It all starts up again tomorrow. Deadline under four weeks now, and winter probably sooner. Shares/sales & all-out push needed.

Photo copyright Aji, 2017; all rights reserved.

That's from last night; I unpacked the existing rugs and unrolled them so they could flatten out. That one is for the dining room, in front of the large woodstove. As you can see, it's got some more flattening to do.

The dogs are in and out of the house all the time now. They've finally internalized not merely that this is their new home, but that it doesn't mean that there's anything wrong that we're all sleeping over there instead of in the RV now. Also, with yesterday and today being cold and windy and causing massive pain and therefore sleeplessness for me, I took my first 10-minute+ shower this morning. I just stood and let the hot water soak in nonstop. 

I haven't been able to do that in seven years. 

Tomorrow, it all starts up again. It's going to be expensive, too, because we're running a four-man crew most of the time now, trying to push through all the essential stuff and get the house fully liveable (well, okay, except for the cabinetry) before the real cold and snow get here. And we have fewer than four weeks now, so it's going to be an all-out push, and we're going to need help.

We are up against an unbreakable deadline now of just under a month, and in fact, the weather deadline will no doubt come far earlier, 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.