Let's talk about Outer Beauty

It's been another slow week renovation wise.

I had the local Natural Gas company out on Saturday to locate the natural gas line that I knew runs along the west property line.  I knew this, because I had them locate it a few years ago when I built the replacement fence.  At the time, it was my luck that the gas line ran exactly under where I wanted to place a gate fence post.  So I hand dug down until I exposed the line.

I remember Karen's dad was helping dig out that post-hole.  I had told him there was a gas line right under the post location, and that we had to dig down to expose it, by hand, and not disturb it, well, for obvious reasons.  I thought it would be obvious that hitting an underground gas line would be a bad thing.  After all, just the previous year there was a home not too far from us in St Vital that was blown clear off its foundation when a gas line was ruptured due to construction activities.

I'm all for fireworks in the summer, just not ones that change my house's address.

I came out from getting a glass of water to find FIL, both hands wrapped around a steel pry bar, raising it up until his hands were just above his forehead, then forcefully ramming the steel rod down into the post hole to loosen up material which he would then remove with the clam-shell shovel.  Lather, rinse, repeat.
The bar kept striking steel down in the hole!

I didn't tackle him, but I came close.

I'm still not sure he understood what might have happened.  Thankfully, he never had to, and once I had exposed the yellow-painted pipe, I measured its depth and took photographs to document the location.

Think I can find those photographs now?

Anyways, like Grant last week, the service tech marked the lines, this time with yellow-orange paint, and as suspected, the marked line is just about 3 feet away from the edge of the grade beam and pile locations.  I'm thinking I need to forget what it might cost to get the hydro-vac truck in, and locate both the sewer/water lines as well as the gas line at one time before we excavate.

When will that be? I'll get back to you on that.  See, I spoke with my structural engineer last Monday after looking at the location of the one pile that was bang-on under the water line location Grant painted, and I wondered if we HAD to have a pile in that particular location or not - it was only 3 feet off the existing foundation, and there would be another only 5 feet away which should be carrying more load.  Vic confirmed my gut-feeling, and said we would indeed be fine to remove that one - it was there as a precaution - but he ran the load calculations and they came back fine to remove it.

He also ran a different load calc for the exterior garage wall with the centre pile moved a couple feet closer to the existing garage corner pile, and he found that there too, I could remove the additional pile without any issues.  At about $1000 per pile, I'll take those savings where I can get them.

So I revised the drawings, including removing the little hip roof I designed over the front entry-way - the one I thought might look like the roof over a drive-thru bank branch - had Vic re-stamp them, and sent them off to be re-printed and re-priced.  I'm still waiting on the re-price from the foundation contractors - I just spoke with Dan - and I understand how busy they are; it is summer, after all, and this is a small project for them, but at the same time, I need to make commitments to suppliers and get things scheduled and booked.  I should hear from them mid-week. I'll let you know.

To date I have ordered the new windows for the entry foyer, and the triple unit for the front living room. Those are from Loewen Windows and they're custom aluminum clad (linen colour) solid wood windows with a horizontal mullion about 10" from the top.

Here's the new front facade

I couldn't find a front door like what I had in mind, so I spoke with my door supplier and decided to make my own as best I could from their offerings.  So I've ordered a fibreglass front entry door that will be custom cut for a dual-pane low E sealed glass unit to which I will have opaque window film applied to create three distinct divisions on the glass - enough to let light through, but still allowing for privacy.

kinda like this, but the film will be different - not full opaque

I have ordered the new garage door, the overhead door, not the side man-door one that will open onto the sidewalk to the back yard. The big garage door is a 16' wide by 7' high flare panel style from Overhead Door. No glass.  I'll add my own brickmold to it and have the soffit and fascia guys custom clad the frame to match the new windows.

Hard to see the details - but we've gone with white - we'll paint to match after

So that's where we're at. Oh - and I ordered sealed window units - just the glass - from my glass guys and I'll make the 3 windows that go up in the west garage wall. Instead of $300 a piece for fixed picture windows, I've ordered 6 glass units for $150.  An afternoon in the shop and a hundred bucks worth of jamb stock and stops, and I'll have my own signature on part of this renovation. Here, take a look:

Those three windows up there - I'm making those, and I'll show you how. Later.  

So that's where we're at.

Hopefully I'll have news mid week and a better idea of schedule for you.  

And no explosions.

Welcome Home!

Considering that what's we talked about doing if the City didn't approve our variance, I figure that's as good a way to start this new blog as any. And since most of you know what 'Welcome Home!" refers too, you'll understand why we were unsure how to feel when we got the okay from the City to continue along.  House renovation? or DVC?

