O Cabinetry, O Cabinetry!

Another Christmas surrounded by paint pots, brushes, and cabinet doors drying by the tree. This was a project that took longer than expected.

Of course, I don't have enough money to remodel my kitchen. But my cabinets were looking tired, old, and dated. They are good quality -- Woodmode, solid maple (doors and drawer faces) -- and a classic, timeless design, but the finish -- "Champagne Maple" -- was dated, from the early '90s, worn down from years of scrubbing, scratched, and yellowed from age and cooking fumes and splatters. So I decided to paint the cabinets to modernize the kitchen.

Before

Before, Closeup of wear to finish

Anne, my decorator friend, was getting her house ready to sell, and she wanted her cabinets painted, too. She got some estimates for having it done professionally, but was astounded at the quotes -- something like $7000-$10,000. She has a lot of cabinets, but still . . . . We both decided to do it ourselves: How hard can it be? You just have to use the right primer.

Famous last words.

I chose Benjamin Moore's "Hazlewood" color on their Advance quality of paint. The Advance paint is made to "level" (not streak or clump), and is recommended for cabinets. White is the color of the day, but, again, Anne had her (correct) opinion: White would give too much contrast between the cabinets and the countertops. The Hazlewood color had just the right amount of grey and mushroom to marry and enhance all the colors of the kitchen -- the forest green countertops, the light green walls, and the stainless steel appliances.

To start, I had to remove all kitchen cabinet doors, drawer fronts, and hardware. Also, my cabinet doors came with "dust guards," rubber strips along the left side doors. These had to be removed with a glue solvent and putty scraper, on advice from the cabinet manufacturer.

Dust guard (from inside door).
Dust guard lip extends abt. 1/4"
from edge of door, to cover space
between two cabinet doors.

I needed to clean the dust guards, again with a glue solvent. I wanted to replace the guards -- they were old and one was missing -- but there were none for sale through normal retail channels. Apparently, dust guards are a mostly European thing, and here you can only buy large rolls of hundreds of feet of the stripping material, which is then cut to size. Fine for cabinet installers, not so much for a DIYer who only needs a few feet. So I had to be extra careful to clean, and not chip or damage, the old guards. (And, fortunately, I had an extra dust guard, to replace the missing one, from an unused cabinet that was in my garage.)

The first thing I had to do was paint the inside of the large cabinet next to my refrigerator. That cabinet had been replaced, due to damage to the original cabinet, and the cabinet maker used maple wood inside the cabinets, to match the maple wood on the outside of the cabinets. But all the other, original cabinets, had simple, almond-colored, pressed-wood (or like) insides and shelves. Plus, the maple color would clash with the color I had planned for the doors and drawers.

So I had to paint the inside of that cabinet to match the insides of the other cabinets. Mistake No. 1: If I had been smart, I would have brought a shelf in to the hardware store, to have the color custom-matched. Instead, I did bring a shelf in, but I just used it to choose a color, Behr Mourning Dove (Eggshell), that looked like a good match. Unfortunately, though, once I painted the first coat, I realized it was too light, so I had to blend a new color from paint I already had, and paint two more coats. From my notes, it appears I started with about 5/8 pint of the Mourning Dove, and added about 1/3 cup of my cabinet door color. It was a pretty good match, but it would have been better custom-blended, it would not have cost any more, and I would not have wasted time on the first coat of paint.

Paint to the exterior cabinet frames. Note: I used
a razor to keep paint from clogging between the panels,
to keep an even appearance.

Mistake No. 2: There was another thing I would have done differently, had I to do this over again. First, I would have sanded more before any paint or primer. Instead, I did only a light sanding at first, but ended up having to sand again after almost every coat of paint, and after the two primer coats. I also think I may have needed less paint and primer were I not sanding so much off! And I would have been more confident that the paint would stick to the baked enamel frames. As it was, I used two coats of all-purpose primer (suitable for use on metal, plastic, enamel, etc.), plus three coats of paint, to make sure the paint would stick.

