Adventures in Newfield

When KISS isn't

2011-09-24T12:31:00.000-04:00

So, KISS is an acronym for Keep It Simple Stupid. When you hear your aging parent screaming that the expensive programmable thermostat is an elephantine pile of dung (in not so nice terms) you realize that even though your impulse was KISS -- all she has to do is switch from heat to cool as the seasons dictate -- that is not enough. First of all, you forgot she can not see the symbol that means the AA battery needs to be changed even though it is very obvious and plain to see because she doesn't expect to see such a thing on a thermostat. Secondly, she expects that she has to turn it up and down because that is the way thermostats have worked all her life and has completely forgotten that all she has to do is switch from heat to cool or the reverse because you made it easier for her. Sigh.

Newfield Memorial Service for 9-11-2001 includes callery pear

2011-09-14T10:52:00.000-04:00

The service in the grove was low key and hopeful. Children from the local parochial school sang a song expressing wishes for peace around the world. The local business alliance planted a callery pear, which is the same variety of tree as the 'survivor' tree located at the 9-11 memorial site in New York City.

Personal consequence of 9/11/2001 morning

2011-09-11T10:55:00.000-04:00

I used to be an watcher of TV news and listened faithfully to NPR during my drive to and from work each weekday. But since that morning I can no longer do either. The heartbreak of 9/11 is etched into my visual and aural memories of news programs in either media.

What happened was this: Every weekday I would take a shower than wander into the kitchen to snap on the tv to hear the weather and fix my breakfast just before 6am Seattle time. If it was a lucky day, Mt Rainier would be visible and start off my day with a smile. Now you are saying to yourself, why would she watch the weather when it is always raining in Seattle -- temperature baby, temperature.

Anyway, that day was the tv picture came into focus I see this building burning and what appears to be airplane wreckage. I say to myself, I don't remember any disaster movies coming out soon wonder what that is and my it looks realistic. Then I hear a voice over talking about NYC and how a plane hit one of the twin towers. I think to myself was there some horrible glitch in the cockpit software (hint: I was software engineer for Boeing)?

I dash to my bedroom and don a pair of slacks and pullon type top suitable for the casual work environment of the Boeing Space Center and rush back to see this plane I recognize as a Boeing plane impact the second tower. That image is seared on my brain. To see a Boeing plane hit the tower. I knew then it was not an accident or glitch but a hijacking.

I rushed the rest of my morning routine and started my commute to work. I don't even remember finishing breakfast so I bet my cat ate the milk and cereal. I snapped on the radio, which was always tuned to NPR to listen and catch what ever was being reported.

I am almost to work and have been listening to a reporter live from the Pentagon when what happens but he is saying "we're hit" and a couple of seconds of silence and then the studio reporter takes over. I snapped off the radio and have never listened to NPR news again.

When I reach work a few minutes later, the gates are still open and I park inside. Less than thirty minutes later, the gates will be closed for several years with guards checking badges. The office administrator I had known for fifteen years has a small black and white tv she is using to provide us information during the day. There's no tweeting or wide spread texting to spread the news then. We had no idea if there were more targets only this time the West Coast. The admin reported about the plane going down in Pennsylvania. People who were on vacation far from home called in to say they would be driving rather than flying and hence not back when expected. The atmosphere was not just somber but wary.

My daughter asked me later why I had even gone to work that day. I replied I didn't know what was going to happen but I thought I might be able to help, no matter what it was. So, I guess I am one of those whose impulse is to pull together and do whatever needs to be done to get all of us through the crisis. I know I am not alone in this and many, many people did that following 9/11. I salute them all.

Today, in Newfield there will be a ceremony in the grove (some towns have a square, Newfield has a grove) in remembrance. Local volunteer fire companies will attend and local churches are supporting. Newfield has four - hopefully the one that always sets itself apart because of religious doctrine will bend and participate but I wouldn't bet on it.

Just like I wouldn't bet that our congress critters will bend from their doctrinal positions and put the good of all the citizens as their first priority rather than re-election, but I can always hope. Congress needs that spirit of pulling together that 9/11 evinced. Heck the whole country needs to remember and act on that feeling.

Hurricane Irene aftermath as of 8am Aug 28th

2011-08-28T08:28:00.000-04:00

Here in town the aftermath is mostly water in basements, which the local volunteer fire company pumps out. My mother's house is one of them. Also, from my house all I can see is minor branches down, no major trees and we still have power as of 8:17 am EDT.

This is not the first time this month that the firemen have been pumping basements in town this year. We have had a very wet summer with about 10 inches of rain locally just in August. The water table is very high, so when they mention possible flooding of area streams that means water in basements from underground streams too.

Hurricane Irene is not completely gone yet but the storm could have been so much worse already. There are still winds around so not safe from trees coming down yet.

Earthquake centered in Virginia caused house to shake up here

2011-08-23T14:36:00.000-04:00

It was a shallow one centered in Virginia with magnitude 5.9. Made the house shake and creak here in South New Jersey but no damage. Curious to me is that it was more of an adventure that scary. I think that is because I experienced the February 2001 earthquake in Seattle that was was more severe (8+), lasted longer (40-45 seconds), and was as loud as if a train was speeding directly at you from less than a hundred feet. By that I mean the sound of the other earthquake was not only loud but had a lot of deep harmonics that you felt as well as heard.

Everyone is safe here and no damage to buildings. Just another adventure.

It's Copper River Salmon time

2011-05-26T17:09:00.000-04:00

Oh I was so tempted to purchase fresh Copper River Salmon fillets in my local Costco. But since it is an hour from there in Delaware to back home in NJ, I resisted. It has been two years since I have eaten any because the season for the fresh version is short even in the Seattle area.

So I count on my friends and family in the Seattle area to devour some and tell me how good it was. And then I remember even the smell as it is broiled or planked in Chinook's at the Fishermen's Terminal in Seattle. Oh, now I am hungry.

Cleared for driving and intake of caffeine, alcohol, and ibuprofen

2011-04-14T16:31:00.000-04:00

So, I have had an echocardiogram to see how my valve is working. The gradient (pressure across the valve) was 15 and the size of the opening was 1.86 square centimeters, both of which fall in normal ranges. Before the replacement, I fell into the critical category with a gradient above 70 and an opening that was only 0.5 square centimeters. I call this success.

I had a post-surgery visit with the cardiac surgeon and other than a small stitch in the incision that had not dissolved properly, I am in good shape. The physician's assistant snipped the stitch thread and pulled it out. Felt pretty strange to have the thread tugging through my skin, I have to say.

I asked if I could drive, drink alcohol and caffeine and use ibuprofen instead of acetaminophen. The answers were all "yes" just not at the same time, of course.

Today was my first venture out as the driver of the car. It feel great to be that free again. I only went as far as the post office and bank but now I can drive the 9 miles to the grocery store. I am still restricted as to weight I can lift to between 5 and 10 pounds as it can take 3-4 months for the bone they had to break to complete heal at my age.

Pain from swelling still an every day visitor

2011-04-02T10:02:00.000-04:00

I wish I could drop the acetaminophen and switch to ibuprofen to reduce the swelling because that is the source of my pain mostly. As I jar or move my chest muscles in any way there it is. I was hoping to drop pain medication during the day and use it only at night by now but no go as my body is slow to get rid of swelling on its on.

So its every 4-5 hours preventively especially if I know I will be in a car or just doing light household chores like laundry or filling/emptying the dishwasher.

3 weeks post surgery

2011-03-28T09:09:00.000-04:00

I continue to improve - less pain, less coughing, more energy for activity. I had a small set back on pain last week when shoulder muscles become less swollen putting more pressure on incision, but continuing Tylenol on 4 hour basis has worked.

Now if it would just get over 50 degrees here (we are being unseasonably cold) I could try walking to the end of the block and back again. I want to see the daffodils and other spring flowers that have sprung despite the temperatures.

Taking stock, 14 days post surgery

2011-03-22T17:46:00.000-04:00

All indications are that I am doing very well:

The incision that was superglued closed has healed up well without ugly wormy look and the external bruising has disappeared
I am down to taking 1 acetaminophen every 4 hours as I sleep so my pain is almost gone
All fluid is staying off
I can dress myself and take a shower which means I have no problems lifting my arms over my head
My appetite is fair but that is ok
I have no problems doing the exercises that the physical therapist recommended
The cardiologist gave me ok today to start taking vitamins and fish oil again
I am able to do crossword puzzles again which means I have thrown off all the fuzziness caused by the pain medications
I get tired but not as easily as before the operation, part of that is the ferrous sulfate I am still taking

So, I credit the wonderful doctors and nurses and all the good thoughts and prayers of family, friends, and acquaintances. Thank you all.

Feeling connected

2011-03-21T19:00:00.000-04:00

I didn't realize how much I feel tethered to family and friends with my iPhone until I didn't have it until Wednesday evening after my surgery. My sister and nephew brought it up and I breathed a sigh of relief. I had tunes; I had text messaging to my daughter; I had email; I could read BOOKS.

