By Popular Demand: floor removal and joists

The old laundry area, as seen from the kids' bedroom (that's the door in their room on the left) -- as it was last weekend. The window is the current "Beetlejuice" window now hanging without a wall around it.
No floor left... just the old 25-foot cypress floor joists. Paul cut them out and is saving them. We're hoping to expose part of our outbuilding and use these in an exposed ceiling. They are really phenomenal.
The corner of the house before renovations started. Remember when Paul had to jack up the corner of the house? You can see the sill he put in and the block on the left where he raised the house. This also shows how the walls are not sitting on anything. At this point, you could shake them and get significant horizontal movement... sort of alarming.
Floors and walls are gone. This is where we were as of the end of last weekend.

Paul starts to put in the new floor joists.




He's got all the floor joists done now and several of the floor boards in. With everything going on, we haven't taken pictures of it yet.

My Superhero Book. By Will, Age 4.

But.... some good news!!!!

IRB responded!!

My research went through full board approval -- and no big changes required! NO changes to protocol, questionnaire, or outreach materials. I have to make 6 minor changes to my consent form and turn in the final consent for final approval. The changes include changing "subject" to "participant" on one line and adding a running title to the header on each page. The other changes involve phrasing/wording, which is a little funny to me since, most likely, the consent will rarely (if ever) be given in English. But this is NOT a complaint... I'm very excited!

... and a bit freaked out because now I actually have to officially hire staff and start doing summa' that primary investigator stuff!

The Plague Continues... and Continues

Kate has conjunctivitis. She is getting drops in her eyes regularly. They are really, really, really goopy. She just woke up crying because she couldn't open her left eye; it was glued shut. Otherwise, she is totally fine (read: a complete maniac.)

Will has been switched from one pink stuff to another pink stuff. The pediatrician I spoke to this morning about Kate switched him on her suggestion that amoxicillin isn't as effective. The issue came up because, while asking about Kate's eye, I also had to ask for a refill on Will's antibiotic because we'd used half of the bottle putting the medicine in a thousand concoctions to try and get him to take it painlessly. In the end, we put him in time out until he took his medicine. It took about 2 hours this morning. Tonight, it only took about an hour. We're hopeful for continued improvement in this regard.

I stopped by the house this afternoon -- the heat was set to 60 degrees and the heater didn't turn off the whole time I was there. We're in the toasty apartment again tonight but unfortunately have to leave tomorrow.

Paul has not showered in two days, is beat, and complaining of sore throat. That annoying scratch in the back of my throat has not gone away... it's gotten worse. I didn't sing the kids to bed tonight. It's time to admit that one or both of us may need a swab in the back of the throat... which means we need a doctor, something we haven't had locally since the storm (yup, we've not had a primary doctor for over 2 years).

Anyone local reading this have any suggestions?

The Plague Continues

The threat of not having indoor plumbing during Paul's renovation work this weekend drove me to Mobile to stay with the parents Saturday night. It was a desperate situation; my Dad was on death's door (literally, he didn't go to work Thursday or Friday -- we called in a priest to perform last rites) but I felt that we had no choice. Plus, I had to retrieve the kids' old summer clothes from the attic if I were going to sell them back to the CCEX this week.

Right before we left, Will complained of being cold. Then sneezed. Uh-ho.

Then we got to Mobile, where my Mom was getting sick, too. I spent the weekend caring for my parents and Will... with a perfectly healthy Kate driving us all crazy. Sunday night, we sped home... I was terrified that the kids would bring the end to my dear parents, who were both sick and exhausted or that both Kate and I would succumb.

Monday morning, Will seemed better. We had assumed he would be home from school, but Will insisted he was okay and was running around with enough energy that we decided to try it out.

It was a mistake. He did fine all day, but when we had him home that night, my Mommy instinct kicked in. No real reason in particular, but Ana's strep, combined with the fact that he seemed to have stalled in the getting better department made me think he needed to be seen. He stayed home today (despite being incredibly annoying before school this morning -- he clogged the front toilet, which started overflowing and didn't tell anyone until Paul noticed two inches of pee water pouring out of the bathroom door -- annoying and bad behavior was another clue that he was probably less healthy than he was appearing). We traded childcare all day between meetings until his doctor's appointment late this afternoon.

He's got strep. Now Paul is saying his throat hurts. Kate came home with goopy eyes and has sneezed a few times. The jury is out on those two, but Will is definitely home one more day.

It took a ginger ale tonic and 30 minute of intense work, but we managed to get Will to get the classic pink stuff down. 19 more doses over the next 10 days to go. I'm dreading each and every one.

