Tuesday, again

 I have stumbled once again upon Tuesday--I know, it arrives every week. 

Nightstand
Elkridge, MD
July 11, 2022

Today, however, seems different. I don't have a day filled with activity, but I expect to be busy.

Yesterday I was busy on Facebook Marketplace listing items which have been slated for downsizing and then actually selling some of the items. I did finally sell a small refrigerator, which had been seeing incredible interest for a few days but no one actually wanted to come pay for it. I am amazed at how many people ask if something is still available and then I hear nothing more from them. And then, not the other hand some sales happen incredibly quickly and without drama. 

One item, actually a pair of items, that went smoothly and without drama was two nightstands. I love it when something just passes on to its new owner without drama and I had a great time chatting with the new owner of my former treasures. 

I continue to tackle the minor repair issues. I managed to solve a leaky pool light problem while also mowing using my repaired mower deck. 

Downsizing will continue today. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tales from Downsizing

 

Remaining CD Collection
Elkridge, MD
July 9, 2022

Good news--the welder arrived and did a great job on the mower deck! That was a hanging item from yesterday. I had a great time chatting with him as he worked and when he examined the factory welds on the other main bracket (the one which had not yet failed), he felt that it needed to be reinforced--at no extra charge!

The mower deck is now reinstalled on my mower and safely in the shed. I was gong to mow today, however, soaking rains are expected which means that mowing will not happen until tomorrow.

Yesterday, Chris and I spent the afternoon going through our CD collection. Remember CDs? Compact Discs? Wow, we have a lot. We culled the herd to one box with two layers.

I do own two cars that only have CD players (well, one has a cassette player as well) for music in addition to the radio. Yes, they are both mid-2000 cars (2005 and 2006). But other than those two infrequently driven autos, most of my music is delivered via internet or SirusXM. So Chris and I are wrestling with the question, do we keep or donate the CDs? Of course, I want to keep them in case we need them in the future. Chris wants to dispose of them due to lack of storage. 

The discussion continues. 

Downsizing is hard!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Welders

Bracket and mower deck
Elkridge, MD
 July 2, 2022

 I am having a terrible time getting a welder to repair my mower deck.

I have had two cancellations, one that called and said I was too far to make it worthwhile, and another that was supposed to be here at 2:30 yesterday. He sent an email that he was going to be 40 minutes late and then, sent an email at 9PM saying he had an emergency and he could come then or in the morning.

Wow! How tough can it be?

I still need my mower deck welded so that I can cut the grass and then sell my tractor just before moving to Florida. 

Hopefully, the welder will show up at 9 AM this morning.

It has rained enough that I really need to mow the lawn again!

It is har to believe that one week ago I woke up in Sint Maarten and just afternoon began the journey home. Wow! And now I'm waiting for a welder so I can mow the lawn.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

And We Are Back

We arrived home at about 1:30 AM yesterday morning after 12 hours of travel. We grabbed a few hours sleep and began the process of getting out of vacation mode and back into reality. 

It was kinda sad. 

Mower Deck with Missing Bracket
Elkridge, MD
July 2, 2022

After retrieving the four-footed members of the family from their vacation locations, my big projects for the day were ensuring the pool was fully clean and shocked followed by with mowing the lawn. And that is where things kind of fell apart, literally. The welds holding one of the main brackets on my mower deck failed. I was able to mow the lawn using bungee cords to keep the deck in place, but now I am looking for a welder to fix the deck. 

I need to fix the mower deck because I am looking to sell the tractor and mower because I do not need this equipment in Florida!

It was hot yesterday. The humidity made it feel much worse than it was, but by the time I finished unhooking the mower deck from the tractor, I needed another shower. I considered falling into the pool, but having just shocked it the chlorine level was a bit too high.

It is good to be back. Really?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
 

\

Tuesday, Tuesday

 I was awakened this morning to the rumble of thunder and the flash of lightning. 

