Russ hasn't spent a night in the Bronx in a week. I've been holding down the fort; cleaning out cupboards and drawers; boxing stray shoes and electronics; noshing on the scraps left in the fridge and pantry (I'm officially out of pasta and down to my last packet of 2 minute noodles!)
Tonight, I've demanded that Russ take a night off plastering, sanding, paint prepping and sweeping and come "home."
A dear friend shared the feeling of safe secure love snuggled in bed with her husband and newborn. All that she needed in life was cuddled beneath blankets and within arms reach. The knowledge that they were together, safe, whole left her ready to face the challenges beyond the flannel and feathers. The apartment in the Bronx is still home because that is where our bed resides. The safe place we can recharge together.
After days ... 2 short weeks ... of homeownership we need to recharge and we need to do that together. There has been so much change. Our own personal tornado, a literal upheaval.
Tonight, probably our last night together in the Bronx, I imagine as the eye of the storm. The next time we have a moment to step back together, reflect, snuggle deep under the covers for a few more fleeting minutes, it will be in our new home in Peekskill!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Exhaustion
Another week has whipped by and the exhaustion has increased exponentially!
I spent Saturday climbing stairs and hauling boxes. I did some calculations (16 steps per flight of stairs, 5th floor = 4 sets of stairs = 64 steps per trip down. I did the trip around 40 times over 5 hours ... Up and Down approximately 5000 steps!) My arms, back and quads are screaming today.
Russ spent Saturday plastering the living room wall where the panels of mirror once hung and scrapping and smoothing the kitchen floor and then installing vinyl tile as a quick fix until real demolition begins next year!
We couldn't have survived Saturday without all the hands and vehicles that come out to help. It was a whirlwind and I easily could have slept through Sunday. But in addition to home-remodeling, I am a coach. My mom and running protoge has a half marathon coming up in two weeks and she had to complete her final long run. Sunday morning we were pounding the pavement by 9am. My quads hated each step of the entire 12 miles.
Run complete, we kept the momentum going. The local Sherwin-Williams paint store had an interior decorator on hand for the weekend and a 40% off sale, as if I needed further encouragement! I selected and purchased primer and paint for the living room, entry way and bedroom. Then we were off to Sears to purchase a stove and back down to Riverdale to pick up a rocking chair. Russ ignores me when I tell him his "office" in the new house will soon be a nursery!
After a quick stop at Home Depot for some "space invaders" crack filling foam and a giant tarp to cover all the boxes that are currently being stored in our leaky garage our errands were complete!
Mom and I were up in Peekskill by 5pm to nosh on some Kentucky Fried Chicken with Russ and drag the stove inside before we headed south again. We left Russ covered in plaster and sweeping up the almost finished kitchen floor. I was back in the Bronx around 7pm and somehow found the energy to organize and pack more scattered remnants still in the apartment.
I spent Saturday climbing stairs and hauling boxes. I did some calculations (16 steps per flight of stairs, 5th floor = 4 sets of stairs = 64 steps per trip down. I did the trip around 40 times over 5 hours ... Up and Down approximately 5000 steps!) My arms, back and quads are screaming today.
Russ spent Saturday plastering the living room wall where the panels of mirror once hung and scrapping and smoothing the kitchen floor and then installing vinyl tile as a quick fix until real demolition begins next year!
We couldn't have survived Saturday without all the hands and vehicles that come out to help. It was a whirlwind and I easily could have slept through Sunday. But in addition to home-remodeling, I am a coach. My mom and running protoge has a half marathon coming up in two weeks and she had to complete her final long run. Sunday morning we were pounding the pavement by 9am. My quads hated each step of the entire 12 miles.
Run complete, we kept the momentum going. The local Sherwin-Williams paint store had an interior decorator on hand for the weekend and a 40% off sale, as if I needed further encouragement! I selected and purchased primer and paint for the living room, entry way and bedroom. Then we were off to Sears to purchase a stove and back down to Riverdale to pick up a rocking chair. Russ ignores me when I tell him his "office" in the new house will soon be a nursery!
After a quick stop at Home Depot for some "space invaders" crack filling foam and a giant tarp to cover all the boxes that are currently being stored in our leaky garage our errands were complete!
Mom and I were up in Peekskill by 5pm to nosh on some Kentucky Fried Chicken with Russ and drag the stove inside before we headed south again. We left Russ covered in plaster and sweeping up the almost finished kitchen floor. I was back in the Bronx around 7pm and somehow found the energy to organize and pack more scattered remnants still in the apartment.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Big Weekend, Major Improvements
On Friday, Russ headed up to the house after work (and a detour to the pub). He surveyed the disaster area (the entire property we now call home) and plotted out the projects and order of operation for the next 48 hours.
On Thursday evening, we had cleared the living and dining room floor back to its original layer and it just need some minor improvements (tacking down a few buckled pieces near the heat vent where moisture had seeped in and scraping off any remnants from the laminate). The very sticky black and white laminate in the hallway has been left in place until we are ready to sand and re-varnish all the wood floors; a much bigger project than we can take on right now.
The kitchen was the Problem Room on the first floor. The stove was nearly radioactive and coated with some (probably) highly combustible grime. Four layers of laminate covered the kitchen floor, the counter top had at least as many layers of dust and grease, and the refrigerator hummed its way to a dust/fur heart attack.
While Russ plotted our plan of attack, I checked out some more "donation furniture." I have been very fortunate to have friends with furniture-that-needs-a-new-home and we have happily taken in the donation; the most recent from some running buddies in the shape of a hardwood oak dining room table, a hutch for my inherited china, and 6 gorgeous chairs - all the pieces part of a matching set. We are moving up in the world!
On Saturday, before I headed up to Peekskill, I hunted for carpet for the master bedroom with my mom and sister. We picked a beige color that will go with whatever decor we eventually decide on. The discount store we love to frequent in Yonkers (aptly named National Wholesale Liquidators) also had vinyl tiles which would be an inexpensive short-term fix for the horrendous floor situation in the kitchen. Into the cart, I piled mops, brooms, bleach, toilet cleaner, contractor bags, reams of paper towels, toilet seats, a shower curtain, various cleaning sponges and a plastic 40 gallon tub (in which to carry it all!).
We trooped up to Peekskill armed for combat and met my brother and Russ in the driveway hacking at the overgrown bushes edging the drive. They had been shopping at Home Depot for rakes, gardening clippers, hackers and thrashers; all this in addition to the Thursday night excursion to Home Depot for a shop vacuum, dust masks, gloves, hammers, screwdrivers, pry bar, scrappers ... By the end of this renovation, I hope we own some stock in some home renovation conglomerate!
All weekend long we worked (and visited Home Depot one more time for extension leads, brillo pads, wood floor cleaner, buckets, carpet pads and carpet tack strips, more paper towels and a six foot ladder). Mom and Pops were indefatigable in their efforts to scrape, tear, and pry the house into tip-top shape. Russ was our captain and we the crew. He had us scraping paint off window sills, prying the floor to ceiling mirrors off the living room wall, tearing out wall paper in the bathrooms and linoleum in the kitchen, and sucking giant tufts of fur and dust out of the refrigerator motor (it had happily sucked everything that passed by its grates for decades and never been cleaned).
Saturday night we treated our helpers to dinner at the Birdsall Tavern and enjoyed sitting, sipping a few cold brews and inhaling a delicious dinner. Russ and I collapsed into our sleeping bags on the attic floor, the only fur-less, dust-less corner of our house.
Sunday, there was demolition of deteriorating and useless wooden shelves, more scraping, bush-hacking and junk hauling to the (thankfully) cavernous garage but there were no breaks. The stove was beyond salvaging and we hauled it out of the kitchen. Every window blind and curtain was pulled down and fixtures removed. We hacked out tangled phone cords and hung a new shower curtain. Around 5pm, ravenous, I managed to sneak in a phone call to a local pizza place and ordered 2 large pies for delivery. We sat around the makeshift dining room table and surveyed our progress. It looked like a different house.
It was starting to look like our home.
*****Promise pics will follow soon. Just wanted to update before I crash into bed.
On Thursday evening, we had cleared the living and dining room floor back to its original layer and it just need some minor improvements (tacking down a few buckled pieces near the heat vent where moisture had seeped in and scraping off any remnants from the laminate). The very sticky black and white laminate in the hallway has been left in place until we are ready to sand and re-varnish all the wood floors; a much bigger project than we can take on right now.
The kitchen was the Problem Room on the first floor. The stove was nearly radioactive and coated with some (probably) highly combustible grime. Four layers of laminate covered the kitchen floor, the counter top had at least as many layers of dust and grease, and the refrigerator hummed its way to a dust/fur heart attack.
