Home at last, but not settled

Yes, we are home at last, though the tile issue is not quite settled. After having the installers back a third time to mop the floor with their special solution, we finally are beginning to see results. The eraser trick is great for demonstrating the problem, but very inefficient for a solution. After 3000 erasers and 352 days the project might be finished. Home Depot suggested for us to purchase one of their car buffers to buff out the floor and then return the machine when we finished and get our money back. What a solution! Though faster than an eraser. Well, since I found out that I will be teaching a new class this semester - a fourth prep - we had to be back in the house by Saturday, Aug 2 so I could begin preparing. So I agreed to experiment with the car buffer along the perimeter of the rooms that we were placing the furniture. It worked after 3+ hours of labor. The perimeter was completed. Home Depot found the solution that would have taken the installers another 10 hours to buff the entire floor. When the installers asked where the buffer was, I pointed to the little machine sitting on the end table. They died laughing. Their special cleansing solution helped tremendously though there is still some film on the tile. The expeditor comes out a second time Fri, Aug 8. We'll see!

Anyway, the furniture is back in place and we finally can see some
progress as you can tell by he pictures. The next thing on the agenda is getting the bathroom completed. The toilet is in and the sink and cabinet will follow when it comes into none other than Home Depot. Boy are we gluttons for punishment. I am of the opinion that the life of a nomad really is not that bad.

Kids are doing well. Nathan is back in town & registered for 12 hours at SFCC. He will complete his AA this year. Brandon is doing well managing the Pirates Hostel in St. Augustine. Dustyn & Lucy are putting up with the adult life of working and going to school.

In Christ (Psalms 1)

Conclusion to Tile Saga - Maybe

Today Gatorgirl and Economad are celebrating the 2nd full week visiting the parents, while the little quaint house receives an internal make-over. As the Saga continued into Friday, Economad met with the heavies from HD - the expeditor and the general manager - to find a solution for the tile problems. Three diagnoses given and three solutions discussed, but none of them satisfied. Finally, the day of reckoning! A solution that probably demonstrates resolve for the tile conundrum. Drum role please!!

Number 1: Turn on the air conditioner so the house can freeze and dry out. Here in Gainesville the last two weeks have been extremely humid and rainy. Here is the Grandmamapper $60 million question. Why turn on the air conditioner when Gatorgirl and Economad are living at the parents' house? Well, duh, because the residue left on tile turns sticky unless it is cold enough to dry out and flake off.

Number 2: The old eraser trick. Yes, just a regular school eraser. Take the eraser over the smudged tile that has been cleansed previously with white vineger and then muriatic acid, but to no affect. Guess what? One gets a smudge-free tile. Another Granmamapper question. Why didn't anyone from HD share this little trivia? We would have been back in that little quaint home a week ago. Well, God works all things out for good no matter what. We have had two weeks with Economad's in-laws; to his surprise they would not have had it any other way.

Continuing tile saga

Once upon a time there was a young man and woman who ventured out in the "parking lot" of Gainesville, FL to Home Depot. The couple risked their lives dodging stopped traffic on Newberry Rd to purchase ceremic tile (called Maui tile - see on left) for a fantastic price to upgrade their little quaint home in the North Ridge development. While waiting for the final installation the couple and their two dogs were displaced to the in-law hostel where they enjoyed the fine fellowship of Dad and Mom. Not desiring to wear out their welcome, they finally received word one week later that the project was completed and they could move back into the quaint house again. They were so happy and enjoyed the beauty of the freshly laid new floor. Then, as it would happen the couple noticed a growing fungus or something that appeared to infect some of the tile squares. Not just one or two, but upon further inspection it seemed to infect about one-half of the entire new floor. Not wanting to move the furniture back on the infected tile too fast the couple decided to call the chief surgeon for a prognosis. His suggestion - wait until I call the chief expeditor from Home Depot who will inspect it on Monday - two days in coming. To the couple's dismay they would have to delay moving back into there quaint house until the following week. That meant mooching off Dad and Mom for another week. I guess this little story seems rather sad and depressing, but on the other hand the couple learned some valuable things: 1) It is what it is, so if one cannot change the situation learn to deal with it one day at a time; 2) Hospitality is God's gift to some people so they may share with others. In this story the in-laws actually welcome the couple and their dogs for another week; 3) What might seem a trial to some, on the other hand, in retrospect, is rather trite to others going through more severe times; 4) Maybe the couple smells some kind of rebate. :-) H

Update from Gainesville, FL

Okay, Rhetorman and et cetera of you bloggers; I need to keep things going with this blogging thing! Yet, I feel somewhat justified because for the last week we have been displaced from our home. In Home Makeover they destroy a house to the foundation and completely rebuild it in a week. Tomorrow, it will be one week since the beginning of our ceremic tile adventure. Finally, it will be cured enough to seal the grout; Saturday, we will be able to place the furniture back in the rooms. Actually, we are very pleased with the results as one notices from the cartoon to the right.

As for the our 300' hedge: Well, it is finally trimmed; yes, the whole thing. After falling into the hedge with the 24' extension ladder, taking 30 minutes to trim 1'x1' area using my son's bed matress to spread my weight over a 5'x6' mattress, I finally found the resource I needed - a 22' multi-facited ladder. Wha-la! The job is complete as you can tell from the picture. This re-modeling thing, however, is very dangerous. It has given my wife so much more to think about. I always wanted to contribute to our sick and ailing economy anyway.

One final note: We will post some pictures taken with our new camera (also helping the economy) sometime next week on the finished projects.

Bid you Godspeed!