Living room
(as we first saw it)

New House Diary

June, 2002

Sunday, June 16

Happy "accidents" this morning. We sort of mentally flipped coins as to which church to go to, settled on the Grace Brethren Church next to the campus, about half a mile from the house. We arrived a bit early, and in the pre-service music ("prelude" to you old-timers) was not one, not two, but three teams of teens from Operation Barnabas. Lo and behold, there are Lindsey Johnson and Tim Wheeler from our Toppenish church. We agreed that they would call us and come over for dinner before they left the Warsaw/Winona Lake area.

Met a fellow named Gordon who knows everything and everybody. Steered us to another fellow named Jay on the college maintenance staff, who told us which exterminators are good. (More on that later.)

In spite of it being Father's Day, we actually got into Bob Evans' Restaurant after a short wait. After lunch we came home and planned out our attack on this beautiful, perfect house that will require about $5000.00 worth of redecorating, rewiring and we hope not replumbing.

Monday, June 17

Last week, we called NIPSCO (The Power Company) twice, corrected the address in their computer. We were assured that there was no disconnect order for this address, and that we would simply switch over the utility to bill us instead of Bartels (previous owners).

And last Friday night when we moved in, we slept on couches, our furniture not having arrived. We were awakened by scrabbling and squeaking in the living room ceiling. Sure didn't sound like the cats! In fact, we had left the cats locked in the bedroom. By Saturday night, we let the cats have the run of the house. They were most interested in the rustling noises in the ceiling and walls. We shall have to call Critter Control, Real Soon Now....

This morning we attempted to call our contact point in Ft. Wayne to find out where our furniture was. (This is not a trivial question. We discovered that the destination is listed as Winona Lake, MI.) The first lady didn't know, transferred me to a second lady, who said we needed to call "corporate" and have our "reg number" ready. ("Reg" number? I wish they wouldn't use jargon with customers. We guessed it means "Registration" number which exists on our copy of the paperwork.) OK, called the number she gave; "Thank you for calling North American Van Lines...." Hm. Says Allied Van Lines both on my paper and on the side of the trailer that took our furniture away. And our agent back in Yakima wouldn't be in the office for another hour or so. We'll call him later.

Meanwhile, we were about to start remodeling the computer room to be, so we went after wallpaper (white textured "paintable"), track lighting and stuff. (Also bought track lighting for the sewing room to be.) Spent 300-odd dollars at Lowe's.

Got back from shopping and noticed two things: There is a NIPSCO van in the driveway and the garage door won't open. The man had just turned our power off per the (nonexistent, remember?) disconnect order. Well, he called in to his dispatcher and she looked it up this way and that way and finally asked for my Social Security number (which is a little scary) which voila! yielded the information that we were indeed going to pay the bill and they need not shut it off. However, the meter number was attached to the wrong address and the record could not be corrected until the poor guy wandered around the neighborhood and found the meter that was heretofore allegedly attached to our house, because otherwise the computer refused to do it. (This would explain why the two attempts at correcting the record last week were ineffectual. Doesn't anybody read their error messages? Wait, I already know the answer to that. One person out of three isn't bad.) Last we saw, the NIPSCO van was parked next door. We suppose that he eventually found the offending meter nearby....

Called our mover back in Yakima. He assured us that (a) it was the right company on our paperwork and (b) the number they gave us is not Allied Van Lines. He called the Ft. Wayne outfit and got ahold of apparently the only guy in the company who knows how to locate a load of furniture for a poor schmuck -- I mean "customer" -- sitting in an empty house and sleeping on the floor. (Well, to be precise, we bought the major appliances and a sectional from the previous owners, so we could cook meals and sit down to eat them. But we're not telling this to Allied; let them think we're sleeping on the floor and wearing stinky clothes when we go out for breakfast, and go to the laundromat late at night: One hides in the restroom while the other washes their underwear ("Sorry, Hon, but they're closing now. I'll be back in the morning....")

