Saturday, June 27, 2015

Installing a dance floor





To protect the newly completed concrete floors, Bill has installed layers of paper and Masonite, a fairly dense but thin sheet of material. This cover will protect the floors as ladders and other equipment are brought in to finish other tasks. The dogs seem to enjoy the Masonite, as their nails tap dance over it, sounding just like Dixie The Tiny Dog. While our pups are not dachshunds, we often think of Dixie and her click click clicking across the floor:
Dixie The Tiny Dog by Peter Himmelman
I'm a tiny dog named Dixie,
I have small feet which pitter patter on the linoleum floor,
You can hear my toenails in the middle of the night.
My tag says I belong to the Johnsons, but they don't own me,
They just feed me, they just bought me one day.
No one owns me, I'm Dixie the tiny dog.
And in the middle of the day I sit in the sun
And I hear young children call me a wiener dog,
Perhaps that's what I am.
The Germanic term is dachshund, and I like that,
I'm thin and I'm proud and no one can make fun of me.
I can slip through the bars of a prison if I were ever incarcerated,
But I don't know what I would do wrong.
My body yields no evil inclinations.
I'm a pure wiener dog.
My name is Dixie and I go dancing 'cross the floor
In the evening of the Johnsons when everyone is sleeping.
Sometimes I look for a morsel of food, but they're so clean
They're almost anal-retentive in their cleanliness habits
And there's nothing for me.
But I don't despair
Because I know tomorrow my Gaines Burgers will be there
And they will unwrap the plastic from them
And then feed me this succulent dish, and I will eat.
And oh, I've watched the German Shepherds with their long necks,
Their graceful necks, dipping into the toilet to drink whenever they want
To have a drink of cool water in that well.
But I must plead, I must beg, I must whine
For Mr. Johnson to put out my bowl,
Or one of the Johnson boys to refill it after I drink it,
Because I'm Dixie the dog and I like water.
And in the middle of the night you can see me dancing
A small Fred Astaire tap dance, with my little toenails
They go click click click against the linoleum
And I run down the hall and I slide
And the back of me goes in front of me . . . slowly.
I'm long and I'm thin. I'm Dixie the tiny dog and I like it.

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Keeping the faith, part two




So, with a little patience, perseverance, and the help of a friend, we have finished our kitchen and family room floor. It was a bit like being on a roller coaster ride, but a kiddie version, since we don't like to get ourselves too wrapped up in expectations for this little project. It turned out great, but we had a moment or two of sounding like Scooby Doo, "Ruh roh!" But, with faith, we were able to adjust some areas and are now very happy with the result. 


Friday, June 12, 2015

Keeping the faith

I have decided that acid staining of a concrete floor is like a relationship. Every one is unique, and its outcome cannot be predicted reliably. Aspects of the staining blend this way and that, and while it may not turn out the way that you expected, it can be adjusted to something that fits you more than it did before. When something turns out to be darker than you want, it's best to remember to keep the faith that this lifetime commitment will work out and become lighter, but only if you fully believe and remain steady.

Yeah, like that.

Our family room/kitchen floor turned out in an unexpected way, but with all of the humidity we have had this week, it was not curing completely. So, we were able to adjust the color, and it now resembles aged leather, and we love it. It is very challenging to get an accurate photo of it, especially with light flaring in from all of the windows (a lovely problem to have, of course), but these give you an idea. It's not quite this reddish, but close. It would have done us absolutely no good to panic about how it looked earlier this week. Calmly keeping the faith is the key to a lot of life.




Burying the lead

Even those without a journalism background know the term, "Burying the lead." That's when you start a story by skipping over the most important detail, fact, or occurrence. Like, last night, when Bill came home from a neighborhood meeting and started chatting about his day. He gave me details about the meeting, talked about weekend plans, and some other stuff. Then, he adds, "I put up some Sheetrock today." My head flipped around as fast as it could go, and a high, squeaky voice said, "What?! That's a huge milestone!" Oy. Perfect example of burying the lead, and here's the evidence:




Monday, June 1, 2015

Put a cork on it

Today, we stopped into a shop in Santa Cruz called greenspace. They offer green products for homes including paints, cabinetry, countertops, flooring, tile, and more, plus design services. We learned about cork flooring, countertops that include recycled glass, and ultra-low toxicity floor coverings. The staff was great, very knowledgeable and friendly.

You can visit them at 719 Swift Street, #56A, Monday - Friday, 10 am - 5 pm and Saturday, 10 am - 3 pm. Their web site is http://greenspacecompany.com.