While Russ plotted our plan of attack, I checked out some more "donation furniture." I have been very fortunate to have friends with furniture-that-needs-a-new-home and we have happily taken in the donation; the most recent from some running buddies in the shape of a hardwood oak dining room table, a hutch for my inherited china, and 6 gorgeous chairs - all the pieces part of a matching set. We are moving up in the world!
On Saturday, before I headed up to Peekskill, I hunted for carpet for the master bedroom with my mom and sister. We picked a beige color that will go with whatever decor we eventually decide on. The discount store we love to frequent in Yonkers (aptly named National Wholesale Liquidators) also had vinyl tiles which would be an inexpensive short-term fix for the horrendous floor situation in the kitchen. Into the cart, I piled mops, brooms, bleach, toilet cleaner, contractor bags, reams of paper towels, toilet seats, a shower curtain, various cleaning sponges and a plastic 40 gallon tub (in which to carry it all!).
We trooped up to Peekskill armed for combat and met my brother and Russ in the driveway hacking at the overgrown bushes edging the drive. They had been shopping at Home Depot for rakes, gardening clippers, hackers and thrashers; all this in addition to the Thursday night excursion to Home Depot for a shop vacuum, dust masks, gloves, hammers, screwdrivers, pry bar, scrappers ... By the end of this renovation, I hope we own some stock in some home renovation conglomerate!
All weekend long we worked (and visited Home Depot one more time for extension leads, brillo pads, wood floor cleaner, buckets, carpet pads and carpet tack strips, more paper towels and a six foot ladder). Mom and Pops were indefatigable in their efforts to scrape, tear, and pry the house into tip-top shape. Russ was our captain and we the crew. He had us scraping paint off window sills, prying the floor to ceiling mirrors off the living room wall, tearing out wall paper in the bathrooms and linoleum in the kitchen, and sucking giant tufts of fur and dust out of the refrigerator motor (it had happily sucked everything that passed by its grates for decades and never been cleaned).
Saturday night we treated our helpers to dinner at the Birdsall Tavern and enjoyed sitting, sipping a few cold brews and inhaling a delicious dinner. Russ and I collapsed into our sleeping bags on the attic floor, the only fur-less, dust-less corner of our house.
Sunday, there was demolition of deteriorating and useless wooden shelves, more scraping, bush-hacking and junk hauling to the (thankfully) cavernous garage but there were no breaks. The stove was beyond salvaging and we hauled it out of the kitchen. Every window blind and curtain was pulled down and fixtures removed. We hacked out tangled phone cords and hung a new shower curtain. Around 5pm, ravenous, I managed to sneak in a phone call to a local pizza place and ordered 2 large pies for delivery. We sat around the makeshift dining room table and surveyed our progress. It looked like a different house.
It was starting to look like our home.
*****Promise pics will follow soon. Just wanted to update before I crash into bed.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Sweet dreams
After a long evening of floor tearing and dust sucking, we slept soundly. (The place is filthy! The old couple couldn't keep up with the house cleaning and left it all to me, Cinderella! ) Russ' work buddy Jay helped him tear up the floors (laminate over hard wood!) while I vacuumed up the debris and attempted to clean the bathrooms. I had never suffered a gag-reflex until faced with these toilets ... I promptly enlisted some assistance (more on that later!).
We crashed in the attic on sleeping bags and camped indoors. The only noise was the sound of crickets and Jay snoring. I counted 7 cars driving down the street before I fell asleep - Jay and Russ beat me to the Sandman.
I'm looking forward to my bed tonight, but missing the solitude of our home.
We crashed in the attic on sleeping bags and camped indoors. The only noise was the sound of crickets and Jay snoring. I counted 7 cars driving down the street before I fell asleep - Jay and Russ beat me to the Sandman.
I'm looking forward to my bed tonight, but missing the solitude of our home.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Free Time Evaporated
I'd like to think I didn't waste my free time while I had it. I feel prepared, but that sneaking feeling that I could have - should have done more while I had the time lingers . . .
The closing went without a hitch on Monday and was complete in less than an hour. The sellers and their daughter were in attendance, as were a multitude of attorneys. I was glad I hadn't braved the paper signing alone and invited my mom along when Russ realized he really couldn't take another day off work.
We met some local running friends for lunch after the closing and got to experience the cozy familiarity locals have at the Bean Runner Cafe. I was introduced to Ted, a former marathoner turned kiddie coach, who owns the cafe. It was a pleasant dining experience, but I will have to save further praise/critique. It seems there is some intense rivalry between the Bean Runner and the Peekskill Coffee House around the corner. I'd like to sample both establishments before I lavish praise on the quaint cafe that regularly hosts local musicians and serves up a mean jerk chicken wrap and corn chowder.