Dining Room Nearly Ready
Elkridge, MD
June 14, 2022

I am thankful I completed my outdoors work yesterday while the temperatures were in the 90s and the sun was shining. I even allowed myself some enjoyment by jumping into the pool. The water was a beautiful 81 degrees. 

Tomorrow is picture day! The house, inside and out, needs to look better than it did when we toured it over 21 years ago. And it does!

On the really exciting side, we already have a scheduled showing for Saturday. Yay!

It is both exciting and frightening. 

From a getting ready for photo day standpoint, we are almost there.

BTW, Happy Flag Day! Go wave a flag!



-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

What to do?

 The downsizing and preparation to tell the homestead continues unabated. 

The Paint
Elkridge, MD
May 12, 2022

We are only doing the minimum necessary to make the place look like it is worth what we are asking. Although we did not have any major painting projects on the plan, yesterday we ran into one of those situations that caused us more than a moment of discussion.

Taking personal pictures and mementos down off the walls we discovered som damage behind on of the images. We did not remember the damage, but it was more than just filling the hole. No problem, some Spackle and damage repaired, right? Not so fast grasshopper! I keep paint from every project so we can effect repairs, but in this case I did not have the proper paint. I had more than a few cans of paint that were close, but no exact match.Frustration began to set in!

What to do? Repaint, of course. This wall, however is not a normal wall. It is in the stairwell meaning it is nearly two stories tall! Yay! But, the wall needed to look good, not just to sell the house for for Chris and I. This was a repair that we would have had to accomplish whether the house was going to be sold or not. 

And so, after a trip to the paint store to get a gallon of paint which matched the wall abutting the stairwell,  we were tackled the wall. It only took a couple of hours, but it was time that we had not planned into our schedule. 

Everything looks great now. 

Did I mention that I hate painting? And I hate it more when I am at the top of a ladder nearly two stories up in a confined stairwell. 

I wonder what fun we will have today?

Oh wait, I have a baseball doubleheader scheduled--except, it is raining throughout the area. I may not be able to escape for five or six hours!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Sign is Up

 

Marketing the Homestead
Elkridge, MD
June 8, 2022

The downsizing and house selling became very real yesterday. 

The sign went up!

While the house in not officially on "the market" yet, that day is just over a week away. Until the sign went up it was all fun and games and a bit surreal, but now it is serious. 

We are in our 22nd year of occupancy, having purchased the the home at the end of February 2001. We have lived here longer than anywhere during our entire lives. I don't even think about the address when I write it, it is an integral part of me, seemingly permanently inscribed into my brain. 

I inaugurated this blog during December 2007 and looking back through some of the entries I found documentation of the great times that our family and friends have enjoyed in this house. 

The good times and celebrations will not end; the venue will just change.

Changes. The process that began during December last year continues as Chris and I move forward in retirement. There is still so much to do, but we have done as great deal as well. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Late Today

Jax at the Plate
Lakeshore Athletic Complex
June 1, 2022

 I had an early departure this morning for a baseball game. I was on the road at 7:30 AM and so I didn't get the blog done in the morning. 

It turned out that because of lack of umpires, the baseball game became a scrimmage and I became an umpire in the field. It was my first time as an umpire since college and fortunately lately the parent from the other team was a real umpire in another league and helped me through. 

It was fun!

I learned a lot. I had always noticed the umpires using hand signals between each other, but except for ensuring they knew the number of outs I never could decipher them. Well, that changed. There is a lot of communication between umpires to ensure they each know what is happening. I believe in my heart, I made all good calls today. As a scrimmage, there was no time limit and the seven inning game went almost three hours in the developing heat of the day. I was dog tired after.

But, I knew that I had projects to do at home, like taking hazardous materials to the landfill including some lithium batteries. They only accept hazardous items and liquids on Saturdays. Chris and I also managed to clean out the pool house attic and crossed another room off the list. Most of the stuff in that attic went to the landfill, with the exception of pool toys and floaties.

