Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Tim Knows Lowes.

 It irks me that Tim runs to Lowes multiple times a week. To me, that's a time waster. You decide what you're doing, you get what you need, and then you get it done, without interruptions. Not Tim. 

Last Friday, we needed to get flooring for the bathroom, so once again, we headed off. We selected what we wanted, and the girl who came knew nothing about linoleum. "Let me get someone for you," she said, and that was that. We waited for 10 or 15 minutes and then gave up. While we were waiting, though, we were looking around, and we found a special order flooring that looked like slate. It was probably part of a larger order, and two boxes had been returned. It was pricey stuff, on clearance for $23.00 a box. We snagged that in a hurry. We both liked it a lot, and the two boxes were plenty to do the bathroom. 

Walking to get a cart, I saw linoleum. It was clearanced out at 27 cents a square foot. We did some quick calculations and discovered that we could do the laundry room and the kitchen for about $40.00. It was pretty ordinary, but it matched with the color scheme. Tim said, "Well, we really can't go wrong with that," and so we went right with that, instead. For about $80 with my military discount (Tim will never leave me. He loves me for my discount), we had the flooring for three rooms. 

Yesterday, he found the window trim for the windows and doors in the living room. It was a good price and a perfect solution to a problem he'd been mulling. It was also prepainted. That saved a lot of time, there, and Tim happily trimmed the windows and doors in the livingroom. 

Today, we stopped into get a transition strip to go on the floor between the kitchen and the dining room. I saw a familiar yellow sticker and stopped. He stopped too. They had 14 foot sections of molding. We had not chosen the baseboard yet, and these were perfect. They were also prepainted. Unbelievably, we were able to get all the molding for the livingroom, one bedroom, the bathroom for $22. We have plenty left over even. 

I've stopped complaining about all those trips to Lowes. Today, the bathroom and the laundry room are completely done. The kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms are nearly done. We've begun hauling tools out and with all the clutter disappearing, it's begun to look...well...finished. 

Tim believes we can have everything done but the carpet by the end of the week. We had a deadline of June 15th, and we'll make that, easy. The very best part? It really turned out cute, and I think one white headed bearded fellow will be quite happy when he sees it. 

So that's my big excitement of the day. 

One unrelated story: I was pulling into the grocery store. I haven't had time to do a full shop, for a while, just quick trips. (I guess that Tim and I are not all that different after all. He's running to Lowes multiple times a week, and I'm running to Aldi's two or three times a week). 

Anyways, William was with me, and I saw a killdeer running across the parking lot. I wasn't sure that William had ever been introduced to one, so when I got out of the car, I headed off towards him. "Where are we going? What are you doing?" and I told him that I wanted to show him something very cool. 

Two killdeers rushed at us nervously. They are the stupidest damn birds. They build their nests on the ground and it doesn't seem to matter where. (I once cordoned off a nest and put a chair over it because they had made a nest right square in the middle of a busy parking lot!)

 Immediately, they began their posturing, dragging a wing in the saddest looking manner. 

William said, "Awwwww...they are injured." 

"Nope," I said, and I explained that there was a nest in the vicinity and that's how the parents protected it. When a predator comes near, they pretend to be injured, and the fox or the weasel follow them thinking that they've got an easy meal. When they are a distance from their nest, they simply fly away. 

William was amazed. We did not want to upset them, but William looked carefully from where we stood and he found the nest under some bushes. "The eggs look just like stones!" he exclaimed. 

So that was our 'moment' for the day. 

For the first day in probably five days, I saw that a cat had eaten the dry cat food. I haven't seen Mangey since the day he bolted from me, but I am hopeful he's still around. 

26 comments:

  1. Gosh, I never knew that about killdeer birds. What an amazing survivor technique. Glad you could show William. Wonder if Mangey ate the dry cat food? You and Tim seem efficient in your handiwork and snagged some really good prices. Linda in Kanss

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  2. You can watch it too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLH9w0SNzWg

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  3. So if you're at the right spot at the right time you win some. Good on you for being somewhat adaptable so that you could take advantage of these products.

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    1. I grumbled, but the fact is, we saved a ton of money AND time, with those multiple trips to Lowes. Tim routinely stops in there just to look at the clearance. We stockpile for the rentals and for the house we are going to build. He's right. I'm wrong.

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  4. I think a good bit of self satisfaction is owed. I haven't heard of the killdeer but I believe some other birds do the same.

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    1. We are glad to be ending this project. It was a big one, and something that has been keeping us occupied for quite long enough!

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  5. Wow those prices are unbelievably good. The equivalent products over here are way more expensive.
    Thank you for introducing me to Kildeer. I had not heard that name for a type of plover before. Clever birds.

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    1. Those prices are unbelievably good over here. Plover is a name I have heard before, but never associated with killdeers.

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  6. Unfortunately, I used to see a lot of killdeers as I cultivated the fields in the summer, always dragging their wings. I never saw their news but assumed they were in the rows somewhere. Later on however, it was fun to see the little babies that looked like ping pong balls with legs scattering as I approached. They were quick enough that they always escaped to neighboring rows I wasn't tilling.

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  7. Those are some good deals. I love teaching my grandson about birds, wildlife and plants too.

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    1. We are fortunate to be surrounded by these things, so 'teaching' is mostly pointing things out.

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  8. Good to find out about some birds we don't have here . We have Plovers but not that big

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    1. Killdeer are not that big, really. I had to go off and read about plovers. Turns out, Killdeer are a species of plovers.

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  9. You are DIY-ers par excellence.

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    1. LOL. More like DIY-ers who are determined to get done!

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  10. My husband just realized recently that Lowes gives a military discount. Of course we don't have one in town anymore...

    I use to see lots of Killdeer when we dove hunted and tried never to mistake one for a dove. -Kelly

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    1. A Lowe's closed?!!! That would be Tim's worst nightmare!

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  11. You two have saved yourselves thousands of dollars doing the work yourself and it sounds like you know what you are going since it turns out so nicely! Well done!

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    1. That is exactly how we got this off the ground 14 years ago.

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  12. I have to ask - do they kill deer? Your Lowes sounds similar to our Bunnings. Himself says if there is a Y in the day of the week a trip to Bunnings is mandatory. Do you have another project lined up after this one is finished?

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    1. No. But William asked the same question. We are taking the rest of the summer off. We have one more renovation. It won't have a deadline like this one though. It is a resale.

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  13. I once had a killdeer nest in my gavel drive and secured it with a chair!

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    1. I don't know why they pick such places to make a nest. Crazy bird brains.

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  14. Killdeer are vulnerable birds when they nest for just that reason. Like quail and other ground-nesting birds, their numbers are apparently suffering in some areas. I used to hear them all the time in a vacant lot across from my apartment in Florida -- but now there are condos on that lot so I guess the killdeer have moved on.

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    1. What is odd to me is that the birds were about 20 feet away from a chain link fenced in area for a catch basin for that parking lot. They could have nested in there and been completely safe from almost all predators!

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