BWW Project 25-5: Living Room Ceiling Light

 BWW Project 25-5   Living Room Ceiling Light

The living room had a cover over a ceiling box and a switch as you enter the room that had no purpose that we could see.  It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that there was once a ceiling light there of some kind.

We have been complaining that it is too dark in the room and we each have an LED floor lamp by our chair.  We were contemplating adding a light under the ceiling fan over by my chair.  Since Cathy ordered the one LED light for the kitchen, she thought, "why not a matching one in the LR?"

Like doing brakes on cars, the second one is a snap because you solved all the pertinent problems on the first one.  I took about 40 minutes to hang this one and it worked perfectly.  It throws good light on the room!  These lights have switches in them where you can adjust the lumens.  If we want to tone one up or down in the future, it is very simple to twist off the globe.  The little switch is visible right on the disk which contains about 60 LEDs.

BWW Project 25-4 Downstairs Bathroom Sink Drain

BWW Project 25-4: Downstairs Bathroom Sink Drain

Cathy says that the sink drain in the downstairs bathroom is very slow.  She tried a round of opener in it and it didn't seem to help.  I thought that I could take the trap off and clean it out.  Seemed like the easiest thing to try first.  I was able to just barely get the trap unscrewed with bare hands.  But it was fairly clean.  It's high end stuff and did have a wooden pick, the kind you use for shish kebabs jammed down in there.  That's a clue!  The previous owner thought it was clogged, too and tried jamming something down in there and it broke off.  Removed that, and put the trap back on.  

Murphy's Law, of course.  The trap dripped no matter how I tightened it!  It always has to turn into a nightmare.  Now I'm going to Ace Hardware for some new seals for the trap connections.  I bought an assortment because I'm thinking that this kind of thing is going to be happening, either here or at daughter's old or new house.

I also picked up, for $14, an auger snake.  As long as I had the trap off, I gave a few tries at running the snake down and luckily punching through the clog.  No luck.  

I put in new gaskets, tightened her up and ran some water in the sink.  It filled but did not drain.  The guest bathroom across the wall shares a common drain and water backed up into that sink too.  So the clog is down there a ways, 3 or 4 feet down.  After a while the water did go down, so now it's time again to load her up with liquid plumber and just wait for it to eat through the clog, wherever it is.

BWW Project 25-3 Kitchen Ceiling Light

 BWW Project 25-3:  Kitchen Ceiling Light

There is a big ceiling light containing two curved flourescent tubes in the kitchen.  The condenser is weak and sometimes we have to jiggle the switch multiple times to get it to fire on.  The outer shell is cracked as well.  It throws out quite a bit of light, though.  Time to replace it.

Cathy ordered two LED ceiling lights, one for this purpose and the other for the living room which is very dark and which has a covered box in the ceiling which I tested and found controlled by a wall switch.

I didn't have a ton of energy today, but I tackled the kitchen light.  It went quite well.  The old shell came off with no problems and once I disabled the circuit, all I had to do was remove four long bolts that probably went up into anchors above the drywall.  Cathy will have to fill those holes in and paint.

The frame came down, then, and I undid the wire nuts to get it completely off.  The new light was hooked up, the wire nuts tucked up into the box, and the backer tightened up to the ceiling very nicely.  The light turned on when energized, and has a four position switch for brightness and tone, which Cathy can click to her desired setting.  The globe twists onto pegs which hold it in securely.  

March 2025 Weight, BP, meds, Exercise, etc

 March 2025 Weight, BP, Meds, Exercise, Etc

DATE        Weight           Meds                            Exercise

3/1            196.8            Ca-D3-Pr-AB                

3/2            196.4            AL-Ca-D3-Pr-T-AB

3/3            198.4            Ca-D3-Pr-AB                                                                                *

3/4            196.8            Ca-D3-Pr-T-AB

3/5            196.8            Ca-D3-Pr-AB                                                                                *

3/6                                Ca-D3-Pr-AB                                                                                *

3/7                                Ca-D3-Pr-T-AB                                                                                *

