Butchering the Lap House Kitchen

Hick was back to work Monday at Lap House. I'm not so sure he had helpers this day, because he sent me a text every half hour or so. Meaning he wasn't putting all his energy into bossing people around!

Here's a preliminary look at the kitchen counter:

As Hick noted, this countertop is just set in place. Nothing fastened yet, nothing trimmed. I wasn't sure I would like the butcher block, but now I love it! I think it goes well with the new (lower) cabinets, and the vintage sink.

Hick was thinking about a white laminate floor, but I'm leaning towards a tan or beige. Not a wood grain, but something that looks like tile. That way it won't clash with the butcher block. I'll suggest it to Hick, but you know how he is about bargains. I suspect he will favor the budget, rather than my preferences.

Hick Is Working at Lap Speed

Thursday was another day of work on Lap House. The new lower cabinets were actually installed. Hick sent The Pony a picture, but not me! Of course The Pony shared. At first I thought it was the same picture I had gotten the day before (which The Pony didn't), where the new cabinets were just set in place. Nope! They're actually installed now.

That's a vintage cast iron porcelain enamel double sink with drainboards. Hick is leaving it. They are going for around $1000 from what I see on the innernets. The upper cabinet with the dishes is old. That is going away, says Hick. There won't be an upper cabinet in that area, but on the side. Also, the flooring is just linoleum, and will be torn out, to be replaced with laminate. Hick is thinking white, but I don't know if people want a WHITE kitchen floor. That's a lot of white. Hick said he did it in Bargain House, but I think that was more gray.

The view out the kitchen window is the unoccupied church next door, and its little toddler playground. The church building is for sale. I like the rock architecture. Hick took a tour of it with Realtor Guy, just for kicks (unfair to Realtor Guy, who told Hick he didn't mind, because he's more likely to make sales if he shows properties). Anyhoo... Hick said he can't imagine anybody buying the church to convert into a duplex, because it would take too much work.

I hope for more work on Lap House this week. If Hick can get it done soon, and on the market, I would complain less about keeping Cheap House for a total renovation.

The Return of the Laundry Bandit

I can't believe Hick was holding out on this information! Doesn't he know I have stories to tell? It was almost an accidental reveal. We were talking about the cold Hick has come down with.

"I don't know where you got it, but I sure don't want to catch it. From the timing, I'd say you caught it on Sunday or Monday."

"I don't want you to get it, either. I might have got it down at the lockers."

"Or kissing one of your Harem!"

"I ain't kissin' none of my Harem. Oh, and our laundry guy is back."

"I told you! Wait! I thought you said it was a woman. Some lady's granddaughter."

"I seen a man go in there carrying laundry. He has to know! I've got great big signs right over the washer that it's for tenants only. Next time, I'm gonna do what you said. And keep the clothes. I think it's the same people, and the husband is doing it now."

"If nobody asks about the clothes after a couple weeks, you could give them to the grandma and tell her next time you'll keep them. You think you know who it is, right?"

"Yeah. And they've been bringing a dog in there, too. The others told me about it. I went to talk to her, and told her she cain't be havin' a dog unless she has a doctor's note that she needs it for therapy. She said, 'I don't have a dog here. You can come and look in my apartment. It was just for a visit.'"

"Is it a little dog?"

"No! It's a great big dog!" Hick held his hand at the height of the couch arm.

"Well. You need to make that free laundry stop. They don't have any excuse, now that they're doing it with the signs up. Probably the grandma telling them to stop won't do it, either. So she shouldn't be blamed. They are adults. They can read the signs."

Hick was probably hanging onto this tale, waiting for a time when he needed to distract me from a line of interrogation he wanted to avoid...

Hick Grabs Another Man's Junk

Hick took the torn-out cabinets from Lap House to the landfill/recycling center. You have to pay by weight for what you are dumping. Hick says he backs SilverRedO into a big building, and has to unload it himself, among piles of stuff other dumpers have left.

"We were gettin' the cabinets unloaded, and saw a chainsaw just sitting there on a pile of stuff. And two grease guns. The old guy next to me said, 'Looks like somebody dumped a chainsaw.' I said, 'Yep.' And went and got it--"

"Wait! What if that other man wanted it? He pointed it out!"