My fingers were still swollen and stiff with fluid making it awkward to use the keyboard but not impossible if I held it in landscape mode and swiping thru books was easy. My sister had brought my iPad too but I had her take it back home as it was too heavy for me to hold for long periods. Fortunately, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center had a guest WIFI network so I was in business and connected again.

There was a TV in the room that I could have used for a small daily fee but I never turned it on. I had NetNewsWire to get news and I was glad that in the cooler medium of print I could read about the tragedy as it unfolded in Japan. As it was, even reading about it was upsetting enough and invaded my dreams, which was not conducive to getting healed.

My only complaint about using the iPhone in the hospital was that the cord for recharging was really just six inches too short. As the battery got low, I could have the staff scoot the reclining chair back sufficiently to go on reading but that didn't work for the hospital bed. I am sure I could have purchased a longer one if I had thought of it ahead of time, but I didn't.

Someone else's hero

2011-03-20T10:44:00.000-04:00

Penn Presbyterian is a teaching hospital, which means that on weekends, nursing students from area schools get to practice what they learn in the classroom. I had one student nurse on Saturday and a team of two on Sunday. They all made me smile.

It turned out that I had a personal link to their supervisor so I got VIP treatment. In the seventies and eighties, my Mom had gone to college and taught as school librarian/media specialist at a rural school in a farming community in Cumberland County NJ that had may be 100 books when she started. She established the library as a real part of curriculum for that elementary school and brought in computers (the first were Commodore 64s). An addition was added to the school and it included a dedicated library where each class had some time each week with my Mom, who supplemented their course work or added books that answered their questions. The nursing student's supervisor was one of those students - now with a PhD and lots of responsibility for a nursing educational program. And, he credits my Mom with (direct quote) "making me what I am today" by opening his mind to broader ideas and possibilities than following the expected career of becoming a farmer, to which he is totally unsuited. It would have been a waste of an inquiring, caring mind.

So, it was a week of identifying heroes (more properly heroines) with my son writing a sweet tribute about me and my encountering someone whose life had been deeply touched and improved through my Mother's dedication to being a librarian who made a real difference that ripples still through many others' lives.

On medications

2011-03-20T10:07:00.001-04:00

In the hospital, some of the medications are administered intravenously and others by mouth. The diurectic, which was removing all the excess pounds of fluid, was given intravenously. Fortunately, they had inserted the intravenous portal before any surgery as my veins are small and - "nurse tech talk here" - they roll when you try to put a needle in them. I, of course, knew this as I have had blood taken since I was 17 and had appendectomy. I also knew they were really terrible because once I tried to donate blood - my type is semi-rare being A negative - and after 4 attempts to fill a pint bottle, the Red Cross people told me never to come back again.

So, the medications I was taking meant they had to test my blood sometimes twice a day, potassium loss from the diuretic being a biggie. This was a trial because the workable veins are hard to find in the beginning and with all that fluid they seemed to disappear. I still have many bruises in my arms and hands from failed and successful attempts. The worse part was after 4 days, they need to put in a new intravenous portal to prevent infections and clotting. There were numerous attempts by the "best" nurses and only 8 hours after the "due" date, one nurse succeeded. Of course, I was still losing fluid which made it possible though still difficult.

One evening I started to feel like I was about to hiccup - it was my heart doing an atypical rhythm called afib for short. The heart monitor told the nurses it was happening and they immediately came to administer intravenously something to get me back to normal sinus rhythm. I am still taking medication for it at home. The doctor calmed any fears by reporting that 40% of aortic valve replacement patients have this occur, which is why patients have to wear a heart monitor throughout the hospital stay. Fortunately, I will not have to take this pill forever as it makes me a bit woozy.

At home, I am taking less prescribed medications but, after discussing it with the medication nurse specialist, I added back in some things they were giving me in the hospital and my allergy medicine now that I am home with the cat. The meds I continued that were not directly prescribed are a stool softener, an acid reducer (Pepcid in particular), and Cepacol throat lozenges. My stomach throws a lot of acid back up my throat (acid reflux) in reaction to medications so the Pepcid helps it not be so corrosive and the Cepacol soothes my irritated throat.

The biggest medicine topic for me is that since I chose a tissue rather than metal/plastic valve, I do not have to take Coumodin (warfarin). Clumsy as I am, this is a big plus not to have to be careful about bruising, falling, or worrying about blood draws not clotting.

The only thing I will have to take is an antibiotic before any dental work or cleaning. I can easily adapt.

warning - plain talk of poo and pee

2011-03-19T09:30:00.000-04:00

The nursing staff has smelly, disgusting work as each patient recovers from their major surgery and the anesthesia. Anesthesia shuts down the digestive track and sometimes has to be shocked into working correctly.

The excess fluid in my body made me very clumsy and unable to work my fingers very well. So the first time the foley bag was out and I peed into the cup (urine output has to be measured), I couldn't even blot myself. That was embarrassing to say the least, but the nurse assistant was so gentle and took it all in stride. Another day, he was back just to see how I was improving and put his hand softly on my shoulder - it felt like a healing touch and reminded me how often my father would put his hand on your shoulder just like that to say he was there to help if you needed it. Thanks, Delmar. It meant a lot.

So, for a couple of days, I needed assistance to get in and out of bed just to pee and they would often have to unhook me from the oxygen and the leg cuffs that massage to keep circulation and muscle tone up. I did get able to blot after a couple of trips to the toilet, thank goodness.

The fluid pervades everywhere including into your lungs and so you have to breathe into this contraption that encourages you to expand your lungs (ouch) 10 times an hour when you are awake and it encourages you to cough up the fluid. Well, about Thursday, I had plenty of bowel tones and smelly, smelly gas but no action so they gave me laxatives twice along with the stool softeners I was already getting. The stool softeners are because they are giving me iron as ferrous sulfate and that causes constipation. So I am getting lots more gas and just as I was getting ready for bed, we had success with a bowel movement on the toilet. The nurse and I thought all was good, and I feel asleep.

A couple of hours later I woke to a coughing spell and promptly pooped all in the bed before I could ring for the nurse. What a mess! Cleaning me off was problematic because the ferrous sulfate makes the poo green black and sticky and the stool softener make the poo soft enough to get in the nooks and crannies that women have. It must have taken half and hour to clean me off and remake the bed. This time they put a diaper liner under me just in case. That was a good thing, because it happened again closer to morning. At least this time, there was a diaper to dispose of instead of all new bed linen.

Fortunately for me, they removed the drain and cat whiskers on Friday and I was able to take a shower. It felt heavenly.

I was still retaining too much fluid as they increased the dosage of diuretic each day but on Sunday, I finally peed out more than five pounds of fluid and my weight was back to normal. This was key to going home.

My chest sprouted cat whiskers?

2011-03-18T10:04:00.000-04:00

Before I left ICU on Tuesday, they had to remove several things: (1) inter venous line feeding me fluid and food and (2) Swan-Ganz catheter. However, they left in several long wires that they could have used to regulate my heart rhythm if needed. I looked down and it seemed I had sprouted cat whiskers. They also left in place a drain bulb that was collecting excess fluid from the pericardium - the sac containing the heart.

Removing the Swan-Ganz catheter started me down a slope of pain and acute nausea, which wouldn't completely clear up until Thursday. I consumed unsalted top crackers so I could take my medications. Most of the nausea was from pain medications. After morphine, Percocet (oxycodone and acetaminophen) is normal but I can't take it without feeling sick. Next we tried acetaminophen with codeine but that just made me sleepy and slightly sick so that food smelled and tasted awful. I needed to be able to eat to get my strength back. And, I needed to relieve the pain from the deep bruising etc to heal. It's been proven by studies in the 1980's that if a patient is spending all their effort to ignore and deal with pain, they don't improve or heal as quickly.

Finally on Thursday, one of the nurses suggested moving me to Motrin (Ibuprofen) because I was still so swollen around the incision. And, voila, nausea was gone. Unfortunately, it made me more of a pin cushion as the ibuprofen had to be monitored relative to my kidney function but for me, it was a better choice.

Waking up after surgery the pain was horrendous -- in my thumb!

2011-03-17T08:29:00.000-04:00

The last thing I remember was the anesthesiologist telling me not to panic if I was still intubated when I awoke again as they taped a surgical cap to keep my hair off my neck. I was still intubated (breathing assist tube down your throat) as I awoke to the sounds of the beeps in the ICU so I could not tell the nurse of the awful pain in the thumb on my left hand. Half an hour later they removed the tube and I could complain but that was a long half hour. Turns out, they had taped the pulsimeter (measures heart rate and amount of oxygen you are breathing in) to my thumb at such an angle to activate the arthritis pain I have in the joint at the base of my thumb.

