counters

morning moon and evening sun

Just a couple of pics taken right outside my door. All for now.

lighting

inching, inching, inching . . . the pendant and the oven fan are operational but of course there's a problem with the dimmer on the toggle switch. I need to decide how serious the problem is. Sigh. Also, of course, the canopy for the sunroom light is too small, so I have to buy another one. Also, of course, there's still a toilet in my bedroom, and the dishwasher is still in my living room. And the refrigerator is in my front bedroom.

The countertops will be installed on Friday, as will the faucet and the drain and the garbage disposal. The backsplash will be installed the following week. Inching. Inching. Inching.

stove

I came home a little early and Ariel was here. We talked about switchplates and switches and other details while he obsessively wiped down various surfaces. I joked that maybe I should have him come over every week or so to clean except that his rate would probably be too high. After he left I cooked on my new stove -- which, of course, has way more BTUs than I will ever need. I had to soak the blackened tomato and egg residue off the edges of the pan. But that had no bearing on the meal itself, which was fine in a basic sort of way.

the end is near?

Oh, countertops, where are you? So close and yet so far away. The floor refinishing felt like a huge step back into chaos, because it was. but I'm recovering, slowly. I wiped off the film of dust in the living room and laid down the newly cleaned rug. Ariel helped me reassemble the coffee table. I wiped off the bookcase in the front bedroom and shelved most of my books. Have not tackled the bedroom floors -- why bother until I can put things back where they belong?

Giants managed to win last night in 13 innings. I stayed up too late listening/watching. Tonight I'm meeting June and Dan for a drink but I should be able to see part of the game. Priorities, priorities.

home again

Joshua Tree and Berkeley were great -- N and I had a good time together, and when we got to Valley St last night we saw some smoked pulled pork on the counter. T got home a few minutes later and opened a nice bottle of rose. I stayed in the cabin/studio and was treated to coffee, waffle, and fruit this morning.

But, of course, I'm glad to be home. Even though my home is still disassembled. The painters are finishing up for the day and I'm on the couch. I took photos of the desert but haven't sorted through them yet. So here are two random photos -- the first taken from the car just after we turned onto Hwy 66 in Barstow, and the second taken this afternoon on my walk in the Berkeley hills. It's not much, but it's all I can manage for now.

I am not sure I like the color I chose for the bathroom but I'm going to give it some time to grow on me, or not. I made the decision in a hurry, and I thought the color would be much lighter than it is.

I stopped by mag's this morning and chatted with her and her mom for a good while. They just found out that Nancy snagged a studio in a senior apartment complex on Shattuck and Delaware -- she'll be moving in at the end of the month. Quite an amazing bit of news.

I think I'm going to drive over to watch the wildcard game in a little while, leaving all my household goods in piles and clumps. I don't feel like dealing with it, partly because I can't really put everything back where it belongs.

Scott will probably come tomorrow morning to install the second iteration of the pantry door. I think I can pay him from my checking account. I was relieved to find the check from the trucking company's insurance carrier for the electrical repair was in my mail pile.