Ho ho ho! I’ll have lots to blog about after the first of the year. Until then, I’m going to take it easy over the holidays and resolve to be a better blogger in the new year. From my home to yours, Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season to all (5 of) my readers!
I just found out that I had been spelling the name of Dave’s dog Allis wrong the whole time I’ve been writing this blog. It’s Allis, not Alice. Come to think of it, I’ve been thinking of Allis as an Alice the whole time I’ve known her too. Turns out she is named after Dave’s Allis Chalmers WD45 tractor. Great name. I’ve since corrected it on the blog.
Incidentally, the spelling and pronunciation of a name go a long way in helping me associate and remember a person and their personality. In other words, I think of people (and animals) in terms of how their names are spelled and pronounced. For example Katie is completely different from Katy or Kady, just as Zach is different from Zac or Zak. Even though those sets of names are technically pronounced the same, they’re just not the same to me.
Which is why my Alice mistake is such a bummer. It’s almost as if I’ll need to spend more time with Allis so I can get to know her as an Allis and not an Alice. I guess I’ll have to find something else for Dave to do at my house once those donations to the “Tile Thomas’ Kitchen and Den Fund” come rolling in.
I’m a very detailed person. And so, naturally, when it came time to select a carpenter for my simple project, I asked around, checked references, did my due diligence, all in an effort to find someone who was honest, fair, and skilled at what they do. At the end of the day, I selected Dave Pritchard from Black Hawk to be my contractor.
Dave was recommended by my friend Andy Hackleman, has worked for several trusted people in town, and has a reputation for quality work. Above is a list of work that I gave to Dave on his first day on the job. Although there have been a couple of unsuspected events to come up in the process of tearing out walls, he and his Weimaraner, Allis, have been a joy to work with thus far.
The list will serve as a sort of “Table of Contents” for this blog. It lists most of the projects I will be undertaking on the front-end and provides a sense of the types of changes being made to the house.
Four Zero Two 