Soon after giving me a chip of ice to ease the soreness in my throat, they got me out of bed to do two things, sit up for awhile and most importantly, weigh me. They had weighed me going in and were weighing me know to find out how much extra fluid the heart-lung machine had left in my body. Turns out I was an overachiever at 20 pounds. This excess fluid was what so distorted my face that my sister didn't recognize me when they let her into the ICU before she had to go back to NJ. This is common but a friend of mine told me that the ICU nurses often don't warn family that their loved one will not look normal because of the fluid as it happened to her when her father had a mitral valve repair. She said, "you are sure this is my father?", as she checked his wrist identification band. Interesting that we hide more as we "fatten" than as we slim down.

So I sat up for several hours as the morphine wore off and they tried to give me some food and water and other pain relief. Close to midnight, I was transferred to a room on the surgical recovery ward. The ICU nurse had let my daughter know so everyone family wise breathed a sigh of relief.

Home is where the heart is now

2011-03-16T08:53:00.000-04:00

I survived the surgery, which went very well, now just making one day at a time through the long recovery procedure. I want to thank the superb staff at Penn Presbyterian, who work well as team and individually to make the patient experience as positive as possible. As complicated as recovery is from heart surgery, they had an answer for every contingency.

In following posts, I will let you in on what happened but here is a little tease. How come my own sister didn't recognize me a couple hours after the surgery?

Got my final instructions for surgery on Monday Mar 7th

2011-03-04T12:46:00.001-05:00

The scheduling nurse just called. I need to be in there at 6am. I go into Penn Presbyterian at the Cupp Building, then follow the signs to the Wright Saunders building. Then I take the elevator to the third floor and find the Heart and Vascular Unit. I am to bring no valuables or cash. The clothes I wear in will go home with my sister as I will not be able to have anything in the ICU after surgery. That means I will have to pack a bag with going home clothes for her to bring in later in that week.

I am not to eat or drink after midnight nor take any pills. No brushing of teeth or swilling of water in my mouth. I hate morning mouth, oh well.

Surgery moving to Monday March 7th

2011-02-23T14:05:00.000-05:00

The surgeon has emergency surgery to do on the 28th that bumps me one week.

Feb 28th Penn Presbyterian Medical Center is date and place for surgery

2011-02-21T10:42:00.000-05:00

It will be a minimally invasive procedure because indeed, there are no aneurysms. I already stopped taking my fish oil daily capsules as these may thin the blood to make it clotting of the incisions slower.

So far, I am scheduled to be first in the OR, so I have to be there by 6am. I will know for sure sometime on Friday.

My sister's best friend from childhood will be driving my sister and me up to Philadelphia. She has no problems with Philadelphia traffic and is somewhat familiar with that part of town. I am glad she will be there to keep my sister company while they wait for me to come out of surgery and anesthesia.

ABC's "Gray's Anatomy" recently aired an episode that showed the full open heart surgery and my niece was watching and realized why I was hoping not to have that procedure but the minimally invasive one. I am sure there were horrible complications in the tv show that made it worse than real life. Still, I am very glad medicine has advanced to the point my valve can be repaired without that.

Preliminary reading of CT angiogram shows no aneurysm

2011-02-08T16:18:00.000-05:00

I had two tests today as preliminary for the surgery.

The carotid doppler looking for blockages was simple enough, you just lie there as they run the ultrasound sensor over your neck after applying gel. I do not have the results yet and no hints either as the technician was not up to hinting. They are not supposed to so that is just fine.

For the CT angiogram they have you lie flat on bed that moves in and out of a doughnut after they inject a dye to make it easier to see your blood vessels. No pain with this one either. There is often a feeling of warmth from the dye as it circulates within your blood. For me it was as if I had come in from a very cold winter's day and then soaked up warmth by sitting on a radiator. This time, the technician could tell me that no aneurysms were seen as they watched the test in real time. If there are, they are very small and might be found in the final analysis. Me, I all for being positive and believing there are no aneurysms.

The good, the puzzling, and the OOPS!

2011-02-03T09:23:00.000-05:00

Oops first: Just like Group Health and Virginia Mason in Seattle, Penn Medicine is an alliance of hospitals (University of Pennsylvania Hospital, Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania, Penn Medical Center), clinics in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and associated satellite practices in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. So when I called the patient registration office back to clarify where I was going, they said, "The Hospital." Due in at 7am, with an hour's drive ahead, we left at 5:30am to ensure we could get there on time despite the freezing rain storm that had occurred overnight. Having never been there, it took a bit of maneuvering in the dark to actually find the entrance to the parking garage but I made to the hospital admissions office before 7am. They didn't have me listed. They asked what I was having done and sent me across the street to the Heart and Vascular Center.

No one was in yet because of the storm but just before 8am, that receptionist showed up and I wasn't listed for a procedure there either. That's the center that does heart transplants. Turns out I was supposed to the at the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, which is about 8 blocks away. The receptionist, Patrick, was very helpful and thoughtful. He called over and told them I was coming and then wrote out directions for us because of the one-way streets around the hospital. He even escorted us to the parking garage to point out the streets and to validate the parking so we wouldn't be charged.

By 8:30am, I made it to the Heart and Vascular Center for outpatients of Penn Medical Center, which is nothing more than a makeshift nurses station in what is an older Federal style brick building as you often see in down-town Philadelphia. What an adventure when you are hungry, thirsty (I had been fasting since midnight, no water either), and sleepy. Who sleeps well anticipating a medical procedure and worrying that the alarm won't go off?

Puzzling next: There are two puzzles actually. One, do I have the tissue or the plastic/metal mechanical valve? Two, what is causing the subtle finding of lower oxygen content between the aortic chamber and the aorta blood vessel itself?

Regarding the first puzzle, I am in a gray area with respect to the AMA and FDA guidelines because of my relative health and age. If I choose the tissue valve, it will wear out in ten to fifteen years and need replacing and so I would face another major surgery. Of course, the procedure may have improved dramatically by then and not be so difficult. Just think how heart vessels by-passes have changed over the last twenty years. If I choose a mechanical valve, I will need to take Coumadin (warfarin rat poison) for the rest of my life to prevent clots. By take, I mean faithfully the same time every day, no skipping for forgetting. The Coumadin will also make me prone to bruising from my clumsiness and make any other surgeries including dental somewhat tricky. So, the surgeon told me the decision was mine to make. So, I have some research ahead of me.

Regarding the second puzzle, the surgeon who did the heart catherization told me that the finding could mean I have a benign blood vessel that is connecting the aorta to my heart or that there is an aneurysm that needs to be repaired before it blows out causing a stroke or heart attack. I will be having a CT angiogram to help the surgeon determine what is the cause. If there is no aneurysm, the valve will be replaced with a minimally invasive procedure without cracking open my chest. If there is an aneurysm, I will have the full blown surgery so they can effect a repair. Of course, I am hoping for the first case as the other one is just plain scary.

The good: Everyone - the nurses, nurse practitioners, and surgeons were so nice, thoughtful, competent, and worked as a real team. That gave me confidence I am in the right place for this work. For example, when the nurses moved me from the gurney to the operating table, I piped up and said I had had a back operation and I would need a pillow under my knees, the response was "coming right up" and the anesthesiologist piped right in with "Then I will give you more pain blocker and less sedation to prevent any back spasms." Just picture a surgeon with a long piece of metal wire in your heart trying to find the hole formed by a valve and then the person's whole body spasms from a heavy duty back pain. And to show their thoughtfulness and competence, all my pre-op testing (chest x-ray, ekg, blood and urine samples) was completed before I left the hospital yesterday. When you live an hour away, that is a huge time and hassle saver.

Secondly, the test showed that the aortic valve opening is very small and there is no question that I need the replacement. The other valves operate normally. So, no hassles with insurance for 2nd opinions or justifications.

Thirdly, the blood vessels of the heart are all clear so there is no need for any stents or other work such as a bypass. This keeps my odds of dying during or right after the surgery in the 3-5% range. I will take those odds any day.

7 am at University of Penn Hospital Wednesday Feb 2nd

2011-02-01T11:53:00.000-05:00

That is when I have to arrive for the catherization testing. The procedure should take about an hour and then I will have 4-5 hours recovering before I can go home. There is a slight chance I have to stay overnight but it isn't likely. Hopefully, I will meet the cardiac surgeon who will be doing the final procedure.

