Don’t even try to escape now, Ellie B.
Another advantage to the freed weekday hours that showed up this week was when something inside told me I simply had to tackle a couple of house projects that I thought I’d get done with just one movement: hand into cash pocket.
Instead, I pulled the screen all the way out of the porch door, grabbed the rubber stripping, and started over again. Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle, you see, had somehow tried to wormhole her way out the bottom section while we were fighting the gopher visitation blues, despite the black plastic squares I’d screwed in to block passage.
I already had the wheelie tool to press the rubber strip back into the track from previous work on the side door screen door — yup, the dog went through the bottom half — so it was just a matter of taking down the plastic squares, which were not made for that purpose and didn’t quite fit, anyway, lining everything perfectly, sticking my tongue out of the side of my mouth for added concentration, and applying the pressure.
Nice.
Then, keeping Ellie B inside, I drove to the pet big box looking for something made specifically for keeping dogs of her size from smashing through screens. Nothing. We had one such metal blocker on a guide already on the outside of the door, so I know there is such a thing. I inherited from Karen’s last place and our previous beloved rescue mutt, Lissa, so I do not know from where it came.
So on to the people’s big box, and a wandering of the aisles. I spotted an aluminum sheet with holes in it that was just a tad larger than the bottom screen that was about twenty bucks.
I bent back one side the required inch, screwed it on, went back that night with Karen to buy gray duct tape because the bent edge had some jaggedness to it that I didn’t want snagging and slicing humans or animals, and now it’s complete. Not bad, if I say so myself.
Please stick, fix.
The next day I pulled out the extension ladder from the side of the shed, hauled it out front, and replaced the triangle of siding that fell with a big wind.
The bottom portion nailed in pretty solidy.
The top portion, which fell separately, snapped into place with no place to nail. So I double-sided some of that duct tape for the back of it, and here’s hoping that it holds through the winter.
There’s still some rotten wood atop that porch screen door that I may pay somebody else to replace. Or maybe …
Ellie B and where she went out the door previously.
Do you fix it yourself or pay somebody? What’s the biggest project around the house that you’ve handled yourself, and did it end up the way you wanted? What do you want to tackle around your place next, and how long do you think it will take?
Mark Bialczak 
Sounds like somebody’s been busy!
My DIY skills stretch as far as ….erm… Does putting curtains up count? Hehe,
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Putting curtains up counts because, well, back in the day I used to put up bed sheets. Much less inexpensive, Amanda! Luckily my dear wife Karen puts up the curtains now, and I put up the mini-blinds. 🙂
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Haha. If I’m ever low on cash, I’ll bear this in mind.
I must say, I am yet to meet a man who can put up a pair of curtains. My father-in-law came over when we had just moved in. He asked if he could help with any jobs, to which I replied “Yeah, you can put up the curtains if you like” – I wish I hadn’t asked. Two hours later, he comes down and asks me for some twine. TWINE? TWINE? What was he going to do with this TWINE? …needless to say, the curtains look truly terrible and I had to take them down and do the job myself the following day! Bless him. My husband isn’t much better… His DIY skills stretch to IKEA flat packs.
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I love twine! I use to to tie together lots of stuff, Amanda. Never on curtains, though. Hey, the way I look at it, at least your father-in-law was present and trying to help. 🙂
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Hehe! You’re right though…he spent about 3 hours on those curtains – that’s a job well done! 🙂
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Awwww. How can I protect you from squirrels now? (new caption for last picture)
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Yes, Ellie B is the protective sort, Cat. When she’s not getting pierced by gophers or sprayed by skunks, that is!
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Instead of duct tape, there is a double-sided tape that they sell in auto parts stores that’s meant to hold on those over-the-window tinted visor thingies. It’s super sticky and meant to hold up in the wind and weather (obviously because it goes on the outside of the car). If your siding fix doesn’t work, you might consider that next time. 🙂 Yes, I ALWAYS do the DIY approach. Except in major car repairs. I have a cheap landlord who would prefer to never fix anything, and I don’t want to put a lot of money into someone else’s house. My biggest projects were replacing a garbage disposal, changing out all the air conditioning duct work, installing ceiling fans and light fixtures, and re-tiling a bathroom wall that was rotten when we moved in. Good job on your repairs! Is Karen home from her cruise yet?
