Match met! Stove install to be scheduled tomorrow; tile delayed 3 days. Shares needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

What a weekend. It's raining. On a day when we were supposed to get NO rain. But the clouds began building early, and we're supposed to get more tonight. On the plus side, save but for a few sprinkles, it held off until Wings and Joe got the hay in; it's all done, and with nary a bale lifted by me for once. [Yes, I can do as I'm told. Occasionally.] Wings did ALL the loading while Joe drove, which is pretty impressive, I think.

Floyd called a little while ago and said they will not be here tomorrow to begin the tile; apparently the job they've been on has yet another . . . I don't know what to call it. Overrun, only time instead of money? It's for a contractor, and it sounds like he kind of gig that's been a real pain all the way around. He promises they will be here Thursday, without fail, no matter what, to get started, so we're holding them to it. (I want to see the tile, dammit. And also be able to install woodstoves, appliances, etc.) Which means that we will have no days off without a crew here this week, so it's guaranteed to be more exhausting than usual.

Tomorrow, the regular crew will be here to work on getting the deck done, so that (I hope) they can do the final color coat on the plaster and prime and paint the trim by, say, the first week of October. Any later than that starts risking the whole operation, because of temperature and weather. The other thing we'll do tomorrow is call the chimney people and get put on the schedule for the woodstove install, which will probably occur the first week of October, after the tile goes down.

As I've been saying, we are getting close. More on the exterior on Monday with the regular crew; the interior flooring begins; and we get put on the install schedule for the chimney people. There's still a long way to go, and some thing, like kitchen cabinets, are just out of the question anytime in the foreseeable future; there's just no way to do it. But we can get into the house in a matter of weeks: to sleep, to shower, to LIVE. So please send the links out far and wide:

• Wings's direct PayPal link;
• Wings's site, for sales;
• Lowe's cards (the physical version) via our Amazon wishlist;
• Lowe's e-cards (delivered via e-mail) here; and
• Home Depot cards via the company site. The e-version using my e-mail address is great; I take the tablet to the store with me, and they scan it off the screen.
• Wayfair gift cards, to replenish all the furnishings that the RV has destroyed in one way or another.

As I also noted here last night, we're both overwhelmed, and kind of dumbfounded, by how blessed we've been since Friday morning (between donations and a few sales, we'll be able to do the stoves and the flooring guys without opening an artery, so to speak), and we cannot thank you all enough. Both matches were met, the second one this morning, and once stuff clears tomorrow morning, we'll be calling the chimney people forthwith. The matches took care of the whole deposit. Many thanks and much love from us both, for donations, gift cards, shares, recs, moral support, and just generally helping me not lose my mind. I did sleep a little last night (although not much), and so I want to get this up today so I can spend the evening on work I need to catch up on, and then maybe get a little sleep again relatively early. 

P.S. And yes, this is still ongoing, natch: IKT has "upgraded" our service (for another $10 a month, natch, and without telling us in advance) to the point that half the time, I can't load anything. When that happens, my e-mail is always the first to go, and I have messages trickling through in fits and starts, some from days ago. If you've e-mailed me and don't hear from me immediately, this is why; if you can reach me on FB or Twitter, DM me there, or try shooting another message through. I'll be sorting through them as steadily as I can, I promise.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.