30 Day Notice given at the Apartment: The Heat is On!

Painters hard at work
Front Door started like this...

<--Front Door now looks like this!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.Gas Line got moved away from the driveway

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Kitchen backsplash behind stove - Nice tile work
<--Small Bathroom floor got tiled and grouted

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Wary Bad Girl on the way to Dr. Snip Snip

.

.

HIGHLIGHTS:
1. We're on schedule to move into the house at the end of May. We took a leap of faith (and hard work) and gave our 30 day notice to the apartment manager. Our expectations are - 1. the floors upstairs and in the kitchen completed. 2. The small upstairs bathroom is functional. 3. The kitchen is functional. 4. We will "camp out" in the upstairs and live there as we finish the rest. Who said I was still crazy after all these years -- Paul Simon?

2. OSHA Babe has expanded her role. If I want to stay married, I won't call her the Mayflower Mover Maid ("3M") too many times. (Editor's Note: The author just used up his allowance for calling me "3M".) We did rent 2 storage units about 1/2 mile from the new house and have begun moving contents from the garage here at the apartment. We hope to do a little each day and then hire help for the furniture and other heavy items later in the month. I think that Pat is planning a box burning party after this one is over.

3. We were pleasantly surprised on Wednesday when a crew from the gas and electric company, CPS, showed up to move the gas meter from the driveway side of the house to the east side. Several months ago, I had asked if this could be done for safety reasons, i.e., backing the car out of a narrow driveway that has a gas meter as one of the boundaries could prove to be unnecessarily dangerous. CPS had indicated that they would move the meter but not until we got a final inspection on both the gas and plumbing. We've had the final approval on the gas for several months but have not called for the final plumbing inspection. When CPS showed up and told me they were moving the meter, I didn't ask any questions. They finished on Thursday. Hopefully we have gas in the kitchen for the stove. I can smell the brisket already.
4. Exterior painting continues. As two of the pictures above show, it is making a HUGE difference in the appearance. Francisco and Daniel are working hard, doing a good job and making good progress in spite of the rains here in San Antonio. They need to finish up the front and then paint the east side. We're probably talking about at least another week.
5. The kitchen is ready for the floor people to start. I finished the backspash behind the stove and hung the microwave. The circuit to the microwave is not working so I placed a call to the electrician and hope to see him early next week. I have asked him to hang some ceiling fans when he comes.

6. The floor in the small upstairs bathroom is tiled and grouted. It really tidied up the appearance. Finishing this will be a big push for the next couple of weeks. Camping out in the upstairs does not include having to use the porta potty.

7. The cats don't love me much this week. We caught both Bad Girl and Grey Girl and took them to Dr. Snip Snip. With help from Ruth Ann, a lady from the San Antonio Feral Cat Coalition (SAFCC), we trapped Bad Girl for a Wednesday appointment and Grey Girl for her date on Thursday. CAT CONTEST - If one female cat has the 4 litters annually that she is capable of having and if each litter contains 2 female kittens who survive and they bear kittys at that same rate, how many cats will come from this one female in 7 years? The official answer is on a poster in Dr. Snip Snip's clinic in San Antonio. There will be no arguing over the answer.

8. We did have visitors this week. Susan, a friend of Pat from BSF came by for the tour. Additionally, our neighbors Rony, Anita, and their daughter, Karen (who is going to school in Israel) came through for the tour. I believe that Karen is the current leader in the "Traveled the Most Miles to Get Here" Contest. It is fun hearing from young folks who lived in the neighborhood and remember seeing homeless people staying in the house from time to time.

NEXT STEPS:
1. Floor refinishing begins on Monday. Frank and his wife have us slotted for ten work days. This round of flooring includes the kitchen and all the rooms upstairs. We have great expectations.
2. We will continue to move boxes to the newly rented storage units. We may rent a trailer one day so we can get more in one trip but we'll see. Sanding Patty is getting a reprieve from sanding to put on her 3M cape.
3. Exterior painting will continue. Hopefully, we'll get the east side of the house finished. Francisco is also going to put new drip cap and skirting around the house as the weather and time permit.
4. I've got to keep working on the small bathroom upstairs. Baseboards, moulding, and a final coat of paint are needed before setting the lavatory and the toilet. The end is in sight. And then there are only two other ones to do!