"That's too bad. I got to it first. I seen it, too. He just happened to say that before I grabbed it. I got them two grease guns, too. I brought the chainsaw home, and it works! Nothing wrong with it. It's a 16- or 18-inch chainsaw. Worth $82, according to the internet. And them grease guns? One of them is air operated. One of them could be anywhere from $30 to $125. It was a pretty good haul, for going to dump the cabinets."

That's our Hick. His FREEbie Magnet is working overtime.

It's Finally LAPpening

Are you sitting down? Prepare yourself. Hick has worked on Lap House two days this week! It might be three, if his plans work out today (Thursday).

Monday, Hick was busy at the senior apartments. But Tuesday, he and HOS (Hick's Oldest Son) tore out the old cabinets in Lap House, and took them to the landfill/recycling center. Wednesday, they set the new cabinets in place in the Lap House kitchen. Today, HOS was assigned to tearing out a bad section of the kitchen floor that was discovered when the old cabinets came out. And Old Buddy's task was to replace the siding on the outside of Lap House, around the new electric box. I assume Hick's job was to supervise.

I think they look wonderful! It's only the bottom section for now. The sink is staying. It's some old-fashioned metal sink, maybe tin, coated with porcelain. That's what Hick says, anyway. The building inspector commented how he liked it, when he was there to approve the wall studs the $1000 job guy put in. He said you don't see those kind of sinks anymore.

Hick says he's planning to use butcher block for the counter. It's the right thickness to match up to the sink level. I'm not sure how it will look with that floor. Or if Hick is even keeping the floor. I don't know what it's made of, or the condition, but I kind of like that pattern.

Anyhoo... I am relieved to see some progress on Lap House, even if it's only one picture. AND Hick had another story from the landfill. Coming soon.

The Auction Return

If these are the best things Hick could find to buy at the auction, I can understand why he hasn't gone for so long! Sure, his prize find was that gigantic Mississippi Mud Cake for $25. That's not something you find every day, and not something most people would buy.

The first picture he sent from the auction was this:

"Bought railroad light and a couple other things."

"Reminds me of a kerosene heater."

Hick did not reply. But did confirm later that this railroad light runs on kerosene. He did not mention who that hand belongs to, steadying the light on his leg. Nor did he elaborate on the "other things" that I think are sitting between his feet. It looks like a professional sports themed wastebasket, for the Arizona Cardinals. I can't tell what's inside.

The other item Hick sent a picture of was this, with no comment:

It is a cross-section of a log, with a message burned into the wood. No idea of Hick's plans for this, but I suspect it might be on our front porch. Or maybe it will demand a place of honor INSIDE our hillbilly mansion. Hick was quite tickled with this acquisition. He paid $2 for it, which is surely a bargain for such a slice of home decor. He paid $22 for the railroad light.

I imagine Hick will go back to the auction, if for no other reason than to look for a tasty dessert.

Stop the HICKsanity!

Hick went to the auction Monday night. It's been many months since he's been there. Nothing special was advertised for it. He just wanted to go. He sent me a couple of pictures of items he bought. You'll see them tomorrow. Today, you can share my shock at Hick's other purchase.

Hick got home around 8:30. He walked through the door holding something across his forearms. At first, I thought he must have gotten a gift from his Harem earlier in the day, while collecting rents. But no. It was something from the auction.

"What's that? Did your Harem give you treats?"

"No. It's a cake. I bought it at the auction. It was a fundraiser, so I gave them $25 for it. The guy who bought the thing ahead of me gave $100!"

A Mississippi Mud cake. My mom used to make them. Hers looked much better than this one, which appeared a bit anemic to me. Mom's was darker, with glossy icing, and a thick layer of marshmallow just under it, before the cake.

This cake had a really thick layer of icing, which looks as if it came right out of the plastic can. Not that there's anything wrong with that... Also, the marshmallow might have been marshmallow creme that melted out during cooking, because it's across the bottom of the pan. I could see a tiny sliver of white between the icing and cake, but it doesn't show in this picture.

The cake was H U G E !!! It's in an 11 x 15 inch glass baking dish! The innernets say such a dish serves 8-12 people. Hick is only ONE person!

This auction cake takes up almost the entire bottom shelf of FRIG II. You can see Little Debbie peeking up from the drawer below, on a box of Hick's snack cakes. Behind her is a glimpse of Hick's box of Mounjaro. 

I'll leave it at that.