Friday, June 29, 2018

"The home is the chief school of human virtues." - William Ellery Channing


I expect the battle over the next SCOTUS appointee to be epic and of huge significance. This may be our best chance in almost 50 years to save the lives of millions of children through a rehearing of Roe v. Wade. An overturn would be wonderful, but even if the court allows limits on third trimester abortions or abortions after viability that would be a blessing. Those who see anything less than a total ban as a defeat are misguided IMHO. For the sake of the children who would be saved with an incremental gain....

The above paragraph was written yesterday (Thursday). It's now Friday morning and I've told Pam to plan my memorial service. Yeah, spending about 18 hours in an aluminum tube with hundreds of other people has had the not-unexpected result and I have a nasty cold that I'm pretty sure will bring death later today. So consider this something akin to my last will and testament.

GOATS:
When I do pass from this world this afternoon I'll leave behind clean barns and coop, a particularly nasty task this time around because it hadn't been done in almost three weeks. And with Sundae's kids  added to the mix there was 20% more of everything that makes a barn smell like a barn. It took all morning yesterday but they now have fresh straw.
Stella is due to give birth Sunday. Monday is the more likely day, especially because this is her first kidding. I'll watch closely for signs the blessed event is imminent and then close her in the birthing suite for the duration. One or two? She doesn't look big enough for two and one might be easier for the first-timer.
Sundae also got her hooves trimmed. She's the most cooperative at that which doesn't mean she cooperates, just that she doesn't usually dump me on my arse. Today I'll do Dolly's.

WOOD STOVE(S):
The wood stove that was in MoHo when we bought this palace was as old as MoHo (1979) and in need of replacement. It was inefficient by today's standards, had a solid door so we couldn't see if the fire was doing fine or needed attention without opening the door, was as ugly as any stove ever made, stuck out too far into the room and had a hearth pad almost as ugly as that "brick." And the faux brick heat shield on the wall behind it....was that ever in style?? So a year ago we shopped for a replacement.
Yikes!
I was told by two different Eugene dealers I'd gain about 50% in efficiency with a modern stove. And depending on the brand we got I wouldn't need any fire break behind it, just a "hearth pad" to protect against embers that might fall out onto the floor. Alas, these two dealers were within $50 of each other on price.
By the time the stove (Lope 1150), stove pipe and other installation materials, county permit, and installation charge were added together we were within a few dollars of $4,000! So we spent the last year putting any extra money - honoraria and the like - into the stove fund. Two months ago, mostly because of my month in NY, we could pull the trigger.

The first step was to remove that faux brick which had been glued to the paneling that they put throughout MoHo. Doing that trashed the paneling and I didn't want a drywall-to-paneling seam in the middle of the wall so I removed all the paneling to the beginning of the hallway. Moved some electrical, replaced some insulation that got buggered in the demo, and then....

The windows in this 40-year old MoHo are single pane, aluminum, and do not work well at all. So as long as I was down this far I ordered and installed a new double pane vinyl window. Because nobody buys wood stoves in the middle of summer I got in on a sale that all but covered the cost of the window. Boom!

I removed the old hearth pad which came out in one (heavy) piece. Drywall, mud, and paint on the wall. Then, with the help of the kid across the road and his dad's tractor with fork life attachment we got the stove out. I was told it weighs about 400 pounds! Then I put down the new hearth pad. It's Hardie Board (cement board) covered with 12" ceramic tiles.

Yesterday they came to install the new stove, new stove pipe (black, not shiny silver), code required chimney pipe, and combustable air supply through the floor. There were a few hitches in the process but we got them resolved. This morning I patched the laminate flooring with pieces I had left over. The patch job isn't great but this laminate has always been a temporary fix to replace the bad, smelly, hideous dark brown shag carpet that covered all of the living spaces when we bought MoHo (except the kitchen which has vintage 60's vinyl).

I still have to trim out the window and put the blinds back up.



We're really happy with the outcome and eager to use a lot less wood next winter, have an easier time lighting and maintaining the fire, and enjoy about 12" of extra floor space.

A little bit at a time we'll turn MoHo from a white trash single wide into a decent home.

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