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Tile Job

Tile Job

Even though the stairs aren't finished yet (and it's been OVER a year now since they were started!), we are having some slate tiles installed at the foot of the stairs, just inside the front door. Here are some pictures of today's work:

[Click for larger views]



Before you tell me, I know it looks like the tiles are "off center" with the door jambs, but that's the way the stairs were aligned, and we had to do it that way.

Now mind you, they are only set in the "mud" (or whatever it's called). They still have to be grouted, but not until tomorrow after they have set up for a day.

Needless to say, my puppies have to stay in the basement for most of today while the tiles set up... which makes me very lonely up here. I know now what it must be like to live without pets.... horrible! How does anyone do it?

I just went down to the basement (which is kind of chilly and damp) to smush with my puppers for a bit, just to give them a pep talk about how they are only going to have to stay down there for another few hours and then can come back up into civilization again and be real house dogs. They weren't quite sure about all of it, but I lay down with them on their multiple cushiony beds and tried to convince them of my sincerity.

~ ~ ~ ~

Every time we have a man come over to do a particular specialized job here, I am always curious as to what sort of a personality he will have. I say "he" because so far, we've never had a female do any of our specialty jobs - unless you want to count the one time we had a cable-TV repairperson and she was a female. She climbed way up to the top of the telephone pole, too, to check the wires - something I would never have done willingly. Oh, and we had a female telephone repairperson come to the house once, too, and I remember that she also climbed up that same pole! Wow.

But all the other worker-bees we hire to do the few jobs around here that Paul either isn't qualified to do or doesn't feel confident in doing, like this small tiling job, have been of the male persuasion.

Some of them we have known most of our lives. Others have been newbies, referred from friends. Some are so polite, and some are downright crude. Some are shy, and some are back-slapping friendly. When we renovated our kitchen, that's when most of them showed up. The carpenter, Steve, used to be my brother's best friend in high school. Paul has known Steve most of his life. Steve came along with a guy whose name I've forgotten, but he was of the south-of-the-border persuasion, but a very nice chap he was. They would eat their little bagged lunches out in their truck each day, even though we only live about 3 blocks away from a huge shopping center and fast-food joint. So cute.

Then there were the electricians - newbies, both of them. We now have an even newer one, John T., who is the son of our neighbor to the rear of us. He's very good, quite young (compared to us geezers, anyway) but very energetic and fast. No dilly-dallying around for John. He's in and out and gets the job done right. I like him.

There's the plumber whose name we got out of the phone book. He lives a couple of towns away, but he's very dependable, works alone, and is very, very quiet while he works - quiet as a mouse, in fact. He moved our water meter from the back rear of the house to the front one day and I hardly knew anyone was even here!

Then you get the types like Chip - the guy who was here today installing our tiles. He's a character. I think he's a Marbleheader - that must be where Paul knows him from. I've heard his name mentioned in the past by Paul. The old-timer Marbleheaders are a unique bunch. No nonsense, and quite colorful, with colorful language occasionally - especially when he didn't know I was standing at the top of the stairs watching the whole operation! I didn't mind, though. My language is colorful at times, as well. No virgin ears around this house! At least he didn't want to smoke, which is a no-no in this house or anywhere near it!

Once he knew I was present, he cleaned up the dialog a bit, but I could hear Paul and Chip talking outside later, and they were back to the "guy" talk again.

He did a good job - yes he did. He laid out the tiles and called for me to come and approve the layout. As you can see in the photos, some are slate blue, but there are others with more beige or orange in them...each is very different, and they haven't been washed off yet either, so the colors will be better once the job is done. We all three finally agreed on a good layout, and Chip got to work placing them and sticking them down with the gunk. He had taken them home last night to cut them all to the same size as they needed to be all square and smaller than they were in the box.

I'm happy with the job, so far. I'll take some final progress photos tomorrow or Sunday to show you again.

It's never dull when you own a house. The repairs and improvements are never-ending, and there's always some sort of character who comes in and brightens up my day here!

Now if I can just get my puppies back upstairs where they belong, all will be right with my world again.

Cheers,

Bex

11:57 am - 06 January 2006

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