Entropy Schmentropy

I have made great strides this week.  Some of those strides have been backwards and sideways, but still...great strides.  I have done a lot of cleaning and organizing.  Much needed, I must say.  Among the many things I have tackled is the glass (or lack of) in the windows.  Many windows have glass that is broken or cracked.  While working to prep one of them, I took off the thin plywood that covered the hole where the glass should be.  When I did, the whole window fell to pieces.  Even the base plate under the window was rotted.  I now have to rebuild this window.  I suspect that there are others in a similar condition (two of which I already know).  This will slow down the overall process of sealing the building against the cold wind.  Damn.

Speaking of cold, I am doing something I shouldn't.  I bought a kerosene heater... the "jet" type.  Makes a lot of noise, but puts out a lot of heat.  Thing is, it's supposed to only be used in "a well ventilated place" like outside.  I'm using it in the great hall.  Have to remember to ventilate now an again.  But boy does it keep the work space warm and dry.

I did finish hanging the door I wrote of, and put in the mortised door latch and lock.  Looks good.  Tomorrow I must finish re-building the windows and try to cut the glass to re-glaze them, otherwise I'll have to hire the work done.  I can't afford that.  More pictures coming tomorrow.

Major Progress...Sergeant Success

Okay...since last we met...
We got the meter moved over and the "pigtail" drop from the power pole connected.  Woohoo!  Shortly after that, Jim V and I got the power connected over from the new breaker box to the old so that we still had power to work with.  Of course we didn't just patch it over; we made important improvements to the system to make it safer as well.  Oldest fuse box-- gone.  Old meters--history.  Questionable connections-- reconnected.  I also started pre-wiring the basement.

This weekend, I have been busting my tail to get other things done.  Finished decking the floor in the "new" bathroom.  Put electricity into it, too.  Hung a solid door that needed lots of work.  Got a lot of cleaning done, and made a lot of progress on straightening up the main floor.  I'm trying to get it ready for Kathy to teach yoga there soon.  Kathy got into the act as well.  She took the shop-vac upstairs and started getting that in shape, too.

Everything is moving forward.  One weird and troubling thing... the walls were sweating so bad there were puddles on the floor.  This humidity coupled with the thermal mass of the thick brick walls makes for a lot of condensation.  Going to have to deal with that, too.

Next week, Thanksgiving week, will be a holiday for me all week.  Going to bust a gut to get lots done, while learning my lines for "Nevermore" (see http://notonys.blogspot.com). Going to be a busy life for a while.

It just floored me!

     Today I finally made some real headway on the floor of what will become the handicapped accessible restroom.  I was having trouble largely due to the fact that, as with much of this building, nothing is regularly spaced.  The slots for the floor joists vary as much as 4 inches from one to the other.  Even their lengths vary as much as 2 inches.  But, regardless, I have one-third of the decking down now.  When the decking is done, I'll lay the hardi-backer down, then the flooring.

     On an even more positive note, the inspector passed the new breaker box and meter assembly.  By the end of business Wednesday we should have the meter moved from the old, rather dangerous box, to the new, and a new power drop from the pole connected.  Then the wiring can start.  We will start with the upstairs- the living quarters.  Once that is done, we'll do the main floor.  Of course is has to be commercial code, whereas the upstairs is residential code.  Once all that is done, the basement will get the electrical make-over (also commercial code since it is connected to the floor above).

     One sad thing to report:  Some #@%&$# bag shot our male hawk. We have, sorry, had a pair hunting the area of the creek that runs along the property. I found the male in the yard Saturday... dead with a gunshot to the body. There can be no reason and no excuse. And since red tailed hawks mate for life, the female is now a widow. No more baby hawks.  I'll call the game warden Monday.