Roses

In addition to more closely monitoring finances and electrical consumption, I’ve had more time to pay attention to the small things around the house since I’ve been home from work. Smell the roses, so to speak.

Like this rose:

It’s not like that crack developed overnight, but, to be fair, it was hiding behind some old kitchen cabinets that we had put down there about 15 years ago. Though, in all honesty, I cannot promise that it did not exist when we first put the cabinets in front of it.

Discovering the crack caused a chain reaction that resulted in the complete reorganization of the cellar. For some reason, this included the moving and reinstallation of shelving and overhead cabinets as well as the moving of items not even in this part of the cellar.  Completely necessary, in my mind.

I must admit that I resorted to old tactics in addressing this problem – I paid to have it fixed rather than taking a DIY approach.  At first I was going to use  mortar caulk that I had hanging around. Dave had brought three tubes of it home from his father’s house a couple years ago. I’m not sure how long they had been in his father’s garage, but they did show signs of rusting.

Just to be sure I knew what I was doing, I googled for instructions on how to repair foundation cracks. And I found out I didn’t know what I was doing.

Of course, the contractor brought up another kind of chain reaction for me to follow. I asked about the cracks in the floor. He said $1200. I brought him out back to see the crack from the outside. He brought up landscaping contractors, retaining walls, and trenches.  That chain reaction stopped at the crack in the wall.