Mistake No. 3 was not experimenting more with the application process. I ended up using mostly brushes, because my cabinet doors and drawer fronts have bevelling and molding that would make roller-brushing uneven. But brushing takes time, and requires more coats. If I had a do-over, I'd try spray-painting. I might not choose it, but I'd at least try.

Mistake No. 4: Not a biggie, but I should have put some wood putty between the edges of the molding and the panel before I started painting. If you look closely at this picture (maximize to actual pixels), you can see where the paint is unevenly applied to the crease. I fixed it by adding the putty after the second coat of paint, but that meant I spent more time adding paint to the edges to cover the putty. Had I done the putty before painting, there would have been no need for the extra dabbing of paint.

I decided now would be a good time to replace my over-the-stove microwave. I was not in a hurry to replace it, all things being equal. The heating element didn't work, but the exhaust worked fine, and I had a countertop microwave. But it would need to be replaced eventually, and removing it now would allow me to paint the sides of the surrounding cabinets, and the wall behind. As a happy bonus: it also made it much easier for me to clean and stain the backsplash grout and tiles.


The whole process was time-consuming: I started around the beginning of September 2018, and didn't finish until four months later, early January 2019. Another Christmas consumed by DIY projects. But it was worth it. Behold the finished product. Note, I also replaced the cabinet hardware (door and drawer handles), and, not shown, I also replaced the kitchen faucet.

Update 8/19/19: The cabinet door hinges needed to be adjusted for alignment. I found this article to be helpful in explaining which screws need to be turned in which direction to adjust the doors up or down, in or out.

After. Near left side of the picture looks stretched out.
The actual microwave is a standard size. Also, the actual color is 
more of a light, mushroom-grey. This picture makes it seem slightly rose-tinted.

Old Counters Get New Lives

It has been so long since I posted. This blog was started nearly a year ago. I finished the project, and then more, but never got around to finishing and posting the blog. Now I want to refinish my bathroom counter top, and I actually have to complete this blog to get all the directions in one place!

_______________________

[From abt Sept 2018]

My kitchen is one of the best features of my house -- it has a large, open-floor plan, with space for a dining area and a small den. But the cabinets are old and dated, and the countertops are dull, scratched, and waterstained. I can't afford to replace, but I can afford to resurface the countertops and paint the cabinets.

I'm starting with the countertops. I finally got the last of my supplies yesterday. My countertops are solid surface (Corian), and there's a process to "resurface" and renew old solid surface counters. If the countertop is only mildly worn, there's an easier process (see paragraphs titled, "Removing Minor Cuts and Scratches"), but my kitchen counters are really showing their more than 25 years of heavy use.

I looked through a lot of articles and videos on how to resurface old solid surface countertops. I chose this video (Parts I and II) to follow, as it was the most comprehensive, and the author included detailed information about supplies and methods. (Hint, You have to go all the way to the end of the second video to get all the product recommendations.)

This project requires a lot of tools and supplies. I spent nearly $200, and I already had some of the tools. I did some substitutions from the video's list:

First, after spending over $30 on the 3-M products (Perfect-It and Finesse-It), I was reluctant to spend another near-$30 (including shipping and tax) for the Dani Designs' Perfect Finish, so I substituted Hope's Countertop Polish (on Corian's list of recommended products).

[Now, 7/11/19]

Second, and, again, after spending all that money on the 3-M products, I ended up scrapping them altogether. Because I became concerned about the use of products containing petroleum distillates and other chemicals more suited for outdoor use, I substituted Rejuvenate Countertop Polish for the 3-M rubbing compound and finish. So I could have bought the Perfect Finish after all! If I had it to do all over, I'd choose the Perfect Finish over Hope's and the Rejuvenate, because the PF got all the good reviews. But the Hope/Rejuvenate products were fine for me. 

I also added a natural, beeswax polish to the list, as a finishing touch. The recipe makes a polish so creamy and delicious, you could roll it into little balls, cover them in chocolate, and eat them for dessert! Plus, it makes a beautiful shine, and you can use the product on furniture and granite countertops, as well.