I am not to eat or drink anything after midnight but that is not a hardship. So wish me rain instead of snow over night so everything goes as to getting there and back. I am confident that the procedure and recovery will go well.

here's where to read about the test I am having

2011-01-25T14:16:00.000-05:00

1st test scheduled for Wednesday, February 2nd

2011-01-25T11:48:00.000-05:00

So, U of Penn Presbyterian Hospital just called to schedule my catherizations for Wednesday, February 2nd. The nurses will call the day before for the exact time that I have to be there. And, they will provide other instructions like fasting after midnight then too.

still in limbo

2011-01-21T16:19:00.000-05:00

Meet today with the cardiologist, Dr Ross Zimmer, from Univ of Penn Medical Center who coordinates cardiac care for all heart operations among various south Jersey cardiac medical practices. He treated the appointment mostly as a second opinion. He does agree I most likely need the valve replaced and selected a cardiac surgeon for me by the name of Dr Wilson Szeto. The next step is catherization both sides of heart blood vessels. This is an outpatient surgery unless they find something demanding immediate treatment during the procedure. I do not know when this will happen but should get a call about the appointment in the next week. Hopefully, I will meet with Dr Szeto either before or after the procedure.

And the winner is ... a heart valve replacement operation

2010-12-17T07:36:00.000-05:00

Now that the house renovation was finished, I was contemplating what my next adventure should be - arranging a reunion for graduates of Edgarton Memorial School between 1957 and 1967 or getting into the historical society to do some organization of the material - but the choice was made for me. I need to get my stenotic bicuspid aortic valve replaced. That means open heart surgery with me on a heart-lung machine getting a plastic valve put in the place of my faulty one. I will need warfarin (yep, rat poison) for the rest of my life to prevent dangerous clots and plaque buildup around the plastic valve. This is not a fun adventure but a necessary one.

So, what the heck is a stenotic bicuspid aortic valve you say and why is it important? The aortic valve lets the oxygenated blood out of your heart into the blood vessels so that your cells can convert sugars in your blood and cells into energy for your muscles and brain. Pretty important, I'd say. A normal heart valve is tricuspid (has 3 flaps) but mine is bicuspid (has 2 flaps). That is significant because it cuts down on the amount of blood that can flow out of my heart in one pump.

To explain, take a round plastic lid from a margarine container and cut it down the middle with one single slash, then squeeze the edges of the lid towards each other and examine the opening, seeing two "flaps". Now, take another lid and this time make a Y shaped cut instead of a single line. When you squeeze the edges of the lid together, you see three flaps and the hole will let more liquid through more easily. As a child I had less stamina and lower peak performance of my contemporaries, and this is why. Regardless of how much harder I worked to get faster or last longer or be more efficient in movement, my heart valve was rate limiting (techno speak - that's me) and I could not overcome that.

Stenosis means stiffening. So, now do I not only have a defective valve but it doesn't even work as well as when I was younger. It doesn't open as far as it used to. Hence, I huff and puff going fast or climbing stairs. This usually is accompanied by heart pain, but I have either come to ignore it or I just don't experience it. The doctor is not certain. I do know that I can feel heart pain if I shovel snow as I did last winter, and so I don't do that anymore.

When someone has this condition, the doctor looks at pain level, how much blood is flowing, the size of the heart chamber, and the size of the valve opening to determine when the valve should be replaced. This year's echo cardiogram showed the blood flow is up (thanks to Pilates) but the chamber is showing enlargement (for the Grinch, heart enlargement is a very good thing; for a human, it is not), and the valve opening is very severely restricted to 0.5 centimeters. Anything under 1 centimeter is considered severe.

So, it's time to do this before it becomes an emergency situation involving an ambulance and a helicopter. I will be meeting with the liaison between my cardiologist and the University of Pennsylvania hospital later in January to plan out the tests and surgery. They may stick a teensy camera in a vein and run it through to my heart to see the valve in operation and check for other problems. That would be an adventure indeed.

Unique desk mixes old and new elements from house

2010-12-09T10:18:00.000-05:00

The base is an old radiator cover from the original house - I don't know if my great uncle or my grandfather made. I took out the louvered doors to make a shelf for my sister's pc tower to sit on. The top is an old door from the attic that didn't work once they wallboarded up there. Since it had the insets, we filled them with leftover bamboo flooring. Once we cut a hole for cords, it was ready to go.

Art installed ... better known as a sign

2010-11-14T19:42:00.000-05:00

So, I found this 34 inch by 76 inch by 3/4 inch piece of plate glass when we moved the ice house. It stayed outside during the winter and I pondered what I could do with it. The piece just was too heavy and large to make into a coffee table. This summer I remembered that as a craft project during my girl scout years, we had etched glass. I looked up what was required of the glass and whether it was possible to buy the etching acid in a large quantity. And, voila, the idea for using it to identify the house was born.

I then had to find out how to make a stencil and what works is clear contac(tm) paper. Next step was to figure out what I wanted to etch into the glass beside my last name. It was pretty obvious though - a pigeon to honor that the original Davis (my grandfather) had been co-owner with Dyer of the largest pigeon farm on the east coast in the 30's and 40's. I asked my mom to find a simple dove graphic and letters in a font that did not have many or any serifs and would be thick. We put the dove on two regular sheets and each letter filled on sheet of paper.

The next step was for me to tape them on to the contac(tm) paper and cut them out with an exacto(tm) knife. The letters were easy but the pigeon was not. Getting the tail feathers right was tedious as I had to make sure the stencil did not get so skinny it would tear when I removed the backing.

The next step required a sunny day and an extra pair of skilled hands (thanks Doug!). We set up sawhorses and Doug put the piece of glass down on them so I could scrub and dry both sides. The wind and sun did the final drying and kept the oak leaves off. I had made the stencil from one continuous piece to ensure that the spacing between the letters and dove was correct and to make sure they were all center aligned. This was correct but that made getting the backing off the contac(tm) paper hard while keeping the whole thing correctly aligned on the glass.

I applied the etching acid thickly with a brush made for doing pastels on canvas. I swirled it a bit to make the pigeon appear more feathery. That was sort of successful. Fifteen minutes later, water rinsed it all off and there was the bird and the DAVIS.

The temperature was slated to drop into the 30's that night, so Doug moved it into the new garage. A week went by and the temperature came up enough to pour concrete. So, Doug put pressure treated posts in the ground and braced them and poured concrete to anchor them, making sure they were straight up. Next, he built a frame that the glass would fit into that would attach to the posts. This material is also pressure treated lumber. Once the concrete was set, he added bracing in the back to the posts because we were concerned that wind might make blow the whole thing over.

I had chosen to site the art at an angle to the house because the prevailing wind is from the north and would have hit the side of the post square on. I am hoping the angle will help deflect some of the force of the wind when we have a storm.

In the spring, I will be able to paint the pressure treated wood, but for now it has to cure before I can do that, so it is au naturel. That also lets me decide whether the paint color should be red, gray, or white. Any votes?

And, if anybody asks if I am opening a business, I will insist the sign is art and it was the pigeon or a set of pink flamingos (Thanks, Sandra). BTW, the pigeon shows up very well when the sun is shining directly on the glass, not above or behind it as in the photos above.

Fireplace, rainy day, football reminded me fondly of Seattle

2010-09-15T11:51:00.002-04:00

Bushes and fireplaces

2010-09-01T16:14:00.000-04:00

Some necessary items have been taken care of but they don't make good photos like shelves in closets. The weather cooled off so I started in on some landscaping -- privacy hedge to be out of leyland cypress and two leyland cypresses to grow up in front of glass block windows in jack and jill bathroom. These are primarily to block the late afternoon sun and just a bit more sense of privacy in the evening. I also put in a red crepe myrtle for a bit of color from late July through September. All of these have plenty of space to grow. Sod comes next since the cool spell was interrupted by another heat wave this week.

The tile installer I had been waiting for all summer was also available and he put marble and glass tiles over the brick facing and threshold for the bedroom fireplace (was the original living room) and used marble tiles to make a raised hearth on either side of the living/room dining room fireplace. The raised hearth is basically a box of 3/4 inch plywood to provide a surface to glue onto and to support someone stepping or sitting on it. There are also 4 rows of matching marble mosiac all around each opening. The tile installer also used (and had to cut them down to make them fit exactly) black pencil on the inside lip of the opening sides. You do not see it but it butts up against the metal frame of the fireplace and the wall board encasing it. The mosaic tiles overlap the pencil tiles. Next effort is to create the wooden part of the facing and a wrap around mantle.

Thanks Greenwich NJ residents of 1774

2010-07-04T15:12:00.000-04:00

Took a ride on this July 4th to a hot bed of activity for US independence in 1774 -- Greenwich, New Jersey. It is spelled like the place in Great Britain but pronounced "green" "witch". There was a tea party there to protest the tea tax but it involved burning the tea rather than dumping into a harbor. The official story is here

So, hats off and thanks for whatever contribution people living in that time made towards achieving independence for the United States of America. I owe you each one.

At first it didn't look real

2010-06-30T14:39:00.000-04:00

This is a luna moth (I had to look it up) sitting on the handle of a broom by the front door. The green is very delicate lime tone and its wingspan is at least 3 inches. The moth must have emerged this morning. I had heard of them being large, lovely creatures but had never seen one in person. What a special treat.

