Progress & Accomplishment
We got a washer and dryer on Sunday, secondhand from a friend who's clearing out a house. They're in the basement and hooked up, though I'll need to acquire & install a belt to get the dryer fully functional.
The big project this weekend was getting the new telephone jack installed. The hard part was opening up the wall cavity to run the cables into the basement - the baseboard and the sill plate are each made of 90+-year-old yellow pine, hard as rock, and it took careful application of some fun tools (like my newly acquired 90-degree adapter for the power drill). Then I tied in the new line to the phone lines that were wreathed around the basement joists, re-arranging them and taking out egregious amounts of slack at the same time. It was a little nerve-wracking when I called up the stairs "I have just cut the main telephone line!", and very pleasing when I tested the outlet and got a dial tone. Next, DSL.
I'm really enjoying the feeling of capability - of knowing that you have the tools and the know-how to tackle projects that previously seemed too complex. I'm sure there are many people reading this journal who'll see this latest thing as small potatoes - no big thing. Fine - everyone develops their own capability at their own pace. But I'm pleased with this step.
Tonight - Troop 22 Court of Honor and potluck supper. My nephew Kirk is getting several merit badges from Summer Camp, and advancing to the next level in the troop! (The troop to which his father and I also belonged, lo these many many's ago!)
The big project this weekend was getting the new telephone jack installed. The hard part was opening up the wall cavity to run the cables into the basement - the baseboard and the sill plate are each made of 90+-year-old yellow pine, hard as rock, and it took careful application of some fun tools (like my newly acquired 90-degree adapter for the power drill). Then I tied in the new line to the phone lines that were wreathed around the basement joists, re-arranging them and taking out egregious amounts of slack at the same time. It was a little nerve-wracking when I called up the stairs "I have just cut the main telephone line!", and very pleasing when I tested the outlet and got a dial tone. Next, DSL.
I'm really enjoying the feeling of capability - of knowing that you have the tools and the know-how to tackle projects that previously seemed too complex. I'm sure there are many people reading this journal who'll see this latest thing as small potatoes - no big thing. Fine - everyone develops their own capability at their own pace. But I'm pleased with this step.
Tonight - Troop 22 Court of Honor and potluck supper. My nephew Kirk is getting several merit badges from Summer Camp, and advancing to the next level in the troop! (The troop to which his father and I also belonged, lo these many many's ago!)