I made my own worksheet from watching the video: Process For Refinishing Corian Countertops. I am not including before and after pictures here because, although the difference is dramatic in person, it does not show in digital format. Suffice to say, most surface scratches, blemishes, discolorations, and imperfections were sanded and buffed out, and the buffing and polishing results in a high shine. Like new, except for a couple of deep scratches and one discoloration that may have been original.

[Update 7/12/2019] I found my before and after pictures. They had fallen off my phone, I don't know how, but Google Photos had saved them. (I never asked it to, so, kind of scary. What else does it have of mine?) 

As said, the differences are not as dramatic in digital as in real life, but you'll get some idea. The color did enhance, and many of the imperfections were removed. For future care, articles I read said, never ammonia-based, or window-cleaning, products; just 50:50 vinegar:water spray. The ammonia will dull the surface. Also, it's been about a year now, and the counters still look beautiful, but they could use another wax polish.

Island, Before (Abt 8/25/18)

Counter, Before (Abt 8/26/18)

Island, After (Abt 8/28/18)

Counter, After (Abt 8/30/18)

Counter, After (Abt 8/30/18)

Gophers Sabotage Old Lady's Curb Appeal

For the past few months I've been working on my curb appeal. I painted two adirondack chairs and a small metal table for my front porch. Before and after:

After, Ahh!

Before, Ugh! (I believe the wood is
Brazilian walnut.) 

The color is Behr, "Sugar Beet." It wasn't easy to find a color that would go well with the orange/gold tiles, but once I did, I found an orchid with a near perfect match of the plum and gold colors. It's living on the little white table now (unless it's too hot or cold). So, nature approves my color choice.

Matching Orchid!

The chairs have just two coats of paint; a third coat is needed, but I'll do that later. The color turns darker with each coat, so I expect the final color to be a deeper plum (or beet) shade.

After I did the furniture, I painted the front door. I forgot to take a "Before" picture, but, Trust Me, it was bad. Most of the finish had worn off; it had been 25 years since the door was painted. (The previous color was a polyurethane stain -- cherry, I think. The inside of the door is still in good shape, with the same polyurethane stain, but I'll probably add another coat later.)

I chose Behr, "Indigo Ink," for the front door color.

New Door, Old Trim

I was looking at various front door pictures, and I just liked the way a dark blue enhances brass door trim. The color also goes well with the plum and gold of the tiles, chairs, and orchids, although the whole picture might be a bit busy.

I have to say, every time you make an improvement -- stain tiles, paint porch furniture, paint a front door -- everything around the nice new fixture looks even worse than before. So the nice new tiles made the patio furniture look old and tired, which it was. Now, the nice new front door made the brass doorknobs and trim look weathered and tarnished, which they were.

Before, Ugh

The lacquer finish was wearing off the front door trim, leaving spots of tarnish. Following Baldwin's instructions, First I had to use paint/lacquer stripper and very fine (0000 grade) steel wool to remove the remaining lacquer finish. It took two coats of paint remover and a lot of scrubbing to get it off. Also, although I carefully taped all around the brass, some paint remover managed to seep through to the door, so I'll have to touch up the door paint after I finish the brass.

Next step, Brasso or other tarnish remover. Most metalworkers recommend a vinegar/baking soda solution, but that requires the trim to be removed from the door. I was stressing so much over the idea of removing the door handles -- How will I lock the front door while I'm working on the trim? Will I be able to uninstall and reinstall the trimset correctly? -- I chose to try to refinish the trim while it was still installed on the door.

That meant it would be more difficult to remove the tarnish, and I probably could have done a better, cleaner job had I been working with loose pieces. But what I gained in tarnish, I lost in stress, so I'm happy. Plus, I wasn't really trying to get doorknobs that look brand new, just ones that look not-sucky. That said, it took a lot of Brasso, and a lot of rubbing, and in some cases (especially on the back doors) even the use of a very fine (220) sandpaper sponge to get the brass to shine through.

Final step*, Baldwin recommends using a high-grade, polymer-based car wax to protect the finish. Polyurethane can be used, but Baldwin says the car wax should last longer, especially if you apply enough coats. Also, I read enough comments online from people saying the polyurethane starts chipping when it gets old. I figured the wax would be less likely to chip, and I could just add another coat every couple of months or so.