DVC would have been nice, but in the end, this will be where we live until it's time to pack it in for the final big trip, so we may as well make this place the way we want it to be; to put our stamp on it and call it ours.  And so we will.

Eventually.

Maybe.

If I can ever get into the ground to start excavating and drilling for piles.

You see, I had my sewer and water contractor by on Friday to scan and locate my water line that runs from the front yard, under the house, and all the way back to the utility room in the far south west corner back there, where it comes through the floor and where we read the water meter.  Grant brought his hi-tech looking scanner wand and the transmitter that gets clipped to the closest hose bib or spigot - in our case we have one just around the front corner by the cedar there, no, the other way, yeah, that way, around the corner, and down just a bit, can't miss it.

He started out at the curb-stop - the City's circular brass valve that lives just under the grass in the front yard with the large bolt-like fitting in the centre - you've seen them before:

This one is now blue, no longer brass, with a red ring around it. 

No, it doesn't have an STD. That's just how it is these days.

and then, like some voodoo magician, he waved his scanner wand thing back and forth and it emitted a tone that changed pitch as he passed over the water line buried some 8 feet or so below.  The higher the pitch, the closer he location of the scanner to the buried copper line, and on the scanner there's a screen that also registers depth of signal, so he can tell approximately how deep the line is buried.

This is Grant.  He's too tall for this job. My back hurt watching him.

So back and forth he went, and every so often he'd spray a mark of blue paint to track his progress.  After about 5 minutes or so here's what he left behind:

A blue line that seems to curve right into my grade beam layout...

Like a good professional, Grant couldn't or wouldn't be held to anything he had laid out - the onus is on me to verify actual locations within 3 feet ON EITHER SIDE OF THE LINE! 

WTF?

A 6 foot swath?  I could have done that! And I didn't need a fancy scanner and transmitter!  I know where the line starts - its back at that blue and red target thingy back there, and it runs more or less straight to where it pops through the basement concrete floor in the utility room way back there! Hell, if I'd had known I needed to stay 3 feet off that line...

ah, nevermind.

it's done.  we have a line.  And so what if Grant won't lay his credibility on the line? (pun intended) The reality is we probably couldn't hit the water or sewer line with a 10 foot pole if we tried.

Actually we will try - but it will be a 20' drill bit, not a 10' pole - and if we hit the water line it will be like Old Faithful, and if we hit the sewer line, well, let's just say the shit's gonna hit something, and it won't be a fan...

Speaking of sewer line, I measured from the clean out inside the basement this morning, and it should be coming under the basement foundation almost 5 feet from the corner of the house.  And it should be buried in the same trench as the water line...

Grant's location line

Grant's line is not 5' from the corner - it looks like its coming around the corner...

sigh.

Let's find a contractor with one of those hydro-vac trucks that shoots a big jet of high pressure water into the ground to make a hole, then uses a gigantic vacuum on the back of the rig to suck up the mud.  

Hey!  Where's Ken when you need him?

A Bunch of Little Things

It's been a mixed bag of late-Spring weather this past week or so - days that seemed much like summer gave way to rolling thunderstorms that lit up the evening sky with purples and greens and left behind streets littered with branches and then we got days of steady dreary rains - the kind we certainly do not need as swollen rivers are still an issue and bloated beaches have claimed the cottages and houses that line their shores.  But it all serves the greater purpose I suppose, as the lilacs out front can attest, as they shot up at least two feet with the mixed blessing that is our weather.

We spent last weekend in the brutal summer heat washing and sanding and staining the deck, and it looks better than new - well, maybe not quite that good, but it's certainly better than what it was before the back breaking work.  It's now a cafe au lait type of colour, and not the aging silver-grey that those green pressure-treated deck boards turn when you leave them to their own devices.  I made up a pair of crumbles with the rhubarb I picked - one with blueberries, the other with strawberries, and I'm not sure which was better - if I had to choose I think I'd go with the blueberries though it's not fair to force one into such dilemmas.  I'm not sure you can find a more refreshing dessert after a days work than a rhubarb crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting through its golden crusted toppings.  But if you'd like to share a recipe, I'm sure I'd be up for the challenge!

