Hatches Firmly Battened

Oh, today.

I guess I should count it as a lucky day. Lucky in that the weather held until I had finished everything I set out to do. And just in time -- finished up the final get-ready-for-winter chores just as the first snowstorm blew into town.

Here's what got done today:

• Replaced the windows in Lexie's bedroom.
• Removed and replaced a bit of drywall in Lexie's room, after cleaning up the mold behind it.
• Cleaned up my massive window-replacement mess.
• Cleaned the chimney.

A little story about that before I continue. I wanted to clean the chimney last weekend, because the stove has been really stubborn and smoky and not really cooperative in letting the smoke go where it wants to. In fact, when Isaac got home from school on Thursday he had to run across the street to the Rhotons because both our smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm were going off because the chimney wouldn't draw properly. But I couldn't clean it last week because I couldn't find my brush. So this weekend I looked again. STill couldn't find it. So I improvised a brush: I taped a gallon milk jug to the pole, after I cut an X in the bottom of the jug and turned the corners inside out. It worked like a charm. And since it worked, you know right away that ten minutes after I got off the roof, I found the damn brush on the woodpile. Oh well.

Back to the list:

• Stuffed the playhouse full of stuff from the shed.
• Moved the swing into the shed and basically got everything into the shed that needed to go in the shed.
• Stowed the camper, including putting the tarps on it.

I didn't want to do the tarps, but the thought of Michelle coming at me with her lucky machete because the chore wasn't done got me motivated enough to finish. The boys helped. They didn't really want to at first, but once they figured out that rope was involved, they got a bit more excited about it.

Still not done with my window project -- got to do the caulking and the trim wood on the inside, but at least that's something I can do while it's all nice and snowy outside. I've got some outside caulking to do, but that'll have to wait until I've got warmer weather. I did fill all the gaps with Great Stuff, so that'll help keep the moisture out.

The mold, I have to say, was gross. When I poked the moldy bit of drywall with my finger, it crumbled. So I pulled a big slab of it out and wiped things down. It smelt like 17-Mile Cave, mixed with bleach. The good news is after the bleach smell wore off, the musty smell didn't come back, so I think I got rid of the stuff. Time will tell tomorrow.

Tomorrow: Got to put the plaster on the bit of drywall, put up the trim wood, then paint. I may not paint until next weekend, as I had Michelle get too little of the trim wood to finish the job. Don't know what I was thinking, and you can't find a No. 1 1x4 in Rexburg for love or money, so it's something we'll have to pick up in IF. Maybe I should try Stock Building Supply tomorrow . . .