A Random Reflection

I have played around with haikus, but usually eschew poetry. However, I was looking through my old notes and saw some really poetic stream of consciousness writing. I though I would share:

Let the words express form and the
goals seek
union. Never cherish that which is lost,
And hold dear the beauty of the moment.
For loss lays quet duldrums through the mind.
Better listen to life's soliloquy:
The rapture of love, and the thrum of joy,
Glistening, shining, dancing, sparkling,.
But the heart remembers, yearns for the lost.

Then seek with the mind the balm for the heart.
Listen. Listen, hear and understand loss.
Map out the despair while holding hope's light.
And of life's drudger that chains you down,
while seeking to find the source of despair?
Pause,
reflect,
and focus.

Walk straight, head high.

Half Bath: Remodeled!

The house is a never ending source of things to do. Right now I've been focusing on a lot on the outside property. Especially weeding. I have realized that by removing the lawn and making every part of my property programmed for something.... I give weeds a much greater opportunity to thrive. But I digress.

To keep sane, I need to take a moment and look at accomplishments. I tend to focus on what needs to be done without allowing myself recognition for the work I have already done. So it is with great pleasure that I share the following photo with everyone:

Behold my half bath. Located under the stairs, about everything you see in that picture is brand new. First let me list off the problem of the old bathroom:

1. The old sink was 17 inches out from the wall and took up nearly half of the width of the space.
2. The shut off valves on the old sink did not work.
3. The water flow in the sink was low.
4. The toilet would take at least 5 minutes to stop refilling.
5. The water flow in the toilet was low (see item 4).
6. The toilet itself was from 1981 and had a huge, water-wasting tank (see item 4).
7. There was no shelf space.
8. The light fixture was too large.
9. The mirror was too small.
10. There was no storage space.

Phew. That old half-bath SUCKED. So we rounded up our friend J_Ro, an expert at these things, and got to work. We ordered a cute 9" deep sink and new toilet. J_Ro helped replace a lot of the old, corroded piping with shiny new copper pipes, and also helped re-set the new toilet. What a guy!

The old lights were removed and a new light fixture was installed (again thanks to J_Ro). The new lights were from Edward Joy Electric, a local lighting store and "a wonderland of lighting."

The mirror was found at ReStore on the Near Westide (or Salt District, if you prefer). It was a salvage mirror and has one tiny nick in it.

I picked up some plywood and cut the shelf. It's only a few inches wide under the mirror wall, but I've found it to be incredibly useful.

(Not shown: above the door, M and I built a new shelf for long term storage for paper towels, TP, and cleaning supplies.)

Finally, the repainting and original artwork courtesy of Hypersteve. That's right. I own the original artwork for the Magic Card "Merrow Commerce." Be jealous.