Of course the boy was no where to be seen during the deck renewal process - and I can't really blame him - it's not exactly kid-friendly work, nor is the job of sufficient size to warrant an extra set of complaining hands.  Though to his credit he did help me dispose of half the pile of branches as I fed them into the hopper of the yard shredder.  Honestly that machine scares the hell out of me - maybe I'm a bit more cautious after having had the table saw and my middle finger become so well acquainted - but still, no God-fearing person in their right mind would knowingly feed branches into a hopper that suddenly latches onto the woody stem and swiftly swirls it around and around while the hidden spinning knives inside its belly mince the shards into bite size wood bits and deposits them at its feet.

That's just wrong.  Or incredibly cool if you're twelve. I think he was disappointed I wouldn't let him feed the beast. Or over heated. Or both.  He asked if he could get a glass of water.  That was the last I saw of him all afternoon...

I called the City on Thursday, wondering if our building permit was stuck in the bureaucratic vortex of the Planning Department downtown, like so many of my commercial ones, and Joanne answered and asked me if I had a sixth sense, because it had just arrived on her desk from upstairs! I told her I had a feeling it was ready - and she filled me in on the outstanding balance and I said I'd be down before 4:30 to pick it up.  She called back a few minutes later to say that she couldn't locate the plans that were to accompany the permit - but if I wanted I could still get the permit and pay for it.  I thanked her for the heads-up and said I'd be down late Thursday or first thing Friday.  It's nice to have the level of personal service I get when I deal with the folks in the Planning Department - I know many of them by name, and some, like Joanne who it turns out is the next door neighbour to a family relation, have become like family themselves, and we share stories when we meet and catch up while I wait for my appointments with the permit techs.  On our way down to get the permit she called once more to say she had found the missing plans, and when I picked everything up from her, I thanked her for her help, and she laughed as she shared the spectacle of a great deal of the office staff buzzing around looking for "Reid's Plans"  I'm not sure many people have had that kind of personal attention from this staff - but I'm very grateful for it.

So it's all systems go for the renovation now - time to book the trades and verify the window and door orders; revisit the plans and make sure the elevations and layouts are going to work as I designed them so many months ago.  This past Saturday was spent in the yard with a string line, measuring tape, marking paint, flagging tape, a bundle of lath for stakes and my copy of the plans - already folded and worn and marked up the way a set of blueprints should be. So far so good. I'll post soon with the beginning pics.

Sunday was Father's Day, and around here that also means its Manitoba Marathon Day - so it was an early rise and shine for 2 of us - Karen and I registered in the 10K this year - due to her less than hoped for performance at last year's half marathon where she hit the wall at mile 7; and my first ever instance of plantar fasciitis a few months ago - we decided that while we maybe couldn't run, we certainly could walk, and so we joined 14000 other runners and walkers and helped make the day another amazing success!  Kudos to the amazing army of volunteers who make the event such a fun and fantastic way to spend Father's Day. In keeping with our family tradition - we returned home and woke the boy and went out for breakfast and enjoyed the pleasure of his company.

Tonight after dinner we watched some old trip video of our first visit to Orlando back in 2001. I can't believe the mini-man was ever that small, or that cute!    It was so much fun revisiting those days: our first ever visit to the Magic Kingdom with him in his stroller, having to carry him and hold him during the afternoon parade; the way his face lit up at all the magic and make believe around him (and yeah, us too!) and it was so tremendously satisfying to see the deep bonds he shared with us back then - the ones we take for granted these days in the midst of teenagerdom and a never-ending growth spurt, but which we know will always reside there, in part because of the times we've shared together and the decisions we've consciously made to strengthen those bonds important to us all.  He watched the 2 1/2 year old him with a mix of pride and embarrassment (we've all been there before) and allowed his mother to miss that part of him that she's lost forever but which she keeps alive in her heart, and when she needed a hug he was there to give it to her.

You sometimes wonder during weeks like these, where so many things are happening at once, whether anything you're doing is really making a difference.  Is spending a Saturday staining the deck or weeding the flowers or shredding trees really what we should be doing, or could we be doing something more worthy with our time? Is this renovation going to take us to where we need to be, or are we just chasing our tails trying to capture something eluding us?  Before tonight I don't know that I could have told you, but after I sat out by the fire and listened to the quiet evening and watched the family of blue jays playing together through the treetops, I thought about that little boy in the video, holding hands with his mommy as they played in the resort pool with the "Big Water" fountains shooting up to shrieks of pure delight, as they turn and wave to "Daddy" and the video camera, his entire face lit up in one gigantic genuine smile,   everything is exactly how it's supposed to be, and I wouldn't change one little thing.

Have a great week!

