The Lost Summer 2011

I left to help my sister a couple of months after my last posting. I helped her make her mobile home into a more livable space. We had building permits and moved waterlines, electrical, gas, structural walls, cabinets and all the fixtures. I've covered this in several other posts and don't want to rehash it here. What I want to say here is that when I left I thought I was going for three weeks and it turned into 20 weeks. It was time I had not planned to use how I did.

In life we can make a lot of plans, but how they turn out can be far different that what we think they'll be. I thought I was helping my sister. (And I was) I didn't think much of it when we didn't finish— in construction things rarely get done on time. So when I had to make various extensions (5 in all) it was done light heartedly. We'd joke about whether or not I'd get home before it snowed.

Down deep in my soul I knew that my sister needed someone as an advocate for her. If she did not have one there would not be rhyme nor reason to how the project was approached. So while we worked on it every day, except three, we had time together to share and to talk. It was the most time we'd spent together since we were children. We see life differently. Even though we were both brought up by the same parents our lives are colored by our experiences and in that our lives differ quite a bit.

I have felt resentful and protective of my younger sister. When we were children I would think that she got all of our father's attention. She was snappy with verbal skills and clever. I felt that she was so "lucky". As we got older her bond with our dad was strong, but with our mother she was always at odds. This put Mom more in my camp. Pam, my sister, would give our mom a run for her money. She'd not call in when late, she'd forget to tell her where she was going, she'd argue about things. I know it was hard for Mom, but you know when you want something you don't have you start to obsess about getting it. Mom was clearly fond of my even temperament and willingness to please; but I craved Dad's admiration and what I usually got was a two hour lecture on being more responsible.

It might help if you knew that our dad was loath to spank (tho he would). He would lecture us. It wasn't over quickly like a spanking. No. We had to listen to him pontificate on topics like being responsible. IF you were not showing enough deference he would start on that topic. How we needed to be more mindful of why he was taking this time to instruct us, and it was our responsibility to listen attentively and reply with the right responses. There were times I'd want to laugh, sometimes I'd feel like crying, but mostly after about 45 minutes I'd be bored out of my skull. It is hard to fein interest when you want to have your dad just leave you alone to brood. There were times that I told him a lickin' would be a lot less bother for both of us. But I think perhaps that's why he did it his way. He knew it hurt more to have to listen.

All my time with my father was not spent listening to lectures about how I should behave. Sometimes he'd tell tall tales. He was a wonderful storyteller. He taught me to use his table saw when I was about 9 or 10. I'd tie flies with him at his bench in the basement. We'd work on his car together. We even went on a back country fishing trip together with a bunch of men. It was so memorable for me. He told me from the time I was old enough to understand that I could do or be anything I wanted. In 6th grade he even went to my teacher and said that he wanted me to have the opportunity to be in the architectural drafting class and not the shorthand class (I had cried that I didn't get drafting). Then he took me to get an engineering scale, made me an aluminum T-Square, and made me my own drafting board. Yes, he was empowering — long before many men were open to the idea. I felt that I could do anything, and do it as well as anyone of either gender. So I've always wondered why Pam didn't feel this same way. Maybe Dad treated us differently. Maybe I got the "tuff love" and she got "laughs". What I used to think of as being on the outs was perhaps for me building my character in being independent. Because I think I am fairly independent. My sister is still funnier than most people I know. She can make me laugh very easily. I don't feel jealous of her any more. I believe our father gave us each what we needed. Pam is thoughtful to a fault, caring, funny and a bit on the quirky side. I am independent, curious, self motived and content in my life and also perhaps a bit quirky.

So when I went to Alaska I went to do work that I knew I could do, for sister I love, with skills acquired from an early age onward, with the support and blessings of my husband. It is so good to feel that he supports me in the things that I do. Even when unplanned. Even when it costs more money. Even when it means more time away.

The summer was lost, in that I wasn't home experiencing it with my husband and daughters and friends, but I found my sister. It was such a blessing.

