Saturday morning was back to the great counter hunt. Got more info but nothing that helped me make a decision. I’m going to try again tomorrow. I took the afternoon off and went to an interesting presentation at the City of Asylum, a wonderful Pittsburgh group, who gave us insight into Iran from a journalist, a poet and several musicians. It was good to have several hours free from thinking about my move.

Today was a packing day. I’ve been working in the kitchen and it occurred to me I will pack almost the entire kitchen with the exception of 2 shelves of dishes, two partially filled cabinets with dry foodstuffs and a drawer with flatware. I won’t miss any of the other stuff. It’s almost tempting to get rid of it, but I guess I would want it if I have a party. Hard to decide what I really need as opposed to the stuff I’ve just been dragging around with me.

Another day of chasing down counters. Robin did a lot of internet research for me. She’s very good at it, but didn’t come up with anything useful. Did you know you can get concrete counters? I’m surprised they didn’t put them in originally along with all of the rest of the concrete. Anyhow, back to Lowe’s tomorrow. Also ordered Comcast internet and phone. I don’t think there is much difference in price between the two of them, in the long run. It’s more a matter of whose customer service (ha!) is more  tolerable. I quit Comcast two years ago. I suppose I can do that again when this year’s contract is up.

Actually, that was only the morning. I went to the apartment to see what was going on. Both bedrooms and the living room are painted. Here is a picture of the start of the living room floor.  The blue area is what we are covering. I left at this point and came back to my old apartment and continued packing. I’m trying to be very careful and sorting and getting rid of stuff, not just throwing things into boxes. I don’t know whether to buy more of the file boxes at Staples (good size, good price) or go for larger ones.

Packed several boxes today, but otherwise a wasted day. I drove out to Lowe’s for my 4 o’clock appointment and found out I would have to buy 25 sq. ft. of the stuff I wanted, amounting to the same price I didn’t want to pay yesterday. My only choice seems to be a laminate, which I didn’t really want to do. I guess things have been going along too well; there have to be some problems.

Got to the apartment late morning and found lots of work done. BIL, it seems, is a good painter. He’s been doing a great job. Ed and Meg were working in the kitchen and Perry was still refinishing the walls in the bedroom and bathroom. Robin came to see what was happening and approved.

I spent the afternoon shopping. First, a kitchen supply place. I found a lovely synthetic stone that I really liked. But I don’t really want to pay for it. Back to Home Depot for one last check of their countertops. Nothing interesting, but I bought another track light for the kitchen. We’re putting two tracks in there.

Next, to Lowe’s. I was there on Saturday, found some interesting stuff, but no person interested in helping me. Still no person today. Finally found a manager who said they had all gone for training. Made an appointment to return tomorrow. Went back to the apartment and took pictures for Mage.

Here is the living room and the wall that had the green peacock feathers. Almost the entire apartment will be beige color. It’s not very exciting, but after I add my Oriental rugs, colorful furniture and lots of pictures, I think it will be just right.

Perry started painting the green bedroom. He wanted it to be slightly darker than the other rooms to cover the green. Here you can still see some of the green along with the beige wall.

Ed removed the old medicine chest and found this in the bathroom. It looks fluffy, like foam rubber, but it’s very hard and solid, sprayed concrete. No wonder it’s so difficult to add electrical circuits.

The kitchen has that same concrete. Ed said he had a magic wand and cut two holes in the concrete to give me two outlets above the counter where the oven used to be. Those outlets are either side of the 220 line that went to the oven. Another 220 line goes to the range. We moved the cabinet that was under the cooktop and the range will go in there. The cabinet was moved to the other side.

I am thinking about using a synthetic stone counter around the sink, ending at the range. Two other counters would be butcher block. I saw something at Ikea last week that looked really good and not expensive.

Here is the track lighting in the hallway replacing that awful trellis. The single fixture over the closet door is the same as the two that will replace the sconces.  

Today’s agenda: telephone calls, packing and a brief visit to the apartment. I’ve been changing addresses and trying to figure out what to do about telephone and internet services. Comcast cable, part of the monthly maintenance fee, is not something I particularly care about. Internet is the big thing. For the last two and a half years I’ve had FIOS at my current place and it’s good. No FIOS at the new place, just Verizon high speed internet, whatever that means. Comcast offers a better alternative, but it costs more. I’d like to get rid of my landline but it doesn’t pay with Comcast. The difference is only $1. I can’t figure out what Verizon would really cost. They have a price for the first month, but aren’t readily divulging what happens after that. Pain in the butt.

Ed has moved one cabinet to the other wall of the kitchen and uncovered the electrical service. The walls all seem to be concrete with no studs and very thin plaster covering the concrete, making it very difficult to add outlets. I’m not sure what he’s going to do, but I figure it’s his problem. He has to add an outlet for the new range; the old appliances were just wired in. I’m also hoping for two new outlets on their own circuits so I can use the microwave and the toaster oven at the same time.

Perry is still working on the walls. He brought a brother-in-law to begin painting. When I walked in BIL, who is nameless because no one told me his name, was on the balcony smoking. I told him to make sure he stayed out there with the cigarette. I also think he’s on drugs. I’d love to fire him, but I’m leaving it up to Perry. I realized how lucky I was with Ed and Perry. Neither smokes and both seem very responsible.

It was nice to see the painted wall. The entry hall bothered me terribly; now that it’s been painted a single color it’s much better. I’ll take a picture tomorrow.

