MARK!!!!! How are you??? Good to "see" you.

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~~Steph

"This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." John Steinbeck

I thought that Admins didn't like thread jacking Steph.

Great -- bought a house a few months ago, my dog a month ago, split with a semi-problem gf shortly after closing on the house, lot of responsibility building at work, reno going well on my house, garden coming in well (except for my tomatoes)

For cooked greens (human consumption not ig) -- pot of boiling chicken stock, bunch of cleaned and chopped collards, a few pieces of bacon, simmer until they taste how you want them. That's how I, a white boy from northern Michigan, do them.

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~ Mark

All better! We admins do frown on thread hijacking. I thought I was in the "The Internet's Longest Thread" thread. silly me.

I've been spending HOURS working on my own remodel, so I feel your pain! I bought my own place recently too (closed escrow July 31). Had to paint everything as each room was one nauseatingly bright color or another... no two rooms the same! The bathroom had no shower, so we've been into the walls. Tile guy is coming tomorrow; I'm putting marble to the ceiling.

Also building Gil a new enclosure because the old one won't fit in the new, smaller home. We're trying to make the new enclosure more portable. My ex's idea of constructing an iguana enclosure like the wall of a house was excessive to say the least.

Sounds like you're making good changes in your life. Nice to finally be done with school and moving on, huh?

Speaking of cooking collards, I ran across that recipe for the Portuguese way of cooking them and thought of you, but was without reliable internet and now it's packed away somewhere... when I run across it again, I'll PM it to you.

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~~Steph

"This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." John Steinbeck

I have a 3 bedroom, 1500 sq ft, 80 year old, 1.5 story bungalow

When I moved in there was that masonite paneling on the walls in four rooms, one room was painted barney purple.

So far on my house I've gutted and drywalled one room

nearly gutted my bathroom - new shower installed - will tile to 5 feet up the wall and over the tub surround when my energy budget allows

knocked out the ceiling in my master bed - drywalled the ceiling - repaired and top coated the plaster in my master bedroom (one or two skim coats left)

blew in insulation in both of the lower bedrooms

wired in some new boxes in a few rooms (will wire in some CAT5 jacks this weekend)

drywalled the ceiling in my living room

removed all the carpet and refinished the floors in my living room and dining room

landscaped, rebuilt most of my fance, added a gate arbor to my fence

I can't find my camera link cable after my move

Attached Images

Prest.jpg (19.7 KB, 13 views)

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~ Mark

Great to see you back and around Mark!
Sounds like you have your hands full!
Oh the joys of being a "property owner"!
And you better watch that pup! Looks like a real killer!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Mark? Who the heck is Mark?

Enjoy the remodel, we'll eagerly await our invites (and plane tickets) for your house warming party once it is all done.

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"If you're not falling, you're not trying." - Sonni Trotter

~*~Lacey~*~

My Photos

Thanks guys.

You better believe it Merlin. Preston is a cold blooded killer who is always prepared to lounge. He's picking up on this training thing better than I am right now. Ive been using The Complete Idiots Guide to Positive Dog Training second ed. by Pamela Dennison which uses a clicker and hand signals early on and you use the word just after he reacts to the hand signal.

He has to be about the least terrier like Border Terrier I have ever heard of. He will stop paying attention to food if I start to walk away. He has about zero prey instinct right now. Typically on walks he is on the end of a 20' cord but has only gone out to the end once or twice and it is usually dragging behind us. I can give him a biscuit or other typical treat but it will end up on the floor but he will readily take a piece or two his usual food as a reward

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~ Mark

Sounds like you're doing much more than me. Right now I'm getting it "livable." Next year, I'll probably redo the kitchen. I've attached some "before" pictures... you'll see why we decided to paint!

__________________
~~Steph

"This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." John Steinbeck

More pictures (as if the first five weren't bad enough!)...


Everything, including trim, has now been painted a pale grey. Eventually I want to change out the doors to six-panel with frosted lights (windows) at that point I'll probably redo the trim in a nice bright white.

Bathroom pics follow...

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~~Steph

"This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." John Steinbeck

The bath is VERY small, so I went "big" by using marble 12x12 tiles for the walls...


We have to be moved in by the 23rd or 24th and all the floors still need to be done. I'm having "pebble tech" done in the bath and laundry and laminate floors everywhere else.

PLUS we're having to build Gill a new enclosure, which is a story in and of itself!

__________________
~~Steph

"This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." John Steinbeck