My Dad's company does a lot of business in New Orleans and rents an apartment here for business use -- thankfully, it's not being used for the next few days, so the kids and I are using it. It's letting us do laundry (still no washer and dryer) which is a great thing considering we had three huge bags of wet stinky towels from the morning's exploding toilet. Tonight and tomorrow night are going to be in the 30s, so the kids and I staying here will hopefully help keep them warm and healthy -- when the wind blows, the back rooms are freezing. Paul is home, using every minute of in-house-with-no-kids to put in extra hours at work and on the house. He's closed off the back rooms and is sleeping in a sleeping bag in the front of the house.

Paul is hoping to work nonstop on the house this weekend, so we need a healthy house. Germs, be gone!

Not quite confederate money

Our neighbor Weezie was interested in the original nails -- handmade -- from the original house construction. So Paul has been careful to preserve a few. Apparently, they can break easily so keeping them intact takes a little bit of care. Here are what some look like:
That 50 coin? We have no idea what it is. We're hoping someone might know? It was inside the original wall. It's not quite wood, but it's not plastic either. I'm hoping that it's identity is more interesting than that of a poker chip. (We're still waiting to find the vault of confederate money.) It has sort of a purple color to it and the lettering it sort of golden. Anyone have any ideas?

Bringing the Outside In

The right is the back wall of our bedrooms. The left wall is the new room Paul recently built on the back of the house. The middle...? Once upon a time it was kitchens, then bathrooms, then laundry rooms and bathrooms. In the future, we hope it is one nice bathroom and one nice laundry room. Although Paul is suggesting we just put up walls and make an indoor racquetball court.


The Beetlejuice Window. (It's an original window, we think it used to be in our Master bedroom. It's safe in it's current hanging spot as we decide what to do with it.)Exterior view.


More details on the step-by-step flooring removal and new floor joists. Too tired and overwhelmed at the moment to contemplate it.

Nagin-Speak

Mayor C. Ray Nagin (we know now that the "C" is for CRAZY) has taken a stunning lead in the drama queen race, flying by Chris Rose with the lightening speed of one interview. Finally, my MSW is coming in handy -- you see, part of that Social Work training involved learning to speak Crazy. So below, I am translating to His Royal Highnesses' Crazy Talk on WWL.


The following is a transcript of the second half of Mayor Ray Nagin's Morning Show interview with Eric Paulsen and Sally Ann Roberts.

Paulsen: 2008 started out with a boom. Do you feel you get the kind of credit you deserve for that?

Nagin: My disappointment is the way some in the media are handling me personally…Our local newspaper for example had me pointing a gun at the police chief, this got all over the internet, all over the nation, and is now sitting on the most racist web sites in America, hate groups now have that picture, so now I am personally more at risk, my family is more at risk.

Translation: Can you believe that I do not get to personally approve each and every article written about me? All this free speech has shown the world that I am weak and ineffectual. That is NOT good for my political aspirations.

Nagin: And I’m a little upset with this station cause you advertising about the ratings, about what’s getting ready to happen with my schedule, you put my personal schedule out there, I am coming back to the station and me and your news director are going to be out in the parking lot having a good one on one.

Translation: I cannot be expected to adhere to a rigorous, set schedule. If people expect me to be places, it makes it difficult to take extended vacations. Plus, I need my beauty sleep and my 1000-count sheets are in my house in Houston. I get allergic in this screwed up city; I have to get away for my health. Your station manager needs to understand that your job is to let me have time to away so that I can look good for photo ops. I was elected to look pretty! Did you forget that?

Nagin: You do not put my family at risk.

Translation: It's for my HEALTH. Remember how long I had to shower in Air Force One when I was trapped in New Orleans for 3 days? I break out in hives, people!

Paulsen: This was a schedule from last year.

Nagin: I don’t care. That schedule has formal stuff on it. It has patterns on it and now you have these Aryan race people focused on me and you have some mental cases out in this community and you’re getting ready to put my schedule out there. Where are the other elected official’s schedule? Are you going to do a follow up on that? This has gone beyond the point of reasonableness.

Translation: You people are bass-ackwards here. Do you know there are people living under bridges? They don't even have the decency to hide themselves on buses and in alleys! We elected officials are too precious to deal with such ugliness. Remember when I had to stand out for that March on Crime and look all concerned? I am still putting cream on those wrinkles every night. If people know where we are, then I have to show up for those sorts of things. It makes me tired and that is not good for my photo ops and press tours. Expecting anything else is unreasonable.

