hasta luego Seattle!

finally, kitchen is pretty sorted.
after much debate and waiting
all helpers have shared their opinions
and the arrange is nailed
good thing I kept the big garage rubbish pile where it's at
the kitchen/dining room wall is coming down
and the bathroom is gutted as well
that's ready for new plumbing
that's what's been going on with the house

I've also been interviewing
the corporate coffee monster passed on me
slotting me for a different role hmmm?
could I could walk in that door every day...




















and tonight I'm headed to a grande wedding
matt and dawn from way back, minneapolis days
whom crashed at my place while I was traveling for work
and drank all my wine, like a song, I'm glad they did
some 10 years ago as scary as that sounds
this weekend they're getting married, it's fairytale
with all the glamour and excitement that comes with it
what a party this shall be!

a sprinkling of friends in Minneapolis
more dinners and breakfasts
then sister and parents and nephew!
can't wait, should be fun on the 4th
canoeing possibly another day
we've waited a long time to see each other again

a whole week from now later, back to Seattle
where the summer is cool
and the rain more frequent than other years
and more house work
and more interviews

it'll be a good break
because for now, hasta luego Seattle!

Remodeling the Kitchen

What's remaining after removing cupboards
and all the old vinyl backsplash.
















After I removed the vinyl tile
All this paper is remaining




















Looks like living in fun doesn't it?
















But here's my Mt Rainier view
from the Master Suite upstairs
aka unfinished attic ;)

owning a house, for mathew

honestly, i think i'd be cool renting
but the cash you can make from owning lured me again
so i bought a house, swinging at the first pitch
i had the market researched, it was a good deal
i knew the neighborhoods, it was one i liked

now that i'm here, reality comes with it
payments and upkeep
somehow doesn't jive with paddling and traveling
for seconds a day i still want out
but i did this to myself cause i needed to see

the house has plenty of rooms
a nice kitchen layout
two nice sitting rooms
and a great backyard that will fruit greatness
overall the property gets great light as well

but with 1907 comes creaks and sways
a water system that yearns to be new
a roof that would like a new hat
siding that's harmful to the lungs
and grounds that could take years to shape

all achievable, but where does one start?
where do you put finite money?
what projects are fun and which are just no good for me?

insurance says fix too many things,
i say goodbye to you.
the city says the double lot can't be split,
i call bullsh*t to your "push for density"
the war driven economy will turn,
the papers warn of worse areas for housing decreases
it puts minimal anxiety in my internal jet stream
cause i say those things are unknown
the only known is now

so i find a plumber from AA needing work
a carpenter that wants to take time to teach
hours of my own painting and cleaning
and creating something from my inside

a place to live, really to only make money
cause i'd be cool with a self composting toilet
and clean air blowing through trees
but i know this now
i'm not hesitant of it anymore
thanks to this house

time to reset

macheteing trees, limbs, blackberries, boa constrictor vines
taking down garages, stacking naily lumber
scraping old windows and sills
painting rooms, trimming corners
calling plumbers, thinking of bathroom remodels
dreaming toward kitchen rebuild, thinking sinks
not feeding feral cats, trapping rats with organic peanut butter
making tea concoctions
advertising for roommates, screening emails
interviewing for jobs, info meetings with companies
coffee with contacts, talking to recruiters

no time for unpacking shower curtain
no time for dating
no time for yoga
no time for resting

time to boat surf, see whales, feel the swell
time to go to the ocean to reset the body rhythm clock

out with the old

a big project takes small steps
and deciding how that list is prioritized is wild
I've been making that decision based on feeling, and emotion
up until now it's been all about "out with the old"
now I focus on "in with the new"

I've spent most hours this weekd doing some outside pruning
the machette has become my most useful and fav friend
2 days of wacking, a sore hand and forearm
I can now see what I bought.

and the garage had to go
it was old, had good wood in it
I suspected was a home for many unwanted animals
and was a fruit garden eyesore
so I went to Home Depot and threw some Spanish around
a Cuban and Mexican came back with me
we tore, the worked hard, resulting in a deconstructed garage
and a big pile in my driveway.
I talked Spanish all day.
they said I was an "OK gringo"
if I could only translate how much of a compliment that was

the feeling of clean and gone isn't there fully yet
I have one big dump run left and then all will be well
now though, focusing on inside again
with the next decision on "how deep to dig".

being tested

i'm being tested so much lately -

where to spend finite dollars on an infintie project?
should i rent a van to take sh*t to the dump, or a container?
should I be spending when I still don't have a job?
i have a ticket to El Salvador still, when should I reschedule for?
do i want another 3rd round interview to not get the job?

it's all pretty trivial once i put it in writing.
here are some pictures of this house project.

commitment to somewhere

it's so funny how time just shifts
when you are making time for something
or shifting priorities, it all just works out
time naturally frees itself for the new focus

like now

last year on a sunday morning i'd get up, make tea
inevitably mess on the internet a bit, maybe overthink something
i had more free time, i absorbed it in things
and still the day and morning disappeared,
different accomplishments

and now, i still need the tea, and the internet time
but that allocation is much shorter, i'm not as interested in it
because i'm fixing a house, a much bigger project than i anticipated
next time i look at a house to buy
i'm going to peak behind things, and
look for holes in the floor under things
i grossly underestimated the work

but progress is still happening
the house is naked - no art, minimal furniture, no finished walls
it echoes, you hear remnants of critters in the attic
i saw a raccoon curiously close coming home late last night
i put food out every few days for feral cats that guard the property
i like the cats, they come and go as they please, as i do
i do not know their names, i'm only starting to recognize them
but they come with the purchase, i happily accept

thankfully the coffee at columbia city bakery is quality
happily i'm in a seattle wifi free zone, compliments of the city
the people i'm seeing as regulars are very eclectic
i associate eclectic to interesting,
those secure enough to be themselves
the people who are clearly hear for the coffee are cool as well,
they make this neighborhood turn over
it's a change and shift living south of the city
when my relationships and local hangouts have always been north

but i am here, and though it's not always most welcoming
i am somewhere
and that's what is most pleasing
i am somewhere
not just anywhere like i've been for so long
looking, listening, smelling, feeling other people's somewhere

it's time to take all those perspectives and create something unique
ideally it'll be transparent, attract the right people to live with

so now cracks in my fingers and paint on my hands
i'm as close to that elusive "c" word as i've ever been
which is plenty close for now, why hurry?