I have the world's greatest electrician. Seriously, the entire world should be jealous...except for those good folk in Fort Wayne who are able to avail themselves of his services!
Here are the "before" photos. They are wretched quality, I know. But I did not take them. If I had any good brain cells left in my head, I would have taken my own photos right after moving here. Still, you can see there was a lot of junk, stuff, and odd & ends. The toilet was broken. That black shelf is the one I painted brown for my new bathroom storage. The cabinet with the Formica top (seen closer in the photo on the right) is the one I used next to the new laundry sink since I had to remove the entire sink cabinet unit of the broken one that had been in the laundry. The snaked silver piping is gone, too.
Personally, I really, really, really like how it all turned out. Once the room divider screen is up, coming down the stairs you will not be able to see the bathroom. It is clean and neat and quite serviceable. I wish I could have better flooring, but eventually, the concrete is going to get a good scrubbing...a really good scrubbing. My dream would be to have it stained a swirly brown in both rooms and then have a large area rug in the living space.
Here is the living space. Again, the photo on the left is more representative of the color of paint on the wall. The couch and bed are on opposite ends/sides, while the desk wall is on the front wall of the house. If you peer closely, you can see the door dividing the space next to the bed. The one item still missing is a dresser.
Something serendipitous about today is not in one of these photos, but I shall try to explain anyway. There was hanging near the free standing closet across from the bed this very, very old black plug about five feet off the ground. It was not grounded and was not in use, given that all the other electrical outlets in the basement are new, grounded ones I added. I did not want to pay to have it removed, so it was just this...eyesore...to me at least. Lying in the bed, I would have been staring at it whilst trying to fall asleep, trying to understand why someone would put one up like that a gazillion years ago and for what it possibly could have been used.
Well, Ben had planned to put the bathroom light switch together with the plug. However, I figured that someone wanting to use the bathroom at night might wish to have a switch just on the other side of the door. Ben agreed mine was a good idea, but he had only one single work box. Then we thought of using the one just sitting there on the wall. It is a circuit used only for one other purpose, so the bathroom electricity would be primarily isolated in case there was some crazy blow drying of hair and shaving marathon going on at the same time. So, we demo-ed that stupid plug and the old junction box in the ceiling above it and pulled the wiring out of the room. I painted the wall where the strip of wood holding the wiring was and touched up the ceiling as well. Now, there is no distracting weird plug to keep my visitors/renters awake at night! Plus, the bathroom did not have to be shared out with anything else in the basement save for a battery back-up for the Fios connection.
Great electrical work gets me downright giddy! I have me some great electrical goings on in the basement, parlor bath, my bedroom, living room, back yard, and garage. That is a lot of giddiness for one gal! SIGH. [I know...I am rather weird.]
The basement needs three-way switches for both sections so that no matter how you enter them you can control the light. But I am not going to do that work, along with two final plugs, unless the seminary couple decides that they would like to use my space as their short-term living option. If they do, Ben will return and work some more electrical magic and I will have to find someone to add a deadbolt to the basement entrance door. Right now, you can lock it (with about four or five different slide bolts) from the inside, but not from the outside. Basically, their rent will mostly cover what I am doing to make the space really livable for them. That is a fair bargain for me, I believe. The viewing is the 13th. Need I mention that I am nervous about it?
Today's work was primarily funded by selling things on Craig's List. Ben raised his eyebrows at all the cash. For me, I have never paid someone like that. It was weird and a bit fun.
A final note about the world's greatest electrician: Ben brings me chili from Wendy's when he comes to do work, because he likes for me to have company for lunch and knows that the chili is a good and tasty sodium option for me. Of course, I keep him generously supplied in Dr Pepper as he works. I get to hear all about his beloved and his cherubs and this most spectacular barn he has. Owning a barn has to be a most awesome experience. Today, he told me about making this play space for the children and lit it up with all these can lights in the rafters that he got in an enviable shopping bargain coup. A cool effect he had to admit.
Anyway, for the space of his work, I am a normal person. Yes, he had plenty of Myrtle tears in the first few stages of work, but Ben never minded them or labeled me crazy. Mostly, I think I am like one of his old biddies (he has a collection of them among his customers), ones whom he visits with as much as he works for them so they are not quite so lonely. Whether I am weak and shaky, weepy, or discouraged, Ben treats me as if am none of those things...just normal folk...well, eccentric normal folk. Hence, the label of the world's greatest electrician.
Besides, any contractor who lets me use his power tools is going to be a fantastic one in my book. Next time, if need be, I get to work the conduit bender as well. While not electric, it is a way cool tool.
Today's work was twice delayed, once by an emergency of one of his other customers and once by my emergency trip to the hospital. However, this was a day during which I contemplated the idea of the fullness of time. I savor Ben praying over our lunch, rest in the knowledge that the work he is doing is always triple-checked (since he knows the idea of an electrical fire sort of haunts me), and relish the bit of normalcy.
Yesterday was a wretched day (thus the dire need for that organizing fix) that ended with a migraine for which I had to break out every single pill in my arsenal, including the wondrous Zofran. I write for the recordation, though the memory still deeply disturbs me. Among other challenges, I had a flashback while driving. One moment I was in the car; the next I was not. I came back as I hit a road sign, smashing my mirror. I over-corrected into the other lane, thankfully just between a car that had passed and one that was on-coming.
Were I different sort of person, I would be dancing about the house in joy that God protected me from greater harm and that all those pills stopped the migraines after many hours. There was an end. And I have already been educated over what I can do in the car to help prevent another flashback while driving. Still, I am terrified of the things in my life, on all sorts of fronts. And weary. So very weary.
However, it was this day that was the fullness of time for a fellow believer to shower me with the blessings of his vocation and his company, freely sharing/showing mercy and grace. The sweetness of that Gospel is richer, I think, than it would have been had the delays not happened.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. ~John 1:1-5
I am Yours, Lord. Save me!
2 comments:
The difference is amazing.
Ah, shucks! Gee thanks, Bettina! Of course, I sort of think so, too. The silly thing to me is that I finally have a toilet paper holder fastened to the wall. Now that is class!
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