Gas and Trick or Treaters

Happy November everyone! There has been very few updates this month, but the few we have done are pretty awesome. Lets start with gas. We have decided that it was all around better for us to get rid of our old oil heat and replace it with a brand new gas heating system. It was perfect timing becuase we just ran out of the oil we had purchased last winter. We only spent two cold nights before getting the new system. First of all, neither one of us liked the idea of oil heating, you have to get it delivered, every company is different, and its super expensive. It was a pretty effortless project. Some men came in the morning, installed everything, set it up, then left (all without me knowing!). When I got home from work I walked in to an overwhelming smell of gas. I did know that the gas people were coming, just didn't know they were installing anything that day. Well I was on the phone with my mom and quickly said "I have to call you back I smell gas...click" (I'm sure that didn't freak her out at all). I ran into the bedroom to make sure my cats weren't dead, opened all the windows and called Joe. Joe called the company that installed the heater and they rushed right over. When the guy came to the door I said "Are you here about my gas?" He laughed, took me a minute to figure out why. I took him down to the basement and he began putting this drippy stuff on all the connections and he said if it bubbles we have a leak. At this point I was nervous that I was just being paranoid about the smell, then the drippy concoction started to bubble. When I said "yay, there really is a leak" the guy looked at me like I was crazy and said, "I've never had anyone cheer over a gas leak before." Then it was time to call National Grid our gas provider. Nation Grid dude rushed right over too! On a side note I have to say that as a woman and a generally nervous person this was one of the easiest experiences that I have had with unknown men coming to my house. Not that there is many unknown men coming to the house, but there has been a few, the cable guy, the window guy (we'll get to him in a minute) and delivery men. These two were so nice and professional. After the leak was fixed they both gave me a tutorial on the gas heating system. I feel very knowledgeable in the subject. Since then the gas heat has been awesome.

Window guy...now that's a different story all together. Joe and I are getting new windows from Anderson Windows on the first floor. The experience has been alright until the window measurement. We scheduled the appointment for a day that I had off and for later in the day so I could relax (we just got back from D.C.- yes we went to the Rally to Restore Sanity amazing). Well my house is a mess, I'm sitting on the couch, still in my p.j.'s, talking to my mom when I hear my doorbell ring. I look out the window and see the window dude. (Poor mom, I keep hanging up on her). He can most likely hear me on the phone so I can't hide, so I have to answer the door in my p.j.'s. I answered by saying "Your early...like wicked early". (About 2.5 hours early). He laughed and told me he just happened to be in the area and he wanted to see if he could do the measurements now. I told him he would have to wait while I got dressed. I got dressed as quickly as possible then tried to clean up a bit. He came in and measured all the windows. I wasn't quite sure of what I should be doing, do I follow him around (it is my house, he is a stranger), do I sit and watch t.v., do I pretend to read a magazine? At the end I think I ended up doing a little of each. Very awkward experience and I hope I don't have to do that again anytime soon.

As far as Halloween went, I have to say it was the most uneventful one I've had in Salem. This was the first time in 9 years that I did not go downtown. Joe and I got back early from D.C. and we both were a bit run down so we decided to stay in. I had bought some candy (about 6 bags) before hand just in case. Well I'm glad I bought so much becuase we only had 10 trick or treaters (needless to say we had some leftover). What has happened to trick or treating, do children not go anymore? I don't understand. It's too bad- I got the good stuff, and I dressed up! To make it more confusing my neighbors have the same plug in door bell as us so whenever someone rang their doorbell, ours rang too. I kept running to the back door (which we blocked off so I could pass candy out the front) yelling "I'm coming!" Only to find nobody there. I think I'm going to go downtown next year, no matter what. It just didn't feel the same.

So...it's been awhile...

