Colder than...

It's cold here, single digit temps that creep into the low teens for a daily high. Not as cold as some regions but cold none the less. While some of us hunkered down with a good book and a quart of tequila - interspersed with desperate internet searches for last minute deals to some place warm & sunny - my brother headed to the Adirondacks (where it is even colder) to do a little ice climbing.

Colder than...an ice climber's ass in January.

Passing Muster

It's official, we passed our final inspection.

The last thing that the inspector needed to see properly installed was the handrail - for safety.

We purchased a nice handrail, newel post & balusters but there is a lot of measuring & ciphering to do to cut and install the balusters so that they are straight & level. Dave has barely had a spare moment to himself and no time to devote to that project right now. Plus, everything needs to be stained - which will not be happening in the house until all windows and doors can be left open. Time was running out on our building permit so he improvised.

 He rehung the "temporary" handrail that he made back in December 2010. He carefully measured, remeasured and then measured again before drilling holes in his brand new drywall.

Two 2x4's screwed and glued together make one sturdy newel post. The sanded edges and rounded corners are a nice touch.

Dave made a phone call to the inspector and found out that we did indeed have to have the balusters installed to pass inspection. For safety. You never know when one of us might tumble down the stairs, somehow bounce on the 4th step from the bottom and fall sideways out the hole onto the living room floor. So, in about 30 minutes time, the night before inspection, Dave made and installed rough balusters.

Now Dave can focus on finishing the wallboard in the living room and building a little access door to his cupboard under the stairs. In his spare time.

Supportive & Non-lumpy Bliss

Last night we slept in our own bed, for the first time since July 11, 2011.
It felt wonderful.
Turns out, it was a little bittersweet as well.
537 nights.
Not that one of us was counting.
Hang on, 2012 was a leap year.
538 nights.
Not quite 1001 Arabian Nights, but we sure had fun with it, sleeping in the Westy and sleeping on the futon mattress in front of the big window - looking out onto our back yard and the fields, seeing the sunrise every morning - and sleeping under the Christmas tree. In fact, we were a little sad to leave that view from the big window behind. It's pretty special. But now we have the luxury of having a choice of where we want to sleep at night, kind of like having a weekend home, without the nuisance of packing!