Sunday, July 15, 2018

Going Home

Martha and I have been working our butts off at the cabin. We hired a contractor to rip out a concrete floor in a back room that had heaved and was allowing water to seep up through the floor. They replaced the floor but left us with only studs for the back wall. We put in new windows, installed beadboard, laid carpet and sided the outside. My hands and shoulders were stiff for days.






Then we ripped apart the last third of the deck, shored up the foundation, unscrewing all the boards, flipping them, screwing them back down and re-staining them. Brutal on the back and knees.



But the most difficult project was replacing a back door that was thoroughly rotted. The door sat in a frame that had settled significantly and was now a trapezoid shape and never closed completely and was barely held shut for years by a hook and eye. Plus the door was about 7 inches shorter than a standard door. Removing the old door I found lots of rotted wood that needed to be replaced. Then I framed out a rectangle for the door frame. We had to cut 7 inches off the bottom of a fiberglass door to fit but we did it a little at a time to make sure we didn’t cut too much. After each cut we carried the heavy door, jockeying it into this narrow space, then back to make adjustments including having to router and re-position the bottom hinge.  My shoulders and wrists are screaming in protest.




There is nothing on my body that does not hurt. Nothing. As much as I enjoy doing this kind of physical work, and my psyche absolutely needs it, my body needs so much more time to recover from each day of labor.


Image result for every day too old for this shit


And to that end I am leaving for a relaxing family vacation where I will enjoy the healing power of warm sand, beach walks at sunrise, salty air, the calming ebb and flow of the ocean and seafood meals while watching sunsets.


Having grown up by the ocean, for me it is like going home.

15 comments:

  1. You are amazing!!! I so admire your mad skills.

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    1. Necessity (and needing to save money) is the mother of learning how to do it yourself.

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  2. You may be getting older but you do good work. That door looks amazing and I am so envious of your carpentry skills.

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    1. Thanks. I was lucky to grow up with parents who didn't believe in sexist roles. We all learned carpentry, car maintenance, sewing, etc.

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  3. Wow, that's truly impressive! We need to re-do our deck, it's a mess. But that will have to wait a year. I bet you're beat and I'm glad you get a nice beach vacation to recover.

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    1. Wish you lived closer - I'd be happy to barter my carpentry skills for your cooking.

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  4. Beach? Beach?
    Anywhere near me? 🤗

    I am so impressed by your construction skills. I would be in trouble relying on myself!
    Love love
    kj

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  5. No, sorry. This year we're trying something new - Narragansett. I will miss the Lobster Pot though. Perhaps in the off season . . .

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  6. So glad to hear that you are having a rest! I'm exhausted just reading this post!!!

    Enjoy the beach, dear 8.

    (Aren't offspring and future in-laws supposed to help the parents with this kind of hard labor?)

    xoxoxoxox

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    1. Probably. But I'd much rather do it myself and complain : )

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  7. I do hope that you enjoy the beach and ocean! I was hoping you'd be near me, but I see that's not the case. Oh well...sand and surf is a balm for the body AND the soul! Have fun my dear!

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    1. Had I been going back to LI, I would have definitely contacted you!

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  8. Well earned, well deserved interlude.
    Hope it is / was all that and then some.

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  9. It was all that and more. Now still working on getting the sand out of everything.

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  10. Thank for your very good article! i always enjoy & read the post you are sharing!

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