I’m probably making way more out of this than I should be but I keep worrying that Boots will mess around with the freeze dryer and cause issues. I’m thinking he might chomp down on the vacuum hose, which I think sits on the outside of the machine, and if he bites a hole in it . . there’s no more vacuum!
I thought about putting the FD in one of the closets. One of them is 8′ x 16′ – plenty big enough but, there’s no a/c vent in there and it will need air circulation and if I leave the closet door open . . Boots can get to it. So, I asked Vince . . could you take the closet door (which is like a regular 36″ room door) off and put up a screen door? You would think I had asked him to build a whole additional building! So . . heck . . I’ll just ask . . Can we build a whole new building?
Who wants to guess how that went over? Anyway . . I’m hoping the builder can get here in a day or so and give me an estimate. If we’re staying here and we probably are because we can’t figure out any place we’d rather be . . then I want a garage, a new laundry room, a bigger bathroom and I’ll give Vince my old sewing room for his exercise room and 3D printer room and re-loading room and whatever else he wants to do and I’ll just get me a whole new room and it will be about 6′ off the front porch and Boots can come live with me in my new room!
I know it won’t work for everyone but if we’re using the bathroom in the new room, then most of our dirty clothes will already be in that room and most of our clean clothes will need to be in that room and it will still be closer to wherever we are than it would be if we had 4,000 square feet in one house! The laundry room we currently have could still be used as a laundry room if someone wanted to . . the hookups will stay the same but I’d make that a walk in pantry/coat closet/place to put a vacuum cleaner. I have no place to put the vacuum cleaner now and no coat closet.
I’ll have a decent sized laundry room with a/c vents and that’s where the FD will go. There will be a sink and countertop in there and a door I can close to keep the noise out and a return air vent.
And, the a/c still wasn’t working right in the sewing room. Remember that it went out before we left to go to MO. The a/c guy came from Brady and they got it to barely limping along to keep Boots cool enough while we were gone but we’ve been back going on two weeks and the a/c still wasn’t fixed so yesterday when I said “new room”, Vince got himself fired up, got the guy out here and they got the parts replaced in the a/c in the sewing room and it’s blowing COLD air once again.
And, we went to Home Depot last night and looked at screen doors for the closet. We picked one out but Vince has to go back in the pickup to get it. I’m wondering why we didn’t just take the pickup last night and get it but . . that’s above my pay grade!
Yesterday, I was ready to cancel the FD order til we got some things worked out around here but today, I’m feeling more confident we’re going to get the closet ready so the FD can be safely out of Boots’ reach. Having the a/c fixed in there has made it so much easier working in there this morning. Texas in June or July or August is not where you want to be without a good working air conditioner!
Ahh . . retirement . . some days are better than others. I know I give too many orders. I think of things that need to be done way faster than they can actually get done. I will have a conversation like this with Vince: “We probably should change out those GFI outlets and a screen door on that closet would allow air circulation.”
What I’m really saying is “Can you please change out the GFI outlet and put up a screen door instead of a full door for the closet?” but what I’m really thinking is . . Can you have it all done before dinner tonight?
I think all Vince hears is “She’s thinking about asking me to change the outlets and change out a door!” and then in his mind he concludes “Whew . . she was just thinking about what needs to be done but she wasn’t actually asking me to do anything.”
So, after a couple of weeks when the GFI outlet hasn’t been changed and the closet door hasn’t been changed, I’m kinda getting frustrated that Vince isn’t doing the things that need to be done and he’s still thinking how nice it is that I haven’t asked him to do anything yet!
But, when Vince says “I wish we had a chocolate cake”, I almost always bake a chocolate cake! Or, when he says “I bought Italian sausage today. Remember that good soup you make with Italian sausage?” I always make it .. he so rarely has to ask if I know he wants something.
Maybe it helps that I like to cook and he doesn’t like to change outlets and doors. I don’t know . .
tiptopquilts says
I’d quit cooking, or give him the recipe! 🙂 Wonder how that’d go over. ha
carolyn says
I just love your stories about how Vince thinks! Around our house I always start out with, “Honey, I was thinking…” and my husband knows that I wasn’t just thinking, I want him to do it…ASAP! Sometimes what I want gets done and sometimes it doesn’t, but he always knows that I want it done, whether I say so or not. When he requests things I just say I wasn’t feeling well enough to do it today…maybe tomorrow will be better. Chronic pain/illness is good for some things!
debbierhodes says
Oh that sounds like us to a tee. Retirement ain’t for sissies.
danielle s nabozny says
With my luck all those changes would be made and then it wouldnt fit thru the door! LOL
Pamj(Girls from Texas). says
That is the reason I have learned to do all those things, Myself !! I’ve tiled one whole house, another 3 rooms in house in NM, then house in Florida 2 huge rooms that were my sewing areas. I ripped carpet out of house at lake and layed wood floors, I’ve replaced entire toilets in different houses we’ve owned, It’s nothing to fix the leaky faucet or replace the entire fixture, I ripped/actually I heated up the Formica in kitchen at lake house with a heat gun from the boys hockey stick days, pulled the funky raised up little piss ant bar in same kitchen out & put new decking down for one huge 4’ x 8’ counter top and new counter tops put in by HD, I put in a new single bowl Stainless sink & new faucet in same kitchen. Dryer went into orbit took it apart and ordered parts from my favorite Appliance parts place online & fixed that sucker, works like a brand new one.(parts place has videos online how to fix anything) helped youngest son repaint entire interior of his house walls a pale grey with white 12 ft ceilings, said son didn’t like that we couldn’t get a perfectly straight line of grey paint against white ceiling, so…absolutely no clue how to do crown molding, taught myself how to cut & install that crown molding, no one believes I did it and it’s looks so awesome. Another neighbor ask if I would come do their house, go figure !! I can install new front doors, brick molding on outside of house and trim molding on the inside, repair Sheetrock damage, hang wood blinds, put a floor in an attic…I decided it was easier to do it myself & tell hubs to go fishing !! Honestly I really like the sense of accomplishment. And when I spend money on my fun things, hubs never says a word, he better not if he likes breathing !! Family joke is that my oldest 32 year old son & hubs, say they are suing the DIY network & HGTV cause I keep tearing things apart or repairing/replacing stuff. But who do you think calls me when something needs attention, both sons have repaired their dryers & washing machines, youngest fixed his ice maker on his fridge… they’ve called to say thanks mom, for saving me a ton of money & it was easy to do like you said !! Told hubs, I think I’ll take a bow & retreat to my sewing room to work on new bedspreads, upholstery the new ottomans I built !! BTW, I love my impact drill, miter saw, band saw, scroll saw, nail gun, and all those gadgets that come from HD, as much as I love my Gammill, Bernina’s, cutting tables and massive amounts of sewing tools !! Judy a screen door is simple, I promise!! But I have a great electrician that comes to my rescue when electricity is involved, b/c it bites !! Put a ceiling fan in that room, they only take maybe an hour or less to install… wish I was closer I could help you out, better yet show ya how to DIY !!
Judy Laquidara says
Good for you but I can tell you I have no desire to do any of that. If Vince can’t or won’t do it . . I have a checkbook! 🙂
Judy says
Couldn’t you just put the tube that you’re concerned about in some PVC before connecting it? Something to block the cat from playing with it?
If you build a new building to move into with Boots, be sure you allow for the deep window sills he loves! I love seeing pictures of him lying in the windows! I wish my window sills were deep! If we ever build, I’m going to want deep window sills!
DonnainKS says
Good laughs this morning! Love it. We see ourselves in many of your stories! THANKS