Strip!

Newsflash: I'm not going to become a construction worker anytime soon.

Yesterday, our renovation began. Two guys came over and began bashing off all the lath and plaster on our second floor, removing archival building material that has been there since 1924. Did you know that plaster was put up with horsehair in it to help keep it together? I said notes of thanks to all the little horses as I bagged and heaved heavy bags for 10 hours.

I'm impressed by my energy and how my body (my knee!) handled all the hard work. But BOY! I don't know what it does it to you to be working like that five or six days a week for decades.

Anyway, the fun continues today and tomorrow and then the whole second floor will be stripped back to the joists and the reno guys can begin work on Tuesday.

I'm all kinds of excited... if a little achy.

Mad props (which sounds like a term for all the bits and pieces on the set of Pee-Wee's Playhosue) to appelle who came over and hauled hunks of wood from the back yard to the garage.

Rending and Razing

So, go know: it's harder the second day.

Fuck! By noon I was already collapsing today, but Snake and Toutou were more involved and we were able to work through until about 5 p.m.

Three-quarters of the walls are off on the second floor and about half of the floor has been removed. We've found amazing architectural archaelogical finds behind the walls including gas pipes that once fed gas lights and charred boards from some fire that might have caught off a plumber's torch. There were five layers to the bathroom floor including wood, tile and multiple linoleums.

We have filled around 160 bags with construction waste. So far.

Tonight, we watch Margaret Cho on DVD and then collapse. More hauling construction waste tomorrow. Monday, all day cleaning. Thousands of nails have to be pulled individually.

But two months from now, when I am lying in bed in a new bedroom, I will be looking around and feeling the ghost memories in my muscles -- knowing I played a part in the creation of our home.


Big P.S.: if anyone in Toronto can do some heavy lifting, we might be able to give you a day's work when we bring a tonne of waste to the transfer station in a week or so. I don't know if I can lift those damn things again...