I researched car waxes, and found one that was classic-car-guys-approved -- Rejex "(pronounced 'rejects')", per the manufacturer's instructions. Not sold in stores, I had to order it online: nearly $27, with tax, for a 16 oz. bottle. It arrived today, so:

After, Ahh!

This is the handle after three coats of the wax. I'm going to add six more coats, but I want to have some cure time between each three coats. Also, please ignore the paint around the trim, I still need to touch up around the edges.

By the way, I love the Rejex "wax". "No. No. No. REJEX is not a wax. . . Wax is weak. REJEX is strong." (from the manufacturer's instructions). The feel is buttery, silky smooth. The door trim's original finish was a bright, polished lacquer, and that's still how it is on the inside. The outside trim now is not as shiny, but it looks richer. I actually prefer that look. But not enough to do this on all my indoor trim.

* I cleaned with denatured alcohol after each step, to get rid of chemical residue that might interfere with the next step. And, in the process, I learned that denatured alcohol will clean graphite. A handyman had once used graphite to lubricate my locks, which leaves a nasty black residue. I always thought the residue couldn't be cleaned, but I was happy to see it wipe right off with the denatured alcohol (And P.S., a locksmith later told me graphite is not advisable, anyway.)

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I've been doing my back door trim at the same time. I have four trim sets in back: side porch french door set, bedroom french door set, and main back double french door sets. Those handles were more badly weathered: most of the lacquer finish was gone, and the handles were completely, badly tarnished. Again, I forgot some of the "Before" pictures, but I did get one (the bedroom door).

Bedroom "Before" Door (the coppery spot is from trying
tomato paste as a tarnish remover)

I'm not finished with the back doors, so I'll add an "After" picture when they're finished. But, spoiler alert, they're looking good!

Update!!!

After, Back Door, Ahh!

Of course, true to the Law of Restoration Consequences, the shiny new back door handles make the doors' tired, old aluminum cladding look even more in need of paint. But that's a project for next year.

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Meanwhile, all the work on my curb appeal is being threatened by gophers, or ground squirrels, or some such varmint. I've had gophers in my back yard, digging tunnels. The front yard varmints are just churning up dirt mounds. (Someone on Nextdoor said they're looking for grubs that might be under the surface of the lawn.)

I've spent around $50 so far on varmint-repellent, and I installed solar lights around the garden area, near where they're digging. I also threw some dog poo on a couple of the mounds. The activity seems to have abated somewhat, but they're not gone yet.

In the backyard, I installed two sonic gopher spikes which worked with the repellent to stop those gophers, but I think the spikes are for tunneling critters. The front yard critters aren't tunneling, they're just churning up the top soil. So I don't know what else to do.

Update X2: My brother suggested this may help:

Gazania Mania

I planted this whole bed last year with beautiful, bi-color gazanias. The mature gazanias are the only ones that survived the year. When I removed the fence, late last year, my 65-pound English Springer Spaniel, Magic, claimed the bed as his favorite place for grazing and rolling around (and around and around). Also, the large purple sage to the left of the gazania bed gets even larger over the summer. Last year, it spread nearly a third of the way into the gazania bed, depriving all the gazania babies of their light and space. The final insult was the weeds, centipede grass, that choked other plants. (The grass is what Magic was grazing for -- too bad he wasn't pulling it up by the roots.)

So, last week I did the best I could to dig up the weeds, although they'll come back, as they're embedded in the gazanias that survived the year. Then I went on an epic, 3-day, 90-mile Quest to find the exact same variety of gazanias. I covered just about every nursery and hardware store in the San Fernando Valley, then drove through Simi Valley, Somis, and Camarillo. They were nowhere to be found. I don't understand, because last year that variety was everywhere.

I had to admit defeat and go to Plan B: fill the empty spaces with compatible colors and patterns:

They all look fairly similar in this picture, but the original gazanias have a silver leaf, and more contrast between the two colors, red-orange and orange-yellow.

