Years ago when there was only one toddler in the household, I was still married. My ex used to have a bit of a drinking problem. Notice I say used to. If there was one good thing that came out of our divorce it was that he gave up drinking. The kids get to have their dad around a lot longer now.
Back then we had the ugliest dining room on earth. There were about 50 layers of wall paper. The old fashioned non-strippable paper wall paper. The room must have been many things over it's lifetime, one of the layers was patterned with race cars. The top layer was painted - just to add to the challenge.
When we moved into the house, there were only two windows that could be opened. The south facing one in the dining room was not one of them. It was actually two old fashioned storm windows put in a single opening back to back. At the beginning of our first summer, I took one out and mounted it on hinges. I busted the glass out of the other and stapled screen on it. We had a nice breeze from it over the summer, but I kind of wanted to seal off that breeze for the winter.
The ex received a used patio door as partial payment on a plumbing job he had aquired and then never finished. Being as the drywall in the dining room was two different thicknesses and covered in all that damn wall paper we (okay I) decided it was best to just gut it. This way we could replace the window and insulate too.
Only it wasn't getting done and the November wind was starting to howl through the gaps around the window.
Friday nights for us were pretty much him drinking with his buddies, driving home when he shouldn't have been anywhere near a vehicle and then passing out in the living room. The living room that adjoined the dining room.
So one Friday, I decided enough was enough. I sat there on the couch until he came home. I read my book until he passed out. And then I got out the hammer and the pry bar.
Around 2 am, he woke up enough to go take his shower and head to bed. The dining room that wasn't more than 5 feet away from him was completely gutted.
Before the weekend was over, the patio door was installed. By the end of the week the room was insulated and drywall hung.
Sometimes, you've just got to take matters into your own hands. Even if it still took another two years before the room was mudded and ready to paint.
These days, I'm lucky if I can get my dishes done before I hit the hay. My late night ambition deserted me sometime in my thirties and I haven't been able to coax it back.
Hanging out with the nice folks at Yeah Write for the Weekend Moonshine Grid. It's like going to a really awesome house party for the weekend.
I have never been able to do overnight work on anything. I couldn't even make it past midnight when in college and needing to study or finish a paper at the last minute. My BIL and SIL have always done the over night thing. But, neither of them have ever had to get up at 5:00 a.m. I wish I could. The closest I ever got was the few years before my daughter was born I did get up at 4:30 a.m. to get half an hour of writing in before I had to get ready for work. At 44 the thought of being up past 10:30 or getting up even 10 seconds before I have to get up is enough to make me cranky. I wish I'd had a period of time in my life when I could spend nights doing things.
ReplyDeleteI'm usually up until 11 or so - reading posts and stuff - then up at 6 so I can hit a few more before work. People think I'm nuts when they find out just how much time I put into writing my blog posts and reading other peoples.
DeleteI hate the way our metabolism changes as we get older. I'm falling asleep on the sofa long before the time that I used to even leave the house to go out at night.
ReplyDeleteI'm still a night owl - just far less inclined to do anything remotely resembling work after 6 pm.
DeleteMe too. And if I get anything done, it's while I have the first morning coffee energy in the a.m. and then I'm tired again and ready for more coffee.
DeleteMine is usually gone after the morning coffee. The work day uses up whatever is left.
DeleteWallpaper is the work of the devil.
ReplyDeleteTell me about it! Last year I had to take down a border. I told everybody that if they ever saw me putting any of that shit up again it meant the house was going on the market.
DeleteBut you know what? You are still SO totally awesome! I'd let you fix my toilet - I mean be my friend - any time!
ReplyDeleteAwww, that's so sweet! All of my plumbing skills came out of my post divorce bitter days. Thankfully the bitter left and the skills stayed.
DeleteWow, I can't even imagine the nightmare it would be if I tried that! DIY home renovations are definitely NOT my forte.
ReplyDeletePulling down drywall is easy. Dealing with the piles of drywall left behind is the hard part.
DeleteI'm a fan of late night projects, in spite of the fact they make feel like a weirdo tweaker (I'm not obviously). I appreciate the additional element of "ambush" to this instance :)
ReplyDeleteHave great night out with buddies. Come home sit on chair to watch TV with walls in the room behind you. Wake up in your chair 4 or 5 hours later and the walls are gone. Yeah - total ambush.
DeleteI'm the opposite. I get stressed if all my chores aren't done by about 7 p.m. I can definitely relate, though, to the lack of energy and motivation that I once had.
ReplyDeleteMy house would be a lot cleaner if I were like you. Instead I can barely manage to have dinner on the table by that time.
DeleteAs lazy as I am, and as drunk as I've been, I don't think I could watch my wife work and not help her. I'd be too embarrassed. Don't tell her that though, she might start trying to embarrass me into more than just cleaning the house.
ReplyDeleteTechnically he wasn't watching. It was kind of a surprise to him when he woke up. You know one of those "Surprise honey, not sure what you HAD planned for your weekend but this is what you're doing now" type of surprise.
DeleteVery impressive, hanging drywall, putting in patio doors etc. - we put a bedroom and bathroom in the basement when we bought our house, but I did not do it by myself...
ReplyDeleteI hear you about staying up all night (or not...) I used to be a night owl as well, but now I can barely make it until 11 most nights. Sigh.
I just facilitated the hanging drywall and putting in the patio door. And supervised the process.
DeleteI can still stay awake late, as long as the staying awake doesn't involve much moving around.
I hate wallpaper. HATE IT. Hate the soaking and scraping to remove it, hate the fiddly nature of hanging it, hate it's texture. It's right up there with carpet with things I will never put in my house. Don't even get me started on carpet.
ReplyDeleteI've been in my house long enough to hang borders and then have to rip them off. Never again as long as I live will I put myself through that.
DeleteWall paper is the devil incarnate. If you need me I'll be over in the corner crouched in the fetal position and having wall paper stripping flash backs. : rocks back and forth :
ReplyDeleteWallpaper is a terrible thing to do to your walls and yourself. Paint and framed pictures are much easier to change.
DeleteSounds like we're having similar problems with our energy levels.
ReplyDeleteI miss naps more than anything. I used to spend my Saturdays on my belly with a book and alternate between reading and napping. It was divine.
DeleteGoodness...I need more energy and I don't even have kids yet!
ReplyDeleteSomebody once told me you need less sleep as you get older. They must have been lying.
Delete