Ode to the Microwave

Invented by accident in 1946 by self taught engineer Dr. Percy Spencer of the Raytheon Corporation, the "RadarRange" was initially 6 feet tall, 750lbs, and cost around $5000. The first counter top model arrived in 1965 at a cost of under $500. By 1975, sales of microwave ovens surpassed that of gas ranges and shortly became more common than household dishwashers. 10 years later, radarrange technology arrived at the Augustyn household and lunchtime would never be the same. The 1985 GE space maker model you see below is the first microwave my parents ever bought and it has followed me everywhere I have lived since. 25 years of outstanding service and still works as well as it did when new. Bravo. Retired as a result of my recent kitchen renovation, this little unit arrived at it's final resting place in hillman last weekend. As a reward for 25 years of service, it shall serve the rest of it's days heating sandwiches and popcorn for generations to come.

Melted ham and cheese
Made well for twenty five years
Retire up north

Kitchen (#8)

Basically done. There are a few little things to do still, but kitchen blogging will end with #8. Caulked all the non-grouted tile joints, outlet covers, shelves, trim, yadda, yadda, yadda. I'm taking a break now.

Bingo.
Bingo.

Bingo.

Kitchen (#7)

Read like Astronaut Jones.

Right.

What??

Word.

Dig.

Kitchen (#6)

Just when you think you're almost done, you realize the floor had been cut out around the old cabinets and there are two unsightly holes where sub floor would be visible. Nice. Fortunately the laminate floor is really easy to take up and put back down...and I had an extra box of planks in the garage. Endeavor to persevere.

Floor Up and everything moved. Let the expletives fly.

An hour later everything was back together and the doors were on the cabinets and the microwave was installed. See, I told you laminate floor is really easy to take up and put back down.

Microwave. Boo-Ya!!

Refrigerator side with doors installed.

Old Kitchen

FYI, this is what the kitchen used to look like 2 years ago when we moved in.

Kitchen (2,3 & 4)

OK. Made a lot of good progress since the last post. I ran wire for fancy kitchen gizmos, ordered hardware, and started the cabinet install (and in between, ran 10 Ga wire from the basement to the garage for a 220V welder plug...but, I digress...). Running the wire for the under cabinet lights and setting the cabinets in place have been the most arduous tasks to date. I've been following a steady regiment of beer, whiskey, beer, sleep to keep my mind limber.

Wired. I know it doesn't look impressive. Trust me, it is.

Install started. This is from Thursday night. I got the big pantry cabinet set and the over fridge cabinet. I had to compromise a bit on plumb/level since my kitchen walls are neither plumb nor level...discuss...

Mess. The dining room is a mess...that's about all I have to say about that.

Saturday. About halfway done. So far, so good.

Blinds Installed

If it weren't for blinds, it would be curtains for us all.
- Larry Duane Moran

It's Yellow

It's been almost a month from the last post to this one and I have been working on this room almost every day.
I made a huge dusty mess that blanketed most of the house in a fine white powder, vacuum, repeat, primer.
Next, I spent about 12 hours trimming by hand along the ceiling and doors and windows. It is excruciatingly tedious but the results are worth it. I'm really only trying to impress my mom and sister, who inspire me to such masochistic endeavors. I hope you guys like it.
3 coats of paint, new out lets, new light, new outlet covers, new blinds, new (and repainted trim), filling in nail holes, blah, blah, blah. Still not completely done...but almost.

This is me trying to figure out what to do with the blinds. One of three is too long so I have to take it back to get 1/8" trimmed off.

Mostly done. The yellow looks good, no??

Square light and improved view. It looks better in person so you'll all have to come and check it out sometime.

Dining Room Work in Progress

I've started work on the second to last room remodel. This is the first of two major projects for this winter. The process generally goes like this : I make a really big mess and put more holes in the wall, clean up the mess and fill in the holes, make a bigger dusty mess, clean up that mess, and then paint. This is definitely the worst part of owning a house.

This is in between the first mess and the dusty mess...the white spots will become the dusty mess.

The shop vac cleans up the mess, the radio keeps me sane, the ladder beguiles me to unsafe heights, the light lets me work late, and the view reminds me why I bought this money pit.

The view out our bedroom window this morning.

Fall Is Here

And I've been busy. Fall for me means boats to put away for the winter, docks and lifts to take out of frigid waters, leaves to rake, and doughnuts to eat. The last boat was tucked in next to my house tonight so I finally have time to post a few photos.

Blazing maple. This tree had been red for a long time. I would pass it every day and contemplate stopping to take a photo. I finally did on my way to the launch to pick up the boat. It's a fine specimen exhibiting near perfect symmetry and the brilliant red hue of it's foliage as the chlorophyll fades away. It's bare now...and rather sad looking.

Ford Lake in the fall looks like this. No algae, no other boats, no one else dumb enough to wakeboard on 50 degree days.

Bye bye. Emily making the final trip of the year across the lake. I love the way this boat looks in the water...especially with a fine, sophisticated lady behind the wheel... she's a lady, woh woh woh, she's a lady...

It's all over. T-minus 5 months till April...

Exterior Trim Project Completed

Well, my 6 week vacation is winding down and last week I finished painting/replacing all the rotten exterior wood trim around my house. It only took about a year of pulling nails, cutting, scraping, cleaning, painting, fighting with bees, cursing, and beard growing to get it done. It looks much better now.

- The last trim replaced was the second story fascia on the west side. It was the most difficult to access as evidenced by my dual ladder set up.

- Because of the slope of the roof I had to make these ladder holders so I could do my job. I was pretty proud of my Yankee ingenuity (or Polish engineering, if you will).

- View of the neighboring rooftops. I had the urge to go running across them like they did in Mary Poppins...but, I would definitely fall and get hurt bad...not a good idea.

- View across the street from my house. This is not too exciting but I already uploaded the photo...sorry for wasting your time.
- Our house is crawling with spiders on the outside. This is the biggest one I've seen (abdomen was ~ 1/2" in diameter). From what I can tell it's an Araneus Marmoreus or Marbled Orb Weaver.
-Hair Clog. This has nothing to do with my exterior trim project, it's disgusting, and Emily asked me not to post it. But, part of being a married man means you have to deal with these from time to time. So, suck it up and be a man!!