in my spare time

of course, that's a joke. i really don't have any spare time. not a square to spare. but, i digress....

i have been renovating my family home. my ma and pa bought the place in 1968, when i was in diapers. it was built in 1937, a two bedroom bungalo. how 4 of us lived in that little place is beyond me, but we did. mom was a stickler for maintenance, but her style was, um, er, '70's. the hvac systems were always in top notch shape, new roofs when they needed it, paint when it needed it or even when it didn't...but the paneling. yes, paneling.

it was 1972 or so, and i distinctly remember carpenters everywhere and this dark, dark brown paneling going onto the walls, along with new deeppile green carpet. i don't remember what was there before, i just remember those couple of days. so, after mom died last year, i set about getting the place fixed up for sale.

first order of biz, carpet and paneling removal. off came the paneling, up came the carpet, and, to my amazement was hardwood floors. the plaster walls were in bad shape, and the floors were a bit beat up from years of carpet and staples, but me and the wife saw a diamond in the rough. we hired a couple of friends we know in the renovation biz, and had the walls and ceilings redone, and of course, a floor specialist got started on the floor. the results are stunning. the place is beautiful. i knew the hardwood was there, but never thought much of it, or the cool tile that we found under the fireplace.

there is a ton of painting to be done in the other rooms, and i have to remove a bathroom in the basement that won't pass code, but the house is really coming together. i spent a total of about 10 hours there this weekend, and i'm beat, but i'd say i think mom would like it, even though it's not really her style.