A rare and amazing sight

At least for those who know me.

As part of the on-going stuff-reduction program, there was recently reported to be a car magazine that was placed, having been fully read through, into the recycling. This instead of the normal filing, storing, and eventual moving locations. Amazing stuff, indeed!

First Snow...

Those who picked "December 7" for the first snow, which was a bold move considering that we had a week of days in the 50's+60's only a pair of weeks ago, would be the big winners as there was a solid sprinkle of traffic-inducing coverage this am.

Glass, Where?

You can see here why it was compulsory in some cases to go ahead and wash all the dishes that had been in storage and not used in some time...

So many glasses, so few mouths

Did the full commitment to the project by pulling out every dish, pot, pan, glass, and cooking/preparation device that I have out of the cabinets. Cleaned out the shelves and the insides of the cabinets and put down new padding at the bottom of it.

This gave me the chance, having all the stuff out with nothing to do but find places for them to go back to, to do yet more slimming down of the unneeded inventory here at the dome as I donated a bunch of un-used glassware and other clutter-inducing but yet not being used elements...nice project for an inside-weekend.

New Shelves

After some incredulity regarding the new Hayloft/Stage area...thought that some added storage+blockage was in order. The good news is that these are lower than then original wall, create storage, and still allow some good airflow and reasonable view-through.

Also, several new storage box deals make for some good "out if sight" storage...

Holiday Season...

Well, with the stock of big bird leftovers already diminishing in the fridge, it's on to the next holiday as Christmas races on in.

The trimmings will be decidedly less comprehensive (although I can't seem to find a photos of anything I did decoration-wise from last year. What, then, was the point of even having done it?!) than last year owing to the brevity of the month for me.

But in the meantime, here are a couple of shots from x-mas last year to kick things off...

Payoff, Part 2

From the stairs...

The payoff

Light from the upstairs windows now makes its way down into the living room. A nice bonus.

However, the half wall also served, I am now finding, the purpose of blocking the super-wood ceiling in the Hayloft. Still getting used to seeing it from the first floor...

Also see the four planks of drywall that were removed. The stuff has that articulated/topographical/thick Gaugain painting like surface that I really hate. It's all over the place, up on the ceiling, so it was good to get rid of at least some of it...

In Progress...

Child-proofing my home. That is to say, keeping them from being safely here.

Some during

I broke one of my lamps in the process of moving, tearing, breaking, cutting, etc., and then kept using the light--it was just the outer shell of the Ikea square lamp that broke--because I was doing it at night and it was good light.

So, then, went ahead and broke the bulb in the same light, doing more moving, tearing, breaking, cutting, etc., Just to be comprehensive.

Actually taking precautions

With the tarp to catch (at least some...) the flying plaster and what not.

One More Before

Looking to the window under the skylight.

The Hay Loft, before

Actually, I think it's one word-Hayloft.

Seen Around the 'dome

This thing seems to make people smile. It's multi-using an old tire, from the #20 1990 Alfa Romeo IndyCar of Roberto Guerrero

Donna Sink Fan Club

Clearydome Consultant Donna Sink has been keeping busy, namely with projects that actually move forward!

Marathon

Every first Saturday of the month, there is a Broad Ripple Village Association village clean-up. They give you trash bags, rakes, litter-picker-upper-things, and usually some coffee, and folks just walk around cleaning up the area.

Even though it gives one some serious pause about your fellow man kind-really, is it that hard to just hold onto the container of what you've just consumed until you get to a trash can? Really? Oops. tangent--It is obviously a satisfying thing to do. I tend to go to the canal--photo to follow--and clean up around the banks as there tends to be a lot of launched litter (and also duck-eggs) there.

As I was doing this, I kept hearing cow-bells and encouraging cheering and clapping. I'm a fast one, and figured out there was a race going on. After initially feeling like I'd missed a good local saturday am race (last time I did that was the 5-miler on Labor Day), once I found out that it was the Monumental Marathon, I was happy to be just picking up trash.





This, though, is the best way I think to experience a marathon. From behind the wheel of a convertible…

Update: Front Walkway/Hole.