Paulsen: You have to understand that you’ve been a lightning rod.

Nagin: I am sick of this. I have busting my butt bringing this city back. We’re getting ready to get into 2008 and it’s going to be more than a tipping point. This city will go to the next level. This is ridiculous. It’s personal. It’s vindictive. The election is over. If you supported somebody else, get over it.

Translation: I have been to every city that has direct, first class service from my home in Houston talking about the wonderful job I did during Katrina. Do you know how hard it is to get a book deal? Dr. Phil can get a free ride from Oprah and I can't cash in on the biggest natural disaster in our Nation's history. Can you believe that?

Paulsen: Would you do anything different, looking back?

Nagin: I don’t know. Nobody has ever done this. Nobody has taken a city from being totally devastated to where we are now. I don’t know. All I know is that I’ve alienated some people who have significant influence in this community and they are relentlessly trying to destroy and undermine me and I don’t appreciate it.

Translation: Did you realize that 80% of this city was flooded? What I am suppose to do? My job was to look pretty and go to parties and that all went away. I don't get invited to The Club anymore. People are even snubbing me in Houston. I didn't make BET's Top 100 sexiest men. It really hurts my feelings.

Roberts: People who are listening to you speak, people who care about you, may be worried about you because of your emotional state.

Nagin: Because it’s crossed the line Sally, it’s gotten personal now. I don’t appreciate the fact that I’m being exposed and my family is being exposed now. That was not part of this deal.

Translation: It is simply too much to be expected to work. That is not why I ran for public office. I am the pretty face; someone else does the leading. You were suppose to print important photographs and sound bites to make me look good for a future Presidential bid, not expect me to address issues. You screwed this up.

Paulsen: You’ve gotten a lot of heat over the past couple of years. I’ve never seen you this emotional.

Nagin: Well because, your newscast, the local newspapers, are feeding these awful, ugly talk shows that are feeding these blogs. If you go look at some of these blogs out there and some of the stories that come from the paper and you read the comments, it’s some of the most vile, angry, people that I’ve ever seen in this community.

Translation: There are people in this city that actually read, write, and think about issues! That is really scary! I am serious, you should see, there is this internet and I have no control over it. I can't understand half of what it there and don't understand why people don't write about my designer labels. I'm pretty and flashy, doesn't that mean anything anymore?! With all these thinking people around, it makes me nervous... I have to, you know, be extra careful.

Paulsen: Are you concerned about your safety.

Nagin: I’ve got coverage. If somebody approach me wrong, I’m going to cold cock them. That’s the bottom line. You can come with that foolishness if you want, but you’ll see a side of Ray Nagin that you haven’t seen.

Translation: Remember, I know how to speak ebonics. Note that I drop the -es ending in the present-tense third-person singular for the word "approach" and can use special "street" vocabulary like "cold cock," that makes me sound tough. Smart people beware, because I am calling in favors from whatever criminals the DA has managed to get back on the street. They'll do stuff for me since I wear pimped out suits.

Roberts: There are people who are in the hot seat all over the country and they may have complaints about how they are perceived, because as a public official, as the leader of this city, you’re going to get some complaints. That goes with the job.

Nagin: You don’t take a position where I’ve got a gun pointing up to the roof that has total safety control and I move it to put it down and you put a picture of me looking like I’m going to shoot the doggone police chief and say I’m getting ready to do something to him.

Translation: My stylist and I thought it would be cute! Why didn't you wait until I had posed? I had a really funny line all ready, I had practiced my Arnold impersonation for weeks. Of course it was not loaded! Who in their right mind would give me a loaded weapon? As if!

***
For actual analysis, go over to the locals blogroll.

Obama the Plagiarizer.

All those rumors about Obama plagiarizing are true. He has most certainly been plagiarizing. His catchy phrase, "Yes We Can," is lifted directly from Bob the Builder. No word on whether Bob is pressing charges, although Lofty threated a suit if Obama used, "Uh... yeah, I think so!"

Murphy's Law... last night was clear as crystal.

I just got home from a board meeting and apparently, I've missed all there was to see -- the cloud cover is too thick to see anything! Paul reports he and Will were able to see a little through the clouds earlier (from Will's bed, you can look through the transom on his back door and out the new skylight in the gutted section).

Last night it was clear and gorgeous, with full and open access to viewing the moon. We know, because we went out 4 times to watch for the eclipse (we'd miss-remembered the date).

We've got about 40 more minutes left... maybe we'll keep trying and hope some clouds clear for a sec... until then, I've been told that this site has a link to a live webcast of it, although I'm still looking to confirm...

