HFM

Adrienne & I were busy with lots of small doings this week. First, there was Christmas. We had our usual table-top decoration, made from a discarded bough of a Christmas tree, ornaments given by family and friends, and paper decorations we made ourselves: Under the tree (and the table), were numerous presents: The big box in pink on the left contained a circular saw, which I have had my eye on for a few months to speed up the completion of a few of my projects around the house. Top of that list is replacing the fence/wall under Adrienne's office that separates our property from the property of our neighbors to the north. Here it is, off to a decent start: This fence/wall is key because cats, raccoons, rats, and other assorted animals like to hang around in the 2-foot-wide space between the houses. Do you know who likes to chase animals? Pickles, that's who. The fence/wall is made with reused scrap materials from other parts of the construction project. Eventually, it and th...

This week, we tried to make more progress on the bathroom counter & backsplash downstairs. Mr. Bunkport took the counter out of the form today: With all the rain we've been getting, it hasn't hardened enough to sand it down and seal it yet, even after five days. So now we just wait.

Four things this week! First, I finished sanding and sealing the back door. Just in time for a massive rain storm! (I skipped taking photos, because you can't see a before/after difference. It looks great, though, and is similar in color to the counter.) Second, I replaced a piece of backsplash next to the sink that came off at some point a couple months ago. Probably when that half of the kitchen came off that one time . Before: After: Third, I took out this bush that mysteriously died: And replaced it with this succulent planter, made out of red concrete garden borders that were part of the garden when we moved in (every single plant in the yard was surrounded by these things), and old clay pipe fragments that were dug up out of the pit during the excavation phase of the project: Here's how it looks, from across the yard: Over to you, AJ, to work your plant magic! Speaking of plant magic, after all this rain we've been getting, that random lily that the construction worke...

Back on the ranch this weekend. On Saturday, an HVAC guy came to replace the old transite (asbestos-cement) flue for the heater, & do some maintenance on the heater itself. Done! On Sunday, I did a couple things on my to-do list: Job number one was yet more mouse-proofing in the kitchen. This round involved taking a countertop off a set of cabinets to stuff more steel wool in various places. While I had the countertop off, I also fixed a drawer, and, using my brand new jig saw (!), made an improvement to the shelf I had put in The Disaster Cabinet (which, as you may recall, is not a cabinet with disaster supplies, but rather a cabinet that is a complete disaster -- see the previous post here . Shelf Version One kept falling down, leading to the return of the disaster state.). Job number two was putting our fine fruit and veggie basket back up: Next week: sanding and sealing the back door, and replacing a small piece of backsplash next to the sink. Maybe also doing a walkway pro...

The day after the funeral, we got a call from the Schools reporter for the Lowell Sun. She had seen Jack's obituary, and noting how he had dedicated his career to the schools in Lowell, wanted to do a piece on him. It appeared today : Generations of kids knew he cared Firm and funny, 'Jack' O'Brien left impact on students, colleagues at Lowell High By Amelia Pak-Harvey John "Jack" O'Brien, a city native, was a leader at Lowell High for decades,  serving as housemaster for 25 years before  being named master in 1992. He died on  Nov. 21 at 74 after a battle with cancer. LOWELL -- Former Lowell High School administrator John "Jack" O'Brien was a fair but firm educator who stood his ground. That's how City Councilor William Samaras, a former Lowell High headmaster, remembers the high school's former master. When disciplining students, O'Brien would still listen well, Samaras said. "Even if he were to administer a punishment for ...