Well. Here it is. This year my wife and I made a list of tasks we were going to do. One of them was to clean out a spare bedroom we refer to as the dump/storage room. I decided if something is in their that has not been used within the last 4-8 years, it is going into a dumpster or to Goodwill. With school, work, other home repairs, trying to stay healthy by working out, union work, etc., the thought of tackling this room just does not sound appealing to me. I will have to rent a dumpster and dig through a lot of stuff we have thrown in their. When I stop to think of all that is involved, I think "Screw that noise!". Ay dios mio. I know I am not the only one. I just thought I would throw this out there. What project makes you cringe at the mere thought of it? Have a good weekend! Abner
For me it is the basement. My farmhouse is just about 200 years old. There's stuff in the basement that was there when I bought it. Plus, with all the other projects I've done, I've added a lot of junk. My plan is this: I'll spend at least one hour per weekend cleaning it up. Maybe by the end of the winter I'll be close to finished.
This weekend, as part of my vacation plans, I finally cleaned up my home office/study room. Yeah, exciting start to a vacation, but it will get better I hope. I am usually very organized but it seems that between course materials, magazines and journals, reference books, and assorted computer/digital devices the space slowly began to consume me. Two dogs and five cats only add to the mayhem. I still have a pile of papers to sift through for anything worth keeping. Tomorrow, it is carpet cleaning time. After that I am going hiking for a few hours.
I did that in my garage. Every weekend for about 3 months I dumped boxes of stuff I forgot I had. Then I added a bunch of shelving for extra storage space, and made a work bench. Abner
A fellow animal lover. What kind of dogs do you have? I have a Johnson American Bulldog, and a French bulldog. I have had all sorts of dogs ranging from poodles, terriers, Doberman, and Akitas. All good dogs. I have also adopted different sorts of American shorthair cats as well. I found one in a dumpster. I guess someone didn't want him, and threw him in there as a tiny kitten. Good job on cleaning the office. It is kind of smart to use a couple of days of vacation to do it. Now you can relax, good reward. I wish I could tackle this stupid project, but it is almost like a mental block. I look at it, and get discouraged. Oh well, I know, there are more serious things in life. See ya, Abner
We've had the Basement From Hell for 15 years. Two weeks ago, we did something we've read about as an ultimate solution. We hired two of the folks who hang around outside Home Depot, and they moved literally everything into the back yard. The plan was to move things back in only if there was a neat and tidy place for them. We really enjoyed the process, and we ended up with five good-sized piles labeled, in order of diminishing size: RECYCLING, DUMP, SELL, GIVE AWAY, and a quite small one called KEEP. Nearly everything is gone, or neatly replaced, and boy does it feel good.
I have the same room... though right now most of what is in there is displaced items from out living room entertainment center that no longer exists... Most of it will hopefully go back into the living room once the new entertainment system is built.
Hmmm... Will we be seeing this on an episode of that television show whose name escapes me at the moment?
Thank God, you did not say a poodle. ;-) A German Shepherd-Husky mixture possibly for one dog. A Sheltie-Border Collie-German Shepherd mixture, well at least two of the three, possibly for the other dog. Abandoned, rescued, adopted, and now living the good life everyday.
That basement must have dirt walls or stone walls for a house of 200 years. Whew! I almost thought you were about to say there was a skeleton in the basement.
The foundation is made of fieldstones. The floor is dirt. Someday I'll have to replace the sills but that means jacking up the entire house (3K+ sq.ft.). I'm saving that project for the day I hit the powerball number. (note to myself - try to remember to buy a powerball ticket someday). Right now I'm trying to figure out how I can (cheaply) improve the lighting in the basement as I want to buy a wood lathe. I hate it but I think I'm going to have to employ an electrician.
My boy/girl twins, who were indignant not too long ago when we suggested they have their own rooms (they share one now), are now hot on the idea......must be that first grade indoctrination. So, the project that makes me cringe is transforming one of my guest rooms, with its comforting furnishings and vanilla decor, into a little girl'$ bedroom with pink wall$, fru-fru decoration$, and about a bazillion Webkinz and other $tuffed animals covering every $quare inch of the $oon to be purcha$ed prince$$ bed.
For a basement work area florescent lighting provides the brightest illumination and is cheaper than incandescent light bulbs over time.
I have a friend who tells me that fluorescent lighting gives her a headache but it has never bothered me. I think I'll be going that route.
Fluorescent lighting is great for a work area but in my study I prefer incandescent lighting because it is easier on my eyes for extended periods of reading or writing. However, in my lair in the basement it is fluorescent lighting all the way. No, I do not live in my parent's basement and play World of Warcraft.