27 February 2011

Today I worked pushing a heavy ball up hill. The "ball" was cleaning my basement carpet, which got wet when the washtub the washing machine drains into overflowed, flooding the basement carpet. I feel like I spend a lot of my life making up for things that should not have gone wrong, if I'd been paying attention... like the wet carpet. There is a lot to pay attention to in life.

I'm not saying that I'd change my issues for yours, but that they exist is the complaint that I have. Why didn't I notice that the rags from cleaning the duplex had been used to wipe up the plaster spills? The plaster clogged the drain. I had thought the towels had only been used with paint and clean up. My failure to shake them out while putting them in the washer was critical. I doubt the next time, I have cleaning rags from working at a rental, I'll simply put them in the washer.

Now I have a meeting tomorrow for AWE. Handing out the promotional pieces. And then Wednesday I'll be working on an "international costume" for Rotary 8's Auction next weekend. They have chosen an international theme. It is semi formal or wear clothing from another country. My grandmother is from near Sand, in Rogaland, Norway. While the bunad I'm putting together is not authentic, it will do the job of representing my nationalist roots on my mother's side. (My father's side is not so clear and is rumored to even have Nez Perce). Mom's family is very clearly Norge. My sister, Pam, and I visited there in the summer of 2009. It was a wonderful experience to meet our cousins and to see where our grandmother was born, lived and worked. We loved the stories of her and the times she lived in. Very hard life… which is why she immigrated to the USA. She indentured herself to a wealthy family in Minnesota and worked as a housekeeper to pay off the ticket they paid for. Then she married my grandfather, who came from around Oslo. His family name had been Petersen, but he changed it to Strom because he was told there were too many Petersens! For that matter Grandmother changed her name from Aas to Larsen… because she was told Aas was too much like ass, and in America that was not a good thing. Too bad she just didn't change the spelling as her cousins did who went to the east coast. They changed the spelling to Awes. I thought that was very interesting.

February Ends 27 Feb 2011

February started ordinary enough, but now it's been snowing and very cold. The trees were starting to bud and this cold isn't good for them after they start to bud. My trees were not that far along, but for those that were early this could be bad news.

Todd helped me prune the pear, apple and cherry tree and cut back a vine maple that I allow my westeria to use as a living trellis.

I have cleaned up a bit in the garage from working at our rentals. And this weekend and until I feel I'm done I will be steam cleaning the basement rugs. It's only two weeks until my beading weekend with friends, so I need to get the place squared away.

We will set up our temporary studio in the basement. We will be five for sure and perhaps two or three "drop ins". I have 8 foot long tables that we will use. Two to a table with all the beading tools, gear, supplies, lights, books, etc. It can be a bit cool, but with all of us down there it should be pleasant enough. We'll listen to music and do wire working. I made a byzantine bracelet two years ago and last year a jens pend pattern, both in sterling. The price of wire is getting so expensive, so I won't even be able to work in silver.

Winter 2011

The winter has been wet. I've not been working on the deck or my house in general, instead I'm working at our rentals. I spent October, November and December renovating and making ready three places for renters. I had to some extensive work at one... the tenant had four cats and a dog! We had allowed the dog and a cat, but one cat became four... heaven only knows where they came from. So the apartment had been used hard, but more than that it stank! Ever had a bad smell you needed to get rid of? I ripped out all the carpets and padding.I had to use every trick I knew to get the odors out: used vinegar to neutralize the urine. Then later sealed the wood with an oil-based sealant. Together they all worked. It took weeks to get the place cleaned up... but it sure looks nice now and it doesn't smell. (Thank goodness) I also removed some of the old dark paneling and then replastered the walls. Replaced the florescent light in the kitchen with a curving track light with 6 halogen fixtures. It helped update the kitchen. I also had to replace the old appliances, so I got all black ones. That also helped the kitchen look more current. I can't afford stainless steel for my rentals, but the black really looks good. So it's onward...

For the first time in over 7 months all the rentals are filled. I am pleased that they are not just filled, but filled with really great tenants. Now I hope a few months go by without emergencies.

