Two Thumbs Up!

My better half and I witnessed two young gays greeting each other at a downtown coffee house; they embraced each other and exchanged a quick kiss.

Isn't this wonderful when people are free to be themselves? The young couple gets my two thumbs up!

My GPS

Especially in new cities, I have the darnest ability to get lost. So I purchased a GPS unit after moving to Philadelphia. I use it to navigate to places in Philly, as well as on trips to find "places of interest" (museums, hotels, restaurants, and dessert places). It even provides phone numbers (so you can call the hotel to find out if they have a vacancy, for example).

It does have its faults, sometimes recommending travel the wrong way on a one way street or navigating to the wrong place, but overall it's been very helpful. And when it's wrong, it's a great excuse to be late. :-)

Amazing Underwear!

One of the online stores that I use sent me an email announcing a new line of men's underwear. The email contained this pic:

Such a fun pair of underwear!

The Jackhammer Wakeup

At 2:30 AM Sunday morning, a jack hammer started ripping up pavement. A crew was there from Philadelphia Gas Works to fix a natural gas leak on our block. They worked around the clock, sometimes joined by an additional crew, until this afternoon.

What a way to wake up.

Completion?

Although I hadn't updated this blog, the HVAC company completed the installation of all the vents and the air conditioning, and came back to complete installing the crown and baseboard molding around the new soffits (which hide the new ductwork).

I have been painting the new soffits and molding, and patching floors where the radiator pipes were removed. I have also patched walls behind the radiators. I still have two floors to patch, although all the painting and walls are finished (and three floors are patched too).

The new furnace is 96% efficient and replaces an old one that two different companies estimated to be 50% efficient.

Day Six

All the vents are connected except to three rooms, and the furnace is heating the two bedrooms, study, living room, and dining room.

The HVAC people discovered a pipe in the crawlspace that was not connected to the sewer line, so the plumbers have made an appearance.

I feel like a construction manager at times.

HVAC is returning on Thursday to finish the other vents, hooking on the new central air conditioning, and the new sheetrock. :-)

Day Five

Most of the ductwork is done, but the return and several vents still need several pieces. Sheetrock now encloses two of the three new runs of ductwork, and the last one is framed.

The new furnace is 95% efficient; the old unit, which was twenty years old, was about 50% efficient, according to people from two different HVAC firms. We're hoping that our gas bill declines significantly. Such a deal, we save money AND help conserve energy AND help the environment! :-)

Day Four

All the vents and the return are cut in the walls and floors. I'm hopeful that the worst of the dust storm is now past.

Work is progressing on the running the ductwork from the furnace to the vents and on sheetrocking the exposed ductwork.

We began cleaning the kitchen (counters, appliances, tables and chairs, etc.) and the half-bathroom off the kitchen.

Day Three

Yesterday saw some surprises, which are inevitable in any house but especially in one that is a century old.

With cutting holes for vents in plaster walls and in stone floors, the first floor became blanketed in dust. Yuck. My better half expressed buyers remorse, because of the chaos. And the mother-in-law flies in tomorrow. LOL.

Day Two

With holes in floors and ceilings (but nary a wall), the ductwork is being installed on one side of the house.

The cat is now comfortable with the strangers and with the noise, although she eyes suspiciously the plastic walls that attempt to contain the dust when they cut the floors and ceilings.

Now for the start of day three...

One Down

All six radiators were removed yesterday, as well as almost all their supply pipes and the old furnace, by three efficient, hard working men. Several of the radiators were quite heavy, so it was no fun to remove them.

They also brought the new furnace, compressor, air handler, and some of the new air ducts here. We can't wait until they get hooked up, although the fireplace and a space heater kept the house comfortable. Indeed, the cat LOVES the fireplace, and is warm to the touch from its heat.

The downside is that there's much finishing work (with the previously hidden but now exposed walls and floors) that needs to be completed.

A Week Long Project

Today, the heating/air conditioning contractor begins a week long project of removing the old furnace and hot water system (including removing the radiators and pipes) and replacing it with a new one that uses forced hot air and ductwork. They will also install air conditioning, which we missed this past summer. Until the new system is operational, we'll be using our fireplace and space heaters. Watch for this week to be unseasonably cold. LOL.

Meanwhile, the cat is having her naps interrupted. She is suspicious of strange people and loud noises, so she is on edge...

A Difficult Transition

Both my cousin and the doctor had told me that they thought Dad was no longer able to live on his own. Dad has Alzheimer's disease, which to this point primarily impacted his memory. On my recent trip back to Iowa to see him, I concluded that my cousin and the doctor were correct. He was making mistakes with his medicines, not eating properly, physically challenged by everyday tasks.

We identified assisted care as the best option, since they oversee his medicines, prepare his meals, and provide basic housekeeping tasks like cleaning and laundry.

Dad disagreed that assisted care was needed, which made the transition more difficult. Fortunately, he did participate in choosing the facility and in selecting the furniture, pictures, and other items for his assisted living apartment. After about six weeks, he seems quite happy, enjoying the company provided by the other residents as well as the meals.

A Long Weekend - The Carnegie Museums

Pittsburgh has several musuems that were established with money from Andrew Carnegie, who also funded a series of public libraries across the country (including one in my hometown). We visited two of these museums, the Carnegie Art Museum and the Carnegie Natural History Museum. Both had wonderful collections. Here is a sample of a stained glass window:

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And some pictures at the natural history museum:

The natural history museum also had an interesting collection of rocks and minerals, like this one:

A Long Weekend - Pittsburgh

After visiting with Uncle Joe for a couple days, we headed up to Pittsburgh where we took the incline railroad. Here's the view of the track and the river from inside the car:


And here are a couple of the beautiful views from the top:



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