FemiKnitMafia

It all started when I fell in love with this shower fixture, and decided to replace the unit myself. All is possible with my side-kick and my boys, right? Keep in mind — this is our only functional shower.

Before (Saturday March 24th)

With my trusty side-kick open on the floor, I ripped out the old fixture.

After realizing that the new fixture wouldn’t fit into the hole, I called Wifey (at the grocery store) and asked if I could rip out the tub surround. She said Yes. Remember that.

When was the last renovation, you ask?

Wifey arrived home in time to see me throwing shower pieces out of the window.

Once the surround was ripped out, I noticed the mold. Mmmm…yummy. So I decided to replace several sections of the sheetrock. What’s the best way to cut a nice long straight line? Yep, a quilting ruler. They should make rotary cutters for sheetrock.

Yuck. More mold. Off with the wallpaper.

Then I decided it would be easier to hang all new sheetrock, so I ripped it all out, and tossed it out the window. Then I looked up, noted the weird dropped ceiling, felt a little constrained by it, analyzed the placement of pipes, and decided there was nothing up there. The reality is - there’s only one way to know for sure. Hello crowbar, my old friend.

Gone. Better, right? By the way — sheetrock is hard to demo, but 2×4s are harder. Especially 2×4s attached to the ceiling. But I have some Amazonian biceps now. Hot.

Notice Little Man and the Kitty-Lugh in that photo? The photo was taken mere moments after he returned from the grocery store, took one look at the bathroom, and said:

Little Man: Moooooommmmmmy, what are you doooooing to my bathroom?
Mafia: Fixing it.
Little Man: No, Mom. It’s all broken.
Mafia: Yep, and I’m fixing it.
Little Man: Eeewww, what’s that? (pointing to the mold on the wall)
Mafia: Mold.
Little Man: Huh? . . . Did Lugh-Lugh poop on the wall?

(to be continued)

Nora is the newest member of the MafiaClan. She’s was born in Virginia about 10 weeks ago, and transported to Massachusetts with her littermates by One Tail at a Time Rescue. Based on the markings in the litter, she’s certainly a Pointer and probably also a Lab.

For months, Wifey and I have been waivering back and forth about adopting a dog. But about two weeks ago, we decided to do it. We looked on PetFinder, found several rescues, filled out applications, researched breeds, and talked to Little Man. A sample:

Mafia: Little Man, would you like a puppy?

Little Man: Huh? What Mom?

Mafia: Would you like to get a puppy? A puppy to come live with us and be part of our family?

Little Man (ever the practical one): No. I have two cats.

With that as the backdrop, Little Man and I went to meet some puppies on Saturday afternoon. We met Midori and I fell in love with her perfect lemon/white Pointer markings. Then we met Mimosa and Little Man fell in love. They romped. They ran. They tumbled over each other. She licked him. She was on a mission. And so was Little Man. He grabbed the leash, walked over to the car and said, “Come on, Mom. Let’s go. Put her in the car.”

Unfortunately, Wifey was off at grad school and needed to meet the new puppy before we made a final decision. So Big-Meanie-Mommy forced Distraught-Sobbing-Boy back into the car without the puppy.

As it turns out, that was unnecessary. Wifey walked in the door, heard the story, grabbed the phone and said “Call her. I want that dog.” Well Okay …

By the time Meg, the wonder dog rescuer, delivered the puppy to the house a couple hours later , we had drafted a short list of potential names, with help from the Naming Oracle. Within moments of her arrival, we settled on Nora.

That was Saturday night. On Sunday morning, I woke to find the puppy and Little Man chasing each other, the cats huddled in the corner, and Wifey on the phone with every member of the MafiaClan. In short order, all of my plans for grading papers, cleaning Ms. 1890, knitting, fixing the bathroom, etc. were tossed aside in favor of a day trip to the Cape to visit the strongest branch of Wifey’s family. Nora sat on a blanket next to Little Man and despite the very dramatic battle raging on his lap, kept her nose on his thigh for almost the entire trip.

We hiked through fields and woods and down abandoned railroad tracks and around cranberry bogs. All the while, this was my view.

And Nora discovered that she can swim. And stink. Like stagnant bog water. Ewww. After a Neutrogena Shampoo, she smelled divine, and we decided to keep a small bottle of doggie shampoo in the car. Anything else we should keep in the car?

On the way back, Nora snuggled on Wifey’s lap and at one point, I caught a certain someone’s wet nose nuzzled up against Wifey’s neck. Clearly she’s playin’ us.

Hi there. I’m so glad you could stop by for the wee housewarming. Tea? Scones? Wool? Copper pipe? [for plumbing!]

For the last six weeks, I’ve been:

working full time, teaching two classes, interviewing for a new j.o.b., researching dog breeds, filling out adoption papers, ripping apart my only functional shower, throwing an occasional stitch over a needle, correcting papers, bitching about slacker students, nurturing wifey through pre-eclampsia, not sleeping, worrying about MafiaMom’s surgery while MafiaMom dismissed the whole thing, riding the train …

And all this concentrated work brought presents, puppies, cuddling, hiking, and the knowledge that no matter what happened, I have great health insurance, generous leave policies at MIT, the ability to rent an extra car when needed, a laptop, and the most incredible network of family and friends that a member of the Mafia could ever want.

In the next several days, I’ll share some particularly fun stories from my bloggie break. In the meantime, sit back, put your feet up, crack a beer and knit a row or two. And most importantly, thanks for coming to visit!