I did have to replace a doorknob at one rental, because someone tried to break in and they trashed the knob set. I like all locks in a residence to have one key, so I had to take the lock in to be keyed. As I had purchased a set of locks from Home Depot and it was one of them, and new, I took it in and they rekeyed it for free. Good thing cuz money is tight with all the expenses of getting three places ready.

No Summer Yet 2010

This summer is not really summer. We have had less than a week of good summer weather. Mostly it rains, and today is typical — rain. So the wood that is clean and ready for me to re-mill can't be done as it is leaning against the garage in the rain. I don't cut wet wood... to heavy and messy. So I'll work a bit more on the "roofs" for over the rails.

I have lost (misplaced? I hope) my camera that I bought last year for my trip to Norway. It's a great camera, a Canon. It is preventing me from taking photos of my work. I've got to tear this house apart and find it! I hate being so rushed that I forget where I put things. I had it the day of the Adobe User Group summer picnic, but when I got home and had to unload everything it got lost in the confusion of unloading. Darn!

Chain of Events

In 2000 I looked out the window of the kitchen and thought, our deck is looking "worn out". We should replace the decking. Then there were a few small leaks in the structure under the decking that is the actual roof to our garage. So I decided I needed to replace that before I could rebuild the deck. So if you haven't guessed already the deck is over the garage with a galvanized metal roof under it to protect the garage contents... so I asked a contractor for a bid to replace the decking with a waterproof decking. It was about $8000, so thinking I could take the boards up and repair the metal for less I dismissed that bid. (would have been done years ago had I gone with that bid!) I called several sheet metal shops and found the price of sheet metal had soared since I put in my system. So I spent a few weeks checking out other sealants and found one for mobil home roofs that was just right. It sealed holes and added a layer of roofing tar with aluminum on top of that. So I ordered it and began the restoration of the existing roof. I hired a nice young man to help me. He was a good worker and it took us about two weeks to get the roof resealed and as good as new. No leaks. Good drainage.

Now it was time to replace the decking. As the joists were 24" o/c I could not use thin 1" boards to span that distance. I was locked into 2" thick wood. So I opted in for cedar again, but bought 6" instead of 4" this time. I liked the look of hidden fasteners and so opted for them on this rendition of our deck. (Besides it was a great opportunity to purchase a biscuit joiner.) So my helper and I used Penofin to treat the wood before installing it. All wood. All sides. After cuts too. We were careful and got 98% of the decking done. I needed to get the edges with the flashing done when summer was over.

2001 summer begins and I do a little work on the flashing and edges, but think that I need to repair the lower deck (off the kitchen door) and the stairs need to be rebuilt connecting the upper deck over the garage to the lower deck off the house. I need to do that before I can flash that area. So begins another demolition... removing an old structure and repairing older rotten wood. Under this deck is a structure of our previously installed but now removed hot tub. So removing this involves "sistering" some 2 x 8 joists and taking out two huge beams that supported the weight of the hot tub. (thank goodness for boyfriends of our daughters...) I got it done with the eager help of Chris. Replaced some deck boards and was good after staining both decks for another summer.

2002 summer arrives and the stairs that lead from the garage to the lower deck are dire need of repair. The stair boards are weakened after 20+ years and needed a rehaul. So I set about replacing the stair supports and treads. This job was difficult. Cutting the 12" wide wood with notches that were square and cut straight was a chore. I had much more respect for the original carpenters. But after two weeks of laying out, cutting... buying a new piece of wood and doing it again. I finally screwed the last tread down and was pleased with the sturdiness of the whole thing. But the posts were looking very poorly. The 6 x 6 solid cedar posts that had been installed in 1979 were cracking, checking, rotting, and needed to be replaced. So while I was rebuilding the stairs I went out to replace the posts... $10/foot for 6 x 6 posts!!! No can do. 32 posts each 4' long. So I opted to wrap 4 x 4's with 1 x 6 cedar for the substantial look of a 6 x 6 post. Our home was built in 1903 and has large posts where they put posts (10" x 8") so 4 x 4's would look out of place with the substantial look of our home. Each post is now costing $4 for treated 4 x 4 center and $6 for the 6' x 6" x 6" wrap. I decide I can cut down some of the old posts that aren't in bad shape and use them for the centers of some of the posts and do that. So as summer draws to an end I have the upper deck without railings now and the posts being built by me.

