Coming soon: a kitchen

Well, the start of a kitchen. We don't have the details worked out yet. Probably chief and most serious among those: graywater treatment. (I'm thinking rock/bamboo garden. But bamboo is invasive, so... to keep it contained?)

Anyway, we're Keith's getting started on the "kitchen cabinets" since we found a countertop for $6 at Home Resource in Missoula last weekend (SCORE!). We kind of went there on a whim, thinking, We might as well. We wandered around their yard, looking at possible counter materials. And in the back we found the pale yellow Formica one that doesn't already have a hole in it. Perfect--we can decide where to put the sink.

The sink was made in 1940 (it says on the bottom), we got it for $5 or something last year. It doesn't have holes in the back of it for a faucet, that's what we wanted since we're not doing standard plumbing. We were ARE doing is still up for debate, but it's not standard anything.

Keith built a pantry to be under-sink storage. It's not very deep because we didn't want it taking up a lot of space (like everything else in the house), but the part that will come out 90° from the right end of this will be deeper, about 18" or so.

We still have a lot of cedar left over from the siding, so that's what a lot of the shelves in the house will be made out of. It takes the primer well, too. That's my favorite easy treatment---but we might need something more impervious to water for the kitchen window.

Today was the first day of spring, though it's been spring-like around here, off and on, for a while. Yesterday I sat out in the sunshine while Keith built shelves.

I've started the Couch Potato to 5k running program, so Mister Laz and I are running (well, walking/jogging) partners every other morning. That's the main reason we went to Missoula...to get me new shoes. I flirted with buying them off ebay, after consulting the Runner's World Shoe Finder, but I admitted, after some encouragement by friends, that finding a good pair of shoes that fit me properly is key to whether or not this eventually becomes enjoyable.

So I went to The Runner's Edge in Missoula and bought these. Okay, just so you know, going into a running shoe star right after a race, a St. Patrick's Day race, not good timing. But someone (I forgot to get her name), helped me into three different pairs before I found one that fit right. I tried them in the store on their treadmill---super helpful to feel how they will fit during a run--and so far I've been happy with them.

Lazlo seems to get excited when we go and he's usually well-behaved. I am finding so much information online that I never knew existed, like mapmyrun.com, where you can map any run on any road (or not road). So I entered the info for my beginning route (up to the highway, down to the river, up to the highway, and then back home) and found out we go 1.5 miles every morning. It even gives the elevation change over the route.

So I after my first week, I got 4 runs in instead of the plan's 3, which was a good way to start, I think. For my fourth "run," I reduced my rest time to 60 seconds and it felt okay. I think, THINK, it might be getting a little easier. Lazlo's getting more exercise (which he needs) and it's easier to run if you have someone with you. Watching the sunrise, listening to music, it's not too bad. Hoping it makes my pants fit better sometime soon.

I'm done with two big projects at work (recurring every year), so now it's back to coasting time. Well, no working more than Monday-Wednesday, which is really hard when you're not used to it. More time to work on house stuff, I hope. And I've quoted someone for 2 weddings this summer, so I'm hoping that comes through. Would be nice to make a paycheck's worth in one weekend. Money for Belize!!