Weekend work

Yesterday we had some stuff to do in the morning, so we didn't get to work until after 2:00. I spent the afternoon etching V's in the cracks in the plaster of the attic walls, and then cleaning up all the dust I created. Keith took down the flimsy railings in the attic and did some mortaring in the living room, bathroom and attic.

Aaron and Arden brought an extra power drill for us to use when we put the spacers on the rafters. They saw in the blog that one of our drills is battery-powered, and they were concerned that we would run down the battery, bringing the work to a stand-still. As it turns out, we didn't get to that phase of the work this weekend. It was a nice gesture on their part, and we will use it eventually--maybe next weekend?

This morning we reviewed the kitchen design with Ken at Home Depot, and we're close to finalizing it. We'll be able to use both the range and refrigerator that we just bought a couple years ago, and my agate-topped baking cupboard as well. That makes me happy. I hated the thought of replacing appliances that are so new, and I really wanted to continue using the antique cabinet that we got from Lisa 35 years ago.

After that, we went to the farm and spent the day doing exactly the same things as yesterday: etching cracks and mortaring. Keith's getting quite skilled in his career as a mason. He's working on the large section of fallen plaster over the bathroom window and he did an excellent job on the baseboard area in that same room. We were going to leave both those areas for Roger, but Keith was feeling confident so he went ahead and did them himself.

Arden said she's going to pass a petition around to send Charlie, pleading for an open stairwell. I swear I didn't put her up to it! She just assumed there would not be a wall on the lower part of the stairs, and when I told her there is, she couldn't believe it. I told her the decision is out of my hands, and that's when she said we should poll the whole family and overrule the architect. Hmmmmmmm . . .

Actually, I think we're beyond the point of no return on that design element, as John has fashioned the central beam around the concept of a wall, not open railing. This is one of only a couple details where I've conceded my preference to Charlie's and John's professional opinion. All-in-all, on a project of this scope that's probably not too bad--and I did hire them for their expertise. So far I've found that when our ideas diverge, their insight has provided superior results, and I'm learning to trust their recommendations. If they stand their ground over a detail that's in dispute, I figure they have good reason, even if I don't completely understand or agree. Still, sometimes it is hard to give in.