The Work Continues.........

Well, every built-in, bracket, nail, screw, bolt and fixture that I wanted removed from the walls has been. My two sturdy peon........er, helpers managed to spindle, fold, and mutilate everything into small enough shapes to fit into XL garbage bags. We're talking venetian blinds plus tracks, a pre-fab type chipboard shelving unit as well as all of the built-in desk pieces from the loft (except the L-shaped 7' x 3' desktop, which is laying flat on the floor of the crawl space). All taken out to the dumpster and disposed of. Amazing, the destructive power contained in a couple of beer-fueled fellows!

The wallpaper - well, I learned today that Home Depot and Rona both rent wallpaper steamers. Being a proud Canadian, I'd rather go with Rona. That will have to wait until after my upcoming eye surgery on Thursday, recuperation over the weekend, and the three evening shifts after that. Also due on the 15th is the plumber, to fix my various plumbing issues. So, Groom_Leader and I will steam off the wallpaper and smooth the walls while the plumber plumbs.

The day after plumbing-and-steaming day will be paint purchasing and a thorough, extreme cleaning - there is 4 to 5 years' worth of dust on the ceiling fans, the wall light fixtures, crud and grunge inside cupboards, walls to wash down, etc. Then we will have three days to prime and paint, two of those days with the added assistance of my niece (and maybe her boyfriend). Meanwhile, when I'm not working on the townhouse, I'll be packing. And packing and packing and packing.

Moving day is March 28 - once painting is done, I'll get a steam cleaner in for the carpets, and will pre-clean some of the worst-stained areas with something deadly strong from the store. I'll also be taking a lot of smaller loads over myself, both to reduce total moving crew time and to ensure my preciousest stuff gets there safely. Curtains and curtain rods need to be bought and put up, too. I will be ready to move in on the 28th, but it's going to be a long, hard-fought battle.

Meanwhile, the surly bitch caretaker at my current address is in a snit because I called her on a violation of the Residential Tenancies Act. She felt that by leaving a piece of paper under my door which informed me she would be showing my apartment to prospective tenants Monday-Friday between 9 and 5, she had given me sufficient notice. Imagine her surprise when I informed her that the Act states that every non-emergency entry requires 24 hours' advance notice in writing. What do they expect, with the Act available online? An informed tenant accesses the available resources to protect their rights.

I guess the reason she hasn't found a renter yet in our very hot rental market may have something to do with the two new framed pieces of art I've hung facing the door. The ones I created on my computer and printed off. The ones that warn, in plain English, that this apartment building is infested with MICE.

Evil? Moi? *batting eyelashes*