Outside the dugout: What's cooking?

I haven't been cooking much lately. I am fixing a half-bath that had a very slow leak behind the vanity for years and maybe decades before it was obvious.

When I saw what the plumbing problem was I called in some pros. There was some qest stuff that caused the leak and some ancient galvanized as well. So it was going to be a partial re-pipe of the house and not a quick fix. The other half of the house was re-piped with copper in 1990 so it still has a lot of life left. I could have done it myself, but it would have taken a few days. Instead I called in a crew and we only had water off for about 6 hours.

Tore out the old floor, re-leveled the joists with asphalt shingles (snagged a few at Lowes as samples), replaced the subfloor (it was 3/4 inch tongue and groove with 3/4 inch plywood over it - I used 3/4 inch tongue and groove, 1/2 inch plywood, and 1/4 inch Hardie backer board.

Lots of drywall to replace digging into the plumbing so I needed my taping and mudslinging skills. The drywall repairs are mostly behind the vanity and toilet and look better than the rest of the walls. I havn't done drywall taping since about 1980, but it is like riding a bike. I have mostly done plaster and lath repairs since then and that is a different skill set. Room has been primed today and probably painted tomorrow.

New tile should be here Friday or Saturday.

Then new baseboards, new vanity and mirror, installing L shutoffs, and setting the old American Standard toilet.

 

Didn't paint today. Our washing machine went on the fritz. Tracked it down to a rotor positioning sensor failure (this is a direct drive machine). Got the part ordered.

Spent part of the day looking for paint. I didn't like anything at Lowes or Home Depot. Going to the local Benjamin Moore store tomorrow.

I'd rather be cooking.

 

It is just something that goes back to my youth earning dollars anyway I could. I learned a lot of skills back then being willing to assist on tradesmen weekend side jobs. I still get a lot of personal satisfaction from doing it myself.

And doing it myself I know that the job was done correctly.

And if a corner is cut, I know exactly what corner was cut.

 

Washing machine repair part showed up yesterday, two days before expected. It took about 20 minutes to replace the part and everything works great. My wife thinks that I am a genius.

Did coat #1`of the final color (Benjamin Moore Regal Atrium White) on the bathroom remodel/fix. Second coat tomorrow. Great paint and a great off-white color.

Spent a lot of the afternoon with some students on a project. Yeah, I am retired, but I got roped into this for the academic year. It pays way less than my consulting fees, but once an educator always an educator.

But yesterday I made Korean BBQ pork wrapped in Napa cabbage leaves with rice with lime zest and juice.

 

Pretty much leftovers tonight. Then cooking stuff for my MIL that has a lunch group over. I am making pickled shrimp with fennel and onion. I think that my wife is making quiche.

 

Taped the Hardie backer in the morning and set the tile in the afternoon. I am OK with it except for maybe two tiles. My wife wanted 6 x 24 wood-look tile and your floor needs to be super flat for that. Easy to do on new construction but hard to do on a water damaged floor. I worked hard to make it flat, but I am worried about two of the tiles. There is about 1/16th of an inch of "rock" along the length for both of them. I set the tile with less of an error in the heavy traffic areas and more error out of traffic. I think that it will be OK, but I have half of a box of tiles to make things right if it isn't. Replacing the whole tile with two half pieces is one option.

So anyway I texted my wife to bring home dinner because I didn't cook anything and I am beat.

 

Waiting on the thinset to dry today so it was lawn mowing and making a green chicken pozole.

Grouting tomorrow in the morning and then making dinner for bridge night: Pasta with Bolognese sauce and a salad.

I love that sauce. It reminds me of my Grandma's cooking.

 

I found a place in Gainesville that still carries Pat's, but the problem is that it is almost $3 a bottle instead of less than $2 a bottle like I was used to paying.

 

Floor is grouted and the sauce is simmering.

I am enjoying an adult beverage before taking a shower.