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You are fantastic in the repair heirachy, Rachel. I bow to you! If the siding falls yet again, to the auto parts store for the double-sided super-sticky I shall venture. Thanks for the tip. Wow, re-tiling. That’s a great one, my friend. Karen comes home Thursday. Yay yay double-sided super-sticky yay.
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YAY!!!! I hope she had fun. Perhaps you can talk her into doing a guest post on your blog to tell us about her trip. 🙂 Yeah, the retiling was NOT fun and I hope I never have to do it again. LOL! But as for the other stuff, I usually like learning how to do new things like that because they can come in handy someday. 🙂
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I feel like our house is a work in progress for the next 30 years! Some things we do ourselves like painting yard work and electrical, but plumbing and appliances we go with the professionals! We like to save money but know our limitations!
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So funny, Mark! I bet Ellie B. helped by getting really close with her cold nose nudging you along. I am so sorry that you had to do this, since it is always a pain to have to rig up things and fix them. You did a mighty fine job, Mark! I bet Beth is right, this is your ‘niche’ where you can have a show about your creative ways you fix things, garden and oh, I remember the big bricks and rocks you had to put behind the shed in such a cool and neat pattern… There are plenty of lessons in your blogs… I call my landlord and sometimes he fixes things, sometimes he is not so speedy or such a careful person, results are ‘free’ though!
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That would be a good show, Beth and you are onto something, a normal guy figures out how to do little things as he goes along. Sign me up, pay me the medium bucks. 🙂 Your landlord should show up on time, that’s his job, for goodness sake. Don’t get me mad, Robin’s landlord! Do your job!
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Nerver
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I don’t know JACK about home improvement. I spent most of my years in apartments. If something went wrong, you called the super and it was fixed by the time you got home from work. Hopefully. If you come to my house and open my toolbox, the only thing you’ll see inside is a checkbook.
When I got laid off I painted the interior of my house. It kept me busy just long enough.
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Oh, how I wanted to be like you, Mark, but home ownership and the I-can-do-it gene and time freed all conspired to change me. And, oh, yeah, back in the day I had a father who thought it was his job to make me feel guilty if I didn’t know how to do something he told me I should know how to do. I bet you felt good painting the inside of your house back then, didn’t you?
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A hammer, duct tape, a screw driver and YouTube tutorial. They rarely fail me. We southerners pride ourselves on resourcefulness. So many around here don’t have extra money for projects, so unless it’s electrical, you learn how to do it.
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A “honey-do” list while Mrs. B is gone! Mr. B loves those, especially while I am in Puerto Rico eating plantains and basking in the sun for a week or a month. 🙂 He actually likes to get things done when he is home alone.
Just be careful with getting on ladders without anyone there to spot you!
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You go back to Puerto Rico to bask in the sun while Mr. B stays in Mass. to work and fix stuff. Why that’s quite the deal for you, Mrs. B, ven without throwing in the plantains. Thanks for the good ladder advice, too, by the way. 🙂
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most excellent that you have time to tackle home projects. Quality work, Mark! We neither fix things ourselves nor pay someone to do it. (except for the lovely couple we have over every other week to clean–my big extravagance) Stuff just falls apart here. Too busy taking care of the kiddos and also working. Larry has the fixer-upper skills (I do not), but there’s never any time.
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I totally understand the lack of time, Liz. The kids and the work take it all up. Good for Larry to have the skills, though, for there will come a time when there may be some time!
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If duct tape will do the job, I can do it. When a hammer is needed I always hit the nail on the hand. Yeah, that’s not a typo, I’ve hit my thumb nail so many times I’m surprised it is still attached. Looks like you’re doing a good job there Mark. Karen’s going to love her homecoming, with all the things you are fixing up there.
I guess I”m lucky when I need a handy man–I call my youngest son. He started working on half million dollar farm equipment when he was 4 years old, and now at 46 he can fix anything that runs or is around the house. And my older son not only drew the blueprints for his home, he also built it, installed the wiring, plumbing and everything else, except for the cabinets, which he had some Amish cabinet makers across the road make for him. Raising kids on a farm teaches them a lot more than agriculture I guess. And it gives me a couple of good handy men when I need them too.
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The farm kids put you in good stead, Angie. Way to go.
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Hahaha, you said, “grab the tools.” Just sayin’.
I am not a self fixer as that rarely ends well, but I’ll give some things the ole college try if it involves drinking at the same time.
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Maybe the drinking at the same time and the not ending well have something to do with each other? Nah! Leave it to you to get an extra special laugh out of my title. Way to go!