Not so fast, Hillary.

Apparently, for women to do anything in government, from voting, running for office, becoming president... maybe even for going to school or walking on the sidewalk?... there must be a specific clause referring specifically to sex that says it's legal for them to participate in such action. Or, at least, this yutzball thinks so. I agree with her; it's pretty hilarious.

Do you feel a draft?

The back, current state.
See the dark green and white tiles? One of the many levels of flooring. Everything has to come out. Even those big huge floor joists. Everything. It all has to be gutted -- soon this will be just earth and roof, with the main house and the new room on either side holding the sides of the roof up. Since this room is off the kids' room and our room, the bedrooms are really, really cold.

Click on the picture for a better view. Paul removed all electrics... finding two live wires in the wall. He capped off the gas line (number 4 -- little black tube.) He cut the sewer line (number 7). And is getting ready to remove the floor on the other side of the house and do much of this all over again.

The pulled wire.
Debris -- just from one side of the floor. It's amazing how much debris comes out of a house!

Pay It Forward

A few days ago, I opened a beautiful gift -- a handmade necklace from a local artist -- wrapped up with style and packed with love from Shokufeh, who decided to pay some kindness forward after being the recipient of a gift from another blogger. It literally made my day. Looking at it reminds me of how simple it really is to bring joy to another person.

Carrying on this kindness, I'm looking for 3 bloggers who are interested in joining in on the PIF... strangers, lurkers, friends-of-friends welcome. Leave a comment or send an email and I'll figure out who and what in the next week.

E-L-M-O. And The Dog.

On Saturday afternoon, we made Paul clean himself of debris from the back and walk around the block to Octavia Books, a local bookstore that also was one of Will's first words. (He loved walking in the bookstore during our walks around the block and would request "Octavia Books!" as a way to tell us he wanted to go for a walk.)
Here is Kate. Storytime had ended and we were waiting for The Big Event.
MEETING ELMO. WOW.

Elmo "signed" a book (a bookstore clerk stamped it with Elmo's signature) and I took some pictures.

Then, the day continued. Paul and Will went to the back to work on the house and Kate and I walked hand-in-hand to Whole Foods. We had just walked into the parking area when Kate saw The Dog. I had to tighten my grip on her as she tried to run with all her might towards the animal, who had noticed Kate and was equally struggling to reach her. The dog was probably a year or younger, of medium size, golden like a retriever with a fluffy tail and with big floppy ears. Very Cute. The dog and Kate finally met at the door, where they kissed and hugged and squealed with delight. I said to the woman holding the dog's leash, "What a cute dog." She hopefully replied, "Oh, the dog is up for adoption. He needs a home." I looked down at Kate loving on that puppy. Uh-oh.

"We have a cat," I quickly replied and scooped her up. We said goodbye and went into the store. Kate was great in the store, but I was worried about having to walk past the dog again. Then, I saw the dog's keeper in produce -- so I assumed that the dog had already found a home.

WRONG. We left the store and found the dog and woman again; she'd put the dog in the car for a second to get him a some watermelon. The Kate-dog love fest began again, with even more intensity. Seeing the dog was even more exciting to her than seeing Elmo, if you can imagine such a thing. I was getting desperate.

"My oldest got bit by a dog when he was little and is deathly afraid," I lied, knowing full well that Will has been begging for a dog for weeks.

This time, when I scooped up Kate, she began to cry. "Doooooooggggggg, Nooooooo, DOOOOOOGGGGGG!" She wailed, reaching with all her might over my shoulder.

And then, the dog started to whimper. Over her cries, the garage filled with his whimpers... followed by (and I am not making this up) his HOWLING. So there I am, holding a snack of groceries and a squirming, crying Kate who is reaching behind me calling out to this dog who is whimpering and howling to her.

I am pretty sure this puts me in striking distance of "The World's Worst Mommy" award. But we are not getting a dog!!!

Preoccupation

I can't get the news of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence out of my mind.

Why were we so quick to recognize Kosovo? What importance does it hold? Is there some sort of latent guilt for the years of Balkan wars where so many were tortured at the hands of the Serbs? (Yes, yes, atrocities occurred on all sides. However, the Croats, the Bosnians, and the Albanians all suffered many, many more deaths -- both civilian and military -- at the hands of the Serbs. Some of these atrocities occurred in front of UN troops assigned to the protect them.) What would our stance be if other ethnic majorities within areas of other countries -- the Kurds in Turkey/Iraq, for example -- declared independence? Didn't the treaties that stopped NATO attacks in Kosovo imply some sort of intent of keeping Serbia together, similar to the federation-style set-up used with Bosnians? I don't speak from a place of expertise here... I'm just trying to get my head around it.

