Cat-nap

Gerard took some time off from destroying my yarn skeins this morning.

"Seriously, Ma? You take entirely too many pictures of your cat."

February Break

No school this week for Mr. Cressman.  So instead...

1) He replaced the screws that had functioned as door handles for our basement door.

As usual, he went above and beyond, whittling out the area behind the handle to make it that much easier to grab.

A bit classier than its predecessor, the screw!

Note the hinges in the foreground.  They belong to...

2) Our bathroom door!

The door revolutionizes the bathroom experience, let's just leave it at that.  Actually, the first time I was in the bathroom with the door closed, I asked Mick -- in the great room -- a question, and got very concerned when he didn't respond.  Turns out you can't hear as well through a door as you can through empty space, or through a curtain!  Go figure.

And before you leave the bathroom, don't forget to check out...

3) The second set of shelves over the utility sink.

Speaking of shelves, the medicine cabinet now has a back...

...because...

4) Mick has been paneling the kids' room!

I realized today that the kids' room is the last spot in the home in need of walls!

Back to doors (Mick was really on a door kick this week), head to the basement to see...

5) The basement door!

Yes, the light (and cold air) no longer have free access to our basement through the bilco door.  This door proudly (and warmly) bars the way!

I just realized I forgot to take a picture (although it wouldn't have been a particularly pretty one) of...

6) The insulation in the basement!

Mickey has been insulating the inside of the perimeter box.  I think the house feels warmer!  (Of course, I thought the house felt warmer as soon as he brought the insulation into the house.)

Head back upstairs to see...

7) The matching doorknob to our basement door installed on the front door.

It might not look like much (except prettier than the fake brass one), but it is so solid!  I have never seen such a solid doorknob.  It also has this great feature that doesn't allow the door to open from the inside if it is locked -- so no more locking ourselves outside in the mornings when we go out to feed the animals, huzzah!

Immediately to the right of the door, we had discussed a simple box for wallets and flashlights and things.  When I left for work Tuesday morning, Mick said he was "making plans."  I asked him a question about this simple three-sided box that he was designing, and he hushed me up and told me he had everything under control.  Well, I'll say he did!  He again went above and beyond what I was expecting for our...

8) Box Extraordinaire!

Super convenient, looks great, and plenty of room.  (Do you think he'll stop losing his glasses now?)

Not bad for a week off!

Modernization

Not too long ago ago it occurred to me while I was at work that we have been living without running water.  Now it might seem like this should have been rather obvious.  But it had always seemed so dramatic when I read about people who lived without running water for some period of time, usually while in the process of building a home, and I had certainly never experienced such a hardship, I thought as I read these pitiful accounts.  So it was quite an epiphany to realize that we have in fact lived without running water for several months.  Even more dramatic than that: we pumped water by hand into buckets, which we carried into the house.  Phew, such hard work and ruggedness!  Such suffering and deprivation!  But in reality, it's not that big a deal!  It's amazing how quickly and easily we adapted, and I didn't mind one bit.

Well, a couple of days after this grand reality sunk in...

Yup, we've got running water now!  Mick hooked up the DC pump to pressurize our water.  So at least I got to enjoy feeling rugged and deprived for a couple of days before Mick modernized our water system.  I was so excited about my epiphany that I was almost disappointed by the decadent luxury of running water.  Well, if we ever lose power or the pump dies, I just might get to feel rugged again!  I'm certainly not at all concerned about the prospect of not having running water.

We pump water by hand from the well to the basement cistern -- which is now full, thank you very much!  (We were quite proud of that 250-gallon accomplishment.)  The water enters the top of the cistern...

...and comes out the bottom to the pump, which propels it as needed into the pressure tank.  From there, to the taps according to demand.  It's really quite amazing.  Face-washing, teeth-brushing, and especially rinsing dishes and laundry!  Maybe this modernization thing isn't all bad.

Our new luxury is supported by two new solar panels propped against the porch.

The birds are its guardians.

Flushed with electric success, Mick drilled a hole and threaded an extension cord through it for electricity in the great room!  We now have a little electrical corner for the computers, phone, radio/record player/speakers (thanks, Marty and Heidi), and aquarium pump and light.

