Day 158

I think the captain is going insane.  It's been raining for days.  We've been at sea for almost five months, and haven't seen another ship in weeks.  Rations are starting to run low, we ran out of rum months ago, and the men have been fighting.  They have been playing tricks on me, trying to drive me insane.  They moved the walls, just an inch at a time.  They have replaced doors and windows, and act like nothing has changed.   They steal my shoes.  They have been talking about me, I'm sure of it.  I know they are planning something big, I just need to figure out what it is.    

What? Huh? Oh, sorry, that was a story about other people trapped in an insanely small space for much too long a time.

So how has it been going?  Hahahahah.

This is where we're living now.

Yeah.  "Cozy" is starting to lose its charm.  

After a very quiet end to the summer, with skateboarding accidents and near-dismemberments, the guys are back at work and things are moving along swimmingly.  (Yes - the contractors were the injured parties.  My kids just had some scraped knees and elbows, and breaking with tradition, did NOT go the emergency room this summer.)

The plumbing is in, the electric is in, the framing is done.  Now we're waiting for the next round of inspections, and they come back and close it up.  That's how they refer to it - "close it up".  It sounds almost surgical, doesn't it?  It kind of is - you can see all the inner-workings - where the supports are, how they run the plumbing, the electric, the ductwork - it's all quite fascinating, actually.  I almost wish they could leave it open like that. (ALMOST.)

What else - they put the porch floors in and finished that today.  Yes, you read that right - porch.  outside.  in the rain.  (We're in the midst of the remnants of Hurricane Hanna - it's been raining cats and dogs all day.)  It was REALLY cool to walk out there today.  The columns are up (yes, I had to have columns and a double-decker front porch - it's a southern thing).  

Oh!  So the other day, I'm sitting on the couch, and I'm looking into the bathroom... thinking, hm... it's pretty bright in there.... oh!  They took the blinds down.  That's weird.  Where are the blinds?  Oh, okay, on the washer.  I wonder why they took them down... hey, what is wrong with the wall? All the trim is gone, why did they take the trim down?... and this went on for a LONG time before I realized that they had completely replaced the window!  It went from a double-hung to a casement, and there were GIANT ORANGE STICKERS all over it.  Yes, I  really am that observant. 

The best part about the electrician coming (besides the installing the electric stuff part) is that he moved my cable modem wire.  Up until this week, there has been a plastic box on the back of the toilet that contained a powerstrip, a cable modem, and a wireless router, all connected to a wire that came through the bathroom window.  It was the only place that the cable would reach once they tore down the original addition.  Now it's above the washer (again, only a limited amount of choices because of the location of the cable).  It's all temporary, of course.  But it's still nice to not have to worry about fishing it out of the bowl.

I can tell the seasons are changing in the bathroom.  In the beginning, it was Lightning Bug season.  That was kind of cool - you'd go in at night, and there would be these cute little  trapped lightning bugs (okay, so it wasn't fun for THEM, but the kids loved it).  Then they were gone.  Then there were spiders.  Or "Pie-ders" as Josie calls them.  Then the ladybugs came.  And I have to say, ladybugs are so cute, that I am completely fine with sharing the bathroom with them.  There's been one living on my medicine cabinet door for days.  At least I think he's living.  Let's just say he is.  If they're on the windowsill, I'll shoo them out the window.  But it's kind of nice coming  in and seeing them there.  Ladybug Season is almost over, though, because now it's Mosquito Season.  They are everywhere.  We have four flyswatters in the house (and yet I still tend to use magazines and envelopes).  There's only so much  you can do.  It's easier to  just pretend we're camping.

I have tons of pictures, I just need to download them.  Or maybe find them.  Or go take more recent ones.  It's all a blur.  I don't know where I am with that part anymore.  :)