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| Downstairs Mini-Split |
As Toirdhealbheach Beucail commented the other day:
One thing I do wonder is that you do not feel the need to take breaks more often, considering the heavy sorts of material you are dealing with.
Well yes, things have been heavy in the storyline lately, especially as the lads in Russia move into winter. That plus Friday being an extremely busy day, eye surgeon in the AM - follow up appointment, eyes are doing well, contractors doing stuff in the AM, and a visit to the bank to deposit a check for 15 grand, I didn't find much time to write. So you get chit-chat and ruminations ...
Anyhoo, this past week it was cold enough to check out the mini-split and it worked very well. I talked to the guy who owns the business and he said that due to the nature of the beast, at temperatures 32 and under, it doesn't work as well. Which it's a good thing we still have oil heat. Having this thing will save us burning a lot of oil this winter, so that's good.
The downstairs unit for our open floor plan is 18,000 BTU (give or take), set at 68 and the whole downstairs was pretty comfortable with the outside temp in the high 40s, low 50s.
Upstairs we have two 9,000 BTU units, one at either end of the house. Those were also exercised and they worked really well. In the master bedroom I was able to sleep with a light blanket with the temp set to 66. I'm liking this thing, a lot.
The downstairs bathroom renovation proceeds apace we're nearing the finish line. Floors and shower tiles went in over the past two days, the vanity went in today. And that floor tile? Italian marble, which is why it cost more than The Missus Herself would like and it took longer than she'd like for it to get here.
But damn, it looks good. (To me at any rate, YMMV.)
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| Love that floor! |
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| The new shower, not done yet, but getting there. |
I was hesitant at first about the subway tiles in the new walk-in shower, but with the dark grout, I think it looks pretty good. Can't wait to try it out.
Long day, got lots done, good thing I didn't have to show up at the paying gig!
Back tomorrow with I-don't-know-what, but I'll think of something. (I'm still trying to avoid writing about war on the weekends.)
Ciao!
¹ Out and about (Canadian) OK, not really, but yes, I have Canadian friends who talk that way. Folks from the UP of Michigan kinda sound like that too. But what do I know, I'm from New England and I eat "chowda."
Regards: Toirdhealbheach Beucail's comment on "heavy sorts of material you are dealing with".
ReplyDeleteMightily agree with his observation and coming from multi-directions to arrive at the same destination.
No clue as to the difference between a muse and a mouse, but more than a few times it's occurred to me that your writing is a full time job. Then there's that pesky job thingy! Meanwhile, the homefront calls for another log on the fire! In addition to being nimble & quick, Ol Sarge is indeed a versatile feller.
But to the writing. As with a "method" actor, some level of immersion is key to writing. And you certainly get wet telling all the "Lad's" story!
Take a break; "smoke 'em if you got 'em"!
With meter still running; occasional mention has been made of the soldiers somewhat awed if not overwhelmed by distances traveled relative to their homes. I recall reading in the '70's German writers (Kirst & Hassel) fictional accounts of German soldiers heading "Ost". One thought that's stayed with me is how some German soldiers, unaccustomed to "wide-open spaces" acquired a sense of melancholy as they came to view themselves as sailors on an endless sea with no port in sight. Over hill-over dale there was always just another hill & dale.
I've read of German soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars in the Spanish Peninsula being subject to fits of melancholy. The Germans served with Wellington in the King's German Legion.
DeleteThat being said, Germany is a compact land and doesn't really have those "never-ending" vistas like you see in Russia and the Great Plains of the United States. Spain is also quite different from Germany.
I had a friend in Colorado who's wife was German, Colorado is very brown for much of the year, she longed for the seemingly never-ending green of Germany. Having lived there, it is green for a large part of the year, don't recall ever seeing the grass go brown.
So yes, it was definitely a thing for the Germans heading Ost. (You've read Hassel? That's where I borrowed the name for von Lüttwitz's battalion commander, though his first name isn't Sven.)