Official shift from construction mortgage today!

2010-06-28T13:24:00.000-04:00

This feels so much better. For one thing, the rate on a conventional mortgage is what the market is offering rather than the high interest a construction loan uses. Also, on a construction loan all you pay is interest so it just builds up without any pay down of the amount owed. The transfer was treated as a re-finance so I had to do a closing with title search, etc all again.

And, with the weather so hot and dry, there is no rush to get landscaping done now. I can put that off until fall and really know what should be mulch, what should be foundation planting, and what needs to be crushed rock. In other words, I need a design but I can take my time and get something pleasing and functional.

Driveway in use, coffer trim up

2010-06-25T11:42:00.000-04:00

Coffer trim was built and stained off site then finally assembly was done in the house on the floor. Basically the trim is a rectangle formed as a squared off letter J so that the rope lighting has somewhere to sit. The trim is attached to the ceiling with metal brackets that will need to be painted over. It also creates gaps between the ceiling wall board and the trim because the wall board is not completely flat. The gaps were filled in with dark brown caulking.

Using a stain also helps tie the coffer trim to the window trim and looks more finished that a contrasting color. Next is to get the rope lighting installed. Electrical boxes are already there with switches in place too.

I was finally able to use the driveway. So nice. Awaiting permit for garage electric so I can have opener for door installed. There is no way I can reach up to close it.

I have been off the air so long because I have been watering the grass seed the contractor spread around and with the heat here in NJ that has been an all day task.

Driveway taking shape

2010-06-08T15:47:00.000-04:00

This time was grandson was able to see the cement mixer truck actually pouring out the concrete. Then one of my great-nephews was able to watch the concrete being smoothed into place. The driveway is large enough that several pours over several days will occur to ensure that the driveway does not crack. The septic tank is basically in the middle so the tank is now covered with a metal cover so vehicles can drive over it. The tank cover will be painted black for a bit of decor.

The next pour requires a drain be installed and the ground be shaped into a swale to channel water to the back of the lot. There is about a foot drop from the maximum height of the driveway to garage and then to the back of the lot. Thus, care has to be taken in making sure water channels away from the garage and the house then off to the rest of the lot. So glad I am paying professionals to do this job, not just someone who does this part time.

I also had to make sure that more than 65% of the lot was not covered with non-drainables. If my back of the envelope calculations, the house, old garage, icehouse, new garage, and new driveway take up 50% of the lot so I am okay.

Garage painted, has gutters, chimney topped out on addition

2010-06-03T16:21:00.000-04:00

That little silvery colored thing on top of roof finishes off the gas fireplace. It lets gases out and keeps rodents, birds, bats, and rain out.

Driveway is next up.

Garage has siding, side door, and overhead door

2010-06-01T15:04:00.000-04:00

It passed inspection from the town also. There is more work to be done yet by the general contractor. He had to add extra grab railing because the steps are steep to the breezeway, add gutters to garage, add screening and doors to breezeway, make sure there are splash blocks for each downspout for the house, garage, and icehouse, and paint.

Garage has a roof

2010-05-26T22:21:00.000-04:00

One garage floor, scored and two windows

2010-05-24T19:46:00.000-04:00

All three windows were installed though only three showing in photo. Changed from a full light door to a steel door without windows as it is more secure and light is no longer needed. Won't look as attractive but sometimes security function trumps decorative appeal. The scoring for expansion also does not show in photo, but it is necessary where concrete may experience wide range of temperatures and humidities.

Garage floor is now wet concrete

2010-05-21T09:17:00.000-04:00

When the concrete mixer truck showed up, the dye was added into the mix from the top and the mixing speed was sped up so the color would go all through the 6 and half yards. The speed and load meant the truck was rocking side to side as if it was a boxer getting ready for the next round. The color I choose is gray so right now it looks much like ordinary cement. When it cures and gets a sealer, the color will be much darker and match better to the stamped concrete. The workmen also had this nifty machine to smooth the concrete down. It has about a 10 foot piece of metal bent at a 90 degree angle and a motor that vibrates the metal imitating how you smooth concrete by hand. Saves time and the workmen's backs. The workmen will be back for final smoothing after the concrete cures a bit.

Garage floor has sand layer ready for concrete

2010-05-21T06:27:00.000-04:00

Side yard looks like gravel stream bed this morning

2010-05-18T07:49:00.001-04:00

We have had very little rain here for the past 6 weeks so the gravel in the side yard around the new garage was packed hard. Yesterday the gravel was all loosened as they backfilled around and in the new structure. Last night the rain started and will continue all day as squalls roll through with heavy downpours. Consequently, the side yard has deep channels as the water finds the easiest route downhill, hopefully not undermining the new garage foundation.

More progress 3 hours later

2010-05-13T14:51:00.000-04:00

The back wall of garage will have two windows and the area above the garage door will have one window. The garage sits east to west, with the door on the east side. The window above the door is reusing a replacement vinyl window from the original part of the house and the two on street level are partially screened by evergreen trees. Those two windows were to go into the jack and jill bathrooms but I had them pulled and put in the glass block instead. So re-purposing makes money sense and adds light in the afternoons. I may have to put blinds or curtains if too easy to see inside from a car.

Frame from 8am to about 11am

2010-05-13T12:08:00.000-04:00

Garage sill plate and tar coating went on today

2010-05-10T18:52:00.000-04:00

The tar coating smells awful but keeps water away from the block foundation below grade level. The sill plate has a foam liner between the wood and the cement block and is held in place with bolts in the cement going up through the wood with a heavy not racheted on to hold it place.

Foundation block for garage complete

2010-05-05T18:16:00.000-04:00

They started at 6am and finished at 6pm. It was a warm, dry day but not sweltering hot. The next step after the mortar cures is to apply tar below the ground level. Then it has to be inspected before they can backfill and pour the garage floor. Unfortunately, the next day for inspection is Tuesday, almost a week away.

Garage footings larger and have more concrete

2010-05-04T15:19:00.000-04:00

Not much happening here. I am recuperating from the big push to get the house ready for a visit from my son and his wife and a family gathering to celebrate Mother's Day early. The back shower stopped working just in time for my overnight visitors and today the plumber was out to fix it. The problem was a spring that got caught and then he discovered it was missing a clip. That is a special order because I have a Moen fixture and that is not what they carry parts for normally. So, it will be a few days and the plumber will be back to make it all hunky dory. The plumber also looked at the weak stream of water from the front shower hand held and discovered a wad of plumber's putty in the inlet filter along with sediment that had stuck to it. That was a easy fix and the hand held works properly.

The excavator was here in the morning to dig out the extra dirt needed to get the proper size then someone else was here to measure again to make sure it was okay. Later a concrete truck showed up and now there is additional footing curing.

Thought I was going to post photos of guys building up garage foundation

2010-05-01T09:03:00.000-04:00

So I am not, at least until next week some time. The workmen were here at 7am and went immediately into conference, measuring and muttering. It turns out that the man who came with his digger was supposed to use the outside of the markings as a guide for his bucket. Instead he used the markings as the middle of the bucket. So the outline of the garage is too short by more than a foot on two sides. The digger will be back on Monday to fix this. Urgh

Art and mirror up really make house seem my home

2010-04-30T09:19:00.000-04:00

These are just a few of the things on the walls. And my sister can stop worrying. The piece she finds objectionable is hanging in my room. Teenager helping me find the northwest art cool but the objectionable myth piece showing Pygmalion sculpting Galatea who was brought to life by Venus at Pygmalion's wish for the perfect woman he found creepy. The objectionable piece is a framed poster of Jean-Leon Gerome's painting. My sister finds any depiction of nudity objectionable so was fun in Las Vegas to get her to pose in front of statues at the Bellagio and the Forum casinos and snap photos.

Bright red is not navy mixed with bright blue !!

2010-04-28T17:14:00.000-04:00

So I ordered a shag rug to go next to the soaking tub in the color scheme of navy mixed with bright blue. I was all excited when the rug was delivered today but the package seemed too big and long for what I ordered. I opened one end and was surprised by a bright red color. The company is shipping out the right rug tomorrow but now it will not here in time for a visit by my son and his wife from Seattle. I have not seen my son for a year and his wife for even longer than that. Well, you win some and lose others.

2010-04-28T17:10:00.000-04:00

Garage footings were poured today since the rain held off despite the dark gray skies.

passed garage footing inspection yesterday

2010-04-28T12:22:00.001-04:00

Not very exciting, more holes in the ground forming a rectangle, filled with rebar. The inspector was here all of 60 seconds. Long enough to look and fill out the form with the okay.

Footings dug for garage -- ignore fingers in photos

2010-04-24T14:09:00.000-04:00

Another piece of furniture in place and some house jewelry

2010-04-23T17:54:00.000-04:00

More construction items that are left over or to be used later were moved to the garage so I could get my buffet in its place. Now I just have to find the fancy dishes in the old garage so I can fill it up. The buffet is one of my pieces from Seattle that was not damaged by the water and mold in the portable storage unit. It would be hard to replace since it was made of alder by a craftsman in Oregon. I really love the old/modern look of the piece and the depth given the wood by the stain used.