Ooops. It seems as if I have slacked on the whole blogging thing. Not too much has happened in the last two months. The backyard looks pretty amazing. Joe, Dan and I put a lot of sweat into it! Oh and those random twelve year old boys that came to help one Saturday. Did I get your attention? Here's the story...Friday night around 8 o'clock, I'm at my normal post (the living room couch probably watching some really crappy t.v.) I see these two boys walk right up to our back door. Being the creepy person I am I yell out my window "Can I help you?" They don't seem to be to phased by this and ask, through the window, if there is any yard work that we need done. I promptly yell for Joe and he talks to the kids, pays them so they can go to the movies, and asks them to come back the following morning to work on our backyard. To my surprise they came back, apparently they came around 9 a.m. but Joe and I were still asleep so they came back around 11. Now I have to mention that I am super awkward with kids over 6, I'm just not that great at talking to them. And 12 is such a funky age anyways, your trying to act grown up but you really aren't. Anyways, these kids were very nice, talked to us about going into middle school in September, playing basketball and baseball. They worked pretty hard also (Joe ended up pretty sore the next day becuase he was "trying to keep up the momentum!). It was so funny becuase every 20 minutes or so they would get a phone call or text message, and I just could help thinking that when I was 12 the only cell phone I had ever seen was Zack Morris's from Saved by the Bell. What a difference 15 years makes. Anyways, they finished up and I just couldn't let them leave without offering them some lunch. I made them peanut butter and fluff sandwiches. Foe being so grown up on their cell phones, they showed thier true age after eating those sandwiches. I'm saying they had the best fluff faces I have seen in a long time (and I work with 4 year olds)! The one that talked all ghetto had the biggest one, I went in and got him a wet paper towel just so he could wash his face off! All in all it was a pretty pleasant experience.

Not sure if I mentioned Joe's plan for getting rid of all the organic material in the backyard. He decided to make a compost heap at the back of our property. We made piles of weeds, leaves, pine needles and sticks and hauled them to the back on a tarp (who needs a wheelbarrow?). The big logs that Joe cut up were the base and everything got piled on top. It has to be at least 4ft tall. It has worked out great so far and hopefully by next year we can make some sort of gardening area out of it.

Speaking of gardening...I have to be honest and tell you that my garden somewhat failed. I don't feel too bad becuase I have heard rumors that a lot of peoples gardens failed this summer (except for our "farmer" neighbor's garden...he must have given us 10lbs of tomatoes!). I got two tomatoes, a few peppers and my basil did well. The cucumbers and squash didn't do much at all. Oh well, there is always next year.

Three woodpeckers.

Junk found in our backyard.

Our Heart Shaped Pool?

Ok...A lot has been happening around here. Mostly on the outside. First of all Joe and Dan, while cleaning the backyard of rocks, found a pool! Can you believe it, someone buried a pool in our backyard. Well... we originally thought it was a pool, but it turns out it was a heart shaped pond. But still, why build it if your just going to bury it? Weird huh. There is also an obscene amount of huge rocks in the back yard. I met up with a neighbor across the street and he informed me that the women who owned the house made the second floor into an apartment when her daughter got married. Well the son-in-law just happened to be a landscaper, apparently a lazy one. Huge rocks put down randomly and never thought of again does not a nice backyard make! Joe decided that something must be done about this heart shaped pond in the backyard, and that something involved a jack hammer. I wanted to keep it, but... it was in a really awkward space in the yard, so jack hammer time it was. I had a friend that asked me how does one get a hold of a jack hammer...well one goes to good old home depot and rents it. It pleases me that I know the answers to those types of questions. She also asked if it came with instructions, well it doesn't. Which I guess is a little presumptuous becuase Home Depot just assumes that you know what your doing when you come in to rent a jack hammer. Hmmm. Well There is no longer a heart shaped pond in our backyard. Maybe one day we'll make a new one in a better spot but for not it is gaping hole in the middle of our yard.

Before During After

Joe also trimmed down the wilderness that has become our front yard with our new weed whacker! It has since started growing back, but it was a good first try. We now will mow it and maybe plant some grass (instead of the weeds that are now claiming the space as home).

