What did you do today?

[Zanne]

My dad always loved kitties. He had a bunch of cats when he was a kid. And he & my uncle always loved animals. He wanted to turn this place into an animal sanctuary.

My brother didn't come home until after I went to bed yesterday. He told me about redneck drama-- friend's gf's sister-cousin invited herself and her husband & toddler over without asking. Ate a bunch of food, made a huge mess, messed with friend's amazon prime account on the tv, sister-cousin screamed in his face over nothing, & then they invited themselves to spend the night & refused to leave. Friend had to argue with them and order them to leave. They are now super angry & friend said they are not welcome back there again. I'm glad I wasn't there. I would have throat-punched the sister-cousin. I can't remember if I mentioned here that I call her the sister-cousin bc she's inbred-- product of gf's mom and the mom's bio brother). I'm fairly certain drugs and/or alcohol were involved in that. Do you hear the banjos yet?

I slept until after 3pm. Had some soothing music for cats looped on Youtube and I think it made me sleepy. LOL. The dog was enjoying it. I'm currently serving as a bed for Mewlatto.

I got up and did some cleaning. I need to do more but my brain/body weren't cooperating. I really need to get a new kitchen faucet. The one we have is dented, wiggles too much, & drips. It's a Delta we got over 20yrs ago. It is single handle but the handle actually takes up one of the sink holes & I don't like the location. I want something single handle with a sidesprayer and a sturdier base or with a base plate of some kind & that can hook to a portable washing machine. The latter seems to be the one I have trouble finding. I need to measure the height and length of the current faucet bc I don't want anything smaller. I don't like the pull-down faucets.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

This evening I find myself shree thweets to the wind and happy as a Pismo beach clam blowing bubbles. I really miss going to the beach watching the grunion run.

 

[havasu]

Speaking of Pismo Beach, we are headed there tomorrow for a 3-4 day vacation.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Speaking of Pismo Beach, we are headed there tomorrow for a 3-4 day vacation.

Life is good! Lucky dog!

 

[Zanne]

I hope you enjoy your time at the beach, Havasu.

I sort of miss the beach but I can't be out in direct sunlight anymore. I do miss going to Lost Pond near Tanguissen beach in Guam. Someone set up a rope swing to jump in. I wonder if it is still there.

I cooked stroganoff for dinner and mixed in the sauteed mushrooms. It was good.

 

[Zanne]

Took mom to eye doctor appointment, then the "big" walmart nearby, then to samsclub. Grabbed Wendy's for lunch. I like their grilled chicken sandwiches. It was slow, nobody ahead or behind us, and the woman who took our order was very nice. Mom's eyes are doing well for her age. Took a 4 hour nap after getting home and eating (we got take-out and I had to wait until we got home and I'd unloaded groceries).

Almost stepped in a big hole in the parking lot. There is some sort of drainage thing and the cover for it had fallen in. It is just the size for someone to fit a foot in and break something. I took a picture and told the clerk at the doctor's office that someone needs to get that fixed asap before someone gets hurt & they get sued.

 

[Zanne]

Technically yesterday. Binge-watched Star Trek: Enterprise while thunderstorms raged outside. Did some mild cleaning. Cooked yellow rice & chicken for Mom. Ran outside ~100ft to the car to get the dog food out bc Mom wouldn't stop griping about it. Brother was supposed to bring it in but over a week & a half of asking him he wouldn't do it. But she was nagging him about it while it was pouring rain so I went out and got it (dogs were out of food inside). Funny thing is, he finally went out after the rain stopped and found the dog food wasn't in the car anymore. Its the car he drives and every time I thought to go get it out before he was gone with it.

Friend is *supposed* to come over on Sunday to hook up water supply lines to my sink. We'll see if he remembers.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

Installed three televisions for a client. Tomorrow putting in safety bars in a shower. Idiot builder creates a senior community—55+—and doesn’t put safety bars in the bathrooms. My client on this one is an elderly woman, hoping this will keep her steady.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Nicely done. Did you get a chance to listen to the sound bars, if that what they are, and did it sound like surround sound? But what about the bathroom TV install?

