We've got studs!

well, fence posts, to be more accurate...but studs sound a lot funnier in a blog title. yes, folks, the era of privacy is soon upon us. it's not that we are anti-social, or dislike engaging in conversation with the neighbors; we just would like our backyard to be like a sanctuary. hence, allison's dubbing it a sanctuary fence, rather than a privacy fence. it just sounds more peaceful, doesn't it?

once the fence goes up, we're going to lay down a nice patio, and build a pergola. with all that, the fire pit, and the garden, it will be quite the sanctuary indeed! we'll grill out every night! so, if you're in the neighborhood, stop by. just make sure to knock on the sanctuary fence first. oh, and don't be offended if no one answers...

the long journey

after much scrubbing and elbow grease, we finally have one finished door (1 of 6). to see more pictures, check out the Lights and Hardware page on the web site. it looks really good, but i still can't help longing for the natural wood. we thought about just stripping the paint down to the wood, but then we'd have to do the trim in all the rooms. and, frankly, the thought of that makes me want to cry. maybe some day.....

To HD or not to HD

we have a nice flat panel LCD TV, and, in the old house, we had digital cable with the HD add-on. we barely watch anything other than CNN, the Today Show, and the occasional PBS documentary. so, the full cable seemed a but of waste of money. when we moved, i paired us down to basic cable (since MPLS Comcast includes CNN in it's basic package). but i held on to the HD add-on, because HD looks SO MUCH BETTER. but, all this gets me is the network stations in HD - not CNNHD. so, should i cancel the HD service? is it worth $7/month to see Matt Lauer's face crystal clear in the morning? i know it's not worth it for Meredith...HD is not kind to that woman.

bla bla bla...the tough decisions of a homeowner!

Like a good neighbor...

working with computers is like being a doctor, or a lawyer: as soon as people find out your profession, all social morays and rules get thrown out. "oh, you are a doctor? say, i have this wart on my genitals. can you take a look?"

such was the case last night. when i got home, allison told me that she was talking to our neighbor, across the street, and mentioned that i do computer support. apparently, her computer has been crashing, and she was wondering if i could take a look. so, despite my initial fear of strangers, i went over to take a look. not a big problem, and i can definitely be of help.

this is not a complaining blog. i actually like having a useful skill, and i really like helping people. although it does set a dangerous precedent, i have immediately ingratiated myself with the neighbor; and, by proxy, the whole neighborhood. this is going to be especially important, as it seems our desire to build a privacy fence inadvertently offended our next door neighbor (who is friendly with the needy computer folks across the street).

it won't last, but i am really enjoying "neighborhood politics."

The bathroom cometh

Allison got the bathroom painted, and it looks great! also, it took me a few hours, but i got the new light hanging in the bathroom. it's a bit big for the space, but it was on sale, and matches our dining room light, so we went for it. plus, we hung up the new towel racks and toilet paper holder, plus the switch plate for the light switches. yes, the plates are from Restoration Hardware. what can i say? they have nice stuff! see more pictures here. note to readers: a gift certificate to Restoration Hardware would make a wonderful housewarming present...

speaking of Restoration Hardware, we also bought some new drawer pulls for the kitchen. we only got two, in order to make sure that we liked it before sinking a ton of cash. the result looks awesome! so, yeah, that gift certificate would be perfect :-)

How does your garden grow?

as stated on the outside page of the website, the woman who owned the house before us let the garden get severely overgrown. i wish i had taken more pictures of the mess she left back there. but i am determined to have a successful vegetable garden. so, needless to say, it required quite a bit of cleanup. first, i had to cut down and clear away all of the dead crap. then, i had to deal with the immense amount of weeds that sprouted up. i was going to rent a tiller, but i decided do it with a shovel instead. it was hard, and took forever, but i got it all tilled and ready to plant.

i'm going to buy plants, instead of seeds, to make the garden. there are gads of bunnies in the neighborhood, and i don't think that seedlings would fare very well. maybe next year, after we get the privacy fence put up. please feel free to comment with any suggestions and/or advice. i don't really know what i'm doing.

Toxic

Allison primed the bathroom last night using an oil based primer (as was recommended by our contractor). man, that stuff is TOXIC! with that and the carpet upstairs, i think we could charge teenage huffers admission. good thing we got low VOC paint!

now that the walls have a bright coat of white primer, and our temporary light fixture is beaming out 100 watts, the bathroom is the brightest room in the house. of course, we don't have curtains yet in any of the other rooms, so we are hanging up sheets for privacy. it's pretty classy.

We have walls!

Our bathroom walls are smooth, like butter. We still have to paint them, and put in the new fixtures (light, towel rack, and toilet paper roll), but it is close to done! oh, and we are putting in a new sink and changing the shower. so, i guess we are not even close to done. whatever. we have smooth walls!