On Saturday, Robin and I went to an appliance place and bought a dishwasher and a free standing range. While the cooktop looked like it was in good shape the built-in oven definitely needed replacement. It looked like there had been a fire inside. It seems that built-in ovens are very expensive; much more than buying an entire range. So both will be replaced by a free-standing range. I don’t really understand this, but I suppose it’s more a matter of what the market will bear than any reality. The dishwasher may have also been OK, but it seemed like a good idea to do it as well.

Originally I was going to do almost nothing in the kitchen. All of this really snuck up on me. Altogether I’m replacing some really ugly light fixtures, having the cabinets painted, replacing the two appliances, the floor and then repainting the walls and ceiling. There was no choice about the painting. We found a lot of unpainted wall and two different wallpaper patterns behind the oven and cabinet we pulled out. All of this was done today.

In the meantime, Perry the painter has been working like crazy. He’s very quiet, works by himself and has music playing softly near him. He hasn’t begun to paint yet; it’s all preparation. That’s the way it’s supposed to be, but I’m really anxious to see the paint.

Today was a real moving day; spent much of it packing. My upstairs neighbors got married earlier this month and received presents in large boxes. I asked for the boxes and I’m happily using them. Today I emptied two kitchen cabinets with stuff I almost never used and started on the drawers in the kitchen. I have a collection of small specialized cooking tools that I also never used. Some of them are going out, but I can’t seem to part with all of them. I got one very full drawer packed up and started on another. Also packed the humidifiers. I won’t use them again until next winter so that was easy.

One of my neighbors took me out for a lovely luncheon party. She and two other neighbors took me to the Frick Cafe–always a great lunch. Since I’m only moving three miles away I’m sure we didn’t need a going away party, but it was fun. When the weather is nice it’s a great place to eat outside. No traffic adding fumes to the food. Unfortunately, today was beautiful but chilly. No one was outside.

After lunch I went over to the apartment. Each time I go I take at least one item I don’t want to pack. Today it was a plastic garbage bag filled with quilt bats and other kinds of interfacing. Someday I’ll make that quilt. I haven’t insured the apartment yet so I don’t want to bring anything valuable. Next month I’ll have insurance on both places and start to carry my Papua New Guinea sculptures and a few other fragile valuables. I also plan to carry the computer and printers but that will be last.

Perry was still working on the walls when I arrived. All the wallpaper is gone and he was repairing the holes that were hidden by the paper. I think he will start painting, possibly tomorrow. He wasn’t sure if he could come. I’m in no hurry, but I think he is. The bathroom and my workroom will be a warm white. Everything else will be a kind of beige. You’ll have to wait for the pictures.

The new medicine cabinet arrived this afternoon. It’s now waiting to be installed along with the flooring. Ed and Meg have plenty of work to do. Ed began removing the built-in oven and found an electrical box with heavy wiring leading to the oven and the cooktop. Ugly stuff. I would have liked to put the new range where the cooktop is now, but I may have to put it in the corner so it hides the box. I’m waiting for Ed to remove all that stuff and maybe I can think of some other way to hide the box.

I went back to Home Depot. I think I go there after every second time I visit the apartment. There is always something to look for, but I’ve been happier buying online so far.

Spent the weekend immersed in flooring. One of the people who came to show me samples and give me price quotes recommended Lumber Liquidators. Robin and I went there Saturday afternoon. They were having their annual sale: good prices, chaotic atmosphere. Finally got info about all the possibilities, got some samples and left. I went back on Sunday and ordered enough of a teak-like laminate to do the living room, small bedroom and kitchen. Today was a real workday. Ed and Meg came back and worked on the electrical stuff. Perry, the painter, removed the peacock feathers and may have started removing the wallpaper in the small bedroom. I left; decided they didn’t need me there to watch.

Update on decisions: I am repainting the living room. It wasn’t on the original list. I probably can’t replace the medicine cabinet. The one that’s in place is 30 inches wide by 22.5 inches high. New ones are 26 inches high. I don’t have the necessary 4 inches because of the two soap dishes on the wall. Removing them would require new tiles, maybe a new wall. It’s not going to happen.

When I arrived Ed was busy removing the so-called built-in desk in the small bedroom. This was another one of those truly appalling do-it-yourself jobs. The desk was sitting on a piece of green shag carpeting. The wall behind it had evidence of grasscloth wallpaper.  Maybe I’m too much of a purist, but I would never leave such a mess under anything I did. It would bother me almost as much as that green color inside the kitchen cabinets.

The worst was what was done with electricity. Most of the walls in the building are concrete or very thick plaster. This is good, but little or no thought was wasted on providing electricity. The seller assured me he had added outlets and I wouldn’t have any problems. Too bad there isn’t some way to charge him with building code violations. Ed will be able to fix much of this and make me happier. After all, it’s only money, right?

We didn’t do any work in the bathroom, but I finally took pictures. Here is the wallpaper that will be removed. Perry is coming on Monday to begin wallpaper removal and then painting. I’m planning to make the wall and ceiling a warm white. I’m also planning to make the small bedroom the same warm white, since that is where I will work. I don’t want a color reflected on my computer monitor or on the papers I use for my books.

More pictures of the bathroom: You can see the blue in the corner of the tub. It looks like a soap stain but it’s really the beige color peeling off. Note the grab bars. I’m very pleased to have them.

The new light bar over the medicine chest made a big difference. The original extended over almost the entire wall and had a florescent bulb. I like this much better. The next question is do I replace the medicine chest. It has some barely noticeable rust spots. There is no end to the things I could replace.

Another really good thing is the height of the toilet. I can stand up without having my knees sending me agony messages.