The Many Faces of Me

Guest checking out this morning: So, the woman who checked us in last night, is she the owner?

Me: That was me.

Guest: Oh. You look completely different this morning.

It's hard to argue with science

The kids were watching Star Wars the other day, and discussing how unrealistic it is for the space ships to make noise in space, since sound doesn't travel in space.

This morning, LW was singing "I am I, Don Quixote" at the top of his lungs while I was cooking breakfast for guests. When I told him (again) that he needed to be quiet during breakfast, he looked at me and said earnestly, "But I'm in outer space, so you can't hear me."

Constructing the addition--Day 5

On Friday, the concrete mixer can to pour the foundation.



This is what we ended up with:




I've been very happy with the progress of this first week. However, there will be a delay in the arrival of the roofing trusses, so I'm expecting things to slow down soon.

Constructing the addition--day 4

The weather made for a short day on Day 3, but by the end of Day 4 we were all ready for the cement. You can see the rough piping for the bathroom and kitchen. (We're roughing in the kitchen even though we aren't currently permitted for it.) The clear piping on the floor is for the radiant heat.

Constructing the addition--Day 2

Little boys love excavators.




So do big boys.





It's a little unnerving to see the excavator so close to your house, especially when the operator wears an eye patch. (Isn't that supposed to mess with your depth perception?) However, it didn't take long to realize that he was very skilled.



Here's what we had at the end of Day 2.



On the down side, here is what the excavator did to the lawn. Repeat after me, "It will get worse before it gets better. It will get worse before it gets better."

Constructing the addition--Day 1

I was only able to take one Before picture before the camera battery ran out of juice. Here is the old porch (down) and deck (up).

All gone. It's amazing how much light comes in now that the porch is gone. I'm (almost) sorry we're adding on.

The dumpster arrives tomorrow. Good thing.

My job for the next who-knows-how-long is to keep LW from opening the back door onto the lovely drop. We might have to rig up some kind of additional lock.

Speaking of LW, if you are looking for a way to entertain your preschooler for the summer, I highly recommend a construction project. He was glued to the window most of the day. Our general contractor is his new hero.

And the backhoe arrives tomorrow. He'll be over the moon.

The birds and chipmunks, incidentally, are extremely confused by the removal of the bird feeder. They haven't yet found the one we put up around the corner.

Book catch-up

I forbid myself to start another book until I post about the ones I've read. I knew I was behind, but didn't realize how far. So here are speedy reviews of the last nine books.

• Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America--an interesting look at the difficulty of supporting yourself with minimum wage jobs. Eye-opening.
• One to Nine: The Inner Life of Numbers--Remember the physics book I struggled through last year? Meet this year's equivalent. It started off promising, but by chapter 4 it fell into a depressing pattern. I would understand the first third of the chapter, vaguely grasp the second third, and be completely lost for the last third. Ugh. Maybe what I need is Physics for Dummies.
• Temples, Tombs & Hieroglyphs--an engaging read that is a lay-person's guide to both Egyptian history and the history of Egyptian history. I think the stories of the early archaeologists were my favorite part of the book.
• Taking Time Off--as EM gets older, I think more about his post-high school life. So far he doesn't show any sign of wanting a gap year, but that might change.
• The Virgin Blue--interesting mystery novel split between medieval and modern-day France by the author of The Girl with the Pearl Earring.
• Home--the sequel to Gilead, which was my first book of the year. A quiet, beautifully written book about family and faith.
• Elbows Off the Table, Napkin in the Lap, No Video Games During Dinner--a guide on teaching your children manners. Nothing earth-shattering, but some useful insights.
• The Enchantress of Florence--my first Salman Rushdie book ever, and the big surprise of the year. I had the idea that Rushdie's books were dense and boring. Clearly, I should read one of his books sometime, but it would undoubtedly be a chore. Certainly not a quickly-moving and engaging novel of historical fiction. It did illustrate how much I don't know about the history of India, Florence and Persia during the sixteenth century, but my ignorance didn't detract from the book too much.
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society--very quick read. As a bonus, you get to learn about the English Channel Islands during WWII.