a really tough day

Today I spent the morning mixing and testing wood putty for the trim I am staining. Fixing the nail holes is a more challenging when the trim is stained and not painted. I tried two puttys, and then I tried various mixes of the two and I think I'm satisfied with a mix I created. I should be ready next week to start the trim.

I got very excited that we were going to have a bathroom sink this weekend. The contractor and I were installing the faucet and handles when I discovered that parts of the drain are missing. I don't know how they got lost - it could have been so many different ways. I purchased a cheap set of fixtures to use while we waited for the good stuff to come in, and I suspect I may have returned some pieces I shouldn't have when I returned it (it was defective). It was a bit a bummer, but I think the factory will ship me replacements. I am slowly learning not to get excited about anything until it is DONE.

I was very tired at night, and ended up falling asleep on the couch in front of the tv. I woke up hearing what sounded like the scratching of little feet in the wall! YUCK!! EW!! GROSS!! When I got up to listen more closely, I saw this on the floor behind the TV:

http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/inverts/sten-fus.html

How completely nasty! It looks like a huge ant. It was over 2" long! So I was thinking great, I have critters in the wall and this nasty bug in the house. We've been really lucky so far - as gross as the place was when we took it over there have been no critters till now. It was behind the tv too, so I had about 6" of space to work in. I managed to trap it in a small tupperware, which I then threw into a large tub with a lid. This went into the backyard until C got home. We walked it block away from the house and let it go.

We later learned from a friend we saw on Saturday what this creature was and that it can make the noise I heard. I was happy to know there wasn't something else in the wall. But this was not fun. These bugs are really gross and huge!

The countertop and sink are parked temporarily on the vanity while we wait for the other pieces to come in.


One of the current fixtures in our house is the ever present white construction dust. It is everywhere. When you put your pants on and the leg brushes the ground, it comes up with white streaks. The contractor did some mopping with water, and I couldn't believe what a difference it made.