I haven't mentioned that we own rentals and now it is time for them to interfere with my work around our home... when a tenant moves out and faced with recarpeting I decide to refinish the floors instead of carpeting. We tear out the carpet and find linoleum over the old fir floors. It has ruined the fir flooring so I decide that oak flooring is about the same as having carpet pads, and carpet laid and then having to clean it and replace it in 3-6 years depending upon the tenant. So I order the wood and begin to lay new oak floors in our rental. I buy the unfinished wood, because I don't want the edging that is in the finished floors... it is a small "vee" between each board, a place for grit to get into the wood. I opt to install the flush faced wood and finish it myself. I hire a fellow that owes me money (rent) and he lasts about three days! What a wimp. It is like he has to macho out on everything. I show him how to hit the nailer with the mallet, and he hauls off and smashes the "%&#$" out of the nailer... jamming it. That takes me awhile to fix. He lifts wood with his back not his legs, he carries as much as he can, not a sensible load... I tell him to work smarter. It's about finishing not showing me what he's got. Like I said three days and he's burned out, used up and flat on his back complaining to me that I caused his problems.

Aside: Do you ever wonder about the people that always seem to have bad luck? I used to. I know several. One is this tenant and after three days working together I know why he has bad luck. He doesn't listen to anyone else. He knows best, until he doesn't like the results then he looks around for someone to blame. I have come to the conclusion that these types of people will always get these results until they "man up" and take responsibility for their own actions. Okay, woman up too. I'm not much for the gender specific terms... I use man to mean "human kind". I'm three times his age and I'm making it day in day out. I don't over do like him; I take it easier and I work with my mind and my body. It's just that the old body is wearing down. So I can't rise up when down with the ease I once did. Thus the need of helpers who can grab things, get up and get things, etc. The best helpers come with the attitude that they can learn something... whether they are 17 or 47. I know that I too enter work with that attitude. I can learn how to do something, or leave knowing what I already knew. Life is short...learn all you can when you can. So when it comes to helpers, avoid the braggers. The ones that ask questions and listen to answers are great picks.

2004 summer comes quickly on the heals of 2003 after working on the floors on one side of the duplex, it is decided to refinish the floors on the other side. Our daughter lives there and is in a hurry to get her side looking good and begins the process of removing the carpet, and quarter round molding... but while the floors on her side are not covered with linoleum they are missing wood in areas where huge floor heaters once hung down into the basement. The fir in the floors is old growth fir. Straight grained. So I can't find any here and trek off to Portland to a man who re-mills old wood and buy $300 worth of fir... about 8 sticks... expensive. Get it back here after discussing the face size and the thickness of the wood, find they don't match!!! I should have put my tape on it, but was assured it met my specifications. So I had to re-mill it with my table saw... cutting a 1/16 of an inch off the tongue and recutting the groove for it. Well, it fit then. So I took up about three rows of flooring and wove the new wood in, using a mallet to drive the new wood 8-10' and then letting it all bow until the last piece was in and then pressing down until it eased into place. I am very pleased with how nicely the whole floor looked when done. Thanks to Elizabeth's help on the floor it looks great.