New Gazania

Original Gazania

(You might notice a few pink-ish flowers in there. They are from last year's planting. The flats were supposed to be one variety, the red and orange, but a few pink ones snuck in. Also, the ugly chicken wire is to keep the dogs out. Unfortunately, it seems I will have to keep the ugly chicken wire until the house is ready to be sold.)

The rest of the bed, and the extra strip in front, were not planted at all last year. Only one of the gazanias in those sections is blooming. It's a third variety; the flower is more yellow, with an orange stripe down the middle.












Apropos, that little plant you see in the left corner of the first picture (above), next to the sage, is yellow yarrow. That used to be a large plant that was on the other side of the sage. But over time, even it succumbed to the shadow of the Mighty Sage.

Last year, before I planted Gazania 1.0, I removed a small yarrow root that seemed to have some life in it, and I planted it in a pot. For a while last year, the pot also was covered by the sage -- Poor yarrow, struggling to live! -- but it still managed to grow into a small plant that looks rather healthy. If I'm lucky, and if I control the Monster Sage, I may have a nice yellow yarrow bush next year.

By the way, the grass is really thick and tall. It hasn't even been a week since it was last mowed, but we've had a lot of rain this year, and I added new seed and fertilizer last month, so the lawn has been growing several inches every week. I think it will settle down this summer, when it's hotter and dryer.

Back to the Back Forty (Redux)

I've not been lazy, I've been sick, with a mad cold, then a milder case of flu. Also, I've been learning to make soap. From scratch. With lye and stuff. Meanwhile, until recently, it's been too rainy or cold to work outside. But I did manage to get back to the Back Forty this past week or two.

First a little before and after:

Before, 2017

Before, 2017

Now, the Befores were actually Afters last year. These pictures were taken after I had finished landscaping a nearly barren back fence. Now, the 2018 Afters:

After, 2018

After 2018

You can see the pink jasmine grew to cover the wire trellis (second After picture, right side), extending the height of the fence from 6 to almost 8 feet. This from 1-gallon pots planted just one year ago. The chocolate vine (akebia quinata, 1-gal. pots) also grew as high as the wire extension (above wood fence), but was not lush enough to hide the neighbor's shed. So, you can't see it from these pictures, but I just added two, 1-gal. pink jasmines between the chocolate vines. I'm hoping they can peacefully co-exist.

Do you see the potato vine covering the metal trellis (second After picture, left side)? I bought that last year from a Lowe's clearance rack, nearly dead, for $1.00. Now it's completely covering the metal trellis. You probably can't see it on the middle trellis, but I just planted another potato vine for that one, too -- full price! It will also help hide the neighbor's yard and stuff.

Unfortunately, I made a mistake with the two, large tropical plants (second After picture, right side). I planted them too close together, and now they're too locked into the soil to move. Those, too, grew from 1-gallon pots planted less than a year ago. (If you see brown on the fatsia japonica, that's from an unusual, four-day frost we had this year. I lost quite a few plants to that.)

By the way, shout out to Lowe's (unsolicited, unpaid) for their clearance racks. My garden would not be nearly as lush as it is without their $1 and $3 pots, some for as much as 80% off. Some are marked down because they have some discoloration or dead branches, but others were fine, probably just overstock. But it's hit and miss, and you have to be dedicated to really mine their clearance rack. During the growing season, I go to Lowe's every week day, at different times of the day. Some days, there's nothing, other days are golden. Sometimes the plants are there in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon. And once they're put on the racks, they go fast.

The Back Forty is not all I've been doing in the yard this year. I'll post more later.

The Porch That Stole Christmas *Updated Times Two!*

I have not been idle. In fact, I've been so busy, I've had no time to write. But I've made progress on my Task List:

I'm in the middle of the biggest time suck ever -- refinishing the porch tiles (mine are terra cotta, sometimes called, "Mexican pavers"). I had to make myself stop today so I could shop for Christmas. Every stage of this project has taken five or six times as long as I expected. First, you vacuum, sweep, and clean the tiles with a mild detergent. Not so bad, two or three hours. Then, for days, you use paint stripper to loosen old sealer, scrape and scrub the sealer off, and wipe any excess off with mineral spirits or paint thinner (more on that, later). Then, scrubbing with muriatic acid to "etch" the tiles, to make them more porous for stain. That took only a couple of hours, but the porch needed a day to dry before the next step, finally, applying the concrete stain (Behr Semi-Transparent Concrete Stain, Tuscan Gold color). And then it took five hours yesterday just to apply one coat of stain. But the tiles need two coats of stain, then two coats of sealer (Behr Wet-Look Sealer).