Part of the reason it's actually OK that the furniture isn't here yet, is that we need to refurbish a couple of rooms. The computer room and sewing room both need grounded ("three-prong") outlets, so I'm running green ("ground") wire from the breaker box and threading it through walls, which involves drilling holes and generally making a mess. Also, we took down the (not very strong) shelves in the computer room and pulled out the wall anchors, which left gaping holes in the Louis-the-Umpteenth-style wallpaper. (You know the kind -- grayish-black sepia-tone scenes on a yellow-beige background; children holding hands, couples gazing into each others' eyes, young men pushing young ladies on swings, castles in the background, and a sheep or goat in every scene. Unless it's dogs or chickens. The mind grasps for the significance....) So to repair the damages, we bought quick-dry spackle and the aforementioned white wallpaper. I'm rewiring the wall outlets just fast enought to keep ahead of Kathy ("send picture of tractor" -- but that's another story) as she fills in holes and hangs wallpaper to cover up the resulting, um, "effect." (We managed to tear up some baseboards in the process, so we'll need to buy some of those also.)

And the room lighting was a single fluorescent tube hidden in the valance above the window for a dim, cozy romantic effect; just don't plan on reading a book. Hence the new track lighting. And the power wire just sort of comes out of a hole in the wall, no box, no grommets, no clamps. And the hole is sort of punched in the wall, not even drilled. Same for the sewing room, except that the wallpaper is springy flowers that go fairly well with the hazard-orange carpet. (Believe me, it's a lot better than the romantic pastel wallpaper with the Krylon-Red-and-black Scotch plaid tartan carpet in the computer room. Oh, I didn't mention that? I'm repressing it!) So anyhow we bought a utility knife and a couple of electrical boxes for a much neater-looking installation when the valances come down. (The rooms are 10 by 10 feet, and the valances sort of dominate. After your eyes adjust to the dim light and shocking carpet, of course.)

Measured and marked, calculated, measured, marked, etc., where to drill holes for the molly bolts in the ceiling, for the track lighting. After an hour on the step-stool (left here by the Bartels, else we would have nothing to stand on, not even a kitchen chair -- God provides! He also has a sense of humor; more later on that....), the only marks on the ceiling that matched the screw holes in the tracks were the first piece I put up. So much for my Ph.D. in math, huh?

Tuesday, June 18

Still eating off of plastic three-sectioned picnic plates. At least we brought a pot and a pan and some silverware. Didn't know we'd be using it for so long. Bob Evans' Restaurant should have a parking place or at least a table with our names on it by now. Small frying pan resulted in thick saddle-blanket pancakes this morning. The Pioneer Kitchen back in Toppenish would be proud of them. No syrup in the house yet so we had to make do with strawberry jam (courtesy of my students at Heritage -- another story there). Not bad but a littly dry. (Looked a bit odd also, the pancake draped over the three dividers on the plate.)

Kathy got a really good portion of the wallpapering done. Had to make another couple of trips to Lowe's. Second trip, we bought baseboards and glue. Got to talking with the guy behind us in the checkout line who was interested in the not-real-wood baseboards, checked out, and then out in the parking lot, Kathy exclaimed, "We didn't pay for the glue!" Sure enough, it wasn't on the receipt. So she went back and kept me honest. Now wouldn't that be a scandal: Grace College Prof. Arrested For Shoplifting -- Claims it was all a "mistake." (Makes you wonder when some actress or governor's wife is arrested. Are the stores out for publicity?)

Had the two teens from our Toppenish church over for supper. We had spaghetti because it can be cooked in a pot and a pan. We all sat up to the counter because the table isn't here yet. Those kids are really fired up. Look out world, here come Tim and Lindsey!

Wednesday, June 19

Installed the new mailbox next to the others on the corner. Met the guy who owns the property immediately to the east of us. He was mowing the grass down to the property line, which as it turns out, includes the mess of grass and periwinkle (vinca) on the corner that Kathy thought she would have to clean up.

Pretty much finished up the computer room. Had to make a mitre box; it's OK but we'll have to use some spackle to fill in the corners. Sure do hope my table saw arrives soon. (Intact!) Bought a small saw that's really dangerous. Cuts going both ways. Dinged my finger and took off some thumbnail so far. Talk about sharp!