Front:
Still a hole in my front yard. And, as it's now November, the elements (leveling sand, etc…) I need to get it done are not really for sale right now at Lowes….

Walkways, AKA Big Dig.

For those keeping track, the back walkway project was initiated the one weekend that I was home in August. Just saying.

Here is the update--Back:

Got sod in (see photo where Red Race Car is making Rusty feel missed yet again. Fortunately I had the foresight to put blankets down to protect the car, but it was still a mess…)

Bat-Cave

Open the blinds to a bit of a surprise at my desk the other day. This guy was hanging out there. I was nervous initially that he was somehow stuck in there but I opened the window alongside it and made sure he had a free way out just to be safe. Even though it was kind of cool to see it so up close (although I did close the blinds again to get some work done...) I was pretty happy when he was gone later in the day…

Basement.

This one has been on the list for quite some time. I took the shelves from the bathroom and got them downstairs--which was a huge huge hassle, should have just taken them apart and reassembled downstairs instead of trying to get them down the stairs still built. was just 1/4 inch too big…

Anyway, got the floor cleared out, and everything up and in the shelves….

Halloween

Halloween.

I'm not a big Halloween person, but it appears to be "big" in Broad Ripple…

I did have a record number (probably almost ten...) of trick-or-treaters this year. I am confident that they loved it when they got their nickels and peaches as their treats.

Decline and fall...or, "check it out, I have heat!"

An article from NY Times.

Obviously, like nearly everything that comes from there, it's completely NYC-centric and self-impressed.

But still kind of an interesting thing to read while smugly enjoying scores of square footage from the flyover parts for round about the same amount that apparently allows people to live in boxes, inside.


I'll admit, the blow-up pool+pillow combination is brilliant.

THE LIVE BLOG RETURNS

Not since the roofing adventure have we had live blogging going on here 'Dome-side. But with the HomeCheck Energy Audit (aka "Cavalcade of bad news")going on thought I'd throw a photo up.


They have set up a blower to pull the air out of the house and measure the gaps that the air being drawn out creates....it's a lot.

As I type, I can hear the tape of the window-sealing plastic straining to hold the film in place, as the pressure is making the window-film look like a huge bubble. Shows it's doing the job but also shows that they are Bad.

Also note in the photo, the pool table being put to good use.

Problem...solved?

The drywall (with as-yet-explained as to why it'd be there insulation) is kind of peeling off and falling in the garage in this one spot; has been for the entire time.

Found a perfect, um, solution, to the problem.

From the Archives: VTC in Da Dome

Was in the process of figuring out how to get some shots off the phone when came across some shots of the Feb/March visit from our peeps in the DK.

We can see here Victor doing his Daddy impression with a few fast laps on the Clearydome Entertainment and Training Facility.

Come back soon, you hear?

The First Bag

Well, if you haven't noticed, there is a theme here. Never fear, the first bag of the season has now been documented. Many to follow, although I'll admit, the thought I had as I took this photo was a google search for "leaf removal..."

Back walk

Not to be all "all things are connected" or anything, but to that end...used the dirt from widening the front walkway project to fill in some of the hole left behind in the back yard from the sidewalk removal project there. Not enough stuff, there, but still working on it. Going to continue with my plan of letting the grass come back to the yard and hopefully also having things get a little more even with the levels of the yard there in back. Then I'll work on sorting out whats best for the walkway next spring...

Only two days later..

With what seemed to be a pretty big rain storm, and I suspect some wind through the night...the tree that was pretty much full on Wednesday was a lot more depleted come Friday am. The lawn is not even visible. Just wondering when someone is going to come take care of the raking for me.

Fall time photos

From atop the Dome on Wednesday...some quick changes coming...

Autumn Falls on the Dome....

Um, new interface means I cant seem to post multiple photos. Hold please.

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New Couch, although

I haven't actually got rid of the old one. It's awfully comfortable. But this was the one I've been looking to get for several months, so when I came across one on CL for about half the price of a new one, not to mention the whole not having to go all the way to Ikea thing...

...also, note Rusty's replacement....sigh...