Joe and his uncle also put a flag up our flag pole. That was an experience I hope we don't go through again. I really thought it was going to crash down on our neighbors roof, or ours! The pole got stuck in dome branches at one point so Joe fished it out by using his fishing pole and thick rope. Odd, but it worked!

The basement has also been cleaned up nicely since the last picture posted. Joe painted the walls and took the furry steps off the stairs. It really looks like a functional laundry room now. Next step-painting the floor. Toby has claimed this space as his own, especially since it has been so hot out. He has become so comfortable down there he decided that he would venture outside too! The crazy cat knocked out a window pane and discovered the great outdoors. We figured out he was the culprit when Joe went down there in the morning to get his clothes and Toby meowed at him from outside! I can't believe it!

Cleaned (kinda) Basement

My garden is doing really well! Nothing has died so far. The tomatoes are turning red, the squash is blooming, the peppers are getting big! Super excited!

In case you were wondering what a rock chia pet looks like, here is Joe's:

Here is a picture of the bamboo floor that has been requested... It looks nicer in person!

Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you!

My Black Thumb

Joe and I have been settling into the house and decided to tackle what is the jungle in our back/front yard. The grass is now past my knees, it was time. Thank goodness my dad gave us a broken lawn mower (and Joe is working on fixing it!). Joe has been chopping up the broken branches in the back yard with the help of his friend Dan. They are also pulling up all the random rocks (boulders) that someone thought looked nice at one point. He keeps coming up with different ideas about what to do with the rocks, at one point he was going to make a chia rock something (think chia pet but with rocks and really big)... now he may build a rock wall around a portion of the "garden". We'll see what happens. While the "men" were busy chopping and lifting I decided to plant a garden. So we went to home depot (favorite store!) and I bought two tomato plants, some squash, cucumbers, basil and dill (I like dill) and Joe picked out some sort of pepper plant. It's a joke at our house that I kill every plant that I have tried to love. I'm not even allowed to take care of the plants at my work anymore, so a garden is a bit daunting.

Everything was planted about three weeks ago. I also added into the small garden the two lilac bushes that Joe's mom bought us. So far nothing has turned brown, black or has fallen over, so I am taking this as a good sign. I am hopeful that I may have some fresh tomatoes this summer. Oh to explain the two tomato plants: I had bought a generic topsy turvy tomato plant grower last year and saved it in hopes I would be able to use it in my very own home this summer. Well, it stunk. I could not get the plant through, it scraped my hand and made me extremely frustrated. So that ended up in the garbage and the tomato plant was planted in the extra pot we had hanging around (probably from another plant I had previously killed).

The Poop Shoot

Yes, I know it's been awhile. It hasn't been too exciting around here. Joe and I have now made it almost three entire weekends without visiting Home Depot, but for some reason I think our luck is running out. The house is now feeling more like a home, there's mini-blinds and curtains on the windows, boxes only in the corner of the kitchen and all dishes are put away. The cats are becoming more curious. They have ventured into the basement (much to my disdain) and have found a new kitty friend that likes to hang around our basement windows. Joe and I have argued about having the cats in the basement on and off for the last few weeks, I believe I am losing that battle .
The bathroom has only a few minor problems. Well at least now they are minor. A few weeks ago we had a pretty major problem that involved feces, a 100 foot snake and a clean basement. Here's the story... Joe insisted on buying this beautiful great toilet for the downstairs bathroom (I really had no opinion) and it was working great for about a month when all of a sudden the toilet refused to flush. We tried everything from letting it settle, plunging it, to pouring water down to force it. Nothing worked. Joe went out and bought a six foot snake and...nope... no flushing. And of course it wasn't just urine in the toilet, there had to be poop. Yes-sir-re, poop. (I was just glad it was not my poop, that would have scarred me from pooping for a long, long time) So Joe and his uncle had to get a hundred foot snake and work it out all the way into the street. There must have been twenty years of other peoples feces in the poop shoot (and on our basement floor...don't worry, it's been bleached). Well, we now have a working toilet that flushes (every time).

