ALL WORK, NO PLAY

Not a fun week ---- got some small jobs done but one BIG problem/disappointment. Remember the classy stone backsplash that we put on last week? All that was left was to fill in the gaps with grout and clean off the excess. I mixed the grout til it looked like vanilla pudding, then slathered it on like buttering toast. (Why all the food analogies??). Then Pat followed by wiping off the extra. Oh-oh, the finished tiles became grey and pocked with grout hardened like cement. BIG OH-OH!....

We did take a break and went downtown for a couple of Tightwad Tuesday movies. Rush and Captain Phillips --- both based on true stories, both great action/suspense. Also wandered through the St. Lawrence Market; good to see the tourists and foreign students are still here despite Toronto's sad and embarrassing situation. Also did a quick daytrip to Kemble to make sure the plumbing hadn't burst in the cold snap. Ice is forming on the pond but the air still mild enough to do the last oil change of the season. The basement is full of equipment and outdoor gear stored for the winter, like memories waiting to be retrieved in the spring.

Back at Wineva the neighbour and I put in the porch handrail required by building code. Pat always does the finishing touch of careful painting --- another mild day and it dried before the Wet Paint signs could be noticed! But the backsplash crisis was always on our mind. Options included ripping it out but online searches suggested soaking in sugar water, or spraying with grout-eating toxic acids! Stubborn Mrs. Wyszynski has been grinding away with a wicked wire brush on the power drill! As of this morning, there is improvement but she's using a haze remover as a last resort. Any predictions out there??