As we close the lid on this dumpster fire, what's one project (planned either pre- or post-pandemic) that you were able to accomplish this year? We made some modest but appreciated home improvements, but I'm especially glad a sturdy garden spouted up in the backyard this year. Looking forward to a variety of herbs and veggies again next year. And don't get Jane started on talking about composting...
oh hey, let me just get rid of today's C'oC post that I created yesterday...
Heh.
i normally don't do sweeps for stray CoCs. just give a heads up next time.
Well, I took an initiative after yesterday's mid-morning post
- New Energy Star refrigerator. This only took 12 years to do.
- New back entry door by South End woodworking (after much putty, angle brackets, shimming, etc. on the old door, most of which is going out with the trash today).
- I made a backyard compost bin in Jan and starting composting - everything biomass. Even mussels and clam shells (to prep, put in a grocery bag and drive the car over them to crush them).
- Bought a Hav-a-hart trap and transported several dozen squirrels to outlying parks. Gave up on this as they got wise to it.
- Huge haul of paint/chemicals to MDC Hazmat site here and Washington County in Scandia. A bunch of old electronics to Green Monster.
okay, I'll play along.
Completed the patio (thanks to not spending our vacation money)
Got a backyard play system (because couldn't go to regular parks)
Built a fence (mother-in-law paid for that)
Left Wells Fargo. Only took 20 years to do.
My mother-in-law is cancer free two years.
Does anyone really leave Wells Fargo? They probably opened three new accounts in your name as you walked out the door.
imagine jpeg of +1 WGOM buck.
Yeah, we tossed up a playground in the backyard also. Well, paid someone else to at least. We had brief illusions of being able to do it ourselves but I'm glad we quickly backtracked on that after seeing what goes into building one of those things.
Managed to bring The Second Child safely into the world (admittedly not nearly as much my accomplishment as my wife's)
Got our front porch rebuilt (again, not my accomplishment as much as our contractor's)
Got most of the light fixtures replaced throughout the house (now this one was all me)
Technically it won't be done this year, but I'll be finishing the laminate flooring this weekend.
In a similar vein, technically it won't be done because the freezing is taking forever, but I built a backyard ice rink.
I got my house ready to sell and then sold it!
Last January I was feeling kinda down about a relationship that ended (my fault) so I decided to basically socially distance before it was cool. Every weekend from Jan 10 to Feb 2, Friday after work until Sunday evening I locked myself in my house and painted the interior. Didn't go out didn't do anything. That then propelled me to do a bunch of other stuff on the house and was able to sell it in August. If you would have asked me on January 1, how I was going to do all that, I would have had no idea. Having a quarantine and no concerts helped a ton. And for the most part I did it all my self. So that was cool.
- I spilled a lot of ink re: politics this year. I'm torn about whether I should just stop or whether more than ever - and away from an election - continuing to work on this stuff is important. I did get much positive feedback from this endeavor.
- I finally got some stuff hung on our walls and a few new pieces of furniture brought in.
- Our yard looks nicer, an old laundry line pole in a horrible spot is gone, and a good number bird feeders are up.
R. I. P. George Vass, at age ninety-three. If you ever used to get "Baseball Digest", you may remember the name.
Thanks for the hint -- that's where I remember him from.
I converted two closets in my laundry room into a pantry. The closets had three shelves each, spaced 20" apart. The shelves were bowed because they were supported by a single screw on three sides (into furring strips). Tore them out, painted the closets, build frames to support the twelve shelves that are now in place. Massive upgrade in that space utilization. I was going to frame up my basement into three rooms and build shelves in a storage area. That did not happen, though, in part because I wanted to incorporate my lumber order with that of the order I was going to place to have my deck redone and enlarged. However, the guy that we hired to do this ghosted us, so I'm thinking that we probably dodged a bullet. I'm just now planning the space and will hopefully get my wood ordered soon so that I can get it delivered and I can start the project soon. (Note: I was going to do the deck project myself, but my wife wanted me to hire it done. So, I did that -- she got the recommendation to hire this guy -- and here we sit without the deck project done.)
That reminds me, we also replaced the storage in the laundry room and hung a folding shelf for folding clothes, of course.
Plus I no longer am wasting time and $$ getting haircuts 😉
Covid hair says, "Bite me."
Family room remodel. Tore out a closet, replaced some damaged Sheetrock, painted, replaced carpet, new 3-panel doors that I stained and finished, all new trim, and I built a doghouse into the space below the stairs. Mrs. Twayn is decorating the room in MCM, so for Christmas we got a small bar cabinet, a swag lamp, and some things to hang on the walls. I also saved my daughter $2500 in labor by replacing her head gaskets myself.
Solar panels on the roof means we haven't paid an electrical bill since April.
I also logged 919.28 miles on the bike this year. (Not counting the miles I rode on the trainer inside.)
I tried to walk this year for exercise. I broke the same toe twice and suffered tendinitis in my other foot for about 6 weeks. Now battling the worst upper back pain of my life. So, yeah, and I come to find out the warranty on my body is expired.
Health and fitness are top of mind for me right now. My mother gave me a treadmill she's no longer using so I picked that up about 3 weeks ago. It sat in the garage for a week before I got some help moving it into the house. But since I got it set up I'm walking almost every day. Yesterday I did a 5 minute warmup to get to 3 mph and a 1.5% incline, kept that pace for 30 minutes, then did a 5 minute cool-down. As I get into better shape I'll up the incline and/or speed a bit. My goal is to hit 3.5 mph at a 3% grade and sustain it for 40 minutes or more. I figure I can get there in a few weeks. I've lost 10 pounds since Thanksgiving but I've got another 20 to go to get to my target. I had a cardiology checkup a few days before Christmas and everything is A-OK. I've got my annual physical on Jan. 5th and I'm hoping to get both the pneumonia and the shingles vaccines. I'll get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they call my name.
Working from home this summer was great for allowing me to get back into cycling. I would have added "refurbished my bike" to my list, but I messed up the paint job and have to wait until spring to try again.
R.I.P. Dawn Wells
I just got some good news to end the year here. I can finally get Fernet Branca locally instead of having to drive all the way to Madison for it!
One of my favorite bars has a special that includes Fernet—> 6 pony bottles of highlife and a pint of Fernet for 26.99.
Nice. Add a pitcher of Coke and you've got a night.
That's a lot of blow.
I'm sure if I think long enough on this, I will be able to come up with some accomplishments for the year. But COVID.