French Doors

It's another wonderful Wednesday and only two days (39.5 hours and counting) until I can see outside onto my patio once again.

Recently we made a decision to replace the French Doors that let out onto our patio.  (Sigh).  I loved those doors but I didn't like the water that came inside when it rained nor the draft of cold air that came through when the temps got low or when it blew. 

(Bigger Sigh.)  They sure looked pretty but placing towels between them when it was windy or cold and/or on the floor in front of them when it rained had gotten old.

A few weeks ago we ordered new doors.  We thought we wanted new French Doors (I sure did...at first).  But by the time we placed the order, the French Doors had turned to a (boring) Sliding Door. 

I had to concede to my husband, it made sense with the weather we get on this side of our house.  Sometimes logical sense just beats out all the pretty's, as it did in this case.

Unfortunately, those pretty French Doors had leaked so badly that we had some rotten flooring inside our house that needed to be repaired in preparation for the arrival of our new (boring) Sliding Door, which will be here on Friday (39 hours and counting).

Thankfully my husband's background includes carpentry so this last weekend (4 days ago), he started the task of 'repairing' the floor for the arrival of our new (boring) Sliding Door.  

Sometimes it's better to let things be, sometimes it's better to know what you need to find out.  Saturday as he pulled up the floor I wished we would have left those old French Doors alone.

I took this picture (very quietly) with my phone.  My husband was in no frame of mind to know I had a phone poised behind him.  Cutting back the kitchen floor and pulling it up produced massive rot and terrible things underneath like a huge old bee's nest and some very stinky insulation from rodents. 

I may live on a farm but I do not do rodents in my house.  In the barn we have an understanding, they keep out of sight when I'm around and I leave them alone.

From dawn to dusk my husband ripped and sawed away rotten floor joists (new words I learned as of last Saturday).  We were grateful for the dry day.  Rain would have come right into the kitchen and why the logical purchase versus something romantic.  (Sigh).

By Saturday afternoon I was no longer an observer but the Laborer.  The Laborer is the person who fetches/carries/cleans and tries to cheer up the Carpenter.  As darkness started to arrive the Laborer was getting concerned about the huge hole in her kitchen and what in the heck she was going to cook the Carpenter for dinner as everything was covered in dust. 

The Carpenter assured her that he had a plan, and indeed he did - the plywood out of the beds of our trucks!

The Laborer again used her phone to take this pictures but she was reminded that Laborers are supposed to work, not sit around pointing their phone at plywood.  By dark we were all boarded in only to take it all down and go back at it again first thing Sunday morning.  Dinner on Saturday night?  Frozen Lean Cuisines (and lots of wine).

On Sunday the Laborer was sent for purchases of odd things like metal clips and insulation while the Carpernter worked.  Hither and yonder she traveled with her trusty dog Hank, by her side. 

By dark the Laborer was back again next to the Carpenter, holding sheets of plywood while he once again boarded up the hole that used to host beautiful French Doors that had caused all this grief.  And just like the French Doors, trusty towels were back in place to block the wind/rain (as best they could) as the wind started to blow and rain fell.

Since Sunday the hammering and sawing have been quiet.  However, the Carpenter is taking the next two days off so that we will be ready when the (boring) Sliding Door arrives on Friday (38.5 hours and counting).  In the meantime this is how the front of our house looks:

(Sigh).  I guess that (boring) Sliding Door won't be so bad after all....
:)