The baubles were added to the chandelier in the dining room and for sure no one will notice where one of the arms cracked and had to be glued back together. It is fun to have a bit of sparkly house jewelry. The piece is not a traditional chandelier but comes from Spain. It is made of all black and silvered glass with smoky crystal drops.

Living room starting to emerge from boxes

2010-04-22T13:13:00.000-04:00

Unlike those HGTV shows such as Sarah's House where renovation also means selecting furniture that fits exactly in to the space, my budget doesn't allow for that. So I am making the best I can with my existing furniture. This means book cases are not going upstairs since they won't fit up there. Instead they are put in the living room and one has to overlap a window a bit so their corner match up. Also, the antique book cases have to be stacked up around the flat screen to make a surface to put the cable box and dvd player upon. And what am I going to do with all those speaker wires? Drill holes in my new bamboo floor, really you say? A quilt rack has become a towel holder outside one of the showers. Various used pieces are being spray painted to fit into the decor of the back bathroom such as a little shelve unit to hold towels and provide a surface for guests to put toothbrushes, etc.

Contractor put up framing on one side for screening of breezeway

2010-04-19T17:10:00.000-04:00

Hard to see in photo because tough natural lighting at this time of day but contractor put up pressure treated wood as framing for the screening that will enclose the breezeway. One side was finished today.

Hoping street re-numbering doesn't delay utilities mark out

2010-04-18T08:20:00.000-04:00

When my grandfather purchased the land for this house he bought several lots and put the residence in the middle one. The town gave the whole parcel the same street address. When my cousin bought the south lot and built a house, she was given the same street address followed by a letter to differentiate the addresses. When 911 service came to town, my aunt, who by then owned the house, refused to change the street address and even went so far as to create brick numbers in the driveway with that address. When my aunt died and I acquired the house and land, the town arbitrarily changed the street address to what they wanted for 911 reasons. Unfortunately, the county records have not been updated to that new address, so I keep having to explain why the block and lot numbers do not correspond to the street address. This also plays havoc with the utility companies such as for electricity and natural as they work from the block and lot numbers and then send their crews out with the "matching" street address. More than once, I intercepted someone who was confused as to where they were supposed to be working. So, last year, the utility mark outs finally got to the right place but now that they need to dig for the garage, the mark outs have washed away since it has been so long. New mark outs were called for last week but I don't see any so I will have to check whether they marked my cousin's house again. I got reminded of this problem on Friday when the driver delivering the trusses for the garage roof had the wrong street address and realized that the cousin's house was not a construction zone but mine was. That would have been a mess indeed for trusses to fill up their driveway.

Got help from my grandson and daughter getting kitchen in shape

2010-04-07T09:51:00.000-04:00

My daughter and grandson came over yesterday afternoon in the oddly summer temperature weather (this is April, 83F degrees in not usual) to help me work on getting stuff into cabinets and out of boxes. Just before they left, my grandson was given a piece of a double chocolate Klondike ice cream bar. It worked like a charm as his mother reported he was asleep before they had driven 2 miles. Because it was so messy, warm in the house, and his bib was packed away, she removed his shirt to make it easier to clean him up for the ride home. Washing skin is a heck of lot less trouble than trying to get chocolate ice cream stains and melted chocolate out of his shirt in the wash.

And I am still very, very grateful for the help as I now have countertops I can see and use. Glassware, flatware, pots and pans, and utensils have all reached their final destination from Seattle to boxes to pods to house to cabinets. Special note to my daughter-in-law: Everything you packed came through its journey flawlessly.

Of course, my grandson is too young to play unattended so I am also very grateful that my 82 year old mother could come over and keep him occupied with books (paper format and from her new ipad) or watch him as he plays in the dirt. Four generations under 1 roof working harmoniously is sweet.

Also, what a trip to have your grandson sitting on your lap as you read Winne the Pooh from the ipad and when you whisper, "Please turn the page", he reaches out with his finger and flicks to the next page without any instruction or further prompting.

All together a very good day indeed.

Kitty and I spent our first night in the remade house

2010-04-05T09:56:00.000-04:00

With lots of help I have been dusting, cleaning, removing tons of cardboard that was protecting floors and washing clothes that were in the dressers that had gotten moldy in the portable storage unit that leaked. Fortunately, the clothes themselves were not damaged but they had picked up a smell being in that unit for twenty months. I need to get closet rods up so I can move the clothes from the wardrobe boxes (coats, jackets, dresses) to the closets.

Not being patient though, I found pillows, sheets, and a quilt and made up my bed so kitty and I could sleep inside last night. She is and will be adjusting for several weeks. Right now she is upset because the heating/cooling guy is here making the air conditioning units run.

Getting older is great until you want to do stuff that was easier 20 years ago

2010-04-03T15:15:00.000-04:00

For the past several days, I have been cleaning with help (paid for) from neighbors and family with the whole point being to set up the kitchen. Dust is gone; all those large cardboard remnants that had been protecting floors are gone; showers are wiped down, beds set up, most windows washed on the inside. So after a half hour search for the brackets/pins for holding the kitchen shelves, I find the shelves themselves too heavy for me to lug but worst of all is that the pins require strength in your hands and fingers to push into their holes to seat properly just isn't there. Twenty years ago, I could do them in a snap. Sigh

With towel bars and toilet paper holders in place, contractor says he is done inside

2010-04-01T19:06:00.000-04:00

I also put in some grab bars for the shower (see oval in photo) and for the toilets.

The portable storage units left today and the owner said he was working with his insurance company to get me some money for the water and mold damage to the antiques. That was good news that he was trying.

Ventless gas logs go in to original fireplace

2010-03-30T10:46:00.000-04:00

Now I just need to cover the bricks with tile and this is done.

Some things just not salvagable

2010-03-25T18:40:00.000-04:00

I have been storing my household goods moved from Seattle since July 2008 in three on-site storage units. Two of which were like backs of trucks and a third was a trailer. I had the furniture and rugs in the trailer as it was newest and the company said the least likely to leak. Boy, were they wrong.

Water came in the side from the recent rain storms and mold appeared on furniture and rugs. Some of the furniture I could salvage, some I can do something with like re-finish, some I have to accept the damage (some of the doors on my lawyers bookcases from 1907) but my teak veneer dining table is kaput. You can see it in the photo above. Also, several wool rugs were damaged beyond repair but most were from IKEA and not sentimental nor that expensive. One, however, was purchased by close family friends in Turkey when they made a cruise around the world sometime before 1910. It was a combination of wool and silk and went with me to college and every place I have lived since. I wish it was a matter of simply cleaning it to remove the mold but it breaks up in your hand if you move it.

I called the storage company to ask if they had some sort of insurance and of course, they don't. It is in the fine print of the contract that they don't, yada yada yada. I called my house insurance representative and maybe I can claim but I have a very high deductible since I am in a special risk pool for house insurance and these are damaged used furniture yada yada yada. I am in a special risk pool because the original house was not insurable because it was too old and I was new owner. That is another story. When I finally get the house done, then I can get regular insurance and if I make a claim now that will push the price of regular insurance yada yada yada.

Sad.

Have temporary Certificate of Occupancy

2010-03-23T13:15:00.000-04:00

That means there are still items to be done in the house but the safety items are complete. As you can see in the photo, the breezeway has temporary stairs and stair railings and needs screens and sliding screen doors yet. After the contractor gives upstairs another coat of polyurethane and paints some trim, I can move things out of the pods and into the house so the garage can be started. This is big step forward to get rid of those three pods that have been here since July 2008.

Railings going up on breezeway

2010-03-22T16:18:00.000-04:00

Breezeway will get sliding screen doors and screens besides railings and permanent steps. The blue tape is holding the pvc wrap around the pressure treated wood of the posts until the glue dries completely. Since the day is rainy and warm, the tape should come off tomorrow.

Enjoying the warm weather

2010-03-20T11:16:00.000-04:00

Took advantage of the partially railed porch to power wash it and put out an easy chair. Enjoying the sunshine and warmth and good book.

porch railings going up

2010-03-18T17:41:00.000-04:00

The porch looks like a porch now with the railings up. There is more to go up on the ramp and on the stairs. I think if tomorrow is nice weather that I will power wash the porch side and put out a chair to enjoy the sunshine from.

The last of the bifold doors is now up in the third bedroom. A coat of white paint and it will be complete.

