44 Years of Catching Up and Remodeling Work Begins

On Sunday night, I received a text from a friend I've not seen in 44 years. Brian was coming into town the next day on business and wondered if we could get together for dinner. "Definitely!" I replied. Brian and I were stationed on the same ship during our time in the Navy in the mid to late '70s and we had lots of catching up to do. We met at Mall of America and settled into a booth at Cowboy Jacks for a few hours as we recalled stories from our Navy experience. We were so consumed in conversation that it was an hour before we took time to study the menu. I really enjoyed those few hours we shared. Thanks for reaching out, Brian!

We're into December now and still enjoying daytime temps well above freezing. We topped out at around 50ºf (10ºc) a couple days ago which means I was riding in shorts on my river bottoms ride. This mild weather is making it nearly impossible for me to stay down in my stained glass studio for an extended period of time. My plan was to knock out several pieces for my Etsy store before Christmas but with weather like this, I'm opting to continue being active outdoors instead. Next week looks more shop-friendly.

I'm kicking around ideas for some stained glass windows for our master bathroom but they're not the priority they were when I spoke about them in my last blog update. We've since learned that the double window in our master bathroom is in need of replacement and the replacement window we have on order won't be here for 6 months due to supply chain issues. I did manage to make one sun-catcher for my Etsy store a couple weeks ago. It was nice to be down in my studio working with glass again but it will always be less of a priority than my outdoor activities. I don't know how I would manage to find time for my glass hobby if I lived in the south. I'm looking out our sunporch windows as I write this and it looks like another decent day outside. My stained glass studio will have to wait yet again. 

The first phase of our upstairs remodel is done. Adam from Vonlund Services removed the popcorn ceiling texture and replaced it with a knockdown texture. There's only one small area of popcorn texture remaining in our home and it will be replaced once our master bathroom work is done. By the way, if you're in the Minneapolis metro area and need some drywall work done, we highly recommend Adam. The next phase of work will be carpet installation which will take place one week from today. We're doing it in two parts as it helps logistically with moving furniture around, plus we'd rather leave the old carpet in place where we can while construction is ongoing. Tammy is the project manager for this work and she's doing a fine job!

Cotton took a tumble down a flight of stairs earlier this week. We've not seen her attempt to climb them again since falling. She's such a sweet old girl, and sadly, she's showing her age. She was quite hefty when we took her in a little over a year ago but she's steadily been moving toward the other end of the spectrum and losing a little too much weight. She seems comfortable, tho, and I think her previous owners (now deceased) would be happy knowing she's loved and being cared for.

I've really been enjoying my mountain bike. I always pay more for a bike than I'm probably worthy of but I do get my use out of them. My Orbea Oiz M20 with its full suspension is everything I was hoping it would be. For years, I resisted getting a faster bike for the trails, worried that the added speed would only get me into trouble. I don't think I'm all that much faster on it but I definitely am more comfortable. Plus, the bike's full suspension provides me with more control and that's what matters most. I've got my fat bike back from the shop. It's prepped and ready to go once the snow flies! 

Until I got my fat bike I was like most others, loathing the idea of another winter. Now, I look forward to winter. It provides just the right balance of outdoor (fat biking) and indoor (stained glass) activities. 

It's time to ride!

That's all I've got.

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