First Shower

[chochiyo_sama]

I don't have a bath tub in my new house--only a large shower. It is a lovely shower, but I hate taking showers--I prefer a bath. But this morning, I took my first shower in my new home. I bought a shower chair to sit on as my knees will not support standing to shower. It worked out mostly okay--but I am definitely going to look into having the shower replaced with a bath tub. I can't wash my feet or my bottom in that shower. I can't go around without being able to get fully clean!

Also, the floor of the shower is extremely slippery. I was in constant fear that I was going to fall when I stood to try to wash the places I couldn't reach while sitting on the shower chair.

At least I am adequately clean.

I have to take my car to Harland's today to have the oil changed and the wind shield wipers replaced. It is storming like a banshee in Owatonna right now, and I just heard thunder here. Great. My windshield wipers are in horrible shape--and of course the place where they are the worst is right in front of the driver's side. Well, one more trip with limited visibility and then I will have nice new ones.

Yesterday I got my laundry washed and dried. I am hoping to fold it and put it away before I go to Owatonna. I also made my "famous" macaroni salad--I had all the ingredients except celery, and my aunt had called to chat while she and my uncle were driving to Owatonna. She mentioned that she was going to pick up some groceries, and I asked if she'd pick me up a stalk of celery. She said sure.

So, after I got all my laundry going, I started cutting up the cheese, pickles, olives, and mushrooms and boiled the macaroni. I was almost done with the chopping when my aunt showed up with the celery. She also put my three glass bowls up on top of the high cupboard for me as I couldn't reach to do it. I tried to use my little two-step stepstool, but my knees were just too unstable. I was afraid I would fall.

My salad turned out just delicious, as always. I boxed up some for my mother and some for my brother--he loves that salad, and I still have a large container left for myself--at least 5 servings.

I spent most of the rest of the day watching the episodes of The Son which I had recorded on the DVR and deleting them.  They have really changed the story from the  book.  I guess that is normal for Hollywood, but it seems so silly--you love the book and want to make a show of it, then you change everything completely.  So dumb.

Not much else going on in my life at the moment. 

Tammy is coming down either Thursday or Friday and staying overnight.  Kim will come down on Friday after work and will stay overnight at Mom's too.  We are considering going to have pedicures on Saturday.  I could sure use one.  My toes are a mess.

Well, I have to fold and put away some clothes before I go to Harland's, so I better get at it.  I am hoping to type up my updates in the morning again, like I did before my old computer died. 

This one isn't as satisfactory as my old one, but I will get used to it, I suppose.

Comments

[cmcmck]

We have both but I'm the other way round- I much prefer a shower.

[the_godiva]

I prefer a bath too. It's what sold me on my house. My parents have an enamel on steel tub but mine is enamel on cast iron and it is bigger and deeper than theirs. They prefer showers so don't care. I love my tub.

I have been taking showers for the last year or so. Can't remember my last bath. I've been showering with moisturizing bath wash and a loofah after every pool class so it just saves water not to fill the tub. It's become a very occasional luxury. Even though the drought is temporarily over, the price of water has not gone down. I doubt they ever will. So that's between $20-$70 a month that I can save showering at the gym only.

When I had my pipes replaced with copper I had a shower put in the tub with one of those diverters on the spout. It mostly works fine. It's consistent with the quality of the neighborhood. Nothing fancy.

I suspect you have a fiberglass shower enclosure that was put in with the remodel. I find it hard to believe anyone would tile the floor of a shower with slick tile.

My car needs to go in for an oil change but that is going to have to wait until the IRS is paid off.

What are you going to do when you need to use those glass bowls? How will you get them down?

I'll be drying everything on the line after I shut off the gas. If the leak is in the line to the dryer I can replace that. If not, shutting off the valve won't help and I'll have to call a plumber immediately. But first I have to clear around the area so I can pull the washer out from the wall far enough to get behind it. The dryer is one one side and the sink on the other so I have to pull it way out. The gas shutoff is behind the washer, not the dryer. I'll have to pull the dryer out too if I have to change the line.

If the shower is that spacious it may be a tub used to be there and putting one back in won't be such a big deal because the space already suits. Maybe the plumbing too. But it will be pricey. For just the shower/tub you're probably looking at something in the neighborhood of $5,000-$7,000 both parts and labor. It does give you a chance to put in a really high quality tub, enamel on cast iron (the best) or even one with jets. I would highly recommend you still have a shower head with some sort of diversion, either on the spout or on the wall with the controls. That way you have a choice and a FULL bath. What you have is a 3/4 bath. I think it is unwise for anyone doing a remodel to put in only a shower or only a tub. It lowers the value of your property. If you're going through that expense it isn't that much money to do both.

It's going to be a while before you can swing the remodel.

[chochiyo_sama]

It is some kind of plastic or rubber-maid like substance that is very shiny and appears to be form molded to fit the space. The floor of the shower slants towards the middle, and there are raised grooves in the floor of it that I assume are for water drainage as they do not provide any traction. The original owner was extremely elderly and the folks I bought the place from were both disabled, so I am shocked that there were no grip bars installed anywhere in the shower. Adding those alone would make a very big difference.

The glass bowls are vintage items that I would never use to serve anything in--they all belonged to my grandmother. One of them is a gold pressed glass bowl that she won pitching nickels at a fair when she was very young. The green one was a wedding present, and the last one looks like something "modern" from the fifties. It is my least favorite, but I think it is collectable.

They are for looks only as I don't want to break them. They look cute up there.

So far, my house is quite economical to live in. The bills are manageable, and I have already saved a little money towards my next project. The tub is definitely high on the list. In West Concord I had an enameled cast iron tub and I adored it. When I get a new tub here, I want a long, wide, deep tub that I can swim laps in if I want to. Ha!

The first thing I am going to do is find someone to put a ceiling fan in my bedroom. I hate dead air.

[the_godiva]

Yep. That is a pre-formed fiberglass stall. Very slick until it gets scratched. Then it's hell to clean. I hate them. Until you replace it, put a lot of those non-skid stickies on the bottom. Since you're replacing it who cares? Maybe you can find some ducks, like Sheldon.

Or paw prints:

Blue, brown or purple: https://www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Paw-Bath-Treads-Brown/dp/B01A7MO5WY/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1497397656&sr=8-19-spons&keywords=non-skid%2Btub%2Bstickers&refinements=p_72%3A2661618011&th=1

My aunt in Stuttgart, Germany had a tub like that. It was enamel on cast iron, clawfoot and it was wide, deep and long. For me it was like a coffin. I could stretch out and fully submerge myself if I wanted to. Sitting in it the water would still come up to my chin if I filled it that full. It was wonderful. They eventually remodeled that bathroom and replaced that tub. I never saw the replacement. Just as well. I would have been devastated. After her husband died she eventually sold the house and moved into a senior apartment building. My cousins still own that little apartment in case they get to the point they need to sell their house and need something more senior friendly.

The ceiling fan is definitely a must do near the top of the list. During the winter it will circulate the air to keep you warm and in the summer it will circulate the air conditioning and keep you cool. I love mine. Just make sure they brace the box before they install it. You can't just put it on a regular electrical box, the vibration will shake it loose.

Sounds like at least two of those glass bowls are "depression glass". The 50s one is collectible. Probably "carnival" glass like the others but a different era. I love the ones with the rainbow sheen, mostly the gold but occasionally red, clear, blue, green or yellow. There are also opaque glass bowls that are orange with an opalescent shine. I have one that belonged to my Mom. My current dish service is a reproduction of Indiana Glass in a lovely spruce green.