It's
supposed to get up to 71˚ today. Four days ago our low was in the
20˚s. Today I have the doors open. The weather here this winter has
been like a yoyo, up down up down.
Of
the six monarch caterpillars I collected before the deep freeze, one
died, four made chrysalises though one of those stupidly attached
itself to a thread of the cheesecloth instead of the stick I so
helpfully provided and the thread pulled loose and it fell to the
bottom of the jar. I tried tying a piece of thread around the little
stump but it slipped off so I guess this one dies from stupidity as
there is no way to hang it. The last caterpillar has attached itself
to its stick and is hanging in its 'J' shape so if it makes the
transition I will have 4 chrysalises to keep an eye on. When they
turn transparent in about two weeks, I'll take the sticks outside to
hatch.
I
finally went Friday to look at tile starting from ground zero with no
idea what I wanted or how much I wanted besides white or off white.
They were very helpful though, walking me through some ideas. They
have a huge display of all kinds of tile. I took pictures of some of
the ones I like and came home with several sets of samples. I wish I
had taken pictures of the whole display. I'm not kidding when I tell
you they had at least a thousand choices. It was pretty overwhelming.
Yesterday
I drew up elevations of both the bathroom and the shower so I can
work out some ideas. This bathroom is tiny, basically 5' x 5'.
Right away I discarded all but two of the
samples I brought home and have switched from white in my thinking to
a sort of pale warm gray. I love these hex tiles, 1.75" x 1.5".
Have
I mentioned how crazy this house is built? The detached garage was
not built at right angles to the house so when
the little bathroom was added against my studio room and the back
bedroom against the back wall of the garage it created a triangle of
dead space between the opposite bathroom wall and the bedroom wall in
order for both rooms to have square corners. The original shower
extended into this space somewhat.
My plan is to extend the back
corner of the shower all the way making it a trapezoid instead of the
square it was originally. In this way I can enlarge the shower
somewhat without tearing up the slab and moving plumbing. Here's the
new floor plan.
super glue that butterfly
ReplyDeleteI was down at the Brazoria WF yesterday, and they have a bunch of monarchs that have hatched. I told them about your rescue efforts, and they were mightily impressed -- as am I.
ReplyDeleteI like that hexagonal tile, too. My grandmother's house had the old black and white pattern -- this is more to my taste, but it all brings back memories.
Nobody better than you to handle the bathroom situation. The artist. Sounds like a really great idea to come out with a bigger shower. Reminds me of what we call our "bicycle barn". Our lot had an odd shaped area behind the shed we had. We have a custom five sided building tacked on to the shed. Serves well. Love the tile you chose. Will do the job beautifully. I guess you have to feel good if you saved ANY of the butterflies. Sad that that one messed up his chance.
ReplyDeleteThat's a decent plan. I thought I done good with a 5x8, but I think you have more possibilities with your enlarged back corner. There even can be decent shelving beside the sink. You go, woman!
ReplyDeleteMy husband has spent days trying to make a new screen door fit into the space where the old one was. The problem is, is that the entire house needs to be jacked up and re-leveled. He is a bit frustrated.
ReplyDeleteI like the hex tiles too.
our front door is a bit a kilter from that corner sinking. our solution is to just not use that door.
DeleteI like the tile. You've had a lot going on. It might be hard to see all the progress you've made because you're in the thick of it. With every post I'm impressed with what's changed.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter has similar tile and it looks great. Just making a decision on the vast amount of choices is daunting. However, after all you have been through, I know that he bathroom will turn out just great.
ReplyDeleteI will be looking forward to the pictures of the butterflies.
how did she use it? walls? floor? as a decorative trim?
DeleteShe used it on the wall. The shape is very modern and looks great. My SIL is a contractor, doing bathrooms and kitchens mostly (he has done all the upgrades in my home). I would love to update with tile like that.
DeleteWill the chrysalis that fell definitely die? I wonder if it couldn't successfully pupate lying on the bottom of the jar. There are no predators to catch it, after all, and as long as it can spread its wings when it emerges it should be OK...maybe?? (Might have to take it out of the jar and put it in a bigger/flatter container?)
ReplyDeletewhen they emerge from the chrysalis, they cling to whatever it is attached to while their wings unfold and drop and fill with fluid until they harden and can fly off. if there is anything beneath them that prevents the wings from fully forming the the wings will be deformed and they won't be able to fly. I'm going to try to superglue it to the stick as the other Steve above suggested.
DeleteI have learned to have a plan in terms of style and tone before I shop for tiles!
ReplyDeleteI like that you are using all the space! My bathroom is tine, as well and I have to leave the plumbing in place. The previous owners had used one of those fiberglass units with the cheap plexiglass doors. Removing that and using a tub and tile with a shower curtain added a few inches to the shower space. Made a big difference as far as elbow room!
ReplyDelete