Saturday, November 1, 2014
All I can say is.... waiting.  Thinking and waiting.  Dreaming a bit too. Oh - and definitely praying for some unseasonably warm weather... just a bit.... maybe two weeks worth.
Talking with another building owner today, I have learned that building codes, state and local, are going to become a way of life.  Well a person does not even have a decision.  If I want a building, I better know my codes.
(To me, shhhhhh.  Don't tell anyone, but I view codes like taxes.  Paying them, either with ones attention or with ones dollars really indicates one thing.  You made it.)
Want a building?  Yes.  You will pay taxes and you need to know codes of all sorts, from parking, construction, and all the systems involved in operation.
Want a business?  Yes.  You will pay taxes.
Okay.

And that's all I have for a Saturday.  Waiting.  Dreaming.  Planning.  Thinking.

And praying.  Always praying....

Love and Blessings and Happiness.

Thank you

~stephanie

Friday, October 31, 2014.
I am fortunate... Sometimes issues arise with the building that only true experts can solve.  With the roof, I can not nor should I try to 'wing it' or I can 'learn on the fly'.  Nope, the roof is practically sacred.  Oddly the foundation of the health of the building relies not in the basement, rather it sits upon the roof repair.  There can be no compromise.  As I told someone today, I can do it once as close to perfection with the best people I can find.  Once.  No corners cut because I will not bargain with the good vibe of the building.  That roof has to be done once.  If I always have to look over my shoulder, wondering 'did I do the best I could', then, without a doubt, I will be faced with doing a roof twice.  That scenario I will not set up for myself. 
I can 'wing it' when it comes to glazing windows.  A roof?  A roof covering 21,000 square feet of wondrous brick spaciousness?  Nope.  And gladly too.
Since I will use the building commercially, I need a structural engineer to determine which joists or rafters or wood trusses need replacement.  At first I was scared, until a succession of three or four phone calls and a boatload of help and advice, led me to....a structural engineer who will do just that.  On Monday.  This Monday.
I could not believe it.  The materials and the people are set for Monday to begin work.  I just stared off into space for a few minutes when all the appointments and arrangements were made.  My mind whirled.  "Do you know how close you came to a shut down of the project?" (I am learning to indulge myself of 'what if' scenarios briefly.  Then, a person has to wipe it off the hands.  It is a balance between thanking God for good fortune (hence the 'what ifs') and being able to turn away from the near mishaps.  A person has to keep rolling.
The snow caused no damage other than melting throughout the day onto the upper level floor.  Oh!  Today was also the first time I needed to salt the sidewalk.  I may put the brakes on the dream of watching the snowstorms from inside the building.  Snow this early in the season would slow down if not halt the roof repair.  Fantasies of snow shoveling.... on hold!

**I do find myself daydreaming about two things:  1) Vapor barriers.  I wonder about ventilation and vapor barriers with the roof;  and 2) HVAC.  What will it be like, to hear a boiler start-up or air circulation fans?  I was standing outside at the time, but a sound startled me as I thought 'oh the boilers... you have none...'. It was one of those moments that surely will become one of a future brush of déjà vu.  A person just knows it.  I could hear it... Like a breath of life...

But, one small beautiful dream did come true.  My first trick o'treaters.  Matthias' first Halloween.  Hallow's Eve.  All Soul's.  Reformation.
Fun.

Thank you.  Thank you. Happiness, Love and Blessings.

~stephanie

Thursday, October 30, 2014
He smells differently.  The air was different - it was the first thing I noticed walking in the door.  Actually that is not true.  The first noticeable change today by Matthias was the enormous blue lift parked in the alley.  It's huge!  I had envisioned something quite a bit smaller until I got to thinking:  Not only does a person need to lift themselves, but also tools and cement.  (I laugh).  No.  Although I had dreams of renting a lift to seal the second floor windows, I won't do it.  Oh man, though, I really really would love to give it a try.  The lift looks big enough to be stable enough to counterbalance the weight of my.... inexperience.
No.  Tempting.  But no.  I am challenged enough by the realization I need a taller ladder in order to work on the main level windows.  And, with the reminder of the coming season provided by the current white sleet mixture which is currently falling here, I think I have enough on my docket.
Enough of my dreams of carpentry grandeur!  The smell!  I was talking about the smell!
Opening the door and walking in ~ it hit me.  This fresh wood smell. Yum!  It fit too, you know?  There are some odors which should never belong with other sensory experiences.  For example.... Fish.  Fish and lemon?  Yes.  Fish and.... oh, I don't know.... Fish and sewer smell? No.
I digress.
The wood sheeting for the roof had arrived and was stacked against the wall.  What a great smell - fresh and earthy.  But there was something more.  The air felt different.  I thought to myself that maybe it is the building being opened during the day. 
I went upstairs.  Actually I laid down on a pile of rubble, wondering is the upstairs a 'living' sort of place?  I mean, just because I may put in apartments does not necessarily mean it could be homey.  I can label the spaces upstairs anyway I want to, but does the building or could it ever feel cozy and warm and snuggle and 'forget the world' type of place?
The answer? Yep.  Even on top of a pile of rubble.  Just give me a blankie and a pillow.  The space upstairs felt nice.  And when it comes to 'home', nice is perfect.
Before you start thinking or actually questioning my reasoning, let me add:  It is because I do some goofy things that I notice other things. For example, while pondering the upstairs spaces I was admiring the rafters, but I noticed the light from the sky in places previously unlit.
Time to investigate.
In the northwest corner of the building the roofers have begun to peel away the layers of the old roof sheeting.  The heavy upstairs air could now escape - through the roof!  Even those rafters and the beams surrounding them in the next two rooms - they looked drier.  It smelled.... fresh.
Magic.
Of course life being what it is, I now see full-fledged snow outside.  I will rest on those worries.  Tomorrow.