3/8                                Ca-D3-Pr-AB                    Kayak 79-min                                        *

3/9                                AL-Ca-D3-Pr-AB                                                                            *

3/10                                Ca-D3-Pr-AB                                                                                **

3/11                                Ca-D3-Pr-T-AB                Biked 8.5 mi

3/12                                Ca-D3-Pr-AB

3/13                                Ca-D3-Pr-AB

3/14                                Ca-D3-Pr-T-AB

3/15                                Ca-D3-Pr-AB

3/16                                Ca-D3-Pr-AB

3/17        198                AL-Ca-D3-Pr-AB                                                                            *

3/18        197.5                Ca-D3-Pr-T-AB                                                                             *

3/19        198                Ca-D3-Pr-AB                                                                                    *

3/20        198                Ca-D3-Pr-AB                                                                                *

3/21        196                Ca-D3-Pr-T-AB                                                                                *

3/22        197.5              Ca-D3-Pr-AB                                                                                **

3/23        198                AL-Ca-D3-Pr-AB                        lots of hot sauce                        *

3/24        197                Ca-D3-Pr-T-AB                       5 a.m. very unstable and floundered

                                                                                        around. Dry heaves                        

3/25        196                Ca-D3-Pr-AB                                                                                    *

3/26        197                Ca-D3-Pr-AB                        Hiked 45-in                                        *.

3/27        197                Ca-D3-Pr-AB                                                                                   *

3/28        196                Ca-D3-Pr-T-AB                    Kayaked 90-min                                **

3/29        197.5           Ca-D3-Pr-AB                                                                                     *

3/30        196.5            AL-Ca-D3-Pr-AB                                                                                *

3/31        197                Ca-D3-Pr-AB                                                                                    *

AVGS    197.1            (missed no doses)                Paddle = 169-min

                                                                                Bike = 8.5 mi

                                                                                 Hike = 45-min                                    .8

                                    Tamsulosin 9/31 days = 29%

BWW Project 25-2: TDY Sara & Aaron's old house mud room ceiling

BWW Project 25-2:  TDY Sara & Aaron's old house mud room ceiling

Sara & Aaron bought new house and are moving into it.  They are going to sell old one and are in the throes of fixing up all the things that need doing before listing it.

One is the mud room ceiling about 8 X 10, where I had installed four can lights but which was half drywalled and the other half open.  Aaron had originally said "why do it when I am going to pop the mud room up another story.  Now that plan has changed and it needed finishing.

Aaron decided it would be easier to put bead board up and cut out for all four lights as it would be to drywall half of it and do all the mudding and finishing.  

We had to drive all the way to Beloit to get 5 sheets of bead board and busied ourselves with other little nit pickey tasks for the rest of the first day.  Cathy and I arrived in the morning of the second day and she and Sara worked on painting and scrubbing while Aaron and I hit the project.  

In my present medical condition I am limited in energy but we did pretty well.  

Of course you have to have a problem.  We were pretty careful when we nailed the bead board to the ceiling, to get the wires for the can light inserts inside the can, but of course one strayed outside the edge of the can.  Now when Aaron used my roto tool to cut the holes around the cans, he zipped this feed wire off and it stayed above the ceiling.  

I nipped off the wire inside the can and added jumpers to make them long enough to cram up in the can if the light had to be removed.  Flipped the switch and, wouldn't you know, Murphy's Law crept in and no light.  There is a little wafer up in there but it looks only like a connector of some kind to me.  We fobbed it off for another day.  I will learn what I can about it and bring more electrical tools and probes before we attack it again.

BWW-Project 25-1 Opening Up House for Season

 BWW Project 25-1  Opening Up House for Season

We stayed a night with no heat because I had difficulty lighting the furnace.  In the morning I tried more to no avail.  Called a heating guy and learned that I just wasn't giving it time to go through it's checks before igniting before I shut it down and started over because I felt gas wasn't getting to the valve yet.  Actually, somewhat different than our old place, once the switch is turned on, the fan comes on and clears the plenum.  Then it shuts off and a smaller blower fan comes on.  At this point I wasn't seeing ignition, so I shut it down and tried again.  

