It’s been a lovely day today!  Enough that we’ve actually opened most of the windows in the house.  We even got the inside front door open again.  I’d tried to open it while my brother was here, to show him how the outside screen door was stuck, as if it were painted shut (it isn’t).  I had managed to get the top unstuck, but not the bottom.  I wasn’t able to show him this, though, as the inside door wouldn’t budge.  He tried it as well, but we both stopped because we didn’t want to break the door knob.  When I tried it again this morning, I discovered it wasn’t the door itself that was stuck; it was the knob!  For some reason, it turned only part way; far enough that we didn’t notice, but not enough to get the tongue out of the groove.

Looks like we’re going to have to add “door knobs” to the list of things to replace.

Then, I set up our little step ladder in front of the screen door.

Yeah, I’m a suck when it comes to the cats, but in this case, without it there, the cats keep trying to get onto the dining room window, which involves jumping up onto shelves that hold a bunch of plants, coffee pot, kettle, etc.  All stuff that can be knocked over by our less then elegant (amazingly clumsy) cats, too easily! :-D  So, the lady gets her own perch, to look out the window at the birds.

I had hoped to get more work done on the wood pile in the garden, but today ended up being more of a day of domesticity.  Things like cleaning the bathroom took priority.

It’s remarkable how different something as basic as cleaning a bathroom changes when you are on well water that is so rich in iron and minerals.  Regular household cleaners don’t cut it – literally – while the specialty cleaners need greater care, like making sure windows are wide open!  At least they’re septic friendly.

That’s another thing that’s reaching the top of our to-do list.  The tank hasn’t been emptied in 2 years and, while the house was empty, it was still used now and then.  No way of knowing how full that tank was, but with 4 people now living here, it’s bound to be overdue for emptying.  The ground should be thawed enough for it too be done.  After this, we’ll go back to the usual emptying of the tank in the late fall.

I did make a point of going out and starting my mom’s car again, to make sure all is well, after yesterday’s troubles when the battery was put back.  All was well.

Except for the bird, trapped in the garage.

Though the main door stays open right now, until we can replace the handle, the bird stayed in the rafters and wouldn’t fly lower, though the wide open door.  When I later found it bashing itself into the window in the lean to my mother’s car is parked in, I went around and opened the back door from the outside.  That seemed to do that trick.  I heard it flying out before I got much more than 10 feet away.

My brother was sure the new door handle we got would work, even if the cable doesn’t go through the squared post like the old one did, so I took another look at it.  I think he’s right.  One end of the cable was woven through a hole in the plate, the squared post, and then a second hole in the plate, before being tied to the cable from the other side.  I managed to get the knot undone.  The end of the wire cable that threaded through the holes is fraying, however, so it took some doing to get it undone.

I’m only bleeding a little bit.

I’m going to have to put tape or something on the end, to be able to thread it back through the second hole in the plate.

As for the handle itself, it was intended for a wooden door.  The screws it came with are wood screws, and short.  I’m going to have to look around for some nuts and bolts in the appropriate size.  There are jars and tins of screws, nails and who knows what else, all over the place, so I should be able to find something, somewhere.

That squared post is still a bit of a problem, though.  It’s a couple of inches longer than the old one.  Which means the plate won’t be as close to the back of the door as it was, before.  I’m hoping that won’t actually make a difference, since the whole thing freely turns to pull the cables.  It should still be up against the door, though.  Ah, well.  We’ll see how it works once I find some fasteners for the handle.

The cables, themselves, could probably use replacing, too.

So does the entire door, really.  It’s definitely the worse for wear!

More things to add to the list!

The Re-Farmer