Summer is coming!

At least that's what they keep saying.  Sheesh.  Typically it warms up to summer temps in the week after July 4th but generally it is more mild than it has been.  The highs for the day has barely been into the 60's lately.

BUT that is good for all the various things going on around the house as if it gets too hot, it gets hard to work on various projects. 

It's the last room in the house which needs work.  Originally it was the garage and had cool swing out big doors.  AT some point the garage was converted to a room and stairs from the kitchen down (half level) to driveway level and stairs from the room to the basement were added (access to the basement used to be via stairs in the back of the kitchen).  We've always called it the AAK (pronounced awk) which stands for the Awkward Addition off the kitchen.

There's no heat in that room and it was dingy and dreary with no lights.  It used to have single pane sliding doors and windows and was frozen in the winter, broiling in the summer.  Over the years the doors, the stairs, the windows and even the walls have been replaced.  Structurally it is much better shape than when we first moved in.  It's basically a large mudroom which we use as a staging area for projects, bike storage etc.  Time to make the room more useful and deal with the rat problem.

yes, rats.  We've had rats in the attic so finally last week we were able to put the last bits of soffit up to close off the attic.  Are the rats still getting in?  We can hear them but we can't tell if they are still getting in and out.  They seem to understand that the trap baited with peanut butter is not a good thing and have stayed away.  But at some point they were using the attic above the AAK as a parade route and the results were not good.   All the drywall and insulation had to come out.  K can tell horror stories of removing that drywall.  I, fortunately, was at work! 

It's all cleaned out.  K installed ceiling lights and rewired some of the switches controlling lights and outlets and is working on hanging drywall.  Wow.  This room will always be a utility type room but now it won't be hideous!  I can't wait.

We are still waiting for the contractor to contact us about getting our porch project on his schedule.  And really there is no hurry.  To be ready for his work, two large shrubs had to come out.  I managed to get out the last stump this afternoon after much digging and cursing and jumping up and down on the stump.  I honestly didn't think I'd be able to get it but persistence payed off. The Kalmia is out!  And now I wonder how it was even alive.  Poor thing was totally root bound and wedged too close to the house.  It makes me think it wouldn't have lasted much longer. 

And running?  After the hip blow up last weekend, I've just been keeping it short per the physical therapist's recommendations.  I also got out on my bike again as shoulder is feeling better.  I'm very encouraged by the PT assessment which pretty much confirmed what I'd thought.  Something is off with the hip and everything else has to compensate.

What's off with the hip?  Well, it's complicated and probably a result of an old injury (say 15 years ago).  Hip, rib area and upper shoulder are all locked into place and don't really move like they should.  It's not a traditional PT technique and honestly feels a bit like some sort of voodoo.  But if it works, who cares!  It was a pretty interesting appointment and i came out feeling like I could walk like a normal person.  And really, I hadn't noticed that my walk was affected but now I can feel that it was.

All indications are that this will be a pretty quick fix of lots of little things which are off but nothing is seriously wrong.  Fantastic!  I told the therapist that I'd been waiting for him to show up in my life for years!  He laughed at that and said I'd been a lot more patient with the injury than he would've been.  I guess that means that I managed it well enough so that i could continue running well at some level. 

It was good enough for a fun trail run exploring a trail that I haven't been on too much.  RPD and I started at Central Park in Issaquah and headed towards Grand Ridge Trail.  We had fun tromping through many nettles and deciding that the Mitchell Hill Connector Trail wasn't really passable right now.  My legs are still stinging from nettles!  There had been some large trees down that crews were working on clearing.  I would've taken some of the wood if I could K!