Moreover, I was really moved by this book and what it means for a civilian population to be targeted and isolated. I've been addicted to her for months. I do not have faith in NATO or any other allied group to protect the vulnerable. The genocidal massacres at Srebrenica occurred in front of UN Security forces, who rolled back without once standing in protection of the civilian populace. This happened a year after Rwanda, four years after seeing what the Serb forces did in Vukovar. We've shown that we cannot bring ourselves to say the word "genocide" even when we know it is occurring because we'd be obliged to act. It makes me think that the only way to stop genocide from occurring is to help negotiate healing and understanding, not encourage nationalism and independence.

I don't care how "low the water is" -- these people are crazy.

Yesterday afternoon, Will saw a picture of Mount Everest with hikers climbing around in some area low enough and far enough away that they were relatively mildly dressed and outfitted. It was such a causal picture that it almost didn't seem out of the ordinary for Will to suggest, "we should go hiking there one day." I explained that this was the tallest mountain in the world and that it was very far away and very dangerous. No matter, he was hooked: "Mommy, can we go there? Can we hike on the Tallest Mountain In The World???" (The fascination was extreme; he spoke those last words in Capital.)

Somewhere, the universe is laughing at me. Because the one thing I made Paul swear he would NEVER, under ANY circumstances take up was extreme mountaineering. I do not want to ever be in a position where I am biting my nails while someone I love is playing that roulette game with nature: the Into Thin Air IMAX convinced me of this. It would figure that Will is now fascinated with the idea of climbing Everest. (Mental Note: work on instilling fear of heights into children.)

We now have a second "No You CANNOT, Not EVER, NEVER." I don't care how the water is low and the current mild. This is crazy!
h/t: growabrain

Chillin'

On this Valentine's Day...

When I taught at Michigan, I used to put an overhead of this up on the board as students walked in when I had class on Valentines Day. Sort of sums up my thoughts on the whole Valentines thing*. It had a lot more bite to it in the days before Blood Diamond and was a great launch into discussing the paradigms around relationships.

Share it with someone you love on this Valentines Day. (You can find online copies of it here.)



Ten Reasons Why You Should Never Accept a Diamond Ring from Anyone, Under Any Circumstances, Even If They Really Want to Give You One.

By Liz Stanton, CPE Staff Economist

1. You’ve Been Psychologically Conditioned To Want a Diamond. The diamond engagement ring is a 63-year-old invention of N.W.Ayer advertising agency. The De Beers diamond cartel contracted N.W.Ayer to create a demand for what are, essentially, useless hunks of rock.

2. Diamonds are Priced Well Above Their Value. The De Beers cartel has systematically held diamond prices at levels far greater than their abundance would generate under anything even remotely resembling perfect competition. All diamonds not already under its control are bought by the cartel, and then the De Beers cartel carefully managed world diamond supply in order to keep prices steadily high.

3. Diamonds Have No Resale or Investment Value. Any diamond that you buy or receive will indeed be yours forever: De Beers™ advertising deliberately brain-washed women not to sell; the steady price is a tool to prevent speculation in diamonds; and no dealer will buy a diamond from you. You can only sell it at a diamond purchasing center or a pawn shop where you will receive a tiny fraction of its original “value.”

4. Diamond Miners are Disproportionately Exposed to HIV/AIDS. Many diamond mining camps enforce all-male, no-family rules. Men contract HIV/AIDS from camp sex-workers, while women married to miners have no access to employment, no income outside of their husbands and no bargaining power for negotiating safe sex, and thus are at extremely high risk of contracting HIV.

5. Open-Pit Diamond Mines Pose Environmental Threats. Diamond mines are open pits where salts, heavy minerals, organisms, oil, and chemicals from mining equipment freely leach into ground-water, endangering people in nearby mining camps and villages, as well as downstream plants and animals.

6. Diamond Mine-Owners Violate Indigenous People’s Rights. Diamond mines in Australia, Canada, India and many countries in Africa are situated on lands traditionally associated with indigenous peoples. Many of these communities have been displaced, while others remain, often at great cost to their health, livelihoods and traditional cultures.

7. Slave Laborers Cut and Polish Diamonds. More than one-half of the world’s diamonds are processed in India where many of the cutters and polishers are bonded child laborers. Bonded children work to pay off the debts of their relatives, often unsuccessfully. When they reach adulthood their debt is passed on to their younger siblings or to their own children.

