Whew, if I wasn't living in it...

(Midnight ramblings)
Half the time I wonder how I got into this (my mind deceives even me - "quick and easy" it says, and that's a quote), part of the time I'm head-scratching on how to fix another piece, and occasionally I ponder how to put it all back together again.

Do I know what I'm doing? Vaguely, maybe. Subject to change as situations present themselves. As usual, no real blueprint; gathered what I had, threw it in a pile, tried to figure out what I needed, added in some experience. Stir, let simmer, get on with it.

I'm stopping early tonight... so I can get crackin' on it again tomorrow. A few more unusual things presented themselves today. With my first cup of coffee, I realized my computer desk was a space-hog. It had a center support length-wise underneath that was inconvenient, and I had a perfectly good desk next to it, sans keyboard shelf.

Recycled motel desks I've had for years, solid and have been 'recycled' about 5 times in my life. At one point, I flipped one upside-down, set the other on top, added a board so it wouldn't fall, ran a closet bar across it - voila, it was a closet while I needed it to be.

First cup of coffee, and it dawned on me all I needed to do was screw the pull-out shelf off the old desk onto this one and saw the overhang board off. For a little project, it took a bit, but a fairly easy fix.

Dropping down the ceiling fan / light was a pain - literally. It was a bit wobbly and the Styrofoam is thick going up, so figured I best try to fix it. I'd put it in myself, so had some experience with it. (Garage sale, $5 years ago) Keeripes, it's a heavy bugger! I added a board, rewired it, got it back up...

Fan still too high compared to the Styrofoam going up. Scratched my head to increase brain cell activity. Realized I had another outlet box in the shed and the wires would feed to it, so -. Dropped it down again. Installed the box so I'd have the proper bolt holes, redid the wires, and got it back up.

Snapshot of moments of this process: standing on a wobbly ladder (another story) holding a wobbly light on my tiptoes to support it with my shoulder and my arms and legs getting wobbly from the strain of it. I usually holler at the Universe and folks on the other side to help in these situations, and between us, we finally got it back up.

For now, I clean up the area, flop down Styrofoam, lay out my bed on top; bring in dog blankets since the kids are gone and hunker down. I passed the queen-sized bed to another through Free-cycle (local 'net) and have to, literally, 'make my bed'. Before I can do this, I need to...

Morning note, continued:
While I had a portion of the wall open, I investigated the heat duct to this room. It's tapped in to the furnace line by about six feet of uninsulated pipe and fed through a hole in the concrete. It's not only losing heat to the underside, it's exchanging cold when the furnace isn't running, so there's a cold blast every time the heat kicks on. I assume this is a bad thing, just gut instinct.

So - before I finish that wall, I need to creatively insulate the pipe. Crawling under the house is not an option if I can avoid it, nor is tearing this pipe loose (God forbid, or I will be under it for repairs). Creating a 'tube of insulation' and slipping it on like a sock is my plan. I'm also going to extend it out about 3 feet inside a box / shelf, because it's hard to keep the wall clear to humor the heat vent.

Checklist: fix up the heat vent; finish walls; run switch to outside-light-going-in-this-summer; replace crackling outlet; make bed; make closet; make shelves. Then finish everything else.

IT'S ALREADY A TON WARMER IN HERE - weather is at -10 this morning, and I don't feel cold pouring in from the foundation, floor, porch. I think this extra plastic and insulation on the ceiling will help prevent the ice berms forming off my roof - yay!

In a strange way, I'm impressed and grateful it seems to be working. I've been tackling it on blind faith and a handful of information, with a small fistful of dollars and a shaky belief I was capable of making it work.

I really want 'my bed made' so I can quit camping out on the floor.

Looks like a full day, better get started. Time to fold up my bed.