Rugs if big are never really cheap

2010-03-16T18:44:00.000-04:00

Even if buying inexpensive polypropylene rugs that sort of look like wool but have to cover a large expanse (10 x 12 for one, 6 x 8 for the other), you still must lay out a bit of cash. There is too much hardwood not to cover them mostly, especially to capture feet as they come in from the breezeway or porch. So polypropylene to the rescue because mud from grandchildren's sneaks and cat spit up can be washed up fairly easily. The rugs also help with the echo, making the space feel less like a hall you rent for special occasions. The dining room area rug on the other side of the fireplace will have a different color scheme that is more neutral but has the same generic persian type pattern. The rugs fit with the 20's period feel also.

The backsplash in the kitchen got grouted today. The grout is the same gray used in the back bathroom for the mural of the fishing pier.

More sanding and tiling

2010-03-11T16:49:00.000-05:00

One half of the back passage steps have been painted white. This are the original ones that used to lead up into the kitchen.

The glass mosiac tile was applied to the kitchen backsplash area. The paper side goes out to make it easier to handle, since it does not have a mesh backing. The paper should come off tomorrow and grout should be applied.

More sanding was completed in the 3rd bedroom, up the stairs to the attic, and the attic itself.

Small but messy jobs getting completed

2010-03-10T16:16:00.000-05:00

Bifold doors on the washer/dryer area, the linen and utility closets were installed. The "reducer", which really just fills in the gap between the tile of the kitchen and the hardwood of the living/dining room area, was installed. The lay-on-your-back in the kitchen crawlspace and install the blower assembly for the downdraft of the gas cooktop task was completed. The suction is amazing and there is still noise from under the floor from the blower. Imagine that if it were not under the floor, you could barely talk above it without shouting. Water pipes in the kitchen crawlspace were also insulated. Another lay on your back and work over your head type chore.

The plumber was here to replace the chrome finished kitchen sink faucet with a stainless steel finished one as had been planned. Looks much better.

The contractor is having problems sanding the third bedroom floor. In the seventies, some one glued a foam backed carpet directly to the hardwood. In the 90
s, someone else installed wall to wall carpet on top of that. When I removed both carpet layers, the foam had turned to some sort of abrasive substance on top of the glue that turns to black fine grit if you walk on it and gums up the pads of any floor sander. I had tried many household cleaners to remove it and had given up and put plastic tablecloths on top until it was time to refinish it. The only thing that had worked at all to remove the grit was olive oil but that leaves the glue.

1st coat polyurethane in one room

2010-03-08T16:42:00.000-05:00

My bedroom - the original living room - got a coat of polyurethane today. Hopefully, 2nd coat tomorrow.

Also, bifold doors were installed on the entry way closet.

Back Bathroom shower almost ready

2010-03-04T14:55:00.000-05:00

The grout was touched up and the glass door was installed. Also, a bead of silicone was run all around the inside of the door frame and where the wall tiles meet the floor tiles.

door in back passageway to basement stairs

2010-03-03T15:18:00.000-05:00

We are reusing the original front door there and the contractor trimmed it out as if it was the front door. I will like having the extra day light to seep into the basement.

Avalon Fishing Pier Photo Tile Mural going up

2010-03-03T09:50:00.000-05:00

Next steps are to grout and then frame out as window.

gutters and original window trim up

2010-03-02T14:36:00.000-05:00

There still may be snow on the ground but the house now has guttters and downspouts.

More stain on the doors and windows is going in and saved trim from original windows (photo on right) is going back up.

snow melting away

2010-03-01T16:22:00.000-05:00

The weather has improved enough for the stucco to be finished on the front of the house. It still needs some rosebud parging when it dries and then a coat of gray paint to match the foundation. Work on trim and floor sanding continued too.

Two inspections - final electric and final plumbing were held today. Electrical passed but plumbing did not. The HVAC subcontractor has items to fix, including wider collars at joints where different ducts join. Also, all the plumbing lines in the crawl spaces of the original house have to be insulated because they were closed off with "doors".

floors, trim, gas cook top working

2010-02-25T14:52:00.000-05:00

Sometimes sanding is not enough and a stripper has to be used. This means someone has to go to the basement and move cardboard into position to catch any drips of the stripper. Floors may look like they are tight but after 90 years, it isn't so. The end result to the right here has much character and will look warm and cozy when finished with polyurethane.

The gas cook top hookup had to be completed to show the plumbing inspector who didn't come because of the snow that is falling. Nice to know it works though. More of the trim around the baseboards and windows is going in too. Unfortunately, it doesn't photograph really well even with the limited sunshine outside.

started floor sanding today

2010-02-24T16:21:00.000-05:00

Nothing to see. Amazing how the little the house vibrates with the big sander. The best part is no mess, all the dust is vacuumed up by the sander itself. They are using a belt sander to do the sides, corners, around floor vents, and in closets. This means they are down on the floor slowly moving a belt sander with a dust bag attachment back and back and back and forth.

Electrician was here also doing little tasks to make sure we pass the electrical inspection tomorrow. The plumbing final should happen tomorrow too, barring the snow that is forecast for here once again.

No photos but lots of little bits of progress

2010-02-22T17:35:00.000-05:00

Bamboo hardware floor in living room is now complete
Dishwasher water line kink fixed, disherwasher tested successfully
Washer and dryer install completed, washer tested successfully
Electrical for light/fan on breezeway moved to switch, sensored breezeway light installed without switch
More progress on cooktop downdraft - fabricating the inside part to hook up to the outside blower (by putting blower outside, sound level in kitchen much reduced)
Bench over attic plastic ducting built
More window/baseboard trim was stained for installation
Vent covers and thermostats installed

Unfortunately, the cooling part of the thermostats could not be hooked up because the air conditioning units have not been charged yet due to weather. Also, thermostats were not programmable as I expected so heating/cooling contractor looking into whether contract called for them or not.

plumbing ready for Monday's inspection

2010-02-19T17:06:00.000-05:00

The handheld portion of the shower went in today, so theorectically, I could take a shower. I will wait until there the glass doors are up though.

This is a goose neck pull out Delta faucet in the wrong finish. It is chrome and will be replaced with stainless later. The faucet has a unique feature, you can turn it off and on with a touch. The plumber kindly installed it so the sink is usable until the stainless one comes in. The chrome is so shiny that what appear as water droplets are actually reflections of the overhead lights.

wood grille marks entrance to old part of house

2010-02-19T10:47:00.000-05:00

This wooden grille was part of the original house. When the house was built in 1920 it had one large single register that heated the entire house. The grille functioned to allow heat to flow from one area to another that was closed off by large, heavy door. I asked the architect to designate a spot where it could be re-installed as I intended to salvage the piece and here it is. You walk under it from the kitchen, which is part old and part new, into a hall that leads to the bedrooms and back bath. As one of the workmen said, the grille adds character to what is a modern kitchen and I agree.

pedastal sink and trash to usable doors

2010-02-18T16:30:00.000-05:00

Pedastal sink installed in back bathroom. Not too large but still has a nice edge for setting items on. I will have to find a piece of furniture for the corner for storing toiletries and bathroom extras as there is a window right above the sink.

So, there was a door from the original house that had been stored in the dirty and yucky store room in the basement that housed the oil tank and had been the coal bin. It was damaged on one edge and seemed destined for the dumpster. However, there was a little space in the hall below the stairs to the attic that was a candidate as a closet for storing bulky items such as paper products. Voila, pieces were cut from the damaged door to make doors to that little storage space. Looks like expensive cabinet doors to me. I have door knobs to attach that will match the door knobs for the kitchen cabinets but the finish is pewter rather than oiled bronze.

trim going up various places

2010-02-18T12:51:00.000-05:00

Photo is too dark but you can see detail above sliding glass door. The effort is to match what was in the original house.

There is the same trim style in the back bathroom but being white, it looks very different.

Here you see it in the closet, same style but stained dark to match original chestnut as closely as possible. And, the flooring is natural cork not particle board even though the photo gives that impression.

Spot the iphone taking the photo. I am running out of cash (who doesn't on a home improvement project) and went with very inexpensive medicine cabinets from Lowe's at lot less quality than the vanities. You have to scrimp somewhere.

Snow in morning did not keep away contractor

2010-02-16T15:47:00.000-05:00

The contractor has to build a small structure to support the trim at the top of the kitchen cabinets. When done, there is a strip of crown molding to fill in between cabinets and ceiling.

What you can not see through the kitchen window are very large icicles one can imagine as dragon teeth guarding the house. Sure glad gutters are not up yet so I don't have to fret about ice dams. I sure hope this spell of winter weather never repeats itself for fifty years or more.

French doors going in

2010-02-15T15:33:00.000-05:00

The openings from the bedrooms into the walk-in closets and the jack and jill bathroom are getting fitted with french doors. The doors are basically bi-folds being used as french doors. Bifolds come sized for 30 or 36 inch doorways, so the contractor is adding a one inch strip of wood on either side of the center opening to fit the 32 inch entries. The doors will be stained dark to match the trim, which, of course, matches the french doors on the closets in the original master bedroom.