If I kept going, I'd be working on the porch all through Christmas. On the other hand, you need to finish a project like this as quickly as possible: It's very disruptive to have the front door and porch either unavailable or covered in sheets. And, you have to keep the surface clean for each coat of stain and sealer. The longer you wait, the more dirt and mud gets tracked in. I decided that I would stain, then seal, just the section that goes from the sidewalk to the front door, and leave the rest of the porch for later. So today I put a second coat on the tiles that lead to the front door. That took only an hour, and tomorrow and the next day (Christmas Eve), I'll put the two coats of sealer on that section of porch. It will be easier to keep the rest of the porch clean, so I can take a little more time to finish.

I did encounter one problem. The paint stripper said to use mineral spirits to clean excess stripper off the tiles. I had at least a half can of mineral spirits in my garage, so I started with that. Also, because the tiles are not flat, I could not scrape all the old sealer off; I needed to use the mineral spirits and a scrub pad to get more of the sealer off. Still, not everything came off, the tiles had a mottled look, but I didn't mind, I thought it gave character to the tiles. The problem was when I ran out of mineral spirits, went to Home Depot to buy more, and was told California no longer allows the sale of mineral spirits, and the only substitute is paint thinner.

As it turns out, though, paint thinner is much better at removing old sealer. So there's a difference between the tiles that were scrubbed using mineral spirits and those that were scrubbed with paint thinner:

Can you tell which tiles were scrubbed with paint thinner?

The stain does help smooth the difference, but it's still there, taunting me. I'll add before and after pictures after I finish the whole porch.

Update, December 24, 2017: Yes, it's Christmas Eve and I'm still obsessing over the porch. I had planned to put two coats of sealer on yesterday and today, but I just didn't like the stain color. It came out too orange-y. So I bought another color stain (Behr Semi-Transparent Concrete Stain, Sunbaked Clay color), which I dabbed on over the "gold" stain with a wash cloth. (I practiced first on some extra tiles I have.) I was even singing to myself -- in my head, because it would sound really stupid out loud -- "Dip a little, dab a little, dip a little, dab a little, Dip, dip, dip, dab a lot, dab a little more."

Here's some before and after pictures:

Before

After

The pictures were taken from different sides (one looking toward the door, the other looking out the door), and the colors are a bit off -- the before was actually even more orange-y, and the after is actually not quite as dark as the picture shows). But I really, really like the new color. And, crossed fingers, I think it's going to help smooth out the difference between the mineral-spirit and paint-thinner tiles.

I still have to do a second coat of Tuscan Gold/Orange on the rest of the porch, before I dab the Sunbaked Clay on, because it has to match the small section I've been working on (path from door to walkway), which already had two coats of Gold before I got the idea to add another color. However, when I get to the back patios, I can do just one coat of the Gold, and one of the Clay.

Finished project pictures still to come.

Update January 1, 2018: Finished the porch surface (sides still to go).

Before (washed, but not stripped)

After

The top stain layer (sand dabbing) did a really nice job of  smoothing out the differences in the tile colors.

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Before the porch project, in November, I took the back patio apart and re-set the bricks. It's kind of bare back there, now, but I want to start planting and fixing, and the patio needed re-setting first. This patio is behind a detached garage. The area is about 20' x 20'. You can't see this space from the house, so it's always been a little neglected. For a while, I used it for a vegetable garden, then thought it might make a nice patio.

Before

After

The difference is not dramatic, except at the front, which doesn't show in the before picture. The bricks are a little straighter, the sand underneath had shifted, so the patio floor was not level. It's still not perfectly level, but it's a lot better than it was. And with rugs on top, it looks even straighter. In Lowe's or Home Depot, I saw rubber patio base panels you can place down first, for under the bricks or tiles, to make the patio even straighter, but I was worried that might impede drainage. Right now, there's plenty of space between the bricks for rain to soak in.