Paperwork to sell the Toppenish place arrived via UPS hurry-up. Sure enough, the numbers are wrong. Wrong commission for the realtor and they couldn't handle the fact that the mortgage was paid off, or else Bank of America didn't file the paperwork with the county back in '99, or something. (We're not surprised, given the hangups in buying this place!) Two or three phone calls later we have the right numbers. Just change them on the documents, both of us initial each changed number, sign at the bottom, notarize and ship them back UPS overnight, all in the next three hours. (Yah, right! But we did it!)

Kathy called the county extension service, and this evening a Master Gardener came over and introduced us to our yard. Mostly weeds, of course, and some of the biggest patches of poison ivy (like 10 by 40 feet) she's ever seen. Looks like we have some, um, "yard work" to do. But there are some lovely flowers; now if the fumes don't kill them when I spray....

Thursday, June 20

Called the guy in Ft. Wayne; he said he was about to call us. They retrieved the trailer from the train (aha! that's what took so long!) and the furniture will be here tomorrow. Now the pressure is on to get the rooms ready.

Pretty much finished with the computer room. Started in on the "library," the windowless room downstairs between the guest bedroom and the big room that had the pool table. Kathy chose a light tangerine color, had a gallon of Kilz tinted. (Kilz is what you prime walls with, if you have stains that might bleed through or paneling that paint doesn't stick to very well. Comes in oil-base and latex, usually ends up lighter than the paint chip if you have it colored. Good stuff. Oil-based works better but is a lot messier.) So we have a Tangerine Dream Room now; at least it's not Clockwork Orange. But it needed a bright color and had walnut paneling which made it really dark; 1970's style decor you might remember.

So I'm stepping up on the two-step stepstool and BANG! I'm standing on the floor again. Only slopped a tiny bit of paint on the carpet and only sprained my left ankle a little bit. I'll get a couple of bolts and fix that step....

Very tedious to paint the baseboards down next to the carpet. Next room, where the pool table was, doesn't have them, so I'll paint them first, then install them.

Friday, June 21

Guy from Ft. Wayne called. Two drivers out sick, looks like tomorrow for the delivery.

Bought another can of oil-based Kilz, primed the music room (former pool room) and the guest bedroom. At least we will have one coat of paint on the walls before the furniture gets here. And what a difference! That dark paneling made it look like a bear cave, but now you can actually see things.

This house is really busy. There seems to be some kind of motor running all the time. There's the A/C, the well pump, and a small pump run by a "differential temperature thermostat," whatever that is. No sooner does one motor stop than another one starts. Odd. We'll have to get the Bartels' son over here to introduce us to the machinery and the plumbing that looks like a four-year-old's tinkertoy set.

Saturday through about Wednesday

Moved in furniture. Unpacked. Lather. Rinse. Repeat....

Called Tony over at Critter Control. He says it's raccoons. He traps them and then fixes all the openings where they're getting in. He came and did an inspection, said we needed such-and-such after he trapped the 'coons. OK, whatever it takes. He carts them out into the country and turns them loose again, to the displeasure of the Fish and Wildlife people, but what else do you do, poison them? I guess you could make coonskin hats, but they've been out of style for about 120 years in these parts. We just hope it's not a mama with babies who will die in the wall where I heard them above the light switch. That would be a real stink!

Caught the mama 'coon one night, then a smaller one that Kathy had seen climbing a tree onto the roof. Still heard scrabbling in the attic, finally caught that one. Cute little bandits.

Thursday through about Saturday

Worked around furniture, painted walls and woodwork. Removed the doors and painted them on sawhorses. Used the table saw to cut molding and baseboards. Great to have our tools back again. If we could just find them all, that is. Fastened our bookcases to the walls, proceeded to fill them with our dozens of boxes of books. This will take a while.

Eric came, from Modern Chimney Whatever, cleaned out the flues. Took him about 3 1/2 hours $225.00 please. No more raccoons. Tony came and put stainless-steel mesh and "hats" on all the chimneys, removed the old concrete tops sitting on rickety bricks. Accidents waiting to happen. Took away the 'coon traps also. Don't want to think about what we paid him, but it ruined $1000.00 before it was all over with.

And Eric told us that we have solar heating panels on the roof. This explains the insulated pipes going up to the attic through my clothes closet, as well as the purpose of the second hot-water tank in the garage. "Geothermal" heat for the house also, which seems to use a spring under the house somewhere that flows continuously into the storm drain in front of the house.

No more animal sounds in the attic. This is good.

Got the computer going, after a stop at Staples to buy a cheap mouse. (My mice and trackball should surface pretty soon as I keep unpacking boxes.) Found out that the AOL dial-in is long distance. Will find an ISP. Tomorrow....

Got hooked up with KCOnline, as you have figured out by now. Nice folks. Didn't have an install disk, but the NWInfo.net software works fine; all I did was change the phone number. Logged on to my bank account; the money from the sale of the house is there. Good thing, too; the account was being drained really fast between the redecorating and the raccoons! (Put most of the money toward the mortgage on this house, of course.)

Went over to the campus to help fix up my "new" office, which has been a storeroom for at least a year. Tore out some bookcases, found two live termite nests in them. Maintenance people were, um, unhappy shall we say, about the discovery. Good thing it's a concrete-block building or it would be rubble by now. But these folks at Grace College are really great; I should have a Dell laptop any day now and I'm to get office furniture from Staples would I please go pick it out? (Preferably indigestible for termites I suppose.) They will repaint the office after they repair the nail holes in the walls, clean off the termite gunk from their nests (really gross), and recarpet the place. Old carpet under the bookcases was red and hazard-orange shag. (Remember my remarks about the carpet in our house? 1970's high fashion!) Ended up with concrete dust in my hair. I wondered if the termites had been eating the block wall, but it was left from some maintenance work on the A/C or computer network, dropped onto a top shelf.

Lest anyone think that my office is an executive suite, I must add that it's in the basement and the view out the window is bumpers and exhaust pipes of the parked cars, with occasional feet walking by. But I'll bring in one of my Glacier Park posters and it will be OK.

Sunday, June 30

Went to church at Warsaw Community Grace Brethren, discovered that a whole bunch of the faculty go there. We fit in immediately. Must have been an hour and a half after church before we finished talking with everyone, including the pastor, let's see now, whose daughter is Linda Walker back in Toppenish, who is an adjunct at Heritage. Small world, especially among GB churches.

A couple of them did us a favor and came and got a bunch of boxes for someone who is moving. Glad to get rid of them (boxes, that is). Sat around and talked for an hour.

Found out that, although there are building codes, there is no licensing of plumbers, electricians, etc. outside of cities. This explains all of the "mistakes" that I'm finding and fixing....

Week of July 4

Life is settling down, not much to report. Finished up the guest room on the morning of July 4 (room # 4 in redecorating), just in time for son Jon to arrive and stay with us. (Not that it was uninhabitable before; it just looks better with antique-white walls and a new light fixture instead of dark paneling and a dim fluorescent.) Moved in the bed and a couple of other things, getting them out of the way in other rooms. Need to get some pictures of all this improvement.

We plan on going out to celebrations, including the big one here at Winona Lake on Saturday, with fireworks over the lake. No problem finding a parking place since we'll walk.

Heard an item on the radio where someone was trying to make sure 60-year-olds get enough exercise. At the time, I was removing a baseboard heater from the wall of the guest room and Kathy was painting in another room. I snorted loud enough that she heard me. At our house, the sore muscles are from work, not exercise. (Well, I use the "cardio" machine for more aerobic stuff, but it's not exactly like a Bowflex.) We've found that a couple of Naproxin, with a snack, just before bedtime, work wonders. And I was thinking I'm getting a bone spur or arthritis in my foot; come to find out it's a corn where I can't see it without a mirror. Praise the Lord, that's easy to fix! Reckon I got it from standing in odd positions on stepladders or something.

I'll eventually get a "real" website up here or there, but meanwhile I'll be using AOL. Only problem with AOL is the software for maintaining the site. If you've read this far, congratulations. Keep in touch!