It was a beautiful day for being outside and we were.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Lights, Action, For Sale

The Illuminated Pool
Elkridge, MD
June 2, 2022

 In the heat of yesterday's morning sun, I managed to resolve the issue with the lights in the pool. Yay. The resolution allowed Chris and I to enjoy a beautiful evening in and around the pool with the lights beaming brightly after the thunderstorms moved through the area. We even lit the gas fueled fire pit to enjoy the ambiance. I installed bright white LED bulbs in the existing housing and they changed the color of the pool giving it a much bluer hue. 

Sitting around a hot fire pit on a warm summer-like evening may seem a bit eccentric, but Chris and I both realize that these opportunities are rapidly drawing to a close as we signed with a realtor yesterday to market the homestead. Hopefully, in a few short weeks we will have a signed contract and begin the final preparations to permanently depart the house we have loved for over 21 years. It is much different than any other move we have done as we have never lived so long at any address in our entire lives. After 21 years at the same location we have accumulated a lot of stuff which we do not need in our future location.

Life is beginning to change, although with the tropical depression headed for Tequesta with up to 12 inches of rain, I am happy I'm not there--one day in a row.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

One Thing More

The Pool on Memorial Day
Elkridge, MD
May 30, 2022

 Houses require maintenance and anyone who owns one knows this is true. And that maintenance seems to come in terms of "one more thing." By that, I mean that after completing one project while it would be nice to take a rest it is likely time to tackle the next project.

Take yesterday, for instance. I was wrestling with a GFI (ground fault interrupter) problem, still unresolved, with the pool lights. GFI issues can be very frustrating. But, I also need to do a repair on the dryer AND we received a letter form our condo association that there is an issue with the fire suppression system (sprinklers) in our Florida condo. Ugh! Two houses mean four times the problems.

The nice thing about the problem with the pool lights was that I was in and around the pool all day in the 90+ degree weather. The GFI is on one of the two light circuits. Making the problem worse, both pool lights were burned out and needed replacing and one of them separated from the base which I removed it--which does complicate things just a bit and coincidentally is on the circuit with the GFI issue.

When I finish the pool, the dryer is waiting for attention!

Well, I'm off to get started on the day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Painting, Ugh!

 

White Crown Molding
Elkridge, MD
May 3, 2022

There are two home projects that I do not enjoy:

Plumbing and Painting.

Plumbing while not particularly difficult always seems to cause me to contort into uncomfortable positions to make a connection. I have learned over the years to connect as much plumbing before installing sinks, but when making repairs or sweating copper to solve a leak sometimes being a contortionist is the only way to get the job done.

Red Crown Molding
Elkridge, MD
October 11, 2015

Painting is another area that I do not enjoy because it requires a specific kind of patience that I just do not possess. Take yesterday, for instance. I spent most of the day painting crown molding in the dining room. It required three coats of paint to cover my beloved red crown molding and make it a more traditional white. When I installed the crown molding and chair rail in the dining room, I painted the crown molding red to match the wall below the chair rail. I thought it added character to the room. Chris did not agree, but allowed the red to remain--until yesterday. As we prepare to sell the homestead it was determined that the red must go! As a result, I spent the day on a ladder applying three coats of paint to cover the red.

Note to self: red is hard to paint over.

The red is now gone and the room has become boringly acceptable to the masses. 

I dearly hope there are no more painting projects in my future.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Is there a Simple Repair?

Completed Replacement
Elkridge, MD
October 23, 2021

The Damaged Board Removed
Elkridge, MD
October 23, 2021

It seemed simple enough: remove and replace a board on the deck which had not held up and had become a safety hazard.

OK, Chris put her foot through it on Friday. We used pressure treated lumber when we rebuilt the deck a couple years ago, but it seems that this particular piece may not have been completely treated. I checked all of the other boards in the area for similar deterioration and found none. 

