Mr Fixit does it again.
I'm not one to really toot my own horn all that often, but I feel like I'm really on a roll of getting things on my self imposed "honey-do" list accomplished lately.
I'm not certain what has sparked the recent motivation to get things done, but it does feel good. I'm not fishing for thanks or acknowledgement for getting things done around my own home (although that is much appreciated). It just feels self rewarding to know that I am gradually checking things off of my own to-do list, and being successful in being able to do them well.
Mowed Lawn: I always get a sense of pride and accomplishment from being able to mow and care for my own lawn. My lawn is by no means the best looking lawn on my street. It's not perfectly manicured, or even weed free. There are even probably three or four different types of grass that make up my front and back yards. But I keep my yards mowed, and looking presentable.
Clean Basement: (Man Cave) When it comes to the dogs, I am pretty much "nose blind" to the way that they, and the area they spend much of their time within, smells. I need to do a much better job of keeping this area of the house vacuumed and cleaned up (mostly the dog hair, and the dirt they drag in and get on their pet beds). Even though I could not smell the dogs, Karen complains about being able to smell them anytime the basement door is opened. That's not good.
Before we left for NYC, I spent over 4 hours cleaning and scrubbing their area of the basement. I even had to throw away a pet bed, and several of their lounging pillows. I think I vacuumed up enough fur from behind their cages to create another dog entirely.
Much like maintaining the yard, this is an area that I need to maintain weekly as well; and I am committed to doing so.
New Laundry Bar: As a previous entry mentions, I finally got around to putting up a longer laundry bar. I even spent some of the time cleaning up from my process to clean up the main area of the laundry room floor. Something that has needed done for some time now. There is a lot more to do in that room, but I've made the first dent, and gained a foothold.
HHR Key Fob: I finally found a set of instructions to program a new key fob for the HHR. Karen has had to endure not being able to lock/unlock or use the remote start feature of our 2007 HHR for almost the past two years. We had purchased a new key fob for the car last Spring, but the packaging was damaged and the instructions on how to complete the programming was cut off. The process ended up being much simpler than I had originally believed, and I feel bad for not having completed this task LONG ago.
Just last month, I was able to successfully repair the turn signal switch on the HHR. These two items have been a real boost to my sense of ability to accomplish what I set my mind to do; and it really makes me feel good that I was able to do them for my wife (since the HHR is primarily her car).
Basement Door Handle/Lock: The last time I had to replace the handle to the basement sliding glass door, I made the mistake of getting in a hurry; and as a result, I stripped out the fastening bolts as I was installing the inside handle. The locking mechanism was secure, but it left eh inside handle very loose. The strain put on it eventually caused the bottom bolt head to snap off.
For a while, it was easy enough to just apply pressure to the top of the door handle when opening. But, eventually, the locking lever started falling out of the mechanism, and made opening the door a real pain and chore. Since this is the door that the dogs go in and out of all day long, this presented a real problem.
Well, I'm proud to say that I replaced the entire handle and locking mechanism this afternoon, and the door is not only easier to use, it is once again completely secure. Eventually, I want to replace the entire door. Due to an accident last Fall, this door is no longer fully insulated and cold "weather proofed." It's also at least 20 years or so old.
I'm not certain what has sparked the recent motivation to get things done, but it does feel good. I'm not fishing for thanks or acknowledgement for getting things done around my own home (although that is much appreciated). It just feels self rewarding to know that I am gradually checking things off of my own to-do list, and being successful in being able to do them well.
Before we left for NYC, I spent over 4 hours cleaning and scrubbing their area of the basement. I even had to throw away a pet bed, and several of their lounging pillows. I think I vacuumed up enough fur from behind their cages to create another dog entirely.
Much like maintaining the yard, this is an area that I need to maintain weekly as well; and I am committed to doing so.
Just last month, I was able to successfully repair the turn signal switch on the HHR. These two items have been a real boost to my sense of ability to accomplish what I set my mind to do; and it really makes me feel good that I was able to do them for my wife (since the HHR is primarily her car).
For a while, it was easy enough to just apply pressure to the top of the door handle when opening. But, eventually, the locking lever started falling out of the mechanism, and made opening the door a real pain and chore. Since this is the door that the dogs go in and out of all day long, this presented a real problem.
Well, I'm proud to say that I replaced the entire handle and locking mechanism this afternoon, and the door is not only easier to use, it is once again completely secure. Eventually, I want to replace the entire door. Due to an accident last Fall, this door is no longer fully insulated and cold "weather proofed." It's also at least 20 years or so old.