Remember us?

Hello, everyone! It's been a long couple of weeks, but we've finally turned a corner. Things are on the upswing. Slowly, slowly, things have improved. I found my laptop, but because it was recently resurrected from the dead (huge virus), it no longer includes the software for my camera or my Internet connection. I could reinstall it, if only I could find the box with the installation CDs in it. I'm aiming for Christmas (seriously). Until then, I'm typing away on John's machine; the pics will have to wait, though.

Instead of writing one novel-long post, I thought I'd break it up and start with the stairs.

Our stairs from the second to the third floor were removed and replaced without any problems. Our stair guys took great care in removing them -- it's truly amazing what can be achieved by smart guys and a block and tackle. Our 1,000 lbs stairs were lowered and eased out of the building without a scratch on them or the walls. It was a real feat. Before the stairs were removed, John and I had a little bit of time to run up to the third floor and pack a few clothes for the week. We spent our first night on our camping mats in the living room, then upgraded to a single mattress on the floor the next night. We spent the next few nights alternating between my lovely sister's house and our kitchen floor. The stairs were reinstalled within the week, and we were thrilled to be reunited with our bed. The stairs are as gorgeous as they were when they first went in, no worse for the wear. The ceiling height is now corrected. The only thing left to do is install the maple railing cap, clean up the railings, and repair the drywall where it had to be cut out.

We now also have railings everywhere we need them — all around every outside structure, on the garage stairs leading to the house, and on the stairs leading to the basement. The stair rails leading to the rooftop patio now have a much nicer railing. It almost makes you forget that if you fell from up there, you'd be toast. Almost.

Having the stairs corrected has been a huge challenge, and we are thrilled that it's over. The stairs are beautiful -- photos to come!