Hooray its 2019!

Gosh this year started well,  Just got back from the UK.

Really full on efforts of the crew to finish garage.  Most of the painting is done, the cabinets are up, the mini split is up and working.  The solar panels are making electricity!  The spiral staircase is up.
Some details on the railing need finishing. Barn door needs hanging.

The chicken coop lined in old cedar is complete. It smells amazing.
The toilet works as does the sink.

AND the British phone booth is up.

So exited about that--Jeff helped me get the TELEPHONE signs, they would not ship to US so he brought them to me!  Yay!  The door is on order and should arrive w the hinges in March from UK.

I participated in DRY January and I'm glad I did--no alcohol for the whole month--but tomorrow I may start w a mimosa---well not really,  but happy hour has my name all over it.  Will be using UBER.


Making progress with military -- thx Parker.  Hopefully, Lanette will be moving to the good place soon, too!

And framing of tiny house complete, Windows are in,  plumbing and electric next week and then insulation.
Drywall will have to wait until I get back from Turks.  Can't believe I'm going to a 75 ft yacht.  It will be 85F degrees there every day, so different than the 21F here. Best wear LOTS of sunscreen.

Can't wait to SUP and snorkel and eat lots of great seafood!

My boys are all good!  Mom's doing PT and getting stuff she needs.

I'm going to yoga.

Soon I will be able to put all things in order, and start tossing out stuff.  The POD is gone, this is the last month for the storage facility.

Then I will have to plan a large GARAGE party.  Definitely catered and I'm thinking of the band that played at the VAFP party--they were awesome w lots of dancing.

OHH the mermaid arrives this Sunday and the driveway guy will be here as well, recycled glass that is LEED certified--colored driveway--less expensive than pavers!   And pretty!   WOWza!  can't believe this is all finically coming together.    Pretty happy...would like a drink now, but I can hold out another 12 hours!

Cheers!

reflection on 2 years

It's almost then end of the year.  2018  I re-read my posts from 2016, almost made me cry again.  actually I did cry a bit.  I still can't believe I'm divorced.  The shame, hurt, and just complete devastation.

I got sick recently, Nov 11, 2018--it took literally 14 full days to recover, by far the first week was the worst--but ODDLY, this was the first time since my husband left me that I got sick.

I know that sounds weird, but I see it as some kind of a sign.  When your body is stressed, your immune system is weakened  and you are more prone to illness.  Why didn't I get sick at ALL for the past 2 years?  was it a way my body was being resilient because the toxic marriage was over?
I was so pressured to get married.  I extended the engagement to over a year, I called from deployment and told him I was unsure about getting married. I still went thru w it--again, other peoples expectations.  Me not wanting to upset things, people please.

And I have/had this habit of biting my nails, did it my entire life, disliked it, it drove my former spouse crazy--but again since he's been gone, I just don't bite my nails anymore.   They grow so long now I have to actively trim them because they get in the way of typing. There was no intention to stop it, it just happened.  Again weird--what is the world's energy trying to tell me?

So MUCH happened in 2 years, living w a porta potty vs. a bathroom, getting forced into a divorce I didn't want, betrayal, toxic job, leaving the job, getting a different, far better job, having the cottage finished, going to Singapore, Going to Australia, spending a month in Europe, getting another cat, getting my garage plans done, getting it started, and now getting it almost finished.

Dating--Omar was lovely, my Delta pilot and retired COL.  Going to VT w him was so much fun, his little touches on the plane were amazing, he made me feel wonderful.  Charlottesville w him several times, TN, the Island, Denver at the Ritz.  The ROSES. He was such a good rebound man.

And Parker, How could I forget about Parker--we met in Bermuda, and VA and KY.  What a sweetie, a gentleman, classy for sure.
UPS CAPT--love Parker, we are still friends.

Then Edward in Australia, what a lovely man.  And that accent OMG, he was so sexy and cheeky.

