Post date: Nov 5, 2015 6:30:15 AM
No, this entry is not about robots, but about telephone conversations concerning the house construction while I’m away. It is not entirely unique, as I have had phone calls while taking siesta in Taos, but this week the calls have seemed more frequent. Maybe that is because I really am not in communication by the usual (face-to-each) method.
I got two calls while driving to the airport. Since I don’t talk while driving this meant pulling off the highway to take the calls. I can’t even remember what the calls were about. Oh, yes, one was from the house cleaner, apologizing for not making it to the house the day before — which was fine with me because I was not there, so they could come any time they wanted.
Then last Friday I got a call from the cabinet maker. Can’t remember the details, so it doesn’t matter now. On Monday the contractor called and turned the phone over to Gus, the electrician. He said he had installed the lights in the bathroom. I explained that I could install the replacement ceiling fixture that was on its way. He said he would ask for the final electrical inspection. Yea!
At noon today I got a call from my contractor. Eli just read the package of cork flooring which said the packages had to be opened and acclimated to the house for three days. Considering that the flooring had been stored in the garage (at the same temperature and humidity as the house) for over a week, and considering that each room — indeed the whole house — is small so expansion due to moisture changes won’t be significant.
Of course what really concerns me is the furnace, and I have no word about it or the gas inspection. Without the gas inspection we cannot get the gas meter installed, meaning we cannot use the water heaters or (if it ever gets installed) the furnace. And no word about the furnace.
I have decided to go with the rental agency after calling their references. I figure I can pay them to deal with the roofer and the new water heater. I spoke with my immediate Seattle neighbor (just across the driveway) and gave her my contact information, telling her to call or Email me if anything about the house or tenants bothered them.
Spent the morning filling Dex's (nephew) pickup with stuff for his kids: table saw, oak dining set, river rafting gear, some hand tools, picnic basket, a large potted rosemary. We also had a good chat over gyros at Mr. Gyros that just moved into my neighborhood. We also cleaned out leaves from the pond, repaired the electric fence around the pond, and filled the yard waste container to the brim, even after tamping it down.
This evening I had a mini-reunion with a deacon from the Japanese parish that we had attended for a couple of years and another with a few friends from our Pike Market Ministry congregation. All in all, a good day.