Things I See

There was a huge inspection project back in October. Doing the field work and then writing up the inspection reports took the rest of the year. Combine with holidays, a vacation and a heavy cold, there was no coming up for blogging air. But I saw some interesting stuff.

A plywood tree.

This was in a chapel. It's two pieces, cut exactly the same and stuck together. It looked like one of them had that center cut out you're familiar with when you get some toys; the cut out which helps you slide two pieces together.

I looked at this and thought how cool it would be to have this done at a Christmas tree. You could assemble it and then stick the whole thing into a closet. It could be painted green and there could be holes in the branches to hang ornaments. The spread of the base would prevent all but the largest animal or human from toppling it. I would be interested in this concept since my fake tree is rather annoying to put together and is quite heavy to bring up from the basement. That's why I didn't bring it up this year. I just didn't feel like assembling it. And yet, I have all these ornaments I love to look at. A tree like this would serve well for display purposes. I could see stores selling ornaments year 'round could find this attractive.

The lighting in the chapel was very interesting. This is a half-moon fixture which was in the choir loft. Great thought was given to the presentation of light. It can be very easy to slap up a row of track lights and call it a day. Quick, efficient, but, as a representation of faith, not so much. It's one thing when the church is old and installation of current lighting needs to take preservation in mind. It's another when you can create the lighting when you design where the lavatories go. I've seen a more unified design when it's new construction versus old construction where new fixtures have to be installed. It's not all the time, mind you, but enough for me to notice a consistency.

Here is the fixture in the center of the main floor of the chapel.

The half-moon fixtures were in the choir and around the walls. There were recessed lights under the lofts on either side, but two of these filled the main floor with light. They produced the most interesting reflection on the polished floor.

In a health services lab, the entry had a most appealing design. In the waiting area, the wall across from the windows had panels like this.

I thought it might represent a light rain shower. On the windows of the waiting area, was this corresponding design.

This reinforced my idea the design represented rain. But inside the receptionist's area was this alcove.

This is what is left when you make a panel with holes. I didn't try to figure out which panel corresponded, if any did, to this. It would drive me batty. The overall effect was pleasing and if you were coming to the area for a class, I think it would be designed to relax you, at least, I hope it would. It was cool, nonetheless.

Drawing desks. I was so excited when I saw these. When I matriculated for my art minor, I had to take drawing classes. I can't draw worth a darn, really. We didn't have desks. We had to hold our oversize drawing pads in our laps. I might have enjoyed the class better if we'd had these desks on which to put things.

This is the ceiling in the remodeled main campus building, Old Main. Doesn't every college have a building similar to this? It was the first building on campus and used to be classrooms before being turned into administration in, probably, the 1960's. The university had done a wonderful job of preservation and redemption of the structure. This is the first floor welcome area ceiling; very art deco. Made me think that if I ever get around to repainting the kitchen, this would be a cool pattern to do to the ceiling. The light fixtures were, I think, kind of blaise, but their unpretention made you look at the ceiling.

Finally, we'll file this under "You had one job."

My obsessive-compulsive friends were really upset by this floor. When I saw it in person, I just laughed.

Beverage:  Water

Deb

Halloween

Technically, my trip to Disneyland was just outside the Halloween season. I was looking for souvenirs; lights, lawn decor, etc; to give to Carole and Larry for Christmas, but Liz said it's all gone overnight between October 31st and November 1st. You really have to come during October to see any of that. I admit to being skeptical. I can find Halloween decorating items now, if I look for them. Why shouldn't Disney be any different?

I should not be skeptical of what Liz says. There were no items around. Even in the area around the Haunted Mansion, there was nothing. It was all Christmas-themed by the time we got there, one week later. The Haunted Mansion, on the other hand, was still wearing Halloween finery.

It was kind of a mishmash of seasons. There's the distinctly Halloween of pumpkins, but there's also garlands representative of Christmas.

As you got closer, you realized this was a "Nightmare Before Christmas" decorating style.

Liz said the mansion, with its hugely popular ride, goes "Nightmare" in October and stays that way through Christmas.

Jack Skellington is everywhere. At night, I wanted to get the full effect of the lighting, but this is the best exterior photo of him I could get.

And, the decorations didn't turn out very clear after the sun went down. This wreathing and garland arrangement on the side of the front porch came out well, but other photos didn't. You need to be able to stand still for night shots, and, let's face it, Disney is about shuttling as many people as possible through their rides. You might stand still but your party will head off without you.

Long exposure photos, even if they depict something wonderful done with lights, just aren't what standing in line is supposed to do.

Now I wonder what the building looks like without all the decorations. /sigh They keep you wanting to come back, don't they?

Beverage:  Raspberry Seltzer

Deb

A Light, or Two, in the Darkness

Last year, in July, I got a note from my insurance company that my house had officially reached 60 years old. I was going to blog about it, with a few cupcakes with candles sitting on the front steps, but forgot and, well, here it is February of 2014. When you live in a house of this age, there are all sorts of things that just cease to work over time. Such was the case with my overhead lights on the west side of the house.

It started with the light in Carole's bedroom. That one had the light bulb crack in the fixture, which I didn't realize or had forgotten. It had not worked in years. Next came the light for the deck. After that, it was the kitchen light. Finally, the light in my home office. What would happen is the light would flicker when you turned it on. It would still come on, but, gradually, it would not come on and then it would and then, finally, it quit working all together.

I am nothing if not adaptable. I just wouldn't go into the back room at night. Cleaning the litter boxes was a day job and, even if I knew they needed cleaning, I just wouldn't do it in the dark. For the kitchen, I had the light over the sink for a long time, but that went out, just like the others. So, I took to having the fridge and freezer and microwave doors open, their bulbs illuminating the kitchen enough that I could cook. Dishes piled up because I couldn't see to do them, but careful planning or just deciding to eat a microwave meal, meant there weren't a lot of dishes to wash at the end of the week. And I had the sunshine floor lamp in the home office. It was actually better for my eyes not to have the overhead light on. I adapted while I scrimped and saved with the idea of hiring an electrician to fix these problems.

Finally, two weeks ago, in between these weekend snowstorms, one came to take a look. He comes highly recommended and he was very personable and extremely knowledgeable. The first thing he did was look at the problems. Step 2 was to go look at the fuse box. He removed the cover surrounding the fuses and, to my horror, there was a mouse nest in the bottom of the box. No, I wasn't about to take a photo for all of you to see. You know I have had problems with mice but I thought I had fixed that. I was terribly embarrassed. Ryan said he'd never seen anything like that before. I quickly cleaned it out. The mice weren't anywhere near circuitry as the bottom of the box isn't used. I could not see how they got into the box because there isn't a hole large enough for them, I thought.

Then, the local NBC station ran a story about how people are finding mice and rats in their homes and how pest control companies are getting all sorts of calls now. Rats, like any other mammal, are cold in this weather and are trying to find warmer places to go. What I didn't know is that a rat can get into a building through a hole the size of a quarter; a mouse gets in through a hole the size of a dime. The pest control person they interviewed said, "If they can get their nose in, the rest of them will follow." No wonder I have a battle. I'm sure there are holes I haven't found. He said that, unfortunately, we need to wait until spring to adequately assess an infestation because they are, most likely, coming in through holes in your foundation and you can't see them because the holes are covered with snow. A month and a half. A month and a half.

In the case of the nest in the circuit box, removing it and putting one of my organic mouse repellent bags on top of the circuit box will keep them out. Still, I was mortified. I could see them living in the walls, but not in the box.

I'm extremely impressed with Ryan. He followed the line which controls the overhead lights. It went up into the kitchen. He took apart the kitchen switch and diagnosed the problem. The switch to the light was bad. Once he removed the switch and fixed a small patch, every single light lit up.

He said there's nothing really wrong with the wiring that he could see. Oh yes, it's old, but it can still pull a current. If I was going to completely remodel the house, then I'd need to redo the wiring, but if all I want is overhead lights, the wiring's fine. I now have all the overhead lights working, except the one in the kitchen. That requires the switch which he didn't have on him.

So, because he has to come back, I thought, this is what I've always wanted to do, replace the overhead lights with shiny new fixtures. Above is the light in the home office. I have no idea where the globe is for it. If I'm dedicated to replacing all my light bulbs with compact fluorescents, and I am, then let's update the fixtures too. This will be "easy". I'll just log onto the Menard's web site as that's where Ryan said he'd go to get what I want. I'll pick out three I like and he'll go get them. Piece of cake.

Twenty-five pages of light fixtures later...I am totally overwhelmed. I finally sorted by price. A $150+ fixture is really not what I want in any of the rooms. I want 2-3 lights in the kitchen. I don't want a chandelier. I don't want to have to dust that every month. While the Tiffany-look fixtures are lovely, I don't have the room design for them. Slowly, I was able to weed out what I didn't want, leaving what was appropriate and within the price I set for myself. Then, I printed out the couple handfuls of lights I liked and taped, yes, taped, them to the ceiling. It's kind of like grabbing a handful of paint chips and taping them to the wall. Yes, I like this. No, I don't like that. It took 5 days, but I've finally picked out my fixtures.

This will go in the back bedroom.