The contractor also prepped the washing machine to go into the space they sanded and poly'ed last Friday.

some work here today

2010-02-12T16:06:00.000-05:00

Here's a plank of the old flooring that has been sanded and finished with polyurethane. It is difficult to say what the wood is actually. It has graining that matches maple but nails go in easily so it could be white pine. The contractor will not be staining the floor just sanding and doing the poly, which will give the floor lots of character from all the use it had over the years.

Here's the small section where the washer and dryer will go that has been sanded, bleached, and polyed today. You can see a stain from water as before a kitchen remodel in the 1940's, the sink was in this spot and obviously leaked. The washer and dryer will cover up the worst of the damage and the remaining floors should not have such darkly stained damage.

Sun is out ; pavement has bare spots; no one here but me

2010-02-11T12:41:00.000-05:00

And these photos are from the height of yesterday's storm in the late afternoon. We had snow of about a foot on top on the more than two feet from the weekend storm.

No contractors are here as they are still digging themselves out and/or waiting for the roads to clear where they live. Newfield being a mile square seems to be effective at clearing the roads but surrounding townships and boroughs that are all much larger have a bigger task. One thing that is nice about the people who run the plow in Newfield is that when the main snow has stopped, they plow open the entrance to driveways, which as we all who have shoveled snow know, is the hardest task to digging yourself out.

A different vantage point on a large oak tree

2010-02-09T13:33:00.000-05:00

This large oak tree is in my neighbor's yard. My neighbor is actually my cousin, my father's sister's daughter. I had a different vantage point for this particular tree when I was a child because I lived in that house. The tree was large even then and I remember finding cicadas on it. Now, the tree provides wonderful shade for my cousin's screened porch. The house was smaller then too as my cousin doubled it in size for her growing family. Originally, the house was built by my father's grandfather, then bought by my father's sister, then bought by my parents when I was about 4 and sold to my cousin in my teen's.

Last year I had a different vantage on the tree as it had grown a lot over the 25 plus years I was gone from Newfield and I was seeing it from ground level rather than the 4.5 feet above ground level of the breezeway as daily I walk back and forth from the ice house to the addition to nib into what the contractors are doing.

Last year at this time I wasn't seeing snow either. The weather was warmer but my heart was very sad. What I saw in the tree was a flock of large birds I thought were crows but turns out are red tail hawks that inhabit the skies over Newfield. In the summer and fall, the hawks have "afternoon tea" in the large oak trees around my house, squawking news as if they really are exchanging gossip. Last winter during this week they were keeping a vigil with me and would squawk as I left early for the hospital or came back from my turn for an overnight at my father's bedside.

The morning my son phoned at 6ish a.m. to say my father had finally slipped away peacefully, I went out to go to the hospital for the last time. I looked up and the birds were still sitting on the branches as if waiting for me to tell them of his death. I shrugged and quietly said, "He's gone." With only the sound of their wings flapping, the birds left too and ended their vigil as I ended mine.

So, although my vantage point is higher, I still see the birds keeping watch as if they were family waiting to welcome my father to a different plane of existence, and I find that notion comforting.

Snow again!

2010-02-07T12:47:00.000-05:00

Feels all to familiar since the last big snow storm was December!

The National Weather Service reports over 25 inches for the next town 1 mile away, so I am guessing we have an equal amount. At least this time people had time to prepare. Unfortunately, the snow is too deep to sweep off the ramp into the house as I did last weekend, so I will have to find someone to dig me out.

bamboo hardwood going into addition

2010-02-04T12:44:00.000-05:00

The bamboo has lots of character. The manufacture is the strand process which is the most durable of the bamboo flooring and also makes it hard to put in the flooring nails. Several adjustments of the nailing shoe were required to get it right.

work continues despite my bad cold ....

2010-02-03T15:56:00.000-05:00

Toilet and bathrub installed in back bathroom. Waiting for shower heads on back order.

Matching toilets in front jack and jill bathroom. Still waiting for shower heads there too. Other plumbing item on back order is faucet for kitchen sink.

The basement sink and ejector pump is installed with water line and vent but it needs an electrical connection for the ejector pump.

countertops in

2010-02-01T20:59:00.000-05:00

The quartz countertop is so shiny that it reflects the overhead can lights. The light color is the side of the island for eating and is dining table height. The darker color is for cooking and is the usual countertop height.

plumbing and countertops

2010-02-01T13:24:00.000-05:00

Sink in the jack and jill bathroom got a faucet. Shower got a faucet. Counter top with sink going in. Countertop with gas cooktop and popup vent required sizing on site and a tedious process of grinding out the proper hole.

Aside about Apple's new iPad - it is about how one uses it

2010-01-28T08:55:00.000-05:00

Most of the media reports don't seem to get the new iPad - it's not about how fast it is, or its lack of a camera or the flash to display video - it's about using it just about anywhere and not needing a mouse! When I decided to retire and move back to New Jersey, I ditched my big heavy desktop for a sleek macbook, thinking I would use it anywhere in the house and especially as I was planning the renovation, how convenient it would be. Well, that laptop sits in one place 97% of the time. I use my iphone to walk around with and either squint at the screen or do the pinch, spread fingers, and slide screen around action sequence in order to see what is on it. That means it is far better to deal with a small screen than carry around a small notebook with its keyboard and mouse. I have never taken to the touchpad entry method as too similar yet not the same as the mouse. And, balancing the clam shell of the notebook is not fun either, especially if you want to share something on the screen with someone else.

I also use my iphone to take most of the photos here on the blog because it is so easy but if the iPad had a camera, phone and blue tooth capability, I would ditch the iphone immediately and sew me up something to carry it around on my person for those times I wasn't carrying a purse. Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love my iphone and the way I buy focused apps from Apple's app store, I just want a slightly larger screen so I see what I want to see - photos, books, videos - and use my fingers to interact with the screen.

I used to tell my son, Brent Simmons (http://www.inessential.com), that all I wanted was a convenient way to move around the house and see and interact with my email, the internet, and read news and books. Apple just provided it. I want one. Will have to wait since the costs of renovating have been piling up, but I will have one, maybe next generation.

staining of trim is slow work

2010-01-27T15:36:00.000-05:00

Trim in the new rooms will be same size and style as the original house and except for the back bathroom will get two coats of Minwax Red Chestnut stain plus a coat of satin polyurethane. Trim saved from the original house will go back where it came from (windows & baseboards were numbered) but we can not match the old to the new exactly because the wood is different (pine rather than real chestnut) and over the years the varnish on the original trim has yellowed and darkened or faded from sun light.

What will be interesting is to see what color the floors really are. They are under so much stain and old varnish and old glue from wall to wall carpets, that you can't really tell. I think the original, original floors (not the dining room bump out from the 30's) are maple downstairs, pine upstairs, and oak treads on the staircase. I think the dining room bump out has a cherry floor. Time will tell and that should not be too much longer.

some bead board up; vanities in position

2010-01-26T17:04:00.000-05:00

40 inch vanities with Corian integrated sinks for each side of the jack and jill bathroom were placed today. This meant some of the maple finished bead board wainscoting had to be installed to get proper depth from wall. And, while I know that vessel sinks and granite are highly prized right now, I went with the choice of easy maintenance and somewhat lower cost, although Corian is not cheap. I particularly liked that there is no chance of mold between the countertop and the sink where the grout always gets icky.

And the contractor got creative with the sill into the shower for the jack and jill bathroom by using the extra bull nose to make a border with the single tiles from the shower floor. The sill of the back bathroom shower is made of plain white Corian, so is much less stylish.

Cork floor finished in front bathroom; more lights & paint

2010-01-25T19:31:00.000-05:00

The cork floor in the front jack and jill bathroom is complete. The flooring was also put into one of the walk in closets, the other will be finished tomorrow. The back bathroom got pendant lights for either side of the pedestal sink and so I decided to paint the walls above the tile before the white tub, sink, and toilet go in. I picked a beige that is in the floor in the back bathroom.

wall ovens installed; cork flooring going into jack and jill bathroom

2010-01-22T16:24:00.000-05:00

Since they fished the electrical lines for the kitchen ceiling speakers in the wall area behind where the ovens go, the ovens are now in place. One more step to getting a working kitchen. The rest of the grout was put in the back bathroom and the jack and jill shower, which meant they could begin installing the cork flooring for the jack and jill bathrooms. That should finish on Monday and then vanities and fixtures should go in.

tile ready for grout in front jack and jill bathroom

2010-01-21T18:24:00.000-05:00

Tiling was completed without the need to buy some plain off-white ones to make a border. Every tile was used to the max. Grout should happen tomorrow.

Bathroom vanity sconces are in except for their shades. It leaves about 22 inches for a medicine cabinet with a mirror. Also purchased pre-finished birch bead board to use as wainscoting in the jack and jill bathroom. That will be authentic to 20's decade and provide lower maintenance than paint.