Signs

It's the Victoria Day long weekend in Canada - nothing quite says 'Start of the summer season' like celebrating dead Queens! And if it's the May long weekend, that means the weather will be crappy; the tall foreheads at Environment Canada won't need to consult charts and algorithms to come up with this weekend's forecast - nope - just call for rain and be done with it.

As long as I can remember, May long weekend has always iffy in terms of getting weather suitable for opening the cottage or camping or having friends over to sit around and share good times in the backyard with a few cold beverages.  So, if you own a camper trailer, leave it parked, don't bother opening the pop-up one to air it out - you're wasting your time - you know as well as I, you're just going to be setting it up and taking it down in the rain. You can thank me later.

Now, it should be pointed out that history has never been a stumbling block for weather forecasters, so I don't think anyone believed the early week call for sunny and warm temps.  Unless you count our neighbours who pulled the camper out and opened it up with the help of their young boys, just in case.  That should have been a sign. Though honestly I can't blame them.  They knew enough to wait and check the mid week weather before finalizing their plans.  But if it turned out to indeed be nice, they would be ready.

Speaking of camping, my neighbours hedging their bets reminds me of Harold Camping's lunatic ramblings about the End of The World happening Saturday at 6pm give or take a time zone or two.  He and his followers honestly believed the Bible had foretold the end of days, with pinpoint accuracy no less, which reminds me of George Bush the 2nd and his 'Mission Accomplished' back in 2003.  It's all fine and dandy to be proud of your accomplishments and to be confident and secure in your knowledge, but what if you're wrong? I'm not suggesting you don't take a stand or pick a side - I'm merely offering a bit of wisdom that could well serve leaders of nations and fringe religious groups (are those really different?)  Choose your words carefully.  And if need be, prepare to eat them with grace and dignity if you've over stepped your bounds. And for the sake of everyone involved, don't hang up a sign!

Camping isn't new to this - he first predicted the End of the World would happen in 1994, September 6 to be exact. You'd think after getting that one wrong he would have been a bit more careful; that maybe once the sun rose of September 7, 1994, he would have taken it as a sign that predicting the future wasn't his forte.  Apparently not.  I don't want to know how many people listen to his radio program and willingly hand over their savings to support his cause - or which lobby groups he's tied into - all I know is someone paid more than a few dollars for all those billboard signs around the world proclaiming the end last week.

We finally got the long awaited call from the City Planning Department on Thursday afternoon, telling us that our Bylaw Variance Application had been approved for Posting, and that we had to pick up the Notice Posters Friday and have them up and on display before Friday Midnight.   I picked up the laminated goldenrod signs Friday morning and by Friday evening had them mounted on some sturdy plywood and wood bracing and staked into the front yard, making sure we followed the list of posting rules and regulations to the letter - the signs had to be on our property, no more than 3 feet behind the property line, facing the street, etc  They are to remain posted continuously for 14 days.

We didn't realize it when they called, or even when we applied, that if we got called to pick up the Notice Posters, it meant The City had Approved our application, and we would be allowed to build as planned, pending a hearing to hear any appeals. Hence the 14 day posting period - 2 weeks is enough time for our neighbours to review and read the Notice signs and file an appeal if they do not approve of our plans to build forward into the required front yard another 8 feet.

If you read the fine print on the above sign, you'll see, as we did, that the only people able to appeal the City's decision are the applicants (us) and the owners of properties directly adjacent to the subject property (our neighbours - who have already signed our application in favour of the project) so unless they've had a change of mind, the 14 day posting period is a mere formality.

Friday morning as I was leafing through the stack of business cards on my desk, I stumbled across one for a construction company I used on a few commercial jobs in years past for concrete retaining walls and grade beam work. Thinking about the reality of us finally starting the garage addition now, I called the GM and asked if he'd be willing to price our project - he said they don't normally do residential jobs, but since we've worked together before, he'd be happy to look at the drawings and shoot me a number.

Finding that card when I needed to get a price for the concrete work?  I'm considering it a sign.

Hope

There isn't a breath of wind this morning, as I sit here in the backyard gazebo, the Sunday sun risen but not yet fully awake, much like myself, and if you care to listen you'll hear the many voices, songs and callings of insects, frogs, birds and Spring.

Mother Nature never works in silence; even in the stillness her legions of progress are busy moving forward, bringing constant change all around us. This morning the frogs and crickets seem to be leading the chorus; though a quiet mind can hear at least a dozen different birds, and the red squirrels are moving now too, back and forth along the highway in the treetops. Each one of them calling to another, working together as they build nests for the natural consequence of Spring.

