Vacation, Day 3

1. Woke up when Mike came to bed at 2. Spent an hour thinking about the garage, Harry Potter, and WoW, but more often than not, about work. Tried to stop thinking about work various times.
2. Got up at 8 and went straight to the garage after breakfast. Nearly finished painting the part of the walls I couldn't reach before Mike left for work.
3. Spent the next three hours painting the ceiling of the garage. Rediscovered why I hate painting ceilings.
4. Discovered that I didn't have enough primer for a second coat. Contemplated this while painting the ceiling. Decided to do a generous topcoat instead of a second coat of primer, as couldn't face doing the ceiling more than twice, and have to have the painting done by Friday.
5. Finished the ceiling. Too tired to do a happy dance.
6. Did the cut painting around the top and bottom of the garage. Discovered that I much prefer using a paintbrush to a roller any day of the week, even with the climbing up and down the ladder.
7. Surveyed my work. Decided to ask Mike to tie me up until I come to my senses if I ever contemplate doing a project this big in four days ever again.
8. Shower. Gooooooooooooooooood...
9. Talked to Dad. He's coming up two days early. Yay!!! He tells me to reprioritize on getting the house ready.
10. Ate lunch and read some Harry Potter until Mike comes home for lunch.
11. Cut up bananas and ham.
12. Counted the bags of wood pellets in the garage.
13. Finished cleaning the house except for the bathrooms. Have set aside Friday morning for that.
14. Went with Mike to Canadian Tire for paint and bins for the wood pellets.
15. Went out for dinner with Mike's work. Free food. :)
16. Back home to upload photos and post before crashing.

Night!

Vacation, Day 2

Vacation, Day 1 Addendum:

10a. Cracked a nail. Barely salvageable. Must attempt to safeguard the rest until the manicure on Friday.
14a. Cleaned the basement. It is now ready for visitors.

The things you forget that you've done late at night...

Vacation, Day 2

1. Woke up at 7:15 to call the government. Only took two tries to get through!
2. Went to Totem and got three 2' x 4' pieces of drywall and some finishing nails.
3. Got some groceries before going home.
4. Cut remaining lengths of moulding for third window and door. Adding the ones to the door will be interesting.
5. Tore out first piece of damaged drywall.
6. Cut new piece of drywall.
7. Fit new piece in place.
8. Forced to admit that I do not have the upper body strength to get screws into the studs behind the drywall. Give up on the drywall part. Must bribe someone else to do it for me. ;)
9. Started the first coat of primer. Broom handle promptly falls out of the roller. Very annoyed. Can only paint as high as I can reach.
10. Skip lunch to finish the first half of the first coat of primer. Must buy new broom handle before tomorrow.
11. Cut paint everything I can reach. Estimate that one coat of paint will take about five litres of paint. Must go buy a bit more at some point.
12. Have a shower. Begin to reconsider the "do everything this week and rest next week" plan, as have trouble standing in the shower. Revise it to continue to do the garage, make the house presentable on Friday morning before chiro, and do any deep cleaning next week.
13. Lay on the bed cursing gravity.
14. Eat a little bit. Call Dad about shelves in the Totem flyer. He tells me to check and see if the broom handle in the house broom unscrews, thereby making it so I don't have to drive somewhere else today!
15. Upload new pictures and post to the weblog. Am considering doing the dishes in a couple hours, and contemplating something simple for dinner, as Mike won't be home until 9. Until then, some rest is in order. :)

Cheers!

Vacation, Day 1

1. Stay in bed a tiny bit longer.
2. Clean Beamer's fish tank.
3. See Mike off to work.
4. Cut rediscovered pieces of moulding to fit around the garage windows.
5. Cut replacement pieces of drywall for the water-damaged corner.
6. Say goodbye to the large pile of stuff to go to the dump.
7. Sweep the garage floor, brush down the walls, get all dusty.
8. Fill in the bigger holes in the walls. Discover more drywall panels to get replaced.
9. Discover that the poly filler doesn't dry very quickly. Retreat to the house, as can't paint the first coat.
10. Bring more moulding up from downstairs for the remaining window and door. Will cut it to size tomorrow.
11. Have a well-deserved shower.
12. Wrap wedding present while Mike eats lunch.
13. Show Mike the garage. Fill another hole.
14. Try to call the government to let them know I've paid them back. Since when is a 1 800 number busy all the time?
15. Nearly finish reading Order of the Phoenix. Still didn't cry when Sirius dies.
16. Get another quote on eavestroughing.
17. Cook dinner and eat it.
18. Rest.

For photos of the garage-type exploits, click here. Another update tomorrow!

Oh Harry, I don't think I'm going to make it

Harry, there are 29 days until your next book comes out, and you've only just been informed what the third task is going to be, and that is with liberal cheating on this book. Alas, I don't think I'm going to make it if I only read you at the gym. Between that and the prep work for the garage project, I've been working and sweating, but not at the gym nor in a place where I can read at the same time.

There are also three more days until my vacation starts, two of which will be spent working. Yes, those three days include the weekend. On the up side, I get to see some of my favourite people, including my brother-in-law, on Sunday.

Toodles,

Dear Farmor

I"ve written too many of these letters this year. Knowing this one was coming and actually having to write it are two different things. Maybe I should have anticipated it. All weekend, black movements out of the corners of my eyes have been startling me, gone when I turn to face them. The enjoyable conversation I had with Mom Sunday morning started with me being sure she was calling me to tell me you had passed. I was just a little early, I suppose.

I shouldn't be sad. You were the matriarch of a large family who loved you well. You lived independantly for a very long time, even when you started losing your sight and your mobility. Your age and the changes to your body did not stop you from enjoying life, as you found new ways to make the most of each day. You were 93, and passed away the day before you were to be moved to long-term care. You were ready to move on, even if the rest of us weren't ready for you to go. There should be no sadness, but there is.

It struck me this morning that you gave to my family a gift when you died. We, who were always the last to know if anything was wrong, were the first to know of your passing, simply because of when you chose to leave us. It is a small thing, maybe, but I thank you for it.

I thank you for your good humour, your full-faced smile, your laugh, your leading your children in song and ignoring that they are pretty much all tone-deaf. I thank you for my father, and his siblings, who all grew up in love and have passed that on to their own families. You had the biggest heart of anyone I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I can only strive to be half the person you were.

You are at rest now, but I am still trying not to say goodbye. I have had to say goodbye to all my grandparents this year, and others. There is finality to this kind of goodbye that wears on me, and I am trying to put off this one because of that. You are the last grandparent. With you gone, my mother and father are the oldest generation, and that is a difficult switch to happen in my head. You are also the last grandparent that Mike will never meet. He will never experience your heart or your welcoming or your quiet strength. But I know to hold on to you for my own reasons is just selfish, and I mustn't be that. So rest well, Farmor. I will miss you, but you lived your life well, and the rest is well deserved. Goodbye.

Love, Vanessa

Tired

I'm taking tomorrow off. Maybe I'll have something interesting to post then.