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I can’t fix a thing, but my husband can fix nearly everything. It’s quite a bonus. The drought here dry-rotted my car’s rear speakers (and I park in the garage!), so he’s fixing that as I type (bashing the remainder in, then cleaning it out). He fixes the computers, the sinks, the TV, the fence, and I pretty much take it for granted at this point. Good to know you get to keep your man card by getting the job done yourself! That gopher sure wreaked a lot of havoc.
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I with I could keep up with your hubby with all of that stuff. Maybe someday if I keep up the effort. Hey, Mr. Kerbey, my laptop won’t connect to my WiFi, and I think it’s the cranky old Microsoft Vista and a Firewall. Cable company talked me through it and said it wasn’ the Wifi. What next?
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Mine’s been doing something like that all week, driving me bonkers. Each morning it forgets how to connect. You might try to go to the Start menu Run command, ipconfig /release and then Run ipconfig /renew. That may allow your laptop to talk to the wifi.
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I will try that, Kerbey. I have ignored the laptop for months, using solely the iPad, because it simply will not connect, since I traded up for a faster Wifi modem. I was talked through the reconnect process by a cable guy on the phone, and the laptop worked. For one week. Then, nothing. And the phone help from cable said not their signal. I will try you tips in the morning!
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you need your own cable show now, mark. i can just picture it. hope it all holds, i am hopelessly horrible at any and all repairs, so i have no choice but to hire or ask a friend to help when these jobs need to be done. bravo!
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I so much wanted to go on “Tool Time” to play Al Borland’s brother, Beth. I wanted to be the one in the family who was no good with tools. I thought it was perfect for the show’s story line. But, no.
Yes, I hope that siding stays up there. Knock on wood.
I hope your friends can help with the projects at the cottage. There’s so much at the Little Bitty that I can’t do, either. Sigh.
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Shawshank, Ellie B!
So manly handily…LOL!
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Ha! Thanks, Trey. Yeah, the little successes can feel so darn good sometimes.
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Look at you being all handy. Ellie B benefits with special Dad time. She looks very happy. Now Karen will benefit, as well, and be thrilled with finished projects.
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She likes when I decide that I can tackle something, that’s for sure. Karen, that is. Ellie B would rather run through the hole in the door. 🙂 Thanks, Aud!!
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Hubby has always been a do-it-yourself guy, and has been pretty darn good, but now because of back surgery and other problems, it’s a little harder for him. In his mind he thinks he can do something and still gets in there as I look on anxiously hoping he doesn’t get hurt.
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I like his stubborn determination. I hope he does not hurt his back. Oh, boy, that’s a tough one for you, Dora!
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I like to do the fixer upper stuff. IT’s amazing what we can do for ourselves. The only thing I don’t care to do, or have Husband do, is electrical. I don’t know enough. And he thinks he knows it all. Hahahahahahaha. About electric I mean, and he does not. 😉
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Electrical can be sizzling, that’s for sure, Colleen. Touch the wrong two wires and … …. …. Last comment ever.
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Amen. I prefer to not sizzle out. 🙂
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When will we be seeing you on “This Old House”, Mark? Good job. Well, you ask about projects. Oh boy. When you live in a 100-year-old house, they come at you like freight train cars. One after the other.
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I would think it’s a love-hate relationship, Barbara. A 60-year-old house has enough quirks for me. In my past life, we had an older colonial that had so many things go wrong … old furnace. Old windows. Flood in the basement. Roof blew a leak. Gack. Hated it.
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Totally get it. Hard enough to deal with the expense of it all, but finding contractors? Now that’s a GACK.
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Whoa! Mark, the Handyman Bialczak. I’m impressed. You did some good work there Mark. I’m truly not very handy. I have tackled jobs in the past with varying success. That little screen wheelie is a good example. Keeping the screen straight and taught as you roll the little rubber thingy into the slot, is a challenge. I can improvise well, but doing things according to a plan is frequently my undoing. I either miss a step and have to redo or I do steps in the wrong order and have to redo. I do like tools though and was excellent at doing repairs on my tractor-trailer. i enjoyed electrical and had a whole tool box dedicated to electrical tools and supplies. But that was only the truck.
So, a man of your skill level amazes me. Great post – something we all get into at one point or another.
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Now a man who can fix his truck is somebody who will forever impress me, Paul. See, we all admire the other guy. That’s how we roll, right?! Thanks for your always great comment, my friend.
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