poplar road

I've been hinting at this for a while, but let's make it official: Richard has started a home business to supplement his "day job" since Unimog sales have not gone well in his first year on the job. Here's how it happened: people at work knew he was in HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) before, and asked his advice to help them get the right heating system for their homes. This month, the third time around, the gal at work who took his advice brought him two heat pump system quotes that were, in Richard's opinion, asking an arm and a leg. So after thinking about it and talking with Jason, our friendly not-quite-in-the-neighbourhood distributor (who you'll remember provided and installed our own heating system), Richard asked his co-worker if he could give her a quote - and three weeks to get ready for it. She said sure, and Sheridan's Heat Pumps and Mechanical Ltd. was born.

As a result, we've been doing a rigamarole of applications, certifications, licences, insurance, banking, sweating over how he's going to get the business going while we're finishing this gigantic renovation! (One source of funds, sad to say, was our beloved lawn tractor. Sold it to the neighbours. Sigh.) But it's all coming together. We're working hard on the master suite this weekend - pictures to come soon - and on things like business cards and the new website. Plus I've been back at work for a few days, with hopefully more contract days to come. It just means the reno itself is slow going. But, Jason and Mari Ann arrive next weekend, perfect timing for Jason to help Richard with his first new job: his co-worker accepted his quote! And my parents arrive the weekend after that for Thanksgiving. Further motivation, despite all these other chores, to get the bedroom done.

So that's the big news. I am now going to don my Holmes-like brown overalls and yesterday's dusty T-shirt, and put one more coat of mud on the drywall. Then I get to seal the tiles that Richard has already adhered around the tub. Which means that instead of using the sealant in the open, airy garage, I'm using it in the tiniest room in the house, with only the ceiling fan and my nasty dust mask to protect me. Lovely. But I can't wait to photograph it and show it off. It's gorgeous. The whole thing is going to be gorgeous. It's just taking a while. Yesterday, a bear spooking the neighbour's llamas caused some excitement as Jonathan got out the shotgun to go rescue the llama that jumped the fence, and we all went out back to steer it back to the farm. Then we met our new neighbours on the east side, and their two dogs. And Richard talked to Don on the other side about borrowing his ceiling-steppling equipment to do our master bedroom ceiling. I got all the drywalling I could do done, but at dusk when I quit, all I'd had to eat all day was a couple of pepperoni sticks, cheese and lots of water, because spotting the bear kind of used up my lunch break. Hm, and now that breakfast is over, I've got to get back at it. Richard is cracking the whip! (Mind you, he's the one who let me sleep in until 9.) More later.