19. Surprise, Surprise!

When I was at the house the last time I should have gone into the basement and turned on the main breaker.  If I had, I would have realized that FPL never turned on the power.  "Why?" you might ask.  Well, it seems that when my AC unit was being a-pilfered, they also got the cover of the power meter box.  I guess ten or twenty of these and you have enough scrap for a  little crack.  The power company had removed the meter entirely - the  box was there but no cover, and I vaguely remember Jake pointing it out, but I assumed that when the FPL guy came out over a week ago and there was no meter, he'd either replace it and bill me, or GIVE ME A FREAKING CALL!!

I called FPL.  They told me they won't replace the meter until I have an electrician install a box cover.  A piece of metal that hangs from the top lip of the box and clips to the bottom.  I have to hire an electrician to install it.  Ha!!  This is where it really comes in handy to have the friends that I do.  I called Bobbie, who is a master at figuring out how to get something done... just sit back and let 'er go.  She and Jake had an electrical contracting business for years.  She made a couple of calls, I'll have my box lid and I will put the dang thing on myself.  Then it's a matter of how long it will take FPL to get out there with a new meter... and Rob the builder is supposed to start on stuff on Monday.  Won't happen if we can't plug in a power saw.  And a fan.

Oh, and I called ADT who was supposed to do the install this afternoon.  No go without power.  The guy showed up at 11am though - and we did a walk around and talked.  Nice guy - Mike.  He rescheduled with me for Thursday - a long way away but he didn't want to risk the power being off again. 

I really could have used a fan today.  Yes, yes, nice beach breeze blowing through and it wasn't bad for me - but I had both Rufus and Roscoe with me.  Poor things almost melted.  Lots of water though - and we got out of there around noon.  Here's what we got done:

1.  Listed those ugly couches (my apologies to any of you who have couches like this - just not my style) and sold them for $40.  A nice young couple came to get them and I threw in a lamp I didn't want as well.  And either the guy had a hole in his pocket or the couch was leaking money - there was a dollar or two in change on the floor after they left.

2.  Changed two deadbolts.  This door is not actually the one I will be keeping, but it was the one with the lock that everyone and their mother had a key to.  I'll move it to the other door when we do the front door work.  The other deadbolt I put on the back door.  I think that's primarily the door I will be going in and out of.  Since I park in the back, it's easier to come up those stairs to the porch than walk all the way around to the front.

3.  Cleaned the kitchen sink!  Well sort of.  It's a strange material - something no one should ever make a kitchen sink out of.  Maybe it was cool when it was new, probably supposed to look like stone or some such.  But over time it's gotten rough, and it's got water spots on it that I can't seem to get out.  I don't plan to keep this one, but it's fine for now.  Nice to see some cleaning products scattered about, isn't it?  Also cleaned two counters.  If I had had a couple of fans and some music I think I would have cleaned the whole house.  It was fun.

4.  Visited City Hall to apply for my permits.  It was surprisingly simple.  They notarized my signature right there, no charge.  I met Ron the Plans Examiner, who I believe I mentioned in a previous post.  Nice guy - we went through all the drawings and forms that I had filled out.  He made it simple and we put both the front door and garage door on one application.  He will call after he looks it all over to let me know when we can start work.  I was only in there for ten minutes!!  Of course I was worried because it was the first time leaving the puppies alone at the house.  That's why I decided to bring Rufus with us today - to keep Roscoe company when I left.  When I got back to the house, there they were - wagging their tails at the door.  I could see the huge puddle of slobber on the floor where Roscoe must have spent the whole time panting of course.

5.  These three photos show where I pried the window trim off the front porch, in order to bring home a piece of the original siding.  I got to see the innards of the window system - I guess you call it a sash pulley or counterweight system.  Once I saw how it was done inside the window, I realized how simple it really is.  That big iron piece in the third picture gives you some leverage and supposedly makes the window easier to open - I guess that's the case if they don't have 1/4 inch of paint on them.  I am looking forward to refinishing the windows and restoring all of the sash-pulley thingies!

Balance Forward:  $241

+$42 sale of couch and change that fell out of it

Remainder:  $283