Cryosurgery for me today. It seems like every six months I have to go under the "ice" knife. (PS. I promise not to post pictures.)

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

These three televisions are the auxiliary televisions in the home. They were in the master bedroom, the guest bedroom, and the office. The main television in the family room, a 70 incher, was installed last Saturday. Two of the televisions have sound bars, nothing special just with a subwoofer. No surround sound. They want to put a really large one out on the covered porch… but were aghast at the price of outdoor televisions. They may just get a regular TV because they can get five new giant screens for the price of one outdoor television. Whatever they want to do is OK by me.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Installed three televisions for a client. Tomorrow putting in safety bars in a shower. Idiot builder creates a senior community—55+—and doesn’t put safety bars in the bathrooms. My client on this one is an elderly woman, hoping this will keep her steady.

Big liability in grab bar installation. I hope you have liability insurance for that type work.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

Big liability in grab bar installation. I hope you have liability insurance for that type work.

The bigger liability is NOT having grab bars.

Bathrooms are hazardous. The lawyers who sue for slip and falls in bathrooms say that the most common problems are leaks (plumbing problem); overflow (user problem); and broken tiles/flooring (wear issue and negligence). Properly mounted using stainless steel screws, protected with silicone, into studs, and any liability will be reduced to below that of other bathroom hazards. I've done enough of these to understand how to do them properly and how NOT to do them as well. Thank you.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

That reminds me of something funny that happened when my in-laws were visiting from Ukraine. They do not use drywall in the construction of their apartments/flats and the walls are essentially concrete which makes it difficult when needed to get at internal wiring, etc. but it is strong as hell and solid. My wife's mother was used to grabbing onto a towel rack to hoist herself off the toilet and she attempted to do the same thing here in my el cheapo townhome where the towel bar was "anchored" into 5/8" drywall. She attempted to pull herself up and tore a huge hole in my paper walls and fell off the toilet to boot with a towel bar in a death grip. She wasn't hurt but it sure was funny as hell at the time and I could not hide my laughter.

 

[Zanne]

I have a cousin who is a lawyer. They are necessary unfortunately.

Mitchell, I like the french provincial furniture piece in the middle picture. Reminds me a bit of the furniture in my mother's room. She has a Dixie set that is older than me and in better shape than I am. LOL.

The falling off the toilet thing for some reason made me think of a story my brother-in-law told about an ex-gf of his. She was super skinny and apparently didn't check to see if the seat was down. She fell into the toilet and got stuck. She called for help. He went in and saw her legs and torso sticking out and rushed to her aid-- just kidding-- he went and got his camera to take a picture of her and laugh at her for a few minutes before he finally decided to help her out.

I'm glad we got an ADA height toilet now because it is much easier to get up and Mom no longer has to grab onto the walls to get up.

My brother fell in our friend's shower before & ended up hurting his shoulder (it is still bothering him) from the way he landed. So I bought a grab bar that was on sale at Amazon to put in his shower when we put it up (I will be adding reinforcement to shower walls and extra bracing in the walls behind so that it will be anchored very well. I got at least 3 grab bars for Mom's bathroom. I plan to add a corner grab bar in my shower.

Yesterday I picked up mail. Got some cleaning supplies I need to use today. Then Mom lost her balance and fell down in the hallway. She landed on a memory foam mat for the dogs so she was ok but she couldn't get back up. She weighs more than me and I couldn't get the right angle to try to lift her. My brother tried picking her up from the front but she flailed her legs around and his knee collapsed so he ended up dropping her and halfway falling on her. We got her to move so he could get behind her (her back had been against a wall). She had her slippers on so she kept sliding and couldn't get her feet under her. I got in front of her and had her put her feet against mine and I took her hands and pulled while my brother lifted so we finally got her back up. Glad she wasn't hurt and apparently my back is worse than hers today. The past few days my back has been super stiff and I can barely bend. I may need to go sit in the truck with the heated seats on to help. Have to pick up an RX today but am still tired for no apparent reason. I went to bed early last night-- like before 7pm. Had a snack around 2am and then back to bed. I hate having so little energy. Will have to get my thyroid levels checked by the doctor.

