Today we headed down to the shop. The dawn of a new year, 2011. It is amazing how you can pretend like it isn’t there, you can pretend that the sleeping giant is dead. You can drive by it on the way to the grocery store, and give it a nod, the “I’ll get to you later” kind of nod. With confidence. I’m confident I’ll get to you later, but today I am busy making sure everything is A-OK on the homefront. And besides, you big beast, I don’t even know what to do with you.
Well today the piper came and demanded payment. C’mon! What are you gonna do? Put that floor in there and get crackin!! Success awaits!
Well, as I was staring the big gaping hole that is 236 Ouachita, who walks up but Joe Davis himself. Such a pleasure indeed, to the man who still seems surprised that there was any work to do at all! At least he is nice about it, or at least I am nice about it. Or even more amazing, at least Zac doesn’t tackle him to the ground and yell WHY at the top of his lungs while he strangles him. I wonder if he knows how many times we marveled at his ability to stack things, and collect jars of screws and moldy player piano rolls.
The eternal dilemna continues, with no professional help in sight. It seemed like the hysterical historical folks might help with an architect who knows the subtle ways of historic building codes and concepts, but that doesn’t seem to be happening. Just a lot of, “ask Tom!” and Tom says, “Ask Larry!” and Larry says, “I’m not in my office!” and Tom says, “Get lost!!”.
I sit and look at a sheet of paper, where does the studio apartment go? Handicap bathrooms? Oh, first things first! We have got to get the water off the back of the building! Ok, tuck point the brick, put up gutters, trouble shoot the completely clogged drain. Truthfully, that is great if that issue could be solved, because then you can start fun things like: flatten the backyard, plant row of shrubs for privacy, and put a table back there for happy hour. I mean, that little courtyard is dreamy!!
Termites. Termites. That is the question that can’t seem to be answered. If you have less than an 18″ crawlspace under your floor, then you cannot buy an inspectable termite plan. If you can’t get someone to come and spray for termites then why the hell would you put in a wood floor in a building that is a known termite/mold offender? But how can you justify pouring concrete in a building? Concrete sweats, and cracks, and is hard to walk on, and it looks ugly and industrial, and it is forever. Who would ever bust up and haul out a concrete floor. But if we dig the floor out to get an 18″ crawlspace (right now it is 12″) then our footers won’t be deep enough. AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!! Concrete! Wood! A lot of people like concrete, but as a life aesthetic, how can I add more concrete to this ugly town? How much prettier would a hardwood floor look. Imagine dancing and sliding across the floor, imagine how much better our albums will sound! Imagine how much more people will pay for our broken piano collection?!?!! How much cuter our potbelly stove will look! How much tastier the coffee will be! How much better Eureka’s artwork will be! How much easier it will be to learn from Mom and Dad’s Homeschooling Mill next year?
Eureka shreeks!!
Just a few of the issues, but my list is getting crazy!!