Another nice update is that all the trash was removed from our front yard! Yay!

We've Moved!

A lot has happened in the last few weeks. First of all we now live in the house. That's right, we have moved out of the apartment finally (although I am still waiting on my security deposit...). Joe and I have adjusted pretty well, the cats however took a bit of coaxing. First of all they both hate the cat carriers, Toby especially. He's the big black cat. He whined the whole way over, and when I say whine, I mean wailed like a child. It's actually quite creepy to hear. We decided to just set them up in the room because we had been having lots of people coming in and out of the house and didn't want them escaping. It was a long first night...and over the next three days or so they were either under the bed or two lumps in the comforter. They have gotten braver and now will come out of the room and venture around. I still think they feel a bit confused about the whole situation.
We had another great rain and now (thank goodness) have a hole for our sump pump in the basement, thanks to Joe's brother and a huge jack hammer like thingy. We also have a working bathroom where we can shower and everything. I think I'm starting to get excited too easily over things! I also got....a washer and dryer! Unfortunately the washer suffered some flood damage, but Joe cleaned it out and its working just fine. It's up on some cinder blocks though just in case. It's funny, I need a step stool to get things in and out of it now. I feel like I'm on the show Little People Big World when I'm washing my clothes. (I also need one to put away the dishes!) Joe and his uncle also finished the bamboo floor in the bedroom it looks amazing! And check out the bedroom picture, that is a thrift store bureau, super excited about that cause I haven't had one in over five years! It was a great find.

This weekend we will attempt to finish the bathroom floor (it's cork, and awesome!), and unpack. I'm hoping to find out a date for getting rid of the trash that's piling up on our front yard, I don't want to be those neighbors!

Who needs a swimming pool in your backyard when you have one in your basement!

So we have found our house's Nemesis....Water. Water has been coming from everywhere in this house since the beginning. From the ceilings, pipes, under the sinks, and the latest development in the basement. Amazing. We had epic amounts of rain last weekend and the end result was four inches in the basement. I knew my wellies would come in handy. I sloshed through the water with a flashlight (I was too afraid to be electrocuted to turn on the actual lights) and measured the water myself.When Joe came home that night we tried to shovel it out and use the wet dry vac, but it was no use. I was sent on a mission to Home Depot to get a sump pump (which until this week I thought it was called a sunk pump).

I went to Home Depot and got a $93 "sump pump" and then promptly tried to find someone in plumbing to get me the hose to go with it. Well apparently I was not the first person to get a sump pump from this store and they were out of the correct hoses, but the man (who had one blue eye and one brown) promised me that I could hook up a PVC pipe to it and it would work just fine. He got me a connector and a 10 foot piece of PVC pipe. There was an older gentleman in the aisle that started to quiz me on my purchase, asked if I had glue and some other things that I didn't quite catch. I pretended that I totally knew what I was doing and thanked him for his help.

I left Home Depot feeling a little nervous about getting my 10 foot PVC pipe into my car. I had every right to be nervous because it didn't fit. I felt like an idiot standing outside of Home Depot with a pipe twice the size of me whining to Joe on the phone about how the pipe was to big for the car. Joe assured me that this happens all the time and to just go in and have the guy cut it in half. Well I was kinda ticked that my blue/brown eyed guy did not warn me about the size of my pipe. I marched back in with it and found the blue/brown eyed man helping the older gentleman who was pestering me with questions about my pipe earlier. I smiled and said "I'm back", then the older gentleman said "I thought you would be." I have to admit, it burned a little.

Joe let me try to hook up the sump pump, and I did a great job until I failed to realize the pipe that I had hooked it up to overflowed the kitchen sink with cellar water. Ooops. He then rolled up his pants and waded through to hook it up so it went outside. We tried our best but only made a small dent in the basement pool. We were lucky enough that Joe's uncle Eric came by the next day and finished it up.

So I have now declared water anywhere near my house to be an enemy.