Giving up on power tools

I tried once more to use my power drill to attach the cabinet hardware, but the drill bit was too large. The other Philips bit I found didn't seem much smaller, so I just decided to do it the old fashioned way, by hand. I'm just giving up on power tools altogether.

Here are three of the cabinets that are finished. I think they look pretty nice, although that white is going to show every little spot or scratch. Because of the rain I haven't been able to take the other 4 cabinet fronts outside to clean them for painting, but I did get all the hardware off and it's now soaking in Pine Sol/Dawn solution.



Once in a while I watch HGTV House Hunters or Property Virgins, and always laugh about the young people sniffing in disgust at a kitchen with laminate countertops, or painted cabinets, or appliances in anything other than stainless steel. Where do these folks come from that they expect their first house to have it all. What is there left to achieve? I think wooden cabinets are truly lovely and rich looking, but I'm sort of enjoying the retro look of my place. Good thing I'm enjoying it because I sure couldn't afford much else. One thing I do look forward to getting in a few months is new countertop and stainless steel sinks. The porcelain sinks are so pitted and crappy that I can never get them to look or feel clean. The countertop is in bad shape as well, especially the burn spot next to the stove. According to Yvonne, her son fried everything he ate, and it looks like he spilled hot grease which bubbled up the countertop.

I really feel terrible, although I'm able to do a little at a time. I just hope the cough goes away so that I don't have to see a doctor.

A couple of readers have asked about the leaks, and I've been checking the areas where rain always caused drips inside. It looks like there hasn't been any water dripping, but I'll keep looking now and then. Yesterday's rain was really heavy, and today it is raining off and on. It's too overcast for me to be able to work though. You can see the hardware on the cabinets is dark, and trying to find match the screw to the screwdriver is like working in Braille. I just have to tell by how it feels. I'm not sure that problem with my eyes will ever get any better. I need lots of light, preferably sunlight, in order to see small details. Could it be old age creeping up? I'll have to write it down so I remember to ask the surgeon when I see him on the 26th of this month.

I went back a couple of hours after I wrote the first part of my blog and checked the windowsill for leaks. It isn't dripping, but there is definitely moisture on the lower right still. It's not dripping from above as it did before, but is from another source. I'm not sure what I can do about it, and it is probably not from the roof this time.