8. Conflict Diamonds Fund Civil Wars in Africa. There is no reliable way to insure that your diamond was not mined or stolen by government or rebel military forces in order to finance civil conflict. Conflict diamonds are traded either for guns or for cash to pay and feed soldiers.

9. Diamond Wars are Fought Using Child Warriors. Many diamond producing governments and rebel forces use children as soldiers, laborers in military camps, and sex slaves. Child soldiers are given drugs to overcome their fear and reluctance to participate in atrocities.

10. Small Arms Trade is Intimately Related to Diamond Smuggling. Illicit diamonds inflame the clandestine trade of small arms. There are 500 million small arms in the world today which are used to kill 500,000 people annually, the vast majority of whom are non-combatants.

References:

* Collier, Paul, “Economic Causes of Civil Conflict and Their Implications for Policy,” World Bank, June 15, 2000.
* Epstein, Edward Jay, “Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?“, The Atlantic Monthly, February 1982.
* Global Witness, “Conflict Diamonds: Possibilities for the Identification, Certification and Control of Diamonds,” A Briefing Document, June 2000.
* Human Rights Watch/Asia, “The Small Hands of Slavery: Bonded Child Labor In India,” Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Project.
* Human Rights Watch, “Children’s Rights: Stop the Use of Child Soldiers.”
* Kerlin, Katherine “Diamonds Aren’t Forever: Environmental Degradation and Civil War in the Gem Trade,” E: The Environment Magazine.
* Le Billon, Philippe, “Angola’s Political Economy of War: The Role of Oil and Diamonds, 1975-2000,” African Affairs, (2001), 100, p.55-80
* Mines and Communities, “The Mining Curse: The roles of mining in ‘underdeveloped’ economies,” Minewatch Asia Pacific/Nostromo Briefing Paper, February 1999.
* Other Facets, Number 1, April 2001; Number 2, June 2001; Number 3, October 2001, www.partnershipafricacanada.org/hsdp/of.html [dead link]


*Full disclosure: I do own a diamond that I consider to be one of the most precious things we have. It was Paul's Grandmother's engagement ring from the 1920s, set in a completely one-of-a-kind ring that she designed. I like to think that it holds a bit more innocence for it's age, originality, and family history. But hey, I eat meat, heat my house, take long showers, and own clothes that came from maquilas, so I am in no way innocent. Even still: I have never bought a diamond.

Will Picasso

Will (wearing Kate's cowgirl hat) poses beside his drawing of a mermaid in the ocean (see the waves?) with the sand beneath her (see the tan sand?)

Back at work on a new masterpiece.

Part way through his next creation: Mardi Gras Float. Fuzzy thing to the left is beads. Green person to the extreme right corner is a person watching and catching. Notice that the float has several layers and wheels.

Will on Home Renovation

"How do you get underneath a bathtub to put them in?"

"You first build where they are going to go, then you carry then in and put them down."

"But how do you build the pipes?"

"You get under the house and put in the pipes underneath. Maybe you can crawl under with me and I'll show you the pipes."

"I don't know about that," his face scrunches up, "there's a lot of creepy, crawly bugs down there."

Recent Questions: Will Edition

"Mommy, where do mouses come from?"

"Can we get a dog?"

"How do fish breathe?"

"Do trees breathe?"

"Do trees eat?"

"Why does wind move trees?"

"Why does Kate always take off her shoes?"

"Can we pull over so I can poop on the side of the road?"

Thank you, Mayor Nagin.

For helping us parents spread the message to our children that guns are objects of violence, not toys. You are doing a great job of telling us just how seriously you take the issue of violent crime in New Orleans.

Dusty and Stormy

We're home. It's dusty. Very dusty. Big dirt from the demo came through the walls into the bedrooms... we planned on me returning early this morning to bring the kids right to school so that I could have a few hours to clean before the kids were in the house. (Thank goodness for the IRB- related downtime.)

We are down to one tiny tiny bathroom in the front of the house. Stuff is packed everywhere. Other stuff is in the new section, covered in dust. The washer and dryer (complete with a dent from a falling beam) are still in the gutted section -- Paul was reluctant to take these away without being ready to hook them up in the new section. They won't stay in the new section, he's just putting together a temporary location.

The next few months of renovation/construction are going to be the worst.

---
In the midst of the afternoon cleaning, we were visited by a the-end-is-near type storm. There were a few moments where we paused to listen if we were hearing a tornado, but the real excitement came from the leaks in the new ceiling. From all three skylights. The good news is that Paul investigated and feels that the wind was pushing the layers up and water under (it's still only the first layer up there) and feels confident that it will be fine... but he's still checking with the expert guy at the local supplier warehouse tomorrow.