Today I need to do some major cleaning but my body and brain are not cooperating.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

My client lives in a 55+ community, and doesn't do ladders. Nor can she do a lot of things around the home. She is the neighbor of another client, and asked for safety bars. So I installed a vertical bar on the left, a diagonal/horizontal bar on the back wall. Client is an elderly woman, and this enables her to safely enter and exit (vertical) the shower, as well as sit down and stand up and grab the back bar to be steady. Also installed the magnetic removable Moen shower head. All in matching oil-rubbed bronze. After I did this, I hung a massive piece of artwork, changed about 10 dead light bulbs in can mounts.

Next week I build a rack in the garage, and install an outdoor fan. I ordered a TV mount for the guest room. More artwork to hang, and attach the dishwasher to the cabinets. Right now it's flopping around in the island...cannot believe they left it like that, but they did. Had to order mounting brackets as they didn't leave her a bag with them.

 

[havasu]

Let's keep this on track please.

 

[Zanne]

Mitchell, those look nice! Are those Moen Home Care bars? Looks like oil rubbed bronze version of model R8716D1GB.

I tried to clean on Saturday & Sunday but got dizzy and had to sit down. Friend came over and easily removed the old water supply lines (said they weren't even tight-- so either I have very weak hands or I tried to turn them the wrong way). He got the new ones on with little effort (after running them into a bucket until the water ran clear-- well, as clear as my tap water gets). Monday I was dead to the world. Could barely wake up long enough to do anything. Slept, cooked for mom, went back to bed right after and racked out all day. Tuesday I binge-watched Youtube videos from The Crazy Framer. He has a series of videos on framing houses by himself. Only help he got was from getting guys to lift up heavy materials to higher floors (after he built them) to make things a bit easier for him, but he did all the walls, joists, outside sheathing, gables, etc. He pretty much throws his own safety to the wind for the most part. Makes a lot of his viewers super nervous with how he was walking on snow-covered 2x10s over 30ft up.
https://www.youtube.com/c/Thecrazyframer if anyone is interested in his channel.

My left knee is not cooperating with me but I'm hoping if I'm still awake by morning I can find my floor repair supplies and try to work on my bathroom floor. I did get up and clean in the kitchen and made some Rice-A-Roni in a skillet for the first time (in the past I got those microwave ones). I was going to make yellow rice but my brother had Miso soup in the pressure cooker. He's decided he isn't going to do anything more with it and wants me to dump it and clean it out.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

Yes, @Zanne Moen Home Care. The only ones available locally in Bronze. Even on line they are hard to find and most had a 4-6 week wait. Thankfully the local store had them, but not happy they only make them up to 24" in length. I like longer ones but the lady is quite happy with them. A petite little old senior citizen widow.

 

[havasu]

they only make them up to 24" in length.

Aren't they designed to allow the tubing to be cut to any length, or is it a complete one piece casting?

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

I've installed multiple brands and kinds. In the particular Moen brand as shown, the bar is a single piece (with ends fixed) held on to the base (the base is what you screw into the wall) by setscrews, quite similar to how some toilet paper and towel bars are held on. These safety bars come in fixed sizes, generally 12", 16", 24", 36", and 42". Sometimes (particularly online) you may find some odd sizes, but at the local home stores, these are generally the sizes.

The ones shown also had rubber grabby things on the backside of the bar so even if you could remove and end and replace on a shortened bar, you'd compromise those.