Ta Da!

After three days, I finally finished painting one wall. (In fairness, that required removing all books, videos, vinyls, and etc. from the bookcase, then unassembling and moving the extremely heavy and large bookcase, then painting the wall, then moving back and reassembling the extremely heavy and large bookcase, then replacing all books, vides, vinyls, and etc. on the bookcase.)

Now I can take a picture of the bookcase. . . .

Before

After

                 












The wall is not green, BTW, that's just what digital pictures do. But at least you can see the bookcase. Before, the bookcase just kind of blended into the wall. (Living room painted same color as MBR, Behr Abalone Shell .)

Excavating The Garage

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been able to do anything with my Five Year Plan. Life got in the way.

I finally got back to the garage yesterday. I went through two large boxes of documents. One box was almost completely toss-and-shredable. Mostly old research on special education or other disability issues from the 90s. The other box was genealogy research I did back around 2000-2002. That box had some valuable papers -- copies of old birth and death certificates, wills, etc. But I did toss a lot of copies of genealogy website dox on random people, some I couldn't even identify. As if I were following a lead that led to a possibly related person that led to another lead. Today, 15 years later, I doubt I could even figure out my train of thought on those leads if I tried. So, I managed to lighten the genealogy load by more than half.

I tossed old "hornbooks" from law school, too. I had kept those way too long -- they were a significant investment and resource when I bought them, but they are of no use today. If I ever were to have a question about antitrust or evidence, I'd have no business consulting a 40-year old law book.

That left me with enough shelf space to get some boxes off the garage floor. Moving around space! Tomorrow I will start painting just one wall of the living room. I don't want to paint the entire living room until next summer, but one wall is a wine color, accent wall. Against that wall is a large bookshelf/hutch I want to sell. I can't even take a picture of it right now, because the color of the bookcase just fades into the color of the wall! So I have to paint the one wall.

Tossing the books got me to thinking about books I have that I want to take back to the east coast. I think the U.S. Post Office's Media Mail may be the least expensive way to ship books across country. You can ship up to 70 lbs for under $36. However, I saw some on-line reviews warning against shipping too much in one box: the heavier the box, the more risk of damage to the books. They also suggested labeling the boxes, Fragile. What I should do now is start sorting my books into those to sell at a garage sale and those I want to keep. Of the keepers, if I don't foresee using them over the next couple of years, I could start boxing them for shipment ahead of time.

Reading through all those old files -- IDEA and 504 complaints on behalf of my son, pro bono cases, old law school books, the genealogy research -- It's like I'm an archeologist, digging through my life. "As a culture, Humanis Deffensis was unique in its unusual attention to the rights of the disabled, coupled with an  obsessive and, quite frankly, incomprehensible interest in familial origins, and a passing interest in laws."

Staging A Home

So I did a little research on staging a home. It doesn't have to be super expensive, even if you use professional services. Here are some tips for staging a home I found from various websites. If I see or hear any other good ideas, I'll add them to the list.

Back To The Back 40 (Inches)

Finally, it's cool enough to do some outside work, starting with the Back 40 (Inches). I did a lot of new planting this past spring, now I'm checking what survived the summer, weeding, and pulling some of the ground cover away from other plants and bushes.

Because the plants were new and needed space to grow -- especially the ground covers -- I couldn't use mulch. So, over the summer, the ground cover (campanula) got a bit outta control, surrounding some azaleas and ferns. I spent much of the past couple of days removing fencing*, trimming the campanula back, and adding mulch around the azaleas and ferns. There's still a lot of that to go.

Today I spent nearly two hours pulling centipede grass stems out of a small gazania patch (not shown). My dogs like to munch on centipede grass, so, once I removed the fencing, I had to get rid of the grass to keep them from walking all over the gazanias.

* Temporary fencing was all around the new plants in the Back 40 (Inches), including the gazanias (front), to keep dogs out until the plants could take root.