In 2005 with the floors behind me, the deck still in limbo another rental opened up with lots of damage. I was so disheartened... but had an idea to make the unit better than before. I'd take a small room off the master bedroom that had a sink and nothing else and make it a bathroom for the master bedroom. I'd also redesign the kitchen... taking out the 6' sliding door and putting in a 5' French door. That would give me an extra foot for kitchen cabinets. And that is where this blog began originally... I was finishing a years worth of work. I had closed off a doorway in the old bathroom, built out a wall in the master bedroom and then build the new bathroom. I had ripped out the old cabinets in the kitchen and ordered new ones custom built to the space. It came together very nicely too. While it did take a year, it was in part because I do most of the work myself and there are still other obligations that I need to keep. I do hire helpers and with this project I had three. Two hs friends helped demo the bathrooms; and another helper helped paint the entire place. I had the plumbing, wiring, sheetrock, painting and flooring to put into three spaces... so it took time.

Meanwhile back at our deck I'm thinking I want to get into warm glass, that involves a kiln. And that needs a "home". So I think that if I redo our lower deck I can put in a gutter system like over the garage to keep underneath dry and put my kiln under that deck... thus finding a "studio space" in otherwise lost space.

Now you see how my mind works. Slowly turning over things. Not finishing things because the plan is ever evolving and not quite done... so now I am to the point of enclosing under the lower deck for the kiln... the year is 2006 and I am off for the summer to San Diego to attend UCSD for the summer and spend some time thinking about what I want to do with my life and efforts. I want to make my life stand for something. Not just be here.

by 2006 my mother decides that she needs full time help and hires my sister, Pam, an Alaskan caregiver, to come be her caregiver. This affords me the opportunity to see my sister often and to enjoy time with her. I leave the end of June and return in late August. No time for the deck. I return committed to work on building myself a space and getting on with this direction in my work from sandblasting to warm glass fusing and slumping. I apply in late winter to the Pillchuck Glass School and am accepted on a scholarship for the July session. So summer of 2007 I'm off to Pilchuck.

As the summer of 2007 unfolds I am caught working on the lower deck... the deck boards are off and I have jury-rigged a walkway of boards. One must be like a high-wire walker to navigate the entire place. In April I fly to Dayton Beach to adopt a dog, we name him Rusty. He is a pure bred Tibetan Terrier, also known as Dhoki Apso... they are the larger breed that Lhasa Apsos were derived from. I prefer the Tibetan name, so I always refer to him as a Dhoki Apso. He is so forlorn. He's not be socialized and left in his kennel for long periods of time. It takes about three months, but as summer arrives he is coming into his own. His coat is filling out and his personality is showing through. Best of all, he loves Jim, my husband. They go on long walks and Rusty loves to ride in his car with him. While I'm at Pilchuck Jim will care for Rusty alone. He'll do the brushing of his long double coat; feeding; walking; everything. Rusty is a quick study and did well in Doggie School, earning accolades for obedience and learning. He's on his way to being a "wonder dog". But there are times when he seems lonesome. Oh, well. Summer brings my family to Pilchuck for the only open house of the year. It coincided with when I was there. That was nice. So Mom came up and sat and watched lots of activity. She saw glass poured into sand molds; glass being blown; and all manner of finished glass work. She walked with the aid of her four wheeled walker and was wonderful. This was in July of 2007. We didn't know then that in a month she'd die. She was frail, but game for the adventure. When I got home I began staying with Pam and Mom at Mom's house. So needless to say the deck is getting no where fast. At 2:15 AM on August 15, 2007 Mom passes away in her sleep. It is sad, but the outcome was known for months. Now for the next three months Pam and I work on clearing out the house and getting it ready to sell. As fate would have it, it is also the popping of the real estate bubble in the NW real estate market. So we lose several thousand dollars by the timing of putting it on the market. We try to sell it ourselves to save the 10% that we'd lose listing it, but in the end decide that the commission is okay and sell it in two weeks. At a time when nothing is selling. That speaks to the good condition of her place and our good pricing. I decide that I've got to get the deck done in the summer of 2008 as I need a place to put my kiln. And under the deck is where I've decided to put it. So I begin again to research materials for the roofing under the deck.

