Nearing the end of the year means a few things. For me it means the end of the semester, the end of warm days and the ability to work outside, at least scrape and paint, and the end of fishing. Yesterday I had a group of seniors for their last day of clinical at Capital Health in Trenton. The next few days I'll be on the psych units and Friday wrapping it up with the freshman at a long term care facility. But it's not over for them, they still have one last hurdle, the final exam. Some are sitting pretty, some are right on the fence, and some need a miracle.
On the home front it's been a grind. It's not a honey-do list I'm trying to knock out but really a house restoration. Luckily my Roku set up, since we got rid of cable, shows old episodes
of This Old House Classic so I've been either working on our house or watching Bob Vila and Norm Abram work on someone else's. This house of ours is a bear. Now just over 100 years old it has all the charm you could ask for, but everything needs to be restored or replaced. I've been on a burning lead paint and repainting the house kick for months now and soon the cold weather will put the brakes on that. I've also been redoing the windows, most of which have been glued shut by
100 years of lead paint, and then painted multiple times over. And then there's old water and termite damage that I caught last week. I knew it was there, and would one day get into it, but I figured this was the season and the year to tackle it. The sill is shot, and it's 16 feet long.
Just getting things out can be a daunting task. Below I was able to burn all the paint off from around the window and hinges to be able to open the window. The bottom sash on this one fell
right off due to the double dowels rotting out on both sides. And saving the double width glass is a priority as a replacement 45 inches high by 24 inches wide pane runs about $40 at Niece Lumber in Lambertville.
One thing I can say since I'be been on my The Old House kick is how tight and cheap I've become in my old age. Well, call it thrifty or cheap. And I say this because years ago, remember the early years, when the marriage and kids were young and trips to Home Depot were a testosterone booster? Well it was then I bought the tools I have now, and have limped along for decades. My Ryobi tool set, the first one to come in green, is just about done, either the tools all make noise from the worn out brushes or the batteries don't re-charge. And Ryobi. of course, like Apple, changes the batteries and chargers with each new generation. My Stihl leave blower and chainsaw, both 20 + years old, don't blow, okay I won't go there, and the chainsaw doesn't stay running. And I need to gather wood to feed that new wood burning stove.
From time to time I stop in the Tool section at Home Depot and look at how much a new set-up would be. There's Ryobi, which has served me well, then there's Milwaukee, and then Harbor Freight has a line as does WalMart. But I always think of spending that money. I never used to be like that. And, it pisses me off.
I recently had a pair of workbooks that I got from a thrift shop. Over time the front sole started to flap. So I went Gorilla tape and solved that problem until the other day when I was coming down the ladder and the rear part of the sole caught the ladder rung almost causing me to die. Well that might be a bit much.
So I went online to look and see how much a new pair of workbooks would be. I was going to dive in. I remember it used to be easy, need a pair of boots, head over to Sears for a pair of Die-Hards. Now there's 1,000 companies out there. Most have some kind of American flag attached to their boots or webpages. Made in America (some with international parts) is great, what some say is Assembled in America. But anyway, I liked the way Brute boots looked. I figured I might was well go for the good toe protection since I'm now a professional. $175 for a pair of workbooks? I guess. I guess it'll be "Theresa did you see that black tape", again.
Anyway, I guess I'm either broke all the time or inherently cheap, or maybe I'm just not going to fall in line with all the other consumers out there and just pay whatever price because 'Things are just so expensive these days". I hate to say I remember the good old days, but it's true. Things are now built like crap, or are cheaper to dispose of and get a new one then have something repaired. Funny thing is Theresa took our vacuum to a vacuum repair shop last weekend, how does that guy even stay in business these days? Maybe he's running numbers out the back door, but even that business has changed. It's 24/7 betting ads on every sports channel on TV and the radio these days. Oh yes, all having the disclaimer in fine print or very fast words, "Gambling Problem call 1 800 GAMBLER".
While I know can't go back in time and there's less life to live then I have lived already I'll spent my days working with passed their prime tools and a pair of stinky insulated CROCS that surely don't have any toe protection in them.
I'll be out for one last hurrah maybe next week, unless it's going to be 60 and I can't burn off a couple more feet of lead paint.