Now I have met a new man, Jeff--he's different, still a pilot, so still definitely my type, 777 CAPT, flew in the RAF.  But he's sweet and he makes an effort to every night send a sweet text and similarly each morning, but not so early to wake me up.  (5 hrs apart)  He is a new relationship, and I don't want to project anything, but I'm very much looking forward to Christmas in London. His accent is to die for as well!  Very British! Kind--that is an unusual word in my men experiences--KIND.  Not pompous, egotistical, full of himself, but genuinely kind.


Soon my garage will be done, and my tiny house.  Yay!  I will get all the stuff organized and get to decorate the studio and tiny house.  So excited to do that and take my time and enjoy the process.

I want to type in this very public blog: Going to church during this awful transition time in my life has been such a life-ring.  I did not go to church for 39 years.  Now I go every Sunday that I'm home. I really like to go.  I like my new family at church. I like going w my friend. I like how I feel after.  I like working at the yard sale and typing the minutes for the Vestry.  I like that church has helped to make me a better person.

When I have horrible dreams, I pray or read a faith based book or some faith based stuff on Pinterest. When I feel lonely, I do the same. It helps.  It really, really helps.

12K Garage door

More progress

W Hardiplank and my custom 120 mph wind rate garage door 

Garage Progress

Well with sides and a roof, the size and shape of the Garage is shocking.  It's really BIG,  they started adding the 48 stand-offs to the roof to hold the solar panels. This should generate enough solar power to make my electric bill ZERO.

I will be away for nearly 3 weeks, I wonder what it will look like when I get back, I'm a bit worried.  But there are plans!

And I'll have internet, so it's not like I can't be contacted.

It will be so nice to have a place for my car out of the elements this winter.

Garage framing Commences

So the garage floor was poured in May, it sat for 2 months and Al finally got around to the framing.  He started that this last week.  After framing,  the specialized roofing (TPO)  with the solar panel studs will start.  This is a unique one of one garage plan, w an angled roof, so very non-standard.  They had made SOME more progress yesterday, but had to rip it out because it was not according to plans.  But not my issue.  I'm not paying for his misstep.  And he knows that.  Everyday after they leave which is about 3:45pm, I go around and pick up all the nails, left over trash, although they make a small effort to cleanup, and use an electric blower to get rid of all the sawdust and dirt.  It's a clean work site.  

I feel better about timing because as part of the contract he has to have it all finished by Jan 1st or he starts paying me $125/week for each week over. 

plumb line

view from upstairs of the beach cottage

framing the studio

Painting the exterior

So finally after a contract last fall, the painting has begun.  It's a big CHANGE, but my life has changed dramatically, too. SO this is a representation of that as well.  This time around, I hired a professional.  They are calking all the places that need calking, scraping the loose old paint off, really a nice job, it will be 3 coats, can't wait to see the accent color on the doors and shutters, it will be an eggplant blue.  

While I know it is VERY bright,  it will soon be dwarfed and mostly hidden by the LARGE garage that is being built.
I think I will make that dark blue and red accents.   It's a beachy colored beach house, and I have no HOA----YAY!    so I can do fun and festive, if I hate it, I can have it repainted in a few years.   Total bill for paining about 7K.

just started painting, new garage in foreground

Front view progress

Some lovely coneflowers, lilies, and lantana 

New door upstairs, been wanting this for 3 LONG years!

old door, leaked, rusted, door swing took up floor space, no screen

new fabulous, clean door, extra tight flashing, sliding door, nice screen!  big trim with SECURE curtain rods--thank you MR ROGERS windows!



so happy! Ok, I need to paint the trim,  I will eventually, I'm just going to enjoy it for now!  total cost $4500

Finished is better than perfect!

I finally managed to work up enough motivation to paint the porch floor.  Perhaps I got inspiration from the BnB I stayed at for my B-day.

UGLY stained porch floor

cutting in

new painted floor with modeling by Cooper, who apparently approves!

Bathroom shelves!

Finally got the bathroom shelves installed, it's called BUBBLE glass, it's also safety tempered!  Now I need to organize and fill em up! 

