I set the new porch lights to flashing for New Year’s.
Screen Shot
This is what happens when you put a dramatic silk flower arrangement on a high spot, leave the iPad on the counter, and mix in an unknowable combination of a curious cat and air currents.
The first thing we did was to make sure that duct tape was not a feasible solution.
The Apple Store wants a whole lot of money for a new screen, the local repair shop wants less but still hundreds. We can buy a replacement kit for under $30, so we’ll try that first.
Humidity, I am your father
(thanks Kevin for the caption)
After
I never posted final pics of our new living room, so here they are, now that we’re all moved in and dressed up for Christmas. So far, we love how it looks and feels. The windows and insulation are keeping us nice and comfy. 
High tech deco
Somehow my heart hasn’t been in the activities of Christmas decorating the past few years. I still love the ornaments and the swagged garland and the balsam candle and all of it. But the actual weekend of unpacking and installing makes me suddenly too tired to get off the couch. I’m glad that Lee had the energy and motivation to do all the work!
My new programmable LEDs allowed me to make a big impact with little work… yay! And I get to change them for every holiday!
Mr. Jenks, Tear Down That Wall
Over the past month, progress on the living room ground to a near-standstill. The final subcontractor, doing the picky finish work on the glass blocks, just wouldn’t show up reliably. So, in a moment of frustration we told them to just get as far as they could get last Friday and then pack up and get out.
Now, we have some painting and patching to do ourselves, and some edges won’t be quite as smooth as they could be. But, we have our house back.
This makes 2 out of 2 contractors on this project who suffered from 95% disease… sheesh! You like them, you like their work, but they just can’t quite bring themselves to get ‘er done!
More progress
The drywall is in and primed. Window trim all done.
After a couple rounds of design back and forth, the new knee walls are framed up, ready for glass blocks.
Next week, floor refinishing.
Progress
Week 1 was mostly demo
Week 2 was dedicated to reinforcing the roof structure, most of the wiring.
Week 3 we finished the wiring and prepped the ceiling for drywall. Then things stalled a bit because the insulation guy had an equipment problem.
Now, week 4, we got the insulation done on Monday, and drywall is under way. The new front door arrived, and the light fixtures are all picked out. It’s definitely moving along.
Q: why do you wash and iron the curtains?
A: to get the cat hair off.
<sigh>
Brattleboro Adventure – the Auckland Edition 