So the project seemed easy, unscrew board, pull it up, measure the replacement and install! Not so fast! The heads of the screws were deteriorated and could not be turned so I had to cut the board on both sides of the support beam and chip the remaining piece out and then use a vice grip to turn each screw out of the beam. I had to do this for place the board crossed a support beam. It was a slog! 

By the time it was done, I was amazed at how many different tools I used. And of course there were two obligatory trips to Lowe's. One for supplies and then another to get the right saw blades to complete the job after I broke the one remaining jig-saw blade that I had. 

I managed to make it an all-day project, but completed it before a late-afternoon downpour drenched everything. 

Another project completed on a Saturday. Next Spring, after the board dries, I will apply the stain and probably stain the entire deck just to freshen everything. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Grasses

 

Grasses After Cutting
Elkridge, MD
October 11, 2021

Grasses Before Cutting
Elkridge, MD
October 11, 2021

It is that time of year when the ornamental grasses that we use as a privacy screen around our pool need to be trimmed. Originally, I had thought it would be too wet to cut them, but unlike Sunday they dried out by about 10 AM and were ready for cutting.

It is quite a job, cutting the grasses and stacking them in the truck to haul to the recycling center at the landfill. Its takes two trips to get them all removed. All told, with the travel time, it is about a five hour project. And normally it is a two person project, but today, with Chris in New York with her sister, I did it alone. 

OK, I am tired and sore. I wore a short sleeve shirt for the first run, but as I broke out with welts I remembered that I am allergic to the grasses. So a little washing and Benadryl took care of that problem. 

I normally attempt to get the grasses cut on Columbus Day--so since I am not in Florida at least I was able to get a major project completed on-time for another year.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Closed Until May

 

Pool Cover Installed 2021
Elkridge, MD
September 14, 2021

As the leaves began to fall in earnest yesterday, the cover was installed on the pool to begin its winter hibernation.

Always a sad day, the cover went on fairly easily and I am hoping to see sparkling pool water when I open it during late April 2022.

The good news is that the pump is no longer running for hours each day and that saves electricity and I am not adding chlorine and chemicals to keep the water balanced--but that is all part of the joy of owning a pool. I am very hopeful that the new cover will keep the algae at bay and that opening in the Spring will be easier than it has ever been. 

There remain a few smaller projects, such as disconnecting the motor from the pump and filling some of the lines with anti-freeze, but together that is less than half an hour and can be done as I have time. Getting to cover on before the leaves fall is the most important part of the project. 

It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the 90s and I dearly wanted to be swimming in rather than closing the pool, but the season is over. Now I can sit and watch the wind blow leaves onto the cover and not feel compelled to skim them from the pool.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Season's End

Pool Drained fir Winter
Elkridge, MD
September 13, 2021

 The process of closing the pool began yesterday. 

The winterizing chemicals are in, the pipes are blown out with compressed air and the final preparations for the cover are being made.

The cover--yes the new cover. Well, I did made a small mistake. There were some holes in the seal around the coping that I filled. I thought the urethane-based sealant would set in an hour--but it takes overnight and so we had to delay installing the cover. 

But we did everything necessary to install the pool cover and that should take less than an hour today. Then it is done and the leaves of autumn will not vex us as they fall increasingly into the pool. 

Of course, pool closing day is one of the saddest days of the year, but given that I had a fairly difficult Monday it was good to be distracted with the activity as I came hope from work. I still need to disconnect the motor on the pump and fill the lines with two gallons of anti-freeze, but that will come as time allows. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Facelift modernization

The New Look
Elkridge, MD 
September 10, 2021

A project which has been in progress for almost three long months was finally completed in our kitchen. 

We had the cabinets updated and I am amazed at how it changes the entire look of the kitchen--making it both brighter and more modern. I know I was amazed at how much brighter everything seems, and it is more modern--which is funny because I remember when I was a kid and my parents remodeled their kitchen to put in white oak cabinets--they were beautiful as are these remastered cabinets. 

Christmas Eve 2020
Elkridge, MD

The old brown look is definitely dated. I have included an image from Christmas Eve 2020 for comparison.