Fitting then, that in this season and such surroundings, we celebrate Mothers everywhere; those that brought us into this world and raised us as best they could amongst the change and chaos that is Life. Some are born naturals, destined to have children and blessed with the talents and knowledge and energy to do whatever it takes to guide her charges forward; others seem more saddled with the task, slighted somehow by Nature, given the ability but not necessarily all the tools with which to perform; others start out fine enough, but life and circumstance change along the way, and success seems bleak at best.

It's never easy, not for any Mother, the care and concern never go away, if anything they grow stronger and more raw the older the children get, one's ability to protect her offspring lessened with time, but the urge, perhaps need, never diminished. The bonds are tested early and often, strained and repaired again and again, but constant on so many levels. As the children grow and change, they stay the same too, and the overwhelming emotion of Motherhood, Hope, is constant throughout as well, an eternal beacon on those darkest nights, a welcome refuge when needed most.

The songbirds are still singing, though there is now a rumble of manmade sounds off in the distance, the slow awakening underway. The cat repositions on the towel that covers the sun-soaked chair cushion he chose earlier, and gives me a quizical glance, but satisfied I'm no threat to his comfort, he turns over with a stretch and closes his eyes, resuming his morning nap.

We haven't been called yet to pick up the yellow Notice signs for our Variance application, but our next door neighbour stopped by yesterday to alert us that she had seen a blue vehicle parked on the Bay Friday, and watched a man get out and traverse our lot, taking photographs and jotting notes first from her driveway, then from the other side, checking angles and sightlines, no doubt. A concerned mother herself, she approached, confiding to us that her intent was to get a licence plate number of he unmarked car, but also chancing to speak with the stranger.

He briefly introduced himself and his purpose, and admitted that at first he was not keen on the idea as proposed, but once he saw the plans he was impressed with the quality and level of detail provided, and thought he owed it to the process to investigate more closely. He was happy to have spoken with her, confirming that she and her husband who would be most affected by the design, which would be visible from their front window and borders their drive, had signed the application in agreement with our proposal, and mentioned that he thought it would likely be approved.

It's too early to start ordering material and booking the trades - the formal process is far from over. But like Mothers everywhere, it gives us hope that our efforts haven't been in vain.

Variance

I brought in the big guns to my meeting with the City Zoning By-Law officer today.

I figured there was no reason to sit back and begin this process quietly, that I may as well start with a flourish and build up from there, taking no prisoners, and leaving no bridges unburned behind me.  This might be war, so let's show 'em what I've got, keeping a few things hidden up my sleeves for later when the time is right, but set the stage early.

Yup, that's right, I brought Karen with me!

I figured it was time she learn what it is that I deal with on a daily basis with the City, and why it can take months to get a permit issued even when the job seems simple and straight forward.  We arrived a few minutes late to our 9 am meeting thanks to my impatient driving in morning rush hour traffic (anyone remember the car pee pee dance? Yeah, that was me a little thing morning...) and then the City parking lot that is reserved for people visiting the Planning and Property Department was filled, and some yahoo figured his precious truck needed two spaces rather than one like everyone else, so we had to park in the metered lot further away... grumble, grumble, grumble...  This patience stuff is hard.  Give me time.

I used my contractor status, such as it is, to use the separate entrance to the waiting area, and introduced Karen to some of the staff that I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the years as I have waited for permit intake meetings etc, and as we sat she commented how "office-like" this area was compared to the more mall-like building we had just passed through.  The low height t-bar ceilings and standard fabric covered office cubicle partitions and fluorescent lighting which was my reality back when I toiled for the City all those years ago are still in use here, and Karen noted the piles of plans and paperwork on counters and desktops, and I think she was beginning to understand the office environment much better.

Our Zoning Officer was late to meet us - he was on a call with another homeowner looking to build on a unique-shaped lot and was discussing the options and issues said homeowner would likely face in his attempt to construct a second dwelling on his large sabre-toothed-shaped lot.

I have had the pleasure of working with this particular City employee for the past 5 or 6 years - he had been my regular permit intake technician (fancy title for the person who I meet with and to whom I provide the information regarding our commercial construction permit applications) but had sought a promotion or change in employment scope, and was now located further away from the public areas, in a corner of the maze of cubicles that is this City office workspace.  Having a familiar and friendly face to deal with on this matter is a bonus for us, and hopefully will allow the entire process to proceed smoothly.

