Saturday, November 14, 2009

Pains For Panes - Part Two

Continued from November 10.

Well, as usual, the weather did not cooperate, so my windows weren't done until the following Tuesday. I spent Monday afternoon and evening doing the last of the prep.

Sleep was restless on Monday night. I was wondering if I'd remembered everything. Wondering what mess I would come home to in the afternoon. Wondering how I would manage to spend the day out of my castle. It is one thing to leave your home by choice, but quite another to be forced out for even a few hours for work you don't even want. I got maybe four hours of disjointed sleep and got up at 6:00 to do the final prep and be ready to leave at 8:00.

The workers were here shortly after 8 and I was told that they should be done early afternoon as they were only doing two suites that day. I could come home around 1 or 2.

I caught a bus and headed to a mall about 20 minutes away. I got there around 9:00 and over the next three hours, I did some shopping for Christmas as well as a bit of window shopping for my Christmas wish list and a little shopping for myself. I had packed a lunch, but really wasn't hungry so I left the mall about noon and headed for another store to explore closer to home.

After almost four hours out, my eyes, mind and body were totally exhausted. I was functioning on little sleep and frankly my senses were a little stressed with having to concentrate on my surroundings for such a long period without a real break so I found a nice place to sit for awhile and collect my thoughts, rest my eyes and weary body before going home. I really needed a nap, but no such luck. I still really wasn't hungry either.

I came home about 1:30 to discover that the work was far from done. It had been one of those days for the workers and they were behind. They agreed to let me stay if I stayed away from the windows. No problem, as I was way to tired to move any more than I absolutely had to! I sat on a chair in the kitchen, ate my lunch and read the paper and my mail while they worked.

They were more or less done by about 4 - except for the caulking which was finally finished around 6.

Luckily, there was little wind that day so the dust was minimal. Aside from removing the plastic and moving things back, all I had to do cleaning wise was wash the floor and a little dusting. I only did a bit Tuesday night and finished the rest on Wednesday. The curtain rods had to be re-hung and the drapes washed, but that would get done in a few days.

It was over. My lovely old sliders were gone and the new ones were in.


So why am I so against these new ones when they are more energy efficient and still offer the same gorgeous view?

Well, these new ones are the crank style that swing out only a few meager inches. Mine open to the northwest - which is still nice - but they only open about 5 to 6 inches! That is barely enough to catch a breeze!

This building does not have air conditioning, which means that come summer and the inevitable heat that goes with the summer, those of us without window air conditioners are going to suffocate even with portable fans! The new windows do include a removable panel at the bottom so that a window AC unit can be installed for the season, but at this point, tenants are responsible for providing there own units. Hopefully that will change down the road - before I have to buy my own!

It has only been a few days, but these new windows are going to take some getting used to. I like being able to open my windows wide and enjoying the fresh air - even on a crisp winter night if the wind isn't from the north. I can't do that anymore. The summer breezes can be lovely and refreshing on a warm day or evening but that isn't going to happen anymore either - unless the breeze is from the northwest.

I'll miss my old windows.

Progress - what a pane!

dn

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