With the gross comes the good
Before
Before
After
After
I cannot emphasize how completely and utterly GROSS this space was. I'm pretty sure there was a rodent corpse in there somewhere...I let the shop-vac suck that up. I put on my gloves, wrapped them in paper towels, and kind of closed my eyes. Then there was the bleach phase, then the Comet scrub phase...but before all that Bill and I had to pull out the refrigerator - which was FULL! I knew there there things in it...but when we started moving it, it was clear that it was full of stuff! We could hear containers of all sorts jostling around in there...and the smells that leaked out when the door popped open just a bit were literally BLINDING. As in the smell was so bad it could make you go actually blind. Black mold spores poofed out. I'm sure one of us will have a disease just from moving the innocuous looking fridge below. We've both had good lives...sigh...
I cannot emphasize how completely and utterly GROSS this space was. I'm pretty sure there was a rodent corpse in there somewhere...I let the shop-vac suck that up. I put on my gloves, wrapped them in paper towels, and kind of closed my eyes. Then there was the bleach phase, then the Comet scrub phase...but before all that Bill and I had to pull out the refrigerator - which was FULL! I knew there there things in it...but when we started moving it, it was clear that it was full of stuff! We could hear containers of all sorts jostling around in there...and the smells that leaked out when the door popped open just a bit were literally BLINDING. As in the smell was so bad it could make you go actually blind. Black mold spores poofed out. I'm sure one of us will have a disease just from moving the innocuous looking fridge below. We've both had good lives...sigh...
I found this in the 'stuff' under/behind the refrigerator. It's a walnut with a very perfect hole. Who do you think made that hole? Do mice chew large holes like that? Possibly, I never thought about it until today...there was definitely evidence of mouse activity back there. I did not keep the walnut. First, we have a nut allergy in the house. But maybe FIRST first - did I mention HOW GROSS it was back there???? Ew. As aesthetically cool that nut looked, I could never keep it...well, I suppose if it had sat in a bucket of bleach, but too late. It is now just to be a memory of odd things found.
I found this in the 'stuff' under/behind the refrigerator. It's a walnut with a very perfect hole. Who do you think made that hole? Do mice chew large holes like that? Possibly, I never thought about it until today...there was definitely evidence of mouse activity back there. I did not keep the walnut. First, we have a nut allergy in the house. But maybe FIRST first - did I mention HOW GROSS it was back there???? Ew. As aesthetically cool that nut looked, I could never keep it...well, I suppose if it had sat in a bucket of bleach, but too late. It is now just to be a memory of odd things found.
When your day is filled with one gross task after the next, you have to find good in the moments in between. So below are some random moments throughout the day that carried me. Oh! And at the end of the day the stump guy showed up and boy was that a show!
When your day is filled with one gross task after the next, you have to find good in the moments in between. So below are some random moments throughout the day that carried me. Oh! And at the end of the day the stump guy showed up and boy was that a show!
Finn wanted to try something called "Magnet Fishing." Bill ordered him a SUPER powerful set of magnets and we let him at it. So far he has collected rogue nails.
Finn wanted to try something called "Magnet Fishing." Bill ordered him a SUPER powerful set of magnets and we let him at it. So far he has collected rogue nails.
Check out this interesting discovery. Earlier in the day I sent Liam out in the pond with a brick and a rope to measure the depth of the water. While I was on shore recording the numbers, Austin was digging like a crazy animal - which at the time I ignored because...well...he is your typical crazy animal.
Check out this interesting discovery. Earlier in the day I sent Liam out in the pond with a brick and a rope to measure the depth of the water. While I was on shore recording the numbers, Austin was digging like a crazy animal - which at the time I ignored because...well...he is your typical crazy animal.
Later, when we went back down with Finn and the mud had settled, we could see what looks like white stone STEPS!!! Only Finn had boots on at the time and he said it was wobbly. It was too late in the day for me to adventure in, but I am excited about this. There are at least three long rectangular stones...cool, right?
Later, when we went back down with Finn and the mud had settled, we could see what looks like white stone STEPS!!! Only Finn had boots on at the time and he said it was wobbly. It was too late in the day for me to adventure in, but I am excited about this. There are at least three long rectangular stones...cool, right?
Liam just being all around helpful...and feeling very cool because we deemed him responsible enough to use the sawzall.
Liam just being all around helpful...and feeling very cool because we deemed him responsible enough to use the sawzall.
Our first mail received at the new house. Is it any surprise that both were from Amazon? Magnets and a book. Shocking.
Our first mail received at the new house. Is it any surprise that both were from Amazon? Magnets and a book. Shocking.
Now you see the stump....
Now you see the stump....
Now you don't!
Now you don't!
So, the stump removal business must be good. This guy rocks up in a $60K new truck, then unloads his cool stump buster machine that works by REMOTE CONTROL!!! I asked - the machine is $80K and the remote cost an extra $8K more. Whoo-wee mama! But, he charges around $200 a stump, less for some of the smaller ones. He worked for about 2.5 hours and made a cool $1400 bucks. You don't need to be a genius to see what he's making an hour...but, he's got some machines to pay off. He was super professional and efficient. I highly recommend Mike Bruno, Stump Buster.
So, the stump removal business must be good. This guy rocks up in a $60K new truck, then unloads his cool stump buster machine that works by REMOTE CONTROL!!! I asked - the machine is $80K and the remote cost an extra $8K more. Whoo-wee mama! But, he charges around $200 a stump, less for some of the smaller ones. He worked for about 2.5 hours and made a cool $1400 bucks. You don't need to be a genius to see what he's making an hour...but, he's got some machines to pay off. He was super professional and efficient. I highly recommend Mike Bruno, Stump Buster.
These sweet cats, Sherman (in the foreground) and Cookie bringing up the rear. For a short time, right after we sold our house, I thought we might have lost these two. They are 100% outdoor cats and we took their home away - the garage they made into their safe place. They do follow me like the dog, so I did my best to train them to start taking their meals at the new place before we even owned it, but it was a bit sketchy at first. It seemed like days would go by without seeing them. Now, though, since we are at the house every day, so are they. And they follow us everywhere.
These sweet cats, Sherman (in the foreground) and Cookie bringing up the rear. For a short time, right after we sold our house, I thought we might have lost these two. They are 100% outdoor cats and we took their home away - the garage they made into their safe place. They do follow me like the dog, so I did my best to train them to start taking their meals at the new place before we even owned it, but it was a bit sketchy at first. It seemed like days would go by without seeing them. Now, though, since we are at the house every day, so are they. And they follow us everywhere.
This was supposed to be a trail of mulch from the trees we had cut down...well...they dumped ALL the mulch here from every. darn. tree. It's a friggin road. At least 8 feet wide, 2 feet deep and over 100 feet long. So...know anyone who needs some pine mulch? We will be spreading it ALL over the grounds...but not near the house as I hear it will attract carpenter ants.
This was supposed to be a trail of mulch from the trees we had cut down...well...they dumped ALL the mulch here from every. darn. tree. It's a friggin road. At least 8 feet wide, 2 feet deep and over 100 feet long. So...know anyone who needs some pine mulch? We will be spreading it ALL over the grounds...but not near the house as I hear it will attract carpenter ants.
So, that is where I leave you tonight. Tomorrow I tackle the kitchen shelves...or the kid's rooms...Finn says I should change "tackle" to "conquer" - I love his thinking - I will use it tomorrow.
So, that is where I leave you tonight. Tomorrow I tackle the kitchen shelves...or the kid's rooms...Finn says I should change "tackle" to "conquer" - I love his thinking - I will use it tomorrow.