Oh - it is a glorious feeling - to be able to look someone in the eye - squarely - saying "Follow your heart.  Your brain will figure it out.  Follow your heart.". I thank God for this path every day.

Oh - lesson from building today?  I guess I need to smile more.  I don't need to be a grouch, yes?

Happy Halloween. Thank you.

Love and Blessings
~stephanie

Even looking at the photo...I still have urges to operate it... "no, steph, no..no, steph, no...."
(laughing)

Wednesday, October 29, 2014.
Quite a day, today.  Indeed.  I picked up two new 11 1/4 " by 22" panes of double thick window glass.  I can hardly wait to finish them!  Remember those days and weeks of waiting and wondering and hoping and worrying?  Well, it seems all work is coming together.  I cannot.... well, I just have to pinch myself!  On top of the roof materials arriving, the roofers coming Monday, the construction company working any day now and the mason coming on Friday.... Well, my glass for the doors has arrived, with the installation due tomorrow or today, depending upon your time reference. 
Thursday.
I think he seemed a bit shocked when I said I will leave them unobstructed (no curtains) so that passersby can look inside.  I want (and ok, I will say it.... the building wants!) him to be seen!  He is so handsome and incredible and built and one and one-half foot thick solid brick walls!
Did I mention ever how awestruck I am that this building, the Matthias Building, has stood unused for fifty years? Stood.  Took the weather.  Stood.
Stood.  Stood.... Stands....
He stands...
Yep.

Cornerstone.

Thank you!  Love and Blessings

~Stephanie

Tuesday, October 28, 2014.
Walking this afternoon, I paused... confused at the sight of a semi-truck parked next to the building.  My mind just could not register that there is indeed a truck parked next to the building!  Delivery!  Not only had the roofing materials arrived from Michigan, but parked in my vacant lot were a huge contractor-sized dumpster and the construction company's tool and supply trailer. (I sort of flipped out from the excitement!)
By the time I checked tonight all of the roof was tucked neatly inside.  It was like Christmas - I cried, then giggled.  Really giggled.  Really, really giggled.  Then cried some more because here it was:  the dream, what I had worked for, the break point, the major point of the first phase of renovations.

The roofing materials stacked inside... Christmas early!!!


The new roof plus interior roof fixes and the roof drain piping means no more leaks!  I cannot believe we are here.  We made it!  Today the mason called - he will be here on Friday.  My doors' glass awaits installation and.....I believe I have a great deal to do this winter!

Miracles...  Hard work, good people, and ..... miracles..

Thank you.

Love and Blessings
~stephanie

Monday, October 27, 2014.
I am finding a truth in that beauty is defined a great deal by the edges... where things meet - the wood frames to the brick, for example.  So, while I am priming the third set of Main Street windows I start to dig out between exactly those two materials.  The more I dig out old caulk which after all these years has turned to blackened dust under painted skin.  I immediately thought "this is like digging in a person's belly button!". Ew.  I apologize, but it was like picking out belly button fuzz ~ indescribable and undefined and wishing to remain as such, except necessary to remove, thank you very much.
TMI.  Got it.
I do not wish to keep the windows painted white, but I have to say, the impact of fresh paint against the red brown brick is stunning.  Handsome.
Tomorrow the interior work of the roof repairs begin.
Here we go, Matthias.  Here we go.

Thank you.  Love and Blessings...
~stephanie

Sunday, October 26, 2014.
So many people have stopped while I work.... they notice the results of my efforts... so, as I berate myself for 1) proceeding with window primer painting before glazing (seems out of order, but it is a matter of 'beat the falling temperatures) or 2) not a better job generally;  peoples' comments and questions cause me to step back from the work.  It's a good thing - the old "looking at the forest versus the tree".  Balance.  Always a question of balance. Or perspective.  Maybe a balanced perspective?
Could be.
Speaking of which, it is time to invest in a taller ladder as a stretch last night wobbled the ladder while I perched on the second to top rung.  It was the rung on which the warning label is placed by the manufacturer in big bold letters.  Surely I am not the only one who ignores such signs with the smug justification that 'at least I am not standing on top of the ladder.'
Not good.  Not good at all.  I must have a guardian angel (overworked!) because it was enough of a teeter to get my attention but not one of such degree as to send me either to the pavement or dangling from the windows' hardware.
One more set of windows is primed at least well enough to slow the decay of wood underneath, preserve some of the window structure until next spring, and well, to be blunt, make him look spiffy!  Handsome. 
A local history buff stopped with notes detailing the past on West Main Street.  He also showed me a postcard from 1912 which may provide evidence that Matthias was already built.  From the angle of the buildings and the portrayal of the street on the postcard, it is difficult to tell.  More research is definitely needed!  It was all so cool...

Here's to a wonderful week!  Thank you.

Love and Blessings

~stephanie