Though there is unpacking yet to do, we’re settling in rather well. It’s just a matter of time now, as all things usually become. I no longer become hopelessly lost driving around without navigation. Jen is making progress on her office. Fun times all around! What’s important is the core of the house is essentially done, and we can work from there.

Nice, eh? The sideboard / TV-stand is now, as is the cabinet bookcase. The old house had a display cabinet built into the wall, so we needed something to make up for the missing storage in the living room. It took about seven hours to build both items, but the instructions and parts were all there to get it done.

Celebrate Good Times

Jim’s 75th birthday called for a celebration, so we coordinated a party at our new digs. Not only was it a grand and rare occasion, but it provided a healthy pressure to finish unpacking the living room, kitchen, and dining room. Obviously we stashed a few things in the basement prematurely; we’re only human.

Jannica and Andy brought Lillian and Evelyn, Joyce, Wally, and Donna rounded out the other attendees aside from Linda and the Guest of Honor. Jim loves his new iPad, as well as the numerous cards overflowing with endearing and humorous sentiments. Everything went off without a hitch. It went so well in fact, that Jim thanked us profusely. Jen and I were incredibly glad we could make his 75th something special.

You’re welcome, Jim!

A Challenger Appears

Alas, the festivities came at a somewhat unexpected cost. What could have possibly gone wrong? I noticed a pretty severe sore throat a couple of days later. My entire body was sore the next day. It didn’t feel the same as my last bout with strep, so I crossed my fingers and toughed it out. We learned somewhat later that Linda and Joyce were also down for the count. Whatever it was, I was out of commission and in bed for most of the 3rd to the 7th.

Since I missed my chance to break out the grill for the 4th, I’m going to have to pick a weekend to make up for it. I managed to snag a couple of good deals from the Steam Summer Sale, but wasn’t really in any condition to play or enjoy any PC games. I tried, but all I wanted to do was lay down and sleep, so that’s what I did.

Just a Big Softie

One of the things I noticed upon initially viewing into the house was the water softener. We’ve never actually lived in a house with one of those, and I have past experience with them and the odd, mildly slimy water they create. It would be a difference for sure, but people seem to like them, so why not?

Once we’d moved in, I knew I’d eventually have to top up the salt tank. But I noticed a suspicious lack of salt bags from the previous owners. I looked in the tank with a good flashlight and discovered that the bottom 1/3rd seemed to be filled with salt rather grains than pellets. That told me it was full of bag sediment from years of refills, and I needed to check to make sure it was still loose and not just a solid chunk.

A wooden dowel gave me the unfortunate conclusion that there was about a solid foot-thick block of salt at the bottom of the unit. That meant it wasn’t able to use the salt for ion-exchange with the resin beads, and it probably hasn’t done so for months or even years. We still had soft water, but it was a complete mystery how the resin was still functional after such neglect.

So I called a plumber. He confirmed my suspicions that the unit couldn’t be salvaged given the labor and other repair costs, as well as the likely necessity of replacing the resin beads. Instead, he gave a very fair quote to replace the whole system with a 3-tank unit. One tank acts as a water purification system, the next tank is the actual softener, and the third is a separate salt tub.

The old combined unit was meant to save space, but as I learned, can accumulate salt in a way that could brick the whole system. Now we have a whole house water purification system along with a water softener, so I’m not complaining.

More to Come

All in all, we’re liking the new digs. We’re settling in, and despite the daunting unpacking yet to come, are looking forward to our future here.

I’ve even been mowing the lawn myself with our EGO Power+ mower. I actually bought it last year with the intention of canceling our yard service, but coordinating the move and everything else made it hard to do. I went electric because gas mowers always vibrate so much that my wrists would hurt for days afterwards. Beyond that benefit, a full hour of mowing only drains about half of the battery.

It’s going to be a very eventful few months, for sure.

Until Tomorrow