Chris is busy preparing Christmas Eve brunch ini this image and the dark cabinets can be seen. 

We are much brighter and that is important in a room which is very dark to begin with. 

Change is good, sometimes. It was just the nearly three months without doors and drawers that was a problem.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Checking Out the New Cover

 

New Loop Loc Pool Cover Installed
Elkridge, MD
July 17, 2021

It is the middle of the summer and the dog days and to the question is, why am I putting the cover onto a perfectly good pool in bright sun and 92 degree temperatures?

Because I'm crazy?

No, because the replacement pool cover arrived during the week and it needed to be checked and installed to make closing the pool during September easier. It looks great and went on very nicely. Installing the tension springs was not as lot of fun in the bright sun and heat, but the promise of jumping into the pool after the project was finished kept me going. 

It was hot, did I mention that?

New new cover looks great and it will also help too reduce the algae growth in the pool that I face at the start of the season. The old cover had lost almost all of its UV filtering capacity and the final problem was that some of the panels started ripping out. 

This new Loop Loc Safety Dense Mesh Pool Cover will provide many years of service and hopefully will make pool opening easier in the springtime while also providing a safe protective cover for the pool during the off season. 

The cover is off now and I am trying to find a better storage situation. The company recommends hanging it, but it is pretty heavy. I have a few ideas, however. Another day, another project.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Lighting the. Night

Chris and I completed a lighting project yesterday for the pool area of the house. 

New Lighting
ELkridge, MD
May 2, 2021

Previously, we had rope lights on the fences, but over the years some portions of the strands had gone dark. It didn't look good and so we took them down earlier this year.

But, of course, we needed to replace them with something and so we decided to place lights on the deck itself. Amazingly the lights come in packages measuring 48 feet and the area we needed to cover was 47 feet, which meant that there was a foot at the end for the cord to come down. I admit, I never usually get that lucky. 

We installed the lights yesterday, after the heat of the day had passed, and I snapped this image last evening with the screened porch lights also illuminated. It does brighten the areas. And, as an added benefit, it also attracts Brood X cicadas and mosquitoes. 

We are hopeful that it will add fun to an already enjoyable area.

BTW, the pool is open and I actually swam in it yesterday! Yes! 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Showers and Flowers

 

Narcissus in the Garden
Elkridge, MD
March 25, 2021

Although it remains the month of March, I believe that the April showers have begun a few days early. It has rained off and on for the past three days and while the rain is welcome the ferocity with which it has arrived at some points is daunting. Nevertheless, the yard has greened up nicely and the Springtime flowers are in bloom. The flowers bloom later in my yard than in most others because I have mostly shade. 

It is good to see the trees budding with leaves, the flowers blooming and to hear the peepers during the evening hours. 

Although the temperatures have warmed considerably, the rain has kept me out of the yard for most of the week. I was able to get some yard work done on Monday afternoon and the good news is that I believe that I will begin mowing likely next week! 

Hopefully the rains will abate and the land will begin to dry. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saving Money Where it Counts

Repaired Oven with Heating Element
And Louis checking it out
Elkridge, MD
March 25 ,2021

I love it when a plan comes together.

Last week, you may recall, one of the heating elements in our large oven broke. Badly. It was a total loss. I ordered a replacement which was delivered, as promised, on Tuesday evening.

Since I don't like to tackle projects after dinner and a glass, or two, of wine I decided to wait until last evening to install the new heating element into the oven. 

Whenever attempting a repair there is always an element of risk. Did I troubleshoot the problem correctly? Will the repair work? Am I missing something?

Last evening I made the repair. Amazingly, it was fairly straightforward, two screws and two clips. The old element was removed and the new one installed in about ten minutes. The hardest part of the repair was reinstalling the oven door. 

After a quick operations check to see if the oven would heat, which it did, I considered the repair complete. A few minutes of work and a $40 heating element saved hundreds of dollars which would be the cost of a new stove. 

My job is done here!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD