All the tearout got done and we’re down to bare walls. All appliances
except the double ovens are being replaced plus we’re adding a
dishwasher—daughter Annie is more excited about that than anything 😉
That poor old refrigerator is something of a miracle all by itself—37 years
old and still running like a champ. If it wasn’t so ratty looking and if I had
a garage, I’d keep it as a backup but, alas, Sears will be taking it to the
place where old fridges go, the great appliance boneyard in the sky.
One of the best things about this has been seeing all the layers that have
existed in the kitchen over the years since 1962 including at least 5 floors
and half a dozen paint colors and wallpapers. I can’t imagine living with
an entire room of that red pattern but I kinda wish we could have saved
enough to make a small framed wall accent as a nod to the past but it just
shredded instead of coming off in a sheet. I never saw it before so I
know it goes back more than 30 years.
That round thing there? That’s what a lazy susan looks like from the other
side and my kitties will miss it like crazy because they’d go under it for a
terrific hidey-hole. And speaking of kitties…
Meet Giselle. This fluffybutt is at least part Maine Coon and she’s the
friendliest, most affectionate cat you’ll ever find, loving nothing better
than to be in a lap or on a shoulder, rubbing cheek to cheek. She’s also
fearless, way too curious and fond of dark tight places—witness the
lazy susan and I actually had to sell a sleep sofa because she’d climb
inside and then not be able to get out unless we opened it.
So, there are holes all over the walls intended for various purposes like
wiring, plumbing and whatnot. The guys have been really good about
keeping tape on them while work progresses but, on Wednesday, a sub and
his helpers were here and they uncovered all the holes. When they left, one
hole was not re-taped and we didn’t notice. Unfortunately for us, Giselle
discovered it and, of course, had to check it out.
As you can see, Holly is supposed to keep tabs on Giselle…
…but she clearly was asleep on the job.
I tried calling the contractor but couldn’t reach him so I rather hesitantly
called the fire department and found out that their animal services
division shuts down at night. I must have sounded needy and pathetic
because the dispatcher said he was going to call the battalion chief to
see if he’d give permission for a truck to come.
And he did!
Three burly firemen (emanating hotness, by the way) arrived on a ladder
truck (I think, but it was dark; I just know it was big and had lots of lights).
We knew Giselle had fallen or slid from the second floor to the first—she
“talked” to us constantly— so all three guys crowded into the bathroom and
started calling her name while they used the heat-seeking thingie to locate
her in the ceiling. They finally figured out that she was somewhere above
them so they took the fan apart and then the most adorable thing happened.
Imagine, if you will, these three fabulous guys all cooing, literally cooing, to
get her to come closer. You know, the whole “kitty, kitty, kitty” thing
along with “Giselle, come on, baby” until, finally, she was right next to
the fan hole and one of them reached up and pulled her right on out,
leading to much cuddling and petting by these wonderful, fabulous men,
our heroes. They actually had a good time rescuing my baby and
one even said this was a new experience for him.
And we haven’t got a single picture 😦 because my phone was upstairs
and Annie’s was on the charger. Not to mention neither one of us was
going to leave all the excitement going on. Now, we have to come up with
a good thank you gift for Chesterfield Fire Station 9 along with a
hefty donation, of course. I send them one every year but this requires
a little something extra, don’t you think?
And Giselle is as smug and self-satisfied as any cat has a right to be 😉
Buried Under Books 