MLK

Saw the movie Hidden Figures, very apropos for MLK day.  Sometimes w good movies people clap at the end--they clapped for this one-- it WAS good.

And amazingly it happened in Hampton VA, just near here!

Anyway I had the shower glass installed.

Here it is:

Cast glass

alternate view

EAST FENCE

Got the fence tween neighbor to the east replaced, she agreed to pay 1/2, but so far has NOT responded to my request for payment.  I will be nicely surprised if she pays anything.   If she does not--well that will certainly set a tone for coolness 'tween neighbors, esp. after she was so agreeable to pay 1/2.

original nasty overgrown and rusted chain link fence

working on fence to preserve tree

new fence w 4 ft walk gate, will stain in the spring!

bookshelves

painted but boring

AFTER

Chimney flashing

new powder coated flashing

new cap to keep things out!

Ok--  so not very sexy...but look at the before and after pix.

pre replacement chimney flashing

pre photo

After Christmas

As if on cue, the scrappers grabbed the old 4 ft water heater from the curb almost as soon as Al and I set it out on the curb.

It sorta reminds me of the scrapping job that Han Solo did for some cash in one of the Star Wars movies---Princess Leia died today, I could have predicted that after she came in from a London to LA flight in arrest and they were performing CPR for 10+ minutes.

Still sad.  She played an awesome, empowered character.  And she was in the Blues Bros, too.

Damn lots of people dying, and all I have had to deal with was divorce.  I suppose it could have been worse.

I met a guy, not sure yet if he's a naked bus driver.  Time will tell.  But he's foreign born, so some is lost in translation.

I have still much to paint.
I learned how to use the air nail gun today, it was fun, I tricked out the cats feeding area, modified/made from the old cast iron bathtub.  Also spray insulated.

Al has been great!  I'm pretty sure he's one of the guardian angels that Dr. Pat talks about.   He sent me some scripture on forgiveness.  I'm not there yet---can't even forgive me.  I'm not sure I've forgiven Dad, but he has been dead a long time ---29 years.


I want to start working on the book, but I will not do that until the house is done and I have moved back in.

So perhaps I will work on it as I'm flying to Japan.  What a good use of my 56 hours in the air.

washer and dryer under on demand gas water heater

bathroom floor before penny tile

trim on book shelves and new bay window

penny tile form Germany

new front door canopy, to avoid the rain a bit when unlocking the door

hurricane shutter, they crank down from inside 

cooper checking out the sanded floors.

PLUMBING

water heater will be ABOVE washer and dryer, inside to protect it from salty water and spray! 

a close up of the on demand, gas water heater

lovely beveled subway tile set at 1/3 spacing, looks so clean! 

these were the old plumbing pipes: replaced

disgusting old pipes from kitchen sink

Contractors 11/28/16

Today, the Monday after thxgiving I had:

The tile guy: Jessie come work on the floor.   He cut the large tiles to accommodate the penny tile wave.

The Window guys returned to do some trim, but had to call 2 different guys, to get the filler and the correct size trim.  They could not do the bathroom window, because the tile was wet.

They did not finish the windows in the office, because they need a missing piece for the lock.
They did teach me how to correctly close the windows and lock them, and how to add the window screens which are inside the house, not on the outside.

The Va Natural gas man, he checked on the meter, repainted it, and got it set up for plumbers tomorrow.

The chimney guys, said the new roof flashing sucked and I need a cap, but there are no obstructions.
So for $913, including a 15% military discount, they will fix the flashing and cap it w a stainless steel cap.
The mini- wood burning FP is an option, but I will need an insert into the chimney. Will research that and possibly do it at a later time.

Now I need to go to laundromat and to home depot, need more PRIMER KILZ.

Tomorrow PLUMBER!
And jessie (tile guy said he'd be back at 8 am -ish!

laundry area, painted a JADE MIST

still need to pain, under the stairs. This is where murphy bed will go. 

New Windows!!

CUTTING OUT the larger opening, forgot to remove the old bathtub thru the big hole!

the frame hanging out, waiting to be placed.

setting in the bay window.  Took ALL DAY!

more work, heated floor

stylish  and functional grab bar, will install fold down teak seat at a later date

removing window in new closet/laundry area

new bathroom floor, shower in grey

starting the process for the heated bathroom floor

Schlüter system, keeps floor at constant temp. you set via thermostat. 

leveling compound to make floor level, dries in about 4 hours

God can restore what is broken

and turn it into something amazing.  All  I need is faith.

Sunday 530 am

awake.  Can't sleep.   Got up to pee.   When I got back into bed, Gavel had peed in the sheets.   Fuck. Twice since Tuesday.    And I have no washer or dryer.   And it's 530 in the am.  

I read lots of blogs and posts and vet based articles online about aberrant peeing.   I'm still not sure how to fix it.    Gavel is my special needs cat.  It is a cross I have to bear.    He is a great cat sometimes. Like yesterday when I was crying, he sat on my lap, which  is very unusual, and just comforted me.  He's also a good watch cat. He is alert an hears people approach the house and reacts before I hear them.
But then twice this week, since I had to move him upstairs, he's peed on the bed.   I have become more wise and I have double waterproof pads on the mattress.
But normally I have a washer and dryer too.    Well I was planning on doing laundry at moms today anyway.


He has also peed on 2 very  expensive relax the back zero gravity chairs.  I have used a combination of vinegar,  baking soda, and soap to get the smell out,  but it doesn't work.    I can buy replacement leather for the chairs.   But the style of the chairs is  modern.  They would've looked great in the new house.   But now they're just taking up space in the garage.  NO NEW HOUSE.

Gavel is now on the porch alone.  SORTA LIKE JON IS ALONE.  although I doubt that.   I'm sure he is seeking solace and an easy fuck on any and every trip he goes on.   How lucky for him that I arranged a vasectomy six years ago for him.  

Meanwhile, I have sheets wet with Cat pee.

Jon did not like the fact that I adopted Gavel or Cooper,   I admit 5 cats is too much, they are  a lot of work.   But I also  couldn't let them be.   I actually found the owners for Gavel.    But after the third time, I stopped calling them and got him neutered myself.  Then I tried-- pretty hard--- to find a him a new home.   But that didn't work.   Then, his family of origin, was arrested in a drug sting.    Evidently the DEA had been investigating this guy for five years.  So we had this big drug lord living in our neighborhood in Texas.  So that is how I got Gavel.  

I name  him Gavel for several reasons.   The first was because his family didn't take care of him despite the fact I found him and returned him to them three times.   They had not even had him neutered.    But also Jon was in Iraq,  and was working with an Iraqi who was a lawyer.    Jon respected this man and this man was scheduled to become a judge.   So Jon asked me to find a gavel and have it engraved with this man's name on it. So I did.   And I  sent it to him to jon to give as a gift.  

That was 2010.   Just last year or maybe earlier this year Jon told me that this "judge" was able to come to the US with his family via asylum.

Cooper came to me in August after Fallon died in April.  I tried to ignore him but he came back.   I took him to the vet.   He was neutered but had FIV.    THE SHITTY vet said let him be.   (Outside)
But  FIV is contagious via cat bites.  So the idea is to contain it.  I never went back to that vet.   Cooper is a wonderful gentle sweet cat.


I'm getting a massage at 9 am. What to do for 2 hours?  Finish my now cold coffee.  Watch sunrise....not till 727 am.


So glad I had 4 days in a row off.   Work with all this shit was killing me.


I have a cavity.  I don't know why.   I'm a good flosser , I only have one cup of  coffee a day and then water.   Julie's says it was from previous years abuse. And carries are indolent and grow slowly.   Julie is my dentist.  We were in the navy and coast guard together.   We were both railroaded out of the military by Asshole threatened senior male officers.   Both of us were commanders (ltcol). And left at 15 yrs of service because it was so hellish.    


Anyway. I need to be writing this in my book.  Not a blog.