Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Weeks 19 - 26


 Oops! Where did those promised 2 1/2 weeks go?  I failed my readers and will probably loose readership.  My bad.  Well, a lot happened and there just wasn't any time to tell about it or maybe it was just fatigue at the end of the daze.  Though there was some time for recreation as for example the Harvest Festival in the huge barnyard of the amazing Shelburne Farms.

The week prior to the move was devoted to installation of the linoleum flooring which required several stages of leveling the concrete floor where needed, cleaning the floor, letting the linoleum acclimate to the floor temperature, cutting the linoleum, bonding it to the floor, and filling the seams.  Although the linoleum product is fine the installation was less than perfect as promised by the second choice installer. I had my doubts about him when he said, " I may not be the cheapest but I'm good".  More on this in a post-natal discussion next year.

After the floor installation, the second coat of paint was applied to the walls, the major appliances were delivered and installed, the custom bar/bookshelf cabinet  was mostly completed, and the base boards attached.  Stairs were also added to all entrances.


I returned to Maryland on October 16 to start packing for the big move.  Packing  took a long time and couldn't have been finished without the help of friends Bob, neighbor Leonard, surprise helpers and old friends Betsy and Rob, and of course  workhorse Geoffrey and his able companion Ferdinand.  Sunday, Oct. 24 we left with most of the stuff stuffed carefully into a 26 ft truck that Geoffrey and companion drove.  A relaxing 12 hour drive at the end of a good weather week brought everything safely to Vermont.  The following day we had plenty of community help unpacking the truck in good time.




Since I've moved in I've spent a lot of time looking for and shoveling my stuff around trying to squeeze 2000 sqft of stuff into 800 sqft of living space.  Of course as that doesn't really work, much is left in the basement for winter enjoyment: sorting, culling, burning, etc.

After I moved, in the kitchen instant-on hot water heater and drinking water filter were installed.  Yet to happen is the installation of the wood stove.  In the interim I've constructed a cardboard model to get used to its location.  Though most walls have been decorated with pictures, the bookshelf in the living room has not been attached to the wall yet.  I also completed the shed door pulley system for the ramp door.


While all of this was going on, I also spent a lot of time helping Rick, Kelly, Thom, Jonathan, Joe, and many others from the community erect the yurt in its new location and wiring it with electrical outlets and switches.  Two of my couches, one light, and several chairs and a table were donated to furnish it.  Let the parties, the yoga mornings, the game nights, etc.  begin.

Down the street, the Habitat for Humanity houses are also nearing completion.  Though they don't look it they have a generous amount of foil-backed foam insulation: 10" under the basement slab, 6" in the walls with 6" of cellulose, 2 ft of cellulose under the roof and triple pane windows.

So now life in a new home has started.  In this time of Thanksgiving, I'd like to thank everyone in the community for  your tolerance of the work generated traffic and noise and for your help and comments of support.  My special thanks to Mary, who had given me much support during this time.  And of course much thanks to the building team of Tim Yandow, Dave, John and their many helpers and subcontractors.  It has been a wonderful experience.  I wish everyone joyous holidays and promise an assessment report in the New Year.

2 comments:

  1. Alas, it's done.
    So ganz haben wir ja nicht geglaubt, dass du das tatsächlich umsetzt- einen Neubeginn. Aber gut, dass du es durchgezogen hast.
    Mal sehen wie lange es dauert bis du mal Germanski-Besuch bekommst.
    I think Indian Summer would be fine.
    alles gute
    dan and girls

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  2. Glückwunsch zum Häusleverkauf, auch wenn es früher besser gewesen wäre, aber how goe the saying? Lieber den Spatz in der Hand als die Taube auf dem Dach

    lg
    dan

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