I Love New York Travel

See this cat?! This is why we locked her upstairs while we gutted the downstairs. She is TOO curious! She hated being upstairs while we were down. I hated it, too, actually. She’s a good kitty, much like a little dog in that she always has to be where I am. It was difficult for us both to be locked away from each other.

After we ripped out some furnace ducts, she discovered the hole and tried to creep through it. It’s a 10 foot drop to the floor below, though! I guess she was desperate.

She’s downstairs now, wandering among the ruins that were once my kitchen and dining room. It’s a desolate place right now. No lights, no walls, no ceiling, no nothing!! I’m delving into learning about gas heaters and such. We’ve decided to get rid of our filthy forced air heating system (good news for me!). I don’t think a forced air system should ever be installed in an old house. The ducts- which we had cleaned two years ago– were FILLED and caked with disgusting dirt and dust. And to think that we breathed all that in! I’m mortified, really. Out goes the furnace with its filthy, snaky ducting system. If I could give a furnace duct review like one gives colon cleanse reviews, I’d say that forced air heating is a really crappy system.

She’s so happy to be back in the living room, on her couch with her blanky, that she’ll sleep even in this position. LOL

We are renovating the downstairs of the house. Livvy has been locked away upstairs for the better part of nine days. After we completed the demolition, removed the debris, and cleaned the place, we let her come back downstairs. After sniffing every single corner and crevice, she plopped down on the couch with a little sigh, and snoozed.

She smells like plaster, though. :-p

The renovation demolition is going… OK. It was off to a reluctant start (always hard to start these things), went marvelously for several days, hit a bump, ended with a burst of activity… and has now reached a lull. I am really, really looking forward to this being over. Once the plumbing and electric is done, I can rest easy, because it will be a breeze (insulation and sheetrock). The work is hard, but I’ll be happy to be over the hump when I can have my washing machine upstairs again, have clean countertops, and don’t have to rely on outdoor pillows for a place to rest.

And to think, I have to do this again next year with the bedrooms upstairs. I’m getting too old for this, I think!

I wonder if my lilac is disappointed that it bloomed so early? We had a spectacularly warm start to spring, then suddenly, it froze and was back to snow. It’s cold and cloudy, and rainy, and dismal. I can live with it, oh sure.. but I am set to demolish plaster and lathe from my house in 5 days, and we CANNOT have the furnace running. It will blow the plaster dust everywhere. Can’t have that. So sorry, kids… the temp could drop to 10-below, and that furnace is NOT going on. The place is dusty enough… *sigh*

My whole life right now is planning for this kitchen. I guess it’s better than being consumed about the effects of apidexin, but golly, I’d sure like to intensely study again, to have quiet evenings of reading and crocheting! Ah well, I’ve been waiting for this renovation for over a decade, it’s finally come– rejoice! It will be over soon and after that, the house will be plumbed, electrified, and insulated (at least the downstairs). It will be a great thing.

It rained today. We haven’t had much rain for a few months, so you could say we needed it. My seeds will probably start up, now– we finished the garden yesterday.

I saw this puddle in the back yard, and instantly recalled my (very) young childhood– such a clean, large puddle would have been perfect for a rainy spring day of play! Kids just don’t get out anymore, do they? Not even mine– we are always working on something: school, chores, animal care, etc. The days of outdoor exploration are very minimal. We don’t sit inside playing video games or glued to a home theater seating, by any means. But life’s activities are so much more hectic than when I was a kid, it seems. I used to have a lot of leisure time, for simple exploration and sheer relaxing. Everything is so hurried now.

Which reminds me, I’d better quit my daydreaming and get back to work….

I remember the New York State government threatened it before, under Governor Cuomo: closing some of New York State’s parks and historic sites to “save” money. Governor Paterson is at it, now. Rumors have it that even the jewel of Madison County, Chittenango Falls State Park, will face the axe.

It’s really crazy, to close New York’s parks. Tourism in New York State generates billions of dollars every year, not to mention that we New Yorkers just love our parks and historic sites (especially this one). Why can’t the state slash the stupid things, such as all that school aid that only goes toward heated swimming pools? And goofy classes that teach kids how to do a skin id review or something?!?! OK, I’m ranting. Yeah, but who wouldn’t?

I don’t see how making things more miserable in New York State is going to save anyone any money. Why can’t these politicians just retire and save us all the pain?