Nice to read that the mini-splits have worked out so well, good luck on fuel oil prices this winter season Sarge. That marble floor is eye catching!
ReplyDeleteI love that floor!
DeleteBe very careful if that floor has any moisture on it at all, Sarge! Slick as....well, really slippery. A colleague slipped coming out of the shower in Italy and was unconscious for four hours.
DeleteYMMV, and I hope you enjoy it.
Boat Guy
Roger that.
DeleteSarge,
ReplyDeleteThanks for a subject for Monday's blog. Had a semi-expensive lesson on the operation of a mini-split presented to me by the AC guy. I, as a service to you and our readers, will explain that in the post. But since I had nothing else in my brain pan subject wise, y'all (defining Sarge's readership) will have to wait until then. Please don't hold your breath. It's not earth shattering, just something I didn't know.
As to the remodeling project, looks great now and will, undoubtedly, look even better when completed.
Ruh-roh! Semi-expensive does not sound all that good. Looking forward to reading about it.
DeleteIn all fairness, that Toirdhealbheach Beucail is a bit of a dodgy fellow. Best to take his comments with a grain of salt and all...
ReplyDeleteSo glad the mini-split is working out well. I have never lived anywhere heated by fuel oil, so I am super interested to hear how it goes (one hopes that you come out on top, financially - frankly given the current price of fuel, I cannot see how you can come out anything ahead financially this Winter). At New Home we are on gas heat (so a call for Winterization here soon is in order); at The Ranch there is primarily wood heat with a propane furnace which my father originally almost never used but as he got older, used more and more. The wood stove heats the living room, office, and dining room quite nicely, but the bedrooms are all down the hall and do not benefit from the same generous heat.
The tile looks marvelous! I definitely not show this picture to The Ravishing Mrs. TB, lest she get ideas...
Oil heat works well when the powers that be stay the Hell out of the energy business. The price of electricity is climbing as well, so this winter should prove interesting, to say the least.
DeleteVery nicely done. I like the wet room, and those subway tiles are really nice. hmmmm....... I hope the mini works out well for you.
ReplyDeleteI too hope this mini-split thing works out!
DeleteI like that tile. Makes me want to get to refurbing our own bathrooms. I put in for a higher paying gig so we'll see.
ReplyDeleteWas very happy with the first bathroom we did, this one is shaping up to be awesome as well.
DeleteHigher paying gig? Good on you mate!
Good planning all around, Sarge. Easing back on highest cost energy sources, conserving usage by zones instead of whole house as one system should reduce costs some over what the current jump would otherwise impose on you. Of course, that snazzy Eyetalian marble will eat up any energy saviges, but still look good a hundred years from now. Lucky you found that $15K check from a lucky lottery ticket or something to pay for all the improvements and investments.
ReplyDeleteYou've earned the time off from being a world class fiction writer, so don't apologize when you use it. Just surprise us with more.
John Blackshoe
I shall endeavor to keep the fiction coming. It's something I enjoy, but every now and then, I need the break.
DeleteItalian marble? Molto carina!
ReplyDeleteIt's very nice.
DeleteYour new bathroom rinds me of the suite we stayed in on the Queen Mary. The shower is extremley close, as is the floor. All our cabinets were dark wood, though.
ReplyDeleteLooks very nice, Sarge.
Thanks, my wife gets all the credit. She knows what works.
Delete1+ on Boat Guy with slick marble floors. Also talk about having grab bars put up in your shower before the construction dudes beat feet out the door. Cause a fall in the shower is just a drag. Especially since it is on the first floor....30 years from now when you and the Mrs are elderly, you will be glad you fitted out the bathroom appropriately for fall prevention. Or for when someone needs to have a knee or hip replaced. Grab bars are good to have, especially when they are installed into the studs so they support you, instead of pulling out when you most need them. Stairs can be a major hassle once you have had to have some kinds of surgery, so a full bath on the first floor is truly being smart and looking ahead.
ReplyDeleteSuz
Sound wisdom!
Delete