What I needed to do was let it cycle through its internal checks for a few more seconds and then it calls for gas and the ignitor goes on.  The guy checked and cleaned everything to make it somewhat worth the call.

We then drove up to Door County to stay overnight and meet with daughter and son-in-law and see grand daughter in high school play.  It was great!

We came back to a warm house and the city came the next day to put the water meter in.  This turned into a problem as did our internet router not working.  We went downtown and got a new router and that cured that problem.

I had everything pretty much prepared for the water going on, but unfortunately, problems come in threes.  There is a low spot in the basement line going under a cold air return plenum and up to the downstairs bathroom sink.  Water collected in it and froze, pushing an elbow apart.  

I fiddled with this plumbing nightmare for a day and a half, ultimately replacing the elbow with a Tee which a valve was attached for draining that low spot when buttoning up the house for winter.  Everything was tight, although a little sloppy, except for one joint to the valve, which leaked.  I tried putting flux into it and it would not take solder.

I went and got some epoxy which I hoped would bond to the fitting.  It did, and very nicely.

However, even after I left it dry overnight to cure, when I turned the pressure back on, things were fine for a short time and then water seeped through and started dripping.  I put a tub under it to catch the drips so I can live with it until I have the energy to cut it all out and redo it.

The only other easy fix problem was that the screens on both upstairs water spigot got loaded up. It was just a matter of twisting them off and blowing all the crud away, washing them good and twisting back on again.

Feb 2025 Weight, Meds, Exercise, etc

 Feb 2025 Weight, Meds, Exercise, etc

Date            Weight            Meds                            Exercise                a/c

2/1            199.6                Bi-Ca-D3                Bike 9 mi                    **

2/2            197.2                Bi-Ca-D3-T            

2/3            197.8                Bi-Ca-D3-T            D Boat 60 min            *

2/4            196.6                Bi-Ca-D3-T            Bike 9 mi                    *

2/5            196.8                Bi-Ca-D3                 Kayak 60 min            *

2/6            197.2                Bi-Ca-D3-T            D boat 60 min            *

2/7            197                    Bi-Ca-D3-T            

2/8            198                    Bi-Ca-D3                StaBike 10 mi            **

2/9            198.2                Bi-Ca-D3-T            

2/10            197.6            Bi-Ca-D3-T                D boat 60 min            *

2/11            197.6            Bi-Ca-D3-                    Bike 9.5 mi                **

2/12            198.8            Bi-Ca-D3-T                Kayak 90 min            **

2/13            198.8            Bi-Ca-D3-T                D boat 60 min            **

2/14            199.4            Bi-Ca-D3                                                        *

2/15                                    Bi-Ca-D3                                                    *

2/16                                    Bi-Ca-D3-T

2/17                                    Bi-Ca-D3                                                    *

2/18                                           Ca-D3-T                                                *

2/19                                       AB-Pr-Ca-D3                                            

2/20                                    AB-Pr-Ca-D3-T                                        **

2/21                                    AB-Pr-Ca-D3           StaBike 9 mi

2/22                                    AB-Pr-Ca-D3-T                                            *

2/23            196.6                AL-AB-Pr-Ca-D3                                        *    145-87-58  diarhea

2/24            194.8                AB-Pr-Ca-D3-T        StaBike 9 mi            *    132-86-66

2/25            195.2                AB-Pr-Ca-D3            Bike 8.5 mi                *    138-84-72

2/26            195.8                AB-Pr-Ca-D3                                                *

2/27            196.2                AB-Pr-Ca-D3-T                                                   129-79-71

2/28            197.2                AB-Pr-Ca-D3                                                        115-71-79

AVG            197.3                Bi = 16/18 for .89%    Bike = 55 mi        alc = 26 for .9              

                                            Ab= 10/10 for 100%    Paddle= 390 min            136-81-68

                                            Pr=10/10 for 100%

                                            AL=1/1 for 100%

                                            Ca=28/28 for 100%

                                            D3=28/28 for 100%

                                            T=15/28 for 54%