Paul is doing well from the weekend warrior marathon... despite stepping on two nails which went through his shoe and deep into his foot.

---
In other more topical news, this completely inappropriate bit of fun had me in stitches.

Sage Advice from the SPQ

Me and my friend, Tammy, are totally reading this book.

"Everybody," she said, "needs to make it their Life's Work to teach at least one kid to say, 'WHEE!' And mean it!"

Amen to that.

What Paul did on his weekend vacation

Now that we have doors and windows, we were able to move stuff into the space without concern of severe damage from the elements. This meant that it was time to move to the next step... gutting the existing bathroom and laundry area.

First, to explain: our original house ends with two bedrooms in the back of the house, currently one is our "master" bedroom (which means it's a little bigger than the others) and the other bedroom is the one Will and Kate share. (The "third" bedroom is a small 8x12 or so sized room that was Will's bedroom at one time and is now the home office -- an important thing for us since Paul works full-time from home.)

At some point in the home's history, a lean-to type addition was created that made bathrooms and laundry outlets for each side. This happened when the home was still two homes (we live in a shotgun double, which is two shotguns that share a common wall in the interior -- it was combined into one home in the 1980s). So, when we bought the house there were technically three bathrooms... although the tubs in the back bathrooms were not hooked to water and could not hold water and the front bathroom was hardly functioning. In reality, the house had no kitchen or bathrooms when we bought it -- the first thing we did was the front bathroom. The shower was okay and the only usable thing in the front bathroom (and has served as our only place to wash since we moved in -- it was also where we washed dishes for our first 4 months in the house) -- we used a toilet in the back of the house until we finished the front bathroom. You can see some of the before and after shots here: hall bath before and after --- kitchen before and after. (Note that the "kitchen" in the before picture was completely for show -- nothing was vented, plumbed, or otherwise functioning... the cabinets weren't even screwed in.)

From what we had seem in comparable homes, we knew that we were going to have to do the kitchen right (which is the way we do everything, anyway, crazy perfectionists that we are) so we used all our available funds on the kitchen and front bathroom (and re-wiring the Whole. Entire. House. and installing attic stairs, installing recessed lights in Every. Room., installing speakers in the kitchen.... etc., etc.) We did some beautifying before Kate was born, but really, the vast majority of the work on the house has been over protecting ourselves from electrical fire or having a ceiling fall down in the middle of the night. Priorities. So, the unfinished bathrooms sat. We used the bathroom on the kids' side of the house for the laundry. We took out the unusable tub on this side and gave it to a very friendly organic blueberry farmer in Mississippi. The tub on our side was in better shape; we worked with a local tradesman and refinished it (some of the work was Paul, some was the tradesman... love people who will work this way). But nothing was ever hooked up since we knew we would be doing work to the room. We vacillated for several years about what to do with the back until the plan came together last fall.

In the project right now, the next big thing we need to do is finish the roof. The first layer is temporary for up to 90 days... and we've burned through about half (or more) of those. But before we can get the final roof layer up, the vent stacks from the new bathroom have to be installed. That means that the existing bathrooms/laundry has to be gutted completely, framed out and plumbed so that we know where the stacks should go. With the new space sealed to the elements, we were ready to gut. We started moving stuff out into the new section and I took the kids out of town to give Paul the freedom to do mess, dangerous work without the distraction of kids in the house. Here are some of his pictures. Maybe he'll post some with comments soon... right now, I think he's completely exhausted since (in addition to the housework during daylight hours) he also did work-work this weekend and is gearing up for a crazy week job-wise. Thank goodness I'm in a holding pattern until IRB meets and responds so I can pick up the slack!

PICTURES of the DEMOLITION...

