Helping Hands

Every day on the train there is a young man who rides in the same car as me. He is challenged in some way, as he is in contant motion -- rocking, standing, sitting, hopping, craning his neck, twitching face, etc. Even in the dead of winter when it's 10 degrees outside, he's in a sweatshirt and sweatpants -- the same thing he wears on 90 degree days. And, when he checks the time on his phone, he holds it up so close that it's touching his nose. When he gets off the train, he doesn't walk, but skips. All in all, he is a happy guy who keeps to himself.

Today he was wearing a sweatshirt that read

Helping Hands
Monkey Helpers for the Disabled

That intrigued me, so I searched for it when I got online. Check out this video our local CBS station did on the program. I love the part where the monkey puts the straw in the bottle and also where the monkey washes himself in the sink The Today Show ran a segment too.

More Kitchen Remodel info...

The floors are being sanded today and will receive the first coat of stain. Tomorrow the workers will buff up the first coat and apply coat #2. After everything is finished in the kitchen, they'll come back and apply a final 3rd coat. Hopefully it matches nicely to the existing hardwood floors that it will border.

I found a picture on the internet of a slab of Sucuri granite that looks identical to the slabs we have on hold at the granite yard.

Kitchen Remodel Update June 19, 2008

Lots of progress today. The door and window went in. The cabinet doors were put on. The island received the decoractive panels. The recessed lights went in. One coat of paint was applied. And, the counter folks came and made templates.

Colleen comes home tomorrow after a week in London, so she's going to be wowed by the progress. This weekend we have to pick out the pendant lighting for over the island, the light fixture for over the sink, and we need to visit the granite yard to pick what parts of the 2 slabs they are holding for us should go where on the templates. The granite we picked has lots of movement to it, so one area will look drastically different than another. That's one reason we picked such a neutral wall color -- the busy granite will be a strong element.









The seeds were being raided again, so I set a second mouse trap. I caught a chipmunk! Poor guy. There are about 6-8 of them that play around in our yard and live in our lawn, so I'm hoping this one was a youngin' and not some patriarch or matriarch. It's certainly giving me the evil eye, deservedly so.

Kitchen Remodel Update June 18, 2008

On June 18, Chris and Rob put the base cabinets in and placed cardboard where the island countertop will be.

Kitchen Remodel Update June 16, 2008

The floors went in today. Base cabinets go in tomorrow, then the counter guys come out to template on Thursday. After the painters do their job sometime this week, the floor guys will come back and stain and coat them.









The flash was off, but I liked the atmospheric result.

Kitchen Update June 12, 2008

The floors had to spend the weekend in an air-conditioned home to shrink the wood down before they get installed on Monday. But, the contractors started to hang some of the upper cabinets, and then covered them with cardboard to protect them.

We have picked a paint color -- a light khaki that should off-set the cabinets nicely. The door and window, that have been covered with plywood the last two weeks, should be finished Tuesday.

I don't think I've ever named our contractor, who we are thrilled with, in terms of his design ideas, his availability, the way he keeps the job site clean, and his craftsmanship. He is Chris Coppellotti of Coppellotti Construction, LLC. He works with his brother, Rob, and I highly recommend them. Chris is about 30 and very modest. Chris's brother, Rob, is a few years older than he and a bit more gregarious.


Cabinets can be seen on the left.


The temporary door. A desk will go under that bank of upper cabinets on the left.


View towards the hallway that leads to the garage.


The dumpster is full. Good thing it's now just bringing in new things. The demo is all over.