Jan/Feb 2024 Island Trip – Day 2

Having water at the house was a gift. A 90º turn of a handle is all it took to restore order. At one point I did peek at the plumbing fix. Tight as a drum.

I found myself addressing things I intended to, and things I didn’t think I’d need to. Dust, sure. But, after spending rather a lot of money for a professional house keeper to GI the place, there were a lot of things I spent time on that I shouldn’t have needed to. Bits on the wall at the back of the stove, next to the dishwasher and to either side of the kitchen sink. The one egregious thing was needing to clean the cover of the bathroom vent, something the housekeeper pointed out to me that she would take care of…

The bathroom painting is not looking as wonderful as I’d hoped. I keep telling myself, at best, the walls I’m attempting repairs on, at the youngest, are 40-years old! I like the technique I’m using, but it does not leave a perfectly smooth look. It is, however, waterproof! I have days and days to keep farting around with it.

On the other hand, the tile floors look great after an old-fashion water and vinegar wash. I used Goof Off to remove what I think is polyurethane from one tile. A carelessness of the prior tenant. I Love these newer, low oder, solvents. The poly came off easily without needing to use a razor blade.

We didn’t address the siding on the house today. My AN texted me early to say the glue used to piece the siding back together needed more time to dry. Again, days and days to deal with. And better perfectly dry glue than not.

The propane tank at the dryer shed is almost full as well. This is not the time to swap propane providers. I’ll work with the new tenants to get this done at some point when the tanks are almost empty.

I made a town run to slay a short list. High on that list was a new hair brush… One with open bristles, rather than the one with tightly compact bristles I’ve been using for three years, which flattens my dense hair. It’s the little things that bring joy! I also rounded out a house warming gift for the new tenants. I did this for the last tenants as well. It contains things like a package of septic safe TP, and liquid laundry detergent to help start things off successfully, by example. But also a bird seed ‘bell’ that can hang in a lilac by the entrance door, a dish towel with a print of the Island on it, chocolate, and a jar of jam made from the plum tree here on the property. Actually, that was my creative activity today 😏. Tissue paper, a pretty bag, ribbon… It counts! Yesterday I worked on a collage project. Tomorrow I’m angling at making a simple curtain for the dining room window for the house. It’ll take an hour and has been on my list for more than a year.

On my town travels I found turkey thighs and will bake them for dinner tomorrow. This will keep me, deliciously, going for a few days!