This is the door leading to the kids' room to the left and the exterior wall on the right. You can see that this addition (we're not sure when it was done... the 70s maybe?) the drywall was pounded up RIGHT ON THE EXTERIOR WOOD PANELING of the house. See the drywall, wood panels (that were the original exterior of the house before siding was put up over it), and then the lathe underneath? Wild.
This is looking from the kids' door up and out to the new addition. Once the drywall on the ceiling was pulled out, the skylight became visible! This is the new skylight Paul installed when he built the roof. One note about the exterior wall to the left in this picture. It did not have any boarding holding it together under the drywall. And it is very very very flimsy. Paul feels certain that a good push would bring it down completely; it's already bowing quite a bit. He says we need to take out all the framing and siding and completely re-do the whole wall. If we were paying someone else to do this work, this is where the budget would get blown. There was on way to know about the problem until the wall was out; thankfully Paul has the inclination to learn about these things and do quality work himself... otherwise, we'd be way way behind schedule and over budget. This is the same side of the house and wall that he jacked up and reframed the base of when he was starting the new room in the back.
This wall is the interior wall against the kids' room. Paul has started removing the wood siding (the original exterior walls that the drywall was nailed up against when this room was added.) You get a sense of just how incredibly messy the work is.
Looking into the bathroom area; the wall to the right is the interior wall with the kids' room behind it. The wall in the center of the picture is the center dividing wall -- on the other side is our mirrored bathroom/laundry. Note the center wall -- see the floor? The tile floor was laid after the interior wall was built -- see how the wall slopes? The floor is leveled out around the wall. Who knows what we are going to find when the floor starts getting ripped out.
This is the window that was in the kids' side. At some point, a vine grew through the backwall. Workers ripped the plant out and then put up drywall. You can see the tracks of the plant below (no, it's not termites, although that is what Paul initially thought... no sign of termite debris and no damage... it's from a plant!) The whole on the floor is where the toilet in the kids' side used to be.
Wow! This is looking from where our bathroom used to be. You can see where the wall dividing the two sides used to be. The door to the right is the new door leading to the new room in the back. That's our washer and dryer still in the same place. Paul is going to make a temporary hook-up in the new room so that we have a washer and dryer during this part of the renovation.
Looking from where the washer and dryer are back to the other side, towards where our bathroom used to be. The interior wall in the process of being demolished was the wall that had washer and dryer hook-ups (identical to the other side).
Same view, with the walls gone!! The door to the far right leads to our bedroom. The pumps coming up from the floor were where the two sinks were (one on each side of the dividing wall). Oddly, the sinks drained way way way to the left (if you scroll up, you can see where Paul sawed off the drain -- a big black pipe -- down from the sink water pipes.) He said it was hard to work around these pipes, since an accidental hit would have resulted in a geyser. Early on, a beam did fall and put a decent dent in the top of the dryer.

Now, he's starting on taking down the rest of the backwall. The framed windows are what Paul did from the other side when he started the addition in the back.
These are the other two skylights -- the ones that will shine over our Master Bathroom one day! See the different paint colors on the boards? We have no idea why. Paul thinks that at one point, the room may have been open to these boards and the color was aesthetic. He also wonders if there may have been a drop ceiling at one point and hence when the white color was done.
Back wall is outta there! Wow. Notice that the bead board up on the far wall (the side exterior wall) is actually different than that found elsewhere. After the board came down, he found that this side is just as flimsy as the other. Both sides will need to be completely re-built if we're to do it right.
Looking down the backwall to the kids' bedroom side.
Now he moved to working on the interior wall. Interesting to find that major parts of the lathe had been rough-cut through (see the drywall where lathe should be?) Whether for plumbing or electric or...?... we have no idea.
Paul was impressed by this horizontal beam work. These beams are seriously heavy-duty and the diagonal cuts were all done by hand tools. Impressive carpentry, likely over a 100 years old. These diagonal beams are on each side of the house. We're not sure what the foundation under them looks like and how they contribute to the load on this load-bearing wall. We would like to cut through this to make our closet open from this side, versus in the room as it does currently. We may possibly have a tough time doing this depending on what we find in the next steps.
The interior wall, siding down. That's the lathe with drywall on the other side! This is also where Paul got after two long days of hard, dirty work! (Big thanks to hired handy-guy Wesley, a young kid who is in technical school and has helped out with some of the debris hauling and assorted tasks... I'm not sure Paul could've done all of this without some extra hands!)
The current plan is for me to bring the kids back early Tuesday (hopefully, we'll have water and electricity all working by then... although probably no washer and dryer). That will let me drop the kids off in school and then go home to clean thoroughly before the kids get into the house. Paul tells me that the dust is pretty bad (despite all his efforts at clean-up and protecting the rest of the house) and we want to get up all the dust and debris in the air before exposing the kids.

Next steps:
-- Tear out the floor
-- Rebuild the side walls
-- Frame out the interior walls
-- Rough plumbing
-- Vent stacks
-- Roof finished
-- Exterior hardiplank hung (at this point, the exterior would be finished and we would really sigh a sigh of relief)
-- A/Cs installed on the roof (hopefully before we have too many more 80-degree days)
-- Then we can turn to the interior electric, plumbing, shower bed installation, drywall, flooring, tile, fixtures.... etc., etc.