20,003

Blog views, that is. 20,003 times that somebody thought that checking what ol' Jürgen is doing is more important than putting the kids to bed, bringing in the paper, feeding the dog, or working on that report that was due half an hour ago. I would have never thought.... And 20,003 is also a figure, in dollars, that represents what's been going on in my home life for the past two or three months—can't remember exactly when we started. It's the dollar amount that I have spent already on my house remodel /renovation, spearheaded by the solid-as-a-rock Rick LaShomb. That figure is going to continue to go up (oh, I know it is way beyond $20,000 by now), as we're just barely half-way through the project. It is difficult to gauge what still remains to be done and how much it will cost when one goes by the seat of one's pants—and especially if one isn't willing to cut corners just because of a few bucks, or sometimes a few hundred bucks, or more.

Guest bathroom in-between ....

... and after

Lemme tell you: The house will be something that Judy would have been proud of. Only a few days away from what would have been her 57th birthday, I feel a bit guilty that she never saw this project start, let alone finish. That damn peeling paint! We lived with it for years. Those of you who borrowed our potty always brought it back, because the walls were in such a horrible state that one pee was all it took to next time opt for the backyard. Alas, there never was a good time to start the remodel, and so we didn't. This summer I decided that the time was just about as bad as any, and so Rick and I talked and we got started. Foolish me.

Moving all the wine to relocate the Eurocave was an ordeal, but it made for an interesting photoc

Remodeled computer room with the Eurocave on the right next to cardboard that will leave

At this point, I reside in the "forbidden room," as we always called it. A new futon is my bed whilst the master bedroom is gutted and the waterbed is drained. I shower in the newly refurbished guest bathroom as the ReBath people ripped out the former master shower, broke through my concrete slab, relocated drains and pipes, and will—with a bit of magic—install my new euro-style bath by Tuesday. Rick has stripped and rebuilt my master closet, and all-caulked it is ready for his paint gun. There will be new cabinets, another fresh granite top, lovely carpet (just as in a few other parts of the house already) to curl my toes into (and have secret dreams about nubiles). Once this second phase of the remodel is finished (I hope in early October), we will turn our attention to the kitchen/dining area, and that's when the money is really going to start to evaporate. But if you have any inkling how much I like putzing around the stove you will understand why I won't be able to leave any money to my kids—lucky SOBs, they never existed!

Cabinet and TV are temporary in the guest bedroom—looking north

The new futon, which doubles as a queen-sized bed—looking south in the guest bedroom

So, 20,000 blog hits or $20,000 spent on stuff—it's just numbers, and since I have an alarm clock I can set it for 6 a.m. Monday morning and make sure to check whether there have been any more visitors to the blog before I go out to collect cans in the mall parking lot, and beyond. Nothing like being a retiree on a fixed income who does have a certain taste....

Mr. ReBath tackling what used to be our shower

Walls are gone, the ceiling is demolished

Bye-bye

The base of my new shower

So, all that's left for me is a) concentrate on upcoming races and other exciting stuff, and b) cook way-over-the-top meals for myself. Here's a sampling from the past few days—just imagine what the new kitchen will do when I actually have some counter space and room to juggle. Life is good, as I so frequently say and write.

Sunday: Southwest Grillers

Thursday: Mexican casserole

Friday: Poppers (appetizers, or at least meant to be)

Saturday: Trout fillets on cedar planks

Saturday: Trout, linguine, beans, and shitaki

Sunday: steak night

So, please, go ahead and feel sorry for me. For breakfast I'll have gruel, once again, after I exit my pathetic hovel ....

 Jürgen