time...

Porch Update, Week 11

Another week of progress. There are some big things that happened this week, but as with most weeks, the work was in the details. There are so many details that happen to complete each piece and part of this construction plan--more than the unfamiliar can imagine. But that is where the craftsmanship of the workers is shining.

The old doors were removed. Luckily it was on a warmer day and we weren't cold from chilly air. The cats didn't get to see any of the action because they spent the day locked up in the basement so they would not become escape cats.

The new doors look much like the old doors...

Except they have no rotten wood or rust.

The most exciting thing this week was the installation of the floor with Aratis porch flooring which is a composite made from PVC materials. Miss Landers and I think it's big enough and solid enough to use as a stage or have a square dance. I told Ward that any furniture for the porch would have to be easily movable so we could have a show or a dance. He was politely quiet. We were just kidding 
(maybe 😉).

But don't you think that has the makings of a stage?

Along with the floor, the steps also got treads installed.

And more dirt was put around the landing.

The electrician was on another job most of the week, but he did install a couple of outlets.

And started the installation of a new subpanel in the basement. Besides wiring for the porch, we plan to use some of the spaces in the new subpanel when we update the kitchen.

Also, there was a lot more trim work added this week. 

Until next time...

In case you missed the other installments:

And So It Begins

Porch Building, Week 2

Porch Building, Week 3

Porch Building, Weeks 4, 5, 6

Porch Update, Weeks 7, 8

Porch Update, Weeks 9, 10

Thankful Sunday--January 19, 2020

I am thankful for birds.

or more specifically, I am thankful for the entertainment they provide when they visit our feeder.

Our first birdfeeder, Ward's birthday present

If you been with me long enough, you may remember that we got our first bird feeder several years ago for Ward's birthday. I was ambivalent about the feeder and probably could have gotten along just fine without one. Or so I thought.

Soon, I was a convert. I was totally into watching the birds, their habits, and trying to learn their names. That is where Aunt Martha, our local bird expert, came in. She identified many birds for me from the pictures I sent her. Gradually I learned names and characteristics of the birds and that made watching them even more enjoyable.

We had a lot of visitors this snowy day at our previous house.

At our previous house, as the birds got to know our feeders we had quite a variety visiting including a big fuzzy grey one call a squirrel. As aggravating as it was to have the squirrels empty our feeders in one sitting, I'll have to admit it was a fun exercise trying to outsmart them.

No, the squirrel was not stuck. Just resting for a while with a full belly.

Then we moved to our new house. The birds were slower to find our feeders and the variety of birds we got was fewer. And just as traffic was beginning to pick up, we started our porch project and took down all of the feeders. We moved one to in front of a kitchen window so we could watch the birds as we were standing at the sink. It took a while for any birds to find the feeder and it's only recently that some of them will stay at the feeder if they see any movement at the sink. Right now we have two kinds of woodpeckers and house finches that visit regularly. When the porch is done, we will figure out the best way to hang feeders from it and hope that eventually we get a varied population of birds to watch. But for now, we are enjoying our finches and woodpeckers.

This was this morning at our kitchen feeder. As I approached to take the picture, I scared away several finches. While they will stay sometimes, they are still skittish.
(Too much backlighting for a good picture.)

So for the entertainment that birds have provided us in the past, today, and the entertainment they will provide in the future, I am thankful.

Porch Update--Weeks 9, 10

The work is progressing and we continue to be pleased with how everything is taking shape. Here's what they have been working on for the last two weeks.

They continue to trim the exposed wood with Boral board. Here is a Boral form the workers made to be fitted to a column.

After the columns were wrapped, molding was put around the top. Notice the chamfered corners of the post. One of the many details that the architect suggested that we wouldn't have thought of.

Snow covered the outdoor workshop one morning but the workers managed to do what they needed anyway.

The electrician continues to scurry inside and out and working on the wiring. The switches for the porch were installed last Friday. We have a couple for the ceiling fans, some for lights, and an extra one for good measure.

The mason came back and did patching around some of the outdoor areas where the electrician was working. If this works like the bricks on the columns, this patch should match fairly well after it dries.

In the meantime, the flooring got delivered. It was interesting to watch the very skilled driver maneuver the sagging boards through and over the gate into the backyard without knocking over the port-a-john or taking off a branch of the plum tree 

It was a little easier to get the door delivered to the site. We don't know the work schedule, but we assume that the floor and patio door will be installed soon. We're definitely getting there!