Summer of 2008 comes with a wonderful surprise. Our good friends Jeff and Susan give us the mahogany that was their deck, as they are replacing their deck. I grab it up to use on our lower deck. They had used hidden fasteners and I plan to do the same. I just need to figure out how to make under it water tight without spending a lot of cash. I decided that a good awning fabric at was weather tight would be a good material. I measure and order what I think I need. It weighs 300 pounds! That's a lot of fabric and more than I needed, but using fabric instead of sheet metal is much less expensive and it is so workable. I begin cutting the fabric and laying it between the joists. I then cover the top of the joists with another layer of fabric that lays inside of the first. This will allow water to run off the deck boards and down the fabric into the trough I create from the fabric between the joists. (I feel that I am on my way to getting a space carved out of unused space.

I mention to my hairdresser that I want help and she offers up her son, Scott. Scott is a great kid. He listens, offers well thought out ideas and is prompt. He is the ideal worker and I'd write him a glowing recommendation any day. He comes to help me work on this deck. We are walking on joist edges, and he is kneeling on them as we attach the fabric and lay the top layer over the joists. Then the salvaged mahogany is routed for use with the hidden deck clips and we are on our way to getting the deck up. Meantime, I have another deck down the whole west side of our home. This deck needs to be demolished to rebuild too. I had purchased Ipe wood in 2006, that I had stored on the upper deck for two years while I waited to begin the deck. I was originally going to use it for the lower deck, but the mahogany helps me out and I have enough Ipe to replace the front porch plywood with Ipe. So I work on the lower deck in 2008 and get ready to rebuild the side deck the next summer.

But before I can rebuild the side deck I want to change from concrete post supports to a foundation. My reasoning is that I can pour a legal foundation and use it for any remodeling we might do in the future. That way I only have to do it once. Have you ever looked for a good concrete worker? They are hard to find, and I didn't find one either. I broke my own rules by paying him before the job site was clean. He left me two days of work... breaking up dumped concrete piles, forms, rebar, I had Scott working cleaning and hired one other person too. The guy was a flake and I'd never recommend him. He talked out of both sides of his mouth. So in the end while I could afford him, he gave me the job I paid for... half assed.

But once the wall was in I rented a concrete drill and placed the 4 x 6 post supports down the newly poured foundation wall. It's a nice clean look. I'm pleased we did it. I get the 4 x 8 beam up and soon the 2 x 8 joists are attached to the ledger and resting on the beam. Now it's time to lay the Ipe. Instead of using the biscuit joiner method, I use a different type of clip and need to pre-drill each piece before nailing to it.

Now the chain of events is set. You have seen that the job of rebuilding our three deck areas took a lot of planning and several years. Now I am embarking upon the final stage. I am working this summer to get the railings done. Yep, it's a long time in coming, but I'm to the finishing stage. I have re-milled the 2 x 4 cedar into balusters for the railings. I have cut down the 2 x 6's for the cross supports for the balusters and am gluing up cedar boards for the roof.

Well, I generally try to think about my work before I do it. I decided to glue two full sized board together, then when dry I'd rip off half of one of them, to get the right dimension. Well, this idea was half baked. I did one set (each pitch of the roof). But when thinking how I'd cut off the part that was too long I decided that it would not work well. So I set up my saw to rip the 1 x 6 roofing cedar in half length-wise and was pleased with the results. I cut a 45° angle down the middle of the bisected wood; and put a bevel on the outside edge of the full size 1 x 6 that way the rough edge of the wood was left as the edge of my roof. (The beveled edges gives more surface for gluing and helps the seam be more likely to not warp, as there is overlap.)

So you're caught up with my chain of events leading to where I am now. I am working to finish railings with an Asian feel by August 7, when we host a large deck party.

Time...

tic, tock, tick, tock, tic...

the clock never stops moving. Seconds pass, then minutes, days, weeks, months, years... fleeting. I began this blog in the summer of '06 it is now '10. Where did the time go? It doesn't feel like like I've been absent from this post for four years! Yet, I have. I have projects that are still not completed, and new ones that are begun. I think I'll change the title of this blog and take up where I left off... as what I said in '06 is as valid as if I wrote it today. I still feel the same way about things... so I'll see how this goes. Are you ready? I am.