Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Question

We FINALLY had our sink drain fixed - you know, the one that Larry was trying to fix himself right before we had to go to a cocktail party, oh, 5 months ago?  That one.  We also had the tub drain in the main bathroom unclogged.

Picture it - for the last few months, we have all been showering in the master bathroom and then going into the main bathroom to do things like shave or brush our teeth. Why? Because I refused to call the plumber until I could make the master bedroom look presentable.  And that never happened because Larry insists on tearing apart different sections of our home, an activity that results in tons of misplaced items that all seem to wind up in my bedroom.

Case in point: I just pulled several pieces of 6-foot-long quarter-round out from behind my bed. If you don't know what quarter-round is, consider yourself blessed.  I didn't know either, until I had the misfortune to set up housekeeping with a DIY-er.

What finally broke our plumbing impasse was my realization, while cleaning the master bathroom shower last week, that the tiles in the shower wall moved when I scrubbed them.  I called the plumber to unclog the main tub so we could shower in the other bathroom, instead; and while he was here, I swallowed my pride and allowed him access through my cluttered bedroom to unclog my sink as well.

We need one of these.
Of course, we're not actually fixing the master bathroom tile.  That would involve a bathroom remodel (it's all original and falling apart), but we can't do that until I let Larry rip out the front wall of our bedroom and master closet to put insulation in there. Because it's all connected to the bathroom.  Also, I need to go rob a bank somewhere.

Look, I can't help it if you are getting confused.  It's the Domino Theory of Home Renovation - one thing always leads to another.  And everything costs way too much money.

I comfort myself with the fact that my laundry room is on Day 3 of remaining all cleaned out.  Of course, it helped that the HVAC guys were down there for the past 2 days working.  I'm thinking of putting a lock on the door now and not giving Larry the key.  That way, he can't sneak anything back in there.

Anyway, I have a question completely unrelated to all of this.  Can any of you recommend good women's hiking boots? They don't have to be too heavy duty (or expensive - see above, re lack of cash), just suitable for hiking in rocky areas.  And they need a wide toebox, or I can't walk right.  Suggestions?

11 comments:

  1. I can't walk much at all right now, so I'm no help at all... but at least I can follow the sad tale of home remodels that begat more home remodels. It's more common than you'd think!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sadly, I can't recommend hiking boots. Nor do I know what quarter-round is. I am just completely useless!

    However, I can say that we ourselves are in the middle of a bathroom remodeling, which we have hired people to do for us. Yes, it required assembling bathtubs full of cash. It was only because we got tired of continually patching the leaks into the dining room ceiling that we finally succumbed to redoing the bathroom.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My nephew owns an outdoor/outfitters store in North Carolina....I will ask him about hiking boots and see if he has any good ideas for you. (Fair warning - his recommendations are usually expensive!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, he is on a cruise....so, I will ask his tan self later!

      Delete
  4. AnonymousMay 20, 2015

    Try New Balance... almost a sneaker but with the support of a boot.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMay 20, 2015

    I agree with Anonymous, New Balance is pretty good on price (not cheap, but good value), durability, and comfort . . . and nice looking enough to wear when you're not hiking.

    ReplyDelete
  6. No clue on hiking boots/shoes. my 2 pairs of shoes (1 pair sneakers, one pair expensive SAS walking shoes), both have holes in them. I have wide, size 11 feet, so usually end up at Wilkins shies in Winchester. They usually have my size in various colors and brands, rather than the 1 pair at shoe show that might fit me. My nice SAS shoes I forgot I had the new pair on when I was crawling under my old laundry room to run new wiring for the remodeled room. I caught the side of the shoe on a nail. :P

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'll second the rec for New Balance- I'm usually pretty brand-insensitive, but I do a lot of walking and a few years back switched to them for sneakers, and I think my dayhikers are also NB. Dayhikers are the way to go IMO- more protection than sneakers, and not as heavy as taller boots.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousMay 24, 2015

    New Balance. Thumbs up. Or Merrill. They tend to skew wider, too.
    I'm cringing as I read this because we're about to fund a serious series of home renovation projects for my MIL. It is a money pit and she refuses to move, but it's simply NOT SAFE as is.

    ReplyDelete
  9. We have a whole list of those domino projects. We really need to paint the outside of our house but first we need to do that "other stuff".

    ReplyDelete
  10. If you are concerned about rocky trails look for a boot that says something like "Internal thermoplastic polyurethane shanks for torsional rigidity" and buy boots, not sneakers. And If you think the boots are too wide, buy thicker socks.

    ReplyDelete