Angela Law

animal lover, gardener, knitter, and gourmet cook
 
small business ownership

the office

Construction at the office was in high gear this week. We’ve been trying to get a contractor to do the stairs for a long time now (I think almost two years), but we can’t ever get anyone to return our calls (or start when they say they’re going to start, or finish a job in a timely manner). I heard good things about A.B. Graffius Contractors, so Brian gave them a call and they’ve been doing some work here this week.

The main thing was the stairs. In order to proceed with the never-ending basement remodel, the stairs needed to be redone. Those are now in and look great! Earlier this year, one of the pieces of flashing came off the parapet wall on the roof. Brian tried to reinstall it but the wood was all rotten, so they are currently uninstalling the flashing, replacing the rotten wood, and reinstalling the flashing. After that, they’re going to coat the roof, which is something that has to be done every 5 years.

We also got a quote for replacing the windows on the main floor. Most of those are in pretty bad shape, but that’s going to need to wait a month or two until I can replenish the coffers.

Since the stairs are in, Brian will be able to get back to work downstairs. He has a couple of things to wrap up and then we’re going to consider hiring out some of the other things that needs to be done down there.

As it turns out A.B. Graffius is a woman-owned company, so maybe that is the key to finding a contractor you can rely on. They have been a pleasure to work with.

household stuff

of course it broke

I haven’t even had a chance to replace my broken microwave yet and now this–my blender is broken. I shouldn’t complain (but I will anyway), as I’ve had it since the 90s. I guess it’s better than a large appliance dying (though most of those have been replaced at this point).

I looked into getting replacement parts, but it didn’t seem like a good financial idea once I totaled up the cost (I don’t know why the parts were so expensive–perhaps it was due to the age of the blender?)

pets

supermutt

I had Ralphie’s DNA tested through Wisdom Panel and his results were rather surprising:

  • 25% Australian Shepherd
  • 12.5% Basset Hound
  • 12.5% Bulldog
  • 12.5% Golden Retriever
  • 12.5% Labrador Retriever
  • 12.5% Mastiff
  • 12.5% Siberian Husky

I was guessing German Shepherd/Beagle mix. Maybe with some Collie thrown in. But that wasn’t even close.

household stuff

doing without

My microwave died on Saturday night. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the motor that went, but the door opening mechanism. I took the microwave apart on Sunday to see if it was fixable, but a plastic part had snapped off, so I guess I’m just going to have to get a new one. You don’t realize quite how much you use a microwave until you don’t have one. The good news is, I’m running out of old appliances to replace.

out and about, pandemic

last hurrah?

Jake and I made our semi-annual trip to TJ Maxx on Saturday. We made a pretty decent haul. Jake got pants, a shirt, and a jacket; I got three shirts, a pair of hand towels for the new bathroom, and a toy for the dogs. After shopping, we went to Firehouse Subs for lunch, which was really good.

Due to this coronavirus thing, I plan on cutting out unnecessary trips among the masses (or at least trying to go to stores during less busy times). This won’t be particularly difficult for me as I never do anything anyway. About the only place I go is the shelter and I’ll continue to do that. However, we have concert tickets later this month that I’m on the fence about. If the virus hits Johnstown by then, it will be a no brainer, but if not, I have a decision to make.