He had to get another chair for Karen - he has 2 in his cubicle for guests - but the second one was buried beneath plans and drawings and files bulging beyond their elastic banded file folders.  We exchanged pleasantries, and I introduced K and we visited as he began to assemble our application from the documents we had brought along.  We enquired how long we might expect the Variance process to take and he said in our case - asking the requirement of a 25' front yard to be relaxed to 17' for the new garage and entryway - shouldn't encounter too many issues.



But then he stopped, apologized, and corrected himself, and confided in a lower tone as he leaned forward towards us across his desk, that he had shown our application to the Planner, whose cubicle is right behind his, and Mr Planner had said, "I'm not sure I like it."  Gee, that kind of attitude reminds me of someone I spoke to last year about this...

You guessed it, Mr Planner is the lovely individual I spoke with last spring about our plans and who gave the impression of someone with entirely more power than his education or personality should allow.

Great.

We finished with the application, and were informed that it will likely take 10 business days until we're called to pick up the bright yellow signage that must be posted conspicuously on our property that advises any and all who care to read it, that we are asking for a variance from the by-law and for what reason etc. and that the yellow signage must be posted for 14 days, and then it may take another 2 weeks until a decision has been reached.  We wrote a cheque for a little over $400, thanked our zoning officer for his help and guidance, and were led back through the maze and out into the main mall hallway.

So, we've done what we can do, now we wait for the call.

At some point I'm sure we'll be dealing with Mr Planner.  This should be fun...

Lazy Sundays

It's another quiet Sunday morning, and I'm enjoying a perfect cup of coffee. Well, perfect except for the missing cream - we ran out the other morning and it never made the grocery list - not that it would have mattered - no one has been grocery shopping since earlier in the week, what with the early morning (or late night, depending on your place of residence) Royal wedding festivities of Friday, and the subsequent laziness and afternoon napping they brought even though it was a gorgeous 76 degrees out on the deck in the afternoon sun; and then Mother Nature let us have it yesterday with a gloomy, grey, rain filled day that overnight has morphed into a Winter Wonderland. Talk about change.

We got off fairly easy though - mostly rain in that storm, not like those to the west and north of us - reports from home have drifts higher than the trash barrel in the back yard, and cancelled funerals and postponed graduations, to go with the odd abandoned car on Main Street.

Main Street Dauphin, MB May 1, 2011

Looking out this morning we're content to stay inside and watch old movies and take it easy.

I can go for that today.  I need a do-over for yesterday.  A migraine kept me sidelined for most of my Birthday, seeking refuge in the darkness and quiet of the bedroom.  The weather outside helped with that, and made it less of an inconvenience to not be feeling well enough to be outside being productive.  I'm sure the changing weather played a role in my misfortune yesterday - I'm still feeling a bit fragile - and I'm sure the doctor's take on stress affecting it as well isn't too far off either.    Your body will have it in for you if you don't listen to it more closely.

We know that of course, but most of us are too busy 'being productive' to pay attention.  Deadlines and urgent matters get our attention first and foremost, the necessary and the needed aspects of our lives get shoved deeper down the list; further to the bottom of the pile, until something gives and we're forced to change.

The call from the Zoning Officer got placed in a much higher priority than perhaps it should have, and it sent me on a quest to deal with his Variance Application as quickly as I could hoping to limit the length of the delay to starting construction on the project.  I composed my Letter of Intent to the City along with  printing off a new set of plans for the application, and then we spent a nice bit of Thursday evening going door-to-door and speaking with our neighbours and explaining what we were planning and what the City was requiring us to do and why, and asking for their support in the matter.  Everyone we spoke with was happy to sign our application in favour of our renovation - and it was great to visit with the people you see everyday but don't speak with nearly enough.  Remind me to change that.

But couple that flurry of late Thursday activity with a less than stellar sleep thanks to a Royal Wedding watching Spouse (who made fresh cinnamon buns for the occasion just like she and her mom did 30 years earlier on the occasion of Charles and Di's union) and a first-thing-Friday-morning trip down to the Land Titles office to have a title search done for the Variance application, in case you were fortunate enough to be able to schedule an appointment with your Zoning Officer for later in the day... and you've probably got a recipe for something to give.

So something did.  And I paid the price, and today I'm not going to worry about it.  I'm going to finish writing and enjoying this coffee, and maybe enjoy a Lazy Sunday Afternoon watching those old movies and letting Mother Nature do what she needs out there.  Change is good for us, as much as we fight against it, and the sooner we learn to accept it, and go with it, the better all things will be for all of us.

Scootch over, and quit hogging the blankie, let's let this one ride and see what tomorrow brings.