Since Monday, our world had been a flurry of activity, including a lackluster attempt to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. I haven't been back to the house since a brief visit after the closing to test out the feeling of opening MY FRONT door. The list of things projects to complete before move-in: remove the linoleum flooring, salvage the wood floors underneath, establish a palette and pick carpet/rug/paint colors, get a fresh coat of paint on the walls, remove the old carpeting, clean out the fluffy white dog fur that has settled into every crack and crevice ... and that's just the interior.
I'm working hard to persuade Russ to hire someone to help with clearing the overgrowth and brush outside.
It just seems like too much for one man (and his motely Crew) to take on and complete in less than 2 weeks. The clock is ticking. I'm making TONS of lists. When do we find time to savor this new experience: homeownership.
The closing went without a hitch on Monday and was complete in less than an hour. The sellers and their daughter were in attendance, as were a multitude of attorneys. I was glad I hadn't braved the paper signing alone and invited my mom along when Russ realized he really couldn't take another day off work.
We met some local running friends for lunch after the closing and got to experience the cozy familiarity locals have at the Bean Runner Cafe. I was introduced to Ted, a former marathoner turned kiddie coach, who owns the cafe. It was a pleasant dining experience, but I will have to save further praise/critique. It seems there is some intense rivalry between the Bean Runner and the Peekskill Coffee House around the corner. I'd like to sample both establishments before I lavish praise on the quaint cafe that regularly hosts local musicians and serves up a mean jerk chicken wrap and corn chowder.
Since Monday, our world had been a flurry of activity, including a lackluster attempt to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. I haven't been back to the house since a brief visit after the closing to test out the feeling of opening MY FRONT door. The list of things projects to complete before move-in: remove the linoleum flooring, salvage the wood floors underneath, establish a palette and pick carpet/rug/paint colors, get a fresh coat of paint on the walls, remove the old carpeting, clean out the fluffy white dog fur that has settled into every crack and crevice ... and that's just the interior.
I'm working hard to persuade Russ to hire someone to help with clearing the overgrowth and brush outside.
It just seems like too much for one man (and his motely Crew) to take on and complete in less than 2 weeks. The clock is ticking. I'm making TONS of lists. When do we find time to savor this new experience: homeownership.
Final Walk Thru
The final walk-thru was on Sunday.
I took a mental snap shot of the young couple walking through their first home. A tall man with strong capable hands and a foreign swagger in his step. A petite woman following closely behind him with quick careful steps, knotted brows and laugh lines sprinkled across her face. Through each room they touch and tug at the things the previous owners left behind; eager to make it theirs. Certain it will be theirs.
She imagines the big (ugly, free, yellow) floral couch filling the living room, a writing desk and cork board in the enclosed front porch, a coat hook behind the front door and shelf where he can drop his keys. He sees beyond the wood paneled dining room walls to the tangle of wires of beyond and sketches data ports, outlet points, recess lighting ... His eye refocuses on the wall and he curses the jib board/dry-wall projects ahead.
They step outside. She lifts her face toward the last of the summer sun. He walks directly toward the garage, proud of its expansive size and possibility. He plucks a walking cane left forgotten in the rafters and mimics a gimp he may one day acquire. She swats at him for his foolish antics. She loves his foolish antics.
On the train ride home, he makes drawings of the garden they will plant.
I took a mental snap shot of the young couple walking through their first home. A tall man with strong capable hands and a foreign swagger in his step. A petite woman following closely behind him with quick careful steps, knotted brows and laugh lines sprinkled across her face. Through each room they touch and tug at the things the previous owners left behind; eager to make it theirs. Certain it will be theirs.
She imagines the big (ugly, free, yellow) floral couch filling the living room, a writing desk and cork board in the enclosed front porch, a coat hook behind the front door and shelf where he can drop his keys. He sees beyond the wood paneled dining room walls to the tangle of wires of beyond and sketches data ports, outlet points, recess lighting ... His eye refocuses on the wall and he curses the jib board/dry-wall projects ahead.
They step outside. She lifts her face toward the last of the summer sun. He walks directly toward the garage, proud of its expansive size and possibility. He plucks a walking cane left forgotten in the rafters and mimics a gimp he may one day acquire. She swats at him for his foolish antics. She loves his foolish antics.
On the train ride home, he makes drawings of the garden they will plant.
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