Until next time...

In case you missed the other installments:

And So It Begins

Porch Building, Week 2

Porch Building, Week 3

Porch Building, Weeks 4, 5, 6

Porch Update, Weeks 7, 8

Thankful Sunday, January 12, 2020

I am thankful for willing and patient teachers.

As you all know, I have a new job with a lot to learn. Some of it will be formal training, but  most of it so far has been on the job. My co-workers have patiently shown me many, many things I need to know. They have done this when it would have been much faster for them to do it themselves or when they have had other work to do. So for my coworkers who are willingly and patiently helping me to learn my new job, I am thankful.

Homonyms

or First Grade Can Only Carry You So Far

Me in 1st grade

I learned a lot of things in first grade, among them--counting with Roman Numerals, reading, and what a homonym was.  I learned from Miss Stemple, my teacher, that homonyms were words that sounded the same but were spelled differently, such as bear and bare.  Made sense and I remembered and used that definition for many years. Actually it's still the basic definition I use. That was until recently.

Ward and I were discussing an article he was reading about words that are spelled the same and sound the same, but have opposite meanings, such as dust which can mean either putting a fine powder on something or taking it off.  My curiosity was peaked with the discussion because I had never thought about these words (lets call them opps which much easier to type) as a category although I certainly knew about them. That's when I consulted Professor Google for more insight on the matter. I realized that was about as reliable as consulting Dr. Google for my medical problems, but on I forged.

First hit identified these same words with opposite meanings as homonyms. This was not quite my working definition of homonyms so I explored further. Then I learned that homonyms were a broad category with three different kinds.

Homophones: Words that are spelled differently but sound the same such as bare and bear This is what I learned is first grade
Homographs: Words that are spelled the same and sound the same, but have different meanings. Such as light and light. One for a light from a lamp and the other for something that is not heavy.
Heterographs: Words that are spelled the same but are said differently. Such as bow and bow where one is bending at the waist and the other is the result of tying something.

Homographs seemed to fit for opps, but it didn't say anything about opposite meanings.  Not being satisfied, I went a little deeper into the internet hole and found the term contronyms. Contronyms are a special case of homographs where the words are spelled the same and sound the same and have different meanings which are opposite of each other such as the above example of dust. Bingo! However, to confuse the matter more, contronyms can also be called contranyms, auto-antonyms, and Janus words.

After a mere hour of Googling around the internet I had learned that one subset of homonyms are contronyms which are words that spelled and pronounced the same but have opposite meaning.

What am I going to do with this information? Probably forget it. But I had some nice trips down memory lane while looking for it.

Disclaimer: I consulted many sites for writing this post which didn't all agree on these terms. I chose what made sense to me. Which means, kids, don't use this as a source for homework. I don't know anymore than what I learned in first grade.

But Wait, There's More:

A few examples of contronyms from DailyWritingTips.com

--Bolt: To secure, or to flee 

--Cleave: To adhere, or to separate 

--Fine: Excellent, or acceptable or good enough 

--Handicap: An advantage provided to ensure equality, or a disadvantage that prevents equal achievement 

--Hold up: To support, or to impede 

--Left: Remained, or departed 

--Put out: Extinguish, or generate 

--Rent: To purchase use of something, or to sell use 

Happy New Year!

It's here! 2020! 

There's been a lot of talk about a new month, new year, new decade for the last few weeks. Actually, there have been disagreements about whether the new decade is really beginning now or will be here next year since there never was a year zero. Whatever the case, I have not yet gotten the hang of writing 2020 as a date.

Also, there has been a lot of talk about New Year's resolutions that people are making such as the more common ones of exercising more and eating less to the less common ones such as solving the Rubik's cube one handed. Some say that you shouldn't make resolutions at all because they always fail. Others say it's bad to make resolutions because it suggests that you aren't good enough just the way you are. Have you noticed that everyone has an opinion these days?

What do I think about New Year's Resolutions? I don't know. I haven't had time to think about them yet. I'm still too busy putting away my Christmas stuff.

Annie has been helping me organize my Christmas things
 before they get put away.

Have you been doing any resolving this first week of January?