Saturday, April 3, 2010

Month End Review - March 2010

March was a weird month. I felt like I got a lot done, and then I felt like I hadn't done anything, and this, here, is basically what I got done (minus one skirt refashion which is in the laundry right now).

I decided that warm weather would come eventually (and it has - I love being right) and I needed a few more skirts. When in doubt, pencil skirt, right? That's what I thought.

These are two older BWOF pencil skirts, both of which I've made before, and I remember why - I really like both and have worn each of them already, despite the fact that the warm only happened a few days ago.

I'll say it again. March was a weird month. I got through my aunt's settlement, and she's finally talking to me again after a month of air silence. I'm not saying I really minded the break, and I know she's not going to apologize for what she said, but pretending it never happened and going on like usual is fine. Shame it took a month to get there, but it is what it is.

As is family in general.

Also in the news, random houseness. The endless bad weather we had, including the Biblical deluge wherein Mario and I were trapped on a train in Rahway, NJ, caused my old house to leak in random unpleasant places.

Enter my tax return.

The roof got patched and recoated last week. I generally do that stuff myself, and I did the porch roof and bay window patch/coating, but the main roof is a lot of square footage and the place where most leaks happen. I decided to call in the pros, and was glad I did. I actually found a roofer who came highly recommended by my neighbors for his leak-finding tenacity, and he did a same-day inspection and work, for a price that didn't make me completely sick, so that was one down.

Next I decided to deal with the deteriorating wooden gate to my alleyway. The next door neighbor (absentee landlord) doesn't do anything about his split gutter, so it pours water down on my gate. There was actually a sheet of ice over the gate this winter and that did nothing good. Neighborhood handyman is coming on Easter Sunday to install new gate. I questioned his choice of Easter, and his response was, "I don't like my family and if you're paying me, it's a good excuse to get out."

Far be it from me to spoil his Easter.

More projects today: I ripped out a rotted basement window, then we did some concrete demolition and installed a new glass-block window in my basement. I'm not a huge fan of glass block, but it's in the side alley, it's sturdy, it doesn't leak, and we could do it ourselves. Damn, those windows are heavy. Mario earned himself another shirt by inserting and removing the window at least 10 times from the frame while we worked on the fit.

Tonight he's off helping build a stage for a local theater production, and I'm supposed to be working on a costume, but I'm tired and a little cranky and tomorrow is another day.

4 comments:

Little Hunting Creek said...

I love the pencil skirts - and at last it is warm! Hooray! We have spring! We spent our tax return on emergency surgery for our dog - you know how those things are. Pets are like your kids

Sheila said...

Lovely pencil skirts and just finished cutting out one from McCalls 3830.
You spent your tax $$ wisely, each year since we've owned our home our tax $$ has gone to the house, which is so worth it. I like the idea of the glass blocks too.

Victoria said...

Nice pencil skirts! One can never have enough of them:)

Vicki said...

I have a brand new house...and my roof leaks!! And I have cut out a skirt similar to your first one on the list. Just need to sew it up now :)