Losing my bearings.

Ball bearings that is. 

I haven’t gotten turned around on my way out to the garage lately, if that’s what you thought I meant.  Unless of course you count the times I realise I’ve left my glasses wherever I was a minute ago.  They need to be on or off,  but I have yet to come up with a system.  And no, I’m not doing that whole Librarian with the rope around my neck thing.

Not yet, anyway.

It’s going out!!

Today is one of those minor milestones in the waste/pick-up/recycling/what have you end of things,  since the little icon on our “Recycling Calendar”   (doesn’t everyone have such a thing?)  indicated that we could put out any manner of cast off item. Well actually,  mostly just furniture.  They show a wing back chair as their little symbol, but the IKEA dresser that’s been hanging around upstairs for a while was the best I could find. 

We actually have a fleet of these,  since we had to buy *something* when we moved to Vienna,  and I ended up buying three more there. Hey, cheap and functional, what more would we want?

This one however, is pooched. 

I had already had to reinforce the drawer bottoms,  since they had started to come out many a year ago,  but then we started (well actually,  Son-in-law and Daughter Number Two started) to notice little ball bearings showing up from time to time. Huh?  That didn’t bode well at all,  since they were coming out of the drawer slides.   So this morning was one of those times when it’s handy to have a little “magnet on a stick”,  ‘cause them suckers was going everywhere!

Oh,  and the other three that I bought in Vienna?  They got moved to the new digs of Daughter Number Two and her hubby.  They may or may not start to fall apart.  No matter,  not my deal man.

And that brings me to an observation.  It seems that the junk you buy here at IKEA is actually worse than the junk that’s available in the European stores.  China verses Poland?  I noticed the stuff in Europe was mostly made in Poland or the Czech Republic.  Like I said,  just an observation,  and one which comes from others who are more versed in the ways of the big box store,  and that would be Daughter Number Two and Hubby.   It seems,  they know these things.

I think my IKEA shopping days are pretty much over, truth be told, unless I want to go in for some of those honkin’ big serviettes.  Do you say “napkins”?  We don’t,  since that has some connotation of “Sanitary Napkins”.   Not my first choice for wiping my chin.  Buh.

 

 

And then, after that fun of putting my junk out to the curb,  we got down to some actual work.   By “we” of course,  I mean “me”.

We’ll go with the picture end of things.

The old window was set on a thin bed of mortar.  Nicely coloured to match the house of course.

Again,  big gaping hole.  Insulation?  Wassat?

 

And….there we go.

 

Once everything is a nice and plumb,  and in this case I pinned the frame in a couple key spots,  I like to use that expanding foam.  That stuff (called “Great Stuff”,  by the way)  is the stickiest adhesive you can imagine.  Plus of course,  it keeps out the bugs,  the elements and is reasonably waterproof.  (sez so on the can.)

I think the toughest part of the job was getting the “operator” back in place.  There was a certain amount of hanging out and fiddling with the little attachment points. Plus with it being an insulated unit (Thermo pane) that sucker got heavy.

I might have to start weight training.

Most of the other windows I’ve put in up to this point are ONLY affixed with expanding foam.  The way I look at it is,  if the wind blows strong enough to take out a window, (we DO get tornados here in Southern Ontario) we’ll be in the cold storage,  hoping there’s a house left to come back out to.  If you’ve ever put this stuff anywhere,  and then tried to remove it,  you’ll understand completely.

I only did the one window there this morning,  since this pair is a bit of a challenge,  due to the outside corner that I have to remanufacture.   I cannot imagine what the average home owner or window installer would do.   Walk away,  most likely.   We still haven’t been able to find anyone qualified to come and rebuild the front of the house,  since it’s all cedar.   It will be somewhat of a herculean effort,  and even in my prime,  I wouldn’t have thought of myself as having either the nerve or the ambition.   Next year.

 

OK, miles to go before I sleep.   (Bonus points if you know that quote)

There’s still grass to be cut.

 

 

Thanks for lookin’.

 

 

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