Jazzin' Up The Basement

Back in May, we decided to finally take the plunge and get the basement waterproofed. We've had water in the basement a number of times since we've lived here, but nothing compared to what we had back in the Spring of 2019, now that was traumatic!

Finding a company we could trust was big, too, but I think we're satisfied with the work that was done. And, the new sump pump hasn't even run once since it was installed but, of course, it's the dry part of the season now. Sometimes we wonder if the flood of 2019 was a once in a lifetime occurrence, but it was so overwhelming that we don't want to ever have to deal with something like that again. Plus, we're not getting any younger.

I told myself that I needed to be brave, and just deal with all the strange men coming into our home, plus all the mess and loud noise. The cats were freaked out and little boy who was over here part of the time didn't like the loud noise, either. We told him it was a loud woodpecker making the noise instead of a jack hammer!  We ended up going upstairs into Bruce's office where it was less noisy, and built a fort out of a big cardboard box we had in the garage.

Bruce built a corner into the wall to conceal the pipes that were added for the sump pump. I have no idea how he knows how to do these things, but I am appreciative. 

Jake had helped Bruce carry the big blue couch up the stairs into the garage, and of course it needed to find a new home. Salvation Army refused to take it because it had a small tear on it, so as soon as their truck drove away, I put a listing up on Facebook Marketplace for a free, comfy, blue couch. I immediately started getting texts and shares of the listing, and by early afternoon, a minivan had backed into our driveway, and loaded the couch up. The woman taking the couch was so grateful for it, and kept thanking me. I said, no, thank YOU! 😂

The paint on the walls only needed a little touch up. We like the yellow paint we have down there, it's cheerful and lightens things up. We also had new carpet installed but that only took a day to be done. The name of the carpet we picked out was "Tender Moment". Who in the world thinks up these names? 😂

And, then Katie and Avi gifted us a loveseat from Maryland that they no longer wanted. We stuffed it into Bruce's car, and then Mark helped Bruce carry it down into the basement. It looks good!

 

We're loving our new space. Minnie is the only cat allowed to be down there, and of course, she feels special.

Wordless Wednesday

 

The Sushi Puzzle

 

This Sushi Puzzle has been a challenge. I've been buying the 500 piece jigsaw puzzles from The Dollar Tree lately, not just because of how inexpensive they are, although that is an incentive, but because they're fun. They're bright and colorful, and, soothing to put together because they follow a pattern of horizontal and vertical pieces.  

Our cat Minnie Mouse, though, was so naughty. She jumped up on the puzzle, scattering things, and knocking a few pieces on the floor. I searched and found a couple, then continued on with the puzzle. The next day, I discovered that she had thrown up over one corner of the puzzle, and into a container holding some pieces! They were soaked through and had to be dried out, but luckily they weren't damaged and could still be used. 

As I was almost finished putting the puzzle together, there was one horizontal piece that stood out, and I couldn't figure out where it belonged. I really thought it would fit in eventually, the pieces can surprise you that way sometimes, but sure enough, when the puzzle was complete, it was the odd piece out. And ... there was a vertical piece missing. 

Down on my hands and knees, and under the dining room table I went, and searched. Another cat of ours, Punk, was down there helping me look, but there was no missing piece to be found. Frustrating, but I've since decided that it was some sort of defect out of my control.

Will I continue to buy these Puzzle Bug puzzles from the Dollar Tree? Yes, I think so!

Hanging In There

 

Little Boy's tummy has been giving him problems since getting sick with Covid. He did go in to see his Dr. today, and Katie was reassured that he is starting to improve. Meanwhile, Bruce and I keep watch for symptoms. And, our home Covid tests have been negative, too, which is encouraging. 

Oh, Covid, I am so tired of you hanging around. 

Wait And See

 

Well, I guess it's just been a matter of time until Covid has gotten close to us. 

Mark caught it a couple of weeks ago, and recovered. Now, Katie's little family has it. Avi traveled here from Israel with his mom last week, and they most likely were exposed during their travels. Avi's mom, Katie, and Little Boy got sick. Then, Bruce and I were exposed, but it's probably a bit early to know if we'll get sick or not.

I'm hoping that our immune systems are strong enough to evade it, but I kind of doubt it. And, I take some comfort in knowing that the lethality of it seems to be decreasing as time passes. That's not a guarantee, of course, but one can always hope. In the meantime, I'm staying away from Mom. I also had to cancel my dental appointment, and need to reschedule. That was certainly a bummer! 😂

Little Boy is a little better today, this photo was taken yesterday morning when he had a fever and was wimpy. Poor little honey bunny.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday