Friday

 

Toby waiting to get back inside the house after a cold 47 degree walk this morning.

By noon, the temperature was in the 70s, so after lunch I biked to Clearwater and stopped to exercise at Weaver park on the way back. It turned out to be a beautiful day.

We ran errands to Ace and Publix and came home to fix mashed potatoes. Toby went inside at Ace because he knows where they keep their jar of treats. He walks right behind the counter to point at them with his nose until they give him one. It seems to make their day to reward him. He's doing really well in public and at home. I think having different people working in the house, in and out, for hours has been good for him. He now watches and leaves them alone. With some of the dog-friendly regulars, we let him loose in the house. He says hello and then hangs out on the sofa watching them come and go. He does best when they ignore him. If they try to engage him, he takes it as "game on" and creates a fuss which they usually regret.

We put the mashed potatoes over John's chili with a side of baked broccoli.

I think we're in a holiday lull as far as the renovation goes. We don't have any baseboards to paint, but we did get a foam roller for the job when they do get delivered. No baseboards; no construction workers. The plumber can't do his work until the countertop gets installed. I imagine the electricians will make a return, but I don't know when. And we're waiting for the glass shower wall to be made and delivered. We went through the same thing last year. Things picked up in the new year, and they finished the last day of January. Yesterday, our designer got  the measurements she needed to come up with a plan and budget for the back bathroom. She said she will meet with us at the first of the new year.

Meanwhile, I replaced the missing or used felt pads under the dining room chairs. Now they glide across the porcelain tiles instead of scraping. I need to caulk the nail holes and do touch up painting on the workers' latest baseboard installation. I also need to paint the hall linen closet while I have the paint out. I don't think it ever got painted when we first moved in. I want to remove the shelves and support hardware to make it easier to paint. I might even consider adding solid wooden shelves while I'm at it. How hard could it be?