Whew...

We're almost done with the remodel. In addition to a small bit of baseboard to finish and install, there remains a small drywall repair in the dining room and a couple of paint touch-ups around the house to get to yet. Of course, the bookcases are not done yet, but that's not something I'm involved with. Other than that, we're done. D.O.N.E.

Survived the Turkey day well enough. It was a small affair--just the five of us--but this will be the last year with all of us home, so that was appropriate.

We still have to get the Christmas decorations out of the attic and the house decorated. This year will be bit different as the new layout of the family room will mean changes to how we've done things in the past, and some of our decorating will have to wait until the bookcases are installed.

Serious blogging (well, if you can call any of this "serious") will resume once the decorations are up and my damned computer is fixed.

Remodel Update...

Progress is slow, but steady. We've been interrupted (slightly) by a visit from our future son-in-law, and slowed by some of the same sorts of things that slow down any project--details. I hope to be done by Thanksgiving.

Update from the road...

The family room remodel project is on the downhill portion, but there remains many details to yet get to. The home theater system needs to be re-wired, baseboards and crown moulding installed, and I may have to rip into the fireplace false-wall to re-wire the HDTV.

On the political front, it appears that Hillary isn't all that invincible, which is something I've thought for some time. Now if the R's can get a front-runner, then maybe the D's can be beaten.

Thanks to all my tens and tens of faithful readers (as well as those here after searching for pictures of Iranian WIG vehicles) for your continued patience. Serious blogging (assuming I can get my computer up to speed) should resume no later than the Christmas holidays.

So, anyhooo....

The remodel project is moving ahead. This isn't one of those Overnight Makeover projects, but neither are we moving a glacial pace.

The paperwork for this project will, I'm afraid, be with us for some time. One of our bigger vendors took our deposit and then promptly went out of business. We've tried to get the charge credited back to our credit card, but no luck as of yet. If that avenue doesn't pan out, I'm thinking we'll be hiring a lawyer and heading into either the bankruptcy court or small claims court. Maybe I can put a lien on something the bastard owns.

In other news, my main general construction guy is an illegal immigrant. Nothing surprising here, as most of them are. I was reminded today that a couple of weeks ago, while on a Mexico City layover, I was able to watch 3 Sunday NFL games as well as some Mexican football. Not fútbol, but real American football, played in pads.

I was struck with this idea: For as much as Americans (and especially the GOP) complain about illegal immigration (from Mexico primarily), and the Mexification of America, it appeared to me that the Mexicans are seeking some of the trappings of America. They want to be American in Mexico, as much as some here see that they want America to be more Mexican.

A good day...

Yesterday, we were able to demo out a good bit of the work on the remodel of our family room. With some help from Son-of- and Wife-of, our built-in bookcases came out without me ruining them (and we discovered the most gawd-awful carpet under them), and they might garner something at a yard sale. The old mantel came off easily, as well as it's supports (although I made a giant cloud of dust in removing them). Learning this lesson, I enclosed the entry to the family room in plastic before I began to remove the upper coarse of the "bins". I made an even larger cloud of dust, but at least it didn't drift all over the house (well, most of it, anyway).

More to do today before I go off to work, but it looks as though I'll get it finished.

Not dead yet...

...but I am knee-deep in the remodel project.

The immediate future, with tons yet to do, on top of a 90+ hour month and a visit from the future son-in-law, foretells little blogging.

Future blogging...

OK. Here it is...

I think I've mentioned that Dau#1 came back from France engaged...to be married (**rimshot**).

In truth, this was not really a surprise...it would have been surprising if they hadn't made it official. They've been long-distance dating since high school, and now it's time to do this thing.

Soooo, we've got a wedding to put on. Wifeof- and Dau#1 have been doing a lot of looking at wedding magazines, wedding sites, etc. and we are finally settled on a site and a date. There are a ton more details to decide upon--dress, flowers, menu, guest lists, DJ--these just the ones from the top of the Father-of-the-Bride's head.

However, one of the details is now becoming a pressing concern...getting this house ready to hold an Engagement Party over the upcoming Christmas holiday. We've got new furniture being delivered, the old furniture (for the new couple) to be moved to a storage locker (yet to be rented), bookcases to have built, new mantel installed, electrician hired, plumber to move a gas line (to accomodate the new mantel), paint applied, crown molding and baseboards installed, carpet laid...well you get the idea.

Today and tomorrow we're having the popcorn ceilings removed from the house. After that, I'll have to paint said ceilings so that we can recover use of three bedrooms and the living room (in which to store the new furniture meant for the family room).

Couple all this with a need/desire to work any extra flying I can (so as to pay for the above), and it ought to be obvious that it's going to be very busy around here for the next few months. I'll try to stay engaged here, but I don't think I'll be adding to this blog much in the next few months.