Today the weather turned cold again, and we decided to just hang out. Lori made some chicken soup and we all shared the paper and watched hockey. The Avs lost, but so did the Red Wings so it wasn't all bad (we watched almost 2 full games!)
Chapman was in the hospital a couple weeks ago with some possible kidney problems. His BUN was elevated (blood urea, a measure of kidney clearing ability) and he had to get flushed out. We decided that's his last in hospital stay, come what may. He looks much better now and his appetite has returned. A little bit (little) of sirloin and juice with his usual dry food seems to do the trick. I almost want some. He takes 3-4 pills now, and he got smart about finding it in wet dog food. However, Velveeta works wonders. I think it smells enough to cover any odors and it's soft to allow it to form well over the pill.
The tile guys started work downstairs. They are doing the showers in the lower level baths. Last weekend we went out and did most of the selctions. If you look in front of the fireplace in the picture on top, you'll see how Lori has layed out the tiles that go together. She sets them out to make sure she can look and verify she liked her choice. We also picked the tile for most of th eupper level. We were unsure about the nook/mudroom, but finally decided on a sandstone (quarzite) type slate. Good multicolors that will complement the fireplace stone and hide dirt. That's a good thing. I hauled some tile over to the house today. They were short on some of the items, and since we were at the store I just picked then up.
The floor wood gets delivered on Tuesday. Click on the link for some pictures. We chose the eastern white pine because it has wide planks, 6-12 inches, with up to 16 ft planks. Carlisle advertizes their floors as compatible with radiant heat. They have to let it sit for a week and then I expect they'll start installation. We also went and got a new bid for interior doors and trim. The guy we had just wasn't helpful or organized. We went with another supplier and it ends up Lori saved us about $8k with the switch. The new guys have alot of the doors as standard, without any need for special orders or construction.
The top door is the style for most of the interior doors, although we have quite a few with glass. All the wood is alder.
The heat system is working nicely. Thermostats were installed. The house has 8 different heating zones, and the house is holding the heat nicely.
We met with the trim/finish guy a couple of times recently. The great room ceiling will have wood covers, which will be delivered this week too. We discussed all the trim, the doors, closet design, and built-ins, particularly next to the great room fireplace. We had some trouble with a mantle design, but the builder dropped over a sample of a pine (lodgepole) beem which will come in a 16 foot length to fit across. It should look pretty cool when finished.
This piece is about 2.5 feet long and 10x10 inches. Finish day? Months away, I'd say.
