For nearly three months we worked almost every day. I was a weekend warrior, but Randy was there every day, with the exception of his photography assignments and needed days at home to let his body rest and to catch up with his real job and life’s necessities. Near the end of June, Lori became available every day again, and so for the summer, it was a daily effort as a twosome again. The list of things we did was enormous. Stripping walls, washing walls, sanding walls, plastering, sanding, caulking, plastering, sanding, plastering, sanding… you get the gist. We worked on one room at a time, and then worked on hallways and the stairway. Randy taught me how to use a caulk gun (which I had used before, but now am an expert with). There were lots of jokes about caulk. I will spare you those details, and let you use your imagination. On every project, Randy’s attention to detail was maddening to me, and yet, the finished products are always exceptional. I have learned to appreciate it tremendously.
To date, we have painted walls, ceilings, floors and closets in two bedrooms, painted walls and ceilings in the bathroom upstairs, the kitchen, dining room and two additional closets. The painting process included a final sanding, washing, priming, sanding again, then two coats of paint. Arduous labor!
The dining room got a new coat of wax to hold us over for the moment. This floor will be refinished later.
- Wax On, Wax Off
We have updated wiring in the basement with a new “Square D” box on the exterior and a new “QO” master panel box in the basement. Electrical wiring is being checked and replaced one room at a time, with completely reconfigured kitchen lighting designed by Randy.
Worth significant mention is the total renovation of our kitchen pantry closet which has been insulated, sheet rocked, painted and fitted with custom shelving complete with beautiful red barn board and a shiny new red floor to match. It is a piece of art! Some of the interior doors have been cut and waxed so that they close once again, and the window screens have been washed and re-hung in most of the house. A small amount of landscaping has begun, with some of our plants from Pond Eddy coming along with us to Milanville. They have transplanted well, and offer us a start, along with a few varieties of transplanted bulbs which will give us color next spring. The combination of a large population of deer and the old apple tree in the yard are not exactly helping. The deer have a well worn circuit that includes the corn field across the road and the apple tree. On their way by, they check on our plantings regularly to sample the new blooms. Apparently they have not read the official listing of deer-resistant plants. Thanks to the recommendation of our neighbor’s Jim and Paul, we are now using a product to repel the deer, which seems to be helping. The chimneys have been inspected and cleaned and a new seamless chimney liner has been installed from the furnace in the basement all the way up (four stories)! Frank from Cherry Ridge Chimney Sweep impressed us at every step, literally climbing the ladder with ease at the age of seventy, and walking on the upper roof with the confidence of a teenager. He even offered to clean the upper gutters for us, which had not been cleaned in years. My son Sam came to visit and helped us clean the rest of the gutters, helping out his dear mother. xoxo
In the basement, Randy and Andy Craft removed the two ancient oil tanks. This was a tremendous process which included Randy on the phone multiple times with our oil company who finally came and drained the tanks. Andy showed up one Saturday with a trailer, a four wheeler, a big board and some rope. Together the two guys built a ramp up the basement bulkhead steps and pulled those bad boys out. I secretly think they actually had fun doing it. Andy also was kind enough to take the VERY heavy bathtub we had removed from the downstairs bathroom.
Our move from Pond Eddy lasted two weeks at the end of June, with two full days using a moving van and a team of strong men, along with many days of cleaning, sorting, burning (wood) and giving things away. Did I mention Randy came down with Lyme’s Disease in early June? Amidst all the chaos and work, he started feeling poorly. He started a course of antibiotics, and thanks to modern medicine was feeling better within days. He never missed a beat! Now, we are settling in and so glad to be here together in our very own “Home Sweet Home”. The work continues, and will keep us busy for years. Hi-ho, Hi-ho…
J. Howard Beach House 