Shower Reveal

This is the week where everything comes to a head. 

We FINALLY finished the bathroom. 

Over the last 47 years, we've remodeled every home we've ever lived in, and this is the only project that fought us every-step-of-the-way. Anything that could go wrong, did go wrong. I wouldn't have believed it if it hadn't happened to us.

We were nearly finished. Greg was reinstalling the toilet when he heard the tank crack as he tightened the bolts. To be fair we think this tank had been repaired before. It was folly to think we could put it back without incident. 

Now we had to replace the tank, but wait, it's a model that's been discontinued. And worse, the rough-in dimensions of the old toilet are smaller than today's toilets. It had to fit in a very small footprint. Typical!

Nothing came easy for this project. But it's done. And although it's a mudroom bathroom, it's a jewel. It should be great for resale value.

Speaking of resale value, have any of you tried to buy or sell a home recently? We knew there had been a housing boom in our area, but not until we went to protest our tax assessment did we discover how extreme it was.

Our modest home is now worth nearly three times what we paid for it. The weird part is, our tax assessor said that many buyers were paying cash, way, way above the listed selling price. His sources told him that many of the cash buyers were from California. I guess compared to the prices they were paying for homes, Texas home prices must've been a steal.

Good if you're selling, not so good if you're buying.

Except for one minor project that didn't get completed, Greg is now exempt from any intensive labor for the next few months. (He'll be griping enough while in physical therapy.)

He really did go above and beyond trying to get the to-do list finished so I wouldn't be left in a lurch. The bathroom was one of many homestead projects. We also had a massive outdoor leak that required lots of digging until we found the cracked pipes. I'd been hand watering since January so I'm glad that's over.

Barring any more monkey wrenches, he goes in Wednesday for total knee replacement. Depending on how quickly he recovers we might try to get the other knee done before the year is out.

We had planned on adding to our homestead menagerie, but I'm taking a wait and see position until I know how well Greg recovers. There's no point in adding to my burdens when I already have my hands full. Besides, we have an open invitation to visit family. 

If Greg's up to it, it might be a good diversion. The outside animals can manage for a short vacation, but Jammy will need someone who will feed him correctly. He really is a special needs kitty. The dogs, much as it pains me, will have to go to a kennel.

All that is up in the air for now. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

I am as ready as I can be for Greg's surgery. I've read all the pre and post surgery pages of notes. I've made myself a bag of essentials while I wait the 6-8 hours until I can see him again. I've got everything laundered and all walkways should be cleared by today. I don't want any obstacles in his way, and that includes sleeping dogs. They will have limited access to him until he's stable.

All good thoughts and prayers appreciated. I've done all I could to prepare. It's up to Providence now.