A small announcement. A lot done, but harder than it should've been. A lot to do in a very little time. Shares/sales badly needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

First, a small announcement:  For those of you who had planned to join us, in person or in spirit, back in July at the small gathering we had planned and had to cancel because of all this [waves vaguely at everything below], a new date has been set: November 18th. If you can come, please do. 

Now back to our regularly scheduled chaos:

And the day started inauspiciously enough. I was told they couldn't fit the mirror above the sink, and also that they couldn't install the pedestal downstairs.

As you can see, the mirror's up:

Photo copyright Aji, 2017;
all rights reserved.

And the pedestal is installed, along with the toilet:

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

The shower is now functional, too:

Photo copyright Aji, 2017;
all rights reserved.

Unfortunately, it all took a lot of finagling. Thanks to certain things dating back to last November and December, things about which I have complained strenuously but over which neither Wings nor I have any control at this point, both were a problem. The former, because the wiring was run wrong, as we all know, and the light fixture was thus installed too low (because that's where the hole was already cut out of the drywall even before they fixed the wiring). So Tony called the most recent electrician, who sent his assistant, who we know and like, and he moved the light fixture up three or four inches. Instant fit. He also took care of some of other lighting odds and ends, and the smoke detectors. Also, the regular crew installed the cabinets and towel bars and so forth, and fixed the problem with the tub legs so that it drains properly. I can take a bath now if I want.

The latter issue is a problem of that same someone's failure to communicate last year, but also the plumbers' failure to check in with me, or any of them at all, really, to stop and actually take a look at what they'd be installing. There's also a leak, hence the paint holder that Wings put behind the pedestal, which is just visible in the photo. They'll be back toward the end of the week to finish the install (they've set everything on silicone), and so it will, presumably, all be fixed then. Except, of course, for the GAPING HOLE, which Sherm will need to replaster next week.

Oh, there's a lot more. I'm just too fricking tired to organize it in my mind, much less type it out.

As I have been saying, we are up against an unbreakable deadline now of just under a month (see above), and in fact, the weather deadline will no doubt come far earlier (possible snow on Friday, actually), so we and the crews are really going to have to push hard to make it. That means more materials, and more labor, and more planning for the inevitable incidentals that we can't predict. So we still need shares, daily (and thank you to everyone who has fulfilled items off our registries, although there's a lot more to go there; I haven't even gotten to the tables and lamps and other two upstairs rooms yet, but those will go on this weekend, I hope). So here are all the links:

• 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.
• Our Amazon wishlist generally.
• Wayfair gift cards, to replenish all the furnishings that the RV has destroyed in one way or another.
• Partial registry #1, from Bed, Bath and Beyond. It's not complete; what's on it so far are drapes for the upstairs, associated curtain rods, bath rugs for both bathrooms, and doormats and a few other miscellaneous items. Most important: hold-backs and drapes for upstairs.
• Partial registry #2, from Wayfair. Also not complete, but covers a number of the area rugs needed for the upstairs and some kitchen items. I've finally added a bunch of items to it, although nothing in the way of small tables or lamps or kitchen items beyond three basic things, because yesterday proved to be a time-suck of epic proportions, and today was more of the same. What I did get to is all of the rugs for the whole house, and a few basic furniture items. But about Wayfair, and VERY IMPORTANT: They make it possible to crowdfund each item. So if you'd like to help, but the prices are too much for one person? You can kick in 20 bucks, or ten, or five, on any one item; many small donations can add up to one item. Even the backordered/out-of-stock items can be crowdfunded in advance. Right now, the two most important items are probably the first four or five that show at the top of the list. I've just added the furnishings for the rest of the upstairs (i.e., the guest room and my writing/office space, which also includes the desk and chair further down the list, and the last three rugs on the list, two of which are back-ordered). The chaise and daybed are for the two upstairs rooms: the latter for the guest room, the former for my office, which is where I will be spending most of my time, and my AI issues require working on a laptop with my legs outstretched, so that's why it's a pricier piece; it'll probably be the primary means to my role in our living. There will also be more items that fall into the badly-needed category (coffee/end tables and lamps, particularly), because the wiring and mold and lime and everything else in this toxic tin can has destroyed so much of what we used to have. I'm sickened by the amount of stuff we have to throw out (on top of the things that were simply ruined, such as the microwave fried by the wiring in this place).

Thank you all, once again, for everything you've done over the last 16 months to get us safe and keep me sane. We are both so thankful for each and every one of you who made it possible for us to sleep (and shower!) now, for the first time in seven years, in a safe and healthy (and warm!) place. But we have a long way to go, and this night, at least, is going to be very, very cold again, a reminder that we have to get this done, and fast.

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.