I bought two Rexbo ladder bookcases and a Leksvik shoe cabinet at Ikea. One of the Rexbos was missing two small but vital pieces, my first-ever Ikea missing-parts mishap, but the other is installed and serving nicely in its intended function as Way Other Than Boxes For Jasper To Get To That High Lack Shelf. I had to teach him to use it, but he’s got it now. And he never touches the bottom two shelves, so I’m using them for books. Specifically, books of comic strips.

I found the Series of Unfortunate Events books and unpacked them into their display.

Lin wanted to put one of the folding bookcases in Max’s room, so I moved the bookcase that was in there to her room (and rearranged the furniture a bit in the process) and put the folding bookcase in Max’s. While they were here we also installed the blinds in his window and put up a curtain rod and his shades-of-blue zoo-animal curtain. Looks great.

Josie got a new bed, so her old bed is in Max’s room, and he and I assembled it, including the bedrail that we found in the attic (he insisted), and he slept in it for three nights during their most recent visit. Big boy bed!

After they left I also did some more stuff in there that will have to be a surprise.

The new shoe cabinet is lovely, and will serve to keep the couch lined up properly. What I really need, in the department of keeping the couch lined up properly, is a rug. But whatever.

I put the old crappy also-Ikea-but-much-less-furniturey shoe rack in the coat closet as additional shelving, and that works great.

I mowed the lawn, front and back, and edged the front, and mostly tilled the flowerbed, and sprayed weed killer on some weeds, especially around the downspout and stoop, where they were worst.

Tonight I primed the yellow ceiling, at least what I could reach of it in failing light without falling down the stairs (most of it), and part of one yellow wall, to use up the rest of the primer I had in the pan. Primer was the fullest paint can I had, so it made sense to go over the yellow with that instead of trying to cover it with what little ceiling paint and eggshell white I have left. I can’t afford a trip to the Depot right now, so I wanted to use what was in the closet. There’s more primer, I just can’t hold up that damn pole anymore tonight.

When I do get more ceiling paint, though, it’ll be the work of a few minutes to even out the ceiling outside my office door and at the edge of the kitchen. So that’s good.

Earlier today I got rid of some boxes and a big water bottle I found in the shed. Lisa needs the boxes to pack up donations, and I thought it would be cool to use the water bottle for the fundraising (for the three-day walk) that will happen at the crab feast.

I just realized it’s really been a while since we last spoke, so I guess I should point out some less recent improvements.

I bought the Samsung 50“ plasma TV, for redacted plus one-fifty, with free delivery, so that’s fine. I’m pretty sure redacted was a floor model or clearance price on that one unit anyway, and mine is definitely brand new. I’d like to say the box it came in was bigger than my first apartment, but my first apartment was a two-bedroom with a larger kitchen than I have now, so unfortunately I can’t. It was a big box, though.

I installed more switchplates and outlet covers here and there. I bought too many, and I always planned to return some, but time grows short. I have the receipt here, and it’s from July 10, giving me until October 10 to get on that. Doorstops, too; I bought handfuls of those and it turned out I barely need any. All the doors have them, they just weren’t set properly. What I do need is more of those plastic shields that go over the giant holes in the walls from the doorknobs.

And new doorknobs. I hate the brass ones.

And I’d really love an outlet and a spigot on the deck.

But if I let this devolve into what I don’t have yet and haven’t done yet, I’ll just cry. So back to accomplishments.

I started four more little wee plants, and they’re thriving, almost big enough to transplant into the nice acacia boxes I have for them out on the deck.

I made two Bastant scratching-post baskets like on the Ikea Hacker blog. They look great, and Jasper seems to like them a lot.