It's a very simple fixture but I like the elegance of it. Some day, I would like to make that an extra bedroom. I did do some work in there, but I really need some contracting help to replace some plaster. That kind of work is a ways off.

This will go in my home office.

I like the retro look. It will be nice and big for a room where I spend a lot of time. I've wanted to redo the room, repaint the walls, pull down the very old wallpaper and replace it with paint. That involves moving a lot of stuff which is not really something I'll tackle now. Having fresh lighting will make the room more fun.

Finally, here is the kitchen light.

Three lights in a large fixture. This will significantly flood the room with light during those dark winter days. I like the modern look of this and with it being flush against the ceiling, it does and doesn't draw attention to itself. All of these are subject to availability and whether they will accept CFLs.

The next step is to wash the kitchen ceiling around the fixture area. That's a job for several days. I have an eye doctor appointment upcoming so I took a day off around that.

The long dark night of the back half of the house is over. I keep forgetting I have lights in the back bedroom and my home office because I've done without for so long. I realize that, if I were to sell the house this year, it would be a tear down because it's too small for anyone other than me. But I hope to live here for many more years so why not fix these things. Next step is to have a weekend where it doesn't snow so I can clear the drive and Ryan can get his car in the drive instead of parking it on the street. That's not this weekend.

If you need me, I'll be on the step stool in the kitchen.

Beverage:  Yorkshire Gold Tea

Deb

Into the 21st Century

I admit it. Technological updates can have me baffled. "But it worked so well. Why do we have to change?" is something I know I've said to myself on occasion. Such is the case with lighting.

Did you know that 40 and 60 watt incandescent lightbulbs will no longer be made come January 1st? In fact, there haven't been any made since September and stores will be selling their remaining inventories without restocking them. 100 and 75-watt bulbs were phased out last year.

I knew this was coming but the last time I looked, compact fluorescent bulbs were $12.00 each. When you are on a tight budget, you'll go get a package of 4 60-watt bulbs for $3.50 before you'll pay that for one bulb. Never mind that the fluorescent will last 9 years, that's a lot of upfront money.

And then the light in the bathroom went out.

Knowing that the incandescent bulbs were to be phased out, I went to Ace Hardware to see about finally, finally taking the plunge into CFLs (compact fluorescent light). I set aside $20 for light bulbs, relying on a very long ago memory of buying one bulb for the light in the hallway. This light gets used, a lot, and we were replacing it sometimes twice a year. A standard lightbulb just wasn't doing the job so we invested in a compact fluorescent back when the idea was first proposed, that they could save a homeowner money because they lasted for years. Honestly, I don't remember when this bulb was replaced, it's been that long. The design of CFLs has improved substantially over this. They are much more compact. This bulb has been going strong for a very, very long time. The $12-15 we spent on it has been recouped a couple times over.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered a 5 pack of CFLs was $1.99, on sale to promote changing to these from incandescent. I read everything on the package. This will replace the 60-watt bulbs which were in the bathroom fixture. The quality of light won't change, just the amount of electricity used. I was concerned about heat generated since the bathroom lights are horizontal and not vertical as in the hall light. The salesman said they generate the same amount of heat as an incandescent bulb. Yes, the older ones were warmer, but technology has improved and these are much cooler. Plus, these are guaranteed for 9 years, 9 years, with average use. I would say my usage is average. That means I don't have to replace these light bulbs in the bathroom until 2022. Given the difficulty of removing the fixture to access the bulbs, I'll take that.

So, I have entered the 21st century. I looked about the basement when I was down there today to do laundry. Every socket has an incandescent in it. As they burn out, you can bet I will be replacing them with CFLs. Let there be light!

Beverage:  English Breakfast tea

Deb

Lights

'Tis the season of lights. We string them up, around and about. We ooh and ahh over a well designed display. We drive miles out of our way to look at a collection and they frame this holiday. NBC Nightly News has asked the people on the space station to see if they can spot and photograph from space the home in Australia with the Guinness Book of World Records most Christmas lights.

Lately, in my neighborhood, we've had lights of a different sort.

These are not the lights you want to see in your neighborhood and certainly not at 1 a.m., when the photo was taken. It was a rainy, foggy Friday night and I had just fallen asleep when I was jarred awake by the 'whoop whoop' of the emergency siren. I don't know what was the problem. The neighbors in that direction are unknown to me. I was drawn by the reflection of the lights off the homes and the wet pavement and how the building fog diffused the red flashers.

I like observing lights on a foggy night. There's something intriguing about how light is bent and blurred by the water droplets of fog. I know it's all very scientific, how that works, but what I like is the visual. Flashing lights, a misty night and the enveloping fog made for a mesmerizing scene. 

Beverage:  Irish Breakfast tea

Deb