Pretty decadent! :)

Mid-February Update

In faith of the coming spring, I have started to crochet our spring blanket (in the basket).

Gerard's contribution is the yarn outside the basket. (We woke up to this creation of his one morning.)

Playing with yarn is his new favorite game. It's adorable...but can make knitting challenging!

He's actually become quite affectionate of late (at least for him). He loved his new perch after we rearranged some furniture last weekend, and didn't waste any time claiming it as his own.

 Our crayfish enjoy perching atop the aquarium plants.

That particular elodea plant used to be quite a few inches taller...

When they're not pruning the plants, they're attacking the crayfish on the other side of the glass. They don't seem to suffer from an excess of intelligence.

Meanwhile, the birds are enjoying being outside!  The side of the cabin and under the rabbit hutches are their favorite hangouts.  On days with melting snow, they scrounge for whatever grass they can find. The geese are certainly the most industrious of our birds.

In between thaws, we're still having some winter. We had a very spring-like snow this week -- wet and heavy and falling fast.

You can see the smokehouse-in-progress.

We think spring is coming, but we're still enjoying winter!

What Mickey's Been Up To

When he's not substitute-teaching at Homer Junior High School,

or tutoring at Homer Library,

Mr. Cressman can be found hard at work in his home!

Surprise!  

I (Sarah) came home from work one day to find my makeshift entryway closet replaced by a real one!  This one actually has a closet rod with plenty of room for coats, and even ample room for boots.  It is now easy to find and access said coats and boots (which could not be said of the makeshift closet).  The only credit I can take for this project is that my makeshift closet annoyed Mick so much that he was extra inspired to finish the real closet!

He had also made and installed wooden pegs for hats -- take off, how convenient!

The square-cut nails holding keys, tactical flashlight, and basket for incoming mail...

...Mickey had blackened in the stove.

Using copper tubing as a bellows.

Many sparks!

On another occasion, Mickey and I went to the library together directly after I got out of work.  I asked him what he had done that day.  (Among other things:) "Oh, and I did a little on the medicine cabinet."

That's what he calls "a little on the medicine cabinet"!

We had bought the mirrors, and Mickey framed them, stained them, and hung them.  Oh, and he carved and stained the light-switch cover.   We think it is the most beautiful bathroom we have ever seen! 

Another day, shortly thereafter, I came home from work to:

The interior shelves of the medicine cabinet -- installed.  We don't even know what to do with all the space we have!  

(Yes, eventually the medicine cabinet will have a back.)

(and yes, that's a working light fixture!)

Speaking of shelves and working light fixtures...

The utility sink got some loving too.  I'm looking forward to my next load of laundry!

And speaking of my next load of laundry...

That might not look like much to you, but to us, it means no more bucket under the drain while doing laundry!

Mickey whipped out these last couple of plumbing jobs while I was making lunch -- no leaks, first try.

And with that (the bathroom vanity sink), the plumbing in the home is complete!

When the weather warmed up a little (but not too much), he butchered our largest, fastest-growing (and noisiest) pig.

Thanks to Mickey's Grandpa Wint for the gambrel!

The picnic table was part of the process too (thanks, Dad and Mom Mingle).

This next project Mickey saved for a Sunday, so I could help. 

Our first interior door! (between the hallway and the basement stairs)

The door was not pre-hung, so Mickey started with the frame.

Then the threshold.

Then the door, ta-da!

I "helped" mostly with holding the door while it was being screwed in, and staining.  Oh, and of course, taking pictures!

Then Mickey got the idea to use the back of the door for something -- no reason to let the space go to waste.  One morning during breakfast, we were debating hanging brooms on the back of the door...but decided there wasn't a very good way to do that.  Off I went to work.

Apparently, while I was at work (it was my half-day too), Mickey figured out a good way to do that, and executed it.

I still can't believe he just whipped it out, start to finish, in a couple of hours!

I was most impressed by the wooden bracket to keep the push-broom in place.

He hung the dust pans nearby, just inside the basement door.  

Now I'm inspired to sweep!